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milkpumpkin96 · 5 months

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Tears of the Kingdom Review

I have always been a massive Legend of Zelda fan since my childhood, and let me tell you . . . ToTK absolutely blew my mind. I personally found it just as magical as my first playthrough of Breath of the Wild.

I have reaped much enjoyment from this game and became devastated when I finished it (I spent 230 hours). I did not want this experience to end: ToTK is easily my personal Game of the Year, and perhaps one of my favorite video games of all time.

This review is very late as it came out May of 2023 . . . but I am mega slow at completing games.

[SPOILER WARNING]

In case you have yet to finish ToTK, I suggest waiting to read this review.

OVERALL SCORE: 9 / 10

I admit that I am inexperienced with critiquing, but in my opinion, I believe that Tears of the Kingdom is a near-perfect Nintendo game. Both ToTK and BoTW are a real treat for experienced players yet it also roped in a whole new audience into the Zelda fanbase. It was exciting to see the amount of attention that this game was receiving earlier in the year (even though this meant near-unavoidable spoilers on social media).

It is no question as to why it was nominated for GOTY 2023 and won the best action/adventure game!

Of course, some may say that it is not too much different than its predecessor Breath of the Wild: the main Hyrule map is the same, the soundtrack is mostly reused and rehashed, and side quests are structurally the same. But well, it is a direct sequel after all.

If anything, I think that Tears of the Kingdom is BoTW on steroids. It is smoother in gameplay, creative enough to be its own separate title, and somehow, for me, it felt more encapsulating. This is coming from someone who struggled to get into Breath of the Wild initially.

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GAMEPLAY: 10 / 10

The beginning part in the Sky Islands dragged on a bit, but mostly because the "tutorial" was not as clear-cut as it was in BoTW. It was super easy to immediately get sidetracked and lost in the sky . . . I spent hours dawdling around the snowy mountains. However, I did not interpret this negatively; I think it was kind of nice engaging in accidental exploration.

Within the tutorial alone, I noticed that the combat mechanics are a bit more difficult than it was in the previous title. For one, it was harder for me to whip out my shield and perfect dodge attacks in ToTK. Also, stronger enemies are immediately available (e.g., gloom hands and Phantom Ganon), and without upgraded armor, most enemies could obliterate Link's hearts.

I think I spent 5-6 hours in the tutorial alone. This was off-putting for some (I know one or two people who as soon as they fell down to Hyrule field, they took a "break" from playing the rest of the game).

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In terms of difficulty, I found it relatively perfect: easy enough for newcomers to hop into the game (perhaps with some frustration) yet difficult enough to present challenges to more experienced players. I died quite a few times. A lot of times.

I think the shrines and temples were challenging enough, and since I refused to ever look at any guides, sometimes it could take me hours of struggle. Sure, the temples are noticeably linear, but they remind me of older Zelda games. Plus, the puzzles are fun and elaborate. I do wish the temple bosses were harder, but they were sill enjoyable nonetheless. Marbled Gohma was very straightforward and the easiest for me, Colgera was the most fun (LOVED the boss fight theme and the Rito village quest as a whole), and I suppose Queen Gibdo was the most difficult (Riju likes to run away from you).

Comparatively, BoTW bosses focus on flurry rushing whereas ToTK fights greatly rely on sage abilities and Rauru's arm's abilities (e.g., using ultrahand and ascend on flux constructs).

Many fights were amazing: the Gleeoks are insane, Phantom Ganon was hard at least the first time, and the gloom hands . . . those scared the shit out of me nearly every encounter. There are also arenas within the depths that vary in difficulty. The arena with the six gloom lynels, dear god, probably took me around 15 attempts.

As for the shrines, I generally enjoyed them. I even like the fetch quests for the crystals, and the "proving grounds" shrines are less redundant than the "test of strength" ones in BoTW. There are more shrines overall in ToTK, but they are less integrated into ToTK's story/vibes. So, it might seem weird because these shrines appear as more isolated puzzles than anything, but I do not mind because I like puzzles regardless, even if they are more oblique.

Some critics disliked the amount of Rauru's Blessing shrines. I somewhat agree . . . I faced the occasional disappointment particularly when the trial to get to the shrine was quick and easy. I do think it would be better with fewer of these because there is no need for so many shrines.

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I like Link/Rauru's abilities more than what the Sheikah slate offered in BoTW. I do miss the remote bombs, but other than that, I think ToTK is a major upgrade. Initially, it would seem that the zonai abilities would break the game? I mean . . . Link can ascend through ceilings and platforms???

However, this is not the case. Everything works very well with the map's geography and it never felt like I was "cheating" (except for some shrines, I definitely did not figure out some puzzles like I was supposed to).

I mean, Rauru's arm fused to Link is such a neat aesthetic within itself. It is also not as overwhelming: everything was on that Sheikah Slate, but now things are divided between the arm and the Purah Pad.

Ultrahand trumps magnesis, and rewind triumphs over stasis in my opinion. I can make questionable bikes, weapons, and planes now!

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MUSIC: 7 / 10

ToTK and BoTW soundtracks are virtually the same, with some slight additions and/or improvements (e.g., additional instruments). Critics complain that these soundtracks are not as memorable nor bombastic as some of the other games in the Zelda franchise.

The music is very ambient and mild. Sometimes I might forget that "music" is actually playing in the background while I am running around. To be honest, I like the ambiance--it feels more realistic (?) as if I am actually traversing a natural landscape. Or at least, it fits the general pacing and atmosphere of the game. I do not expect a constant replay of absolute bangers while I am spending hundreds of hours trying to complete the depths map or finish a bunch of side quests. Most LoZ games are linear and the areas you travel to are typically of great significance; whereas in Tears of the Kingdom, it is such a vast open world and players spend a lot of time grinding and treasure hunting. If the game was full of musical masterpieces at all times, it may become overwhelming and annoying at some point.

Although I do agree that I miss some of the older LoZ tracks, however ToTK does have some awesome music: the Colgera battle theme, the Rito Village and Zora Domain themes, most of the temple themes, the tune that plays as you fall into chasms sometimes, and the music that played at the start of the game and again at the end as you walk through Gloom's Origin.

. . . however, the horse riding song still kind of stresses me out for some reason.

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STORY: 8.5 / 10

I cannot say that Nintendo often produces the most profound, well-developed stories, but I thought that ToTK's plot was interesting enough. Isolating the story from previous LoZ titles, Tears of the Kingdom seems to rebut what Hyrule Historia's timeline established, as well as contradict BoTW--its prequel--itself.

At first, I found this a bit frustrating since I tend to feel satisfied when I can understand a somewhat logical or coherent explanation of order of events and/or lore. ToTK in some way retconned the origin story of Hyrule as what it was told in Skyward Sword. Some fans and critics alike consider ToTK and BoTW a reboot of the entire franchise.

In a way, it is a reboot of the franchise, stylistically, mechanically, and the fact that it drew in many new Zelda fans (who may not be so uptight about timeline theories). And really, it does not matter that ToTK doesn't fit nicely within Hyrule Historia's timeline. Who cares? Do I really think Nintendo cared that much about it? Nope.

It could be wedged into the timeline, in that it brings together the Fallen Hero, Child, and Adult timelines. Maybe the old Hyrule was somehow destroyed and perhaps forgotten, and Rauru and Sonia re-founded and rebuilt it. Or maybe it does not truly contradict Skyward Sword, as Zelda's father's name is Gaepora, and the owl version of Rauru is previous games is named Keepora Gaepora . . .

It is ambiguous at this point. But much discussion can be had on this topic.

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Memories, as in BoTW, told the story of Tears of the Kingdom. I enjoyed completing main quest objectives and finding dragon's tears to unlock these memories. It made it even more hard-hitting in retrospect once the player finds out the Zelda herself is the Light Dragon who shed these tears.

One issue I had was not being too certain about the true order of the geoglyphs. I could accidentally discover memory #17 without having seen the previous five memories, and not knowing what the hell was going on! Another issue was the redundancy of the telling of The Great Imprisoning War by the five sages. It makes sense that each descendent had to be told this story, but it came off as repetitive to players . . . especially since the dialogue each time was more or less the same.

Also, the fact that ancient Sheikah technology (e.g., Divine Beasts, guardians, sheikah slate) were hardly mentioned . . . is a bit strange. ToTK is a sequel to BoTW, but the game acts as if the latter barely even happened. The complete removal of elements is seriously odd to me.

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Overall, I think there are many cool moments and highlights to the game's story. Despite its flaws and inconsistencies, Tears of the Kingdom's plot definitely had a stronger emotional impact on me than most other games in the franchise.

The beginning cutscene immediately roped me in: the eerie music, the dark atmosphere, and dehydrated Ganon's voicing and lines were performed so perfectly!

"Was that the sword that seals the darkness? A blade that shatters so easily against my power cannot save you from me."

Any scene with Ganondorf, really, filled me with both dread and excitement. I particularly enjoyed what was shown in memories 9, 10, and 14: Ganondorf killing Sonia and smiling SO creepily was bone-chilling and caught me off-guard (especially since I discovered that dragon's tear way out of order), and both his accumulation of power from the secret stone and the duel with former King Rauru was visually amazing and intense. Ganondorf's line delivery during the final fight with Link was also morbidly stellar:

"I will reshape this world as it was meant to be. I will crush any opposition. I will rule. That is what a king must do. Do not look away. You witness a king's revival, and the birth of his new world!"

My jaw dropped when I witnessed Ganondorf in his last-ditch effort consume the secret stone and transform into an immortal dragon. It may have been predictable yet for some reason I was not expecting it?? Regardless, the transformation seen was absolutely awesome and I believe that not only was this the best final fight of any Zelda game I have played, but the whole three-stage sequence of fighting Ganondorf in ToTK is perhaps one of my most enjoyed final boss fights in any video game I have ever played. The fight itself was rather easy but fun to behold.

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The best part of the storyline in Tears of the Kingdom was the tragedy of Princess Zelda herself. The memories witnessed through her tears are bittersweet.

Zelda via her time powers traveled back to the era of Hyrule's founding where she encountered King Rauru, Queen Sonia, and the ancestors of the sages. Players get to see her experiences in this era: learning about the Zonia, developing a relationship with her own ancestors, and witnessing The Imprisoning War and Ganondorf's wicked rise to power.

Zelda, in attempts to avenge the late Sonia, recover the Master Sword and save Link and all of Hyrule's inhabitants from rehydrated Ganondorf, proceeds to "unalive" herself by consuming her secret stone. Almost immediately, her heart pounds as her eyes glow a strong cobalt blue and she vehemently transforms into an eternal dragon, calledthe Light Dragon. The Master Sword is lodged in the Light Dragon's skull as it takes thousands of years for it to heal from its decayed state.

After Link saves the Great Deku Tree from the gloom in present day, he tells you that he senses that the lost Master Sword is on the move. This alludes to the fact that the Light Dragon is traveling in the sky carrying the sword, so Link must find the dragon [Zelda] and with enough stamina, pull out the fully healed and functional Master Sword. Once this is done, sad memories proceed to be recovered of Zelda's "death" and final wishes to Link:

"Link . . . PROTECT THEM ALL!"

I found these memories to be incredibly sad and meaningful. Never had I been so teary playing a zelda game. I think these story elements really fleshed out both Link and Zelda's individual characters and their relationship, as well as the "Find Princess Zelda" quest giving Link a more intimate and personal goal.

I think the story would be more impactful if, you know, Princess Zelda actually remained as the Light Dragon for eternity. Of course, this would be incredibly depressing, but I think this alternative would have packed more of a gut punch. It really took away from the morbid finality of Zelda's decision, and Rauru and Sonia's souls(?) aiding in undoing this action was kind of cheesy! Then again, I guess it would be very bad if Zelda was forever comatose, being the incarnation of the Goddess Hylia and all.

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SETTING: 7 / 10

The overworld map is the same as Breath of the Wild's with some minor changes (due to the Upheaval for the most part). ToTK also comes with the additions of the Sky Islands map and the Depths map.

It never felt like a DLC to me as it did for some people. It felt bittersweet and nostalgic for me to explore Hyrule's entire map again; the differences were noticeable enough; the map is more built towards Link's new zonai abilities; and the characters felt more "alive" as they seemed to have aged or changed in some ways from BoTW.

The sky map was . . . okay. I thought it would be larger than it actually was. Only the beginning island with the Temple of Time was a large chunk of land, plus there were the Lomei Labyrinths as well. The rest of the map is scattered little islands with occasional enemies, treasures, puzzles, shrines, and zonai device dispensers.

Overall, the sky map was underwhelming and tedious, but it had its good moments. Most of the Rito Village quest is in the sky, and the Wind Temple was my favorite of the four temples. The music was suspenseful, Tulin's gust ability and penchant for headshots became useful for the entire rest of the game, and the flying ships were cool. Bravery, Valor, and Courage Islands presented some fun games, the battle against the King Gleeoks were insanely difficult, and I used the sky's crystal refinery for energy wells too.

As for the depths, I also think it was just okay. Initially, I was fascinated: I remember accidentally plummeting down the chasm in Kakariko Village at the start of the game, and I felt a rush of fascination and positive anxiety with its novel eeriness. Overall, I think there is a lot of good stuff down there: challenging enemies and arenas, special clothing items, zonaite mines, and you were given the chance to rematch temple bosses.

However, I think that the depths were redundant as a whole. Aside from some specific areas, the map was practically the same over and over again and constantly throwing brightbloom seeds grew tiresome. Completing the depths was a NIGHTMARE since the lightroots only uncovered little circles of the map. Also, its novelty wore off after several hours.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMBAT: 9 / 10

The combat is hardly different from Breath of the Wild, aside from several changes.

There is no major combat strategy in ToTK. Using bows and arrows and bomb flowers is kind of OP and gets you out of most situations (except temple bosses, which are more puzzle and sage-based). I have heard complaints that Tears of the Kingdom would hugely benefit if there were more enemy types, meaning that some are virtually immune to bow and arrows.

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ToTK has decayed weapons, unlike BoTW. Some people are not a fan of weapons breaking but I never really cared, and I guess it helps that most of the weapons breaking now are ugly and decayed. Even though decayed weapons are weak, Tears of the Kingdom introduces the fuse ability so now you can really fuse anything to obtain with these weapons and create all sorts of outputs. You can attach a ruby for fire power, or attach monster parts for attack up. You can even attach weapons to each other. Though later in the game, and mostly in the depths, you can find regular, non-decayed weapons.

I think the main reason for the decayed weapons is just to get players to utilize the fuse ability early on, which I think is pretty epic. I love making both cool and goofy-ass swords and sticks! I also enjoy attaching flame and shock emitters to my shield despite it making the shield break more easily.

I thought that the Master Sword was disappointing at first. It is very weak compared to some other weapons (although, it does have the highest base attack stat than the other single-hand weapons without modifiers) and it has to be recharged after using it. However, again, the game developers just really want players to experiment with other weapons and fusing while not only relying on this Master Sword. If it were all-powerful and never were to break, what would be the point of having any other weapon in your inventory?

The purpose of the sword anyways is that it is the sword the seals the darkness, so it is a specialty weapon that is mainly supposed to be used against Ganandorf, and during that fight it IS the most powerful weapon Link wields.

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As much as I enjoyed the Divine Beasts from BoTW I do like the temples in ToTK. They are a bit short and more linear, but this fact makes it more like the traditional Zelda dungeons, which is not a bad thing. It was fun to move and manipulate the Divine Beasts and really tested players' spatial awareness and innovation. However, these temples in BoTW were more or less the same every time. In Tears of the Kingdom, each temple was distinct and blended well with the environment around it. I have seen that people found ToTK temples easier but to tell you the truth, I did struggle with some of them. In the Wind Temple, it took me forever to realize that I could enter the flying ship from its side!

I also prefer the horrifying gloom hands to the rather annoying guardians from BoTW. These gloom hands would always trigger a flight response in me and more often than not I would run for my life (I enjoyed the eerie audio and visual shift)! Even when you defeat the gloom hands, Phantom Ganon appears. Especially early on in the game, this combat is extremely difficult and the hands grabbing and pulling you is a terrifying sight. The Guardians from BoTW were challenging but once you recognize how to time a parry, it was not so bad.

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ENJOYMENT: 10 / 10

I deeply enjoyed this game overall. I kept stalling myself from finishing it because I reeeeallllyyyyy did not want it to end. I am already longing for the feeling I experienced when I first begun the game. ToTK is 100% my favorite Legend of Zelda game. In fact, on my personal list, I would rank it #2 in my favorite video games of all time.

I highly recommend playing Tears of the Kingdom if you have not done so, especially if you're either a LoZ fan or someone who likes action/adventure video games. It is a very hefty game--I think the average person may spend 70ish hours if they just want to complete the main story, but it is easily more expansive beyond that.

TOTAL TIME SPENT: 230 hours

OVERALL SCORE: 9/10

PLATFORM USED: Nintendo Switch

DATE OF COMPLETION: December 2023

#video games #totk #tears of the kingdom #legend of zelda #totk spoilers #totk review #video game review #nintendo #goty 2023 #sorry that this review is so long #but at least it's overwhelmingly positive!

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pbandjesse · 1 year

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I think I did a good job just chilling today. I am feeling a little guilty about it now but like. I think at least today was good and restful.

And that was really needed. I wish James had off too because neither of us slept well. They woke up around 230 and we're in a lot of pain and have been up since then. And I was up a lot too worrying about them. I hate how much pain they are in, and it seems to always be worse at night. I wish I could take their pain away.

They took the car to work like I told them too. And I slept in. And when I woke up the sun was to bright. But I worked my way out of bed.

I stripped the bed down and went to get dressed while the bed aired out for a while.

I originally was going to wear actual clothes but just put on my jumpsuit. I was very cozy.

I had egg salad for breakfast. And watched a lot of videos. Very soon I would get back in bed and would catch up on my knitting.

I had a nice time just chilling and watching tiktoks and knitting. Sweetp was there. It was a really nice just hanging out.

I would put the dishes away and then decided to get my laptop and continue working on my honeymoon packing list. I had started compiling that the other day but I wanted to make it a little bit more easy to follow. So I broke it down by bags and then kind of put everything in order with like items. Like having all the tech together and all the wearables and waterproof stuff. And then after I finish organizing that I sent it to James so they could see it. And then I decided I was going to make images to go along with it. Which was probably my most favorite part of the whole project. Though something happened to one of my images and made the computer freak out so I had to move to my phone. But I was having a really good time.

All in all I think that took two hours. But it really satisfied the part of me that loves packing but I just don't have the energy to pull all of that stuff out right now and put all of it back away. Me and James will definitely do an actual run-through but it also really apparently is helpful for James to be able to see it broken down like that. Especially with the pictures. They apparently were having trouble visualizing what all of the stuff looked like and volume of it. And hopefully this will help them pick out their own stuff. Maybe we can lay down together and build an outfit and object list for them too. They probably don't need it but I think I would have a good time doing it.

I spent the rest of the afternoon just resting. Waiting for James to come home.

And when they did get home they brought me french fries. I love them so much. James not the french fries. Well I love the french fries but I love James more.

James was hurting pretty bad but we laid on the couch together until it was time for them to go to the theater for their shift. I felt bad that we had a kick sweetp off the couch because all he wants to do is lay on James's chest. And it just cannot happen right now. So we had to kick him off and he was a little pouty about that for a while.

When James left I decided to take a bath. And wash my hair. And try to deal with how broken out my face feels right now. It's not actually that bad. But I have these red bumps on my face that are driving me crazy. I'm hoping that they clear up soon because they feel gigantic even though I know they're not.

And once my hair was mostly dry I went and worked in the studio for a while. I stood together a few more of my mini 10 strip panels. And I'm 2/3 of the way done. Unless I decide I want to add more. I'm working at the museum tomorrow so maybe I'll bring them with me to work on. It's always nice to have a project while I'm waiting to see if anyone wants a tour. I can be working on them in the garment loft.

Once I finish that I worked on a little silly project I wanted to make for someone for Christmas. Using glue and paint and dimensional magic. To make a small diorama. But I was having a lot of issues with just making a mess. The cap of the dimensional magic came off and spilled all over my pajamas. And then I got blue paint all over my leg. And it's just like what is happening.

But now I'm back in bed. Hanging out with sweet pea. Waiting for James to get done. I hope they can come home soon. I think they're done around 10:30. And they don't have to wait for the theater people to clear out because they have their own key this time. Which is good because last time they made James wait a whole extra hour and it was really mean.

Tomorrow me and James are working together at the museum like I said and then we're going to go have dinner and then just spend some time together. I am looking forward to a nice day. Even though I really wish I didn't have to work. It's all right.

I hope you all sleep well. Take care of each other and try to stay warm. Good night. Until next time.

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vulgarpr1nce55 · 2 years

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it must be so hard to be a fucking brat that doesn’t care about the feelings of anyone else around you i’m so sorry that i am my own person and that i have feelings i’m really sorry that you can’t acknowledge i’m literally a person when all i ever do is try to accommodate YOUR spoiled ass we r dead broke rn and what started this is you saying you would cry if you didn’t get some shit for ur birthday that was literally $230 in all and she spent sm more money trying to make sure u had a good day i don’t know what’s different today but i literally want to disappear off the face of the earth i’m SO EXHAUSTED of constantly watering myself down for people… i understand listening to other people nd hearing them out obviously i’ll be quiet when u need to focus but telling me you hate my personality and you’re sick of me all the time and you wish i would just shut up is pushing it. it is really pushing me. i don’t know who the FUCK you think you’re talking to. telling me i’m not the boss of you god you are NINE YEARS OLD. you are a child who are you to tell me what to do? or how i should act? you oughta know that you’re not grown. you’re allowed to have boundaries but you also need to have some respect for other people. instead of crying when you realize the world doesn’t revolve around you. i don’t mind censoring myself for you, and i don’t mind not mentioning things that embarrass you. but you leaving your mess behind in someone else’s room is absolutely unacceptable. you’re not allowed in my room without supervision. this is getting absolutely crazy idc if you want behavioral therapy or not you need it. because it’s not okay to act like this?? i hate that i lose my temper over this shut because i know i’m better than this but it’s just so aggravating. i want to be someone you can come to but how are we supposed to be friendly if you tear me down one day and want to live in me the next minute? i just really enjoy my peace and id like to have that. i would enjoy it if the respect could be mutual and not one sided. there’s nothing wrong with me asking you to take your dirty laundry to the laundry room. you don’t leave that in the floor and you don’t shove it under the dresser…. cmon man. some sh*r is just common sense i’m sawry. then to respond i’m not the boss of you as if i’m asking you for something unreasonable LMFAOOOO BRO PICK UP UR UNDERWEAR this is not a savage fenty dressing room 😭😭😭😭 i am losing it i swear i could never b a mother my mom is really a better woman than me. it just pains me that you can’t take a step back and realize that i actually do care about you. i just have feelings too. i have trauma too. i don’t like it when people yell at me i can’t breathe. just…. ugh.

#fucktorylanez #fuckmotherhood #fuckhumanchildren #my cats egos #zencangofuckhimself #unfair #rave moment lol #big sis moon #hatebeingtheoldest

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tessbev · 5 months

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Our one full day in krabi

Recounting the day always feeels like we did a million things. We started the day with a little boat trip to railay beach, about a 10 minute scoot on the long tail boat. Spent the afternoon wandering about, swimming, and throwing the football. Saw some monkeys hopping from rooftop to rooftop, didn’t manage to snap a pic but you can use your imagination for this one :)

We all got a little sunned out quicker than we usually do so we called it a day and took the boat back around 230/3. Had a little quiet time before setting out to find myself a papaya salad. These are my favourite so far. It’s unripe papaya, carrot, tomatoes, green beans, and peanuts. It’s cold and crunchy and unripe papaya has a similar vibe to cabbage but better. It’s in this light tangy sweet dressing that I could drink. I looked it up and it’s mainly lime juice garlic, sugar and fish sauce (I ask for no fish sauce, I like it better without). I always ask for one chilli which is the perfect amount of heat. The spiciness here feels different from home, it feels more intense but also way more enjoyable if that makes sense? Like the flavour is just that much more complex. Idk I’m not a food critic but I like the spiciness lately.

After the papaya salad craving was sufficed we walked down to the beach to watch the sunset. I’m trying to make a point of seeing as many sunsets or sunrises that I can. I love how different they all can be but also how similar. Ugh and the lighting, I could cry I just love it. The perfect time to sit and reflect and appreciate all of these experiences I’m having. We finished watching the sunset at a beach bar while playing a couple rounds of pool. The balls here are so much smaller and the table is huge and that is why nick is beating me every round and the only reason!!!!!

We wandered over to the night market for some live music and some uno. Got myself some of the same sushi from last night and tried my first mochi. These are really a Japanese dessert but I’m using this whole trip and an opportunity to try things I normally wouldn’t. If you don’t know what mochi are they are these rice cakes/rice balls that are usually filled with something. Traditional ones have taro or sesame but obviously I got Nutella, Oreo and rainbow flavoured (what is rainbow flavour?? Sprinkles maybe!!??). Theyre super soft and light and I really wished I liked them but they’re super gelatinous and not at all my cup of tea. Rainbow flavour btw was not sprinkle filled it was fruit with chocolate inside (my worst nightmare).

Finished the night with more uno and some fun music back at the hostel. Woke up this morning around 5/530 to go for a run before the heat. Whenever I’m getting a bit testy I know I need to go for a run. When Alison and I travelled Greece she would notice when I would start getting moody and tell me to go for a run and sure enough it resets me completely. So with my battery reset we’re headed off to phi phi island. Finally meeting up with Jenna today, our final member of the gang!!!

Can’t wait xx

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mendozawolf77 · 2 years

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Chanel Emblem Belts For Girls On The Market

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warmau · 3 years

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☆ lovestruck!au x librarian!au taeyong other lovestruck!aus: jeno | chenle | haechan | jisung

a tower of books is blocking taeyong's vision, just a voice comes echoing out from behind them

"do you have a classics section?"

"of course! which author?"

there's a pause and taeyong starts to get up so he can at least see who he is talking to

"who would you recommend?"

taeyong is already running through his alphabetized list that he's spent hours on making in his head

when you love books as much as he does, a question like that makes everything around him spark

but then he sees you

you seem to be frowning, looking down at the screen of your phone as the familiar notification sound of the college email comes vibrating through the room

a couple of people studying nearby turn to glare and you whisper a small apology as you put your phone on silent and meet taeyong's gaze

taeyong almost wishes you hadn't

the urge to bring up the long sleeves of his oversized cardigan to hide his face starts to take over his brain instead

they're so cute - i can't look at them!

you blink when taeyong doesn't say anything - he looks as if he has suddenly been struck by lightning

"sorry - is everything ok?"

your concern seems to do the trick, taeyong mentally mocks himself for being so awkward, and he says the one name that comes to mind easier than all the rest

"have you read, um, twain? m-mark twain?"

the look that you give him tells taeyong he's picked an author that could put you to sleep - not that he really would argue, it's just that suddenly all his knowledge has seeped away into the darkest corner of his brain

"no..i mean i have tried to, but he's kind of - boring?"

"jane austen?"

"aren't most of her books a thousand pages long?"

"is - are you looking for a book for a project?"

you poke your tongue into your cheek, the little action makes taeyong suddenly feel like jello

"kind of - one of my classes wants us to find a classic author that speaks to us personally. the only issue is none of them speak to me - most of them are dead anyway right?"

taeyong stares at you and then gives a little nervous chuckle

you stare back and sigh in defeat

"i know i must be annoying you right now."

"no- no! no, i just......i -"

i just can't stop looking at you and it's kind of insane

taeyong pushes the thought back and levels himself and his emotions

"i think you might want to find someone that isn't exactly a 'classic' author?"

this intrigues you, your shoulders perk and you lean over the librarians counter

the sudden action nearly topples the neat bunch of books that had originally blocked taeyong from seeing you and he circles his arms around it protectively as he tries not to fall into the stars that are looping through your gaze

"what do you mean?"

"w-well the assignment is a classic author who speaks to you right? there are lots of authors from that same time who aren't labeled classics but they - they might fit that category to you."

he is still holding his fingers on the spines of some of the books as you think about the sentiment

"like who?"

taeyong, looks at the pile in front of him, mostly to avoid direct eye contact with you, but then he notices something in the mix

through the mess of titles and textbooks and more he sees one of the colleges oldest and most checked out books

the great gatsby

briefly, he thinks about the way in which gatsby speaks about daisy

a flickering thought of the almost desperate love someone could feel for another

you tap your fingers and the little memory lights something else in taeyong's mind and he asks you in a small voice,

"have you ever read zelda fitzgerald's work?"

you haven't - actually you were unaware she was ever a writer - and when you ask taeyong if her work is available in the library he shakes his head

"she wrote a novel, save me the waltz, really not popular enough to ever become a classic but if you read it and like it i think -"

"well how can i read it if the college doesn't have a copy?"

taeyong thinks he feels the temperature of his skin rise a little because

"i-i own a copy."

this time you do knock over the tower of books, simply because you jut your upper half over the counter to ask him if he'd ever consider lending it to you and your elbow catches right on one of the books

they topple over and the loud crash echoes a wave of irritations throughout the library again as you scramble behind the desk to help taeyong get them back in order

behind the desk like this - you ask him in a whisper

"i know im a stranger, but you can trust me with the book - i promise!"

taeyong wants to say of course, but all he manages is a shy hiccup when your hands brush over the same cover

"here -" you stack the rest of the books up and then push your phone into this palm "give me your number and we can meet up"

the rest of it all happens in a blur

taeyong gives you his number - you delete the contact name and write yong with a little book emoji instead

you text him and insist he put your name down with your favorite little pink flower

after his shift, he heads to his dorm and finds the book - smiling to himself silently as his dormmate doyoung stares with a look of curiosity from behind his pre-law homework

and then - it hits ten p.m. - and the all-night cafe on campus is packed and warm and taeyong is standing in front of it with a small scarf around his neck and the book placed carefully in a manilla envelope

you come bounding down the street, ten minutes late, and skid to a stop in front of taeyong

you call him mr. librarian and taeyong doesn't know if the feeling in his stomach is love or his lunch

"thank you thank you thank you - ill be sure to let you know if i use it for my project!"

he assumes you just mean one text after you're done reading it - a yes this is perfect or a i think i need to find something else!

what taeyong does not expect is that the two weeks you work on your project, you text him daily

the book is only a mere 230 pages - but you keep telling him about passages and the old articles you're finding on zelda

somehow you took one little book and pulled so much from it

taeyong thinks its been a long time since he's seen someone fall so much in love with a writer that he misses the feeling he used to get too

one evening he gets your text just as he's finishing up shelving at the library, he stops to lean against the cart and read it

submitted my project, i have to see you and give you back the book!

he thinks for a second, chewing on his lower lip

you can keep it, you've come to love it.

the bubbles pop up fast and taeyong nearly loses the grip on his phone when you reply

that's so sweet, but i actually just really want to see you too.

and so you pop by the library when it's only him left, he's closing it with the key the school trusts on him with (and the janitor)

and he almost jumps out of his skin when he turns and you're there - beaming a huge smile at him

you're holding the book and he says, "no really you can keep it-"

"do you want to go to dinner with me?"

taeyong doesn't know if you've been privy to his feelings all along

did you, standing there behind that tower of books, already know he was going to start thinking about you every day after he saw you

did you already know he'd feel like a helpless schoolboy with a crush on the sun?

either way you don't admit it - you just keep that huge smile across the table with pieces of cake between you two and steaming cups of tea

you babble about your project, about how you had to defend not picking someone more obviously 'classical'

and taeyong does the one thing he learnt from romantic movies and novels, that when you shiver in the cold air of the cafe, he shrugs off that huge cardigan he's always wearing and offers it to you without much of a word

you pull your hands through it and go

"it feels like a hug!"

when you're both done with your food, you ask taeyong if he's going to walk back to the dorm - you have to take the shuttle across campus

"thank you for treating me, you didn't have to all over a book."

he shyly scratches the back of his neck and he still doesn't ask for you to give him his cardigan back

you look much cuter wearing it anyway, in his opinion

in the breeze of the night, you step closer to him and taeyong swallows because you're looking straight at his lips

"it wasn't just for the book. are you book lovers so dense?"

"hu-"

he starts as you lean in to kiss him, gently and sweetly, the lingering taste of cake and tea on your lips

taeyong almost falls over - his saving grace is your hand wrapping around his wrist

"ive seen you in the library before.....so when i got this project i thought it would be the perfect time to talk to you and ive always liked you, so i cant believe how nice you were to me-"

you start, confessing an onslaught of feelings taeyong was oblivious to

"-and if you don't feel the same i understand."

taeyong has never been straightforward in his life, but he answers your concern with another quick, soft kiss to your lips

he doesn't say everything he wants to either when he pulls back and you're giving him a slight look of shock

i like you too, ive liked you ever since i saw you - ever since you toppled that tower of books back on me - ever since you helped me put it back together behind the librarians' desk

he can't force the words out instead he goes,

"please keep the book.....and my cardigan is yours too."

#lovestruck!au #nct scenarios #nct au #taeyong scenarios #taeyong au #nct imagines #taeyong imagines #nct 127 #nct #taeyong #taeyong x reader #sfw

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sitp-recs · 3 years

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Happy birthday fw00shy!!

I thought I couldn’t possibly make two reclists on the same week let alone the same day but eh, that’s what happens when brilliant people share a birth date! I considered making a single rec for @fw00shy and spent 30 minutes trying to choose only one fic then I realized it would be impossible not to mention at least three favorites because I can think of 648271 things to say about them, thank you very much.

You know that kind of perfect slice-of-life with perfect setting and perfect punch lines that makes you visualize everything and wish you could see it on the big screen? Fwooshy’s stuff never fails to make me feel like that. She has such a strong and unique storytelling voice, with refreshing characterization, creative plots and viscerally hot smut sequences - how could I ever resist?

With a very particular narrative - sometimes crude and brutal, others gentle and aching, always mixing the best of both worlds - she has been an invaluable addition not only to the Drarry fandom but also to the rare pairs community, and I love how unique and powerful each one of her works is. Here’s yet another personal and biased selection of my favorite delights, in no particular order. Make sure to leave them some appreciation, and feel free to add your own fwooshy faves to this post! Happy birthday darling!!! 🎉💜

DRARRY

Phoenix in the Fire (2021 | Explicit | 1.4k)

Their first time was an accident. "Sex pollen," Draco claims, though everyone knows it was too much Ogden's after Puddlemere beat the Tornados 240-230.

Few shorts feel like a punch to the solar plexus that leaves you breathless with yearning - I can think of at least two, one being this fic and the other being Still Life by Seefin. This gem is only 1.4k but it might as well be 15k because holy shit there’s SO MUCH character and emotional development packed in here. Draco’s voice is a triumph, Harry’s guilt rips my heart apart, and the A+ smut is filthy hot and indulgent, every line written with such precision and intent it makes me ache. Absolutely brilliant.

Big Hands (2020 | Explicit | 4.5k)

Draco Malfoy is a pianist who's just moved to Paris. Harry Potter, his new roommate, has the biggest hands he's ever seen. Draco is immediately obsessed.

The Victorian AU we didn’t know we needed! This is such a creative and refreshing take on their enemies to lovers dynamics, in a completely different and fascinating scenario. I was immediately captured by the rich atmosphere, sharp characterization and delectable sexual tension. I don’t usually read AUs by I do love myself some musician Drarry, and this fic transpires loves for music and art.

in a rambling way (2021 | Teen | 7.5k)

Ron knocked Hermione up, and now Harry's got to figure out how to clone himself so that his friends don't split up fighting over him. Falling for Draco again was never part of the plan.

Fluffy pining by fwooshy?? Did I read it right? God, I have the biggest soft spot for this lovely break up/make up tale - I’ve always been a slut for road trip fics, and the camping scenario is such a nice change of pace and the perfect excuse to explore the Golden Trio dynamics. This is one of the most gorgeous and heartfelt contemplative fics I’ve ever read, full of gentle yearning and a wistful narrative that took my breath away. They sound so young doing mundane things I got a lump in the throat.

RARE PAIRS

In the Mood (2021 | Explicit | 367 words) - Draco/Ron

"I saw you with Harry today," Ron says. "In the Ministry cafeteria."

I dare you to find 367 words hotter than this. What a treat to see fwooshy exploring one of my favorite rare pairs! I’ll have jealous, sexy Ron for breakfast any day, pls and thank

Money (2021 | Mature | 1.1k) - Ginny/Pansy

Pansy looks like money. Ginny's letting her body call the shots.

One of the sexiest femlash pieces I’ve ever read, lush, intriguing and decadent, with unique atmosphere and brilliant dynamics. A fascinating dive into this scorching power couple!

Cold as Light (2021 | Explicit | 2k) - Ron/Harry, Ron/Cho

Ron ran into Cho at one of those basement clubs that popped up everywhere during the first few years after the war. Then there was Harry. There was always Harry.

I’m personally offended by how much these 2k made me ACHE. The heartbreak is deliciously melancholic and I can’t let go of these characters, so doomed and beautiful in their own way. Such a brilliant take on Cho, who definitely deserves more fwooshy love!

#happy birthday fwooshy!#drarry reclist #rare pairs

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homoose · 4 years

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Winning is a Habit

Hi y’all! Okay sooooooooo this is my first time writing fic??????? Like omg please be nice lmao. I don’t have a beta reader, so if you catch any mistakes pls lmk! I saw this challenge and the world is total garbage, so why not write our own realities????? Ok here goes!!!!!!!!!! Written for @veraiconcos fic challenge

Summary: The BAU gets called to investigate two high-profile murders in a college town, only to find that they are part of a much bigger, more complicated picture. No real pairings, although you could make it happen if you want lol ;) This is an idea I’ve seen floating around the fandom for a little while now, and I really wanted to see it fleshed out. Set around season 4 or 5.

Category: some angst, sort of fluff? I wouldn’t say it necessarily qualifies as an AU, but it’s outside of canon.

Warnings/Includes: some brief descriptions of violence/CM type stuff; mentions of rape (no details)

Word count: 6.1k

———

“Stillwater, Oklahoma,” JJ said, navigating the map off screen and pulling up the crime scene photos. “Two college seniors— Tyler Allen and Leon Williams, star football players for Oklahoma State University— both found dead the day before the playoff qualifier.”

“Do we know the cause of death?” Spencer asked, thumbing through the case file.

“The ME report concluded that both boys died of acute alcohol poisoning,” JJ informed them.

Emily looked up from the file. “And the locals don’t think this could just be a case of college kids having a little too much fun?”

“Before a major playoff game? I doubt it.” Derek leaned back in his chair. “Especially considering OSU’s having a record-breaking season. I’d guess the coach had players on a pretty strict lockdown.” He raised his hands and joined them in a steeple over his chest. “Showing up to a game hung-over— particularly one as important as this— would be a major conduct issue.”

“That, and there was a pretty specific message left on both victims,” JJ added, arms crossed and eyebrows lifting into her hairline.

“On them?” Rossi questioned.

JJ motioned with her hand back to the screen. Six sets of eyes moved over the photo; the words “U LOSE” scrawled in ink across the foreheads of the two men.

“Resorting to murder to win a football game?” Emily asked, eyes narrowed.

“And why use the forensic countermeasure of staged alcohol poisoning, only to backtrack and assert it as a murder?” Spencer pondered, pursing his lips.

“Whatever the reason, we’ve got two dead college students and a definite signature. Wheels up in 30,” Hotch told them, closing his case file.

⧭⧭⧭

“No sign of forced entry.” Derek walked through the entry hallway and into the living space. “Doesn’t look like there was any struggle, either.”

Rossi thumbed through the mail on the kitchen counter and peered around the small space. “Everything you’d expect in a boys’ college dorm room: dishes in the sink, generic decor, general mess. Nothing that stands out.”

“Agents, thank you so much for coming.” A tall man in a dark suit stepped across the threshold of the apartment. He stuck out his hand for Rossi to shake. “Steven Barrett, Dean of Students.”

“I’m Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi. This is SSA Derek Morgan.” Derek nodded from his place in the living room.

“I apologize for not meeting you when you arrived. We’re dealing with a grieving campus,” Barrett said, running a hand over his face. “I’m actually on my way to speak to the Board, but I wanted to check in with you before. I’m not sure I can be of much help, but I can try to answer any questions you might have.”

“These boys were seniors, but they still lived on campus. Is that typical?” Rossi asked, gesturing around the apartment.

“Uh, yes, it is for student athletes,” Barrett confirmed with a nod. “OSU teams have demanding, sometimes grueling practice schedules. Being on campus simplifies things, allows students to get to classes and practices, as well as utilize the dining halls.”

“Does this building have security cameras?” Derek raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. All of our buildings do. I’ll let Campus PD know you’ll need access to the footage.” Barrett’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He reached for it and punched the button to answer the call. “Yes. Yes, I—I’m finishing up with the FBI now. I understand. I’m on my way.” He ended the call and pocketed the phone. “I’m sorry to leave you, gentlemen. Our top priority right now is supporting our students and community through this tragedy. Part of that healing process is finding out who did this to Tyler and Leon. So anything else you need, anything at all, please don’t hesitate to let me know.” He turned on his heel and disappeared down the hall.

Derek shook his head. “I’m glad I don’t have to do that job right about now.”

Rossi gave another glance around the nondescript apartment and sighed. “Call Garcia and ask her if she’s found any other cases that could be related. And let’s hope there’s something useful on that security footage.”

⧭⧭⧭

“Based on lividity and rigor mortis, I was able to put the time of death between 8:00 and 10:00pm on Wednesday evening. The blood alcohol content for both boys was over five times the legal limit. I’ve never seen anything like it,” the medical examiner mused.

Emily looked over the bodies, her arms crossed. “Dr. Saraj, about how much would they have to drink for the level to be that high?”

“When drinking, the level of alcohol in our blood reaches a peak before it drops off after the last drink ingested,” Spencer supplied. “In a typical night of drinking, spread over the course of several hours, the average man can have 8-12 drinks without ever reaching lethal levels. But considering each victim weighed around 230 pounds, they’d have had to ingest approximately 180 ounces of beer or 18.75 ounces of liquor to reach a lethal blood alcohol content.”

Dr. Saraj glanced at Spencer before adding, “Look, this is a college town. Kids drink. But... to have had this much alcohol still detectable in their system post-mortem indicates that these boys drank at least the equivalent of a 30 rack, by themselves, in less than an hour.” She flipped up the first page of the report in her hands, eyes scanning the second. “And the toxicology screen also found trace amounts of ketamine.”

Spencer bent over the examining table and adjusted the wrist of one of the boys with a gloved hand. “Doctor, are these ligature marks?”

“Oh, yes,” Dr. Saraj agreed, nodding. “They’re relatively faint, so I almost missed them. But I found similar marks on both boys on the wrists and ankles.”

“So,” Emily said, gesturing with her hands, “the unsub doses them with ketamine to gain control, ties them up, forces them to drink lethal amounts of alcohol, and then— what?” She looked to Spencer. “Waits for them to pass out before removing the restraints and leaving the message?”

Spencer examined the marker scrawls. “Were you able to determine what the message was written with and if it was left pre- or post-mortem?”

“My guess would be it was written with some type of permanent marker, but I can’t say for sure,” Dr. Saraj said. “We’re analyzing the residue now, and I can send the report your way as soon as I have it. As for when it was written, I couldn't tell you.” She shook her head. “The one simple mercy is that these boys would have been out cold for a while before they died.”

⧭⧭⧭

“I’m so sorry. I know how difficult this is. Anything that you can tell us will be helpful in finding the person who did this,” JJ encouraged softly. “Anyone that Tyler might have had an argument with recently or who he mentioned having problems with?”

“No, no. He was—he was just your typical boy,” Mrs. Allen sniffled. “Playing football and hanging out with his friends,” she said, voice hitching. “Oh my god.” She dropped her head into her hands.

“He didn’t have time to have problems,” Mr. Allen asserted. “He spent all his free time on the field. Coach had them out there for two-a-days until classes started. He’s the quarterback. He was leading that team to the first national title since 1945.” He stood to his feet, hands clenched at his sides. “Some lunatic murdered my boy and you’re sitting around talking to us while they’re out there, walking free.”

“Sir, I promise you that we have some of the best agents in the country working on your son’s case,” JJ assured. “But in order to help them do their job, we need to know as much as we can about who Tyler was.”

Across the bullpen, Hotch sat across from Mr. and Mrs. Williams. “Leon was a good boy. Football was his life. He loved being a part of this team. It was the season of a lifetime,” Mr. Williams said.

“We taught him better than to be drinking and carrying on,” Mrs. Williams added.

“Can you think of anything or anyone he might have mentioned recently that was out of the ordinary? Anything that was bothering him or causing him distress?” Hotch questioned.

“He was feeling pressure about the season, but he’s been handling that kind of thing since he was twelve years old.” Mr. Williams shared an almost indiscernible look with his wife. “He got into—into the same kinds of trouble any college kid gets in. Nothing that could have gotten him murdered.”

⧭⧭⧭

“Yeah, baby girl, what d’ya got for me?” Derek held the phone out so that Rossi could listen in as they waited in the OSU security office.

“Well, my handsome knight, I wish I could tell you more but so far, I’m coming up empty with similar cases,” Penelope sighed. “Nothing that matches our alcohol poisoning M.O. or the signature. I just expanded the search to surrounding states, and I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

“Anything on our two victims?” Rossi asked.

“Now that’s where it gets interesting,” Penelope mused, tapping the fluffy end of her pen into the palm of her hand. “There’s nothing. Zilch, nada.”

Rossi narrowed his eyes. “And that’s interesting because...?”

“Come on, sir,” Penelope scoffed. “Two young, athletic, good-looking college football stars and there’s nothing at all? Nothing scandalous on social media. No run-ins with campus PD. Not even a write up from an RA.”

Derek tilted his head in thought. “Hotch and JJ said their conversations with the parents told a similar story.”

“Okay, but no one is this squeaky clean, particularly not at a Big 12 college. Everyone has some dirt,” Penelope insisted. “I haven’t found it yet, but there’s gotta be something out there. When I have it, you’ll know it!”

“Thanks, Garcia,” Derek drawled.

“Over and out!” Penelope jabbed the button to end the call.

The OSU officer waved them over with his hand. “I’ve got it queued up to 6:24pm. You can see the boys here,” he pointed on the screen at the two victims, “entering the north entrance of the dining hall.”

Derek leaned toward the monitor. “So they leave practice, come through the dining hall for dinner. When do they leave?”

The footage sped up on the screen, then stopped. “Here. 7:01.”

“Rossi, you seeing this?” Derek slid his eyes over.

Rossi nodded. “Is there any way to enhance these frames?”

The officer shrugged his shoulders. “Not on this system. Honestly, the camera quality isn’t great. I’ve been trying to get them to invest in an upgraded OS, but you know—budget woes. Your analyst might be able to do more.”

“It’s not going to matter.” Derek sighed and straightened up. “She’s careful of her angles.”

“I couldn’t find them on any grounds cameras, but they pop back up entering the dorm. Here, at 7:12.”

“All three of them,” Rossi noted. He looked at Derek. “And like you said, she’s discreet.”

“They all go upstairs to the apartment,” the officer continued, “but only the girl leaves. At 8:43.”

⧭⧭⧭

“We have a witness from the cafeteria that confirms that the boys ate with a dark-haired young woman in a red coat,” Hotch said, arms crossed. “But other than those two details, the witness couldn’t recall anything else and said they’d never seen her before.”

“So we’ve got the two victims entering their apartment with an unknown woman. They’re upstairs for an hour and a half before she leaves,” Emily recounted.

Derek stood with his hands on his hips. “And in that time, she manages to dose and gain control of two boys that are more than double her size and funnel a lethal amount of alcohol into them. Now the question is why?”

As the team converged around the conference room table, a uniformed officer entered into the doorway. “Agent Jareau? There’s a possible witness—says she might have some new information.”

JJ nodded to the team and moved to the doorway. A petite young woman stood in the center of the bullpen, wringing her hands. When her eyes landed on JJ, she let her arms fall to her side. As JJ approached, she motioned with her hand for the girl to sit at the closest desk. “Hi, I’m Jennifer. I heard you wanted to speak to someone about this case. Can I have your name?”

The girl nodded. “Um, I’m Cassie. I saw the announcement you made. About the woman in the red coat. I heard you say that she had brown hair. Is that true?”

JJ cocked her head slightly. “Yeah, the witness and security footage we have shows a woman with dark hair walking with Tyler and Leon. Why do you ask?”

Cassie’s eyes darted around the bullpen, and she drew her arms tightly over her chest. “I just— um—well, I—”

“Would it help if we moved somewhere a little quieter?” JJ suggested. When Cassie nodded and stood, JJ placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and directed her toward an empty interview room. Cassie sat in the chair farthest from the door, and JJ sat opposite her. “Is there something you wanted to tell me about the woman? Or is it something else that’s on your mind?”

Cassie let out a long breath. “When I heard that they were dead, I— I was relieved. That sounds awful, but it’s true.”

JJ tread lightly over her next question. “You felt relieved. Why was that?”

Cassie looked directly at JJ. “I’ve been looking over my shoulder everywhere I go for the last seven months. I won’t have to do that anymore.”

“Can you tell me more about what you mean?”

Cassie took a breath and closed her eyes for a long second, before opening them and continuing. “There was a huge party in the spring. I mean, there were, like, hundreds of people there.” Cassie’s eyes went wide. “I never go to parties like that. But it was the end of the year, and my friend—well, I went with my friend. She got invited.”

“Were Tyler and Leon at this party?” JJ asked.

“Everybody was. I mean, everybody who’s somebody at OSU was there. We saw them right away. The whole team was there, but people treated those two like kings.” Cassie looked down at her hands. “We were drinking... a lot. At some point, Laney and I got separated. I tried calling her phone a bunch of times, but the party was really loud. I—I didn’t want to leave without her, but I was getting really messed up. I had a guy friend from one of my classes walk me home.” She swiped at her eye with the back of her hand. “Laney didn’t get back until the morning. Her clothes were all torn up, her hair had... blood in it, and she—she had a bruise under her eye.” She looked up at JJ, eyes shining with tears. “They raped her. I left her behind, and they raped her,” she whispered.

JJ reached across the table for Cassie’s hand. “Cassie, I’m so sorry. What happened to Laney was not your fault, or hers. Do you understand me?” JJ paused before continuing. Cassie looked down. “Do you know if she reported it?”

Cassie nodded. “I’m the one who went with her to the infirmary. They did a kit and confirmed it. When we went to Campus PD, they did nothing. Said Laney was wasted, and there was no one that could back up her story.”

JJ squeezed her hand. “So there was no official report filed?”

Cassie laughed coldly. “Oh, they wrote a report. I think if we ask them to, they have to. But they wouldn’t name Tyler or Leon in it. Said they didn’t want to ‘give legs to any gossip.’”

JJ’s mouth stretched into a thin line. “Where’s Laney now?”

“I don’t know.” Cassie shook her head. “She didn’t come back to OSU this fall. I haven’t really talked to her since—” She looked at JJ. “I can’t get the image of her out of my head. How she looked when she came through the door that morning. What they did to her… I’m not sorry that they’re dead.” Her eyes were shining with rage. “People knew what happened… and no one did anything. And those two were still the kings of campus.”

⧭⧭⧭

The team absorbed the new information quietly. “So Garcia was right. They did have something to hide.” Derek’s phone buzzed. “Speaking of. Hey mama, you’re on speaker.”

“I hope you’re all sitting down,” Penelope warned. “I expanded the parameters of my original VICAP search to include the surrounding states. No hits on suspicious deaths by alcohol poisoning. However, the U LOSE signature? Seven hits across Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas.”

“So our unsub’s been traveling across the South—” Emily started.

“Oh, I’m not done,” Penelope continued. “Just to double check, I expanded the search area to the continental US. Our unsub has been busy. Over 30 murders with this signature, all across the country, dating back to March 2007. All different M.O.s: gunshot, stabbing, strangulation, you name it. But all with U LOSE scrawled across their forehead in—get this—liquid eyeliner.”

“Anything tying the victims together, Garcia?” Hotch asked.

“All men, mostly white, but all across different ages, occupations, and marital statuses. At first glance, there’s no real connection,” Penelope answered.

“What about on second glance?” Hotch prompted.

“Way ahead of you, sir. I did a little digging.” Penelope shrugged. “Okay, a lot of digging—most of it legal. Every single one of these victims had at least one sexual assault allegation. Some are official police reports, some are HR complaints, some are sealed court records. But in every case, the victim’s cause of death is directly related to the details of the assault records. Women that were held at knifepoint, their attacker was stabbed to death. If they were choked, he was strangled. If they were held at gunpoint, he died of a gunshot wound. Et cetera, et cetera.” Penelope twirled her pen. “The differing M.O.s combined with the fact that the unsub kept crossing state lines kept local PDs and field offices from making the connection.”

“Garcia, can you search OSU PD records for an incident report?” JJ asked.

Garcia tapped rapidly across her keyboard. “Absolutely, sugar, when would it have been filed?”

“It would’ve been this year, sometime at the end of April or beginning of May,” JJ answered. “The victim would be named as Laney Collins.”

After a few moments, Garcia peered through her green cat-eye glasses at the report. “Mmm, I’ve got one incident report, filed on May 7th. And woof, this report is not much to go on. The responding officer wrote a whopping three sentences. According to him, Laney was incapacitated and thus was not a credible witness.” Garcia twirled her pen. “The alleged attackers, who are not named, denied Laney’s account of what happened. Because there were no other witnesses, Officer Thorough deemed that no further action was necessary.” She jabbed her pen in the direction of the screen. “And this, my friends, is why women don’t bother reporting.”

“Good work, Garcia,” said Hotch.

“There’s one more interesting detail from the report,” Garcia continued. “The dean of students signed off on it.”

“So Barrett knew about this the whole time,” Derek fumed.

“And again, people wonder why women don’t report,” Garcia repeated, ending the call.

“So our unsub is seeking justice for women she believes have been failed by the system. We’re looking for a vigilante, carrying out revenge killings,” Rossi concluded.

Derek nodded. “And she’s organized and efficient; she finished with Tyler and Leon in less than two hours.”

“She’s smart and she blends in, doesn’t draw too much attention to herself,” JJ added.

“She’s meticulous and has at least some knowledge of forensic countermeasures, considering there’s no physical evidence tying her to any of the scenes,” Spencer remarked.

“And she knew enough to keep her face off the security footage,” Emily finished.

“Rossi, Emily, and I will stay here and deliver the profile,” Hotch directed. “JJ, I’d like you to speak to the families again, see if they knew about the rape. Reid, Morgan, talk to Barrett and see what else he might be trying to keep quiet.”

⧭⧭⧭

“Makes you wonder just how many people knew what happened,” Derek considered, closing the car door.

“It’s estimated that twenty percent of student victims of sexual assault report it to their university, but less than one percent of assailants receive any type of disciplinary action,” Spencer cited, making his way toward the sidewalk.

Derek shook his head. “And so the victims don’t see the point in reporting it. Your attacker gets to walk around like nothing even happened. Cassie told JJ that she felt like she had a target on her back once they reported Laney’s assault.”

As they walked up the blacktop driveway to the entrance of Barrett’s home, Spencer slowed his steps as he noticed the front door. “Morgan.” He nodded at the door, slightly ajar.

Derek drew his gun and moved ahead of Spencer. He pushed the door slowly open and called out, “Mr. Barrett?” In the foyer were the remnants of a broken vase and a small trail of blood. “Call Hotch, let him know we’ve got trouble here.”

Derek and Spencer worked to quietly clear the rooms, one by one. Derek stopped at the bottom of the stairs and motioned to Spencer. As they started up the stairs, a woman’s voice called out, “Shut up! You had nothing to say before. So now, you’re just going to listen.”

Derek reached the top of the stairs and started down the hallway. He reached the open door where a woman stood, her back to the door. Behind her, Derek could see Barrett, sitting on the floor, blood dripping from a gash on his head. His hands were raised in front of his chest, palms facing out. Derek stopped, his gun trained on the woman, and murmured, “Laney?”

The woman pivoted her body, her short blonde hair whipping around. Derek saw tears in her eyes and a revolver in her hand. “Don’t,” she warned.

“Laney, my name is Derek. I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to talk. I need you to put the gun down.”

“No!” Laney screamed. “You don’t know what he’s done.” She shook the gun in Barrett’s direction, and Barrett closed his eyes.

Derek spoke softly. “I do, Laney. I do know. I know what happened to you. I know that he kept Tyler and Leon’s names off the report. I know that he didn’t help you when you needed it most. I know that he let them get away with--”

“Rape. He let them get away with rape. Because he cares more about reputation and football than what happens to women on his campus. They ruined my life.” Laney turned away from Derek and put both hands on the gun. “They ruined my life, and you did nothing. And then they walked around campus like they were invincible, because you taught them they were.”

Derek moved further into the room, into Laney’s eyesight. Spencer moved into the doorway, covering Derek. “Laney, look at me. I’m putting my gun away.” Derek held his hands up and then moved to holster his gun. “Doing this won’t make the pain go away.”

“How many others? How many other women did he do this to?” Laney let out a painful sob. “If I don’t stop him, it never ends.”

“Listen to me.” Derek took a step closer to her. “Killing him won’t change what happened, Laney. It won’t. Believe me. I know how you feel.”

“People love to say that when they’re trying to shut you up. How could you possibly know how I feel?” Laney spit out.

“Someone hurt me, just like they hurt you. And nobody was there to help me. No one was there to listen.” Laney froze, eyes shifting to meet Derek’s. “I wanted to hurt him, Laney. Wanted to make him feel the same pain I felt. I wanted him to suffer.” He moved another step closer. “I know that those men hurt you, and I know that he let them get away with it. And I am so, so sorry. But you’re stronger than anyone knows, Laney. You are the only person who has the power to help others who didn’t get justice. I have a friend who’s spent her whole life helping survivors, and I know she’d love to talk with you.” He took another step. “You are the only person who can stop it from happening to someone else. You can make sure he’s held accountable for what he’s done. But if you pull that trigger, you can never go back,” Derek warned.

Laney looked at Derek, his hand outstretched, wordlessly asking her to give him the gun. She looked at Barrett, crying and silently begging her to show him the mercy she never got. “I wish I’d been the one to kill them,” she whispered.

The gun dropped out of her hand as Derek stepped forward to catch her. He kicked the gun into the doorway, and Spencer recovered it. “I’ve got you,” Derek said, helping Laney out of the room. “Shh, it’s ok, I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

Spencer moved to lift Barrett off the ground and helped him into a chair by the window. Out of the corner of his eye, Spencer caught a flash of red below the window. He stumbled over Barrett, nose almost pressed to the glass as he stared out. The woman froze, eyes locked on Spencer’s. His mouth opened slightly as he stared at her, bewildered. By the time his brain caught up, she had already disappeared from view.

Spencer turned and raced down the stairs, clinging to the railing as he nearly missed a step. He burst out the front door into the driveway, sprinting around the side of the house. He heard Derek call his name, saw the other SUVs pulling up, but he kept running. He skidded to a stop at the edge of the backyard, and then spun in a full circle, eyes frantically scanning the perimeter.

Hotch approached from the side of the house, gun drawn. “Reid! Are you all right?”

Spencer took a last look, scanned from east to west. “Yeah, yeah. I just—I thought I saw—I thought I saw something.” He shook his head. “Barrett’s inside. He’s got a head laceration, but he’ll be fine.”

Hotch lowered his gun and nodded. “And Laney’s not our unsub. So we’re back to the beginning.”

⧭⧭⧭

“Strauss is asking us to head back to Quantico.” Hotch pocketed his phone and looked at the team. “We’ll move the cases to our watch list and flag the signature for hits in VICAP. From what we know about the unsub’s behavior, we know she’s no longer in the area.” He gestured to the evidence board. “Our best course of action is to keep the profile in our periphery for now. We can do that from the BAU. It’s late. Go to the hotel, get some rest. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

“I’m absolutely starving.” Emily slipped into her jacket and headed for the door. “Anybody want to hit up that 24 hour diner?”

Derek and JJ quickly agreed, following Emily from the conference room. JJ turned back, eyeing Spencer. “You coming, Spence?”

“I’m just really tired.” His voice lilted up, almost a question. “Next time, though.”

JJ gave him a look but didn’t press him. “Have a good night, Spence.”

“Yeah, thanks.” He gathered up the case files, not quite ready to put them away.

⧭⧭⧭

Spencer’s eyelids felt heavy as he walked through the lobby of the hotel. He really was tired. He blamed the exhaustion for what he thought he saw through the window at Barrett’s. His fatigued mind was seeing things that weren’t there. He practically floated into the elevator and up to his room. Sliding the room key through the slot, the door beeped open and Spencer stepped inside. He flicked on the light and dropped his bag on the floor, loosening his tie as he walked toward one of the sling back chairs sat by the window. He paused just before he reached the chair, his gaze lingering over something on the desk. A note hastily scrawled on hotel stationary.

623.

Spencer lifted the note with two careful fingers. “623?” He turned it over, looking for the rest of the message, but the paper was blank other than the number. He lowered the note, and his eyes landed on a small plastic card where the paper had rested on the table. Not just a card. A room key.

⧭⧭⧭

Spencer stared at the door of the room. Room 623. He turned his head and slowly looked up and then down the hallway. He took a breath and raised his hand to the door. He knocked in the familiar rhythm: five knocks, pause, two knocks. He pressed his ear close to the door, listening for any movement inside. When he heard nothing, he knocked again; the same pattern, but a little louder. He listened again. Nothing. Spencer felt a bead of sweat creep down the nape of his neck. He thought about turning around, about walking back down the two flights of stairs to his room and getting into bed.

Instead, he pulled the keycard from his pocket. As he lifted the card with one hand, he used his other to raise the strap on his holster. He held his breath as he swiped the card through the slot and heard the beep of the lock. Drawing his gun from the holster, Spencer slowly turned the handle of the door.

The room was mostly dark. Only the yellow glow of one of the bedside lamps illuminated the space. Spencer stepped into the room and quietly closed the door behind him. Again, his mind said to turn around. Yet his feet carried him further into the room. He could see now that the sling backs were facing toward the window. There were two glasses from the mini bar on the table between them.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” a familiar voice mused.

Spencer startled and then swallowed audibly, a cartoon character realizing he’s in serious trouble. He opened his mouth but nothing came out.

“You can put the gun away,” she continued. “Really. Come sit down, Reid.”

Hearing her say his name sucked all the air out of his lungs. He closed the remaining distance between them, staring dumbly at her perched in the armchair. She gave him a small smile, warm despite the nervous energy in the air. “Hey, Reid.”

“Elle.” Spencer sunk into the chair across from her. “I—I thought I was seeing things. Earlier. At Barrett’s.”

She studied him quietly. “This hair is a good look for you.”

“Thanks,” Spencer blushed, smoothing down the hair at the nape of his neck. He quickly dropped his hand. “It was you then.”

“What was me?” Elle asked innocuously.

“You were at Steven Barrett’s house today. In the yard.” Spencer folded his hands to keep from wringing them. “You were wearing a red coat.”

Elle lifted one of the glasses to her lips, taking a sip of the clear liquor, ice cubes rattling. She swallowed and gestured to the other glass. “Have a drink.”

“I, um, I don’t drink anymore.” Elle raised an eyebrow. “A lot has happened since… the last time I saw you.” Spencer smoothed his hands down the tops of his thighs. “You were there today. Elle, did you��are you…” He wasn’t even sure what question to ask.

Elle ran her fingertip around the rim of her glass. She was quiet for a long time. Spencer fidgeted in his seat, but stayed quiet, waiting. Elle set the glass down.

“Do you remember that night in Dayton? In the hotel room?” Spencer looked at her pointedly. Elle let out a laugh. “Sorry, I forgot who I’m talking to; of course you remember.” Their eyes met. Spencer felt she was looking right through him. “You told me that I’d won. That because Garner was dead, and I was alive, I won.”

“Elle—” Spencer started.

“You asked, Reid. This is my answer.” She screwed the cap off the bottle of gin. Pouring the remainder of the bottle into her glass, she continued, “It took time, but I started to feel safe in my own home again. I could close my eyes without seeing his face. I could take a shower without bringing my gun.” She downed the rest of her glass. “When I killed Lee, I gave that same freedom back to the women he’d raped. They could exist in the world knowing that he would never hurt them, ever again.” She smiled ruefully. “And it felt… good. It felt right. And after years of having watched people be destroyed by monsters… I don’t know. It was just something I had to do. To bring that freedom and that safety back to other women who had been hurt and broken and alone. To destroy their monsters.” Elle looked at him then, eyes shining with unshed tears. “I don’t expect you to understand or approve. But the answer to your question is yes.”

Spencer took a breath and asked, “Why’d you put the key in my room? You could have just… disappeared.”

Elle shook her head. “I chose this. I knew what I was doing and what it would mean. Most of the time, I’m fine, great even. Because being able to give these women justice is the greatest gift. But with this work, you can’t really keep anybody close. No holidays or birthdays. No dates or girls nights.” She shrugged. “I guess I just wanted to see what would happen. What the boy genius would do.”

“I don’t know what to do,” Spencer admitted.

“Well, that’s a first.” Elle smiled, but Spencer could see apprehension in the rigidness of her shoulders, in the slight bouncing of her leg.

“I should probably arrest you,” he considered.

Her leg stopped. “You probably should.”

Spencer looked down at his hands. He ran his fingers up to the crook of his elbow, ghosting over the scars there. His mind raced from memory to memory: Elle on the train car; Tobias Hankle standing over him; Elle in the hospital bed; the needle in his arm; Elle in the hotel in Dayton; the click of an empty chamber.

“Elle, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for telling you that you’d won.” She was motionless, staring at him. He continued, “I didn’t know. I didn’t know what it was like. To be consumed and overcome by a memory.” Now it was Spencer’s eyes that shone with tears. “I didn’t know that the trauma could… fester in your brain like an infection that you can’t get rid of. I don’t know if winning is even possible after something like that.” He rubbed his hand under his eye and cleared his throat. “It was an awful thing to say. And I’m sorry.”

Elle tipped her head back, trying to keep the tears from spilling over. “All’s forgiven.”

Spencer reached out and gently grabbed Elle’s hand. “I’ve been so tired recently. I thought I saw something through the window at Steven Barrett’s house. But when I did a perimeter check, I didn’t find anything.” Elle dropped her head back down and turned to look at him. “We’re headed back to Quantico in the morning. We’ll, um, be keeping tabs on VICAP hits on the signature.” Spencer gave her hand one soft squeeze before standing. He let a small, bittersweet smile move over his face.

He made it to the door before he heard her voice again.

“If I asked you to stay, would you say yes?”

Spencer swiveled back to look at her, the door just barely open. Elle’s arms were crossed over her chest. Her eyes were dark and wide and full of storms. “Just for a little while longer?”

Spencer turned and moved his eyes up the length of the doorway, considering. He heard Elle let out a breath. His own breath stuttered. He closed the door softly. He put his hands in his pockets and turned back to her. “I’ve got a little while.”

#vicficwriterchallenge #criminal minds #tw rape #criminal minds fanfiction #aaron hotchner #david rossi #derek morgan #spencer reid #jennifer jareau #emily prentiss #penelope garcia #elle greenaway #homoose writes

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yandere-ac · 4 years

Note

Hey buddy, do you know a channel named Etce? It's a guy that makes gameplays of Animal Crossing, and his favorite is Maple. It's so funny how he sounds low-key like a yandere for her, with made me imagine what it would be if we, the darlings were villagers, and maybe the yandere villagers played the role of humans trying desperately to cage us in their islands lol (like Audie being human and trying to take you with her) sorry, it's just so shitpost idea I hoped it made you laugh a bit tho :D

Yandere Human Audie x Villager Reader x Yandere Human Raymond

Rescue me

Another day in hell. That’s pretty much how life was for you nowadays. Each day you wished it would be your last and everyday just got worse and worse. Even if you wanted it all to end, you couldn’t. But let’s start from the beginning shall we? Your name is Y/N. You are a F/A villager who, unbeknownst to you, was a REALLY popular villager. People had online groups talking about just how badly they wanted you, people drew tons of art of you, some really cute, other a bit...questionable. Some people were even selling you for millions of bells. Of course, it all started small. So when a moderately big group of people on the internet started to talk about how cute you were and how they wanted you, you didn’t put much thought into it. You were very flattered at their compliments and left it at that.

However, once it came out that you would be signing up for the nook inc island getaway package, all hell broke loose. It was the day before the move when you decided that, why not check out the little fan group you had. As much as you hated to admit it, you did get a small boost in confidence from all the nice people who seemingly liked you. And right now you were pretty nervous about the whole move. So you quickly typed in your name into your phone and searched up. Your eyes widened at what you saw once you hit search.

947 619 results in 0,8921 seconds. What the hell?! Why did your name have so many results?! This...this had to be some weird coincidence, I mean, maybe you just shared a name with a popular actor who just blew up. Yeah that’s probably it. But all rational thought left you head once you saw that the little group was now the top result, and the little group wasn’t so little anymore. No, quite the opposite. It had gone from maybe about 5000 people to around 230 000 people. Each and every one of them, praising you, talking about how much they loved you. Some of them even wrote out detailed descriptions of what they would do with you if they found you, things that made your face flush scarlet red, why in the world would someone write that?! What reason did they have?! You felt disgust and discomfort flow throughout your body. Now feeling even worse than how you felt before! Should you even move?! What if you encountered one of these weirdos?!

Yet, you still went. You couldn’t exactly cancel your flight now could you? You’ve already sold your home and you couldn’t buy it back. You just hoped that you didn’t get paired up with a crazy person. And still, it would seem like luck wasn’t on your side.

Knock knock knock

Oh god.

“Y/N! Good morning my sweetheart!” And so, it began. You turned to look at the human in front of you, trying to push down your instincts to whimper and tremble. You had found it easier when she believed you weren’t horrified of her. Last time you shook in her presence she came very close to you and asked what was wrong. When you told her she was scaring you she simply picked you up and carried you to her house. There she spent the next 3 hours spooning and cuddling you, whispering various things in your ears all while you quivered in her arms, terrified of what she would do. Who was this woman? Why it was the island representative, Audie. The girl had long orange hair that went down to her waist and blonde bangs. On her head rested a pair of white sunglasses with purple glass, she never really used them for sun protection so you guessed it was for the aesthetic. She had yellow eyeshadow and winged eyeliner, bringing out her intense blue eyes. Eyes that would strike fear and dread throughout your entire body once they made contact with yours. She was wearing the same tropical muumuu that she always wore. Audie was looking at you with a big smile on her face. You would be lying if you didn’t say that she was a very beautiful girl. But all that beauty was overshadowed by a possessive and clingy nature. She was crazy, she saw you as hers and would make sure you belonged to her and her only. She seemed normal enough when you, her and a third islander moved to the island together. A little strange but still very bubbly and happy to be around you. You probably should’ve realised that she was one of your fans sooner than you did.

She would get annoyed when you hung out with the other resident, Kevin, a yellow bird. Soon you started to see her hitting him with a net, telling him to get out of the island along with other horrible things. And you realised that the more you tried to comfort and hang out with him the more Audie would hit him. You didn’t know what to do. You would report this behaviour to Isabelle but she told you that there was nothing she could do since Audie was the island rep. She was untouchable, and so, you could only helplessly stand back as Kevin was being harassed. You knew if you tried to intervene, Audie might do something more drastic. The whole situation was bad and apparently even Tom Nook has privately told Kevin that it might be for the best if he moved out.

All of the abuse led to Kevin finally moving out. You felt bad for the poor guy. But you were even more scared of Audie. What was truly scary was the fact that Audie had acted nothing but sweet around you. Giving you cute outfits and accessories and furniture. In a way it scared you more than if she would be hitting you as well. Because she was honestly terrifying when she acted nice around you. She would be unaware of how strongly she came off while near you. As a result she would usually be oblivious to your fear of her, which would result in very little personal space and a lot of touching. Not anything inappropriate, no, touching your shoulder, twiddling with your hair, stroking your arm, even giving big hugs that would shake you to your core. She was so much bigger than you, so to have her overpower you like that, you felt completely helpless in her strong grip. She could do anything and you would be powerless to stop it. And that’s why she was so much scarier when nice. She would practically drown you in affection that you did not want. Yet she either didn’t care or didn’t notice.

Going back to present day however. Audie was now walking towards you and you could feel yourself Yelp as she grabbed your hand and kissed you on the cheek. “H-Hello sweetheart...” you didn’t want to call her that, it’s literally that you couldn’t NOT say that. She changed your catchphrase to “Honey” and your nickname for her to “sweetheart”. So you had no choice but to call her that. You could feel your hands start to shake slightly and you tried to make it stop, but that only made you tense up in your whole body as trying to calm your nerves only made them worse. Audie was quick to notice this. “Oh? Why Y/N, your shaking. Is something wrong?” What do you say what do you say? “N-No I’m fine! I uh...I’m just a little cold that’s all...” you probably should have said something else as once she heard this, Audies eyes lit up and instantly you knew you weren’t gonna like this. “Awe you poor thing. Here let me help you!” And so, she lifted you up in her arms and carried you to your bed, where she proceeded to spoon you. At this point you figured you might as well not hold back, as long as she thought you were just cold and not afraid. And so, your whole body started to tremble. No matter how many times she did this, it would never be any less scary. “Oh my. Your shaking very bad. You must be absolutely freezing! Looks like we’ll be here for a while.” Shit.

But this sort of suffocating intimacy was not even the worst part of Audie. As island representative, she was the only one who could build and terraform the island. And she used that for bad things. The first thing she did when she found out she could move houses was to move yours next to her. After that, she completely surrounded both of your houses with a fence. Audie could exit the “yard” anytime, all she needed to do was pick up a part of the fence and put it down. But you, you were stuck. You could not get out and could only watch the island from inside your little “enclosure”. She also started to decide what you should wear. Sometimes she would give you cute clothing, things that you actually enjoyed wearing and felt comfortable with. Other times...other times she would give you skimpy outfits that barely covered you and made you feel very uncomfortable. At times like that you felt grateful no one else could see you. It was only you and Audie. But that didn’t exactly make you feel good. Anytime you wore them, Audie would squeal and blush and inspect you. She would walk circles around you, like a wolf circling a terrified bunny. Just waiting to pounce on it and sink it’s teeth into the poor critter. Luckily, Audie has never done anything...like that to you. She at least respected you enough to not force you to do anything. And that was at least a comfort for you. It was one of the very few comfort you had.

However, you weren’t ALWAYS trapped. Sometimes, Audie would hold a strange sort of...event? It’s very weird. She would open the fence and let you wonder around but shortly after you could see people arriving through the airport and drop off hundreds of Nook mile tickets. It would be insane to see how much they would give Audie. And at first you didn’t know why, you were aware of the fact that some people sold their villagers, but from what you knew, Audie didn’t do that. It was only later that you realised why they were here. They were here for you. They would pay up to 200 nmt just so they could get an hour of talking with you. You thought that was really weird, but to be honest, you didn’t mind it at all. It was the only time you could walk around the island and you could even talk to other people. Those other people being the paying humans of course. But it was nice, you enjoyed talking to some of them. You didn’t particularly like the humans that would only gush about you, telling you how much they loved you, and only asking you about stuff over and over again. It was just tiresome and very annoying. But every now and again there would be the humans that would talk to you like a normal person. Those were your favourites. Out of everyone, three humans stood out to you.

The first one was a girl. She was pretty short, maybe a few inches taller than you. She had light brown skin with freckles and blond hair. Her eyes were big and said hair was tied up in two pigtails. She was wearing a beige layered tank dress that looked very cute. Her name was Coco. She used to see you all the time. She was a frequent costumer, but then one day she just...stopped coming. Maybe she ran out of tickets, maybe she just lost interest, or maybe she found or bought her own Y/N. Yeah, that was a concept that made you really freaked out. The fact that there was apparently a bunch of copies of you out there. It happens to everyone who buys the nook inc getaway package. Either way, it didn’t matter. She stopped showing up, and you never saw her again.

The second one was a tall chubby man with yellow curly hair and a brown moustache. His skin tone was a bright shade of yellow. His eyes were kinda narrow but you could still see his very prominent blue eyes. He was always wearing a red ringmasters coat, always wearing it with such pride, you thought it was very cute. His name was Chops. Chops was always very nice to you. He would treat you well and act like a gentleman, sometimes it would come off as a bit weird but you knew his intentions were good. But after one visit where he asked if you would ever like to see his island, you never saw him again. And you were really excited as well...you thought that you could get away from this place but...apparently not. You didn’t believe that he just stopped going here like Audie said. By now you were smart enough to know that Audie wouldn’t let ANYTHING like that fly. You see, she kept a close eye anytime someone was there to visit. It was all part of the deal. They would get to come and hang out with you just as long as she was there with you. She would of course stand back a little, giving you and the customer some space. But never the less, she would be there, watching.

And the third person was a tall skinny guy named Raymond. Out of all three, Raymond was probably your favourite. He was around the same age as you, maybe a year or two older. He was very pale, you got the impression that he wasn’t exactly the type of person to tan. He would wear a grey waistcoat with a blue tie. His hair was blond and very neatly kept, he was very adamant about being precise. He wasn’t a neat freak per say. But he wanted things to stay orderly. But one of the most captivating things about him was his eyes. He had heterochromia, his right eye was brown and his left eye was green. On top of his eyes were a pair of glasses. And although he himself had said that he didn’t like his eyes, you thought they were beautiful. And anytime you would say that, you could see his face heat up as he muttered a thank you. You really liked Raymond, and you got the feeling he liked you as well. You liked him a lot more than Audie and you hoped she didn’t figure that out. Because once that happened, Raymond would probably get thrown out and not be allowed to see you.

Luckily, you don’t think she suspected anything. She seemed to trust Raymond since she left you two alone when he was over for no extra charge. It was amazing really, you don’t know how he did it but he apparently got her to trust him. And you were grateful for that. Because you and Raymonds conversations were usually the most genuine out of all your interactions.

“Hey Raymond? Could I ask you something?” You asked the guy sitting next to you. The two of you were sitting under a cherry tree near by the beach. He looked at you with a smirk. “Of course you can! You can tell me anything my dear Y/N.” As he said this, you could feel a smile form on your lips. He was always so sincere with you. “Okay so...how many tickets have you spent visiting me? A lot right? Why wouldn’t you just save up those tickets to buy or go for a villager hunt to find a copy of me? Wouldn’t that be easier than spending so much just to get an hour of speaking time with me?” This so something that had bugged you for a while. You didn’t understand this man. Why would he spend so much just to talk to you? Raymond let out a deep chuckle at this, pushing up his glasses on the bridge of his nose slightly before looking at you.

“It’s because, my dear Y/N. I don’t want a “copy of you”. I want to hang out with the real you, you who are living on this island. You mean a lot to me, and to see you not remember me...well it wouldn’t feel right...” he said. You could feel tears prickle your eyes. Did he really mean that? Did he care so much about you? “Woah woah what’s wrong?! Was it something I sa-“ before he could finish that sentence, he could feel two small arms wrap around his waist. You were now crying into his chest, with him awkwardly trying to comfort you by patting your back. “Hey now, don’t cry. It’s okay-“ “No no it’s not! You don’t understand!” But as you said this, Raymond pulled you out from his chest, grabbing your shoulders as he stroked one of your cheeks with his hand. “But I wanna understand! Please Y/N! If there’s something going on, I want to know so I can help! Just...please...tell me what’s going on? I care about you Y/N...” as he said that you could feel your heart skip a beat. Should you....

And so, you told Raymond about the whole thing. You told him about Audie, about Kevin, about the strict rules. About everything. You tried to keep your breath steady but it was hard as all your emotions spilled out. Once you were done it was easy to see the disgust that lingered on Raymond’s face. You didn’t blame him. It wasn’t exactly the lightest thing to process. But after a few minutes of silence, Raymond grabbed your shoulder and looked at you with a serious yet sad look. “Y/N I-.....I’m so sorry....I didn’t know how bad Audie was and I-....I’ve been supporting her...I’ve been paying her nmt just so I could see you. I’ve been giving her the satisfaction and encouraged by directly contributing to-“ before he could continue you grabbed his hands. Raymond looked down at you and got the message. Right now there were more important things to dissolve rather than blaming someone. “Okay okay...you’re right. Well what can I do? Do you need anything?” He asked you. You didn’t know. Should you...yes. “Take me away from here.” You said short and simply. “What?” Raymond responded, making sure what he heard was real and not something he imagined. “Take me away from this hellhole! I don’t wanna live here! To Audie, I’m just some toy for her enjoyment. I don’t want to live here! I don’t want to live here! I don’t-“ Raymond quickly pulled you in for another hug. Both to comfort you, and to silence you. He didn’t want Audie to hear... “Okay okay. Shhh, it’s okay. I’m here Y/N....” Raymond got quiet for a few seconds, almost like he’s considering something. “Come to my island. You’ll be safe there and I’m sure my residents would love you.” He told you, gently stroking your cheek. “Thank you Raymond. Thank you so much!” “Of course Y/N. I promise you. I WILL get you out of here...”

And so, the two of you started planning. Planning on what to do, planning on how you’d do it. There was barely any time left for Raymond’s visits so he agreed to come back the next day. You and Audie waved goodbye to him as he entered the airplane and left the island. Audie grabbed your hand as she looked down at you. “Did you guys have fun? What did you guys talk about?” She was acting and talking very sweetly but you knew what that question meant. It wasn’t “I’m interested in what you discussed” it was “I’m paranoid and need to know what you were doing without me.” But by now you were used to these questions and knew how to get around them. “Oh you know, just life in general. He talked a little about how his island is going and I talked about my life. I told him about the delicious peach pie you made last week.” Any and all suspicion that Audie had melted away once you aged her a compliment. You knew that if you ever wanted to change the subject or get away with something, you needed to sprinkle in a compliment. And just like always, Audie let all of her guard down. “Aww! That’s so sweet of you! I love you so much!!!” And just like most times, she wrapped you up in a big hug. You tried to steady your breathing as you responded to her. “I love you to...” and you stayed like that for a couple of minutes before Audie released you. “Well I just wanted to say, this was the last visit! I’ve got so many Nook mile tickets now that I don’t even need any more! So you don’t have to interact with these weirdos anymore! And guess what? The first thing I’m gonna do is fix up our home. Maybe I can convince good old Tom Nook to give us that big Villa so we can live in the same house! Imagine it, we could hare the bed, I could hold you every night. We would eat breakfast, lunch and dinner together! I could spend my mornings and nights with you! Oh just thinking about it is making me all giddy!”

As she said this, you could feel your whole body tense up. Your eyes went wide and you felt all the air escape your lungs. You wanted to cry, to scream, to yell out for help. But only meekly whimpers came out of your throat. “Oh darling, you’re so happy you can hardly breathe! Well don’t you worry dear. There’ll be plenty of celebration time later!” “N-N-NONONO! H-Hold up i-why...why can’t we celebrate a little tonight? W-why don’t I...sleep at your house tonight? I-I mean if we’re gonna sleep together, we might as well start getting more accustomed to it...” as you said this, you could see Audies face turn into a shade of dark red. It seemed the two of you had very different ideas of what you would be doing once you shared a bed. Of course, nothing happened later that night, just you asleep in Audies arms. Her grip on you was very strong. To get out, you had to slither your way away from her, it took about 30 minutes to do this as any time you made a slight movement, Audie started groaning and moving. You had to be careful, if she woke up it was game over. Once you were free of her grip, you carefully searched the whole room for her phone, making sure not to step on any creaking floor boards in the process. After about 3 minutes, you found it lying on the nightstand next to Audie. So carefully, you approached it and picked it up from the table. Now walking out of the room, preparing to rummage through it. You entered all messaging apps and looked through them all to find Raymond. Finally you found a conversation between Audie and Raymond on an app called “Discord”. You wasted no time, quickly typing in a message for him. You just hoped he would be awake at this time...

“Raymond? Is this you? It’s Y/N. I’ve taken Audies phone. She’s planning on stopping the visits and she’s gonna limit my freedom even further. Please I need your help.” As you sent this you felt even more panic rush over you. The reality of the situation hasn’t quite settled in yet but now? Now you truly realised what could happen if Raymond didn’t help you. Your hands started to shake and your eyes filled with tears, it was getting harder and harder to breathe quietly. You needed to get out of the house before Audie heard you! But just as you opened the door you could feel the phone vibrate. It was Raymond! Before you opened the text, you quickly went out of the house, making sure to carefully close the door. After that you ran towards the big fence, it was higher than your entire body. But you couldn’t stay here. Looking around you saw a tree stump with a sharp golden axe lodged into it. Should you? You have no other choice! So you ran towards the axe, picking it up with struggle. And then, with all your might, all the pent up fear and anger, you struck the fence with force. After maybe two swings you had broken up a small part that you could fit through. And so, you ran, you ran to the beach near dodo airlines. Picking up the phone to look at the new message.

“Y/N?”

“Okay calm down, we’ll figure this out...I made a promise to help you and I’ll be damned if I don’t keep that promise.”

“What if I double the amount of nmt to see you? Would that work?”

You thought about it. But no. Audie wouldn’t care. “No, that’s not gonna work, Audie probably has ten thousands of tickets by now...” And after about 20 seconds you got a reply. “I’ve got it! Why don’t you go to the dodo airport, open the gates and tell me the dodo code!” This....this could actually work! You wiped your tears away and quickly replied. “Yes! I’ll go do it right now!” And with that, you quickly ran into the dodo airlines. You asked Orville to open the gates and that you wanted visitors, and after a quick weird look he complied, telling you the dodo code. He was probably not used to villagers wanting to go but it wasn’t exactly any rules against it. You pulled out your phone to text Raymond, he had left a message to you. “Alright! Let me go to the airport!” You smiled to yourself as you read this. Is this it? Are you really gonna escape? You texted him back. “The dodo code is B2GT7.” And now you just had to wait. You sat down on one of the stools in the airport, twiddling your thumbs as you waited. But then. Something awful happened.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?” You quickly turned around in shock to see the person you wanted to see the least. It was Audie, standing in the doorway. Her hair was disheveled and she looked this close to snapping. Your whole body started to shake more violently then it had ever done. “A-A-Audie?! I-I-I ca-an exp-plain!” You couldn’t keep your voice steady as you hastily backed up against Orvilles desk. Orville was looking at the both of you, very concerned but mostly scared. “YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE OUT HERE!!! ESPECIALLY AT THE DODO AIRLINES! WERE YOU GONNA FLY AWAY AND LEAVE ME!!!!” Audie was now approaching you at a rapid pace. It didn’t take long before she was towering above you. “I really thought I could trust you Y/N! But it seems I’ve been giving you to much freedom. Until we get the shared house, you’re gonna be locked inside my house!” As she said this, she grabbed a hold of your arm and started dragging you

away, you were punching and trying to pry off her hand but it wouldn’t budge. Once you were outside of the airport Audie continued. “Maybe I’ll have to put the new basement to use. Yeah, until we get the shared house, you’ll be chained up in my basement. I can’t trust you on the main floors, they have windows and I wouldn’t want you to escape again!” Once you heard this, adrenaline kicked in to the max. You used all your strength to kick Audie in the shin. She instantly released you to grab her leg. Letting out strings of grunts and curse words. You tried to run back to the airport again but Audie tripped you and grabbed your legs. Now dragging you back to the house. You tried to grab onto anything, digging your nails into the ground. But nothing slowed her down, she was determined to take you with her. So you cried out for help. Hoping that someone, ANYONE would hear.

And just then you could hear footsteps approaching and Audie letting out a grunt. Suddenly, her grip on your feet released and you could hear a big thud. Turning around, looking back, you could see Raymond. He was leaning over Audie, two hands pressed against her throat. He was strangling her! You quickly ran up to him and tried to pry him off. “Raymond no! Stop! Please stop!” He looked at you, hate in his eyes, yet none of that hate directed at you. You gave him a pleading look. And so, Raymond stood up. Taking his hands off her throat. Audie immediately started to cough, desperately trying to get air back into her lungs after it being forced out. Raymond wasted no time however. Grabbing your hand and running off to the airport. He slammed his hands onto the desk that’s Orville say by. “TAKE US AWAY FROM HERE! NOW!!!”

The flight home was very quiet. Neither of you wanted to bring up what happened before you left. Raymond felt ashamed over himself. He decided to try to break the silence. “Listen I-“ “you tried to kill her...” He didn’t know how to respond in a way that wouldn’t make him sound like a psycho. “...yeah...I did...I’m...im sorry Y/N. I tried to stop myself, but right then, that moment. When I saw how horrified you looked...I guess the adrenaline took over...a-and I know that’s not a valuable excuse! I know that! What I did was inexcusable! But...I don’t know, I guess I just lost control...” as he said this, you leaned your head against his shoulder. “I don’t care what happens to Audie. I care about what COULD have happened to you. What if she got loose and attacked you?! What if someone saw it and called reinforcement!? Do you really think I’m worth going to jail for!?” You turned around to look at him as you said this. There were tears flowing through your eyes. Raymond cupped your cheeks with his hands, using his thumbs to wipe away your tears. He looked into your eyes and leaned closer, kissing your forehead. “You’re worth dying for Y/N...”

After maybe 2 minutes of flying you finally arrived at Raymonds island. Salamacis. You always liked that name and this would be the first time you ever visited Salamacis. The island was still very bright. It appeared to be around 5pm at the island when you arrived, and as the plane flew closer to the ground you could see the decor of Salamacis. It was beautiful, the entire island was decorated in a very classical manner. The ground was covered with stone paths except for the flower gardens full of white and black flowers. There were full of zen gardens everywhere, In fact the whole place screamed of “Zen”. It was very nice. You could also see the occasional islander running around. Some of them saw the plane and waived, some of them even ran after the plane. And sure enough, as you and Raymond walked out of the airplane, A small group of villagers had gathered around you. They all looked curiously at you. Your grip on Raymond’s hand tightened, but Raymond stroked it gently with his thumb, trying to calm you down. He let go as he walked toward them all, with you following behind him. “Everyone! This is my friend Y/N! She’s going to be living here from now on! I want you all to treat her with respect and kindness. As she is a new addition to the family.” Everyone was quiet for a few seconds before a small rabbit ran up to you. She was black with a few white spots here and there and had a black tuff of hair on her head right between her ears. She was wearing a black box skirt uniform and a black beret. “Hello! I’m Mari! Welcome to Salamacis! You’re Y/N huh? We’ve heard so much about you! If you want we can give you an island tour!” “Yeah! Let’s give them a tour!” “Follow us!” They all said as they ran away, you felt much easier as you ran after them. But you stopped midway and ran to Raymond. “Thank you Raymond. Thank you for everything.” And with that, you gave him a quick pick on the cheek and ran after the others. You got a feeling that you were gonna enjoy it here. Meanwhile, Raymond was standing by the airport wide eyed and blushing like crazy.

“So we don’t actually have an open plot for you to live in...so you’re gonna have to sleep in my house.” Raymond said as he led you up the stairs to the bedroom. “I know that it sucks that you just got out of the Audie situation and now still have to share house with someone, but don’t worry! I’m gonna sleep downstairs on the couch!” As he said this, you two arrived in the main bedroom. Just the mere sight of it made you let out a small “woah” to which Raymond laughed slightly. He thought your amazement was adorable. The room had a king sized bed in the middle, with a big fluffy rug under it. You went up to it and sat on the bed. The blanket was made with a soft material and the mattress was so comfortable that you practically fell into it once you sat down on it. You immediately laid down, basking in the comfortable material as you stretched. “So, again, if you need anything, and I mean ANYTHING, feel free to come down and ask. Alright? Goodnight Y/N.” And so, as you got down under the blanket, Raymond turned to walk down the stairs. “A-Actually Raymond? There is one thing I wanted to ask...” as you said this, Raymond made a total 180 and looked at you. “Yeah?” “Would you...would you sleep with me tonight?” Once you asked this, Raymond’s eyes went wide, it looked like there was about a thousand thoughts going through his head. “Y-yeah! Of course!” And so, he walked up to you. Lifting up the blanket and laid next to you. You crawled up to him, embracing him. And he did the same, he was wearing a silk rope with some imperial print. It felt very comfortable. You rubbed your face against him, feeling yourself drift off to sleep. “Goodnight Raymond....I love you...” and just like that. You were out like a candle. Raymond felt his heart beat faster. You...loved him?

“...hhhehheh....hehehe, oh Y/N...” Raymond laughed quietly to himself. He had you, he finally had you! After months of searching! After thousands of Nook mile tickets! At first, he just wanted one of you. But when he found out that you were the original you! That made him interested in you specifically. And that interest only grew and grew until it became a monster-like obsession. He wanted you, he needed you. He was gonna do everything it took to get you. When he attacked Audie, he went in full intention to murder her. Such a disgusting individual! How dare she treat you like nothing but a mere pet! Raymond felt ashamed for what he did, not because he regretted it, but because he did it in front of you. You should never have had to see that side of him. But not to worry, you would never ever HAVE to see him like that again! Now that you lived here with him there was nothing that could come between you and him! He was gonna treat you so much better than Audie did. You would be allowed to walk around freely! Talk to anyone you wanted! Dress in any way you wished! If he found you at the Ables sisters and you wanted the 1 000 000 bell crown? He would buy it! No questions asked! He would even let YOU decide where to place your house once you got it! ...but there’s no rush. If he could have you like this, next to him, for a few more weeks...maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing...he knew that he would eventually have to let you move out into your own home. After all, he just said that he wouldn’t be like Audie. But maybe a little bit more time with you wouldn’t hurt. You wouldn’t mind! The proof was right in his arms. He didn’t even suggest that he slept next to you, yet you still asked for it! And you said you loved him! Oh you were gonna be so happy here! He was gonna make sure of that. He’s your friend. Your saviour. The one who’ll always be there. The one who’ll always have time for you.

The one who rescued you.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Oh was this a shitpost idea? How about I turn it into a 6 0 0 0 W O R D F I C ? No but for real. This is probably one of my favorite ones. It was such an interesting idea and like...I got so much inspiration. Also sorry to the anon that wanted a wholesome happy ending. It’s more of a bittersweet ending. But if you feel bad for Y/N, I don’t think Raymond is gonna do anything since Y/N is pretty much in love with him. There. Happy ending! So yeah...more Raymond :D wooo! Hope y’all are hungry because I am serving some food! This time featuring friends as the villagers beck didn’t want to come up with villagers myself!

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brandyllyn · 3 years

Text

In our own image... (10)

(Poe Dameron x OFC)

Other chapters… My Masterlist

Word count: 2400 words. (Read it on AO3)

Rating: Teen & Up (PG) none.

"Look, if you hadn’t messed with the guidance system we never would have been in this mess," Dameron shouted over the clanging coming from the Falcon’s starboard engine.

"Me? Messed with? How dare you, you bastard son of a slyyyg."

Dameron popped his head out of the flooring grate. "What did you call me?"

"The bastard son of a slyyyg," Chewbacca repeated calmly, making a rude gesture with one hand. He had been trapped on this infernal trip with just the human for company for three days. Three days of incessant chatter and the man’s insistence on piloting even though Chewbacca had been flying the Falcon for close to fifty years now.

"That’s a new one," the human raised an eyebrow at him. "What’s a slyyyg?"

"Big, squishy, slimy… they stink to the Aboves as well."

Dameron glared, placing both hands on the floor to lift himself out of the lower level. "I am offended."

"You should be," Chewbacca grumbled back, resetting the auxiliary power to the engine and hearing it stop making that clanging noise. "Messed with. Messed with. As if I ever mess with anything. I perform needed repairs that keep this ship running-"

"Yeah yeah," Dameron waved a hand as he examined circuitry on the wall panel. "I’ve heard it all before Chewie. From you even."

"Well listen to me this time!" Chewbacca called after him as Dameron disappeared towards the cockpit, leaving Chewbacca alone with the human’s droid. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing Friend Chewbacca," BB-8 said quickly before following its owner out.

"Stupid humans and their stupid droids," Chewbacca mumbled to himself, closing up the panel he was working on.

"Are we ready?" Dameron called back and Chewbacca slammed a hand onto the control console, watching it reboot.

"We’re ready!"

He felt the stretch and snap of hyperspace, not even skipping his stride as he made his way to the cockpit, slipping in next to the human. "You owe me a crate of wroshyr syrup," he said without preamble.

"I know, I know," Dameron sighed, eyeing the controls.

Chewbacca slipped his headset on, "I could have kept that pool too myself. Had a little alone time. But I told you where it was-"

"I know Chewie," Dameron said with a laugh. "And I promise I’m good for it."

Chewbacca grunted, flipping through the landing checks. It was a short jump back to Ajan Kloss, only fifteen minutes in hyperspace.

"Did you consecrate it?"

"What?" The human practically shouted and Chewbacca turned to give him an incredulous look.

"Don’t shout at me, I can hear you just fine."

"No we did not 'consecrate' anything," Dameron stammered out.

"You didn’t?" Chewbacca asked with genuine curiosity. "I thought that was your whole intention."

"It was not-" the human started but cut himself off. "Chewie when you say 'consecrate' what do you mean, exactly?"

Chewbacca felt the hairs on his face stand up slightly, not that the human would notice. "That you would worship one another’s bodies in its hallowed waters."

Dameron choked on air and Chewbacca patted him softly on the back, listening to the whump whump noise and seeing the man jerk forward. When he regained his composure the human looked up, flicking through the landing checklist. "We uh, we didn’t quite get that far."

"Oh," Chewbacca leaned back in his seat, content to let the other man do the work in this instance. "Perhaps next time."

"Perhaps next time," Dameron said, trying to hide a laugh.

People always thought because Chewbacca wasn’t a human that he didn’t understand their facial expressions, their idiosyncrasies. But he was also 230 years old - or thereabouts, only children kept count past the first fifty or so - and living among the humans for nearly a quarter of his life by this point. There wasn’t much about humans he didn’t know. Had even written papers about their strange habits for the university back on Kashyyk. Not that he’d ever told any of them that.

Then again, no one had ever asked him either, if they had asked he would have told them.

Settling that in his mind, not for the first time, Chewbacca prepared himself for the drop out of hyperspace and the landing on Ajan Kloss. The planet reminded him of home, just a little. The trees weren’t the same, the ecosystem nowhere near as complex, but stepping off of the Falcon and seeing the branches and leaves towering above him - Chewbacca felt a little less homesick.

"You coming?" Dameron asked, heading for Command.

"Do you need me?" Chewbacca replied, already moving the opposite direction.

Dameron stopped, tilting his head at him. "Well, no. But you usually come."

"Today I do not," Chewbacca told him and continued on his way.

If Chewbacca could say one thing about the Droidsmith that eased him it was that she was one of the few people on this blasted planet that made her ceiling high enough for real people. He didn’t even have to duck the outer edge of the structure, could just stride in and stretch to his full height. He looked up first, hoping to see Rey but her hammock was empty. Sighing to himself, he crossed into the inner workshop.

He took a deep breath. Literally everything else about the Droidsmith made him nervous. Until her, he had never actually met a Treesinger before. They were holy, not to be bothered by the likes of him. She was sitting with her back to the entrance - something Chewbacca would never get used to people doing, no matter how long he spent away from Kashyyk - and tinkering with a bit of wiring. Chewbacca waited patiently for her to move her tools away from the delicate piece.

"Vaunted One, I come seeking your counsel."

She jumped, turning around and then smiling at him. She whistled a greeting and her little droid, no bigger than Chewbacca’s hand, looked up at him. "Hi hi. What need?"

Chewbacca popped one of the containers of his bandolier open, holding out the small parts he had found, not meeting her eyes. "I believe these belong to the sensor array of a T-7 droid, but I do not understand how they came to be inside the Falcon. I was hoping you might know what use they might have."

The Droidsmith looked at him, then at the pieces in his hand and hesitantly reached out. She whistled again. "No speak Wook. Both not speak."

Chewbacca looked at them, trying to parse out the phrase. "You do not speak Shyriiwook?" Both the Chasinian and the droid looked at him in silence. "Neither of you speak Shyriiwook? It did not occur to me…"

The woman whistled and K-0 translated. "Wish knew what say. Where 3PO? Bad droid? No bad droid." Chewbacca saw the Droidsmith glare at K-0 but the tiny droid was ignoring her - apparently off on its own tangent. "No. No. Not bad droid. No." K-0 darted little circles and then disappeared into the back of the shop.

The Droidsmith looked at him.

He looked at the Droidsmith.

"Well…" he said.

She whistled.

Chewbacca sighed, tucking the parts away again. "I will return with C3PO. Good day to you Droidsmith, I apologize for wasting your time."

He didn’t wait for her response - wouldn’t have understood it even if he had. Instead he ducked back out into the sunlight, sighing to himself and rubbing his forehead. That had not - he had not acquitted himself well to the Treesinger, not at all. He would have to do better next time. Grumbling to himself he set off in the direction of Command, glaring at Dameron as he passed the man leaving the structure.

"What’s up with you?" The man asked.

"I was attempting to converse with your concubine but we have encountered a language barrier," Chewbacca grumbled, scanning for C3PO.

"She’s not my-" Dameron started to say then glanced around the area before pulling Chewbacca to the side. "Chewie, she’s not my… I don’t know what we are but it’s not that."

Chewbacca looked at the smaller man, "I see. My apologies, I forget sometimes, it is not said with disrespect… You would prefer the term 'lover,' yes?"

Dameron laughed, "That’s better, but still…"

"Your lover then," Chewbacca cut him off, spotting the droid he was looking for and crossing over. "Droid, you will come with me."

"I will do no such thing, I am needed here." The droid backed away from him a step and Chewbacca felt a growl building.

"I have need of you droid, come with me." A pause and then, "Please."

Shyriiwook didn’t actually have a word specifically for 'please' but Chewbacca had long since created his own. A mix of the words for need and for gratitude. It worked well enough. And the humans seemed to expect it for even the most basic of things.

"Come on Threepio," Dameron said from next to him. "We could use your help."

"May I ask what for Master Poe?"

Dameron looked at Chewbacca and then back at the droid. "Translating?" He said hesitantly and Chewbacca nodded his agreement.

"Well in that case I suppose I can…" the droid said and Chewbacca restrained himself from pulling the golden man apart. He’d known C3PO for over thirty years, and liked him for exactly zero of them.

"What is it you need to talk to Kina about," Dameron asked as they made their way back to the Droidsmith’s shop.

"I have found some strange things on the Falcon I am hoping she may help me identify."

"What things?" The human sounded concerned and Chewbacca rolled his eyes. Let the man fly the Falcon a dozen times and suddenly he thought the ship was his.

"Things I intend to speak with your lover about," Chewbacca replied.

"Yeah about that," Dameron cautioned as they stepped into the workshop, "maybe don’t refer to her as my lover when you-"

A low whistle filled the air and Dameron cut himself off, a wide grin growing on his face as he crossed to the Droidsmith and pulled her into his arms. The human might not want him to use the word, but Chewbacca had seen enough human mating rituals to know two lovers when he saw them.

"Chewie you came back," Threepio translated in response to the Droidsmith’s whistles.

"Yes, I apologize for before, Exalted One, I should have considered we might have difficulties." Threepio was speaking even as he finished.

"Exalted one?" Dameron looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I should make you start calling me that," the Droidsmith said with a fond smile. "I see that we are observing the formalities. What may I help you with Chewbacca, son of Attichitcuk?"

Chewbacca stood up to his full height at the name, lifting his chin. Then he bowed low from the waist, one hand over his heart. "I did not know that you knew me, Revered One."

"I do not Child of the Forest - but I know the ways regardless. It was my honor to attend a singing many moons before. It is a distinction to meet you this day."

Dameron was glancing between Chewbacca and the Droidsmith, questions written all over his face. "You’ve met before, several times. Don’t you remember-" but the Droidsmith kicked him and Chewbacca used one hand to shove the man to the side.

"Please allow me to express my deepest grief," Chewbacca knew that words were little comfort, but until she asked he could not offer more.

"Your grief harmonizes with my own, Child of the Trees," she told him solemnly. "May their songs echo among the stars."

"Will you sing my greetings Esteemed One?" Chewbacca asked hopefully, and then felt his hopes fall when she shook her head. "My apologies, I did not mean to intrude on your-"

The Droidsmith took his hands, squeezing them. "You have nothing to apologize for. It would give me no greater joy." She sighed and he saw a tear in her eye, "But I am afraid the songs were stolen from me."

Chewbacca felt himself go into a rage, felt the primal shout rise from within him. He noted that Dameron put his body between his lover and Chewbacca, shielding the woman. A foolish move but one he admired nevertheless. He took a steadying breath, bringing himself back to the workshop, back to the moment. The Droidsmith had not so much as flinched from him.

"I am sorry to hear it, Honored One," Chewbacca said after a pause.

She smiled, slipping out of their formalities and patting Dameron on the shoulder. The man remained tense, eyes wide as he studied Chewbacca. "It’s in the past. I am not that person any longer. I am a Droidsmith." She shrugged, seeming to discard her former role as well. "What can a Droidsmith do for you today?"

Chewbacca nodded and handed her the droid pieces again. "I am puzzled as to how these came to be on the Falcon and what purpose they might be serving there."

She took them from him, turning to her workbench and pulling a magnifying glass down.

"What was that all about," Dameron whispered to him, watching her.

Chewbacca spoke quietly, shooting C3PO a glare to indicate he did not wish his words translated. "To take the voice of one such as she. One of the few who survive. It is a great travesty. If my people knew…"

"What do you mean take?"

Chewbacca turned on him incredulously, "Do you mean you do not know? You have not asked?"

Dameron shushed him, pulling on his arm. "If I knew I wouldn’t be asking you would I?"

Tilting his head, he gently patted the man’s head. "It is her tale to tell. Not mine." Stepping forward, he looked over the woman’s shoulder. "Do you know what this is?"

She gave him a confused frown and Chewbacca realized C3PO had not translated. "Droid," he growled, "do your duties here or I will see to it that you never do them again."

"There is no need to make threats," C3PO said huffily.

"Do not threaten them in my presence Child of the Forest," the Droidsmith cautioned, her formal tone returning. "The droids are as children to me. All of them."

Chewbacca hung his head, glaring at C3PO but mumbling an apology regardless.

"Can I keep these?" she asked. "I have a thought but I’m going to need to look a few things up."

"Take the time you need Illustrious One," Chewbacca replied.

"This is so weird," Dameron mumbled and then laughed when the Droidsmith hit him softly across the chest, catching her hand and drawing it up to his lips.

Yes, these two were most definitely lovers.

Chpt 11

#in our own image #poe dameron #poe dameron x ofc #poe dameron / ofc #star wars sequels #star wars fanfiction #writing

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buticancarryyou · 3 years

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Fic Writer Questions

@wincestismyheart thank you for tagging me in this. I love these kinds of things. Sorry it's taken me over a month to do it myself! Ha!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 27 works currently. I've deleted a few over the years.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

207,118. That's actually crazy to think about.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Predominately, Supernatural. But I do write for Skam and its Remakes as well (Skam France and Druck currently).

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1) The First Time I Saw Your Face (263 Kudos, 4k, wincest) - I posted this one in 2019 crazily enough, so it's semi new and its also the only fic I have on ao3 that I attempted no promotion of. So how it ended up with the most kudos, is a mystery to me. This fic was a WIP for so fucking long and 2019 was a good year writing wise for me, so I was able to finish it up and post it. It's actually very endearing to my heart, because it's an over-compassing story in short glimmers of their love story from Sam's birth until Stanford!Era / Pilot.

2) Two Hearts, One Home (230 Kudos, 5k, evak - skam) - The first published fic for these two and it's literally just fluffy and porn. For some reason when I write them, I turn into a porn writing champion, which is a strange turn for me--as I usually struggle with it! Written in 2019.

3) Close Your Eyes & Make A Wish (203 Kudos, 7k, Datteo - Druck) - The first Druck fic I ever posted and it's a recanting of one of their episodes. I love Matteo and David so fucking much and they will always live in my heart. So happy I wrote this piece. Also written in 2019. (see what I mean about it being a good writing year?)

4) To Rise, We Must Fall (197 Kudos, 11k, Wincest) This was written for the 2014 reverse big bang. It was my first dip into challenges and I'm happy it exists because it gave me courage to attempt other challenges. I def don't think it's the strongest thing I've ever written, but I love it because it's Boy King related.

5) Treble Clef Confessions (191 Kudos, 1k, Elu - Skam Fr) - The first and only thing I ever wrote for Skam France. I don't anticipate writing anything in the future for them, but I do love this short little piece that reimagines a scene. This was also written in 2019.

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Oh yes, I absolutely do. I am so grateful for any comments I get, because unfortunately they are few and far between. I wish my readers left more tbh, because they just fuel my desire to keep writing. So I definitely love to take care of those that do, just to also encourage them to do the same for others.

6. What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

There's two that I think of, but I'll go with the one that has had more responses from the fandom. Everything's For You was written in my earlier tumblr days for a tumblr challenge. The prompt was basically to imagine: “Dean says time is different in hell, but what if it’s not? What if Dean really spent 40 years in hell before Cas put him back to 2008? Write what 40 years without Dean may have looked like for Sam.” And well, things get a little sad.

7. What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

I feel like I try to make sure all of my fics end on a happy note, just because I like to make the angst so severe throughout the fic. Lol. But the Skam piece I am currently working on and isn't posted yet, is def going to be the happiest. So look out for, A Weekend To Remember.

8. Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you've written?

I haven't written one yet, not to say I never would.

9. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I wouldn't say hate, but I have had people challenge the way I write and say it's too flowery. People also try to correct the way I write Brother in Wincest fics with a capital B, but that's my creative freedom as a writer. They're not just brothers. They're Brothers. <3

10. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I do write it, but it really depends on the fandom I guess. When I write for Sam and Dean, I feel like the smut I write is few and far between. Not that it's hard to write, or that I don't enjoy it--but I enjoy writing them without it. Sometimes I feel like it means just as much without it, because that's just them. But then I put my Skam glasses on and I'm suddenly on a smut roll.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. I hope that never happens; I wouldn't handle that very well.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I would be open to it under the right circumstances.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nothing posted, but maybe between friends--yes.

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

Def, Wincest. I don't care how far away from SPN I get, I walk by a flower stand and see sunflowers and with always instantly be reminded of Sam. I'll see wanderer things and think of Sam. I'll see leather candles and think of Dean. I'll see an impala on the road and think of the boys on the road in the middle of the night. I will always see them everywhere and they will always be a part of me.

15. What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Probably the 900 J2 fics I've started. I want to finish one, but I usually get distracted and start something else.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think for me, it is dependent on how well I know a character...because if I know them like the backs of my hands, I can really get into the vein of them and write them well. The worst feeling for me is when I can't feel a characters voice as I write.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Probably that I get distracted entirely too easily. An idea will come up and I'll be all about it, write 10k of it and then think of something else. And then it'll sit in my drafts as a WIP for years, staring at me with pleading eyes and I just try my best to not think about the 'what-ifs'.

18. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I try to stay away from it if I can, because to me it is distracting.

19. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Unpublished Nsync fanfic for sure. LMAO. But second fandom would be Supernatural.

20. What's your favorite fic you've written?

There's so many things I want to say, but in this moment, I can't help but think of: A Brother's Lament (A Slow Death). It was written for the spnj2bigbang for 2016 and it's probably the longest fic I've written, being that it's 46k. It is a love story to Dean's slow and maddening deterioration after Sam's death in Swan Song. Of how he tries to live the life he promised, but finds that he physically cannot do it. It's sad and violent, dark and upsetting, but I put my whole heart into it and it's not even the most well received thing I've written--but I fucking love it so much.

Tagging: @sammichgirl @nyxocity @hellhoundsprey and @homo-pink because they're some of my favorite writers. <3

#karridoesmeme #tag you're it #gonna stick this in my #karriwrites #tag for fun #if i didn't tag you and you want to do this #please do it!#i just suck and literally have no idea who i can tag anymore

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haltandcatchfiretothemax · 3 years

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FEMSLASH FEBRUARY 2021 #5: In which Donna’s wish is Cameron’s command

[CN: food, eating mentions, and descriptions of food displays]

After Donna asked her if she might consider putting up Valentine’s Day decorations for February of 2021, Cameron went directly into research mode. She didn’t plan to admit it to Donna, but Cameron felt like a holiday decor project was exactly what she needed. From the comfort of the living room couch, Cameron began her hunt for useful information on her laptop.

She became frustrated much more quickly than she thought she would. Eyebrows scrunching behind the frames of her reading glasses, Cameron griped, “Okay so the first problem here, is that the origin of Valentine’s Day isn’t anywhere near as compelling as the origin of Halloween, or ghost stories. I mean, a Christian martyr? Really?” Wrinkling her nose skeptically, she scrolled further down the webpage she was on, and said, “Not only am I not moved by his story or his proselytizing, but none of this has anything to do with love or couples or even fertility or family!” Clicking back to the search engine page, she said, “The second problem is that doing research used to be satisfying, but now it sucks. And it’s all because of the internet. We ruined everything with the internet and search, Donna.”

Donna, sitting several feet away on their recliner, looked up from her crossword puzzle. “So, no decorations then?”

Cameron sighed. “I didn’t say that. I just think that I’m gonna have to take a different approach. The literal origins of the holiday are not the angle for this particular project.” Quietly, she switched over to researching the origins of the commercial version of the holiday. “Maybe,” she said to herself, “a more aesthetic-based approach?” She looked up at Donna, and said, “Do you mind if I turn on the tv and stream something? I was thinking about putting on the more recent Picnic at Hanging Rock.”

“Oh, that’s perfect! That literally starts on Valentine’s Day!” Donna enthused. “We should sit down and rewatch it sometime in the next couple weeks!” Then, calming herself down, she added, “But sure, go ahead. Whatever your research requires,” Donna smiled at her.

Cameron picked up the remote, turned on the television, searched for the show, found it, and started the first episode. She went back to looking at her computer, and searched for basic decor ideas. After a few minutes, she said, “The third problem is that traditional Valentine’s decorations are just, like, red. Like really, extremely red.”

“What’s wrong with red?” Donna pouted.

“Nothing, but I just don’t feel like it really goes with the whole ‘I throw stones and I live in glass houses because I’m a modern woman who has it all!’ thing you have going on in here?”

“Hey, it’s your house, too!” Donna chuckled. “You have a point, though.”

Defiantly, Cameron said, “That’s okay. I will figure something out. My wife asked me to decorate for Valentine’s Day, and I don’t plan to let her down.”

Cameron spent the next morning sorting through their collection of fall and winter holiday decorations, and pulled out items to be repurposed, and wound up looking through their other supplies for inspiration. In the afternoon, she was back on the computer, searching this time for items to buy. Sitting at the kitchen island, Cameron sighed heavily. “I wish…” she started. She sighed again, and said, “I really wish that we could just go to a craft store and wander through it for hours.”

Donna, who has sitting across from her, and scrolling through one of her social media feeds, looked up, and snorted, “What, so you could complain about how everything looks ugly and cheap under the fluorescent lights, only to then buy a ton of it, take it home, and then somehow make it look beautiful and amazing?”

“Yes,” Cameron replied. “Exactly.” It took over an hour, and much agonizing, but eventually, she made her selections, entered her billing information, and closed her browser. She managed to stay offline for the rest of the day.

Early the next morning, Cameron asked Donna, “A great big outdoor garden store, that should be like…relatively safe to go to, right? As long as we wear our masks and gloves? And we go early?” Donna didn’t have to be asked twice. They got dressed, and arrived at their favorite garden store a few minutes after it opened. Cameron hurriedly bought a large quantity of potted violets and a bunch of metal flower pots before hustling Donna back to the safety of their car.

Over the next few days Cameron began to work on crafting, baking, and candymaking, as deliveries of her ordered craft supplies started to trickle in. (She compulsively wiped every new item down with disinfectant out of an abundance of anxiety and caution.) By the next weekend, she had everything she thought she needed. On the first Saturday of the month, a week before Valentine’s Day, she gathered everything that she’d amassed so far in the dining room.

She set the last of several boxes down on the table, and Donna, who was drinking a second cup of coffee, looked up just in time to see Cameron tying her bandana around her head like a headband. The bandana, which had accompanied Cameron all the way from Tokyo, was white, and it had the red circle of the Japanese flag, or the Hinomaru, on it. On both sides of the red circle there was lettering, Japanese kanji. The first time Donna saw Cameron put the bandana on, just before they deep cleaned Donna’s house together for the first time, she had asked Cameron what the kanji said. Gravely, through gritted teeth, Cameron had replied, “Kamikaze.” Donna had laughed, and then realized that she was being serious.

Putting down her mug, Donna exclaimed, “Daniel-san!”

Cameron took a deep breath, and said, “I’m trying to center myself and focus, Donna. Please.”

“I’m flattered by all the work you’ve already put into honoring my request,” Donna said. “But I think I’m gonna go upstairs so you can decorate in peace. I’d like to be surprised when I see the final result!” She stood up, taking her mug and phone with her, and headed toward the den, stopping to kiss Cameron on the cheek on her way.

When Donna returned to the kitchen several hours later to make lunch, the dining room table was covered in silk flowers, jars, doilies, and print outs and paper lace and all sorts of colorful paraphernalia. “How’s it going?” she called out.

“Slowly,” Cameron answered, “but it’s going. And it’s not like I’ve got anywhere to be, so!”

She took a quick break to eat a sandwich with Donna, and then went back to the dining room, and Donna went up to the bedroom, where she checked in with Joanie and Haley and their families, sent text messages to Tonya, Risa, and Katie Herman, and then started reading about current tech and social media platform news. She was clicking out of an article on Section 230 reform when Cameron knocked on the door frame.

Looking up from their bed, Donna asked, “Is it done? Can I see?” She jumped up from the bed and ran toward the door.

“I need you to adjust your expectations,” Cameron said, walking her down their hallway. Cameron stopped by the door to the den and switched on the light. Donna peered in, not seeing any difference at first, and then she noticed the faux ivy that Cameron had carefully attached to their bookcases. She stepped into the room, and then noticed the doilies on every surface, and the mason jars of high-quality pink and white silk peonies, which were surrounded by cards from a Victorian-themed tarot deck, which Cameron had stuck down to the doilies under them, to make them look as if they’d casually been left on the table. There were two sets of gloves by one jar, an aged-looking leather diary by another one, and a small framed print of a hand-drawn portrait of two Gibson girls by another.

“It’s subtle, or subtle-ish,” Donna smiled back at Cameron, “but it’s really nice. It’s very Picnic at Hanging Rock, but with maybe a better adjusted headmistress, right? I love it.”

They went down the hall and down the four steps to the ‘first’ floor, and then into the kitchen, where Donna’s eye was drawn to the centerpiece Cameron had arranged on the island. She’d repotted the violets into three of the metal pots, and had made and cut out a silhouette of two young women in full-length Victorian dresses, hand in hand, attached them to skewers, and stuck them into the flower pots. It looked almost as if the girls were walking through a field of purple-blue flowers.

Donna went to smell the flowers, only to be distracted by the display on the dining room table. Eyes wide, she instead walked toward the table. She turned to look back at Cameron and said, “Did you make all of this?”

“No, some if it I definitely ordered off the internet,” Cameron admitted. She’d set up an elegant silver multi-tiered pastry stand and loaded it with paper cups full of homemade white and milk chocolate truffles and squares of peppermint bark that had red and pink swirled into them, squares of milk, dark, and peanut butter fudge, bite sized anatomical hearts molded from red-tinged milk chocolate, and red cinnamon candies, cherry sours, and raspberry flavored hard candies. Next to the pastry stand was Donna’s trusty cake server, which was piled with red velvet crinkle cookies. Both were set up on top of large doilies, underneath their accompanying glass covers, and both were surrounded with red silk flower petals and an eye-catching design of heart and diamond and playing cards, all of which Cameron had somehow sewn down so that it would lay flat, but somehow still look slightly rumpled.

“Remember a few years ago when we did Penny Dreadful Halloween for the trick-or-treaters? During our Vanessa Ives phase? A lot of that stuff came in handy for this,” Cameron helpfully explained.

“Did I miss anything?” Donna looked around. She turned toward the living room, couch, and then noticed a large heart-shaped box placed in the center of the coffee table, with Donna’s pair of good candlesticks and brand new red candles set up on both sides of it, yet another doily underneath it all The box was anchored by a large, white, ceramic anatomical heart, and surrounded by shells, smaller porcelain rabbits and birds, and dried flower petals.

“It’s not much, but, it was fun to try?” Cameron shrugged.

“Oh, shush!” Donna threw her arms around Cameron’s neck, kissed her, and said, “It’s beautiful, and I love it. Thank you for trying to make things feel festive even though almost everything in the world totally sucks.” She kissed her again, and said, “Wanna go celebrate by making out?”

“Yes,” Cameron said, “but, I haven’t eaten in hours, can we have dinner first?”

“Yes, absolutely! Whatever my doting wife wants!” Donna agreed.

#the headband bit is totally jacked from an ep of sailor moon in which makoto ties on a kamikaze headband before cleaning #and the heart-shaped box is inspired by THE original heart-shaped box because the dream of the 90s is ALIVE yalce!#happy february bbys!#femslash february #femslash february 2021 #fan fiction #cameron howe #donna clark #donna emerson

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tessbev · 5 months

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Our one full day in krabi

Can’t wait xx

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autolenaphilia · 3 years

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The Fall of the Roman Empire: the movie

The 1964 historical epic film The Fall of the Roman Empire,directed by Anthony Mann is a very interesting film.

It is a very ambitious title to start with and the opening narration explains that the fall of the Roman Empire was not a singular event and took place slowly over hundreds of years. No film can adequately depict that, not even one that is close to 3 hours long like this. So the story focuses on the death of emperor Marcus Aurelius and the reign of his son Commodus, which traditionally is held to be the start of the decline that lead to Rome’s fall.

Of course this is all according to traditional history of course, a more modern and sophisticated understanding of history sees more complex reasons for Rome’s fall than it starting with a bad emperor, and you can of course question if the empire was really fallen until the fall of its Eastern half in the 1400s.

Not that history matters all that much to this film. It uses historical figures like Marcus and his children Commodus and Lucilla, but the story it tells is mostly fictional and complete fictional characters play prominent roles.

Timonides and Marcus Aurelius

It is actually a parable about power and empire. The dying Marcus Aurelius (Alec Guinness)wants to create a “New Rome” and a “true Pax Romana”. All the many nations of the empire, regardless of skin color or religion will be equal and citizens of Rome. And he wants to make peace with the Germanic “barbarians” at the Northern Border, by including them in this Roman equality.

He realizes his dastardly son Commodus (Christopher Plummer) is unfit for creating that world, so he prefers the noble general Livius (Stephen Boyd) to succeed him as emperor. Livius is also the lover of Marcus’s daughter Lucilla (Sophia Loren) and a friend of Commodus.

But he dies before he can make that plan official. He is already dying of illness but being poisoned by Commodus’s allies hastens his death. And so Commodus becomes emperor and does the exact opposite of what Marcus wanted. He wants to keep Roman citizenship a privilege for the few and ruthlessly exploits the empire’s eastern provinces for grain and taxes.

Livius and Lucilla

Livius, Lucilla and Timonides (a close advisor to Marcus, played by James Mason) try to keep Marcus’s vision of peace and equality alive despite their new emperor’s wishes and at great cost at themselves, with Livius and Lucilla even being prepared to sacrifice their own relationship.

And that is the film’s explanation for why the Roman empire fell: it was due to greedy people who wanted power, glory and money for themselves, and valuing that over peace and equality, which ended up destroying the empire “from within”. It is best read as a moral message, with the Roman empire standing in for any political entity or even humankind itself, rather than any actual historical analysis. The sheer amount of fiction in the storyline would complicate any attempt to view this as a representation of history. And it is not a bad message, of course.

It is an unusually intelligent script for a Hollywood film, with coherent themes and all. Probably the main problem is that the characters aren’t that complex. The good guy are fairly uncomplicated representations of virtue and Commodus as a villain is close to cartoonish. The good guys might have their doubts and conflicts at times, and Commodus can be pitiable as well as evil, but ultimately there is almost zero moral ambiguity in this film. But it works to humanize them beyond being just representations of good and evil in this morality play.

Commodus

But it is the sheer quality of the acting that makes these characters work. Alec Guinness and James Mason are able to make Marcus and Timonides into likeable and not just righteous. Lucilla gets damselled at one point, but she actually has agency and tries to do things on her own intiative, which gives Sophia Loren time to shine. Christopher Plummer is just amazing as Commodus. A convincing portrait of a man who is “fun to be around” but is ultimately self-interested and greedy for power and glory and deeply insecure. Probably the weakest link in the cast is Stephen Boyd as Livius, he is a bit stiff, especially compared to the amazing actors that surround him in this film, but he isn’t terrible.

A very impressive shot: the massive crowd here is all real people, and the sets are actual sets and not matte paintings.

And the execution of the film is very impressive. The film had a very high budget, about 19 million dollars in 1964 (which due to inflation is more like 175 million today) and it certainly shows. Hundreds and hundreds of extras, huge outdoor sets (including a reconstruction of the Roman Forum that measured 400 x 230 meters) make the film into a viscerally exciting spectacle. It is still impressive, even if the film can still spend too much time on the spectacle, there are many long shots of processions that can be a bit tedious.

This high-budget proved to be the film’s undoing. It made back only about a quarter of that huge budget at the box-office. The Fall of the Roman Empire was part of a trend for high budget “sword and sandal” historical epics, at the time that tried to re-create the success of Ben-Hurand compete with television by supplying spectacle that the small screen could never match. And its financial failure proved to be the end of that trend.

The Fall of the Roman Empire is not a perfect film by any means, the film is probably over-long with perhaps too much screentime spent on spectacle and the characters are a bit simplistic. But the film has an intelligent script that has something to say, impressive production values and some excellent acting. It was unquestionably a financial failure, but not an artistic one.

#the fall of the roman empire #my reviews #alec guinness #christopher plummer #sophia loren #stephen boyd #james mason #anthony mann

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thebibliomancer · 4 years

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Essential Avengers: Avengers #230: THE LAST FAREWELL!

April, 1983

“Yellowjacket no more!”

Aw, dang! Hank got raptured!

Captain America, Thor, and Hawkeye is a weird collection of characters to be staring forlornly at the empty Yellowjacket uniform.

Thor hasn’t really expressed much about the Yellowjacket situation in comparison. You think they could squeeze Wasp into the shot. Just her ex-husband is all. She’s just the team leader is all.

Put Wasp on the cover, you cowards.

So last times on Avengers: Hank Pym got himself kicked out of the Avengers and out of his marriage and pretty much deserved it. He was tricked into committing treason by his arch-nemesis Egghead and sent to jail. He sat in jail for, like, a really long time. The wheels really spun on the arc.

He was kicked out of the Avengers/walked before he could be kicked out in #213. He was arrested at the end of issue #217. His trial was in issue #228.

He was kidnapped from his trial by the Masters of Evil. Then in #229, he turned the tables on them all in quite a satisfying manner and slugged Egghead in the egg head.

Then Hawkeye manslaughtered him. He’s dead.

Hawkeye arrowed the science gun to stop Egghead from shooting Hank in the back and then the science gun backfired and microwaved that egg.

This makes Hank’s victory a little bittersweet for him.

Hank Pym: “I defeated the Masters of Evil single-handed... but more than anything, I wanted to bring Egghead to justice. He was a thorn in my side for so many years. I was never able to defeat him for long, not when I was Ant-Man... and not even after I became Giant-Man! He bedeviled me in every identity I assumed. He did me the greatest wrong when I was Yellowjacket. I’d already ruined my Avengers career, when he tricked me into committing a federal crime!”

Hawkeye too is set to thinking by what happened. Maybe humming a bit of Bohemian Rhapsody to himself too.

Hawkeye: “This is unreal! I’ve never killed a man before! I never planned on anything like this happening! Yeah, but I can’t feel sorry for Egghead! If anyone deserved this, he did! My brother Barney bought the farm, stopping Egghead from killing the Avengers. And if I hadn’t acted when I did, Hank Pym would be dead! If I had to do it again... I would!”

Hawkeye: ‘Eh, fuck ‘em!’

hah.

But Hank laments that with Egghead dead, so goes his chance of proving his innocence by turning him over to the law.

Hank Pym: “Egghead was always getting away from me, Hawkeye. It’s almost as if he’s pulled the ultimate escape!”

Fun fact: There doesn’t seem to be an Ultimate Egghead! Why would there need to be? Even more than in the 616, Ultimate Hank Pym is by far his own worst enemy.

Hawkeye basically tells Hank to buck up and that there’s basically incriminating evidence lying all over the place.

He doesn’t say it but even Egghead’s dead deceased corpse is kind of like evidence. Evidence that he wasn’t dead until recently.

Captain Marvel shows up because someone finally came looking for Hawkeye.

Hank is surprised, much like others have been that this is Captain Marvel. He knew the old guy, the super saiyan. And I guess he didn’t hear there was a new one.

Hawkeye: “We’ve had a few changes since you went in the slammer, Hank. C.M. is an Avenger in training.”

Huh. Captain Marvel doesn’t even react to the dead body. Then again, there’s a lot of bodies lying all around the place.

And while Hawkeye is introducing the new Captain Marvel to Hank, one of those bodies stirs.

Moonstone has regained consciousness and assesses the situation. She could blast Hank, Captain Marvel, and Hawkeye with her coherent light pew pew but that’d just weaken her.

Like in the previous issue, Moonstone is one of the few supervillains who knows when to fold ‘em.

So she decides to skeedaddle while the getting is good but whoops.

Getting wasn’t good.

The rest of the Avengers have shown up and cornered her while she was pondering.

So Moonstone decides ‘eh fuck it’ and promises to spill all the beans if it gets her a lighter sentence.

So days later, the mostly off-screen trial of Hank Pym finally ends.

A loooot of new evidence suddenly popping up led the prosecution to withdraw all charges.

The lead prosecution witness, Trish Starr, suddenly reversing her testimony after putting on Tony Stark’s magical mental-scan helmet kind of tanked the case, really.

Wait, they really did just admit the use of the helmet in the trial when its new, unsubstantiated technology whose inventor disappeared?

Damn, I knew the Marvel legal system was wild (considering comic books as legal documents as explored in Dan Slott’s run on the character) but still!

Although it makes sense. Egghead got Trish to incriminate Hank by using the bionic arm to alter her memories. The helmet Tony invented undoes that kind of alteration. This connects the dots quite reasonably. Glad Stern was paying attention when preparing to finish this arc.

Moonstone and Beetle confirming that Egghead was using Hank as a tool also helps.

In fact, not only did the prosecution drop all their charges, the judge also dismissed all the charges. Which feels redundant? I dunno much about law, really. Just the She-Hulk version of law. Which, again, uses comic books as legal documents.

Apparently happening at around the same time, Hawkeye also had his day in court.

Literally a day.

It wasn’t a trial, just a hearing to investigate whether he was guilty of wrong-doing in the death of Egghead.

Newsman with a newsplan: “Though he was threatened with contempt-of-court charges a number of times -- Hawkeye was found innocent of any wrong-doing in the death of Dr. Elihas Starr -- the self-styled Egghead.”

Yeah, I bet Hawkeye was threatened with contempt-of-court a bunch. And I bet you anything that at least one of the times he rejoined with “No, you’re out of order! This whole damn courtroom is out of order!”

And then the judge probably just sighed.

I mean, look at that unbelievable Hawkeye in the bottom left panel.

Anyway, I think Stern must have felt a little pent up having to start his Avengers run finishing off someone else’s story, especially having to devote a recap issue to it since the plot had been interspersed with fill-ins.

Because in the middle of concluding this arc, he throws in two plot beats that I have to assume are to set up stuff of his own.

A day after the trial, the Beetle is being escorted to a cell in a Western Pennsylvanian federal maximum security prison when he bumps into another prisoner.

What neither the Beetle or the guard notices is that the bump to “Sam Smithers” has peeled off some skin on his arm and revealed THAT HE IS ACTUALLY MADE OF WOOD!

Suspect possibly a living puppet.

And elsewhere but samewhen, IN SPACE, specifically on Saturn’s moon Titan, Thanos’ brother Eros is basically complaining about being bored.

When Captain Mar-vell died of having a lot of cancer, he asked Eros to look after Mar-vell’s... uh... -google- robot girlfriend?? Elysius.

Eventual mom to Genis and Phyla-Vells.

Soooooo, Eros has done as Mar-vell’s deathbed wish was and spent an agonizing several consecutive months hanging out in Titan’s beautiful inside forests and just having a real hard time caring about one thing for such a long period of time.

I’m not even being unfair to him.

Eros: “This is the first time in ages that I’ve spent so many consecutive months on Titan! I have ever been a wanderer! I’ve sought out adventure across the wide cosmos. Frankly, I have known romance on more worlds than most sentient beings could imagine. That’s part of the problem. Our friendship has been wonderful, but I’m having a hard time adjusting to it. My previous relationships have all been of a fleeting nature.”

‘Look its not you, its me’ except for attempting to dump someone as a friend, instead of romantically.

Not dump, even. He just kind of wants to ditch her and is asking in a roundabout way if she’s emotionally stable enough to ditch.

She goes, yeah sure, go off and have fun. And maybe she’s getting tired of his company too.

Elysius: “Look... you’ve been a great comfort to me these last few months, but now I need to be alone for a while with my thoughts.”

Geez, how clingy has he been this whole time while desperately wanting to be anywhere else?

Anyway, since she’s fine with him fucking off, he does fuck off. Right to the Hall of Science.

Where Eros’ dad is like ‘oh ffs’ when Eros tells him that he needs to use the LIVING COMPUTER Isaac to look up planets with the highest adventure potential.

Mentor of Titan is a man deeply disappointed in both of his sons for very different reasons.

Anyway, would you really be surprised if I told you that Earth was in the Top 3 planets in known space for adventure?

You wouldn’t, right?

Meanwhile, back at the plot, Hank Pym is on a boat with Trish Starr.

She wants to apologize for that time she incriminated him but Hank isn’t going to blame her for being as much a pawn in Egghead’s scheme as he was.

Trish: “Yes, uncle was like that all of his life. I think he really enjoyed using people.”

And she remembers the first time they met in Marvel Feature #5, where Egghead tried to drain her mind to power his machines. Because. Batteries hadn’t been invented? Because he’s just not happy unless he’s screwing over someone else?

Second one sounds likeliest.

She also remembers the time he car bombed her car but siphoned out most of the gas first.

Trish: “He didn’t want to kill me... only maim me. Nice guy, my uncle.”

Yeah. Its stories like that why its only Trish and Hank also Fred Sloan on a boat at Egghead’s funeral. Yeah, by the way, this is basically Egghead’s funeral.

Fred is only here for Trish.

Hank reacts to Fred so I wondered if he’s important in some way or if Hank recognized him but I checked the wiki and his main importance seems to be... this issue? So I don’t know why Hank reacts to the guy.

So Fred is just here for Trish. Trish is here out of duty, since she was Egghead’s only known family. And Hank is also only here out of duty but more archnemesis ‘can’t believe that asshole is dead and I don’t even get to feel good about it’ duty. I assume.

Hank even gets the honor (?) of laying Egghead to rest. By dumping his ashes into New York harbor.

Mostly because it doesn’t seem like Trish wants to?

So Hank quotes some Mark Twain and dumps the ashes.

Hank Pym: “‘Death... the only immortal who treats us all alike, whose pity and whose peace and whose refuge are for all -- the soiled and the pure, the rich and the poor, the loved and the unloved.’ Farewell, Egghead.”

Trish: “It’s awful to say this -- but I can’t find it in myself to be sorry. I think I’m glad he’s dead.”

And that’s Egghead’s legacy. Mourned by no one. And his death is only not cheered because the only people that cared feel shitty about feeling glad he’s dead.

ANYWAY, there’s some other loose ends to tie up.

So Hank takes a taxi to the Avengers Mansion and I guess finally explicitly explains why the mansion has seemed to change positions over time?

Hank Pym: “I never thought I’d be coming here again. The place has certainly changed since the day Jan and I met here with Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk to draft the Avengers charter and by-laws. And I still recall the time Iron Man and Thor moved the mansion back from the street to give us more privacy. What a project that was!”

Sounds like a heck of a noodle incident, Hank.

... Why just Thor and Iron Man? Did they... did they literally just shove the mansion back from the street? ... There’s... basements and caves under there. How does that work? That seems like a massive architectural project.

Hank, pls, I need to know more details. You can’t just drop that information and casually stroll away. HANK!

Captain Marvel meets Hank at the door and escorts him inside, captain marveling at how calm Hank is despite everything he’s been through.

Hank shows up to the Avengers meeting and-

Oh god, She-Hulk looks like she wants to punch the suppressed emotions right out of Jan. She-Hulk, pls.

So, Wasp is super formal, calling Hank Dr. Pym and telling him that they want to use the mento-scan helmet to see if he was under outside influence when he did all the very bad things he did.

All of the Avengers are harboring their own concerns.

She-Hulk: “I’ve read legal briefs that were more informal! She’s cool on the surface, but inside -- ! Jannie, why are you doing this to yourself?!”

Are you guys already at the cute nickname stage of your friendship or is that just the way She-Hulk be?

Cap is worried that this is rough on Jan but that she’s doing what she needs to do as the Avengers chairwoman. But he’s more worried about the absence of Iron Man who is still missing and who ignored three calls to assemble.

Thor is just internally like ‘just do the helmet, my dude.’

Hawkeye is literally biting his lip at the tension.

Hawkeye: “Jan divorced Hank after his last breakdown. If we find out that he wasn’t to blame, what’s it gonna do to the both of ‘em? I hate this! That stupid court hearing was a breeze in comparison.”

Huh, Hawkeye has a point. Even if outside influence is proven, its not as straightforward as Jan and Hank instantly getting back together, no harm no foul. There was harm. And the problems with their relationship were deeper than one incident. But it would also create this possible expectation that they should get back together because the specific incident wasn’t Hank’s fault.

And Captain Marvel is still looking at this from an outsiders’ perspective.

Captain Marvel: “They’re really hurting over this... all of them! They all care so very, very much. If I ever become a fully active Avenger, I pray that I can live up to their example.”

So Hank very calmly agrees to use the helmet. But...

Hank Pym: “Sorry... no outside influences. It would have changed a lot of things if there had been, wouldn’t it? But no, I made my own mistakes... and I have to live with them.”

Thiiiiis was the best decision for the story arc. It may seem, in retrospect, the worst decision in the long run, but I can respect the story for standing by what it has done and standing by the growth Hank has had as a result of everything that happened.

I think a lot of more modern marvel comics have gone a little wild with letting the heroes do all kinds of dubious things and also die because it can be easily undone. It was a Skrull, they were being mind-controlled, it was an AU Nazi version of them created by a cosmic cube child. Or by giving the hero some big redemptive moment like Iron Man wiping his mind to make up for doing Civil War. Or Iron Man dying to make up for Civil War 2. You can explore whatever scenarios you want without worrying about dealing with the consequences long-term.

But in this era of Marvel, they were concerned with the long-term. Not to say that there weren’t cop-outs back in this day too. But since books were expected to keep going indefinitely instead of being cancelled and relaunched, there’s less of a sense of ‘this thing is only here to play with for a little while.’ If you wrote a thing, another writer was expected to follow up on it.

And I miss that a little.

So not giving a cop-out bullshit thing that undoes Hank’s actions was bad in the long run for his image as a character. But that’s a long way from now problem, exacerbated by writers like Chuck Austin and Mark Millar who wanted to wallow in it.

For an arc where Hank fell from grace and proved himself again, taking ownership of what a garbage fire his life can be was necessary.

One among many reasons I probably won’t like the Crossing when I get to it, haha.

With Hank’s actions proven as being Hank’s actions, Hank says there’s one more loose end that he wants to help tie off.

He wants to participate as witness when the Avengers hold a court of inquiry for Hawkeye killing Egghead.

This comes as an absolute surprise to Hawkeye, who I guess never read the bylaws. Which honestly, is very in-character for him.

But it being brought up, he insists that all he has to do is enter the findings of the state judge and be done with it.

Hank insists he participate though.

Hank Pym: “Hawkeye is faced with charges because he acted in my defense. It’s only right that I act in his.”

So, the Avengers go to the first floor library, which is apparently the court of inquiry room. I feel like we’re suddenly getting a lot of details about the layout of the Avengers Mansion in recent issues.

So Wasp convenes the court all formal style, so formal style that Hawkeye thinks that stickler Cap(tain America) couldn’t have done a better job. The purpose of the court of inquiry is to determine the validity of the charge of “unreasonable use of deadly force” and determine what if any proper disciplinary action should be taken.

I think Hawkeye is annoyed at having to go through with this (read the bylaws, my dude) because when Wasp asks if he has anything to add to his claim of innocence of the charge, he says he already gave the court copies of the court transcript that cleared him of the same charge, but also decides to speechify a little, because he wasn’t accused of contempt of court enough today.

Hawkeye: “I have already given the chair copies of the transcript of a hearing of the state courts... a hearing which found me not guilty of the same charge. And I have something else to say as well!”

“I don’t deny that my actions caused the death of Egghead. But in no way did I use undue force! I found Hank Pym in mortal danger, and I used the necessary means to save him... period. After all, we are supposed to be the Avengers, right?”

Luckily for Hawkeye, the Avengers are more willing to put up with him than a state court so Jan just goes ‘ok, noted.’

Captain Marvel also has a minor change of heart on Hawkeye. I don’t think we’ve gotten her in-depth feelings on him before (although he did get pissy about her joining the team, we didn’t see her response to that) but she’s impressed because she thought he had more wind than conviction but is seeing that isn’t so. And she’s also impressed by Serious Mode Jan who she thought was kind of flighty.

Captain Monica Marvel seeing all kinds of new sides of the Avengers lately.

Also, this isn’t important and you won’t be able to see what I mean unless I included more caps than I wanted to, but in the panel establishing the court of inquiry, Monica is just standing off to the side. But in the next panel she appears in, she’s moved over to sit on a couch instead.

I think its a framing thing but its still kind of funny to imagine her going ‘wait why am I standing up’ and heading for the comfy couch.

With Hawkeye’s statement given, Wasp invites Hank Pym to speak his piece.

And Hank gets up and gives an entirely unnecessary but probably appreciated defense of Hawkeye.

Hank Pym: “Ladies and gentlemen... I have not always been on the friendliest of terms with Hawkeye. Point of fact, we nearly came to blows a number of times... back in the days when I was an Avenger. But in all the time I’ve known him, Hawkeye has never used undue force.”

“I realize that this inquiry is little more than a formality. I have no doubt that you will find in his behalf. He did, as he said, act only in my defense. Unlike my own recent case before you, there is not the slightest hint of misconduct or negligence. The only thing Hawkeye is guilty of is being a good Avenger.”

“When I last spoke before this body, at my court-martial, I was not in a rational state of mind. I was unfit to be an Avenger. You wisely expelled me. I never expected to speak before you again. And now, I can think of no finer final statement than this... It has been my sincere honor to have known Hawkeye’s fellowship... as it has to have known yours.”

Okay. So. Half a defense of Hawkeye. And half... just a general good-bye and a demonstration that he actually does know how to deliver a defense at a court-martial. Cool.

I imagine if he had a mic, he would have dropped it.

Probably not, actually. Hank isn’t that exact blend of cool and inconsiderate for a mic drop.

Jarvis intercepts Hank on his way out and asks that he come with him to the second floor study. Jarvis has taken the liberty of gathering up the personal items Hank just kind of left in the mansion and packing them for him.

One suitcase has a bunch of Hank’s clothes that he had stashed in the mansion over the years. Including some wacky ties for wacky tie Fridays and a shirt that Hank had just plumb lost.

The other suitcase is a spare Yellowjacket outfit. In case Hank ever needs it.

Then Hank and Jarvis shake hands, Hank thanking Jarvis for everything that he’s done for him and the Avengers. He asks Jarvis to take care of himself because he knows he doesn’t have to ask him to take care of the Avengers.

This is a very touching scene. Its so touching that Jarvis excuses himself to go get misty eyed.

This is a Jarvis appreciation blog because I appreciate Jarvis as well.

Then, as Hank heads back down the staircase, he is intercepted by Thor, Captain America, and Hawkeye.

Yeah, the court of inquiry resolved off-screen because of how forgone a conclusion it was.

The three Avengers basically fall all over themselves to pat Hank on the back. Hank actually looks somewhat panicked by the positive affirmation.

That’s some mixture of funny and sad that I can’t identify.

Hawkeye tells Hank how much he appreciated his unnecessary defense. Thor clasps Hank’s shoulder and tells him he’s a class act, but in Thor-y words. And Cap extends an offer for whatever the Avengers can do to help Hank get back on his feet.

Hank thanks him for the offer but he’s already received an offer from a small research foundation in the Midwest.

Seems like getting exonerated of a treason charge is the best resume of all. That and Hank’s actual impressive resume.

But Cap has some stuff to work out re: Hank because he starts off on the stuff he put on the back burner back in that Ghost Rider issue.

Cap(tain America): “Hank... I know Iron Man would agree, if he were here, that we’re all sorry about the way things worked out. We should have realized the pressures you’d been under, prior to your breakdown. I was group leader at the time! I should have -- !”

Hank Pym: “Hold it right there, Cap! What I did, I did to myself! If I could have admitted that my problems existed... If I’d been willing to open up to you folks... Well, ‘if’ can be a big word sometimes. The fact of the matter is, I screwed up. And you did the only thing you could do! I don’t blame any of you.”

Hank has boarded the personal responsibility train and goddammit he’s riding it to the end of the line!

Good for him. Good clarity for the arc to have in its last issue.

But having started to slightly shout at the Avengers that he’s taking responsibility dammit! (he looks a bit pissed when he’s responding to Cap) Hank awkwardly excuses himself.

Cap tries to stop Hank from leaving because he has reached the bargaining stage of grief, I guess.

Cap: “Hank, wait! It doesn’t have to end like this! We could make a special amendment to the by-laws! We could reinstate you as an Avenger! You could be a special reservist -- !”

Hank: “Thanks, Cap. But no thanks. Trying to play super hero was the biggest mistake I ever made with my life! I was only fooling myself in ever thinking otherwise. But if you ever really think you might need a Yellowjacket again some day...”

He hands Cap the Yellowjacket suitcase.

Hank: “... Here! All you need is a good man and what’s in this case!”

I would hope, anyway. It’s going to be awkward if he opens it up later and its full of wacky ties.

The funny thing, although not really funny ha ha, is that Yellowjacket is the one codename of Hank’s that never really catches on outside of him.

You have multiple Ant-Men, a couple Goliaths, at least one other Giant-Man. There was a second Yellowjacket, eventually. But she didn’t make a big splash.

Despite Hank’s attempt here to pass the torch, Yellowjacket is a codename that remains inextricably tied to him. Which might be the problem. If there were another, more successful or at least more endearing Yellowjacket, Hank’s infamy in the role would not stand out so much.

Alas.

She-Hulk and Captain Marvel try next to intercept Hank. They don’t know him very well but they wanted to say their goodbyes too, despite not really knowing him that well.

Its the thought that definitely counts, probably.

But Hawkeye has some social awareness for a change and draws their attention to Wasp who is hanging back, but who clearly wants to talk to Hank.

So the rest of the Avengers quickly vacate to let Hank and Jan finally have closure. Or re-closure. “I want a divorce and to never see you again” is a kind of closure.

The situation has changed, however.

They both try to apologize to each other and then laugh at the awkwardness.

Hank: “Janet van Dyne, you are one in a million! After all that I put you through, you want to tell me that you’re sorry?”

Wasp: “I think we both made some mistakes along the way, but there were some good times... weren’t there?”

Hank: “Yes. But you can’t base a marriage on just a few good times. I fell for the young lady who reminded me of my first wife... and you thought you’d found the strong, silent hero. But I was never that strong, Jan. You know that now.”

Wasp: “Uh-huh.”

Damn, his prison time really did bring Hank a lot of clarity. That or the pile of therapists Tony kept throwing at him.

Hank also kind of talks over Jan here. Or at least steers the conversation. I don’t know what Jan would have said because Hank tells her that they both have other lives to lead and tells her to take care of herself.

Maybe its for the best, if, like Cap, she was going to try to shoulder all the blame for Hank’s bad decisions.

Hank walks out the door and finds Trish and Fred from the boat waiting to give him a ride to the airport. And then he is gone.

Like in the final image of the COURT-MARTIAL issue, Jan watches at the window.

“The last time Henry Pym left these walls, Janet felt like crying... but couldn’t find any tears. Today, at last, she has found the tears... for her former husband... for her team... for herself. Today, there is pain and remorse and release. There will be time enough for joy and hope tomorrow.”

Emotional catharsis can be like that.

In that the book kept going ‘Jan is really holding her emotions in and that’s probably not overall great for her’ its good that she can let it out now.

Kind of laughing at Captain Marvel and She-Hulk who only recently just met Jan being the ones going there there while the men she has known for years are just awkwardly standing in the background.

And that’s the fall and rise of Hank Pym. Apparently collected in trade as The Trial of Yellowjacket, which is a decent enough name too.

Overall, a good arc. That is kind of hampered by the need for filler and a writer change near the end. But honestly, Stern catches the ball and runs with it. He concludes the arc just as good as Shooter would’ve.

This arc is all kinds of iconic for Hank, although, unfortunately, most people are only aware of the beginning and maybe have a hazy understanding of what the ending does.

Although. This is a really good send-off for Hank. A really, really good send-off that would have worked best if he did like he said and quit superheroing forever.

That’s not to be, obviously, not in a perpetual narrative machine like Marvel. But it feels like it could have been and maybe should have been the last word on his character.

I enjoy Hank in Busiek’s Avengers and in Avengers Academy. And also, conceptually, Hank telling Reed “it’s on, bitch.” I very don’t enjoy Ultimate Hank Pym. So its a balancing act. The perfect exit for the character vs but I like some stuff when they brought him back.

Anyway.

After this, Stern gets to move on to his own material. Which he already planted the seeds for in this issue.

That’s a pun.

Follow @essential-avengers because of my bad puns. Also like and reblog, if you like to reblog.

#Avengers #Egghead #Masters of Evil #Hank Pym #Hawkeye #the Wasp #Captain America #Thor #She Hulk #Captain Marvel #Monica Rambeau #i did a lot of quoting because the comic has some good quotables here #essential avengers #essential marvel liveblogging

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