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#like it usually doesn't take much to make me cry over sad scenes
vampyrsm · 1 year
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warnings; mentions of death (not bakugou or reader), injuries mention, blood mention, teeny tiny bit of angst that turns into fluffy comfort, baby used as a pet name.
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There's a buzz of your phone on the kitchen table at 8:32pm, you don't make a quick dash to get it - already cooking dinner for when your husband gets home later that night.
Another 15 minutes pass, and there's no more buzz which can only mean it's one thing. Katsuki tried to call you. He's never one for calling twice, he likes to be quick and precise. If you're busy, he gets it. He doesn't pester. You love that about him, he respects your space because you respect the time he takes for his job.
Finally meandering over to your phone, you're not surprised to see the (1) New Voice Message! on your screen. You press it, going through the motions of pressing 2, then 3, and finally it starts to play.
There's some sort of background noise, maybe just the busy street he's currently patrolling. It's awkwardly quiet at first, always is with Katsuki on the phone. A man who prefers a face-to-face conversation.
"Hi, I was just callin' to uh—" He clears his throat, and there's a scuff of his boots on the concrete. "Just callin' to tell you how much I love ya, you mean the fuckin' world to me and—...yeah, I love you."
It's uncharacteristically sweet, so to say, for Katsuki. He only reserves that kind of adoration when he's in the safety and comfort of your arms in bed, or when you both share a late-night glass of wine on his weekends off.
It makes your stomach drop. There's something in his tone, he sounds sad. Something Bakugou Katsuki is not known for. He's known to be brimstone and fire, with sharp edges and mean scowls to anyone who doesn't know him.
Something just isn't right.
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It's around 11:12pm when Bakugou finally gets back to the agency, his shoulders ache and his neck burns something fierce from holding up the weight of his gauntlets all evening. He rubs a gloved hand through his hair, pushing it out of his face when graced with the beautiful blast of the A/C when he crosses through the threshold.
The agency is quiet at this time of the night, something he's thankful for. The receptionist is usually gone by now, and only the night shift sidekicks should be on the 14th floor where they get ready for a long night of chasing villains.
He's a bit late returning from the end of his patrol; some fucking idiot trying to mug an elderly man on his patrol route. It should've only taken him five minutes tops but the guy had some sort of slime quirk, aka ridiculously difficult to get a hold of.
But he did it, and now he's back in the safe confines of his agency. He can shower when he gets home he reasons, he doesn't want to be apart from you any longer than necessary.
Today was... rough. To say the least, one of the first cases he has to take point on was difficult. Not in the sense that it was a skill issue on his end, he's a well-seasoned pro. Instead, this was because of the parties involved. There was a woman, a fiancée. Bakugou had arrived at the scene midway through, a call from another hero requesting backup. It wasn't on his usual route but it wasn't too far.
Anyway, once he got there he was confronted with something that had his heart genuinely aching. The woman mentioned before, was covered in soot and ash, the colour of her hair a muted dusty grey from what must've been from the concrete walls next to her that had been blown open.
But the most damning thing was the blood coating her face, and her hands and she was crying. God was she crying, it took everything in Bakugou to focus on the part of his training he had to take over and over as an up-and-coming pro. He had to be supportive, he managed to wrangle the woman down from near hysteria until she was crumpling in on herself as he held her whilst waiting for the ambulance.
The words she spoke stuck with him the most, she had mentioned the blood wasn't hers. Nor was it the suspects. It was her fiancé's. She said that she was just meeting up with him, that he had been away for a few days at work and they were going to go for a nice lunch together.
But it never happened, the wall of the shop next to them crushed him on impact leaving her standing in the aftermath.
"I never got to tell him I loved him today, I was—I was so busy with work. I, I thought I'd wait until I saw him. To kiss him, tell him I love him but I—I never got to."
It fucking made Bakugou sick. The thought of you being wiped away just like that made him uneasy, you both knew it was possible but he did his hardest to ensure it never fucking happened.
Because Bakugou doesn't know what he'd do without you.
So he left that voicemail, he wanted to actually speak to you but he was just starting his shift and he knew you'd be busy. He didn't think much about what he said, nor did he think that it'd get him into so much trouble the second he stepped into his office.
Immediately, he freezes at what he sees.
Eijirou is comforting you. Now, Bakugou isn't a jealous man and he doesn't make assumptions. But he is confused as to just why Eijirou is comforting you, and why are you crying?
He doesn't get the chance to speak though. You practically leap out of Kirishima's arms, the redhead startled enough to actually let you go and he wishes he doesn't when he sees you lunge for Bakugou.
But he relaxes, a bit, when you glue yourself to Bakugou's front with your arms tight around his neck to pull him a little more down to your level.
"Baby, wha—"
"You! You motherfucker!" You all but hoarsely yell, your eyes are all puffy and red from crying and he can't fucking think what the fuck he's done wrong to be called a motherfucker whilst also being hugged by you. Just what the fuck is going on?
"I thought you were dead!" Now he's even more confused! His eyebrows furrow, lips parting as if to silently ask what you mean but you continue anyway. "Never, ever, send me a voicemail like that again. I thought it was your dying declaration or something!"
Ah. He gets it now. He did send that voicemail right after he was free to leave the scene, he didn't realise his emotions were so visible when he sent that voicemail.
His face softens, tired arms wrapping around you until you're crushed against him. Bakugou presses his forehead to yours, taking a deep breath in to be washed over by the soft scent of your body wash.
"'M so sorry baby, just... Just had a rough day, really needed you to know how much you mean to me."
"You're so stupid, you know that? Of course I know you lov—" He cuts you off with a shake of his head, quietly asking you to not fight him on this. So you don't. You just let him hold you, let him kiss your cheek - your nose, and finally your lips.
Kirishima awkwardly clears his throat causing Bakugou to uncurl himself from you. Kirishima only offers him a wobbly smile, something Bakugou knows as Ei trying his hardest to not cry about how 'manly' it is to say how much you love your partner.
"You should check your phone more man. I was two seconds away from sending out a search party to find Dynamight." Kirishima is always one to continue a conversation, easing it away from the sad atmosphere that developed.
Bakugou scoffs, cocking an eyebrow. "Two seconds? Why hesitate, Ei? You want my spot that bad?"
Now it's Kirishima's turn to splutter, scoffing in disbelief but Bakugou can't focus on whatever Kirishima might be saying in response when he hears your soft laughter.
A reminder that you're right here with him, in his arms, and that you know just how deep his love runs for you.
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allyricas · 10 months
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Moving On pt. 2
part one
3,180k words
The day of the trip to Indy finally arrives and the weather does not reflect the excitement Steve feels as he loads his last bag into the trunk of his car. He knows he overpacked but wants to be ready for anything. He also has a cooler full of drinks and sandwiches along with enough junk food to make anyone sick.
He and Robin had decided to make sure they had plenty of food so they could settle in to their hotel and chill the first night. Robin had an early campus tour and Steve had a meeting with an advisor at the community college he’d be taking his cosmetology courses. They had a packed schedule considering they needed to find an apartment and jobs (together if possible) and the urge to scope out the gay scene. Or find it, at the very least.  
Steve pulled into Robin’s driveway and saw that she’d also slightly overpacked. Two halves of the same soul, the two of them. He got out and helped her load up her bags. She was holding a thermos of something and wearing a pair of Steve’s sweatpants. That’s where those went. He’d been looking for them for a week. Robin had a tendency to steal his clothes which mostly just made Steve feel all loved and shit, so he only complained for appearance’s sake.  
“Rob, my fucking sweatpants. Come on, I’ve been looking for them.” He whined. He truly didn’t mean it all.  
“Shut up, they are my pants now. They look hotter on me.” She laughed, doing a pathetic little shimmy. She was not a morning person. The messy bed head and the large amount of coffee she was inhaling made this apparent. “I am so tired, but really fucking excited. I brought the music. You are banned for the entire drive up and back. I will fucking jump out of this car if you play any sad, pining music. This is fun time not sad boy time.”   
“That tape has Whitney and George Michael on it. It’s not a total sad fest.”  
“Liar. You cry the most whenever careless whisper comes on.” Robin replied viciously.  
“Let’s uh, not talk about that please.” Steve knew he was still whining a bit, but Robbie was mean in the morning.  
The drive up went smoothly despite the terrible weather. Fifteen minutes into the drive, it started to torrentially rain. Thunder shook the car and lightning lit up the sky. Robin did in fact have all upbeat music and refused to let Steve play anything remotely sad. This was good as he was feeling rather happy in the moment. At one point it rained so hard, Steve had to pull over and wait for it to slow down as Robin started hyperventilating. What should have been an hour and fifteen-minute drive took three hours, but time spent with his best friend was always good.  
Navigating the city was invigorating (for Steve) and anxiety inducing (for Robin), but they both could barely contain their excitement when they finally pulled up to the motel they're staying at. It’s a little mom and pop place that Joyce and Hop had recommended. Why those two have a favorite motel in the city, Steve doesn't want to think to much about.
It’s a cute place, white shutters and soft yellow paint with a rustic looking sign that says The Mosey Inn. The rooms were entered from the outside, with parking all around the place. There were plants everywhere and everything had a well-loved appeal. It’s a rather nice little place. He goes in to check them in and there is an older woman at the desk. She's one of those people who radiates kindness and Steve likes her right away.  
“Hello there, dear. Welcome to the Mosey Inn. I’m one-half of Mosey, but you can call me Elise.” She’s smiling softly at him as he walks up to the desk. 
“Hi, I have a reservation for Harrington. For a suite with two queens.” He finds he’s nervous which feels silly. He grew up checking into hotels and dealing with reservations. Usually, it was at swanky hotels that his parents would leave him in before he was old enough to be all alone at home.  
“Of course, sweetie. Joyce and that sweet Jimmy told me all about you the last time they visited for the weekend. I just adore them. Jimmy did some handy work for me and the missus last time they were here. We’re getting up there in age and my Maggie cannot be climbing ladders anymore. I always give them a discount and I like the look of you, dear. I’ll give you one too.”
She’s beaming at Steve like she is thrilled to meet him which is not something he’s exactly used to. He’s thinking over what she said. The missus, her Maggie. He looks around the room and spots a tiny pink triangle on a bookshelf. Oh. This was a safe place. He owed Hop and Joyce dinner because this was the nicest surprise he’d gotten in a long time. He'd definitely be calling Hopper by the nickname Jimmy though.
“Thank you so much, ma’am. I know my friend Robin and I are going to enjoy this trip even more now knowing this is a safe place for people like us.” That felt as close to telling a stranger he was gay he could manage, but it felt huge to say it. It meant something to find this little piece of community with two women who were old enough to be his grandmothers. He felt like he might cry and for once, there were happy tears brimming in his eyes.  
“Please, call me Elise. There’s no ma’am, none of that uppity nonsense. This place is for friends, you understand.” She told him in a voice so genuine that Steve choked back a sob. He handed over his credit card and she handed him two room keys. “We offer breakfast and lunch, usually buffet style unless we say otherwise. There’s a coffee station around the corner and there’s always some sort of snacks next to it. If you need anything just give us a ring. Feel free to come chat anytime. Enjoy your stay.” 
“I think I will, Elise. I’ll bring Robin around to meet you once we’re settled, probably for breakfast tomorrow!” 
_________________________________________
As soon as Steve got back into the car, he excitedly told Robin all about Elise and her partner and how the Inn was a safe place for them. The fact that Joyce and Hopper stayed here whenever they wanted a night or two away from the chaos of their little blended family filled Steve with joy. He knew that they weren’t hateful people, but this was outright acceptance by the adults he respected most in his life. Robin was rambling on about the décor of the inn as he lugged their many suitcases into their room. She just smiled at him as he struggled.
It was cozy with two queen beds and a little kitchenette and a sitting area off to the side. There was a good size bathroom and closet. It was decorated in soft hues of yellow and green with floral bedding. It was lovely and Steve felt immensely at home in this place.  
“This place is so cute!” Steve exclaimed happily, finally collapsing onto his bed. It was comfortable too. “Damn, this is going to be a nice trip. Elise said they offer 2 meals, that there’s a coffee station with snacks and this bed is fucking soft as hell.” 
“So basically, we can save a ton of money and try to eat here most of the time is what I'm hearing you say Steven?” This seemed to genuinely thrill Robin.  
“Absolutely, we can go visit with them tomorrow during breakfast. It’s from 6:30 to 8:30.” Steve knew this was going to cause some mild stress for Robin. This delighted him. 
“Ugh, ugh. For free breakfast and fellow lesbians, I will get up. You might have to drag me though.” 
Steve laughed, delighted at the prospect of waking Robin up in the morning. It was early evening, but they decided to munch on the leftover food from the drive in and relax. There was a small tv, so they found something to put on and got comfortable. The day so far had been nearly free of sad thoughts over Eddie, but it seemed inevitable that Steve would start to think about him. For one thing, Eddie would look ridiculous in the Mosey Inn, although he would thoroughly appreciate the pun. Yet, there was a part of Steve wishing that Eddie was a part of all of this.
Before he’d ruined everything, Eddie would have been invited on this trip without a second thought. If only he could go back and not fall in love with stupid Eddie Munson. Steve worries that falling for him would have been inevitable though. Everything about him made Steve crazy.
The moment he knew he was monumentally fucked was a few months after everything with Vecna went down. Eddie had still been in the hospital, thankfully cleared off all charges with Hopper back in charge. He’d been high off his ass on morphine and smiling at Steve. Eddie had looked at Steve and said, “Stevie, sweetheart—you beautiful man. How come you’re always sitting around here taking care of me huh?” and Steve had known several things.  
He wanted Eddie to smile at him like that for the rest of his life. He really enjoyed being called sweetheart. And the reason he was always hanging around was because he wanted to be with Eddie. Eddie who always lit up with joy when he saw Steve sitting by his hospital bed. All the time they spent walking that line between friends and more, or at least that’s what Steve thought.
He swore there was so much flirting back and forth. Like the time Steve snuck in cheeseburgers, fries and milkshakes from the one diner left open in town and Eddie had told Steve, “All this for little old me?” while literally twirling his hair like a schoolgirl. Or when Steve brought in books for him and Eddie had just clasped Steve’s hand tight and said nothing, just staring intently at him like Steve really meant something to him.  
All misread apparently. It wasn’t flirting at all, just Eddie being Eddie. And Steve had ruined it. He tried not to spiral into his bad thoughts too much but he felt like he always ruined everything. Robin might be his best friend, his platonic soulmate and other half, but it’d been so nice to have a close guy friend.
Eddie had barely been out of the hospital when Steve had driven him up to Indy to replace some of his things lost to the earthquakes. There were better record stores and better thrift stores, and Eddie had very little left to his name. The trailer was gone. He’d even lost his beloved guitar. Steve had never planned on telling Eddie how he felt during that trip, but Eddie has a way of needling things out of people. Something Steve usually finds quite adorable, but not so much when it’s his own unrequited feelings.  
Sighing to himself, Steve sits down by the phone to call Dustin and tell him they made it to the city safely. This means actually calling Mike’s house since the boys are having their weekly nerd fest. The whole group of them are all a little codependent, but after everything they’ve been through it seems reasonable. Unfortunately, Mike nor Nancy answers the phone. It’s Karen Wheeler and she lets Steve know that the boys are all over at Eddie’s apartment playing their little game. That’s exactly what she calls it which does make him chuckle.
He dreads calling Eddie’s place, but he did promise Dustin he’d call. Dustin is already asking questions about him and Eddie. If he’s weird on the phone it will only fan the flames of Dustin’s incessant need to meddle. He dials the number and tries to psyche himself up for the interaction. Maybe one of the kids will answer.  
“Munson Residence, Eddie the Banished speaking?” Eddie’s voice fills Steve’s ear. It’s like a punch to the gut, but Steve takes a deep breath.  
“Is that how you really answer the phone all time or am I just lucky?” Steve asks lightly. Do not make this weird. Be cool. “Or is it just because you’re playing dungeons and whatever?”  
“Ha, Ha. I knew it was you telepathically, so I of course had to answer the phone accordingly. My liege, what can I do for you on this fine summer evening?” 
“You’re lucky it’s cute to be such a fucking nerd.” Shit, shit, shit. Abort flirting. “Kidding, kidding. I called to see if Dustin is still there. I told him I’d call when we got settled.” 
“Rude, I am absolutely the cutest nerd. I’d dare say, adorable even. The fairest in the land, perhaps.” Eddie’s voice had gone low and Steve would bet a hundred bucks he was twirling his hair. What the fuck? “You know, you obviously like nerdy shit considering you-” 
“Hey stop flirting with Steve and let me talk to him, I've been waiting to hear from him all day. We’re in the middle of a campaign Steve. We need our DM not whatever the fuck he was just doing.” Dustin says this all like he knows for a fact that everything he says is true. It’s not.
“Tone, dusty bun. I’m not gay and I wasn’t flirting with Harrington, just messing with him. He’s just so easy to tease. We’re just buddies like that, right man?” Eddie replied, his voice no longer soft, low and sweet. In fact, Eddie sounded hostile. Steve felt his stomach turn. He couldn't even reply.  
“Nothing wrong with being gay, you moron.” Dustin replied firmly. This made Steve smile considering Dustin didn’t even know about Steve yet. He was definitely his favorite kid. Dustin continued on “I mean, we’ve fought literal monsters. Of all things to get worked up over, being gay is not even on the damn list!”   
“I didn’t mean it in a rude way, just saying we were not flirting.” 
“Whatever you say Eddie.” 
“Um, hello guys I am still on the phone.” Steve yelled as the two of them continued to bicker. “I have to go, but I’ll call in a few days Dustin. Bye Eddie.” Steve replied, trying his best not to cry. 
“Wait-Harrington. Steve, I didn’t mean anything by that okay.” 
“Yeah of course, no worries, man. Talk to you later.” Steve knew his voice was emotionless.  
_______________________________
He had to get over Eddie. This confusing back and forth was so painful. Steve didn’t consider himself the brightest, but that felt like flirting. What straight guy calls himself the fairest of the land or adorable to another man? Eddie’s tone of voice was the exact same tone Steve had used so many times to flirt with girls. He knew what flirting looked like. He shouldn’t have started it with the cute comment, but Eddie had most certainly flirted back. He looked over at Robin who was sitting up and waiting patiently for Steve to hang up the phone.  
She looked worried. If his face was at all reflecting how he felt right now, he understood why. The way Eddie has sounded when he said he wasn’t flirting. He told Robin the entire conversation verbatim and he watched her face go through a myriad of emotions. Despite the fact that Robin wasn’t the most tactile person, she threw her arms around him and let him cry all over her t-shirt.  
“Well, I could just kill him. I swear to fucking God. If he’s not gay, fine. But why flirt back?” 
“Maybe he really isn’t flirting. He said he was just messing with me. Maybe we’ve been reading it wrong this whole time!” Steve cried.  
“Fuck that, even Dustin called him on it. He flirts with you all the time. If he’s just messing with you at this point, it’s cruel. Especially now that he knows you’re gay and have feelings for him. I won’t be friends with a bigot.” 
“No, Robbie. I don’t think he’s a bigot. He’s just trying to deal with all this. It’s not his fault I had to go and fall for him. I always fall for the first person who shows me any attention. I ruined this. He’s just...I think he’s a flirty person and I’m just the idiot who thought it meant something.” 
“Shut your whore mouth Steven Elizabeth. That’s absolute nonsense. Eddie is a socially awkward, metalhead D&D playing virgin. You and I both know it. I’ve never seen him so much as look at a girl in a romantic way. He barely talks to anyone he doesn’t know unless it’s to cause a scene. That boy is not a natural flirty person. He flirts with you. He’s either an idiot, a repressed idiot or an asshole. Pick one.” 
“He’s not a virgin, no way. Look at him. Some people go for the whole alternative thing. He’s in a band for fuck’s sake. I bet he’s fucked lots of girls. I mean, he is objectively hot.” Steve argued.  
“Steve!! You always defend him like some sort of rabid groupie, but if that man has so much as seen a real-life titty, I will eat my shoe. He isn’t ugly, I will grant you that one. But please, Eddie Munson is not banging hot chicks on the regular.” 
“I pick that he’s an idiot. I do not think Eddie would purposefully hurt me by flirting just to be all ‘ha-ha, gay boy you fell for it’ when he didn’t even know I was gay until I told him how I felt. I think he just likes to tease me, like he said and he doesn’t know how flirty it comes off maybe?” 
“Dingus. You are in love with him. You are no objective source on the situation.” 
“Can we just... pretend Eddie Munson doesn’t exist for a few days. I won’t play my mixtape. I will try not to mope... let’s just find an apartment and visit your campus and apply for jobs everywhere we can find. It hurts too much to talk about right now.” 
Steve knows he’s lying to Robin. It’s impossible for him to pretend Eddie doesn’t exist. It’d be nice to try though. Instead of trying, he wonders what Eddie’s thinking about back in Hawkins. Is he feeling bad for how he spoke to Steve tonight? Is he also worrying over every little thing he said? Does Eddie even care that what he said felt like a slap to the face? The way he’d said Harrington, instead of Steve. The disgust in his voice when he’d said he wasn’t flirting. At least it was crystal clear that Eddie would never reciprocate his feelings. It feels nearly impossible, but Steve knows he has to let go of Eddie and move on. Two weeks in Indy with Robin should be the perfect way to start trying.   
@koyislosinghismind
@lifeisnotsobadonceyoustopcaring
@dilutedpondwater
@r0binscript
@wheatnoodle
@randomnessbecausewhynot
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quodekash · 9 months
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guys jokezo just made out and now they have to share a bed together. just chew on that for a bit.
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NO, DON'T GIVE ME THEM SITTING ON A BUS
GIVE ME WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THEY HAD TO SLEEP IN THE SAME FREAKING BED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THEY MADE OUT
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👀
(they made out last night btw)
(just in case anyone forgot)
(and then they had to share a bed)
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ass x7
also zo is fully just not doing anything lmao
everyone's pushing with all their might and zo is just 🧍‍♂️
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FUIWEBSDGIOUVEWJBOGD
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oh the desperate thigh grab
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yeah, im with him on this, they need to talk about it. especially about how they had to slEEP IN THE SAME FREAKING BED AFTER THAT
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welp. I guess joke's day was just ruined in a slap to the face disguised as a few words
AND THE WAY HE TAKES HIS HAND OFF ZO'S THIGH AFTER THAT????? OUCHHHH
I must say tho, this is really giving episode-6-of-bad-buddy
its very patpran-post-rooftop-kiss-core
the vibes be gay and yearning and very very sad
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OKAY, THE MOTHER, FINALLY
a few things to say about her
1. she's gorgeous
2. DAMN she is SHORT
3. I was rewatching the first four episodes yesterday and today because I could, and I noticed in the first episode, zo asked his friends to not tag him in photos they took at the bar, because "I don't want my mum to see"
but my question is... why? he's just out drinking with friends, he's an adult, he's not being irresponsible or anything, so why doesn't he want her to see the photos?
is it something to do with what his mum thinks of him? is she overbearing? does she have high expectations of him? does she kinda suck?
she's probably lovely though, and ill end up adding her to my list-of-fictional-parents-to-get-adopted-by (it's a very long list)
I guess we shall find out today as the episode progresses
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oh, honey, you're so queer
the amount of times ive done exactly this
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she's so short its hilarious omg
also: ive decided I love his mum
she's so sweet
and neither of them know how to use a stove and I think that's so hilarious and endearing
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HSDHSHFSHDHHS
(also: this scene is making me think of akkayan at aye's house having a meal with his mum and rhbgdhjgb)
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he's putting two and two together
the few braincells he has that aren't dedicated to debating are whirring in his mind
I can practically hear his thoughts
"he kissed me back... he wants to talk about the kiss... we went on two dates together at his suggestion... he showed up at my house and charmed my mother... he says I have secret admirers..." cmon sweetie youre so close
"WAIT, DOES HE LIKE ME?" omg honeybun you did it!
or maybe he didn't do it
maybe he was still shuffling the pieces in his brain but hadn't put them together and then his mum said something and distracted him
either way: that was hilarious and I want to high five dunk for his acting there
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HIGH EXPECTATIONS, I KNEW IT
still love her tho
high expectations suck but she seems wonderful so far (obviously my opinion will change if the circumstances do (like if it turns out she completely sucks) but for now she's made it to the adoption list)
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brb, gonna go cry real quick
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well now their thumbs are making out
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you see, I understand the things he's saying. and I honestly agree with him. if I were ever somehow put in his position, id probably say the same things.
HOWEVER, I just want my bl boys to kiss again and be happy and together and I appreciate the realism over the usual fantasy kinda situation we go for in bls, but I just want them to kissssss
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this is very good advice
I hope that jokezo kiss again this episode
also AAAGBRDHFKBG JENGPOK CRUMBS
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YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHO'S LOSING THEIR MIND OVER JENGPOK AGAIN
BERIUFDJKGBEORPVFD
I LOVE THEM SO MUCH
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SHUT UP
SHUT UP SHUT UP
IM NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING
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FHEWSDGFVESDV
THIS IS TOO FUNNY
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im gonna start crying soon
its so funny
help me
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girl is worried
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I know this is what jeng told you to do but is during debate club really the right moment
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im so certain that she ships it
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awwhhhhh
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HE SAID IT
HE SAID THE THING
AAAAAAAAA
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hell yeah
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GOUERJLHDGOBIERVLDNF
AAAAAAAAAAA
IM SCREAMING
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THATS IT??
THAT'S THE END OF THE EPISODE??
THEY DIDNT EVEN KISS
OR ADDRESS THE FACT THAT - and I can't stress this enough - THEY SLEPT IN THE SAME FREAKING BED AFTER FULL-ASS MAKING OUT
omg next episode is gonna be amazing
I can't wait
gekjrdsbfd I love them so much
im like 70% certain they're gonna kiss next episode so fingers crossed
ALSO NITA DEFINITELY SHIPS IT
anyway. that was good. I should go to sleep now
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heyclickadee · 9 months
Text
It’s only been a month-and-a-half, but I finally got a chance to watch another episode of The Bad Batch for my rewatch. So! Long, rambling, mildly nonsensical thoughts on TBB, Season 1, Episode 2: “Cut and Run:”
1. This is one of the episodes my brother has seen—he’s seen up through episode 8—and he doesn’t like it. He told me that this is one of the “bad” episodes, but rewatching it I just…I can’t agree with that. It’s not a big action packed set piece, sure, but it doesn't have to be. It's a good little episode that succeeds at what it’s trying to do, and sets the stage for the story moving forward.
2. The FONDNESS on Echo’s face as he’s looking at Omega all tired out after going through the ship I CAN’T. Also, I love how the discussion Echo and Hunter have about Omega, and Echo asking what in the world they’re going to do with her, is the first bit we see of the way Hunter and Echo are going to bounce off of each other. Hunter makes decisions, Echo asks questions and prods at whether they’re the right decisions, Hunter bounces more ideas off of Echo, and so on. It’s a dynamic I adore and I’m excited to revisit more of it.
3. This is a random background thing, but clouds in the background as the Marauder lands near the Lawquane farm are stylistically different than the clouds are going to be later on in the series. They’re very painterly here, but later on they’re going to be a little more realistic. I think it’s just one of those things that developed over time. Maybe. I kind of want to keep my eye on it.
4. Speaking of clouds, it is kind of interesting that there is that thunderstorm that’s building a few minutes after they land, which Hunter notices, and then Cut mentions the storm that’s coming (referring to the Empire) later on, and then the storm thing doesn’t come up again later in the episode. It might just be one of those things where there was a scene that got cut after the boarding process, but they didn’t revise the earlier parts of the episode script, but I also want to keep my eye on the storm motif through the rest of the series to see if and when it comes up again, and if there’s any kind of pattern. There probably isn’t, buuuut this hiatus is going to go on for a while, so. Ya know.
5. JUST FEEL THE GRASS, THE DIRT, JUST LIKE SHE DREAMED THEY’D BEEEEEEEEEE
6. Okay, but, I genuinely love Omega’s reaction to stepping out of the ship onto Saleucami, and how it contrasts with the rest of the batch. They’re all on alert, business as usual, and Omega’s so, so excited to be there. She’s wowed by dirt. She’s never seen anything like it. I love the little detail of her taking a deep breath of the air on this new planet. She’s probably never smelled air that didn’t smell like salt and antiseptic (this is just me, but I sort of imagine Kamino smelling a little like a hospital). She’s never stood on ground that wasn’t plastoid or durasteel or whatever Kaminoan floors are made of. She’s probably never seen so much color in one place or had a chance to run after a space butterfly or do much of anything. She’s so small and everything is new and she’s so excited for this big new adventure and nothing bad had better ever happen to her (and now I'm crying in Star Wars).
7. Another background thing, but what are these?
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What are these crops? Is this space corn? Corn that’s just one giant kernel? Orb corn? Corb? Wookieepedia doesn’t say (as far as I can tell) and I know this is silly, but I want to knooooooow.
8. Tech’s little smirk as he says, “Why not? We’re all deserters now,” to Echo gets me every single time. Man just does not care about breaking the rules.
9. Regarding the Lawquane’s booby trap: One, the way that Wrecker immediately starts blasting is just…I don’t know. There’s something sad about how jumpy he is. Second, is the booby trap to keep local wildlife away, like the nexu, or unwanted visitors who might be looking for Cut?
10. Suu looks AMAZING in her new outfit (I'll admit I didn't love the monokini and chaps look for her), and Cut. Cut. Why? Is your facial hair like this?
11. I love Cut and Suu. I love Cut and Suu so much. Healthiest couple in the entire galaxy far far away, I swear. And I love their silly matching pun names.
12. Wrecker is SO DANG HAPPY to see Jek and Shaeeah and they are so happy to see him I can't. Wrecker is so soft with kids. It kills me.
13. Jumping off of that, though, there's a wonderful little untold story here with the CF99 and the Lawquanes. Because they don't just know Cut, who they could have theoretically met before Cut deserted or before the war even started, they know the entire family. And they know the entire family well enough that Wrecker's "Uncle Wrecker" and that Cut immediately asks about Crosshair and why he's not there, knowing that the most logical answer is that he died; Hunter's one-on-one conversation with Suu is just as casual and familiar as his one-on-one conversations with Cut. I don't think it was Rex who introduced them, because Echo didn't know about Cut until this episode, and Echo's got a much longer and closer history with Rex than the rest of the batch have; if Rex didn't tell Echo about Cut, he probably didn't tell CF99 either, meaning that Hunter and the rest probably met the Lawquanes independently.
And, on the one hand, I neeeeeeeeeeeed to know how they all met. Did they meet Cut when they were cadets and then Suu later on and then both of them and their kids all together later on? Did they just wander across the Lawquane farm while stationed on Saleucami? Did Suu help train clones on Kamino (she's a really good shot, after all), and is that how she met Cut? Did she meet CF99 that way? Did they all collectively help Cut desert? But, on the other hand, I don't actually want to know the story. I like that these people have history to which we're not privy. It helps them exist outside the bounds of the story and feel a little more real.
14. It's nice that Echo practically jumps to ask about Rex after Cut brings him up. It sets up the way Echo's going to go off with Rex's group later on, sure, but I think the reason Echo gets so excited here is because this is the first indication he has that ANY of the other clones he knows escaped the programming they talked about last episode and left the Empire. And the fact that it's Rex specifically…. It's a little bit of hope and normalcy he can cling to in a pretty awful situation.
15. "Where's Crosshair?" "It's…complicated." Yeah, I'll say. (Exhibit A of Hunter having to be dragged kicking and screaming before he will talk about a n y t h i n g I am putting him in a salad spinner)
16. The way this first conversation in the Lawquane home goes from Crosshair, to Rex and the "behavioral implant" he brought up to Cut, and then directly to the inhibitor chips is interesting, because it kind reinforces what we already know about Crosshair's situation from episode one--that he has a chip, that it activated, that his chip was turned up to eleven--while also emphasizing the fact that the rest of the batch doesn't really know or understand what that means. Even Tech, who just kinda sussed out that the chips exist because obviously the Kaminoans modified clone behavior and obviously that's how they did it, and who absolutely suspected that Crosshair's behaviour in "Aftermath" had something to do with the programming (the way he looks up at Crosshair when he says he "can't be certain" that they're immune), doesn't seem to one-hundred percent get what it means and how little choice a clone with an active chip has.
17. Omega knows about the chips because she grew up in Nala Se's lab. I want to know what else she knows (because she knows a lot she doesn't talk about).
18. The writers/animators/board artists/showrunners absolutely nailed the way a kid who hasn't been around other kids much hesitates around them with Omega here.
19. Hunter smiling after Omega as she goes out to join the other kids and then being surprised to see Cut and Suu watching him be all fatherly gets me every time. I love how pretty much half the conversations they have with him are basically just, "You're a dad now! Congratulations!" "What? No, I'm not." "Sure. Keep telling yourself that."
20. Jumping off of that, this episode is absolutely crucial for Hunter's development. Half of the reason Hunter is the way he is through the rest of the series is because he spends this episode watching Cut and Suu (especially Cut) and everything Cut does, and then, when Omega stays with the bad batch at the end of the episode, spends the rest of the series desperately trying to be like Cut. And, in some ways, that's good. He's gentler with Omega, more understanding of the fact that she's a kid, trying to keep her out of danger and allow her to have a childhood, putting the family he still has first, trying to leave their old lives as soldiers behind as much as possible, etc. But when he inevitably fails to be Cut, or to be a parent the exact same way Cut is, because he's a different person and his situation is completely different than Cut's is, he starts shutting down, because he can't cope with the failure. And that runs headlong into the way he feels he's failed as a brother AND as a leader, and so by the time we get a few episodes into season two Hunter is deeply depressed and visibly unwell. (Hey, another parallel between Crosshair and Omega--Hunter probably feels like he's failed both of them.)
21. Another reason I'm going to take the word filler and put it on a shelf where people can't reach it as far as this episode is concerned is because this episode is the first time we get a hint of how the rise of the Empire is affecting regular people. Not clones, not jedi, not former republic officers, not Kaminoan politicians, not freedom fighters--just regular people trying to live their lives. The way that the Empire is setting up the chain code system, regulating travel, clamping down hard on remote planets and former separatist worlds (Saleucami changed hands several times over the course of the war), all told through the story of CF99 helping this one family escape and get to safety, is an important story to have early on.
22. Aaaaand jumping off of that, I love how Hunter's focus over the course of this episode shifts from laying low and learning how to hide to, "Okay fellas, we are getting Cut and Suu and the kids out of here even if we have to blast our way out." And I know Hunter's going to hesitate to help people out more and more as the series goes on, but this is a pattern we're going to continue to see. The bad batchers aren't really heroes in a traditional Star Wars sense; with the exception of Echo, who has to leave the group to do it, they're not fighting the empire head on or trying to overthrow tyranny, not directly. But they do help out in small ways, usually a person or a family at a time, usually helping them escape a bad situation, and that's not nothing in a galaxy where the empire exists. I sort of wonder if this isn't pointing to where the batch is ultimately going to end up. They might not be freedom fighters or rebels in the end the way Rex and Saw are. Maybe they'll just be focused on getting people--clones, families, maybe even surviving jedi--to safety. Maybe they help organize something like The Path. Maybe. I guess we'll see, eventually.
23. Oh gosh this is getting long. Are you surprised, though? (Still sorry, though. Not sorry enough to pare it down, but still sorry.)
24. The kids immediately go to Suu for help when the nexu attacks, and it's great. Also ECHO'S AND TECH'S FACES when Omega almost gets hurt and Wrecker asking if she's okay I love how much they already care about her 😭
25. The way Echo goes from being completely flabbergasted by Tech's plan to get the ship impounded on purpose, to being completely for it, to being real snarky about it once things start going wrong sends me every time. I mean. I know, I know we all joked about how Echo would disapprove of the riot race in "Faster" if he'd been there, but you know what? No. Hunter would have shut it down if he'd been there, but Echo? It would have gone like:
Tech: I will be the racer.
Echo: GOOD. FUCK 'EM UP, TECH.
Later on, during the race
Echo: This is suicide! I can't believe you thought this was a good idea, Tech!
Tech, calmly going 200 mph: You also thought it was a good idea, as I recall.
Echo: I think it would be a good idea for you to shut up!
Anyway, I love their banter.
26. So…Tech made enough counterfeit chain codes that there was one for Omega, meaning he knew Hunter planned for Omega to leave Saleucami with Cut and Suu, and that Echo may have known as well (even though Hunter clearly didn't include Wrecker in the conversation), and that he planned on taking the chain codes to Cut and Suu himself. Meaning that he was probably also planning on taking Omega with him when he took the chain codes over so that she could leave with them. And Omega ran off and took the chain codes to Cut and Suu before Tech could, of course, meaning that that didn't happen, but I really want to know how the conversation would have gone if Tech had had to tell Omega to come with him on the code run. I mean.
Tech: I will need Omega to accompany me to the departure site.
Omega: Me? Why? Do you need me to get into a crawl space on a super secret mission.
Tech: No. You need to be at the transport because you are leaving Saleucami with Cut and Suu.
Omega: Aaaaaand all of you, right?
Tech, who mentally signed the sibling adoption papers the second Omega said she wanted to sit with them in the cafeteria scene in "Aftermath" (I will die on this hill, he does not stop smiling at her after that): Nnooo….
Omega: ….
Tech: I assume Hunter told you.
Omega: starting to cry
Tech, on the comms: Hunter. Omega is crying, Hunter. She is upset about leaving. Hunter. What do I do? Hunter?
(This is probably, in retrospect, why Tech apparently didn't tell her, either.)
27. The poncho and the floppy hat was such a good look for Wrecker. (Also, the audacity of having Wrecker bonk his head on that pipe in the background. I know it's a funny reference to Jango doing it in AotC which is a funny reference to that one stormtrooper in A New Hope, but it still fills me with dread.)
28. Shout out to Cut and Suu. Cut's technically a wanted man, they're escaping Saleucami by the skin of their teeth, they're about to be refugees, they've got two kids to look out for already, they have an uncertain future, and when Hunter asks them to take Omega they're instantly okay with it. They're ready to take in another kid simply because that kid needs to be taken care of. And THEN they talk to that kid and ask what she wants (we don't see this happen, but it's heavily implied), take what that kid actually wants into account, and let her go back to where she wants to be. They are the best and I love them.
29. The character animation on Hunter during the scene where he tells Omega that she's going with the Lawquanes is so, so good. Just. The way he can hardly look at her, the surprise when Omega says she wants to stay with the batch, the way his face hardens when Omega looks back because he's trying to hold everything in and the way Omega interprets that as Hunter wanting her gone even though he absolutely wants her to stay and just thinks he's doing the best thing for her--I want to bake the character animators cinnamon rolls and give them all a million dollars each. (Also an aside--this fits into a pattern of Hunter often doing what he thinks is best for his family rather than doing what he wants, and what he thinks is best often being different than what might actually be best.)
30. Another silly aside, and I didn't notice this until this watch through as I was looking at Cut stand next to Mr. Dorito, but Cut kinda has a little bit of a tummy. He's not fat, but he's definitely a little thicker around the middle than, say, Rex or Howzer. He's got a bit of a dad bod and it's honestly really nice to see a person gain a little weight while living a life they chose and clearly love.
31. I'm. I'm feeling a certain kind of way about Omega immediately assuming that she did something wrong and that the rest of the batchers don't want her around because of it (it's not just Hunter--when Tech and Echo react a little tersely to her being on the Marauder when it gets impounded she seems to assume that they're angry with her even though they're not), and Hunter getting rid of her (from her perspective) is some kind of reaction to that or a punishment for it, and it's not a good sort of feeling. Especially in light of the theories that Nala Se sent Emerie to Hemlock for some reason. I'm also feeling a certain kind of way about Omega losing her brothers once already as a very small child and losing them again at the end of season two and almost losing them in this episode because Hunter tries to send her away and. Just. Let this kid have her family, please. (This is another narrative reason why Tech has to be alive, btw.) (Also, I love the way that Hunter apologizes back and says he's got a lot to learn when Omega tries to apologize for "messing up.") (Also also the way Omega looks at her headpiece after she takes it off, complicated emotions are happening and I am really interested in her relationship with Kamino.)
32. "If this is where you want to be, then this is where you'll stay." 😭😭😭 I'm screaming because. I mean. What Hunter tries to do in this episode is exactly what Crosshair tells him to do with Omega in "Return to Kamino." And, on paper, Crosshair's right; living with fugitives in constant danger isn't a good life for a child. But being with her brothers no matter what is what Omega wants, and, after "Cut and Run," Hunter never stops taking Omega's choice here into account.
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shhh-secret-time · 2 months
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Hello!
Two questions:
One: where do you get your inspiration for writing?
Two: who's you're favorite south park character?
I love you! Drink some water!
Hi! Thank you for reminding me! Twizzlers and a Coors Light Beer is not dinner, but it is a good intro to this answer haha!
For the first question that's a tough one so I'm going to warn you all, BIG RANT AHEAD!
My biggest inspiration for the reader inserts are you guys. There's a reason in my ao3 I leave those kind words and words of affirmation after every story. I need every single person who reads my things to know that I care about you guys.
You read it all the time that story tellers, artists, and musicians are nothing without their audience. And it's absolutely true. I cannot stress enough that even though you know nothing about me, and I know nothing about you, doesn't mean I don't care.
I love people so very much. I think we as humans have the greatest gift this universe could have ever given us.
We have the compacity to love so much. With so many different ways to love!
It could be romantic, platonic, familial, whatever! We have it. That's so fucking awesome!
So if I can express that love and make you feel better, just a little bit, by writing these situations where you are loved. Then I'm going to do it.
As for the scenes and settings, I usually carry a outrageous, over-the-top, bright pink notebook around with me. It is so ugly and atrocious, but I remember it because of that. I write down thoughts I have throughout the day and things I see.
Aside from that, I take in the works of others. I let it show me a different way of thinking and perceiving situations I wouldn't have otherwise. There are artists on this website that absolutely blow me away and keep me humble. I've got much to learn, and I'm so excited to do it!
Music honestly it the biggest source of this. I have so many Playlist of moods for scenes and emotions I need to tap into. (That's another thing that makes humans so fucking awesome)
Like. As an artist you need to invoke a feeling using colors and shapes. If you ever stop to think about that, that's so amazing. A little circle shaped and molded to make you feel happy. Melancholy. At peace. Nostalgic.
Like holy fuck dude.
A storyteller does the same with words and moments like this.
I think a thing a lot of creators, including myself, tend to do that keeps their work from their absolute best. Is the fact that we want so badly to take the image we have in our head and the feelings in our hearts and put it in our work and hope you get that exact feeling!
But I think letting the person enjoying our work and coming to their own feelings and conclusions at times is what puts the spice in a really good dish!
For my Pomegranates and Honey story, that's what I'm trying to do. I have experiences and emotions that I know other people have felt, or they need help feeling. You know when you listen to a sad song so you can cry and feel a little better, I want to capture that but with the pains of growing up.
People are going to move on. There are some that are going to change and grow with or without you. It sucks, it hurts, but you have to accept it. Grow at your own pace, find something that works for you. Things that get you through this frustrating world.
For me it's writing. For me it's love.
So yeah, that's my inspiration. Veeeeery long winded answer, short.
As for my favorite character?
It's a tie between Stan and Kyle. Kyle because I love that little dude, I love what the Fandom has let him grow into. The fact that this community took these circles and went, "Yeah this is awesome."
Kyle has character traits that I admire in a human being. The will to just go. That temper of his is funny don't get me wrong, but I admire that so much. What I would give to just feel anger like that, to express my frustration so freely. He's caring to those around him, and he had a strong sense of morals. He isn't afraid to stand up when those morals are put into question. He's not afraid to defend those he loves, even if they may not always be in the right!
Stan is my favorite because everything about him I feel. That fear of not being good enough for anyone, so you try to pull the spotlight on you. Real talk, I used to be a very self-absorbed person growing up. I would actively deny ever wanting it, but if I ever found out my friends did something without me, I'd feel hurt. The need to be wanted so very badly is still there, but I'm better about it. Stan struggles with depression, we all know that. But the feeling of watching everyone you know move on while you're stuck in this fucking pit, and sometimes it feels like it's too much. Yeah I feel that. I love Stan because I want to see him get better, I wanna see me get better.
So, thank you so very much for these questions. I love, love, love things like this! Please feel free to ask more. It's never a bother!
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talknerdytome18 · 6 months
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After studying for my HSC, it's time to drop my 10 hot takes about HSMTMTS. (For the love of my sanity, do not go after me Twitter lurkers. I already dealt with your bs back in April)
Disclaimer: THESE ARE MY OPINIONS. For the love of my sanity, do not come for me if we don't have the same opinion. Got it? Good, let's go!
I prefer S3 over S4. Yes, S4 was hilarious and had some of the best songs (Over Again, CIWYW, Dreams Don't Die, etc), but I feel S4 focused too much on romantic relationships rather than friendships. S3 gave us different platonic dynamics such as Ricky and Carlos, Kourtney and Carlos, Kourtney and Gina, Ricky and Jet and the Tercet. S4 kind of failed to serve on these dynamics and instead, focused too much on romance. S3 was also just buzzier and I was so hyped for it because of the camp environment, but S4 is still great!
Mack and Dani were unnecessary. I understand that not everyone needs to have a major arc, but these two were just nonexistent and weren't needed. I expected that they would play major roles due to the hype, but all they did was cause some drama and then vanish until the finale. How boring is that? At least Mack was interesting, while Dani was just Knockoff Lily.
JETNEY DESERVED MORE SCREENTIME. Do I even need to explain? It feels like we got nothing of them and I hate it so much! All we got was an implied endgame when it was being hyped that Jet would confess his feelings for Kourtney, but he didn't even do it??? SPINOFF WITH JETNEY IS A MUST SO WE CAN SEE THEM AS A COUPLE.
4x06 was a great episode, BUT GOD THE INCONSISTENCIES WERE ANNOYING ME. I really hate to say this, but the Kourtney and Ashlyn scene didn't make much sense because Kourtney knew that EJ and Nini were auditioning for HSM! SHE WAS WITH THEM AT LUNCH WHEN THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT IT! I love this episode primarily because of Over Again but God, that writing was LAZY.
I would speak on the cheating plotline, but that would turn into a full essay, so I will just summarise it: AWFUL. Literally just awful and if they wanted to make Seblos drama that badly, then I would have done more with Seb's coming out dilemma with his dad.
Scream... listen, I know that Ricky had just received some big news about Gina, but Scream was not that good. Maybe they told Joshua to sing "pretty", which usually works with ballads, but it doesn't work with Scream. Scream is meant to be angsty as Troy is meant to be angry that people are telling him what his future should be. However, Ricky sings it too soft and it feels very weak, which is a shame because this song was so anticipated and I felt very disappointed by it. This is not to discredit Joshua's talent because he still did a great job! However, I would not listen to his version of Scream in my free time, rather I'd put on the OG instead.
WE DESERVED I DON'T DANCE ON THE SHOW. MISSED OPPORTUNITY.
Maddox and Jet getting reduced to love interests made me so sad. I get they were recurring this season but they were so fleshed out in S3 and I wish they had more to do besides being love interests. Also... we didn't get their last name... RUDE.
Antoine and Big Red getting together in the end felt like it was just so everyone (excluding Emmy) had a partner at the end. Antoine has never been my fave so I don't really care for him and Big Red.
I don't care what anyone says about Seblos: They are still my fave pairing and nothing S4 did convinced me to hate them. I've been a loyal Seblos stan since 2021 I ain't leaving them anytime soon.
That's it. Now time to cry about Legal Studies! - Em
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krikeymate · 11 months
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Hey, I just want to tell you that you're an incredibly talented author, and all of your posts make me happy and excited.
I also have a request (I love angst, sry not sry) and the Carpenter sisters are kind of my new obsession rn (thanks to you lol)
Could you please write a scenario in which Sam comes back from school (she doesn't know about Billy yet) and witnesses Christina's violent outburst towards Tara?
She can't believe it at first because her mother always treated Sam like a princess (we all know why), and Tara is known to be a "clumsy" kid. So, basically, her little sister lied to her about where the bruises come from, but WHY?! I can't answer my own question, and it's frustrating.
I imagine a larger age gap between the two sisters. Sam knows that her mother doesn't love Tara as much as she adores Sam, but the physical abuse always happens when she isn't around.
Thank you so much for your time and effort!
(I'm sorry if I made a mistake, English isn't my first language)
Thank you so much!! I'm glad to hear you like my stuff :) and your English is great!
This will fit pretty well in my five years late AU! The age gap is 10 years, Christina loves Sam and treats her well (although Sam began pulling away once she discovered her father isn't her father - although she never learnt who was). Christina becomes pretty absent when Sam is 15 and their father leaves, but she's never been violent (to Sam's knowledge), or particularly mean to Tara... she just... doesn't care about her so much. She does the bare minimum, and Sam picks up the slack.
It's October, Sam's 18 and in her senior year, and usually she would be at basketball practice right now, except coach started throwing up 10 minutes into practice and sent everyone home. Sam's pretty irritated, all things considered. They didn't need coach there to train, and boy did they need to train. It seems like nobody practised over the summer, and Sam doesn't want to end her final year with as many losses as last year.
But hey, at least she'll get to spend an extra couple of hours with Tara today! Her sister's been upset lately about all the extra time Sam spends at practice now. It was the same last year, she seems to recall. But she got used to it before, and Sam knows she'll get used to it again.
Mom even bought Tara a soccer ball to kick around the garden, she said that her sister was probably just jealous that Sam's good at a sport. Sam can't say she's ever seen her sister touch it once, but mom says she uses it all the time when Sam's at practice, pointing to Tara's bruised legs and scuffed hands and knees. Then she complains that Tara's been kicking the ball against the kitchen wall, and tells Sam to remind her sister to behave herself.
So, Sam's not expected when she arrives home at 3.45 instead of 6pm. She sneaks around the back, hoping to catch her sister practising soccer - an activity Tara refuses to discuss with her but her mother assures her is happening - but finds only an empty backyard... and it sounds like her mother is yelling in the kitchen. It's pretty alarming to hear, mom rarely raises her voice, and it has Sam scrambling over the fence to pull open the backdoor.
It takes a moment for her to realise what she's seeing.
Tara's on the floor, crying, and crawling backwards, away from their mother. Her cheek is bright red, the indentation of fingers spread across it, complete with several scratches. And her mother is screaming at her. She's in the middle of "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR PATHETIC C-" when Sam runs forward and involves herself in the scene.
"What are you doing?!" she cries, standing between Tara and their mother, hands held out as if to push her mother away.
The way her face goes from angry to calm in an instant unsettles Sam. It feels a lot like watching the theatre kids practise at lunch, the way they could go from happy to sad to angry at a click of the finger.
"Honey," she coos, putting a hand on Sam's shoulder. "You're home early?"
"Practise was cancelled," Sam answers warily. Her mother's avoiding the question. "What are you doing?" she repeats, looking over her shoulder to her sister. Tara's rubbing at her face now, breathing heavily through her hiccups to try and control her breathing. Sam frowns, she's going to need her inhaler.
"She was kicking the ball against the wall again," her mother lets out through gritted teeth. Sam can see fragments of frustration leaking through her mask. She knows there was no answer her mother could give that would make this ok, but she had still hoped for better than this. Something reasonable. Something that makes sense.
"So you hit her? Are you kidding me, what the fuck mom," she growls, shaking off her hand and turning to her sister. Sam picks Tara up off the floor, holding her to her chest, and stares down her mother as Tara burrows her face into Sam's hoodie.
"You have no idea what it's like, Samantha," her mother finally responds. "Trying to raise that girl. She's not like you, she's trouble."
Her mother's words floor her. Sam can't believe what she's hearing. She can't believe this is her mother saying these things, doing these things. Sam exits the room backwards, her head shaking the entire time.
Even once they're sequestered away in Sam's room, Tara won't talk to her, won't tell her what happened. She just stays curled into Sam's side, sniffling. Sam has the nagging feeling that her mother wasn't telling the truth. The football's always in the same place every time she sees it, today was no exception. And if that was a lie, then... where did the bruises come from?
Sam has to choke back the nausea. Her sister needs her right now.
She quits basketball the next day.
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dreamypqulson · 1 year
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— this is me trying
requested by anon: madison having a horrible day. just absolutely awful. she's having flashbacks to hell. she's moody to everyone, snapping at the other girls (even zoe), wants comfort from her moms but doesn't know how to ask for it. it takes all day for cordelia and misty to figure out what exactly is wrong with her, not for lack of trying on their part. but they finally do and they comfort her? pls & thank u
pairing: cordelia goode x misty day x daughter!madison
warnings: slight mentions of some of madison’s traumatic experiences but not very detailed.
word count: 2300
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If Madison Montgomery was having a bad day, then everyone was having a bad day. It wasn't exactly Madison's fault. From a young age, she was taught that being cold and angry was better than being sad and weak. She never truly had the opportunity to be upset over things; never had the time in between movie scenes, never had someone she could cry to, never had a safe space to actually release the tears.
Now she did, and she didn't know how to actually do the whole sad thing. In the moment, it felt good to be brutal. If everyone else was upset, even if it was due to her own antics, it would make her look like the stronger one. At first, it did. But now, everyone could see entirely through her.
Madison was still recovering from multiple traumatic things; hell was still taking a tole on, not only her mental health, but her physical health too. She was still, at her grown age, learning how to regulate her emotions. It embarrasses her, upsets her, angers her. She doesn't want to be like this, but she doesn't know how to fix it.
Today had been a particularly hard day for Madison. Throughout the night, she spent waking up from nightmares. That bled into the daytime; flashbacks almost every hour. The lack of sleep only increased her temper and irritability.
It was breakfast time at the academy when everyone figured out that today was not going to be too good. The main witches sat at the small breakfast table in the kitchen while Cordelia cooked up some breakfast for everyone over at the stove.
Madison sat there on her phone, her typical stone cold face on as always. Nothing was out of the ordinary, but Cordelia certainly made a mistake by asking Madison to help out.
"Madison, sweetie, can you get the plates for everyone?" She doesn't know why she asked Madison to help out. There were multiple of her girls that would've done it in a heartbeat. And Madison, when asked to, usually does do what she's asked, she just makes a big stink about it.
I'm this certain moment, however, Madison had seen something on her phone that had triggered a memory of hell. All she could hear was Cordelia's voice contorting into the store manager back in the afterlife. It sent her spiraling.
"Fucking god," Madison yelled, slamming her phone onto the table. It surely would've broke if it hit the wood any harder. "Why can't you leave me the fuck alone? What am I? Your goddamn maid?"
All eyes adverted to the angry blonde. Madison had become much softer, nicer, after her trip to hell. This was not Madison. Nobody understood what had possessed her to suddenly act this way.
Cordelia and Misty glanced at each other from across the room. If anyone knew Madison, it was them two. The younger witch had opened up to the both of them shortly after her return from hell. Every since, they had become her "mothers" and the only people who she would let her guard down around.
"Um, alright. Zoe, do you mind?" Cordelia said, softly, and decided to ignore Madison's outburst. She did not feeling like getting into an argument this early in the morning. And either way, she began to find it hard to even punish Madison after everything that happened between the three of them.
Zoe hummed her approval and got up to help Cordelia with the task. Madison rolled her eyes and scoffed at this. Something inside of her pushed her to make a snarky remark. She was angry and she needed to blow up at someone. "Yeah have your little fucking puppy dog help you."
Zoe looked back at Madison, ready to argue back, but when she saw the flame in those green eyes, she opted out of it. Cordelia spoke for her instead, "Madison Montgomery," she scolded and gave her that look.
Madison, however, was not backing down. Not right now. Not when she was filled with so much anger. "Do ya want to go get some fresh air with me real quick?" Misty whispered from directly across the table. Sometimes Madison just needed to breathe.
As angry as she was, as much as she wanted to pick apart every single thing about Misty, she couldn't, she wouldn't. Instead, she simply rolled her eyes again and walked out with Misty.
They made it outside, the early April air relaxing them both. They sat on two black chairs on the front porch. Only then did Misty realize that Madison's hands had been in a tight fist. Her knuckles were turning extremely white. She wouldn't even look at Misty.
"So what was that about?" Misty asked, but not unkindly. She was the perfect person for Madison to open up to; Misty had been to hell and back too, she understands the anger, and sadness, and confusion, and even the flashbacks.
But Madison did not want to talk right now. She just wanted to Cordelia and Misty to shut the fuck up and hold her. But how could she even ask for that? Even her own mother wouldn't do that for her when she was little.
But she knew the two witches would. Because, over and over again, they had. That had done everything that Madison's needs. Had canceled meetings just so Madison could calm down in their arms.
"I don't want to fucking talk about it."
Then we won't talk about it, Misty urged to say, but settled on saying nothing at all. She understood Madison. Maybe not to the same degree, but after her trip to hell, she knows how nasty it can get when someone doesn't understand that she's too angry and overwhelmed to speak.
They sat in silence for some brief moments. The warm, soft spring air gave Madison a sense of serenity. The silence with most of New Orleans still asleep or just waking up. Madison was never an outdoors person, but she can certainly appreciate this.
Cordelia eventually came outside to bring the two back in for breakfast. Her footstep were soft and light, everything that Madison needed. "Hey, you two. How are we?"
Madison decided to not answer, to not even acknowledge Cordelia's presence, so Misty spoke for the both of them. "Okay now." And the young witch could hear Misty mouth something to the supreme, she just couldn't pinpoint what she was saying. It was about her, she assumed. And then her mind wandered away.
"Alright well, breakfast is ready if you guys want to join?"
That's not what Madison wanted. She wanted to sit here with her 'mothers' and be held so tight that these awful thoughts and feelings get squeezed out of her. Still, she found herself walking back into the house, feeling quiet and vulnerable as a mouse.
-
The rest of the long day Madison spent going between cigarette breaks and causing issues with the other girls. It wasn't that she wanted to fall down this hole again. Deep down, she was truly proud of how far she had come. Ever since her return, everyone had noticed how much softer she became (and it really made her feel good).
Fairly, Cordelia was sick of breaking the arguments up and putting out accidentally fires from one of the girls getting a little too angry with the bitchy witch. She wasn't necessarily upset with Madison, she just wanted to get into her mind and figure out the issue.
She talked to Misty about it. They both agreed that it would be best to catch Madison alone and talk to her about it. She only breaks down in front of them, alone, and it's the end of the day so she must be tired of this tough facade by now.
It was the end of the day when Misty followed Cordelia into Madison's bedroom. They decided to give her her own bedroom when she came back from hell. She was older now, and Zoe and Queenie had their own anyways too.
Misty sat atop of Madison's bed, making herself comfortable, as Cordelia stood with her arms crossed beside her. They could both hear Madison's footsteps, the clicks of her obnoxiously big heals. Cordelia took a deep breath and prepared herself for the mental impact as the door slowly opened.
"Oh my god," The young witch huffed, "what do you bitches want? I'm trying to get to bed, not have some fucking witch gathering.”
"Madison. Please sit down, we just want to talk to you," Cordelia said softly, motioning to the spot between her and Misty. She could see Madison contemplate it, but eventually gave in and sat down with a dramatic eye roll.
She urged to say something. To make fun of the way Misty dresses or how Cordelia was standing. She couldn't say a single thing though. She found herself stuck, staring at the wall as if it were to turn into a line of endless angry customers or if her old casting directors would walk through the door and force her to strip for the cameras.
"We noticed that you seemed very irritable today," Cordelia starts off, but she's not accusing her of anything. She's not trying to come off aggressive towards the young witch. "...And Misty and I wanted to check in with you and see how you're doing."
"Cause, ya know, it's okay to not be okay, Madi," Misty chimed in. She knew Madison took not being okay as a weakness and constantly needed that reminder. "We know ya don't like reaching out for help but we don't want to rip ya of it either."
Madison huffed again. Her arms that were angrily crossed against her chest eventually unfolded. Cordelia took a seat beside her, sensing that her tough facade was quickly shattering. She wanted to be ready to pick up every piece of Madison and put her back together as best as the glue could hold.
"I'm fine," Madison finally settled on. But she was not fine. And although she said she was, her own voice betrayed her; full of emotion.
"Ya not fine. Don't even say that. We are here for ya."
She really wanted to rip Misty into two for that. Just leave me the fuck alone! But her mouth kept talking and her eyes began to produce tears. "I'm angry okay! And i'm fucking upset and tired and It's all just fucking shitty right now!"
Cordelia scooted closer to her, placed a hand on her back. That is what pushed the salty tears to finally slide down Madison's face. "What's making you hurt, sweetheart? Talk to us."
"Just everything! I'm so drained. It’s so hard to keep going when I walk into a room and everyone's fucking okay and i'm really not. I just want to make them feel awful so they can just experience an ounce of what I have to feel every goddamn day!"
Cordelia and Misty glanced over at each other while Madison broke down and refused to make eye contact. "And it's so much. I'm sick and tired of being back in that hell hole when i'm just sitting at the table. It's all I think about every fucking minute!"
Madison let the words flow freely. She felt comfortable and safe here. For the first time in her life, she could say that she wasn’t ashamed to admit how she feels inside.
“Well thank ya for telling us that,” Misty finally says, after brief moments of silence, “I get how scary it is to have flashbacks, don’t think for a second that ya are alone with this, Madi.”
“That’s right. And I can’t even imagine what it’s like, but I will always been here to listen, or to calm you down. Whatever you need.” Cordelia doesn’t understand what it’s like to die and be living in her worst nightmare. But she does understand hardship, pain, and the feeling of loneliness. “How about we make a plan for when you feel like this? Instead of getting angry or sitting with these bad feelings we can figure out something that helps you?”
Madison quickly blinked away the rest of her tears. She wiped away the mascara steaks on her cheeks but all that did was smudge it. “This is fucking stupid but I don’t entirely hate being in the greenhouse with you both.”
A smile formed on both of the older witches lips. “That’s not stupid.”
“Not stupid at all, honey. Does that make you feel better? We can start going in there more often with you. Even just to sit there if you’d like.” Madison hated plants, and bugs, and heat, and anything that made her feel disgusting. But, it felt like a safe little sanctuary in the greenhouse. A place where nobody would bother her time with the only two people that make her feel loved.
Madison simply nodded because she could feel a lump forming in her throat again, making it impossible to speak. Not stupid. Her feelings were not invalidated and it felt really good. Her own mother never let her actually feel emotions when she was little. That’s what made her become so cold. Younger Madison was jumping for joy at the moment.
She let out a sob and her face completely fell into her hands. Cordelia was quick wrap her arms around her small frame and kiss the top of straight blonde hair.
“We love you, Madison. So much, sweet girl, like you’re our own. We’ll do anything to make you feel better.” And for once, Madison felt just okay.
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absent-o-minded · 2 years
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Uh Oh
The YR Season 2 Teaser dropped yesterday? You know what that means ! *Fires up the Chainsaw*
The Palace:
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Personally, I think it was very clever of the YR PR team to release the first 4 minutes of Season 2 in replacement of a supposed trailer (eventhough one will likely come) because this does something very different to that of a montage of clipped, edited snippets throughout the entire season - Here, we're given a tonal opening.
Right from the get go, the transition from Wille's soft, intimate dream sequence to reality is indicated through a colour shift, and thus within moments of 0 dialogue an obscure location setting, we understand the gravity that the consequences of Season 1 has had. The golden-hued, saturated colour composition of Wille's dream is ruptured upon opening his eyes, whereby a greyish-blue seeps in through the curtains and he remembers where he has woken up. Simon isn't here. Actually, he never was. Unfortunately, Wille is in the single worst place on Earth. The Palace.
Even just by this subtle indication, the Palace becomes this sterile, de-saturated environment and we realise that the extent of the ending of S1 has, in fact, extended to the building itself. To Wille, the Palace takes upon this sombre reminder of the loss of hope. And despite never being a home, it's even less of a house now, because it's haunted.
The Walk:
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This idea of the Palace being haunted is solidified in this small scene because Wille takes on the persona of a ghost.
The interaction between himself and the Cleaner/Housekeeper is weird, especially considering the royal settings, because all usual pleasantries are abandoned. Instead, Wille walks past, and she offers him no more then a quick glance, before continuing with her work. And it's not a look of acknowledgement either, it's more so the look you give when you hear a noise, wondering where it came from.
In turn, the camera follows him through the dimly-lit corridor as he stalks through it, the white shirt making him look almost-hollow. It's hinted at the gothic and I love it, because it makes so much sense. When a character is ruined, deprived and lost, they're not really full anymore, they're drifting through states longing for warmth. That's what Wille is doing right now. All of his desires (as seen in the very first 20 seconds) are confined to dreams, where he can escape the sadness of reality and experience a different plain, but that is his only solace.
Even now, he is both unrecognisable to himself and to staff of the palace. He's so far from who he was that when he got so close to experiencing something that felt like his, it was brutally stripped away and stomped on. Now, all that's left is himself (whoever that is) an his grief (wherever that's getting stored - It's pestering and sweltering). This is really just me wanting to start a ghost choir tbh.
The Blazer and The Portrait:
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How has all of this pain, this line of ascension, this sense of missing and longing and wishing been compacted into a blazer? Erik's blazer.
I could cry over this picture - It doesn't fit at all. It's too big on the arms and at the waist. The crown has lost all of its significance, because now the blazer grips the body, but on Wille it's oversized because it was never meant for him. None of this was ever really meant for him. None of the plans made were catered towards him, the narrative followed someone else and he was supposed to be a supporter. A bystander. But now, the room is empty. The stand holds a piece of what waits for him, but it feels all too wrong and uncomfortable because it was Eriks.
His body is distorted in it because he's trying to fit the role of something that was never tailored to him, but he's desperate to feel some sort of closeness to Erik. He's hugging it tighter around himself in the hopes that he'll feel like Erik, assured and confidant, or even better, that he'll feel Erik, his compassion and his warmth. He's just a kid. Isn't that enough? He's just a kid who misses his big brother and who just wants a hug.
Not just this, but Erik's portrait is in the frame and is placed behind Wille, which has so many meanings, such as: 1.) Erik is subverting the theme of pressured surveillance by looking almost fondly, or sadly on his doting brother, like he understands that from his death, Wille now must fill his shoes, and he has to bare witness to the trials and tribulations that Wille is about to face, 2.) Wille is trying to emulate Erik's confidence and grace, of which are all encapsulated in this blazer as the framing lends itself to parallelism - The blazers present on Erik, but it looks neater, refined, right, like it's meant to, but on Wille it just looks strange.
How else can you say 'I miss you so much' when the other person isn't here to hear it? How else can you articulate 'I wish you were here. Or at least, I wish I were more like you, so then maybe in some part you would be here.' other than trying to picture their clothes, their face, their eyes? How else are you supposed to ask 'God, I wish that you would tell me what do to. How did you do it so well? How do I do it as well as you?' other than wearing their blazer and hoping that it'll wrap you up and take you away from all fo this? When you can't sleep, and you can't weep, and you can't put a name to your pain, what else are you meant to do than miss them and hope that it's enough?
The Tin:
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I know I said that I could cry at the last picture, but this really is the last reason to push the stake further in. Just look at it, it's so-
Of course, just to plop the cherry on top of the cake, Wille ruffles in the inside pockets and finds this little tin (Is it a match tin?) engraved with 'Once A Brother, Always A Brother'.
This little addition offers the only reciprocal of Wille's love, as well as offering the only validation of his feelings, because it works both ways. As well as being Crown Prince, Erik was the only one that Wille wholeheartedly trusted, and felt like he could tell anything to. That's a special person, and it's a unique relationship when it happens, one that is precious. But Wille is also Erik's brother, and there is likely a part of him that feels responsible for carrying on his legacy, both out of love and out of duty. In this situation, the lines are so blurred it's hard to tell where devotion starts and obligation ends.
Not just this, but the fact that it's a match tin (as far as I'm aware) and in S1 Wille's flame was 'ignited' shows how Erik has always been present throughout Wille's journey.
I would just want Wille to know that Erik loved him so much, and that he would've been so supportive and proud of his little brother. Now I'm going to go burst into flames tears, 'xcuse me.
The Burning and The Mirror:
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Now, I'm no pyromaniac, nor have I dabbled in arson, HOWEVER-
Notice how, through the framing, Wille's face somewhat replaces August' in the mirror after Wille has burned it away? His flame has been ignited, and now it's manifesting within himself. The burning itself is significant because it's an act of self-rebellion, and provides a little bit of catharsis.
Through this, Wille is actively erasing August from the narrative and distancing him from his Brother, who isn't here to do it for himself. Perhaps one of the main things that Wille is trying to protect is Eriks legacy, particularly in relation to his previous friendship with August, who Wille already stated at the end of S1 is "no longer a part of his family." It's just that now Wille has reason to act upon his desires.
But also, the way in which the 4th wall is broken is equally as significant - Beforehand, when Wille first breaks the 4th wall in S1, it's in the Apology issue and the camera creeps closer until it receives the warranted reaction from something that is suffocating and intrusive. But now, he breaks the fourth wall through the perspective of the mirror, looking at us through a reflection, as if we're stood behind him (The question this begs is whether that's in solidarity for Reputation Era or that we as an audience represent the lingering presences that he's ready to banish, displaying the conviction he has about August).
Either way, our presence is acknowledged, this time against the framework of consequences as opposed to the previous one in S1 of expectation.
And I understand that revenge is not always the healthiest means of healing.....HOWEVER-
The Eriksson House and The Acceptance:
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IT'S THE GROOVY GANG !
This is a slightly different representation of the Eriksson home than we've seen before, as usually it's dark and the mains rooms we've seen are the kitchen, the living room and Simon's room, and initially when I watched this I thought that they had moved (The threat of getting doxxed, the presence of the press etc) It could be a possibility, or it's just that we're seeing a different image of the home.
It appears much lighter and airier, comprised of pastel greens and windows, which offers the impression that maybe the family are in a better place now due to the stark contrast between this home and the Palace.
Also - I'm guessing that the letter Sara gets is for her acceptance for residency at Hillerska, right? But the placement of the acceptance letter is both for narrative sake, like kickstarting Sara's journey regarding staying at Hillerska as well as externalising her wants - Acceptance. Throughout S1, that is all Sara wanted and all that she craved for, and now, this is the first sign of her integrating into the Hillerska environment and hoping that she is accepted beyond admission. I'm really excited to see how her story plays out !
HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
Wille simply just closing the door on Kristina. No shouting. No crying. No clipped words. Just the simple act of rejection.
More indications to August' eating disorder/body dysmorphia (He's an extremely nuanced character, and I still stand by the fact that resenting a character for their actions whilst acknowledging their nuanced portrayal are not mutually exclusive. Thanks critical thinking, luv you babes <3)
The music that played after Wille lit up Augusts face? Already SLAPS. I'm so excited for this years soundtrack !
Well, I'm down with freshers flu atm so this genuinely took all of my brain power and now I am s P e N t. But, please let me know what you think !
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gigawatt-conduit · 11 months
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More actor!AU headcanons for RWBY, continuing off from part 1
• much of Ruby's blowup took shape the day of shooting. Jaune wrote the episode with some of her edits and she was hitting it, but something felt off to both of them+the director. she eventually was like, "hey, this feels like a speech, right?" and it clicked for all 3 of them. It couldn’t be a speech, it had to be rambling, like she was angry and finally let it out. With that in mind, she nailed it in two takes
• to go along with that: J+R's argument was improv'd. Jaune generally wrote "they have a fight," and they kicked ideas back and forth over text. There's a version shot where she hits him at the end, but they pulled back cuz it didn't feel like Ruby
• training for the RWBY/AO fight of V7 was done in the same room as ORNJ v Neo, and sometimes Nora would heckle them (or Ruby/Harriet doing the heckling). One time Nora and Jaune did fighting game commentary and made Weiss burst out laughing as she hit Marrow w her play sword
• from V2-onwards there's at least one point in the season, usually towards the very end, where Blake just takes her ears home with her and doesn't even realize it until she's halfway back to her place.
(B: not every sea--
W: every. Season. Sometimes it happens twice!)
• Ren had to braid his hair in V7+8 because it kept blowing in his face during 5+6, and he also lost a bet with Yang
• as each season is airing, the gang texts Weiss video compilations they find online of her eating shit, and she saves them on a playlist for when she's feeling sad
• Neo+Ruby took acting classes together and were actually good friends. Ahead of V9's back half, Neo texted Ruby saying "I'm gonna fuck you up" and Ruby said, "yaaaaaaaay :D"
• Pyrrha shot her V9 scenes+her RWBY/JL cameo in the same day, and was utterly geeked to find out she got to emotionally devastate her good friend and her boyfriend hours apart from each other
(J: the morning before shooting, she texted me, “I’ll ruin your day later babe! Kbyeeeeeee”
P: *nods while smiling*)
• Jaune tried to do his best to grow out his hair and beard for Old Man Jaune to make it easier on the makeup dept. they eventually had to get a beard because his wasn't properly "old" in time for shooting
• reading her segments of V9's back half made Ruby cry. She showed up to Summer's scenes and cried harder, and they got a picture together. Yang also got one w summer+raven individually, then all of them+Tai
• RWBY's mirror convos were shot as such: first, they'd do the scene in their current outfits, then again in their old ones. One of the other girls would stand in as the other version
• Nora turned out to be pregnant towards the end of V8's shooting, which kinda prompted her being on Vacuo side of things/her+Ren not being in 9 p much at all
• the scene where the Paper Pleasers "die" and Jaune goes "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" had to be reshot like 3 times because Yang broke and cackled at his anguish over paper people
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gralunaisland · 1 year
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Gruvians saying juvia has had a "tremendous amount of growth since joining Fairy Tail" never fail to make me laugh. Happy had more character development than her. Also, they really should look up the definition of 'obsessive', because she literally embodies that word. Honestly there isn't much to her character, aside from lusting for Gray. I guess the main reason she's popular is because she's 'attractive'? I really don't see any other reason this kind of character would have such a massive fanbase.
Examples of juvia Lacking Character Growth, and Why People Might Like her
This is the oldest ask I have at the moment, so thank you very much for your patience, Anon, and I apologize that I haven't been able to answer this in a while!
I agree with you on all points! You made some great ones. I'll respond to each!
It's pretty hilarious that some Pro gr///vians truly believe that juvia is a much, if at all, better person now than who she was before. she seriously hasn't gotten any less obsessive over the years. If anything, I believe the more we see of her, the more she gets worse. Anyway, I could probably pick apart any instance of "character development" that a Pro might try to use as proof. Here's a couple:
juvia killing herself for Gray? Look no further than this post of mine where I explain this in more detail. she lacks utter agency and will to live outside of Gray, so her life is quite literally worthless to her if she doesn't have Gray, and therefore it's not her being selfless in taking her self-made-meaningless life when she didn't have a self in the first place.
juvia apologizing to Gray for killing the necromancer who controlled Gray's already dead dad? I've already picked apart how that was utter manipulation and disingenuousness on her part in many of my posts, so I'll summarize here:
First, juvia never actually apologizes (literally, go back and read the panels, she never ONCE said even something as simple as SORRY).
Second, juvia makes everything about herself by saying essentially "I don't deserve to love you anymore", as if this had ANYTHING to do with her "love" of Gray when in reality all it had to do with was her doing her FRICKING DUTY by KILLING THE ENEMY. What's more, she's sobbing in that scene not because of any sympathy for Gray losing his father again. she's literally only doing that because she feels she's somehow lost Gray's good graces, that by doing this she doesn't get to give her abusive love to Gray anymore, that she's somehow lost her nonexistent chance to be with him. This scene should not have been about her at all, and yet of course, she's only focusing on the one thing that is in her life, her obsession with Gray against his wishes.
Third, she also stalked him to Silver's grave. Gray didn't tell anyone about it, and yet of course she follows him without his permission or knowledge as per usual. To her, Gray has no right to privacy.
Fourth, her pseudo-apology (which again wasn't one) went right out the window (she literally starts blushing and stops crying and hugs him and says he's warm. Uh. Crocodile tears anyone? Clearly all she cares about is skin-ship with her Gray-sama. she didn't look the least bit concerned that he was crying) once Gray clasped her, breaking down into tears and apologizing to her. What did he do??? she's really broken him so badly that she manages to make her "uwu I'm so sad I don't get to uwu love you anymore" into the most heartbreaking heartfelt apology Gray's ever heard. That amount of emotional and psychological manipulation, even if not on purpose, is absolutely despicable. she's making him feel EVEN WORSE. Remember, Gray is at his father's grave, and she doesn't care. she invades his private time for grieving and centers everything on her abusive passion for him. And Gray is too screwed up to realize how awful of a human being she is for doing so. she's literally making her self-imposed guilt more important than his trauma and making it his problem. I cannot overstate how horrible that is. she doesn't feel bad for Gray grieving his dad or even crying right now in front of her whatsoever, because now that Gray's made it clear that he doesn't hold her accountable for killing the evil necromancer, she has no reason to feel sad anymore. she never once felt real guilt, she just mourned what she was losing. This is the same thing as a kid only apologizing to their mom for breaking a vase just so they can go to that birthday party they wanted to attend. her "apology" was a means to an end, and she absolutely obtained that end.
Fifth, and one of the most damning things against her in this scene, and that's saying a lot, juvia doesn't change her behavior at all after this pathetic excuse of an apology. Throughout the rest of the story, she continues her unwanted, extreme, intrusive behavior towards Gray. she doesn't change one darn thing about how she treats him. (And it continues all the way even through 100YQ [which of course I don't include in the FT canon, but Pros do, so I shall include it here], only from what I've seen, which thankfully isn't much, it may somehow be even worse). If she were really sorry, she would've decided to stop loving Gray regardless of if he forgave her. she didn't take any convincing that what she did was guiltless. I can't believe (but I can because it's juvia we're talking about here) that she wouldn't take any of the meager amount of time that she felt bad to self-reflect on how her actions have negatively affected Gray. Whom am I kidding, that would require character growth, and we all who aren't blind can tell that she's had absolutely none beyond leaving Phantom Lord, and even that was just because she had a crush on Gray, not because she wanted to apologize to FT or Lucy for all the egregious things she did to them.
If anyone has other instances they want me to break down, feel free to comment them or send me an ask! I don't want to make this impossibly long haha.
Anyway, onto your next point, Anon, as I sort of mentioned when linking my other post, I totally agree with you that "there isn't much to her character, aside from lusting for Gray". I would even go as far as to argue that there isn't anything to her character beyond her perverted tendencies towards him. Literally, if you strip Gray away from her theoretically, what is she? she has no hobbies, she basically has no friends whom she's gone out of her way to make and hang out with (because yes, Mashima made the stupid move of making all the girls in FT like her for literally zero reason because she's been hostile to most of them on the basis of Gray), she has no motivations or hopes and dreams. she is nothing without Gray. she is the definition of a "satellite character", a character written to only revolve around another one with no agency of their own. Don’t forget, she even began to adopt Gray’s habit (and perhaps trauma coping mechanism) of stripping. she lacks THAT much self that she begins to turn into the guy she likes. Wow. Disgusting.
Onto your last point, I think I'd agree with you, that a big reason why juvia is popular is just because people like how she looks. But she's the very typical slim-curvy woman with a huge chest and butt and giant eyes that Mashima loves to draw. There's nothing wrong with that body type, but it's not like she looks that different from anyone else in the show because of that, especially since she kept changing her looks to try to get Gray to like her and literally grew her hair out and stopped curling it to look more like Lucy, someone who is Gray's type canonically. she even starts to show more skin like the others, a far cry from the completely covered up Rain Woman. Perhaps they like her color scheme or her dead-fish eyes as well. I couldn't understand it myself, but to each their own really.
I personally thought that the biggest reason why people liked her was because they projected themselves onto her. juvia does what juvia wants, completely self-centered in every way, ignoring Gray's consent, and yet she still comes out on top, having secured poor Gray's affections by the time of 100YQ thanks to Mashima's poor writing. juvia acts however she wants towards other people, snarling and glaring and insulting other women in Gray's life to their faces just because of her inane jealousy, and yet she somehow ends up every single girl’s friend. juvia acts insane and delusional and has only eyes for one man, and yet she gets other people to hit on her all the time, most notably Lyon.
Who wouldn't want to act completely selfishly like juvia does and still gain everything you desire? Who wouldn't want to ignore everyone else's needs and wants and only care about yourself and still get all the attention and all the power and all the love and all the friends and all your dreams come true?
Sounds like such an easy, fun life, huh? But it's a totally self-absorbed and awful way to live, and it's exactly how juvia lives.
My guess is that people use her as a self-insert character and root for her in their own stead, but I think that's very subconscious, and most wouldn't admit to that. Otherwise, I would really love to see how people justify her behavior as laudable, but then again, I have seen those attempts, and none of them have made any real logical sense to me.
All in all, thank you so much for your patience and for sending this ask! I hope I answered it properly, and I appreciate you waiting so long!
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offsidekineticist · 10 months
Note
For Theoven: ☮ for a scene about behaving well
Thank you for the ask! Struggled a little with this one because I wanted to cover some time before he left Garund, but it was tricky figuring out what "behaving well" in that context would mean. Finally settled on repurposing/revising a little thing I wrote about his backstory (why did I originally write it in the 3rd person when all my Theoven stuff is 2nd person?).
CW: references to degenerative mental disease/dementia; a child taking on way too much responsibility; death of a parent; references to poverty; and Theoven tossing a lit firecracker into his mom's room to tell her breakfast is ready.
You know today is going to be one of the good days, because Mama is reading. Most days she can't do that anymore. Most days, when you wake her for breakfast, she is still asleep, or on really bad days she's sitting up and just staring at the wall. But today when you go to wake her for breakfast, Mama is already awake, sitting up in bed with one of her books.
"Holy fuck!" She shouts when the firecracker goes off next to her bed, and you grin because 'fuck' is a naughty word, and also she only swears on good days. On bad days your pranks just made her scream and cry. That doesn't stop you of course–as long as she doesn't react with silence, that means the pranks are helping, and if you do enough of them she might have a good day. 
That's your job: to give Mama lots of good days, enough to last forever. You aren't usually very good at your job–Mama doesn't have many good days anymore–but today is a good day. Giggling, you open the door and carry a tray with breakfast into the bedroom.
"Oh, you think this is funny, do you?" Mama asks from her bed, and you nod, trying to hide your smile behind a glass of not quite spoiled milk on the tray. "Oh, Theo," she sighs with a smile. "Never a dull moment with you, is there?"
You smile wide before offering her the tray. "Oh, thank you!" she says with a look of pleased surprise, and for a moment you feel a little glow of pride because this is a good day and you are doing a good job. Then she frowns suddenly at the breakfast: an over-easy egg (You scrounged the egg from a bird nest in a tree you had to climb) and a piece of toast. "You cooked this?" she asks. You nod, wondering frantically what was wrong - maybe that kind of egg was poisonous? Or maybe it's a very smart species of bird and you just murdered a baby? Or–
"You didn't break the yolk," she says slowly, and you relax, because this is not the first time she has had to think this through. "Have you been making me breakfast every morning?" she finally asks, and you nod. She looks sad and a little scared for a moment before smiling with her mouth while her eyes stay sad and watery. "Well, you've gotten very good at it! I've probably said that to you before, haven't I? I'm sorry."
"It's ok. I like it when you say I'm good at things," you say, and that makes her smile for real. She ruffles your bright orange hair with a pale hand–most of her is pale, except a little strand of green in her hair. You're the opposite: mostly orange and tan-brown, except for the pale patch on your elbow from when you gave Mama some of your color when you were a baby. Back when Mama had more good days than bad days, she used to check every day to make sure the patch hadn't gotten bigger, because if it got too big you would start having bad days, too, and then you wouldn't be able to do your job and give Mama good days.
"Well then, you should know you've gotten very good at making breakfast," Mama says before starting to eat breakfast. "Here–wanna see what Mama's reading?" She patted the space on the mattress next to her, and you grin because it's been so long since Mama read to you and it must be a very good day and you are doing a very good job. You scramble up onto the bed and snuggle under her left arm. She closes the book and shows you the front cover. "Can you read the title?"
"One thousand and one gods of the Vuh-drann - drawn - dra–"
"Vudrani."
" - Vudrani," you read out.
"Very good!" she says, and you practically preen with pride before realizing what you just read.
"There are a thousand and one gods?" you ask, eyes wide, because that's a lot of gods.
"Oh, there are a lot more than that. These are just some of the gods they worship in Vudra."
Your forehead wrinkles in thought. "But I thought gods were special. How can there be so many?"
"Well, there are still a lot more of us than there are of them."
"There's not a thousand people!" you exclaim indignantly. One thousand is a very big number. You know because you once tried seeing how high you could count, and you only made it to 150 or so before you lost count because you were distracted by a beetle as big as your hand flying in through an open window. You tried to get the beetle to stay and be your friend, but it couldn't understand you because beetles aren't very smart, so it flew away.
"You wanna hear something crazy?" Your mother asks, leaning in like she's about to tell you a secret, and you lean in too because you are very good at keeping secrets. "We live in a town with two thousand people. Just in our town." 
Your jaw drops, and you try to remember all the people you saw yesterday when you went to the market to borrow some stale bread when the baker wasn't looking, but you quickly realize there were too many to count. 
"And this isn't the biggest town we've lived in, is it?" Mama continues, and you shake your head.
"No. Katapesh was much bigger." Your face scrunches up as you try to figure out how much bigger itbwas. "They had…three thousand people?"
"More than two hundred thousand." 
Two hundred thousand? That's more than you can count times a thousand! That's a lot of people, and just in one city? You realize there must be a lot of people in Golarion. Eyes wide, you look back at the cover of the book that had started the conversation.
"I guess one thousand gods is still special," you finally pronounce. "Are they better than the Avistan gods?"
Mama taught you a lot about the gods in Avistan because that's where your dad lives, and someday she says you will visit and stay with him. You didn't like most of them–being a kid is hard, and you don't think anybody who has never been a kid had any business telling you how to be a kid (and people who don't remember what it's like being a kid aren't much better). But Irori and Iomedae and Norgorber and Caiden Calean had all been kids once, so you think they might be alright.
"Hmmm…no, I think they're just different. But there are some gods they worship in Avistan and Vudra. Like Irori. Before he was a god, he lived in Vudra." She opens the book. "His nephew became a god, too. Gruhastha. He was always one of my favorites because he's a book and a god."
"He's a book?" You repeat, because how can a person be a book?
"Yes, the Azvadeva Pujila. He wrote it when he was still mortal. The book was perfect, and perfect things must be divine, but a book by itself has no soul, so it can't be a god. So Gruhastha went into the book and became part of it, and it became part of him, and now the book had a soul and could ascend and be divine. But Gruhastha believes that knowledge should be shared, so he made copies of the Azvadeva Pujila and put a little of himself in each one. So anytime you hold a copy of the Azvadeva Pujila in your hands, you hold Gruhastha in your hands as well."
"Do we have a copy of it?" you ask eagerly, because you've been able to do many things traveling with Mama, but you have never held a god before.
"I think so–yes, in the Biggenlill Bag."
(The Biggenlill Bag is little on the outside but big on the inside. It is supposed to be called a bag of holding, but that's stupid because all bags hold things because that's what bags are for. You used to call it the Big-and-Little bag, but over time it got shortened to the Biggenlill Bag, which is so much more fun to say than Big-and-Little and definitely a better name than "bag of holding.")
You slide off the bed and scamper into the next room. The biggenlill bag is on one of the chairs at the kitchen table that hasn't been used since Mama's bad days made you stop in Finderplain. You grab the bag as you slide to a stop and then rapidly run back the other way, practically leaping onto the bed and almost knocking over Mama's glass of milk as you open the bag and reach inside. You have to stick your hand in all the way up to your shoulder, but your fingers eventually close around a book, and you yank it out of the bag. 
It doesn't look like you'd expect a god to look–you imagined it would be more sparkly–but Mama always says not to judge a book by its cover. It does feel special, though. You feel a thrill the second you touch it, and you feel…not quite afraid to open the book, but you can tell that opening the book will release something great and wonderful, something that will refuse to confine itself to the book once it is released.
"Do you want me to read it to you?" Mama asks, interrupting your reverie, and you nod and hand the book to her. She sets it on top of the book on her lap, opens it to the first page, and reads.
It is a wonderful day. The best day. Mama reads, and she reads, and she reads, until the desert sun sets, and her voice is hoarse, and you snuggle into her side and for once you aren't worried about doing your job, because this is a good day, and good days mean you're doing a good job. You listen to stories about monkeys and tigers and cobras and gods and children and ratfolk and humans, and you wonder if maybe, when Mama is better, you could go to Vudra and see the Cave of a Thousand Stars.
"I think that's enough for today," Mama finally says tiredly, and you nod before hugging her.
"Thank you, Mama," you say, and Mama hugs you close to her.
"Oh, you're so very welcome. I'm happy to do it for such a wonderful son."
You feel very warm at that, and despite the desert heat it's a good warm. Yes, you are doing a good job. "Love you, Mama."
"I love you too, Theo. Now." She kisses the top of your head. "Go get some rest. We can read more in the morning."
You nod vigorously, smiling wide so she won't see that you don't believe her. You may be doing a good job, but there haven't been two good days in a row for a very long time. Reminding her of that would just make her sad, though, so you pretend to believe her and kiss her on the cheek before taking the tray and the dirty dishes and sliding off the bed. You leave the books–you are very tired, and someone needs to stand watch, but Mama is holding a book that is also a god, so surely you can sleep for a little bit and let Gruhastha watch over her, can't you?
(You can't. Her last green hair disappears in the night. Her skin is already cold when the sun rises.)
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chidoroki · 8 months
Text
182 Days of TPN - Day 153
Chapter 153: "Coward"
I dunno why but I'm kinda bummed Norman's kill happened off-panel. Yeah it wouldn't feel right to see one one of the sweetest boys to take a life but that's exactly why it would work so well under his WM persona. And I just wanted to see Yverk perish, honestly. I don't like him. At least we got to see Norman attack Vylk in the second season, which is better than nothing, I suppose.
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Norman would know that eradication is certainly not the only way to achieve peace if he would stop sounding like a broken record and listen to Emma's idea about the new promise and using the evil blood to save the demons. Also, I love how surprised the Lambda boys are upon hearing Emma rejecting Norman's orders/suggestion so easily. Her short & quick response is a nice callback to when she refused Ray's idea to leave all the GF kids behind back during ch4.
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The WM facade that Norman is so confident with means nothing when our girl knows him so darn well, even to the point where he's lying to himself about his true feelings.
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Gotta say that I prefer the anime's take on this panel much better as well. Definitely makes me feel sorry for this sad, terrified child more than a chessmaster with a god complex.
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The manga does toss a whole bunch of flashbacks our way though so that does help pull some heartstrings here. I can also never remember that Norman & Vincent had the chance to meet casually while at Lambda. For a while I thought they only communicated via the rubix cube their entire time there. The Lambda staff should've never let these boys socialize.
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They're both pretty stubborn when it comes to their own ideas but Norman has gotta know to yield once Emma has her heart set on something. You can't go against our leading lady. And how convenient that there's now a clear path between all the dead demons so she can march her way right up to him.
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I love her so much for calling him out like this.
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This trio is so darn precious with how much they care for each other and see each other as equals aaahh! Ray's words kinda remind me of ch178 when Norman said they would refuse to cross over to the human world if it means that Emma would have to sacrifice herself. And ch27 with Emma's famous speech about how they'll all live together and won't accept a future unless everyone is part of it. Look at that, all three of 'em having their own moments.
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I don't even care if the anime switched up Ray's lines, it feels more personal to him when he draws on his own experiences and their relationship to remind Norman who he really is. I also love that someone is shown to be frustrated with Norman's actions. Emma is too, deep down somewhere I'm sure, but her voice is a lot more calming and hopeful during this scene, as usual.
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Can't praise the anime for too long though since it doesn't include Ray offering his hand out to Norman like the manga does. (though perhaps it took inspiration from the following chapter since we don't see his hand there either when this moment is shown again.)
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Anime also leaves Ray out of the hug for whatever reason. Maybe to match this chapter's extra page of Emma comforting a small, crying Norman, but c'mon, trio hugs are the best kind of hugs! (even though I personally prefer the hug shown next chapter a little bit more.) I can appreciate how the anime had Norman's hood fall down once Emma caught him as he fell to his knees, kinda like how his entire cape flew off here.
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Favorite panel/moment:
Yeesss sweetie! Put that boy in his place!! I imagine she would've been just as angry if she had learned any sooner that Ray was sacrificing their siblings back at GF, so he's lucky all he got was a death glare in ch15.
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Their faces are SO ADORABLE HERE!! HELP! I LOVE THEM!
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aprillikesthings · 2 months
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Okay I am not repeating last week, I am going to bed on time for church, but yes I did write a bit more that I'm willing to post
Usual disclaimers: this is part of a much longer fic and subject to heavy editing, it's a catradora fic but I'm not ship/fandom tagging it this time because tbh it's just one scene of "Adora Is Very Sad And Gets A Buzz-Cut"
this is a few days after they break up (as of right now the plan is for this to be a mutual decision, and those breakups can be just as painful as getting dumped--if anything they can be worse because you don't even get the catharsis of being angry or feeling wronged)
-----
Adora finds a pair of scissors, takes them back to her bathroom, and hacks off her hair.
She doesn't even know why, just that the compulsion to do so is sudden and overwhelming, and considering it's the only feeling she's experienced in days other than an aching numbness or crying so hard she thinks she might throw up--
She doesn’t look in the mirror while doing it, just grabbing handfuls of her hair close to her head and cutting through them, so carelessly that she nearly nicks one ear.
When she’s done she cleans up the hair off the floor as well as she can and finally showers for the first time in days. 
Bow is the first to notice, as she’s sneaking back from throwing out the hair. He takes one look at her, and pulls her into his room, where it turns out he has fancy clippers. “How do you think I keep my own 'do so sharp? Let me fix this for you, okay?” 
He buzzes off what’s left, and the result is much cleaner–her hair is a few millimeters long over her whole head. Adora feels so much lighter–though that might also be that she’s barely eaten for a while. 
Bow brushes off as much of the hair bits as he can, then runs a hand over Adora’s head. “Oh, it feels kind of like velvet. Not bad.” Adora does the same and she can’t say Bow is wrong. It does feel nice. 
Bow has been upbeat the whole time, and only now does he look at Adora with a more serious expression. “Hey. When you’re ready to talk about it, Glimmer and I are here, okay? We’re worried about you.” 
Adora can’t make eye contact with him or she’ll fall apart again. “I know. I’m sorry. Thank you for the haircut.”
The hair bits Bow couldn’t brush away do not feel nice, and she has to shower again. When she’s wrapped herself in a towel (only one, since she doesn’t need a second one for just her hair anymore), she wipes condensation from the mirror with her hand. 
Adora barely recognizes herself. It’s not just the lack of hair. It’s the circles under her eyes, her chapped lips. No wonder Bow is worried. She looks like shit. 
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wttf-if · 2 years
Note
Hello again~! Are you open for reaction asks?
If you are could we please get a reaction to the RO’s accidentally making MC cry? Either way hope you have a wonderful day 💗💗💗
Alright, starting out strong and we have angst! And yes, I'm open for reaction asks! And thank you, the day has been pretty good for me so far~
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Irina: She stares wide-eyed, not knowing what to do. Crying was often a means of being the opposite of sadness in the Varias Family. You, however, are crying out of the sadness...and it's her fault. She supposes she has teased you a bit too much. She raises her arms, not knowing what to exactly do in this situation, and she awkwardly pats your back. "...Th-there there. Do you want to eat some of Grandmother's homemade, hemlock soup? O-Or do you want to throw a knife at Valentin? Would that make you feel better? Please stop leaking--!"
Valentin: He's heard of this! When people cry out of sadness, it lies on the fault of the person who made them cry in the first place! Oh, right, it's his fault for making you cry. Whoops. He hovers and apologizes, asking how to ease the pain...in the most Varias way. "I-I'm so sorry--do you want to hold Melanie? Or do you want to eat something atrocious like those pink clouds we saw in town? O-Or did you want to snipe Irina with a crossbow?! I'll get my bomb arrows if that's the case--!"
Nicolae: He's staring in horror, almost curling in himself as he takes in your tears. He's caused this, he's made you cry, and he doesn't know what to do. The Varias family's children never cried, and the head members usually cry from something else, so what does he do?! With your permission, he lays a blanket over you and kneels in front of you, crying from guilt: "P-Please...forgive me. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. I-I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..."
Ash: They freeze as you're crying, and they're internally panicking in the inside. They screwed up royally, and they know that if Adrian hears, there's a chance that he'll celebrate and make this scene worse than it is. They step closer, not too close, but enough that you can see the regret in their eyes. "...I'm sorry. Fuck, I'm not good with this. I didn't mean to yell at you, I was angry at something else and that made me shout at you by accident. If you want anything, I'll get it. My treat. So...please stop crying, will you?"
Li: They blink, a bit lost as to what to do in this situation. Should they apologize? Should they cry with them? Should they eat your tears, just to see your reaction? Should they get you something to help mitigate the tears? Eventually, they raise their fingers to wipe your tears away, their expression carefully blank. "Hey. No crying, boss. Your tears are making my heart feel weird. It's like I killed someone again, only this time...I hate it."
???: They refuse to take responsibility. But alas, they will get yelled at if they don't do something. They shrug off their coat, demand that you sit, and place the coat on your shoulders. They lean their entire body against you, grumbling about how emotions are stupid. "Am I bothering you? Good. Be annoyed than to cry for what I did. Seriously, your tears are an eyesore."
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khaleesiofalicante · 1 year
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So, I usually check your Tumblr for any updates to #IALS, cause I really like the banners. But I was not prepared for this week's banner. The side by side intensity of Mavid was too much for my heart to handle. Holy s@#$!!!!!
And then the chapter? I was crying. Max's heartbreak and just complete disconnection is felt. But Lance? That child has so much strength.
Then all the parallels in the different timelines this chapter! I know all the chapters have some parallel. But I just loved all of them here. Especially little Arthur with his 'we need to brush their hair cause its so silly' (btw that whole scene just made me want to have a baby and I'm so firmly anti-children for my life that its not even funny) and then teen Arthur learning what silly hair means in different contexts!
I did not know about crown day, but I wish we could expand it to South Asia so people can learn to respect curly hair. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a brown girl with their hair tied back and it just being brushed out fuzz. My mom to this day can't accept that she has curly hair that shouldn't be brushed. It makes me so sad that we're so sanitized to fit public standards without realizing.
Then Max validating his son's needs and not sidelining them with the 'but I did this'. I never thought of my experience with my mom like that. That she loves me, but I didn't get that love the way I need so I can internalize it. I am so happy for Lance and Max to reclaim that home life they both so desperately need to heal.
And David, you obsessive French fu@#$!, 😭😭you're working so hard. I can't believe I didn't realize until this chapter just how much even though I could see it. I was stuck on the Jaden of it all!! Cause David chose to date Jaden, he just never even considered the possibility of moving on from Max. He could have chosen to heal in a way that didn't take over his entire life. But he went above and beyond. David just decided that fuck the rest of the world, if its not Max, it doesn't matter. So he chose to stay with Jaden instead of trying to actually find a less painful love. He could have moved on and tried to find someone he could actually love! But he didn't even try! That's so romantic and crazy!!!!
But then the wall scene, dude.😳 Dude.🤯 Dude.😖☠ I have re-read that scene so many times now. If it has me feeling things then RIP Max. David needs to get angry more. Also, I just kept imagining this whole scene of David losing it in front of Jaden and the kids. Jaden would bust a blood vessel 😈 Like yeah dude, compete all you want with Max. Try to get in the way of his relationships with his kids. It doesnt matter.
Also, you know something? I was compiling a list of my fave couples for my friend and #IALS of course made it to the list. But you know what else did? Hannibal and Interview with the Vampire.
Hannibal - Blond obsessive European serial killer (raised in France) who falls in love at first snark with a rude asf FBI profiler. Eats people. Is a gourmet level cook and loves taking care of his FBI agent husband who doesn't know yet that they're married and have an adopted daughter together.
Interview with the Vampire - Obsessive French fucker who falls in love at first sight with a very mean pimp (who does it to take care of his family). Eats people. Likes to spoil and keep his baby happy. His husband wants a daughter, well okay then, he's going to give him a child.
Do either of those shows sound familiar to you?🙃 But my main question is, when are we getting a dark!David that Max can't resist even when he's trying desperately and falls off the edge of sanity for? And DML doesn't count! Cause I said so!
Fun fact - I made banner ages go and i kept it until we got to this chapter hehe. i was so excited to share it!!
i am a sucker for parallels as y'all know so oops you will always see them generously sprinkled around :)
your comment about south asians and curly hair is so true because here in SL (curly hair is very common in the north because of genes + humidity) and a lot of girls feel forced to straighten or iron their hair (and save up money) because they feel like they are 'not pretty' if they have curly hair. i am so tempted to write a fucking article about this tbh because this is yet another way of setting and forcing unrealistic beauty standards.
the whole idea of 'tell me how to love you' is not always practical in real as you said. not everyone's love language is the same. but i think this is such a max thing to do. i think he cares enough to make that extra step. in fact, he will see it one more time 👀
And everything you said about David made me so emotional. We'll be digging into some of it in the next chapter! Because you are absolutely right in the sense that what he did was also a sacrifice. dating jaden was not an easy option. i wish we could have explored their relationship more but i couldn't without giving too much away but being with David (if you look closely) caused david a lot of pain too.
Hannibal and IWTV are two top tier shows and two of my faves. Not us having fine af taste oof.
Hahaha Dark David is truly something else. I would love to explore it (if yall have ideas 👀) because he truly has the potential to fuck shit up he just chooses not to smh. we will see a hint of dark david (or maybe unhinged david) in lbaf 5. we'll see.
SEE YOU NEXT WEEK <3
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