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yoonpobs · 3 years

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manners maketh women | jjk

pairing: jeon jungkook x oc

genre: kingsman!AU (loosely inspired lol), enemies to enemies basically (some sexual tension)

warnings: mentions of blood, enemies, dismantling the patriarchy

words: 2, 637

summary: kingsman or alternatively you trying to dismantle the patriarchy by pissing off your partner

“You’re a fucking psychopath!” Valentine spits at you with bloodied gums while he lays on the floor with all the will to live beaten out of him.

You’re much better off. Of course you were. You wouldn’t let someone as vile or unimportant as Valentine ruin your pantsuit because while you thought the establishment was exorbitant, it was still costly and made you look like a bad bitch.

“Says the one who planted chips into people’s head only to blow them up.” You roll your eyes, tossing your blazer over your shoulder as Merlin sighs at the scene behind you when you cock your head towards the pitiful soon-to-be prisoner.

“I thought we said no damage.”

You shrug.

“This is no damage. Couldn’t help that my hand slipped.” You return.

Merlin is about to retort but your teammate stomps out of the abandoned church with his eyes narrowed to your figure that retreats to the comfort of your car.

You almost forget that you weren’t on this mission alone until the presence of your partner appears by your side and you’ve worked with him long enough to know that he’s shooting daggers on the side of your forehead.

“We agreed to bring him back in one piece.” Jungkook snarls at you.

You see that he’s way worse off compared to you. But it could have alluded to the fact that he warded off the rest of the guards that ambushed the two of you when you first arrived. The priority was finding Valentine and making sure that he was captured and under your scrutiny, so you agreed to head off first while Jungkook did the dirty work.

“His limbs are still attached to his body, I don’t see how I didn’t uphold to the end of our agreement?” You stop in your tracks, causing Jungkook to skid in his steps as his chest makes contact with your back.

When you turn around, he’s absolutely furious but that only spurs on the wide grin that appears on your face.

“Valentine looks like he’s been through six wars and a botched plastic surgery attempt!” He hisses.

You roll your eyes, folding your arms across your chest as you take in Jungkook’s growing rage. He’s never been the level-headed one between the two of you but you were also the more infuriating one. You were fully aware of that and you were going to use it to your advantage. You didn’t beckon your way through the misogynistic Kingsman system to be bossed around by some stereotypical posh man who didn’t know how to take no for an answer.

“And that’s what he deserved. I did what I had to do, Jeon.” You retort as venomously as he had.

Jungkook literally growls and you know you’ve annoyed him further because he was the typical Kingsman agent that attempted to uphold all the core values and paraded around the base with the manners maketh man phrase that he loved to milk. You, on the other hand, didn’t believe in that shit at all because you were not mannered and neither were you a man. Jungkook walked the ground like he had a stick up his ass half the time and you had no time to deal with his uptightness.

“We are on a mission, Lancelot. I go by Galahad.” He reminds you but you wave him off, turning around to head towards your car.

Jungkook grits his teeth as he sees Merlin drag a detained Valentine—who leaves a trail of blood in his path—to the van where he’d be brought back to the cells. He couldn’t believe that you had the audacity to go against direct orders from your superior like that! But at the same time, you’ve pulled things like this more than once and rubbed Jungkook the wrong way every time you’d brush off any lament that came from him.

He doesn’t think you were incapable of being a Kingsman agent, although it hasn’t always been that way. But he did believe that you should at least uphold the fundamental values that made Kingsman the reputable secret service it was.

“You act like Jeon is the worst of the names I call you.” You snort.

Jungkook wants to remind you that it’s not and he’s aware but he’s highly exhausted after fending off numerous men on his own while you got to catch the largest bait of the day, your pantsuit hardly creasing in the process.

“Would it kill you to follow orders?” Jungkook snaps.

The two of you reach the car and he snatches the keys from your palm before you can step into the driver’s seat. You raise an eyebrow at his gesture and look him up and down before your bored eyes rest upon his still pinched expression.

“If we get pulled over the police are going to think you’re a runaway.”

Jungkook scowls but enters the car anyway. You follow him shortly into the passenger seat as you immediately tug off the band that kept your hair in a ponytail as you ruffle your hair, slipping off the heels off your feet. You found it absurd that the agency demanded you wear heels onto a field mission purely because it was the Kingsman brand. It wasn’t like you couldn’t fight in them but obviously, it made you slightly slower than you’d like.

“You’re going to shut up and not say a single word during the ride back because I’ve had enough of that smart ass mouth of yours.” Jungkook snaps.

“It’s cute that you think I’m going to listen to you, Jeon.” You pat his thigh in consolation and he just curses under his breath.

Jungkook doesn’t have the energy to argue back because, for every remark he makes, he’s sure you have at least ten responses phrased in different ways to respond with.

“If you called me in for a staring contest then I’m afraid we have to reschedule. I’ve got a bottle of wine and some fried chicken waiting for me in my quarters.” You deadpan.

The man who sits in front of you is unnerved and you expect no less from the current Director of Kingsman. It also wasn’t the first time you’ve sat before him with the very same look marring his face. You know what the conversation is going to be about and he knows that you know.

“Agent Lancelot—”

You scoff when you lean forward, narrowing your eyes at your superior before he purses his lips at your gesture.

“How many times did I tell you to ditch the alias? It’s unnecessary especially since we’re in your office which is debatably the most vaulted place in all of the Kingsman quarters. It isn’t like Valentine is going to come crawling through the vents and demand for my birth certificate.”

Namjoon pinches the bridge of his nose because when he hired you after you—impressively—passed the most gruesome and intense interview process with a blink of your eye, he didn’t know what to expect when he took the risk of recruiting the first-ever woman Kingsman.

But now that it’s been years since you’ve made a name for yourself and all other keen women who were looking for the opportunity to train as an agent, he realised that you were not just a skilled agent but a sharp and impenetrable fortress that would never let anyone tell her what to do.

Which was frankly—inconvenient—given the nature of Kingsman work that often relied on partnership and collaboration. But those words weren’t in your dictionary and Namjoon can see the way you look bored before the conversation started as you sit in front of him with a blank expression on your face.

“It’s nice to see you, ______,” Namjoon says dryly, clasping his fists together before leaning forward on his elbows that your faces are closer.

“Are you going to call me out for disobeying orders and bringing back Valentine like butchered meat? If you want an apology then you know you’re not going to get it,” You say blankly before turning in the swivel chair; already halfway off before Namjoon stops you.

“Jungkook has been telling me that you’ve been harder to work with recently.” Namjoon points out.

You scoff.

“Of course he’ll say that. I’m the better agent in the partnership and it bruises his puny masculine ego. Tell him to shove it and deal with it because it’s going to get harder.”

Namjoon shoots you an unimpressed glare before he wills himself to maintain a decent amount of level-headedness as he reasons with you.

“The both of you are talented agents—” Namjoon says slowly and you know he’s only saying that to appease you and not break his neutrality when it came to agents so you roll your eyes at his attempt, “—and because the two of you are always going on the most important missions it’s imperative that you work together.”

“Namjoon.” You blink, “Jeon is the most infuriating individual I have been condemned to meet and I literally have no idea why you won’t just switch me out with—I don’t know—Jin or something. He isn’t as mouthy or pretentious as Jeon.”

Namjoon sighs.

“Firstly, why can’t you ever call him by his first name? And secondly—you know why I can’t do that. Jin is in-charge of international operations and we need you here on domestic land. You and Jungkook are the most qualified agents of the region and it is in my best interest, as well as the nations to have you two work together.”

You wave him off before you push yourself off the chair completely, offering a sloppy salute out to his direction and you see Namjoon’s shoulder deflate at your stubbornness. But before you’re even able to make your way out of the door, you see a face that makes you scowl.

“Talking shit about me behind my back, babe?” Jungkook narrows his eyes at you.

You snort.

“If I wanted to talk shit about you, I’d do it to your face so I can watch your fragile ego shatter in front of my eyes. And—if you don’t want your balls detached from your body and served to you as a door gift then I suggest you never call me babe ever again.”

You’re about to push past him but his hand reaches for your shoulder and stops you with a tight grip as you snap your head to glare at him. You’re about to throw him off you, literally, but Jungkook is also skilled and he sees the telltale signs of your anger for him to defend himself against your attack.

When you pull his arm to lug his body over yours, he manages to lock your grip and bring you into a headlock—chest pressed to your back as he breathes down your hair while you feel the cocky smirk of his spread across his face.

“Let go of me you fucking shithead.” You snarl.

Jungkook snorts and only tightens his grip on you, twisting your chin between his thumb and index finger so you’re glaring directly at his face that is only a mere inches away from yours to give you a taunting grin that you want to slap off his face.

“You’ll never outdo the doer—” He whispers so low that it almost seems like it’s just the two of you, “—baby.”

You take that as a chance to knee him in the stomach and shove him away before you dust your hands on your pants, only to remember that you were still in Namjoon’s office and he likely saw the show that the two of you put on.

“I … I’m going to pretend I didn’t see that,” Namjoon clears his throat before gesturing to the two of you to take a seat as if you weren’t seconds away from walking out that door.

“Look, Namjoon—we—I—don’t need this group therapy session with him, okay? The two of us can work together but that doesn’t mean I’ll listen to what he says. His judgement is clouded by the systemic oppression that Kingsman entrenches to their agents and I won't stand for that.”

Jungkook’s fists tighten at your blatant disrespect to the organisation that employed you, and he remembers every reason why he hates you so much.

“_____,” Namjoon sighs, “I don’t understand why you walked into that interview years ago if you hate everything that Kingsman stands for.”

You clench your fists by your side because of course, he didn’t understand. And of course, Jungkook, Jimin, Jin and even Merlin didn’t understand. They didn’t need the luxury of understanding a system that favoured people like them.

“Then let me spell it out for you both,” You say emphasise each word with a spit.

Jungkook clenches his jaw but remains silent.

“I walked into that interview knowing I was going to ace that shit because I owed that first step to all the women that were used and abused by your Kingsmen. The women that were offered comfort for sex to only be shunned and disposed of by the esteemed agents you call Kingsmen. I am not a Kingsman and I am not Lancelot. I am ______ ______ and I’m a woman who fucking owned every single one of those male agents that day who decided to snicker and laugh at me when they wouldn’t be able to ever walk a mile in my shoes. I’m here because I have a point to prove.”

Namjoon is stunned to silence and you don’t know what triggers your outburst but you suppose its years of repression and having to work alongside a male peer that only sees you as impressive because of your gender and not because of your skills. The comments rubbed you the wrong way and you never looked back since.

“_______ …” Namjoon begins but you glare at him and that’s enough to send him silent.

But you see the way Jungkook’s jaw twitches and you know that sign well enough to know he’s about to say something you won’t like.

“That’s it? All the anger, bitchiness and attitude for you to prove a point?” Jungkook scoffs, “You’re that pathetic?”

“Jungkook—” Namjoon warns.

“You walked into this life and you need to deal with the consequences. I don’t give two shits your intention in Kingsman but you’re here and you’re working for the Kingsman so you better suck all that bitterness up or leave. Don’t you dare disrespect the foundation of what a Kingsman is.” Jungkook hisses.

The expression on your face is thunderous and Jungkook has never seen you like that, ever. Not even when the two of you were arguing head to head and everyone else thought someone was going to end up hurt. No, this is much more … threatening. A look that’s so unfamiliar but familiar enough because it’s the first time he’s seen it directed to him.

“I wonder why you’re so overprotective about the Kingsman name, hm?” You say blankly, “Is it because that your entire identity revolves around it? That you’ve never seen a world with eyes when you weren’t a Kingsman? You’re pathetic, Jeon. You’re nothing without the title but at least I know what I want. You don’t. You’re just hiding behind the suit and weapons to make you feel like a man but you’re just a sorry excuse of a human being that only sees the world through a bigoted lens.”

Jungkook is about to retort but you’re faster, and the action alarms both Namjoon and Jungkook when you—

“I quit.” You smile.

The badge and your key weapon with nothing but a slam to the table.

“______—“ Namjoon stands up but you don’t spare him another glance before you’re out the door.

#bts imagines #bts fic #bts fics #bts jungkook #jungkook x reader #kingsman!au #jeon jungkook #jeon jungkook x reader #jungkook imagine #jungkook fic #jungkook enemies to lovers

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franniebanana · 3 years

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CQL Rewatch - Ep 14

Hey, I’m getting all my screencaps from Netflix now, because I finally figured out how lol. That means I’m also getting the subtitles from there (and I’ve seen a lot of Netflix haters, but at lease we won’t get “Wei Ying, clam down” and other ridiculous errors). This is just for your reference. I hope the quality of the images will be a little bit better. So I’m both looking forward to and dreading this episode. On the plus side, the first half or so is wangxian, on the downside, the rest is not. And it marks the beginning of the Lan Wangji Drought™, and subsequently my least favorite part in the entire series (not counting the Yi City arc, which, as you may recall, I have not watched yet). But let’s get started, shall we?

We left our heroes in the Xuanyu Cave. Lan Wangji was asleep and Wei Wuxian as being thoughtful and adorable. Now they are both awake and hatching a plan to defeat the Tortoise of Slaughter. Wei Wuxian is talking about the fame and glory that they’ll receive if they defeat it, but on the other hand, if they are killed by the monster, that’s not a bad way to go. Again, even though Lan Wangji’s leg is doing better, even though they survived the first brushes with death with both the Wens and the mythical monster, here they are, about to face death again. But they have no choice, right? It’s either fight the Tortoise of Slaughter or starve. The crux of this whole arc for me is that it changes their relationship forever. You don’t almost die together and not have that change you and the relationship you have with that other person. And I think that’s what makes their reunion after several months so much harder and so much sadder (I’m itching to get to that scene, which is so far from here, ughhh).

Arts and crafts project with bae! Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I kind of love this scene, though, for what it is: the two of them quietly working together, each with his own task. There’s something kind of domestic about it, even in this dire situation. Also Lan Wangji is doing most of the work. It’s fucking hard to string/unstring a bow.

And when they’re picking up all the bows and arrows, I’m always thinking that the others made such a mess! They just chucked the arrows everywhere, dropped their bows. But why are there so many arrows on the ground? You’d think they’d mostly be in the water, as that’s where the Tortoise of Slaughter was. You know? I’m not gonna think to hard about this.

Imagine that instead of the bowstring, it’s actually one of those sticky hand things that you can swing around and stick to walls.

I spent too much time on that, I’m sorry.

Again, Lan Wangji is reminded that he’s injured and can’t be a ton of help in this situation. And I think he’s bothered by this quite a bit—not because he wants to play hero and save Wei Wuxian, but I think because he doesn’t want Wei Wuxian to bear too great a burden alone. And I think Wei Wuxian is coming from a place of caring and kindness when he points all that out. It’s not as if he wants glory either: he realizes that he is their best chance of survival, and he also knows he can count on Lan Wangji to be there for him.

This smile is so warm, so kind, so loving. Yeah, it is loving. And I do think that this sort of relationship is a big deal in the context of this story. You have two people from different clans, who have vastly different upbringings (although there are similarities with their parents’ deaths), able to come together and genuinely feel friendship for one another. This kind of thing is not that common, seemingly, in this world. It happens, right? It happens for political reasons (sworn brothers, etc.), it happens when there are marriages between clans—but we know that it isn’t common to have this particular kind of friendship, because the script literally pointed it out to us: Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan. They are different—they are close, they are soulmates, even (in a platonic way). And Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are held up to them as a direct comparison (“Lan Zhan and I went on a night hunt together”). And wangxian isn’t a friendship of convenience—they weren’t forced here together and then they have to tough it out—this was all chosen. And I think this is where the whole “soulmate” conversation becomes important, in that them coming together and forming that bond in the Cloud Recesses was driven by some kind of fate. That initial meeting, those subsequent experiences they had—if those things hadn’t happened, they probably wouldn’t be in this cave together right now. That being said, the fact that they are in this cave together right now is definitely not fate. This was a choice—or a series of choices—made by the two of them. Had there been no friendship or love between these two, Lan Wangji would have left the cave with the others. Maybe Jiang Cheng would have stayed behind, or maybe someone else would have, or possibly no one! I like to think Lan Wangji would have stayed regardless of any feelings he has towards Wei Wuxian, simply because he’s that kind of person. He stands up for Mianmian because it’s the right thing to do, for example. But as things are, it’s important that Lan Wangji stayed because of Wei Wuxian—because of his feelings for him, because of their friendship, because they have this connection to each other. And I think it’s vital that Lan Wangji is the one to first see what the Yin Iron can do to a person, specifically the person he loves.

So I thought this whole little section here was just Wei Wuxian monologuing in his head the first time I watched this. And then he’s suddenly having a conversation with Lan Wangji, and I was like, “huh?” I am pretty sure I had to rewind and rewatch just so I could understand it with the newly-acquired knowledge that Wei Wuxian was actually talking to Lan Wangji. I’m find being a little confused, but would it have killed them to make Lan Wangji say, “Now we can communicate while you’re inside” or something to that extent, after using his little powers?

Anyhow, fuck, it’s horrible in there! I feel like the smell is visceral, even though I’m watching it on my laptop, it’s like I can feel the damp, air, thick with the smell of death and decay. Credit to Xiao Zhan for just really selling me on what it feels like to be in there. Also I’m so curious what they’ve got him walking through. I wish there were some BTS on that scene. I can imagine (because this is how my mind works) how difficult it was to clean his costume after that. Like that crap must have gotten into every tiny little nook and cranny of his shoes, and just YUCK! They were like, “Just throw them out. We have another pair.”

Since Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are in a sense psychically linked here, does that mean that Lan Wangji can feel the energy that Wei Wuxian feels from the sword? He’s definitely reacting to something going on, but then I think Wei Wuxian talks about it later as if Lan Wangji doesn’t know. The romantic in me says that Lan Wangji is reacting because they are so spiritually connected that he can feel when something is wrong.

And now we have this very long action sequence where Lan Wangji does a lot of flying around and Wei Wuxian clings to that sword like Harry Potter on that bucking broomstick in the first movie. I’m sorry, that’s all I think about, and that thought will never leave my mind. What’s kind of cool is that they remind us immediately that Lan Wangji is still injured, by showing us his bloody leg right at the start of this sequence. So he’s flying around, using everything he’s got left, while still being gravely injured—it shows you just how powerful Lan Wangji is. He’s no weakling.

Another cool detail is that you can actually see the staining on Wei Wuxian’s boots from the muck he was walking around in! Nice continuity!

I can’t help it, anytime Lan Wangji yells out, “Wei Ying!” I melt into a puddle on the floor. There’s something about how little he does talk that when he does, it’s important and meaningful and impactful. And, yes, most of his lines are yelling out Wei Ying’s name, but that doesn’t make it any less meaningful when he does it. Every time he says it, it’s a reminder that there is a strong relationship there. As I’ve said before, even Jiang Cheng doesn’t call him by his given name. This is not just an everyday friendship here—it’s more than that—it’s a bond that can’t be broken even in death. That might sound silly and dramatic, but it doesn’t make it any less true. And that’s why when I hear him say, “Wei Ying!” it draws to the surface all of these other feelings. It’s not just a name, it’s not just a line—it’s something so much more.

Also, I want to point out that as soon as Lan Wangji figures out something is indeed very wrong with Wei Wuxian, he goes into overdrive. His hands are bleeding from the bowstring in his hand, his teeth are gritted, he somehow reaches into himself for even more power to defeat this monster.

Seriously? How dare you interrupt my wangxian scene with this garbage? I could not care less about anything going on in this scene. Just fuck off. The worst cut ever. What a stupid cut.

So, as if the Tortoise of Slaughter wasn’t bad enough, this poor kid (because he is just a kid) is now traumatized by the voices coming out of that sword. The pain, the fear, the negative energy—all of it was coursing through him, and worst of all, perhaps, he was even able to use that energy to defeat the monster. And I think, now that he’s felt it and seen it and used it, there’s really no going back. Dangerous? Yes, it’s dangerous, but it’s also powerful, and it saved their lives.

This part kills me every time, though, no matter how many times I see it. Wei Wuxian is just a husk of the person he was ten minutes ago. Where’s that cocky, smirking smartass? Where’s the Wei Wuxian we all know and love? But the reality is, part of him is lost. And throughout the scene, he’s clutching that sword, as if his life still depended on it. He won’t let that thing go, and I also find that hard to watch. And Lan Wangji here is out of his mind, desperate to help him. He runs into the water so fast, as if there is no leg injury at all. And, of course, that’s adrenaline for you, but it’s also just a testament to his strength and resolve and his willingness to go into a literal hell for Wei Wuxian.

And even in his feverish state, Wei Wuxian can’t help but tease Lan Wangji a little, pointing out that he never expected Second Master Lan to be this concerned about him. But it’s interesting that he uses that formal title there, as if he’s putting distance between them. Wei Wuxian is just Wei Wuxian—Wei Ying—and Lan Wangji is Second Master Lan. Whether it’s intentional or not, he’s drawing attention to this hierarchical difference between them, and I don’t think it’s a self-worth issue at all, because I think Wei Wuxian is okay with who his is—I don’t think he has qualms about that really. It’s more driving home the point of we shouldn’t be this close. Or isn’t it funny that we are this close? And he later draws a parallel to Jiang Cheng (again) by saying that at least Jiang Cheng wouldn’t be a boring companion (EDIT: Okay, he doesn’t say that—maybe in the book?). Ironic, because their stay in Xuanwu cave has been anything but boring. But I also think Jiang Cheng would not have been able to maintain his cool at all in that cave. No, I think that Wei Wuxian needed Lan Wangji to survive. He needed someone a little cold, logical, quick-witted, but desperate.

OMG, ALSO! Can I point out the lovely, beautiful, haunting cello music that’s playing this whole time? Not on the OST, which is a damn shame. So you’ll have to watch the episode to hear it, but it’s just so beautiful.

And pause for the clip show that will also make you cry!

“Wangxian.” Yes, yes, the greatest mystery of this whole series—the name of the song and how Lan Wangji immediately recognized Wei Wuxian in the second episode. So I don’t think they ever actually tell you the name of the song, right? It’s like this fun little thing for the fans of the book, and maybe they couldn’t say it because of censorship (because of what it implies, you know?). I’m not a great lip reader, but it looks like “Wangxian” to me. And if he’s saying something else, I don’t care—it is going to be Wangxian to me, regardless.

Man, this scene, though. I can never really hear the humming because you have to turn up the volume so damn loud, and even then it’s hard to hear. Maybe it’s just me. The first time I watched it, I was like, is he actually humming? I don’t hear anything. I was, again, confused. But anyway, it’s good that we see all those scenes with Lan Wangji, because guess what? You’re not going to see him for three or four episodes, FML. FML. FML.

FML.

Can you tell I’m not excited about these upcoming parts? Honestly it’s so tempting to skip it, but that’s not the point of this rewatch. I likely won’t have a ton to say, though, so maybe I’ll do more than one a week (don’t count on it, though).

Okay, guys. Here we go. If you think Jiang Cheng is a kind, gentle soul with a rough exterior, then you may not want to read the next few episodes. I like Jiang Cheng. I do. However, he is an asshole. A complete and total asshole with the occasional kind word thrown someone’s way. I think he cares about Wei Wuxian, as I’ve said before, but that he cares about himself far more. He is the antithesis to Lan Wangji. And that’s definitely on purpose. So, feel free to send me asks or whatever (and that goes for anyone, by the way—I don’t bite and I like to chat with people), but you’re not going to be able to convince me even that CQL Jiang Cheng is a good guy. I think you could try and read him that way, but you’d be ignoring some key things in his behavior and his character.

All right. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s start anew. It fucking sucks that the first people Wei Wuxian sees upon waking up are Jin Zixuan and Jiang Cheng, both of which essentially scold him immediately, as if he didn’t fucking save their lives back there. I’m sorry, that guy right there—yeah, him—he was read to sacrifice himself to save you. Jin Zixuan, “I didn’t do it for you.” Then why? You did it for Lan Wangji? Or you did it because it would be politically advantageous to you because you were engaged to Jiang Yanli? I’m just saying, be nicer to the man who was willing to die for you, okay?

Oh, my god, as if that weren’t enough, Jiang Cheng actually gets angry that Wei Wuxian doesn’t thank him! And this isn’t some macho guy thing where he just can’t show that he cares about him—this is just who Jiang Cheng is. He thinks of himself first and others second. Period.

So aside from those two being assholes, we do at least get some information here. The clans are now all resolved to fight against the Wen Clan. They all know what’s going on and they’re finally ready to stand up against it. The Cloud Recesses is trashed and Lan Wangji left on his own to go back, presumably to take it back from the Wens. I would have loved a heartfelt scene of them getting out together, but that isn’t even in the book, so CQL isn’t going to add that kind of nice stuff, I guess. But they did add this scene, which is mostly just showcasing that Jin Zixuan and Wei Wuxian still don’t like each other, Jiang Cheng is an asshole, and the world is generally fucked up right now.

A reminder that even though he’s in the bright sunlight, Wei Wuxian still has this darkness. It’s permeated him now. He can’t turn away from it. It’s part of him. And it’s something he can’t really share with anyone else—Lan Wangji to a point, but even he doesn’t get to know everything. However, he is, I think, the only one who would have listened.

Cute detail from the book, that Wei Wuxian had carved this into his headboard. What a romantic lol. I don’t have anything special to say other than, y’know, those two could be both guys.

It’s hard to even know what to say here. So much is going on, so many emotions, so many accusations—and Wei Wuxian is caught up in all of this. Madam Yu starts by chastising him for making trouble when he didn’t need to (she thought it better to let the Jins and Lans handle things, no need for the Jiangs to get involved), and then it spirals into this horrible tirade about Jiang Fengmian being hung up on Wei Wuxian’s mother, and in turn favoring Wei Wuxian over his own son because of it. There is so much jealousy and hatred and guilt wrapped up in all of this, it’s hard to even comment. I can’t imagine growing up the way Jiang Cheng did, feeling second best in everything by someone who’s not even your actual brother, feeling like your own father doesn’t really love you as much as he loves someone else. And now throw in that your father doesn’t love your mother because he had an affair with another woman. I can’t imagine how awful that would be. And despite what people might say, it’s hard to really, truly, break away from your parents, especially in a culture like this. It’s important to honor your parents in everything, so standing up to them is a definite no-no. And Jiang Cheng probably feels like the only parent who really loves him is his mother, even though she is the worst person ever. This doesn’t excuse his behavior, but it does help explain a bit of why he does the things he does to Wei Wuxian. I think he’s itching to feel superior over him, and that he’s been extremely jealous of him for a long, long time.

And then, god, what Wei Wuxian is feeling here! He’s the first one to always take the hit for Jiang Cheng. He’s always going to do whatever he can to make him feel better. He makes the sacrifices. That’s part of who Wei Wuxian is—he’s very selfless and courageous. I also can’t imagine how he feels, to be stuck in the middle of this very personal, very private family argument. The kind of raw emotion that’s on display in this scene is hard for me to watch. It’s awkward, it’s ugly, it’s a dark side to family dynamics that a lot of us thankfully never have to experience. It’s horrible to think that even when Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were basically awaiting death in that cave, it was quite peaceful, though the landscape was harsh. And now that he’s back in this peaceful setting of Lotus Pier, he’s faced with another monster in the form of his adoptive family.

Of course Wei Wuxian knows that Jiang Fengmian doesn’t love him more—he’s harsher with Jiang Cheng because he’s the heir and he needs to be tougher, he needs to be able to lead this clan. I’m curious if Jiang Fengmian actually did have an affair, but if anything, it was probably emotional. I don’t think that Wei Wuxian is his love child or anything. But at the end of the day, the way I read this is just that the man has trouble being there for his son on an emotional level, and he feels bad for Wei Wuxian and overcompensates for that by giving him more attention. The thing is, while I don’t agree with it, I think he’s harder on his son because Jiang Cheng needs to someday lead. All Wei Wuxian needs to do is support that. And he does. He always supports Jiang Cheng. Always, that is, until Wei Wuxian finally starts to think about what he wants to do with his life, and he doesn’t want to spend it torturing people who don’t deserve it.

The Twin Prides of Yunmeng. It’s a nice idea, but it relies on Wei Wuxian submitting himself to Jiang Cheng at all times for the rest of their lives. It makes Wei Wuxian give up his agency. It makes him give up his dream to do what’s right and always have a clear conscience. If he had followed Jiang Cheng into fire, he would have had to lose himself in the process. So this is a promise that Wei Wuxian could never hope to keep. Although it’s a nice promise, it was said to make Jiang Cheng feel better.

Other episodes: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |

#wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #cql #the untamed #jiang cheng #jin zixuan #jiang fengmian #madam yu #wwx #lwj #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #cql rewatch

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etherealellaelf · 4 years

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Disney Remakes: they’re not all bad.

I submit that some of the disney live action remakes are, regrettably, a bit off. But not all of them. A lot of them are really good. Here’s why.

-Lion King did really put me off with the lack of expressions. I’m not sure if I have much to say about it, lol I’ll have to see it and let you know. Honestly though I don’t think I can because I love the original Lion King so flipping much, it’s a masterful movie and part of its mastery is the beautiful hand drawn animation and its expressive characters. I can’t think I can watch a bunch of real lions just talking. Who knows? I’ll keep you posted.

-Alice in Wonderland, one of the first of them, had some really good feminist moments. I love the Hatter and Alice’s love for each other, I guess he’s like the only human in Wonderland so it makes sense. But I get some weird ideas because the denizens of Wonderland are supposed to mirror the characters in Alice’s real life, and since the only redhead in Alice’s life is Hamish, that weirdo who asks her to marry him and he’s a total jerk.... and the Hatter is a redhead too.... idk it’s weird. Also it’s weird if he represents her dad because number one he’s dead and number two it’s incest, but the Hatter does say a few things that her dad said at the beginning....hmmm... fishy. However I feel like I can rest assured because this might just be the case of “Johnny Depp came to shoot today in a homemade cosplay and nobody can stop him because he’s just a mad genius”, in which case why do they keep letting him do that??? I don’t mind the hatter’s design, but can you imagine Just Plain Old Johnny Depp In All His Sexy Glory as a mad hatter? It would have been fine. They had to give him a gap between his teeth, CGI enlarged eyes, crazy red hair, white and pink makeup... oh well, whatever, it’s fine. I like how Underland looks a bit more like Narnia than like a Tim Burton land; I honestly don’t know if they gave him complete creative control when it came to the CGI set design. It might’ve been cool to see that.

-Cinderella was wonderful, I thought. I really love how Cinderella and the Prince interacted a lot more, falling in love over a long period of time. In fact, I feel like it was a spiritual remake of Ella Enchanted(which, in my opinion, Disney really botched up because the book was just so amazing), so they did really good in my book. My brother, however, hates that at the end she just twirls in her tower and doesn’t do anything to save herself, when in the original she tried to escape. He thinks it’s really unfeminist and he doesn’t want his daughter to act like that. I agree on that mark, but I’ll let everyone watch it. Also they threw a little bit of the Beauty and the Beast original fairy tale in there when her dad, a merchant, asks what she wants and Cinderella asks for the branch that brushes his arm or whatever; similar to a single rose, when her sisters ask for riches. I also liked the handling of Lady Tremaine; it really humanized her and I felt for her. The stepsisters were silly as per the usual. The King went from a bumbling psychopath(the cartoon) to a very melancholy, concerned father, and I cried at his death scene. Bravo, Kenneth Branagh, bravo.

-I really like all of Beauty and the Beast, although I do think that they made Lumiere & friends a little bit too important in this movie. I needed more moments between Belle and the Beast that were in the animation! Evermore was breathtaking though, let’s be honest. Although let’s be honest, I REALLY REALLY wanted to see a shirtless Dan Stevens emerge from a wall of rose petals because that sounds absolutely magical and super HOT. I’m so mad they had to redo it. Also I like the subtle crush Lefou has on Gaston; I’ve always wondered if he liked him. I do wish that Josh Gad had toned it down with his fabulousness though, because although I love fabulousness I wonder if it was slightly offensive. I really liked Gaston, and I feel like he could have gone a little bigger and with more bravado, could have been from slightly comedic to VERY comedic, but I think that’s alright. He did a great job. And as for everyone complaining about the villagers being really nasty and openly evil towards Belle, I actually liked it. It’s clear in the cartoon that the villagers whisper behind Belle’s back, but I feel like she just has a small smidgeon of an idea that they think she’s weird. In this, they freaking ATTACK her. They’re like ‘We can’t have smart bicc’s in our town! Get out me town!” It is a bit on the nose sometimes but I think it works because it helps Beast and her relate to feeling like outsiders. I do think the Beast knowing how to read kind of gave them something in common as well, but I disliked how he scoffed at her favorite book, Romeo and Juliet. I wish he had been more understanding like, “There’s this poor girl whose library is like, seven books, and amongst those seven books, one of which is probably the freaking bible because they belong to a pastor, her favorite is basically a romance. She’s not well read; I’m going to show her the classics.” Which back then was probably, like, idk, Voltaire? Too soon? Eh I’m not sure when it takes place. I do wish he’d gifted the library to her though, that was a nice gift for her in the previous movie. (Here’s the thing; the Beauty and the Beast cartoon is basically a perfect movie and I don’t think anything can live up to it, but this one was good too. It wasn’t better, but nothing can be better than that movie. Except maybe the Princess Bride or the first Pirates of the Caribbean or the stage production of Phantom of the Opera. No, not even then.)

-Dumbo? I haven’t seen it yet, I’ll have to and update this.

-Okay so Aladdin is really good. I entered the film with the meme cringe in my mind, totally expecting it to look weird and bad, but honestly Will Smith was such a great actor! And I actually freaking cried so many times because number one: the genie was aladdin’s father figure that he never had! He taught him how to date! Number two: the genie got his true love as well, and you see her and their kids at the beginning of the movie! SPOILERS btw. Sorry. Also Number three: they picked Will Smith to play the genie because he’s HITCH of course! The matchmaker extraordinaire! (I just love Will Smith. I wish he would run for president; it wouldn’t be the first time we had an actor in the white house. Just kidding, I don’t want to burden him that way, and there are really smart candidates this year to choose from. I just am urging everyone to go vote, and no more harambe crap!!!!) Also Jasmine had a nice new empowering role in this movie. I just sort of wish Jafar had been more menacing and villainous. But his actor was fine, just a bit soft-spoken.

-Lady and the Tramp- I started it on Disney+, I need to finish it. I’m halfway there.

-Christopher Robin is a gift; it’s both simple and complex. It has a lot of nice metaphors and I could feel my heart hurting for much of the film. Seriously good aesthetics as well, Director of Photography!!!

-The Jungle Book is a really good remake! So much excitement, and I could totally see Bill Murray in Baloo. (I think it’s equal in terms of story to the movie Mowgli, although Mowgli had that nasty little surprise at the end, I’m still hurt about it.)(also in comparing, the CGI is similarly good, but Mowgli wanted to do a really ambitious face capture thingy and I’m not sure if it worked,(uncanny) but it was interesting! It was also a lot darker. I think they’re both good.) Ben Kingsley was superb, of course, as Bagheera, as always, and he has a really fatherly voice(I thought Christian Bale did well as Bagheera as well, but he was more of an action figure in that movie, less of a father/teacher figure). And John Favreau, as always, went the extra mile to bring the action, the writing, and the moral through, and made it super good for children at the same time!(the same cannot be said about Mowgli, as there were some violence/action things that go beyond ‘peril’, hence it’s PG-13 rating) My one discrepancy was the voice of Kaa. Scarlet did fine, but I always thought of Kaa as a boy. I think they could have found a slithery voice actor for Kaa. Benedict Cumberbatch did really well as Smaug, hissing and growling, and he could have done well. I also think that Tom Hiddleston could have done a great job; he has a really gentle and pliant voice that can turn menacing in the matter of seconds, and if it’s about the snake being sexy as Scarlet Johanssen(haha what??), I think that Hiddles can bring it.(I’m not quite sure what I’m talking about at this point so I’ll shut up now.) I do feel like Mowgli started shooting way before The Jungle Book was even a glimmer in John Favreau’s eye, and that kind of makes me want to root for Mowgli because I’m sure that different movie houses have people working in both, probably swapping stories with their friends, and I’m sure it wasn’t an exact copy, but I can totally see Bill Murray in Baloo’s face and that can’t be by accident. Just saying. Not calling Disney out or anything, but I’m sure they can take it, they have like a trillion dollars. Anyway. Still a good one.

-Haven’t seen Pete’s Dragon.

-101 Dalmations, I know this shouldn’t count but it just does. I loved watching this as a child. I’m so happy they didn’t make the dogs talk? Haha it usually works when they do, but it gave a lot of room for Doctor House and Mister Weasley to interact. Also Glenn Close is great. I think this movie’s a good example of a career woman who decides to get domesticated and her sista is like, “Girl, you can’t do this! We have to be strong women! You have to come back to work!” But Anita is all, “Girl, respect my decisions! Feminism isn’t forcing your girl to be exactly like you, it’s giving me the respect to make my own decisions. If I want to have a baby with my husband, that’s fine. I want to be a mom!” I feel like the “new” 101 dalmatians remake they’re gonna make, will have a different opinion. Similar to wicked and maleficent, it’s going to humanize Cruella, but I just hope that they’re nice to Anita. She’s such a smol soft bird and if she wants 2 billion dogs and one baby, that’s fine... ugh, that’s gotta be like so much dog poop in her house... anita what are you doing...

-Maleficent. Obviously I love it. I love how those arguing fairies are super incompetent at raising Aurora because they’re too busy fighting, so Maleficent has to swoop in and rescue the princess. I like how Maleficent is a fae and it’s so sad how there’s like this rape metaphor when Stefan cuts off her wings, and that would be reason to curse his baby, especially because they were in love and he betrayed her! Stole her wings! Married someone else! T^T Maleficent, you poor misunderstood fairy! I love her motherly relationship with Aurora. I love that she’s the one who kisses her forehead to wake her up because Philip met her just that day. However, I don’t like how they just shove Philip out of the way, because Sleeping Beauty is honestly so romantic, and I love how they dance together and everything. I also like the raven boi. I ship him and Maleficent so hard and I hope he doesn’t die in the sequel, I haven’t seen it yet.

-So technically the Parent Trap is a remake. It’s awesome. It gave my childhood so much romance and prank ideas. It’s much better than its predecessor, especially because the mom in the old one is, like, urged to look prettier by her butler(wtf?!?! YOu’re FIrEd?!?). I’m so glad we’ve come so far.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Are the remakes better? In some cases they are. I think Cinderella is better than its predecessor. I think the original Alice is very good, as a nonsense movie, and I feel like the remake is equally good, but they’re different movies with different motives and plots. The original Beauty and the Beast is my favorite and it’s perfect, so the new one isn’t better, but it is really great and I love it, too. Anyway, that’s all.

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spaceorphan18 · 6 years

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Finding Kurt Hummel: New New York

Masterpost

5x14: New New York

Ah, we’ve finally reached it - the beloved New York arc, and my personal favorite episode of the show. I realize it’s taken me forever to get back to this - but these episodes are going to take some time to do, there’s just so much Kurt! Yay!!

I think the show did something smart by narrowing the cast down. One of the reasons the NYArc works so well is that there are really only six-ish characters, and the story lines are once again allowed to breathe and everyone gets equal focus. It’s such the ideal - I’m already sad that this only for a limited time.

Downtown

We open with the song Downtown - which works as an introduction to the New York arc. Here we are - New York! And it’s a nice set piece to reorient the show in it’s new location. (Funny - this song has always reminded me of the opening of Lost’s Third Season - but that’s commentary for another day.)

Anyway - after a year and a half, Kurt finally gets to sing his way out of the subway like everyone else. This song kind of makes New York seem idyllic and peaceful, which is a misnomer because we all know shit is gonna go down soon - but for now, enjoy the pretty sights downtown because it’ll give you a nice (false) sense of security. And I like how Kurt swings himself around the lamp post - just like the old school musicals, taking everything in as he sings.

It’s been 84,000 years - but Blaine has finally made it to New York as well!! And now that they’ve been there for six-ish months (c’mon - it would have been nice to see some of that honeymoon stage, but whatever...) they’ve seem to have a nice routine going. I’m sure this is their usual coffee shop - and oh, look, Kurt’s reading an actual newspaper. It’s like it’s the olden times. Except, in olden times, Kurt and Blaine wouldn’t really be able to walk around freely as fiances.

Ah, look at how cute these two goobers are singing about how lovely life is. Do you guys remember when this was being filmed, and if you turn the camera around - there were about a million fans watching? Ah man.

Also, that’s Washington Park. I once decided to sit and read a book there. Until two women decided they needed to beat the shit out of each other while their boyfriends watched. Kinda felt like that was my cue to leave. Oh New York - you are a lovely city, but not as idyllic as Glee would have you believe.

The boys meet up with Artie and Sam - which I’m sure happens on a regular basis, too. Rachel pulls up in her towncar - and I kind of love the look on Kurt’s face. Everyone else is happy to see Rachel - and Kurt’s, like, wtf are you riding in. Yeah - he and Blaine might have their ups and downs in this episode, but Kurt is completely unimpressed with Rachel throughout this entire episode, lol.

So... this is what cracks me up. Kurt is all eye roll-y at Rachel about the car - and about the fact that Rachel decided to move back into the loft, but didn’t lift a finger to help (god...). But when she offers them a ride, both he and Blaine are like - um, yup, we’re going with Rachel - which is kind of rude to Artie (and Sam) who are stuck walking to the restaurant that they’re all going to.

And this is where I take a moment to say that NYC is hard -- it’s not easy on the poor (Sam) or the disabled (Artie), and at least the show takes a second to show that. And as an aside, I’m glad they take some time to develop Sam as someone who prefers the country. As much as NYC is built up, it’s nice to show that it’s not for everyone - and there’s nothing wrong with you if you /don’t/ want to live in the city.

Domesticity

Ah, and here we get a small snapshot of their world while living together. I mean, I couldn’t sleep with Blaine literally on top of me, but the shot is gorgeous and it’s a shame that we didn’t get to see more than these tiny little moments. But at least we can look at this, and this sequence, and piece together what eventually their real life will be together. For now, however, there’s a lot of “playing house” as Blaine preps breakfast for the hundredth time since he’s moved in.

Interestingly, this the morning after the bed bug stuff - so I’m assuming Blaine is making breakfast not only because that’s his thing since he’s moved to New York, but also a way of an apology, too. Kurt insists that he doesn’t - I’m sure a kid who’s used to doing things on his own for a long, long time really wouldn’t get used to this kind of attention, but it’s easy to give in when everything is ready to go for you.

As they have their breakfast, Blaine catches us up on the past few months - Blaine has moved into the loft, and has spending every second of every day with Kurt - just soaking in all the Kurt. And as much as Kurt probably loves being with Blaine all the time, too -- I mean look how hot Blaine looks in this scene (!!) spending every second of every day with someone can be, well, stifling -- not matter how much you love them. And this is what the entire episode is going to be about...

Kurt mentions they’re turned into an old married couple already - and in a way they have, but I think what Kurt’s more so wanting to express is the fact that they’ve been joined at the hip since Blaine got to New York. And as much as he had wanted it back when he was in high school (see: The Purple Piano Project) the reality of that - especially for someone like Kurt who needs his space and alone time - is that it’s not the greatest thing in practice. Blaine, however, trying so hard to hold onto Kurt - is ignoring the signs of Kurt’s discomfort - and thus we have Blaine singing, ironically, You Make Me Feel So Young.

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This song is nearly impossible to still - so here, have the entire song.

I know when this first aired, there were some criticisms that Kurt wasn’t all into it -- but I don’t really agree at all? At first, when Blaine gets clingy - Kurt’s a little hesitant, because that boy needs some space. And that’s one of the things the boys need to learn about each other - that Blaine needs reassurance that he’s loved, so he reaches out to the point of suffocation, but Kurt needs space - and when he’s able to get that, he can return affection to Blaine easily, but when he doesn’t he tries to distance himself and it’s a vicious cycle of misunderstanding. Really - they just need to talk with each other - and not sing duets. But! That’s what this New York arc is all about.

But - as the song goes, Kurt is delightfully happy, dancing around with Blaine, doing domestic-y things like making the bed, brushing teeth, picking out Blaine’s wardrobe. It’s all those things that Burt mentioned in Love, Love, Love - but like Burt said, it’s not all about that - it’s about finding a balance with your partner, and our boys are still learning that.

The song is almost perfect for their situation right now -- Blaine says that Kurt makes him feel so young. But they’re already young! They shouldn’t need to express that! But doubly so - they’re just about to come out of the honeymoon stage of living together. Being in a relationship is not just sunshine and roses and great days - but hard work. Again - this is what they’re learning in this arc (and season 6.)

Meanwhile, as a duet, I think they sound great here - it is a nice balance of their voices. And it’s fun and flirty and works really well with the both of them.

Meanwhile, after they’re finished up their shopping trip Kurt’s all ready to jump Blaine on the couch. That is until Sam stops them cause he’s back from running and is going to take a shower and be all up in their space. And Kurt looks like he’s going to murder someone. Cause unlike Tina’s fantasy - the real Kurt will cut a bitch if you interrupt sexy times.

Here’s the thing, though - if Blaine needs verbal emotional reassurance - Kurt needs it in a physical sense. And you know what Kurt’s probably not been getting a lot of since Blaine’s moved in? Sex. Look - the boy who was once told that no one would ever want to touch him gets off a lot on being touched. And, on top of that, Burt was right, once you start - you’re not gonna stop. If I had to guess - not only does Kurt use sex as a way to connect and reconnect with Blaine, but he also uses it as a stress relief. And his life, right now, is jumbled up with a ton of people and a ton of stresses and god dammit - can’t he just have this one thing? Nope --

So it’s no surprise that Kurt gets huffy - and yells at Blaine that there are too many people in the house - and that ideally, Sam has got to go. His anger is more than just about Sam, but it’s currently the easiest target. Ah, poor, resigned Blaine, who probably really would have liked to have sex just then, too.

Trapped in a Box

First of all, I wanna say -- Hi Will! - I see you! Season 5 has a lot of cast family members showing up - Chris’s boyfriend, Lea’s dad, Darren’s parents! It’s like - hey end of the show is coming up, gotta get everyone in now! I am still a little sad Mia never made it in. Anyway, on to the show...

It must be, like, first day back for winter semester - and Blaine’s managed to get himself in 6 out of 8 of Kurt’s classes - including Mime Class. I mean, this scene is totally played up for comedy, which really works - especially a lot of the physical comedy. But - of course - there’s something deeper going on, too. Because it’s all about that being trapped in a box metaphor.

The thing is though - Blaine directly asks Kurt if he’s the one who’s doing the suffocating. And Kurt says no. Why? Maybe cause he doesn’t want to hurt Blaine’s feelings? Maybe cause he doesn’t want to admit that his perfect life with Blaine isn’t working? Maybe cause he’s placing all his issues on Sam? That’s the thing though - Kurt needs to be honest about himself and his needs and when he figures it out - he can communicate it to Blaine truthfully. Oh boys, you’ve got a ways to go. In the meantime, Blaine’s getting physically up in his space and Kurt’s about done.

Also, interestingly, when Kurt asks if Sam is on his way out, he also mentions that they haven’t had a moment to themselves, which I believe has double meaning. First the obvious undertones of - /I/ haven’t a moment to myself in this crazy loft. But secondly, goes back to the fact that with all the time he and Blaine have been spending together - they haven’t had the chance to be as intimate as Kurt would probably like either.

So - later that day (and it is the same day since Kurt is wearing the same clothes he had on in the earlier scene) - he’s trying to help Artie with the whole being mugged thing. But then Blaine is busy with the soda machine and Rachel is all caught up in her own drama.

I kind of love the bubble machine moment - because this is truly a married couple moment. Sometimes, your partner is going to be annoying - especially when they get obsessed with something as stupid as bubbles and soda machines. You love them anyway, but dear god - if Kurt has to hear that bubble thing one more time... I love it, they are adorable.

Oh kid, I feel ya - I really do!

See, it’s not just Blaine, it’s really not. It is partially the fact that Sam has been living on the couch. The fact that Artie’s life is in disarray and there isn’t much do to fix the situation. The fact that Rachel is a high maintenance mess. The fact that he got mostly no sleep the previous night because bed bugs. And let’s face it - when was the last time Kurt got properly laid. And let’s not forget Kurt is an only child who is used to being in control of his life. All these variables are damn stressful. To top it all off - they’re in a loft, where there is no second room he can go to and slam the door. It’s really pretty amazing that Kurt didn’t snap right here.

Be a Rockstar

So, later in the evening, probably as a chance to get away - Kurt’s hanging out with Elliott. Elliott’s all band talk - but Kurt’s got other things on his mind. He hasn’t slept at all. Elliott ribs him about it being sexy times, and Kurt wishes, but no, it’s not that. And then we go into the tale about Kurt’s furniture being uncomfortable so Blaine tries to find something new, only it has bed bugs and their evening is spent disinfecting the apartment.

And Elliott’s just kind of amused. Because this is what living in the city is like. It’s not all perfect and roses and rainbows and happiness. Sometimes it sucks. I’m glad that the show is finally taking a moment to show that NYC isn’t as perfect as it seems (even if they continue with the improbable plots.)

Meanwhile, Kurt thinks the couch is an omen for his relationship with Blaine - nice on the outside but riddled with bedbugs on the inside. And Elliott again, is amused, cause unlike any other character on this show, other than Burt, he gets it. Kurt and Blaine’s relationship is not doomed because the shine has worn off. They just need to talk to each other, and set boundaries, and understand that they’re individual people, and talk to each other.

This is why I love Elliott - and wish he was around, especially to knock some sense into Kurt during season 6. I also think it’s a nice moment when Elliott says that what Kurt and Blaine have is real and that he’s super jealous of it. It’s unfortunate that we don’t always get to see further exploration of their full relationship, especially more happier moments between the two of them. But Elliott’s been around them now for months - and has had to hear Kurt talk about Blaine for months (as he tells Blaine, Kurt won’t shut up about him). And Kurt’s a bit comforted and smiles when Elliott says it. Cause he really doesn’t want his relationship to fail. He’s just struggling.

And Elliott lays it out straight -- talk to your boyfriend Kurt!!

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Meanwhile, Elliott reminds Kurt to not forget about his band that will be pretty much forgotten after this episode.

The song, however, is Rockstar and absolutely delightful even if I really can’t find any good connection to Kurt’s story. But Kurt gets to relax a bit as Adam Lambert graces us with his Rock Star Quality one last time.

Ah man - I’m really going to miss him.

Calm Down, Psycho

Oh - demon!Kurt - scary.

So, clearly, Kurt didn’t take Elliott’s advice and go home and talk to Blaine. Cause this is the evening of the next day (?) the time line is still kinda screwy. But they’re wearing different clothes. Anyway - Kurt’s had a long day, and comes home to Blaine having moved all the furniture around so he can feel more at home in the loft.

Btw - this whole argument makes me wonder if during the initial set up, Rachel just let Kurt do all the designing.

Anyway - this is what happens when you don’t talk about issues - the bubble over and you start yelling at each other. Granted - most of the time in real life, they aren’t this funny (cause let’s face it, Glee’s still a comedy, and this argument is pretty funny).

So - what can we learn from this argument? Well - Kurt is clearly having boundary issues and not talking to Blaine about them -- bottling up your feelings is not good. But, he’s also wanting to be too much in control, and not realizing that Blaine is another person that is allowed to have his own personal space. Compromise and sharing is still a thing Kurt needs to learn.

Meanwhile, Blaine is just as bad at communication - and so worried about things falling apart with Kurt that he’s illogically blaming his issues on the presence of Elliott. Kurt is clearly confused why Elliott is an issue, but Blaine’s would rather blame an external issue than realize there’s an internal one.

The nice thing is that they’re both at fault for not talking to the other one about the issues of living in the loft together.

As an aside - I kinda cracked up when Blaine mentions that god knows what their roommates hear from them -- there are more sex references in this episode than I realized.

Anyway - Blaine storms out -- and this is the thing that has me curious. When he goes to see Elliott, and in their talk with each other, both Kurt and Blaine have changed outfits. So... just how long was Blaine gone? At least a night has passed? If so - that means when Kurt’s waiting for Blaine, there’s a layer of worry on top of it cause it’s not something they fixed that night - some time has passed.

Also - shoutout to the Sage Glitter Rock Vampire that is Elliott. And Elliott not only knows how to calm Blaine down, but he reassures him that Kurt loves him dearly, and basically gives Blaine the same advice in that you need a) space and b) to talk to each other.

(Btw - I know the scene is only Elliott and Blaine - but it’s hilarious and I needed to mention it. But also, clearly Sam, Rachel, and Artie are not big on friend duties cause Kurt and Blaine are relying on Elliott to help them out. I’m not surprised they have communication issues, cause they don’t really have any good role models either.)

The Talk

So, I’m guessing that it’s been a good 24 hours since they’re fight - and Kurt’s now had plenty of alone time to sit and think about life and his relationship. And when Blaine comes home, Kurt’s not really angry - but he’s worried. Cause relationships, he thought, weren’t supposed to be hard, and this is. But additionally - Blaine’s been gone a long time. And this is the moment where I remind my audience just how much Kurt loves Blaine - cause Kurt’s worried just about /Blaine/ being okay, too. So, there’s a little relief when he returns, but more anxiety because that means they have to face this big thing together.

I like, also, before they really get into the heart of their talk that Blaine mentions that Elliott’s a good friend. Not only does Kurt say that yes - he’s one of the only friends he’s got in New York (cause let’s face it - were Rachel and Santana ever being good friends? Not really) but also gets that whole aspect out of the way. Their issues and their fight are not about third parties - they really never are. It’s about their own dynamics and their own issues.

Blaine sits down and says the one thing that Kurt had been avoiding thinking about - even if it was in the back of his mind. That their current living situation isn’t working. And, god, does that hurt Kurt to even admit that - cause he, as well as Blaine, wanted so badly for this to be their happily ever after.

But the thing is - Blaine’s right -- this whole loft situation is not the ideal first living situation to be in. And he’s also right that they jumped into things without discussing them first. They were so excited to just be together in New York that they didn’t plan anything, or address that there might be issues going forward.

Now, do I agree that Blaine moving out is the best choice? No, not really - as Kurt says, it is like a step backwards - but narratively, they wanted Blaine with Sam and Mercedes and they didn’t want to break up Rachel and Kurt for reasons I don’t fully understand. Ideally - I’d have gotten the two of them their own place with walls and doors and a place where they could figure their shit out on their own. But -- you know, Glee wasn’t about to let Klaine have their own separate apartment, so...

I’d also like to mention that Kurt isn’t really thrilled with Blaine’s idea. He doesn’t want Blaine to leave, but he recognizes that something has to change. Unfortunately, they’re still young and growing and don’t have the tools or experience to figure out how to fix what’s wrong. So - in a way, I get this solution. Blaine doesn’t know how to give Kurt emotional space - so let’s try physical instead.

The thing I like about this scene is that while they’re faced with making a decision that neither of them really wants to make - they are here sitting about it and talking about it. And the decision is made together. And - they reassure how important they are to each other. No one says ‘I love you’ in this scene. But it’s underscored in promise they make to each other. But Blaine reaffirms that they’re together and they’re going to stay that way. While Kurt reassures Blaine that their relationship is very precious to him, and that they’ll always belong together.

This scene kinda sucks in the change of status quo for them (again - for story purposes - fine whatever Glee, don’t let the engaged couple live together). But it’s very sweet and heart felt and really shows the connection they do have when they actually sit down to talk to one another -- which they really be doing more often. (Cause they’re going to not talk again - which leads to issues further on.)

And finally, they reconnect in a way that they are used to connecting...

It’s funny that Kurt claims that this really wasn’t an argument - just two adults discussing things, and maybe this conversation was - but you guys have a while before I count you as full on adults. A few more growing pain in there. But for now - the band-aid works, and lesson one of many has been learned.

I kinda love how Kurt just melts under Blaine’s touch. Yeah, you go get that hot make-up sex, Kurt ;)

Changes

So, after Artie’s tale of how he took charge in his life - Kurt and Blaine explain that Blaine is going to move out! And everyone is rightfully shocked at that. Keep in mind, guys, just because Blaine “moves out” doesn’t really mean he’s going anywhere - since we’ll see him in the loft all the time in Kurt’s room, lol.

Kurt claims that it’s a chance for Blaine to form his own New York identity. Well -- that’s what Kurt did, but they’re different people, and I don’t think it works the same way for Blaine, even if I do agree with what Kurt says - that Blaine needs to know who he is as person not glued to Kurt’s hip. And what he doesn’t say is that Kurt is the one who needs to have some space every once in a while. Whatever - I don’t think anyone but us fans cares about the details.

And then Mercedes arrives solving all of Blaine (and Sam)’s housing issues ;)

So - they’re now at the townhouse helping Mercedes move in. And you know what - Kurt is far more done with Rachel in this episode than he ever is with Blaine. God, she’s getting irritating, and Kurt is not afraid of thinking it.

I’m guessing after they’ve got Mercedes moved in, Kurt and Blaine go walk around town - just themselves, hand in hand, being cute and buying flowers for each other. And I like that they get this moment of just sweet couple-ness -- not only as a gay couple, but as just a couple who do enjoy spending time with each other and being with each other when they’ve at least worked through some of their shit. It’s a quiet but lovely couple of little moments. And yes, I would have liked more of them throughout his arc - but at least we got a few.

And of course their new tradition of Monday Night dinners start - and Kurt’s happy, and everyone’s happy, and this would have made a great pilot for a new spin-off show, and it’s tragic that it’s not. Ah well... Hello New York Arc! How I loved you, even if you were cut too short. :D

#finding kh #kurt hummel

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whydoyouthinkileft · 7 years

Note

Fitzsimmons for the ship meme

reminder that these are my headcanons and can be completely wrong

-who cries when someone dies in a movie

Jemma. Fitz can get misty-eyed depending on the movie (movies where pets die? those are just unacceptable) but it’s barely noticeable when there is a woman wiping actual big tears right next to him. The first time it happened she had warned him, at the academy, that she cannot watch sad scenes and not cry, and he still got agitated and tried to comfort her, but she was fine two scenes after that.

-who wears the ugly holiday garb

Jemma, absolutely. And proudly. She just ends up looking cute. She makes fun of her own height if she dresses as an elf for a Christmas party, how do you resist that? But then she also brings hats for Fitz and Fitz can either attempt to refuse and be given lots of kisses and puppy eyes to accept, or just accept right away and be given lots of kisses and a big smile. ( “We are making traditions, Fitz! Fifty years from now you’ll be happy about this!”)

-who pays for the meals

Fitz would pay if it wasn’t for the fact that Jemma feels guilty and eats less if he pays for everything, so they agreed that each pays its own unless it’s a date, because she appreciates gentlemanly gestures. Sometimes if they are in a hurry and leaving a bar or something similar, though, one hurries to the counter to pay and they don’t really worry about it later.

-who slams the oven door and who plays the trombone

she slams the oven door because then she can also shake her hair a lot.

-who brings home stray animals

oh, it’s a tie. They both look equally apologetic and the other one melts - as if they were going to protest much over taking a puppy or a kitten home when it’s raining like hell - but if they are still working in SHIELD they can’t fill a house with pets they can’t take care of, so they give them to other people after they make sure they are fine. Once they live elsewhere, and are having a more domestic life… now that’s the problem. How can Fitz survive a “… you want to take away my dog?” asked already nearly in tears by a very sad Jemma? How can Jemma even just glance at a smiling Fitz playing with a dog and think that they have already too many dogs?

-who leaves the bathroom door open

Fitz would be less self-conscious, but given that he knows Jemma prefers doors closed unless it’s a joined shower, or unless she’s taking a bath and he needs that mirror or those cabinets for some reasons, he probably just always closes the door. Unless they are doing things like fixing their hair. Jemma wants to leave some mystery lol (but, again, she leaves the door open if she’s just in a hurry, brushing teeth and fixing her appearance)

-who tells the ‘dad jokes’

they both have their (nerd) jokes (schrodinger cat jokes? come on, Jemma. I actually snorted at it, but still) but in this case I think Fitz tells more dad jokes (barely, because she tells them too and then waits for his done reaction) if anything to fight back against there dark-self-deprecating jokes which he keeps stumbling upon. Jemma either actually laughs or mock-asks him to leave.

-who wants kids more

they both want kids, and they are both afraid of being bad parents, and after each of them admits it the other can see that they shouldn’t have worried in the first place if they sound that ridiculous, because each of them can see how wonderful the other one would be as a parent. so it’s a tie, though I can see Fitz worrying a bit more and therefore Jemma ends up being the one who wants them more by exclusion. But even here, barely.

-who travels more

They usually travel together!

-who spends more cash

Jemma, because Fitz is more careful about it (see talking about putting a price on the perfect house). Then again Mr Renting A Whole Restaurant For Them makes up for it with extra romantic gestures - but it still doesn’t reach Jemma’s expenses between her big wardrobe (especially the expensive, luxurious, lingerie) (Fitz would never complain about that even if she used their money, though normally she has her own money aside for extras) and personal things added to her making up for her lack of creativity in romance by buying him whatever he might want no matter the price, and of course buying holiday tickets and other more romantic things too. (for example, Fitz falls in love with some movie? she buys him some perfect piece of merchandise that was almost impossible to find. In any case if you ask her it’s harder to be romantic towards a guy, you don’t get to buy jewelry and flowers for a special date)

-who buys the things in infomercials

I think neither? they could find inspiration to modify some of their furniture, though.

-who draws in the dust on their cars

I think Fitz might have had the passing thought of not wanting to risk scratching it - and then Jemma drew a heart for him on it, for once doing something sweet and not practical at all for him, and then she drew him a monkey face, and he just gave up. (I can also see him as the kind of man who melts when his usually more practical girlfriend does something sentimental for him)

-who starts the snowball fights

He starts when he feels it’s a good day for him to end up tackled into the snow by her. That’s how she ends the fights usually. But sometimes it’s her, even if she knows she’ll end up screaming while running away from him.

-who throws away the directions to things

Once upon a time Fitz had had enough of following a map to a tee and threw it away. After one detour that turned into three because “Oh look at that, Fitz, we have to go see that!” and “can we stop, I want to pet that!” and being dragged in a shady looking pub for a drink and fearing for Jemma’s life about four times in two hours, and finding a blocked road because of the third detour which led them to have to take a different turn and go to a different town where Jemma disappeared and turned out to have spent two hours in an obscure small shop of random merchandise, and Jemma taking control of the wheel and nearly driving them into a lake but then stopping the car with a ridiculous U turn that not even Fast&Furious would have shown as acceptable, and it was genuinely what she meant to do and considered ‘parking’, and having to ask for directions to a guy who kept smiling at her, Fitz decided they were always going to follow directions from then on. Nobody throws away directions.

-who puts up holiday decor

They both do. Jemma goes a bit overboard because oh! they have a home! they are together! isn’t it amazing? and her enthusiasm gets to him too. He doesn’t really care about having the perfect shade of red for the pillows to go with the new decorations but hey, she’s so happy and touch-y, he’s not going to fight her on it.

-who is more likely to forget to bathe

they are both very clean people, so I’m going to go with Jemma forgetting to take a shower after work because she doesn’t stop working - she forgets to live until Fitz takes her away from her project.

-who gets more obsessed about things

they both get extra fixated on their science projects, and they can have very long fandom conversations, so it’s almost a tie, except she also gets obsessed more in the bad way, with grudges against actual enemies, or in friendly cases “remember in 2005 when you helped prank me? We are even now”. Also Fitz doesn’t need to rewatch tvshows that many times. He’s more chill in that.

-who sings in the shower more often

Jemma. Fitz is more self-conscious until he hears her pull “Can’t Fight This Feeling” by Reo with all her heart and without a care in the world. On one hand, it seems okay to sing if he feels like it, given that Jemma doesn’t exactly hold back, on the other hand she’s perfectly in tune and it feels like he’s also supposed to sing perfectly. But then she also goes for jumping instead of dancing in the kitchen and trying to drag him into it so her lack of shame makes him feel more free to join the radio every now and then.

#lovelornrocketscientist #ooc

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fatethearcher · 7 years

Text

Kimi no na wa x Persona 4/5

I am trash with my trashy ships and trashier headcanons someone stop me plz Continuation of my previous post -When do the mind swaps occur? During P4 for Rise's timeline (maybe Naoto's rescue mission?) and During P5 for Ann's timeline (3rd palace? or later but preferably 3rd) -is there a "Rise is dead" timeline? Yes. The timeline where Rise is dead gets overwritten though (similarly but different to KnnW) which is why to everyone in P5 Rise's poster at the station has "always been there" -how do they each deal with hiding their personae "changing" "Ann" volunteers to stay in the second party while exploring the palace on switching days. "Rise" makes excuses about being busy and asks if Teddie can be the navigator that day -do their teammates realize something is off? OBVIOUSLY this is persona we're talking about... The investigation team try to question "Rise" but she is very good at avoiding them on switching days--- probably because they're trying to find her where Rise would go, but it's Ann they're chasing soooooo XD it's the avoiding that's making them more suspicious though lol. The Phantom Thieves are just kinda like "We gotta deal with Kaneshiro*... she's not upset or anything so let's just leave her be. She'll tell us when she's ready" because "Ann" is super bubbly and stuff so it's odd but not necessarily a bad thing... they think? *whatever palace boss they're dealing with at the time -Why wouldn't Ann recognize Rise immediately when they switch bodies? Because Ann is originally in the "Rise's dead" timeline. She probably briefly remembers Risette from when she was in middle school but it's been years since Rise died and when switching bodies she's probably not going to automatically remember a dead idol she may not have even been a fan of. The switching bodies thing is weird enough thank you. But honestly she probably has an odd feeling of dejavu when she looks in the mirror and sees Rise's face but doesn't know where she has seen her before. -Do they have any habits that annoy the other Yesss Rise needs her coffee in the morning. It has to be super dark and bitter with no added ANYTHING or else she's a grump for the rest of the day. And if she's having a stressful day she'll keep drinking coffee the entire day--- aka every time they switch Rise ends up stressing out and ends up drinking enough coffee that she might as well drag an IV around with coffee in it lol Ann hates this because when they switch back she'll be all jittery and sometimes the coffee after taste will still be there when she wakes up and no amount of mouth wash will get rid of it. Ann likes coffee but she has to put lots of sugar and cream in it to the point that it's not really coffee anymore cuz there's no bitterness... (When they meet in person and start dating Ann is constantly telling Rise to go brush her teeth because no way are they kissing when Rise has extreme coffee breath. Rise kisses her anyway because fuck that) When Ann is in Rise's body she eats all of the sweets in Inaba if possible. Rise is [i]livid[/i] because Ann may be able to eat junk and not gain anything but Rise has to work out to maintain her figure thank you very much. (Ann is constantly taking selfies of "herself" while eating these sweets to chronicle what she's eaten that day though, and Rise kinda finds it adorable even tho Ann is in her body and it's kinda weird to see Ann being cute as her) When Rise brings Ann to Inaba for the first time (they still don't remember yet) to try the local sweets Ann is just kinda like "Why is this so familiar-- I've never been to Inaba..." (technically she has but she doesn't count that because she just kinda wandered the outskirts and she can't remember why she did sooo) -Habits they both end up having because of the mind swapping? It starts with Rise writing a sticky note and falling asleep with it on her face. Ann wakes up to "Seriously stop eating so much cake I'm gaining weight this isn't fun >___>" Ann replies back with sticky notes covering Rise's mirror completely that just all say "NO >;D" on them. Then they start a sticky note war that lasts a week or two. Rise's grandma is very confused lol. Once their war ends they will each write little "good morning <3" s to each other or "I made you lunch last night <3" When they meet again in person they still leave sticky notes for each other--- even before they regain their memory of each other--- They have no idea how they started doing this but it's familiar to them both. -When do they start to suspect there's more to the body switching and who notices first? Rise notices almost immediately that the technology level is a little bit too sophisticated for her time. (She just was in Tokyo a couple months ago there's no way it's changed this quickly) but doesn't want to consider maybe something else is going on because she's caught up in hiding her true identity as NOT ANN from the Phantom Thieves--- plus time travel and body swapping at the same time? Ridiculous there's no way--- Ann doesn't notice right away since Inaba is known for being a country-bumpkin kinda place where technology is like a decade behind. One day she tries to search herself on facebook though and--- oh shit thats her in middle school wtf. When she's back in her own body she searches Rise on facebook and finally makes the connection between Rise and Risette.... and finds out that Rise is dead... -How Rise died? I'm still a bit unsure on that. Right now I'm thinking that she was going to take the train back to Tokyo for the weekend to speak with Inoue about restarting her career--- then there is a huge train collision due to Japan's department of Transportation being lazy about stuff (P5 reference lol)---- and no one survives the crash.... There's a memorial at the site of the crash, which is within walking/driving distance of Inaba. All the victims names were written on an epitaph there, which Ann will visits to make sense of Rise having been dead for years already. -How does Ann reset the timeline? I'm still REALLY UNSURE ABOUT THIS ONE ☝️ Mostly because the way Rise dies is kinda still iffy for me.... but also because how the hell is Ann going to stop a train if I keep it as the method of death? Obviously Ann has to recruit Yu and the rest of the investigation team because that girl needs back up on this. The investigation team have complete faith in her because they know that Rise has good intuition--- and they still think she's Rise, even if she's been acting odd lately. When Ann switches to Rise so she can stop the train (or w/e it is), Rise ends up at the memorial in Ann's body. And she's just like; "Oh. Well I guess that explains a lot" - Does the sunset/twilight scene from KnnW happen with the girls in this AU? YES BECAUSE IM NOT ORIGINAL TT-TT ALSO BECAUSE I CAN IMAGINE RISE REALIZING SHE CANT REMEMBER ANN'S NAME AND JUST OPENING UP HER HAND AND SEEING "I LOVE YOU" AND JUST LOOSING HER COMPOSURE COMPLETELY And the rest of the investigation team are just so confused like "Rise we just saved hundreds of people why are you crying?" -How do they meet again? I'm kinda on the fence on if it would be like the end of KnnW or if they end up working together for a photo shoot or something and start hanging out afterwards... both could work very well but I'm leaning towards the original KnnW way because it's cute and the photo shoot one would just be the two of them being like "omg she's hot... and kinda familiar wtf?" -What do their friends think of their relationship? "You two are cute together but holy fuck do you move fast are you sure you don't need to slow down?!?" These two are like the definition of U-hauling with Rise finding herself staying at Ann's house almost every night within a week of knowing her (They're not having sex yet, let alone dating--- I just mean they're extremely domestic w/ each other and everything's just-- so comfortable?) Like Rise wakes up to Ann cooking breakfast one morning and is just like "Wow she's so amazing! I could spend the rest of my life with her" and then she has to backtrack that thought like "We aren't even dating where did that even come from?" And their friends are supportive but also like "You two need to slow down you act like you're already married" Surprise they've been kinda sorta dating since Rise was a first year in high school XDD ---- Gdhsiqnxosnsoakyxahabhss GDI WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF?!? THIS IS THE MOST DETAILED AU IVE MADE IN A WHILE AND ITS A XOVER CRACK SHIP--- I SPENT AN HOUR WRITING THIS I MAY BE IN TOO DEEP

#Ann x Rise #Risann #persona 4 #persona 5 #ann takamaki #rise kujikawa #kimi no na wa #KnnWxPersonaAu

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