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#so if you'd like a version that is just the cut between scenes let me know
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i'd love to hear about manmaru metadede !!! i heard it's really Gay but no one ever details it. not a lot of it is translated too, as far as i know, but i really like it.. any excuse to talk about something you like is good too
NO YEA not a lot is translated and the manga itself is already more niche compared to like, mopupupu so its not too well known. translation efforts have really started picking up the past year though (shoutout to @/kirby-manga-translated they do great work). if it needed to be restated for new followers since i havent tl'd in a while, i know a decent amount of japanese so i read them on my own :)c
shoutout to my guy @/rosakikoza as well for giving me his scans hehe. the majority of images below are his or taken from his scans. the rest are mine
*deep breath* the tangent. im gonna need to put this under a cut dont mind me 😍😍😍 did i say 3 paragraphs? i meant 20. like 20 paragraphs
meta knight is absolutely pathetic and incredibly down bad for dedede this manga. its adorable. multiple people ive talked to or seen have come to the conclusion it seems like he has a huge crush on him. a quick brief for those who dont know but this mangas meta is admittedly Veryyyyy different from how you'd expect a meta knight to be. uncharacteristically friendly and cheerful and. pathetic is really the best word for it. hes kinda a loser. incredibly protective of dedede, he switches between two modes of fussing over him quite a bit and semi-often going into incredible rage bloodlust modes over protecting him or his image (youll see a good amount of jp fanwork depict this version of him as a yandere for that reason)
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theres also been more than one occasion where meta knight tries to commit seppuku upon accidently doing something he sees as unforgivable towards his king (its in the chapter i just screenshotted above too, another time he broke dededes clock and freaked out about it). i-. dont consider this a cute ship thing for the record im just stating it to emphasize the extent of metas obsession towards dedede this manga. the mans got Problems...
apart from that, also quite differing from most interpretations of both of them, both of them seem to genuinely really like spending time around each other all the time. it comes off as casually domestic and is very cute...
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regardless of my attempts to brief it, i dont feel like im explaining this very well so lemme just show you a frankly ridiculous amount of reasons for why i keep feeling like this mangaka ships metadede
-fake kiss: self explanatory
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-fake proposal: also self explanatory
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mk: Will you marry me!?
ddd: Yes!
context for this scene is that theyre rehearsing for a play, but actually its later revealed that meta knight is playing the princess while dedede is playing the male protag so im not exactly sure it makes sense that hes the one proposing here. my speculation is that to make the proposal seem legit for the gag they Had to use meta LMAO but thats just my take
also to be noted, right after kirby hears the proposal he immediately runs off and tries to tell everyone the news before ddd+mk stop him and explain that its fake. hes not thrown off or weirded out at the idea that they could be getting married in the slightest. kirby says gay rights Real i love him sm
-this one is from what i call the memory loss chapter:
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dedede loses his memories from getting hit in the head too hard. the gang figures out that beating dedede up or otherwise causing him injury causes him to regain some of them back though, to which kirby attempts to harm him with increasingly violent means, much to meta knights horror. mk spends the entire chapter trying to protect dedede from him, and it doesnt work obviously, but after a particularly hard hit dedede remembers everyone again... except for meta knight. to which meta knight gets upset about and lets kirby lay into dedede for real. you see where people get the yandere personality from now right. i dont recall this trait coming out too often but ill talk more about it later
-the whole chapter thats a cinderella retelling with dedede and meta knight. also also self explanatory COME ON LOOK AT THIS ONE. LOOK AT IT.
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mk: Y…You're…
ddd: Wow, he's so beautiful!! It's like I'm dreaming…!
-theres the mangaka chapter which is a more recent one
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the gang makes manga for dedede. meta knight's manga is about how cool, brave, and heroic dedede is. mysteriously enough however the only thing hes good at is drawing dededes face and nothing else. the implications of this one drive me absolutely insane. is it supposed to imply that meta knight stares at his face all day?? admires his appearance??? he looks at him so much he basically has his face memorized????? HUH???????? theres no heterosexual explanation for this. acting like a teenager with a crush out here got damn
=various images im sharing out of context because they r cute
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head pats. holding hands and reaching the goal together. peak.
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KNIGHT DRESSUP FOR THE KNIGHT. AHAAHGH
ddd: Hoho, pretty spiffy don'cha think?
mk: Ohh!? It suits you!!
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fellas is it gay to shout "OHH! META KNIGHT!!" with a dopey grin on your face upon being saved like a damsel in distress
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sometimes meta knight acts domestic as fuck too. his copy abilities as he states are: cook! clean!! and sleep!!!
regarding my thoughts on their dynamic in this series overall, i think theyre absolutely adorable. meta knight emits dog energy in this one. eager golden retriever towards dedede, though dedede has his sweet moments towards meta knight too. (viewing it with a shipping lens just for this post ofc) while meta is the more active crusher, some of the stuff above seems to imply that dedede has feelings in return as well :') they just get along really well too its great. theres a different chapter where they perform as a comedy duo. theyve done plays in multiple chapters. its my hc for these versions of them that they love doing performances of all kinds together and do a lot of rehearsals and writing in their free time...
and the yandere stuff i feel like i should address as well. i try not to take some aspects Too seriously because its to be expected things are over emphasized for the sake of the joke with gag mangas. but oh man the man definitely has problems. he needs therapy. i tried to be transparent in listing those aspects as well so people can make their own conclusions on it But theres one more thing id like to mention regarding that
meta knights personality has been shifting to be different from what i listed, as of the most recent volume. my beloved forgotten land arc... a first for this series in that, while the chapters still retain their gag humor and dont take themselves that seriously, its a serialized story that mostly follows along with the game plot that lasts nearly the whole volume (as opposed to other game arcs in this manga being episodic stories, using the games as their theme rather than a full on setting). with the more serious tone of the serialized story, theres a frankly startling hint of character development i never wouldve expected from a gag manga at the end of it
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kirby gets ko'd the first round of the meta knight cup so meta knight joins the meta knight cup instead. turns out when he does that the final boss of the cup is dedede. meta knight Really doesnt want to hurt dedede and so dedede promptly kicks his ass without a second thought and wins the tournament. while the crowd cheers for dedede's victory, meta and dedede have a small talk where dedede tells him he doesnt need to fuss so much about hurting him/him getting hurt. presumably this is supposed to mark the end of meta knights intense overprotectiveness because (its never been clear-cut due to the nature of the manga previously, so its a lil hard to say) dededes shown he can handle himself, or like, isnt some fragile thing. i really hope itll stick around because i think its a great addition to both of their characters. the meta-knights have also been appearing way more frequently as of very recent chapters (ones that havent been compiled into a volume yet) which seem to also hint to meta knight getting more independence to his character from dedede's loyal servant. im very excited to see where it goes :D
and like, last last disclaimer if anyone needed it; even tho i love metadede and i like to see things through ship glasses sometimes i absolutely try my best to keep my biases out of my translations. putting out accurate translations means a lot to me! this entire post is me purposely putting the ship glasses on so please dont take it as "omg metadede is canon in this manga". you know way back when i was the only active translator for this manga someone tweeted at the mangaka on twitter mentioning that there were english translations around and he replied to that person. didnt respond to the fan translation thing specifically but the fact that he could know who i am definitely kinda terrifies me. if anyone goes around saying that his manga is the metadede manga because of me and he even has the slightest sliver of a chance of seeing that i will kill yall fr LOL
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Florrickology, Part 2: The most beautiful face in Faerûn
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General simping under cut, plus:
Why I think her face model was changed so much from EA
How her face contributes to her characterization
Spitballing how old I think she is
I actually didn't even really notice Florrick's sexy dress until I saved her from Wyrm's Rock and saw her moving about in the light of day, so I spent 2 whole acts deeply in love with her simply because of her gorgeous face, husky voice, and dominant personality. I was gobsmacked by a total elven MILF come out of nowhere, and while I did recognize her as a beacon of drip in the swagless wasteland of Act 1, I didn't need to notice her thong to know immediately that this was the most beautiful person in the entire game and I must stan.
This was also before I noticed that most NPCs have the same like 6 faces, so I wasn't even yet aware that Florrick's face was especially beautiful and unique.
In addition to going through three outfit changes, she went through two earlier face models. Her original and second models are below.
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Her hair and eyes remained essentially the same (minus the smoky makeup), but big changes were made in her face shape and other features between each version, even down to her ears. The second version is definitely a generic head (and not my favorite); I'm not sure about Original Florrick as I don't know what the base heads looked like then, but it is pretty bland, albeit very beautiful.
So, why change? As I said in Part 1, her exact appearance isn't really important, but it is very intentional because they made the effort to change it a few times.
The decision to give her a unique face sculpt makes perfect sense; she's more than significant enough for the effort, considering she shows up in all 3 acts, has lots of dialogue and emotes while talking, plays a fairly sizeable role in the overall story, and appears in the High Hall cut scene as a final battle ally. I figure that, for the most part, the intention behind giving her this unique face is pretty simple: it's gorgeous, increases the game's overall diversity, and enhances her characterization.
I love the type of beauty she was given in the end. She exudes femininity, yet her personality is very dominant ("masculine") and her face isn't traditionally "feminine". Her most prominent feature, her nose, is angular and long, and looks bumpy in certain lights. Her jaw stands out to me next, nice and sharp and strong, but she lacks the cheekbones to give a really chic look. Her chin is large and has a hint of a cleft in some lights. From the side profile (alas I don't have a screenshot even tho I think of it often), her nose, teeth/lips, and chin jut forward a bit from her cheeks and eyes, giving her a very determined, jaw-set look.
But she also has big, soft puppydog eyes, some of the juiciest and prettiest lips in the entire game, the most beautiful and distinctive skin tone, and the most nibbleable ears in Faerûn. Look at the little tippy tip poking out of her hair on her right!!
ps if anyone tries to tell me X is more beautiful or Y has more nibbleable ears I will simply block you, make your own insane simp post
Anyway, her face suits her perfectly. She looks like someone you'd describe as "steady as Tyr's heartbeat" or "upstanding as the Sword Mountains". She looks proud, confident, and maybe a little pushy. Her nose has that elegant slope, so when she stands straight up with her strong jaw set and her chin proudly raised in the air, she looks down it just so that you can tell this isn't a woman to be trifled with. She looks stern, but never mean or cruel. When she's grateful, she's gracious and charming. Her big brown eyes are imploring in her moments of vulnerability, and she can't hide when she's worried or concerned because her eyebrows move on their own. She might turn away so her hair covers part of her face in those moments, too.
In her absolute lowest moments, she doesn't even try to hide, and lets the player in on exactly how she's feeling, in her expressions and words.
You don't really get all that from her earlier two models, right? They're beautiful, but don't tell as much of a story.
I think to a lot of people, she may come across as one-note, but she has an emotional arc like any other significant NPC with a longitudinal storyline and you see that the most in her expressive face. I do think that's remarkable, since she is a female character who exists in this story to support the greater arcs of two men. There are strengths and weaknesses in Larian's writing when it comes to things like this, but I really do think they did a great job with Florrick, in balancing her autonomy and treating her as an individual, while holding her to the minimum-necessary screen time/resources (in this long, enormous game) to fulfill her role.
Not strictly related, but I'll always appreciate that it is essentially never implied that Florrick does what she does because she's in love with Ulder. It would make a great romance side story and I'd have loved it, but I love more that it's left up to interpretation. However she feels about him in private, the fact is that it doesn't make a difference in her behavior; lover, friend, or just a boss she respects, she will move mountains for him and her city because it's the right thing to do, and she'll always do what she thinks is right. Florrick being allowed to exist in this story as her own person, never commanded by the writers to be Ulder's wife or Wyll's mother, even if her storyline is really about Ulder and Wyll, is really special to me.
So on that note, I do have one theory as to why they gave her these very unique features:
To help prevent players from assuming that Florrick and the Ravengards are related.
It's important to Wyll's story that his father is his only living family; letting players assume Florrick is (secretly?) his mother or aunt because she's coded as a middle-aged black woman and closely-associated with him and his father interferes with that story, and introduces confusing questions that don't need to be asked like "is Wyll supposed to be a half-elf?" or "why doesn't she seem to give much of a fuck about her son/nephew?"
On this note, I really like that because not only does it shoot down the conventional demand that any woman in the vicinity of a child be their mother, it also highlights that Ulder was Wyll's entire world, making all of their stories more poignant.
Now the final question her face leads us to is, how old is Florrick? This is tough to answer due to Elf Aging, which means you have to triangulate her actual age by starting from how old she looks and how old she seems compared to others.
For my impressions, I think Florrick's voice is what MILFifies her moreso than her face. Her VA, Karen Bryson, was born in 1975, which tracks with the way she sounds, but her face comes off as a bit younger: she's essentially unwrinkled (minus her forehead when she emotes), bright and fresh-skinned with no other signs of aging, so I would place her at a maximum of mid-30s by appearance.
My impression of elf aging as a non-lore-expert is that, at least in BG3, they grow at the same rate as humans until reaching physical maturity around the early to mid twenties, then age visibly but at a very slow rate thereafter.
Fortunately, there are a few full elf characters whose ages we know. Disregarding Astarion who seems to have been fucked up due to stress/vampirism, we have Minthara (~250) and Halsin (~350) for comparison.
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This is convenient, since Florrick looks tennish years younger than Minthara, and Minthara looks tennish years younger than Halsin. So, perhaps full elves, once having reached full physical maturity by approx 25 years old, age about ten years for every hundred give or take stress/genetics/etc. So if Florrick looks about 30-35, that'd work out to the neighborhood of 120-130 years old.
This tracks to me, as she definitely comes off as a fully-fledged elven adult, but still young enough to be a bit cavalier and have things to learn about herself--much like a human in her early-to-mid 30s.
Also, I notice she doesn't have anything to say about the previous Bhaalspawn crises (124-125 years ago), because it seems like the type of thing she'd comment on if she remembered it firsthand (either from growing up in Baldur's Gate, or hearing about as the news travelled.) So her being either not born yet or too busy learning to tie her shoes to engage with current events makes sense.
This concludes Florrickology part 2.
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henrysglock · 1 year
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Cracks 2: Electric Boogaloo
AKA: The Universe Where Henry Did Nothing Wrong? It Exists On Screen.
That's right babes. If you thought the crack fuckery ended with my last post...you're in for an insanity-inducing surprise.
The gate crack we talked about here? It straight up disappears.
Let me explain. The progressions I want to look at are the ones where Brenner finds El in the aftermath. Supposedly, the progression from his memories in S4E1 is the same progression as the one in S4E8...until you look closer.
Before we start, I want to give a major shout-out to Em. All the corpse and Brenner details re: blood and positions are things he noticed. I'm just merging that evidence with the cracks and mirror fuckery I've found. It's very much a team effort, and I likely wouldn't even be making this post without him noticing the first weird details during the NINA fight.
Here's our scene progression:
S4E1: The Hellfire Club (left) and S4E8: Papa (right)
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We've got 3 weird things to contend with:
What's going on with that Brenner who has blood bisecting his face?
Where did the gate crack go?
Why did the corpse to her right change positions entirely?
I've diagrammed all of this, so lets start with the most obvious one.
The Lost Gate.
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Where is it? How are we missing an entire gate?
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Now lets look at the Brenners.
We've got this Brenner (I call him Bisecting Brenner) with these corpses:
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Things To Note Here:
Eyes are not gouged, just bleeding
Limbs are not broken
Corpses are older than they ought to be in 1979
Killing style is reminiscent of El's style, not Henry/Edward's style (see below)
El kills Connie (S1E8: The Upside Down):
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The gouged-eyes, broken-limbs, Henry/Edward-style version of the above body:
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That is not the same killing style.
Moving ahead.
Bisecting Brenner exists in opposition to this Brenner (I call him Half-Face Brenner). Half-Face Brenner is associated with, but not necessarily shown in frame with, these corpses:
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Things To Note Here:
Eyes are not shown, but they're likely gouged given the limbs
Limbs are clearly broken
Corpses are the age they ought to be in 1979
Killing style is textbook Henry/Edward
Lets look at the other set.
Here we have Brenner+El and these corpses in frame with the gate crack:
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Things To Note Here:
Eyes are not shown
Limbs are twisty (Check out the fingers on that bottom left kid. Fingers generally don't bend backward like that naturally.)
Age ranges aren't concrete
002 is present at top right, clearly shown
The corpse at top left is on her back
This exists in opposition to no-gate El, who's associated with these corpses:
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Things To Note Here:
This is the first time we're shown corpses after Bisecting Brenner is shown
Corpse at top left swaps positions between camera changes
002 is shown, but by GOD it's just his toes in that one shot (꒦ິ^꒦ີ)
There's a pattern.
S4E1: Half-Face Brenner enters -> mangled corpse close-ups -> Half-Face Brenner close-up -> twisty children, top left on her back with gate crack in frame, 002 in frame -> Half-Face Brenner close-up -> gate crack + El, no bodies shown -> cut to black
Bisecting Brenner doesn't shows up in that progression, but he does show up in El's flashbacks alongside Half-Face Brenner:
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(Huge thanks to Em for pointing this one out!!)
Here are the full images, just in case you'd like to double check the Brenner identities for yourself:
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So Bisecting Brenner isn't just a one-off shot in total, it's just that he only appears once in El's experience of the 1979 massacre via NINA. He definitely exists, and he is not a production error.
Moving on.
S4E8: Bisecting Brenner enters and is shown with un-mangled older bodies with eyes -> Camera swap to gate crack + El, no bodies shown -> Half-Face Brenner close-up -> no-cracks El, no bodies shown -> El + top left on her side, 002's toes just barely in frame -> El + top left on her back, no 002 in frame -> cut to black.
The pattern of the bodies between these progressions is so interesting to me, and I just want to touch on it briefly as it relates to the aftermath, since Em is planning to elaborate further on the positions during the fight once he nails it down. (That day will be the day we feast fr)
Let's dive in to a couple corpse positions:
We have that top-left corpse who swaps back and forth between side-laying and back-laying, but 002's toes indicate he likely isn't changing position between those shots:
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However, that position is entirely different than the one seen in S4E7, where a version of Henry/Edward has just killed 002 on screen:
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Things To Note Here:
002's right foot is in front, his left leg is tucked under, and his arm is not twisted.
Top left's feet point away from the wall, and we can't tell if she's on her back or side. (I'd wager she's on her back based on the position of her feet in relation to the blood stain. See side-laying and back-laying position below)
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Things To Note Here (Bottom Image In The Above Collage):
002's Left foot is in front, his right leg is extended behind, and his arm is twisted.
Top left's feet point almost straight up underneath the bloodstain, and she's on her back.
That's not the same body as the 002 who was just killed by that version of Henry/Edward.
Whichever timeline that particular Henry/Edward killed 002 in, it is not the same timeline as the gate crack.
This all means we have at least three concrete combinations of corpses between these three episodes, and at least two concrete combinations in the aftermath progressions:
Top left on her back, 002 in left-foot-forward position (Aftermath, gate crack in frame)
Top left on her side, 002 in left-foot-forward position (Aftermath, gate crack not in frame)
002 in right-foot-forward position, top left's position not concrete. (Immediately post-death for 002)
On top of all this, there's another detail I want to bring to your attention:
The mirror shards between gate cracks and no cracks do not change. This holds true for both progressions.
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This means they ought to go together, which so far tells me...There's a lot still to think about.
So far, we we've been shown in total:
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One definite instance of right-side mirror with gate cracks
One definite instance of right-side mirror with no cracks
One definite instance of left-side mirror with a dematerialization event
One blink-and-you-miss-it instance of right-side mirror with a dematerialization event
No concretely or speculatively shown left-side instances without cracks/dimension events.
I'd like to mention, as well, that we've been shown one possible instance of a left-side gate. It's unconfirmed and purely speculative because the gate has not formed yet at this point. However, the corpses' limbs are snapped and their eyes are gouged out, meaning that this is definitely a Henry/Edward-perpetrated massacre timeline. Thus, the shot below is leading to either a gate or dematerialization, it's just not certain which one.
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We've also been shown:
One gate-cracks version of Half-Face Martin Brenner in frame with a right-side-orientation alignment mirror
One dematerialization-cracks version of Half-Face Martin Brenner not tied to a mirror shard alignment.
One version of Bisecting Martin Brenner who is likely tied to the no-cracks, right-side-orientation alignment mirror.
Zero Richard Brenners of any kind
In conjunction with my earlier post, I have a few summary thoughts.
Bisecting Brenner most likely does not share a timeline with either of the Half-Face Brenners.
Left-foot-forward 002 is shown in frame with the right-side-orientation alignment gate outcome the Duffers show us.
Right-foot-forward 002, therefore, is not in the gate outcome we're shown...and may be an indicator of a dematerialization timeline, since he was killed by Henry/Edward on screen.
002's death is split between two cameras. This may be indicative of a timeline swap.
Bisecting Brenner being in frame with a killing style that's both distinctly different from Henry/Edward's and distinctly similar to El's from ST1, while being in the same progression as no-cracks El, leads me to think he's tied to a timeline where Henry/Edward's massacre didn't happen.
There is at least one timeline where Henry/Edward did not have Soteria removed, since there is at least one timeline where no dimension events occurred and at least one timeline where no gouging/bone-breaking happens to the corpses.
CONCLUSIONS RE: HENRY/EDWARD
Since there's at least one timeline where no gate and no dematerialization occurred, and there's at least one timeline where no gouging/bone-breaking occurred...that means that these stills, the ones where Henry/Edward has no blood on him, not even the Soteria streak?
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These are likely connected to that timeline.
This means there's at least one timeline where Henry and/or Edward are unaltered by the side effects of their powers and have done nothing wrong.
That means there is a timeline where Henry and/or Edward are innocent and good.
(More below the cut! Not necessarily analysis, mainly speculation and some theorizing. Read if you want to, it's not necessary for the above analysis.)
Speculation Time! (for those who made it this far)
If I were to theorize about what, exactly, happened in the no cracks timeline...it would be something like this:
We know that HNL has tried to force El to kill before, and she refused...until she was cornered.
El kills at least twice when cornered. She has a higher kill count than pre-massacre Henry/Edward by the time she's the age he was when he was stolen by Brenner.
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We know Henry/Edward was aware of and told El that Brenner had plans to let 002 attack her, and we know things went awry and led to the Henry/Edward version of the 1979 massacre. This seems to have happened because Henry/Edward tried to step in and prevent Brenner's plan. He has a track record of trying to help but only making things worse. He says as much during the chess scene.
So what, imagine, might have happened in the event that Henry/Edward had been prevented from stepping in? What, say, might have happened if El had been cornered by people...who had the intent to kill?
No gate or dematerialization cracks. No gouging. No broken bones. Different ages, different positions, different Brenner. Henry/Edward with no bloodstains and no Soteria removal streak.
I'm staring directly at it...thinking hard on it...nothing certain yet though.
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masterangst · 6 months
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Be Worth Something
Summary: Tav (named Axel) gives Astarion a present, and Astarion sucks it up and returns the kindness by learning to comfort someone else.
Pairing: Astarion × Tav (MxM)
Words: 4.4K
Warnings: hurt/comfort, fluff, a bit unedited
A/N: This is a bit self indulgent. Just a scene I imagined occurring between Astarion and my Tav sometime in Act 3 after Cazador. Also this is for Whump October (it's October somewhere).
No. 31: Emptiness | Setbacks | Take it easy
Gortash was dead. Cazador was dead.
The band of weirdos were getting closer and closer to confronting the source of the little creatures taking their brains for a ride. Everyone agrees it's a good idea to rid themselves of the problem. Astarion would agree as well. He had no interest in becoming a mind flayer. He had his body taken from him once, sure to the hells was not going to let that happen again.
However, unlike the others. Astarion would not be set completely free. Each day felt like a ticking clock towards his shackles back to the shadows and good gods did that not fill him with dread.
"Astarion, freetra starta den lun." Axel's deep voice cuts through the thoughts in Astarion's head. The ranger waits for Astarion's red eyes to meet his piercing gray ones before he smiles warmly. "I have a surprise for you."
Catching himself, Astarion performs a smile. "A surprise? For me?" He clicks his tongue, pretending to be shocked. "How adorably sweet of you."
Axel's chest rumbles with a stifled laugh. "Well, what can I say," Axel's calloused hand guides Astarion's to his soft lips, his eyes looking longingly into Astarion's, "I love to spoil you." If Astarion's heart could still beat, he's sure it would have skipped one.
He had confessed his love for the leader of their group. For the one who had stuck with him no matter what. The stubborn and goofy man who loved the color blue so he made his entire attire blue and somehow made it look good. Astarion told the man he loved him and yet he still is not used to this. Before he would throw back some flirty banter and try not to think about it, but Astarion promised himself he would try harder for Axel. That he would try his hardest to be more genuine.
He still doesn't know what he's doing.
"Is it an excuse for me to not attend this event?" Astarion asks as Axel drags him away and up the stairs of the Elfsong.
Axel smirks over his shoulder, "Oh, yes."
Astarion can't help but smirk back, "My, aren't you a playful little mouse."
Axel snorts with a scoff. "I like to think I'm more of a wolf."
"Don't go telling that to Shadowheart, darling."
Axel stops outside an unfamiliar door and spins on his heels to face Astarion. There is a devilish look on his face. One that intrigues Astarion, and makes him nervous.
"Close your eyes, Starta." Again with that name. A common thing the man likes to call him. The phrase, freetra starta den Lun, has been Axel's version of "darling" it seems. Frustrating considering Astarion has no idea what it means.
With a huff, Astarion does as he is told like a good boy. "If you are leading me to my ultimate death, this is quite an inconvenient time for it."
"Is there a convenient time to get murdered?" The sound of the door creaks open. The faint aromas of lavender, mint, and roses fill the moist air. There's a heat radiating from the side of the room and Astarion knows what is waiting for him before he even opens his eyes.
"You can open your eyes now." A steaming tub of freshly poured water, lined with books, wine, flowers and various soaps presents themselves to him.
The quip dies on Astarion's tongue, like a rat caught in a trap. Instead his expression turns to confusion. "What is this?"
Axel smiles, "I thought you might enjoy some peace and quiet instead of loud drinking. So I found some books for you. I'm not sure if you'd like them, but then I wasn't sure what you might want. I also bought some soaps for ya, I noticed you liked more earthy, flowery smells, so I picked out some of those. I hope you like one of them."
Astarion cups his lover's warm cheek, smiling at the way the otherwise stoic and few words man rambles when he gets nervous. Can hear the way Axel's heart pounds in his chest. Worry plaguing his features. How could he be so worried about something so thoughtful? Did he think Astarion would hate this gift?
"This is too kind." This is true. Axel was always too kind to Astarion. It twisted his insides more than a knife ever could.
To think. Astarion would get his revenge, walk in the sun, and be gifted a man who wanted nothing from him other than Astarion to be happy. He didn't believe such a person existed until Axel.
Axel's features relax and he leans in to press a short kiss to Astarion's lips. When he pulls away Astarion's stomach tightens in anticipation. A gross part of himself awaits for something. He tries to convince himself he doesn't know what it is, but Astarion does. He told Axel he loved him, but has yet to hear the half-elf say it back. Astarion hates how desperate he is to hear it. When was the last time someone said it to him and meant it? Said it not in post ecstasy?
"Not really." Axel shrugs nonchalantly on purpose to tease him specifically. Astarion pouts and drops his hand.
Axel chuckles and cups Astarion's cheeks, "Enjoy yourself. If you need anything…well better tell me now because I'll be downstairs." Axel grins, probably believing he's the funniest man to walk Faerun.
It isn't until Axel steps past Astarion does he realize what the man said. "You aren't staying?"
"I promised Haslin I'd best him in drinking. I can't let him down."
Astarion scoffs and shakes his head. "Wouldn't it be more fun?" Astarion tries again, gesturing towards the tub as he backs away with a button already off his coat.
Axel's eyes roam Astarion's body with appreciation, before stopping at his eyes with warmth. "This is your relaxation, meg louvè. Enjoy it." With that Axel slips out the room, leaving Astarion alone.
Astarion scowls at the romantic display, nauseated even. All of this and just for him and him alone? He could trick himself into thinking he was royalty if it wasn't for the distant roar of the people a floor below.
Astarion sighs and tears his armor off him and chucks it into the corner. His previous thoughts sour the relaxation he's meant to feel when he enters the tub. This act is just another reason why the upcoming battle terrifies him. He already can't offer anything to Axel, but to add in not being able to walk alongside him in the sun? To force Axel to walk the shadows as Astarion will; and soon.
Astarion sighs and eases into the tub. He scans the array of options and lands on lavender and smiles. Sometimes I can't tell if I hate that man or love him.
….
Time was lost on Astarion. He soaked in the tub until he was practically the same temperature as a human and then until the water was cold. He moved on to drying off and laying on the luxury bed with a book in hand. Flipped through some of that until the noise downstairs turned into a stampede of wild animals, shaking the very bed itself.
Curiosity tugged at his skin. Despite his best effort he couldn't stop himself from wondering what fun the others could be having. Drinking, partying, letting the atmosphere carry away your burdens. Astarion isn't a virgin to the wild of a late night tavern, but he can't remember a time he partaken without the heavy dread of knowing it would lead to the demise of some poor fool wanting to use him for temporary bliss.
This time would be different. Cazador is dead.
It was a fact that still felt so foreign.
Besides, he's bored.
Astarion freshens up and strides downstairs to meet the excitable crowd head on. Elfsong was one of Astarion's prowl sites, but he never saw the tavern quite like this. The room stunk with the smell of beer, sweat, and weirdly blood. The closer he got to the center of the mass, the more he began to recognize one source of it. The familiar sweetness from his tasty treat himself, Axel.
The ranger's face was cut on the arch of his brow. Blood had dried where it streamed down the side of his face. His lip was split and his chin bruised, but Axel still wore a beaming smile on his face.
"You're alone for five minutes and already got yourself in trouble." Astarion clicks his tongue. "Quite embarrassing, darling."
Axel holds up a finger to silence Astarion, his movements sluggish. "Don't flirt with me. I'm taken." His voice is quite clear for a man clearly drunk. Axel doesn't seem to notice it's Astarion he's speaking to either, the man's eyes are too focused on the men arm wrestling in the corner. Something stirred inside Astarion's undead heart. Taken. Astarion quite likes the sound of that.
Astarion flashes his signature grin. "Darling, do you not even recognize your own lover? I feel I should be sad?" He fakes a pout.
Astarion's chest squeezes an unbearable amount of feeling into him the moment Axel's eyes immediately melt into complete admiration when he turns and looks at Astarion. Has any creature in existence ever been gazed upon with such purity, such love and adoration? Clerics live to serve their gods they have chosen. They devote themselves completely to their god, body and soul. But is this what the gods feel when their devotees look to them. When they are prayed to? Or are they not nearly as lucky? Astarion turned down being a god in favor of being his pathetic self, but in that tiny moment he imagines he must have been one.
Axel places his hands over his heart, his face screwed up in agonizing fondness. "Oh, Astarion. Meg Starta. How beautiful you look in this lighting." There's a lightness in Axel's voice that's not normally there, his breath reeking of ale. Astarion grimaces, but he can't say he doesn't enjoy the peppered kisses Axel gives his face.
"You may want to take him upstairs." Wyll whispers into Astarion's ear from behind. Axel gets distracted by Haslin, joining the large man at the bar like a moth to a flame.
"He seems to still be enjoying himself." Astarion shrugs, his face plastered with a sly smile.
Wyll snorts, "That may be the problem my pale friend. He has drank twice as much as any of us and already lost in a boxing match. He might need some rest now." Something on Wylls face makes Astarion squint at him. There is something else the man wants to say to him.
"Is that all?" Astarion raises a brow, trying to hide his curiosity behind a veil of annoyance.
Wyll glances over at Axel and Haslin before lowering his voice so only Astarion could hear. "If I didn't know any better. I'd say Axel was looking forward to losing."
Astarion wanted to scoff. To laugh in Wylls face for such an absurd idea. "The man who refuses to lose to anything? I doubt it, perhaps that last eye of yours is failing you."
Wyll shrugs, "I've seen Axel throw punches. He's not the strongest, but he's quick. He was definitely holding back, even if he is drunk." Wylls face droops into worry. "I'm just saying. Maybe it's best if he lays down. Before he burns himself up."
Astarion was not good at emotions. Whether they be his own or others. He was not like Wyll or Haslin. He's not the best at comforting, but that never stopped him from trying even if it meant for him to fail. He could just play it off as a joke later.
Axel never seemed to need to be comforted. His emotions were held tighter than Astarion's, and if he was feeling something he was very honest and straight-forward with it. Most days, most nights..actually every time it's Axel comforting Astarion. Reassuring him, loving him, comforting him.
Even now, Axel looks happy. His flushed cheeks stained red, but has a lazy smile on his face as Haslin speaks to him. A sudden creeping feeling comes up from the shadows in Astarion's mind. Am I the last to know what's going on with him?
He has seen how close Axel is with Karlach. Had discovered a small bit of details about Axel through her or Haslin more than anything from Axel's mouth himself. A part of him wondered if Axel truly trusted him, surely he must if Axel claims to care for him. Then why hasn't he said I love you back?
The doubt was settling in. Astarion was weak to it at the best of times, why would he expect to be strong to it now. Anytime his self loathing led him down a desolate path, Axel always was there to be a guiding hand back to the light. For now Astarion will push those thoughts away and help his lover to bed like he knows someone much kinder than him would do.
He tugs on Axel's sleeve, perhaps a little too rough as Axel stumbles a bit into Astarion. "Time for bed, my love." Astarion bites back his growing annoyance and keeps up his smile.
Axel groans in protest, like a child whining. "Oh, alright. Whatever you wish." Axel let's Astarion lead him back to the room. Astarion is more than pleased to be away from such pounding noise. He didn't realize how loud it was down there until they reached the tranquil silence of their shared room for the night. Up here Astarion could think more clearly; though he can't tell if that's a good thing or not.
Axel shuffles in behind Astarion, heading straight for the bed and collapsing partly on top without care. Astarion rolls his eyes, "You still have your shoes on you big oaf." Axel only responds with a muffled groan and then silence. He's clearly not asleep.
Astarion huffs and kneels down to yank the boots off himself. He will not have this bed soiled, not when he only gets it once. Axel is lucky he doesn't chop his feet off instead.
Astarion kicks his own off and settles them down nicely by the foot of the bed. He sighs and plops down on the edge besides Axel and crosses his arms over his chest with a pout.
Axel stirs and turns over, glancing at Astarion before sitting up. "You look beautiful tonight."
The irritation Astarion felt eases away slightly at those words. Still, that doesn't stop him from feeling whatever strange concoction was brewing in his chest.
"Flattery won't win you anything tonight, darling."
Axel doesn't acknowledge those words. He rubs his head and winces when he feels the cut above his brow. Astarion's eyes widen for a moment and he sighs as he dampens a towel. Astarion sits by Axel's side and presses the cloth to his lover's face.
Axel doesn't even wince. There's something distant in his eyes. Astarion recognizes that look. He would say he has seen it in the mirror when he sees himself, but Astarion can not see himself anymore. That doesn't stop him from knowing. There was something that Axel said to Astarion once. "I know that look, because I'm familiar with it."
Again, Astarion knows he's not the best when it comes to the nursing part of whatever it is they are. For 200 years he's had no one to nurture him, he has forgotten how those muscles work. But he wants nothing more than to be there the same as Axel has. To provide him with something when all he could think about earlier is how he was lacking in that department. Astarion wanted to see him smile.
"Love, you should be more careful with this pretty face of yours. I'd hate to see it ruined." Astarion purrs.
Axel chuckles and scratches his neck, "Ah, I've been through worse." At least he seems aware enough. Not too far gone it seems, which is good.
Wylls words come back to Astarion and the curiosity eats away at him again. He thinks of how he can spin his words into a pretty picture. Astarion fakes a chuckle and a little wave, "It almost seems like you were trying to lose." Astarion laughs.
Axel snorts and shrugs, "Most times I fight in a bar I lose. That's the point." Darkness is creeping into Axel's eyes. Emptiness like a black void. Astarion is unfamiliar with this Axel. Perhaps even unaware this side of his lover existed. Was this Axel's real self or was it the alcohol making his brain fuzzy and tired? Either way, the confession left Astarion feeling uneasy.
Astarion thought more carefully on how to phrase his words and instead decided to take a page from Axel's (or anyone else's) book and ask, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Axel shook his head, "No." That was his usual response. Axel didn't talk about himself or his past. He told stories of beasts and his brother when the group was around the campfire, but those were adventure stories. Axel revealed his mother was a druid to Haslin and that's the most intimate detail Astarion knows. Other than arbitrary details like favorite places or colors or animals.
Astarion couldn't help the words that flowed out of his mouth. "Why do you not like telling me about yourself?" And just like that, fear gnawed at his stomach. He could only stare at Axel with uncomfortable vulnerability, awaiting for the horrible truth to carve another poem into his back.
Axel suddenly springs up, marching over to the vanity with his fists clenched tightly. "Because I have nothing worth telling. My stories aren't worth telling. I'm not worth knowing!" Axel yells, his face full of fury uncommon on his features. He seems to catch his temper and sighs as his body relaxes just enough to calm his voice. "Why can't you understand that?" Axel speaks more to himself than to Astarion.
Astarion was taken aback by the sudden outburst. He has only ever seen anger on Axel during a battle against an enemy, never towards anyone else. Axel is disgustingly kind and empathic. Calm and poised most of the time when he's not being goofy. Astarion isn't sure how to respond. "Axel."
Axel looks into the mirror and Astarion can see his lover's face through it. Axel grimaces and looks away. "I hate feeling like this. I don't know why it's coming up now. Emptiness. Of course I lost that fight. Who holds back on fighting?" Axel spits over his shoulder, the frustration back on his features. "That man should have knocked me out. Most of them do."
Astarion's face twists in sadness. To think Axel would seek out pain in such a way, and to learn he's sought it out before. Astarion wants to reach out to him, but Axel isn't done.
"My life has been kind to me, so why would I insult you by bringing it up? I am not rich, or powerful. I am not exciting. I am boring. I am a boring lover. I am foolish and dumb. You deserve so much more." Axel's face turns from anger to anguish. "You deserve someone exciting. You have the freedom to find that person and I know you will."
Axel hangs his head and shakes it. "And I will not hate you for it. I could never hate you. You deserve someone who isn't like this." Axel gestures to himself. "I have nothing to offer. You think you are the only person who feels unworthy? Feels they offer nothing? I can't even offer you the freedom to explore. How selfish I am to know you deserve more yet keeps you to myself."
Axel looks in the mirror again and the anger returns. "You wish to see yourself in the mirror and I only wish to rid myself of such a burden." Axel rips the mirror from the vanity in a flurry of rage, the mirror shattering into a million pieces.
Axel takes in a deep breath and looks at the mess he's created. His face crumbles and his voice shakes and wavers as tears prick his eyes. "I'm a failure. You deserve someone better. Take it," Axel pinches his nose as a tear falls down his cheek, "take it from someone who loves you. I will not say it knowing it'd cement you to me. I can not. I do not deserve anyone's love, but I can't bear the thought of losing someone else. If you were to leave and I have said it, the pain would be too real."
Axel's chest lurches with a sob. "I… I don't know what is wrong with me. Why, why are these feelings coming back to me? I have a responsibility to you and the others and yet I'm failing once again. Is this why I'm alive, to continue to fail?" Axel crumbled to his knees, his hand catching himself, but on the shards of glass. Astarion smells the blood, but Axel doesn't seem to notice the pain.
Astarion feels numb. His chest hurts, if his heart could still beat it would be breaking. How could Axel feel so unworthy, when he was arguably the only one bringing anything to the table? That's the second time Axel has referred to himself as unexciting. The first time being when Axel declared he didn't need another lover and that he wished for Astarion to not have one either. That if Astarion wished to have that option, then he should end it.
Everything else Axel said was working slowly over in Astarion's mind. He knows some of that was not for him. That something else darkens Axel's mind, but the half-elf is not in the state to elaborate.
Astarion kneels down gently by Axel's side, guiding the man's chin up to face him. Axel's face is a mess of tears and his eyes are heavy with fatigue and fear. Astarion can hear how fast Axel's heart is beating, like the sound of a war drum.
Astarion doesn't say anything other than, "take it easy." His honeyed words are lost to him. For now he guides his lover back to the bed and licks up the blood on Axel's hand before pulling out a healing potion for him to drink. Axel's chest is still heaving, but the tears have stopped. Now he sits mindless as Astarion guides him. The display is unnerving for Astarion, but he knows he must fight through it.
When Axel's face clears up, Astarion cups his cheeks and brings his lips to Axel's. It's tender and Astarion tries all his might to put every ounce of his feelings into it.
"Listen to me." Axel looks into Astarion's eyes. "Why would I want someone else, when I didn't even know I needed you? You are not boring. And you have not failed me. Or the others. I'm not afraid of your darkness. You are worth knowing. I want to know everything. You think anything you could tell me would shock me?" Astarion huffs with a sad smile. He grows serious. "This will pass. And I will still be here when it does. I love you."
Axel swallows and smiles. "Freetra starta den lun. Meg louvè. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have burdened you."
Astarion scoffs, but not with malice, but in sadness. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with this. If anything it brings me closer to you. Your burdens are mine to bear, just as you have carried mine. It's the least I could do."
Axel buries his head in the crook of Astarion's neck. He takes a long sniffle and Astarion can feel Axel's lips twist into a smile. "Lavender. I knew you'd go for that one." Axel's hot breath on Astarion's skin makes his body flutter in a way he has never experienced until he met Axel.
Astarion kisses the top of Axel's head. "You know me too well."
Axel hums and wraps his arms around Astarion's waist, digging his nose deeper into the crook. "Smells amazing on you." Axel groans as he takes another sniffle and Astarion can smell the desire now replacing the anguish in Axel. It almost makes Astarion laugh when he's suddenly reminded how drunk Axel actually is.
Axel doesn't try anything. He simply seems content just holding Astarion in bears grip. The warm intimate feeling is comforting, despite the guilt of knowing it was him who was meant to comfort Axel. Seeing an opportunity, however, Astarion asks. "My love?"
Axel hums and it vibrates against Astarion's skin. If his body was capable of it, he'd get goose bumps. "You have been using those phrases of yours since our first confession. Yet it is in a language I do not understand." Astarion is hoping he can lead Axel to the ledge and the drunk man can take the leap himself. He's afraid if he asks him full on, Axel will deny him the knowledge. He usually does, stating "that's the point, darling".
Axel shrugs. "It's Jotun. It means my star and moon. Is that the one? The other means, my love." Astarion's body blossoms with warmth, disgusting happiness he can't help but cringe at.
What sweet phrases. Am I truly his star and moon?
"I didn't want to tell you, because I was embarrassed. I didn't want to scare you off and I thought I would if you knew how much I was falling in love with you." Axel said, muffled against Astarion's skin. Astarion remembers Axel's words. I will not say it knowing it'd cement you to me.
Astarion forces Axel to look at him. Now Axel's eyes are hazy with half sleep and Astarion can't help but think he looks absolutely adorable. "Tell me you love me." Astarion all but demands.
Axel smiles tiredly. "I love you." And he means it. Astarion smiles and tucks Axel into bed, holding him close. Though, mostly because Axel refuses to let go.
Suddenly the fears of what the future holds seem less scary now that he knows Axel loves him as well. It seems Axel isn't the perfect untouchable thing he saw him as. And that only makes Astarion's longing for him grow.
Cazador believed flawed things were an abomination. Astarion disagrees. As much as he claims to hate the weak and flawed. Flawed things are much more beautiful. And to know he doesn't have to carry that burden alone. That makes it all worth it. Even perhaps giving up the sun. Because Axel is worth it.
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amaranthhiding · 10 months
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Regarding Sam
by Hiding Amaranth
Words: 7,292 (finished) Rating: Teen Relationships: Rowena/Sam, Rowena & Amnesiac Dean
Tags: Canon Universe, Episode 12x11, Missing Scenes, Angst with Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Life-or-Death Stakes, Magic, Witches, Rowena Realizes She Cares, Pre-Relationship, Sam Being a Prisoner, Amnesiac Dean Being Chaotic, Humor, Soft Rowena, Rowena Teaching Herself to Drive a Car to Save Sam
Point-of-View Characters: Rowena
Summary: When they hear Sam's blood-curdling scream over the phone, Rowena is far more affected than she thought possible. She has to make up her mind whether or not to turn her back on the Winchesters in their dire need—and how far exactly she'll go to save them. (Or my version of what happened in episode 12x11 between Sam's scream and the moment we see Dean wake up in the Impala, plus two additional new scenes at other blank spaces where the episode faded to black. And all of that from Rowena's point of view!)
Written for the Sam Winchester Rare Ships Week 2023 Day 6: "Missing Scene / Episode Tag" hosted by @spnrareships
Banner created by the author Read Regarding Sam on AO3
If you'd like to be added/removed from my taglist for Samwena and/or other SPN content, let me know in a reblog, reply, or personal message. :) @spnrarepairbunker @fanficlounge @panthera-dei @samsrowena Excerpt under the cut
"Age nunc intellectum," Catriona's lilting, obnoxious voice said over the speaker, casting a spell unknown to Rowena despite her vast knowledge of the arcane. Perhaps it stemmed directly from the Grimoire. "Age nunc intellectum atque voluntatem omnem meam."
The spell created a terrible, high-pitched noise, loud enough that Rowena had to lower the phone's volume lest they'd risk damage to their eardrums even from afar.
Sam screamed.
Screamed like she'd never heard him before.
His agony seemed to resonate somewhere deep within her muscles, shaking that barely contained landslide out of its constraints once more. She could swear she felt something shatter inside herself.
Then his scream broke off abruptly.
A blockage in her chest refused to let her breathe. Completely taken by surprise over her own reaction, she didn't know what to do or even think.
Nobody had ever—
She wasn't supposed to—
Clinging to the flickering movement of candlelight on the table, she swallowed against the lump in her throat and tried to make sense of what she was feeling. The weak attempt to ground herself failed miserably.
"Sam?" Dean's quiet, doubtful question condensed her thoughts far more effectively than she herself could have.
Sam, was he truly—
Too overwhelmed by the chaos in her head, the sound of Catriona's voice over the speaker actually made her wince.
"Tie him to that chair before he wakes up. I'll be right back."
Before he wakes up.
Heavens above.
She only just had enough sense to press a hand in front of her mouth to stifle the sound of relief that threatened to escape her.
It took another few seconds and several deep breaths until she regained control enough to think clearly. The first thing she did was mute their microphone, so that the ongoing connection would hopefully remain undiscovered, no matter how much noise they caused.
"What do we do?" Dean asked of her, looking at her with open trust as if she held all the answers in the world.
To the echo of hounds in her mind, she realized how much the lad's behavior reminded her of her time in Scotland, back when Fergus had been but a wee thing.
Casting a glance over to the motel room's door, she knew that she could turn her back on all this and be on her merry way. A past version of her would have done just that.
There was a sensation of wetness clinging to the corners of her eyes. Who knew if it had been caused by the memories of times long gone or by the mistaken conviction that Sam Winchester was no more.
At a distance of just a handful of steps, the door still beckoned her. But she wasn't the same woman anymore.
The things the supposed end of the world did to you.
Getting rid of the unshed tears with a hasty swipe of her hands, she squared her shoulders and straightened her posture before meeting Dean's gaze.
"Why, we save him, of course," she said, as if it was the most logical conclusion in the world. Perhaps it was. Or perhaps she'd finally lost her mind.
Dean smiled like a child who'd found the candy. "Oh, good, yeah, that's—" In a mood change as sudden as a lightning strike, he frowned instead. "How?"
Read Regarding Sam on AO3
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deanismysavior · 2 years
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The Byler x High School Musical Parallel Breakdown
It has shocked me to my core, but there is actually more to this parallel than just the funky little video that blew up on TikTok, and I'm honestly still not sure how to feel about it given that there's a substantial amount of narrative overlap, particularly between Byler s4 and HSM 2, so without further ado, let's get into it brochachos.
Like Kindergarten
Now the first thing I want to talk about here you may have already seen in a recent post of mine, but I think it deserves more attention and analysis, so let's talk about the use of "kindergarten" references in both High School Musical and Stranger Things.
In the first High School Musical movie, Troy takes Gabriella up to the rooftop garden space, which Gabriella refers to as his "private hideout," so that they can talk and be alone. (I want to put a pin in this and talk about the concept of private hideouts parallelism in a bit, but for now let's move forward).
They start to talk about how it's hard to be their respective authentic selves and constantly feel like they're being forced into these archetypal molds, but Gabriella says that when she was singing with Troy, she felt like she was "just a girl," meaning that she didn't have to be anything else in that moment but just herself.
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She then sits down on the bench with Troy and asks, "Do you remember in kindergarten how you'd meet a kid and know nothing about them, then ten seconds later you're playing like you're best friends, because you didn't have to be anything but yourself?"
And Troy responds, affirming her question with a "Yeah."
And Gabriella says, "Singing with you felt like that."
Here, it's very clear that Gabriella is being vulnerable with Troy, she's telling him that singing with him made her feel safe and more like herself than she has felt in any of her other schools; she doesn't feel alone when she's singing with Troy, she feels seen.
Now there's a couple places in Stranger Things that I think parallel this conversation, and the most obvious one is Mike's S2x08 monologue recalling his memory of meeting Will.
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Here, we get Mike saying, "Do you remember the first day that we met? It was...It was the first day of kindergarten. I knew nobody. I had no friends, and...I just felt so alone and so scared, but...I saw you on the swings, and you were alone too. You were just swinging by yourself. And I just walked up to you and...I asked. I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And you said 'Yes.' You said 'Yes.' It was the best thing I've ever done."
Now, although the tone of these reads somewhat differently, where Gabriella is reminiscing in a nostalgic way and Mike is recalling in a much more intimate and vulnerable way, we still get a strong narrative through-line here in that Mike and Gabriella are both talking about the fact that the other person made them feel seen.
While there's the obvious dialogue cue of "kindergarten" being used in both of these lines, there's a deeper implication here to being one's most authentic version of oneself. Mike was feeling scared because he believed that he would be rejected by the other kids at school until he found Will, in a very similar fashion to how Gabriella had felt shoe-boxed into being the "freaky math girl" by her peers and didn't truly feel like herself until she sang with Troy.
Here, Gabriella and Troy's refrain of "Like kindergarten" throughout the movie is meant to act as an invitation to allow the other to just be themselves.
So where else do we get a similar vulnerable scene between Will and Mike? You guessed it. It's the "crazy together" scene.
Leading into this scene, we see the party out trick or treating together, and Will gets cut off from the rest of the group and pushed over by a group of bullies, triggering an episode in which he enters the upside down. He calls out for Mike, but at first Mike can't find him, and when he finally does, he asks Will if he's okay and then says, "I'm gonna get you home, okay?"
Now, remember that I said we'd put a pin in the "private hideout" conversation? Well, this is where I want to pull that back out. Throughout the course of Stranger Things, we see two places that are predominantly coded as "private hideouts" in relation to Mike and Will, the first being Castle Byers, and the second being Mike's basement.
While Mike's basement might not at first seem like a private hideout, over the course of the show, it becomes established that this is not a part of the house that Mike's parents or his sister frequent. We mostly see the basement used as a hangout space for the party's DnD campaigns, and all throughout season 1, Mike was able to successfully hide El in the basement without her being found. Given the fact that the basement is also plastered in art Will has given to Mike, it's safe for the audience to assume this is predominantly Mike's space.
So when Mike tells Will he's taking him home, the audience assumes that he'll take Will home to Will's house, but he instead takes him down to his basement, a place that is established in the show as a private space for Mike, and we see them then engage in this intimate conversation.
Will starts to explain what it's like to be trapped in this space between Hawkins and the Upside Down. After Will explains, he asks Mike not to tell the others, so we can see them establishing a special trust with one another that doesn't include the rest of the party.
Will tells Mike that the others "Won't understand," and Mike replies by saying "Eleven would," and here is where we see Mike finally being vulnerable and opening up to Will about how he suspects she might still be out there and that he still thinks he sees her sometimes, something Mike has kept from the rest of the party.
Mike confesses by saying, "I don't know, sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy."
To which Will nods and says, "Me too."
And Mike then says, "Hey, well, if we're both going crazy, then we'll go crazy together, right?"
And Will says, "Yeah. Crazy together."
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Here, Will and Mike seem to establish this mutual understanding. They have both gone through a change to themselves and their understanding of the world around them that has forever altered their perceptions, and while Mike references El here, his conversation with Will is not about El, it's about revealing himself and his own fears and insecurities, so just like in the rooftop scene from High School Musical, we get this mutual acknowledgment of each counterpart seeing the other for who they really are, and not who they are expected to be or who they were before their perspectives changed (for Troy and Gabriella, they believed they had to remain as the basketball guy and the freaky math girl, but when they sang together, it changed their perceptions of who they had to be).
The "crazy together" line here functions in tandem with the "like kindergarten" callback we see between Troy and Gabriella in High School Musical. When Troy uses this line on Gabriella towards the end of the movie, it's as a reminder to her while they are on stage together performing that she doesn't have to be self-conscious, and he invites her back into that vulnerable space of being in "kindergarten" where you could just be yourself. Similarly, "crazy together" is used as a way for Mike and Will to both know they're not alone and that they equally see each other for who they are.
Sharpay/Troy and El/Mike Conflicts
Okay, so I'm now going to jump into the second movie in the HSM franchise, because I think this is where we see the strongest narrative parallels to ST4.
The setup we get to HSM 2 is that summer is coming and the main cast of characters is looking for summer jobs. Sharpay decides that this is the perfect opportunity to shoot her shot with Troy, and we see her kind of attempt to interject herself into his relationship with Gabriella by getting Troy a job at the country club her parents run, which soon backfires because Troy convinces the hiring manager to hire practically all of East High, including the basketball team and Gabriella.
However, Sharpay, being herself, doesn't give up on Troy that easily, and schemes several times to attempt to get him alone and to get in the way of his spending time with Gabriella. While I think Sharpay's whole arc in this movie is compelling for the purposes of Byler, there are a few scenes in particular I want to take a look at.
The first is the dinner scene that takes place with Sharpay and Troy. While Troy is caddying for Sharpay and her family, Sharpay lets him know that she was able to pull a few strings to set him up at dinner with a college scout who would be looking to give out basketball scholarships and basically forces his hand into attending a dinner with her, her parents, and the college scout, all while she treats Troy like her boyfriend, and we can see he's incredibly visibly uncomfortable throughout the entire dinner.
After Sharpay talks up Troy's other talents, we see her start bragging about his singing as well and even tries to get him to sing at dinner in front of her family. After he refuses under the guise of his voice being hoarse, Sharpay says, "But you will sing some other time, with me, promise?"
Here, Sharpay is attempting to get Troy to invest in her and spend more time with her. Troy knows what she's getting at and wants to shut this down, but he feels unable to do so because her parents are right there, so he reluctantly agrees to sing with her.
And we get the poor boy looking the most uncomfortable he's looked in his entire life right here:
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You can see the look of instant regret on his face after he agrees.
Of course, Sharpay doesn't give up there; she orchestrates an entire romantic music number to try to set herself and Troy up as counterparts and throws the music at him to try to get him to sing along. This is where we finally see Troy standing up for himself and asserting that he's already dating Gabriella and that nothing between he and Sharpay is going to happen.
From these moments, we can clearly see that Sharpay is trying to get Troy to see romantic potential in her and admit feelings for her, even when it's made clear to the audience that he doesn't.
So why is this relevant to Mike and El? Well, if you've stuck with me this far, this narrative should be sounding a little familiar.
Aside from the fact that the main conflicts in both of these arcs begin at an awkward dinner, we see a lot of the same dynamic playing out with Mike and El when El confronts Mike about not saying he loves her.
After El brings up the way that Mike looked at her at the roller rink, Mike says that he doesn't view her as a monster and that he was just surprised and confused, but it doesn't matter because he "care[s]" for El "so much."
El looks hurt by this and says, "Care. But you don't, you don't love me anymore?"
We can see that she's looking for reassurance in this scene. She needs to know that Mike still loves her without her powers and that she can depend on him, but all we really see back from Mike is defensiveness.
He follows up by saying, "Who said that I didn't?"
And we get the infamous:
"You never say it"
"I say it."
exchange.
When El tells him he can't even write it and brings out the letters as proof, he blame shifts and says that El shouldn't let the "Mouthbreathers" ruin their relationship.
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I love seeing these gifs of Mike and Troy juxtaposed because they both look equally as uncomfortable in these shots, and you would think that a guy in an established relationship with his girlfriend would not be pulling the same facial expressions when his girlfriend is trying to affirm for herself that he loves her as a guy who is getting hit on unsolicited from a girl outside of his relationship.
While these plot lines are slightly different, El and Sharpay are playing very similar roles in both: trying to get the guy they like to reciprocate their feelings.
In drawing this parallel, it forces the viewer to see El and Mike's relationship in a different light, because El is being paralleled to Sharpay who is getting in between the relationship between Troy and Gabriella. Now, I don't support the rhetoric of El getting in between Byler outside of this post, but for narrative purposes of these parallels, this is how it's being presented.
Which, in the context of the overarching story, makes seeing this TikTok in which Byler directly visually parallels Troy and Gabriella (though now it appears Will takes the place of Troy and Mike takes the place of Gabriella) all that much funnier.
(the shots here are slightly edited, so it isn't exactly in sync, but it's pretty damn close).
And if you're thinking it might be a stretch to compare these two scenarios, this is what really did it for me:
Towards the end of the movie, Troy reconciles with the basketball team after not acting like himself and putting himself before his friendships with them, and we see Sharpay looking worried at the fact that both her brother and Troy bailed on singing with her when she brought talent scouts out to come watch her perform.
While Troy is perfectly ready to just let her perform without him, we see Ryan come up to Troy and basically convince him to get back out onstage and sing with Sharpay. Ryan tells him, "Troy listen, all these people out there, I don't really wanna see my sister crash and burn. At least I think I don't. I think you should sing with her."
Troy looks pensive, and then he breathes in like he's about to go to battle before going to Sharpay's dressing room to agree to sing with her.
Now, while this ends up just being a ruse to get he and Gabriella to sing together, the narrative device of having Ryan have to push Troy into singing with Sharpay could not be any more similar to Will's "Don't stop, okay? You're the heart."
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Both Troy and Mike have to be pushed into this act with Sharpay and El respectively, as neither one of them was going to volunteer of their own accord.
Try Before You Deny
I can't believe I'm saying this, but after having watched High School Musical 2, I now believe that the fruit on pizza metaphor was, in fact, intentional queer-coding, and here's why:
The subtext in the Surfer Boy Pizza scene is the same as the subtext in the scene that occurs between Chad and Ryan in I Don't Dance.
Let's take a look:
So we have Ryan coming up to Chad after Gabriella invites Ryan to the staff baseball game. They get into a little bit of a standoff when Gabriella suggests that Ryan can save the talent show after Troy bailed on them because Ryan knows how to direct and choreograph. Chad then says to him, "If you want to play ball, then grab a mitt. But I don't dance."
Ryan comes back at him by saying, "You don't think dancing takes some game?"
And Chad asks, "You got game?"
To which Ryan responds, "A little."
Someone then passes Chad and Ryan the bat, and they put their hands one over the other until Ryan has claim over the top of the bat, signifying that he will be pitching first.
This whole song is heavily queer-coded and associates itself with playing for the other team, which way Chad "swings," and experimenting at things that aren't in your wheelhouse, but I want to talk about a few of the lyrics throughout the song as they seem particularly relevant to what's going on in the Surfer Boy Pizza scene.
The pre-chorus of this song literally goes:
"You'll never know"
"Oh, I know."
"If you never try."
"There's just one little thing that stops me every time...
Yeah, Come on! I don't dance!"
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The subtext in these lines is pretty self-explanatory, but this is basically Chad saying that his pre-conceived notions about himself stop him from trying to dance. He's incredibly resistant to trying anything that would shake up his jock persona.
When we look at this in comparison to the Surfer Boy Pizza scene, a lot of this dialogue shows up the same.
In this scene, we see Mike and El about to have this meaningful discussion about the last argument they had before El left, but they get interrupted by Argyle dropping a pineapple pizza in front of them.
Mike then says, "Dude, this is pineapple on pizza"
And Argyle says, "Try before you deny."
El then tries the pizza and says, "Good."
And Mike, in disbelief asks, "It's good? What do you mean it's good?"
And El just says, "Really good."
Mike then replies, "What? That's insane! That's blasphemous! Putting fruit on pizza?"
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We then see Argyle and El start trying to force-feed Mike the pizza, to which he is completely resistant, until he finally tries it and says, "No, you're right, it's good."
Just like Chad, we see Mike being encouraged into an action that's out of his comfort zone, and just like Chad, Mike is adamant about not trying it and resistant to this change.
While Mike finally lets down his resolve against the pineapple pizza and finally accepts that it's good, we see a similar acceptance between Chad and Ryan when they both partake in each other's game (Chad dancing and Ryan playing baseball), and then we see them hanging out together in the next scene having switched into each other's clothes, fully embracing both parts of themselves.
You could chalk this up to coincidence, but between the narrative similarity in how these scenes play out and the use of the word "try," but specifically it's use in the same context, "you'll never know if you never try," and "try before you deny," I think there's a good chance that they incorporated some of the queer subtext from High School Musical within this scene.
This is pretty much the bulk of what I got when looking at these two in conjunction with one another, but let me know if there's a moment I missed! Hope you enjoyed this one!
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butmakeitgayblog · 2 years
Note
my kingdom for the proposal scene (and after) of CI Clexa 🥹
Lexa = 😈
//////////
She's been acting weird for weeks.
A couple of months, truly.
If you're being totally honest with yourself that is.
But the part of you that knows you can be a paranoid little twat screams at you to calm the fuck down and stick to the more forgiving measurement unit of weeks.
You watch her fork shuffle her roasted duck breast glazed in birch syrup and soy sauce from one side of her plate to the next. When she'd ordered it, you'd made an obnoxious show of declaring how you'd prefer your own dinner sans any tree splooge.
It was the fact that she'd actually given you a huffed laugh rather than sniffing about you being an unrefined culinary neophyte that concerned you.
Honestly, you're starting to get a bit pissy about it.
She'd insisted on you both going out to eat in the first place. Had practically thrown her version of a fit when you'd tried to muscle her into going someplace you hadn't been before. But between her annoyed eye rolls and the too-hard clink of her lipstick tube when she'd set it down at your fourth suggestion, you'd given in and gone where she wanted to go.
And now she's just sitting there.
Not even eating.
Merely watching the tines of her fork rake patterns through the stupidly pretentious sauce and it's enough to have the hair on your neck stand on end.
"What's the matter?" you finally break on the fourth smoothing over of a crudely drawn infinity sign.
Her eyes dart to you and widen for barely a tenth of a split second.
"Nothing's the matter."
You finish chewing and set your fork and knife in the way that lets your waiter know you're finished.
"Is it work?"
"Work's great," she frowns and mindlessly passes her own plate over at the same time yours is collected. Your eyes follow the untouched food as it's whisked away. "Indra's been vetting a new group of interns actually. I'm thinking of having her pass off one in particular to me. I think he shows potential and a great instinct, and it'd be nice to have something new to focus on."
You hum and nod when she trails off. "That's great."
"I think so. It'd be nice to know I have someone who thinks like me should I ever... want to take time away."
"That does sound good. So what is wrong then?" you push back again because of course she wouldn't just make this simple for you.
Her lips drop open as though to lilt another excuse, but something about the hard edge of your stare must make her think twice about it. Because now she's leaning back in her seat, mouth ticking into that infuriating smile just so, and she seems to breathe a little easier than she had been before.
She's quiet so long you almost want to yell just to cut the tension. Want to snap your fingers in her face just to get her to goddamn blink.
You fucking hate when she does this.
Her silence has always been dangerous, and with the way she's been acting recently...
"Where do you see this going?"
Your face scrunches at the sudden question.
"What?"
She lifts her previously untouched glass of wine and sips. "I asked, where do you see this going?"
"I don't-- You didn't even answer me."
"I'm getting there. Just answer my question."
"Answer mine first."
"Don't be petulant, darling," she says dryly. "It's terribly unattractive."
You grit your jaw at her coolness despite just confirming that there is indeed something wrong.
But you sigh and resign yourself to whatever the hell it is she is planning, still taking the time to sit back and cross your arms.
Simply because you know she hates it.
"Well, Lexa. I suppose that depends on what you're referring to," you say with a snap to each word. "Do you mean this evening? This week? This--"
"This relationship," she specifies entirely too calmly.
You swallow and lift your chin, feeling your blood run cold as it undoubtedly drains from your face.
"... What do you mean?"
The flare of pride at how steady your voice is does little to counter act the sudden evening chill.
"Exactly what I said, Clarke," she says and gestures between you both. "I'm curious as to where you see this going. How you see this all playing out."
A coughed laugh jumps out of you before you can stop it. "How am I supposed to know? What the hell are you talking about?"
"I figured as much," she sighs and sets her wine aside. Moves the little floral arrangement she'd spent the entirety of dinner staring at so the table is bare between you. "So. I've been thinking."
You watch her hands smooth out to the edges over the linen of the table before folding together in front of her.
"I think this arrangement has run its course. Don't you?"
The words drop like a dead weight into the pit of your stomach.
You're not sure where the ringing in your ears is coming from but you really wish whoever was doing it would shut the fuck up. It's distracting you from how your heart is pounding so hard you can actually feel it's beat in your throat.
"... What?"
"This isn't working for me anymore, darling."
"Lexa—"
She sighs with an easy shake of her head. "This whole... playing house together. All the whispers and gossip about 'stepsisters dating'. It's tiring, isn't it? Wouldn't you like to close the chapter on that?"
You can feel yourself shaking as your nails dig into the bare skin of your arms. It feels like you've been slapped in the face despite her not having moved a muscle. She just stares at you. Her beautiful green eyes that you've fallen in love look so relieved and at peace in that moment, while the entire fucking planet under you dissolves.
"Are you serious right now?" you seethe in a whisper through the clench of your teeth because as pathetic as it is, you're a praying for a punchline.
"You'll know when I'm joking, darling, because when I joke, people actually laugh."
She moves to reach out for you with a quiet, "I just feel—", but you think if she does you might actually hit her and an assault charge is the last thing you need right now. The scrape of chair legs is muffled on the carpet of the restaurant as you slide back and launch yourself up and out from your seat.
"Do not touch me," you growl as you collect your clutch and phone and she really has the audacity to click her tongue at it.
A million words race through your head as you slam your chair back into place and she just sits there so calmly it makes it all the more infuriating. Devastating. Like she knew you'd react like this. Like its just so typically you of you to go and ruin her very practical method of smashing your heart to pieces.
So you lean over the table and right into her face and strangle out the only coherent thought you can process.
"Go fuck yourself, Lexa."
She only flits that goddamn eyebrow that you hate when you pull back and wheel around to make your grand exit.
The clatter of silverware and nerve-grating sound of muffled laughter feel like it's closing in on you as you near the front entrance. You have so many insults and cutting things you wished you said and, ya know what? Fuck this. Fuck her.
She brought you here to keep you quiet. To keep you civil while she breaks your heart, because if there's one thing Lexa hates, it's to make a scene. This bitch brought you to the restaurant where she took you on your first date just to humiliate you while keeping you obedient.
The thought stops you dead in your tracks because, oh no. No. You are not about to let this shit play out like this.
You whirl around and stomp back with every acidic thing you can think of bubbling on your tongue—
And stop short at the sight of the table you'd just abandoned.
Specifically at the extremely ornate wooden box sat in the middle of it.
She looks entirely too pleased with herself as you dumbly glance between the grin on her face and the detailed carvings on the box.
Your chair slides back out with a push of her stilettoed foot and she gives a silent motion for you to retake your seat. You're blinking so fast the room feels like a strobe light but that's fitting for how much the room is spinning. She snorts under her breath when you quite literally collapse into her chair.
"Now that that's out of your system," she hums and smooths her hands over the linen table again. "As I was saying..."
She reaches out and takes the box and slips it closer to herself.
"I think this arrangement has run its course," she starts again and you can't help the way your heart jumps. Because she sounds entirely different than before.
Softer. Adoring. Like the women she is when you wake up together in bed.
"It's just not working for me anymore, darling."
She pops the latch on the box and smiles down at its contents, before spinning it around for you to see.
"I think wives would be more exciting."
You watch her pluck the ring from its nest of crushed velvet and your chest stutters at the site of it hend between her fingers.
You give a shakey hand over when she reaches for you this time and in the span of the last five minutes you'd forgotten how warm she is.
"I don't want to play house with you, because I want to make a home with you," she says only loud enough for you to hear as the rest of the room's noise fades away. "And I figure if they're going to gossip about us degenerate stepsisters fucking, might as well really make it worth their while."
Her smile is wicked when you let out a watery laugh and when in the sapphic fuck did you start crying?
But her thumb sweeps over your knuckles and her face turns soft again as green eyes take on a little sheen of their own.
"I love you, Clarke. And I'm not going to stop loving you, that's why I'd really like to start a new chapter with you... Because I've hated you. And then I tolerated you. Then I wanted you so fucking badly I made a fool out of myself."
You smile along with her as she rolls her eyes.
"I know how you feel about marriage," she continues with a nervous swallow. "But I think we've more than proven to each other that we're— We're not them. We're us. And I... I really, really want to marry you, Clarke."
She suddenly looks so vulnerable. More vulnerable than you've seen her in ages as she holds your hand in hers and the ring in the other. She doesn't move to slip it on your finger, just waits patiently for you to process the whiplash of whatever the fuck it is that's just happened.
You'd... thought she was breaking up with you.
And now she's asking to marry you.
And of course she'd pick the absolute most mindfuck of a way possible.
Such a little... shit.
"Ya know, I hate you."
"I hate you too."
"... And I love you."
"I love you too," she breathes back so fast it makes your spin.
A laugh rises in your throat as you shake your head at this fucking woman.
"Was it necessary to give me a goddamn heart attack before asking?"
Her lips tip into a relieved grin as she shrugs. "Have to get my kicks somewhere, darling. Besides, all calculated risks."
"Oh is that right?"
"The only thing you can't resist more than me is making things as dramatic as possible," she explains bit still takes a moment to drop a kiss to your wrist. "I knew you'd come back. Because that's what we do. We come back to each other."
You sigh because she's right but she doesn't need to be so smug about it. Because you both get under each other's skin and drive each other up the wall.
But you always come back.
Both of you do, no matter what the other has done.
You're both generally crazy but more importantly, you're crazy about each other, and that's how you know for certain she really did do all this just for kicks.
Fucking bitch.
You adore every inch of her devious mind.
You make a show of weighing your options, tipping your head from side to side while she sags in annoyance and rolls her eyes.
"Well," you finally breath after long moment of consideration. "... I suppose stepsister wives would make the gossip more interesting."
The smile that splits her face is glowingly brilliant by her standards, but to the rest of the world you know it'd be considered tempered. You wiggle your fingers in her grip and earn glare when she has to struggle to slip the ring on your finger.
Your whole body feels on fire when it finally slips into place.
She looks so proud of herself as she seals it in place with a press of her lips before leaning across the table to pull you into a kiss. It's dirtier than you're used to her kissing you in public but with the dry sweetness of wine that clings to her tongue, neither of you can even begin to care.
"Thank you," she murmurs with a brush of her nose against yours. "Thank you."
She wisely kisses you before you can say anything smart.
Her arms feel good wrapped around your waist when you nod at the maître d' and make your way to the coat check, even more so in the brisk evening air. It's like she can't stop touching you, the way she she's hanging all over you, and it's only when the driver opens the door that she stiffens.
"You're not actually going to make me go fuck myself, right?"
You burst out laughing at her narrow-eyed accusation, because it's a fair question given the evening's shenanigans and your flair for revenge. So you pop a kiss to her lips and her usher her into the darkened privacy of the spacious backseat, and eagerly crawl in after.
The door closes with a nod when you direct him to take the long way home.
/////////////
"Well... not on the drive, at least."
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writernopal · 10 months
Text
🦎Galette⏳
At the request of @gummybugg, who wished to see a cooking scene from me, below the cut is a rather long excerpt (1.1k words) from "As A Stranger Or A Friend?: The Swallow And The Drowned Sailor" that entails Mariel and Axtapor making an apple galette together.
Something else to note is that the recipe for this one also made it into Axtapor & Mariel's Scrapbook, so I've included the pages for those as well, in case you'd like to take a crack at it yourselves! For some additional context, the first page was inspired by the really chaotic extant medieval recipes that had no measurements or explicit instructions for how to prepare something. They made many assumptions about the cook's skill level 😅 The second pages are the modern, legible versions of the same recipe. Fun fact, the recipe itself was developed specifically for AASOAF 2 by my other talented sister! Enjoy!
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“Shall we begin?”
“Aye.”
“First, cut the apple in half.” I said, demonstrating to him with my own knife and cutting board, “Then remove the seeds like this...if you angle the knife this way, it becomes easier. Now, you try.”
He took up the knife before him and did his best to imitate my instruction. His movements were stiff and awkward, but I could see he was really trying his best.
“You’re doing well.” I encouraged him with a smile.
“Be I?” He asked with a rawness in his voice.
“Yes.” I replied brightly, “Keep going just like that. I’ll show you what comes next when you are ready.”
“Aye then.” 
He focused on his task in an overly concentrated way and still seemed rather out of sorts. Perhaps he needed to liken it to something he already knew to be more comfortable with it. 
“Perhaps, they are not apples.” I remarked softly.
He stopped and gave me a strange look.
“Perhaps they are your enemies and must be cut down.” I suggested quietly.
He continued to stare at me, seeming at a loss for words.
“Fiercely.” I added as I made the motion of swinging a sword, or rather, doing my best to imitate how I’d seen him do in the past.
He still seemed confused.
“I-It’s alright…perhaps they are just apples—”
He swung the knife down loudly and sliced the apple before him cleanly in half. “As so?”
“Y-Yes.” I replied, clutching my chest and trying to regain my composure, “V-Very good.”
He smiled, and a familiar playfulness returned to his features as he sliced another apple in half, spattering juice everywhere, including on me.
Maybe I should tell him to be more controlled with his swings, but he looked so happy that I couldn’t bear to do it. Instead, I laughed, wiped the juice from my brow, and then stepped away to let him continue. Though with my step back, he seemed to become nervous once more.
“Is something the matter?” I asked quietly.
“Just, well, am I no ready for what comes next?” He asked with an uneasy expression, “Been I wrong to ask?”
“No, there is no harm in asking.” I stood beside him again, “Would you let me show you?”
“Aye.” He said, offering me the knife carefully and taking a half step back.
I took it from him and came to stand where he had been, though before I could begin speaking or demonstrating anything to him, I felt him press up behind me and lean down to rest his head on my shoulder. He placed his hands on either side of mine, his right one taking the knife from me carefully, then waited.
“Go on. I be yer puppet.” 
“V-Very well...” 
I placed my hands atop his, guiding him to slice the apple in front of us, when his once slackened arms suddenly became taught and unyielding, stopping us rather abruptly. 
“Hold fast.” He switched the positions of our left hands, resting his over mine, “Better. Nay want ye to get sliced if’n the knife slips.”
“Th-Thank you...you are very thoughtful… Now then…” 
Between our hands, soft words, and gentle motions, we managed to slice all of the apples, and with his newfound confidence, he also helped prepare the dough and volunteered to arrange the apples within it. His eagerness to place it in the oven might rival that of a child’s, and while it made me quite happy to see him flourish this way, it also made me profoundly sad. How many times had he been crushed in the past for his true nature to be so difficult to uncover? And more importantly, how could it be so invisible to those around him when I could so plainly see it? I didn’t know, but I hoped that he would never feel the need to obscure himself with me. 
“In it be.” He declared as he placed the galette in the oven, “How long do we have ‘fore it be done?”
“About thirty minutes.” I replied as I removed my apron and flipped the sandglass beside the oven.
“Be ye in the mood then?” He asked as he tossed his apron aside and produced a deck of cards from his pocket.
“Yes!” I replied eagerly.
He chuckled and began to shuffle them in his hands. “Will ye best me this time?”
“Doubtful.” I replied, coming to stand across the table from him.
He set down the pile and drew his hand from the top. “Time’s passed, thin’s change.”
“Yes but not so much...” I replied with a resigned sigh upon seeing my hand.
“Oh aye, ‘haps no.” He teased with a smug look on his face.
As predicted, I lost every game we played, but I didn’t care so much. I wouldn’t mind losing at cards for the rest of my life so long as I got to play against him. I pulled another hand and caught a glimpse of the expired sandglass.
“The galette!” I exclaimed, as I gasped and dropped my cards. 
I only hoped that it was not burned! I frantically searched for a cloth to shield my hands from the heat to fetch it but couldn’t seem to find anything to use.
“Keep yer head on true. Time nay been gone so soon.” He said as he gently brushed past me with a folded linen in his hands.
“H-How do you know?”
“Been sixty tail swin’s since we put it in.” He explained plainly.
“What?”
“On the Lyre, we swin’ our tails to tell the time as so. Must learn to count it right, Phaxix nay be patient.” He elaborated as he reached into the oven.
“O-Oh...I see.” I replied awkwardly as I watched him pull out the finished pie.
Though I had to admit that I was impressed. How could he count time and win several games of cards at once?
He grimaced in a pleased way as he demonstrated it to me. “Look at that. Be fine work of yers.”
“Yours too. It’s lovely.” I said with a smile.
He set it down on the worktable with a chuckle and then simply admired it there with me.
It was not as neat as one from a bakery or shop, and the apples were sliced unevenly, but the smell and color were perfect. And its lack of polish spoke to the tenderness between us as we crafted it, making it far more beautiful than it otherwise might have been. Until now, we’d had plenty of practice being confused, disjointed, uninformed, ill-equipped, angry, dejected, and misled when it regarded our odd relationship. We only recently made acquaintance with honesty and, even more recently still, compassion. Locked there in the crust was evidence of all those things, and I was suddenly glad he could not help himself in coming here.
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Credits Authored By: N. Opal Recipe Developed By: The Secret Second Sister Illustrated and Designed By: @illjustpretend
Access Axtapor & Mariel's Scrapbook here (my website link). Note, contains spoilers for AASOAF 2.
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foodfightnovelization · 7 months
Text
Chapter 24: Analysis and Discussion+ Conclusion
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So here we are at Chapter 24, the very last chapter of this novelization. It's been a wild ride, right? From different dialogue, to entirely new characters, to scenes that weren't in the final film at all, this has been SO much more enjoyable than watching the actual movie. The changes made in the novelization add so so much to the story, and a lot of what I didn't like about the movie was either changed or left out entirely. I hope you enjoyed reading about it and reading along with me, because I sure as hell loved writing about it. With all that said and done, let's see how this story ends, right?
Hairy Hold finally shows up to join the Resistance...after everything's already over, of course. Dex congratulates everyone on a job well done, but tells them they still have a lot of work to do- the store opens in just four hours. It's than that Dr Nustrix shows up and says he's created an antidote that should bring all the Ikes they lost back to life. He spritzes Polar Penguin with it and he wakes up, as if he were just in a deep sleep the entire time. This twist is a little silly, but I'm a sucker for happy endings so I'll let it slide. The only difference here between the novelization and the movie's version of events is the additional line from Dex about their store opening in 4 hours, which is pretty minor but does remind us there's still work to be done.
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Polar says he knew Dex would save him, and Sunshine tells Dex how proud she is of him as she jumps into his arms. She throws a raisin in the air and he once again catches it in his mouth. Dan lampshades how everything really turned out perfect in the end, and Dex pulls the ring from his pocket (remember, from when he was going to propose to Sunshine right at the start of all this?) and she instantly says yes, the whole store cheering as the two finally kiss. Dan almost starts crying until he notices Sweet Cakes giving him a flirty look, and realizes he might be getting some action too. This scene is once again the same across both the novelization and the movie, with the exception of the brief exchange between Dan and Sweet Cakes at the end which is only in the novelization. So, this is the second-to-last page, and with only one more to go, you'd THINK things would stay the same and the novelization wouldn't end in a completely different way to the movie, right? Well, you'd be wrong- check this out!
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We cut to the next morning, back in the supermarket. Mr Leonard looks around and sees burnt, destroyed Brand X products littering the floor and is horrified until he notices all the colorful, familiar products are back on their shelves, everything back the way it should be. He's suitably puzzled, and thinks he must be dreaming.
A month later, Mr Leonard is helping a customer load groceries into her cart. It's noted all the products at the top of the bag are ones we're now familiar with- Kaptain Krispy chips, Polar Pleasure ice cream, and Twinkleton toothpaste. As she leaves, a large delivery truck pulls up- but this time it's a new shipment Mr Leonard's been eagerly awaiting. He opens the box and pulls out a brand new box of cereal- "New and Improved Cinnamon Sleuth Cereal- Now with Sunshine Goodness Raisins".
...
So, uh...YEAH. This is COMPLETELY different from how the movie ends, and it's a total last-second left turn. For context, in the movie after Dex proposes to Sunshine, we cut to their wedding at the Copbanana. It's being ordained by a rabbi, and Dex stomps on a carton of milk before he and Sunshine kiss. Dr Nustrix is shocked by this, and loudly exclaims "Dex is JEWISH?" with Dan explaining of course he is- his cereal is kosher. The credits start rolling, interrupted several times by brief interludes showing all the Ikes having fun at Dex and Sunshine's wedding- such as Sunshine trying to take Dex's hat off, only to find another hat underneath it, Maximilius and Flushington crying at how beautiful the ceremony was, and Dan bragging to a bunch of sugar Ikes about how much he helped during the war against Brand X. There are literally no similarities AT ALL to compare between these two endings.
I VASTLY prefer the novelization's ending, however. It's way more low-key with Mr Leonard baffled by what happened to his store overnight, wondering what happened to Brand X and why everything's suddenly back to normal. It's like he finally gets a hint that something more is going on behind the doors of his supermarket after it closes, a brief wink toward the world of Marketropolis he'll never see. Although we lose the revelation of Dex being Jewish (losing out on some much-needed representation), the much more subtle implication that Dex and Sunshine are now married by showing a new and improved Cinnamon Sleuth cereal with Sunshine Goodness raisins now in the mix is a much sweeter and genuinely endearing way for the story to end. It does raise some questions about how marriage works in Marketropolis- for instance, if Mr Clean marries Charlie Tuna, do the two products combine and release an all-purpose cleaner that smells like fish?
Regardless, it's a lovely ending to the story, and I really hope everyone enjoyed reading along with me. I definitely enjoyed reading this and talking about all the changes made, and I absolutely consider Foodfight! The Junior Novelization the definitive version of the Foodfight story. Irene Trimble, I don't know if you're still out there, but if you are you deserve a medal for creating a version of Foodfight! that goes above and beyond anything the movie itself did. Of course, most of that is down to the novelization being based on an earlier version of the movie's script and so the writers deserve a share of credit too, but without this novelization we'd likely never even get to know what that early script was like!
Now that I've finished going through the novelization in its entirety, I'll put it up on the Internet Archive for everyone to read whenever they want- after all, this is the only copy known to exist, and I want to make sure it's preserved forever so everyone can enjoy it. Thank you again to anyone who's been reading this blog and joining me on this journey, I'm honored to have shared this experience with you. I mean, how often do you get to read the only copy of a book known to exist, share it with the entire world, AND unravel a huge part of the tangled web of mysteries that the production of Foodfight! is?
I'll update this blog again when I've uploaded the book to the Internet Archive, but for now this is Tiffany Amber, signing off!
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dbphantom · 1 year
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having watched bleach start to finish like 3 times over the years, the length does not intimidate me but would you say one pace is better because it's closer to the original? 🤔
Oh shit nice! That will definitely help haha
IMO, One Pace is better because it cuts a lot of anime filler and adjusts the abysmal pacing of the anime in the latter half of the show (it's getting better-ish with the 2 most recent arcs, but it's still pretty bad all things considered) to be closer to the manga. I think it's amazing and 100% worth checking out if you don't like filler or slow pacing that doesn't benefit the story. That said, there are some things I think the OG anime does better than One Pace despite all its benefits, so it's up to you, really.
Here are some differences I've noticed so far so you can decide which one you should check out for your first watch :)
One Pace is subs only, no dub. I haven't met anyone who has considered that a deal-breaker yet, but I figured it should be pointed out asap because you do not get a choice if you want to watch Pace.
Some of the filler in the OG anime is great! Most fans I've talked to will sing the praises of G-8, which is a short filler arc, but embodies the spirit of the show perfectly. It's actually what I show the people I want to get into the series because it's short and not main story stuff and so perfectly One Piece.
But not all of the filler is good or worth watching. And lately the OG anime has taken to drawing out scenes for padding instead of simply coming up with filler to let the manga get sufficiently ahead. It can be draining to watch a side character's surprised face still-frame slowly drag across the scene for the 1,000th time when you KNOW there's better things they can be spending that screen time on. Or yet another shot of characters aimlessly running down a hallway to pad time between scenes.
There are some cover stories that were adapted into the anime [not all of them, though!] that One Pace cuts down on bc it does not match up with the only-manga style of the edits. This can be a bit confusing as some cover stories are important to the plot/understanding where characters are and what they're doing in the world without it coming out of left field.
That said, you'd have to read some cover stories anyway regardless of which anime adaption you choose, because the OG anime did not adapt every cover story and some of them are pretty important. Definitely check out the cover page wiki no matter which anime version you decide to pick up. Just be wary of spoilers. You can DM me for links to the cover stories if you want :)
If you're worried about One Pace cutting story info, I've been watching it with my friend as his first time through in case there's info I need to add in, but it's been very faithful to the manga so far. I even got my foot in my mouth a few times by explaining that a scene was cut- only for said scene to have been moved a few episodes down to match up with the manga, not the anime.
One Pace cuts out all the lingering reaction shots and redundant flashback sequences. And the editing is phenomenal! There are some weird music jumps in the arcs that they edited in the beginning [Thriller Bark is one I remember there being a lot of noticeable music cuts, and that's one of the first arcs they edited], but it's really not as bad as some people make it out to be. Just sort of an 'oh that was a little noticeable. Anyway, moving on'. The important scenes are all very well done and the editing jumps you may notice will not detract from the heavy impact stuff.
If you're someone who likes to takes things slower by only watching 1-2 episodes a day or once in a while, it may be best to stick with the og anime. It has recaps at the start of every episode and frequent flashbacks so you can remember what's going on. One Piece is released once a week, so this makes sense for a more 'casual' watching experience. One Pace has no recaps, and some flashbacks are cut for being 'redundant' [those that are shown a handful of episodes after the scene happened- or even in the same episode, for padding purposes]. Normal and reasonable flashbacks are kept in though, so you don't have to worry about that.
One Pace also isn't fully completed yet. For example, if you watch from the start of the show, you'll need to switch back to the normal anime for the Baratie arc. They don't edit the arcs in order, instead they edit them in order of which has the worst issues regarding pacing and filler. It can be a little strange having to jump back and forth at the start, but each One Pace episode shows which anime episodes it covers in the title name, so it's not that bad. Plus, this absolute unit wrote up a guide on reddit for swapping between One Pace, the OG, and a seperate editing project known as One Piece Kai. One Piece Kai has hour+ long episodes and the editing is less smooth than One Pace, but it is great for getting through Alabasta & Skypeia.
Also, One Pace has covered the latter half of the show in its entirety, so once you hit Enies Lobby it is a straight shot to catching up to the anime using only One Pace, which is great because once you jump back and forth between Pace and the OG, the pacing differences are night and day.
Overwhelmingly I would recommend One Pace. But! It's also important to know what you're getting into with it, y'know? If you do decide to use it, I definitely recommend following that guide I linked and also watching G-8. And keep an eye on when you should read the cover stories :)
For reference, I've watched the entire OG anime in chunks over the years and One Pace up to Impel Down [currently watching through, it's been great]. During my first time through the OG anime, I stopped watching once 'the latter half' of the show hit and switched to manga-only due to the pacing being That Bad. I watched all the anime arcs eventually, but that initial pacing problem really put me off it for a while. Before I recommended One Pace to a newbie friend, I rewatched WCI using it and the pacing was like night and day. It is really an amazing project, it's very well done and he's enjoying the series a lot so far.
Also, also, if you're going to watch, I recommend blacklisting some of the op tags! I believe the popular spoiler tags are 'opspoilers', 'op spoilers', and 'One Piece spoilers'. People may also tag each chapter/episode release individually. I personally use an amalgamation of the popular spoiler tags plus my generic 'spoiler' tag and the series tags, with chapter tags if it's really big. There was a huge thing recently (is a year 'recently'? It is in one piece time haha) in the manga that is just everywhere online, and it's pretty massive spoilers :)
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glitchydyke · 2 years
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hi mj i'm very intrigued by core sasha please feel free to ramble about core sasha if you'd like :] !
HI GUS <333
OKAY SO CORE SASHA. MAKES ME INSANE. u know i love sasha and i love putting my faves thru unimaginable torture <33
the way it would happen would either b your typical role swap where sasha ends up in newtopia instead of toad tower OR the way i think of it usually is everything happens like canon up to the end of s2 but when the core sees sasha betray anne and marcy in an attempt to take over amphibia it changes its mind and wants him instead !!
marcy is still stabbed and anne still leaves in true colours but instead of grime and sasha escaping, they’re captured and kept prisoner. eventually andrias kinda just. lets marcy go. as in dumps them in the middle of nowhere, still entirely unconscious and actively dying from being STABBED. bc now that the core wants sasha he has no more use for them but still can’t bring himself to actually kill them :[ so he just throws them out n lies to the core abt it. marcy does in fact not die n makes their way to wartwood even w all their injuries bc they are NOT dying w out apologising to anne and sasha thank u very much. they eventually end up starting the rebellion like sasha does !!
meanwhile sasha is kept in captivity and pretty much just… studied by andrias and the core. she’s in the highest security prison and can’t break out but that doesn’t stop her repeatedly trying over and over until she’s exhausted. she refuses food and drink and ends up punching the wall so much her knuckles are perpetually covered in blood. she spends her days rehearsing what she’s going to say to anne and marcy when (if) she sees them again, bc she’s sorry, she wants to be better, she knows she fucked up. she wants to make it right. she loves them
meanwhile the core admires sasha’s determination, and although he’s not as booksmart as marcy is, the core has seen the manipulation and deceit and LOVES it. it’s officially chosen him as its host. yunan and olivia still try to save sasha and grime, and they get close! they break grime out, and find sasha just in time to see the helmet lock onto his head, to see him writing and screaming in agony, spitting out curses towards andrias with their last moments of consciousness.
and dasha rises :]
the castle is almost IMMEDIATELY turned into an armoury, with more weapons than andrias even knew they had, and grime is fitted with a mind control collar along with yunan and olivia.
when the final battle arrives, anne and marcy and the plantars enter the castle and go straight to the dungeons, expecting to find sasha tired and bruised but full of fire and ready to fight. he isn’t there. forced to continue their plan without him, they go to find the music box, free grime and yunan and olivia, and the hallway conversation anne has with sasha happens between her and marcy instead! we can forgive sasha; i forgave you, we’re still friends even though we both changed. i know she betrayed us. we can make things better.
the scene of the girls discovering darcy still happens, with dasha this time, and a twisted version of “hey, girlfriends” that breaks anne and marcy’s hearts in two.
sasha’s fantasy world is… what it used to be like on earth. her, anne, and marcy. having sleepovers, playing pranks, sasha in control and planning each day for them for endless fun. they don’t realise anything is wrong, for a while. this is happy. they’re with their friends, doing things they love. it’s nice. it’s wrong. anne and marcy agree to one too many things, cut one too many classes, and sasha stops. this isn’t right. anne doesn’t obey her anymore. marcy is gone now. sasha doesn’t want this anymore. this isn’t the friendship they want, and this isn’t the friendship they have. they want the real anne, the real marcy, and they don’t want total control. they’ve grown. they’ve changed. they have. right?
in the real world, anne fights andrias, and marcy fights dasha, desperately pleading with sasha to come back, please come back, this isn’t the adventure i wanted, i’m sorry, can you hear me, sasha, i’m sorry. it doesn’t work. dasha doesn’t flinch, only talking long enough to remind marcy of the betrayal they made, the danger they’ve put their friends in, and sasha stabs marcy in the exact same place andrias stabbed them, opening old wounds and taking them down.
anne returns from her fight w andrias to see marcy on the floor, desperately trying to plug the hole in their chest, and dasha standing above them, doing its token villain monologue. about how they shouldn’t even care, sasha isn’t their friend, sasha was never their friend. sasha was only ever toxic, an abuser, a terrible person who’s been playing them from day one. she’ll never change. she betrayed you. she hates you. you’re only with her to serve, so stay down and serve.
it’s not true. anne and marcy know. they saw sasha’s fear when marcy was stabbed and anne fell through the portal. they saw her clutching grime, screaming about how marcy can’t die, she has to apologise, she has to make things right again, anne can’t leave, marcy can’t leave, please don’t leave me.
marcy stands. anne’s hair glows. an arrow flies through the cord connected to the helmet, and a glowing blue fist lands a hit on the centre glowing eye. the cord snaps, the helmet shatters, and sasha falls to the ground.
unconscious, barely breathing, green blood dripping from the metal helmet shard stuck in their eye.
they’re held in their friends arms, and when they begin to wake up, a pain shoots through their head and they scream. their hand reaches up to find cold metal where their eye should be, pushing the sharp point in further, and they almost pass out again. but marcy’s arms around them, anne’s hand in their hair, grounds them a little. they look up with their one working eye, seeing tears and thankful smiles, and the apologies happen. they’re difficult to get out, through the agonising pain that refuses to stop, but sasha apologises and marcy apologises and anne explains. and they’re okay. they’ll be okay.
sasha is hastily patched up by olivia, with assistance from grime’s knowledge of injuries and maddie’s knowledge of magic. their eye is gone, and their blood is still green (…that’s probably fine), but at least they can stand, and see, and turn their head without feeling as though the world is caving in on them.
speaking of which, the world is kind of caving in <3 the moon begins to plummet to amphibia, and the rest of the hardest thing happens as in canon !! THE END
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Somehow i got emotionally reinvested in supernatural and now i just have to give my unwanted opinion about how i, a humble non-writer, could fix it
It's actually really really simple, just obliterate 15x20, trash all of it, it sucked
Then they should've split 15x19 into two episodes because you're going to make your protagonists fight against God and you don't even have the decency to make it a two parter?? Get it together jfc
Also, this would let the cliffhanger of the last episode sink in a bit, I mean they killed off a main character and the entire universe, you gotta sit with that a little bit, makes the stakes higher. I mean think about it, the complete desolation of it all, the eerie lack of anything, that's horrifying and they could've done a bit more with it and made a more impactful episode
Also, scrap the Michael betrayal arc, come on, you're telling me he would go back to his father after he killed his only friend? I mean i guess you could write that in a way it would make sense but given they've only used this character in like 5 episodes tops, that's just shitty writing and just trashes an interesting character for no reason
And idk what bullshit you'd have to think up to incapacitate god, but tbh that was always gonna be a bit unbelievable so you really don't need the Michael betrayal arc to make it work
So basically in my version episode 15x19 would end with the winchesters still trying to find a way to stop chuck, maybe with a kinda bleak final scene to end the episode with a sense of hopelessness/desperation
Then in 15x20 they find a way to defeat God, leave somewhere between half the episode and a few minutes left to wrap it up. You can leave the end of 15x19 mostly unchanged if you want, some ppl didn't like it but i thought jack becoming the new god was a good ending for him and for the spn world in general. Maybe bring cas back maybe not, bringing him back kinda cheapens his sacrifice but it also undoes the bury your gays trope (and let's be honest, spn deaths stopped being meaningful years ago), so you win some you lose some ig
One of the worst mistakes I think the spn final made was the whole "this is how the rest of sam and dean's lives went" montage. Not only did the ending for the characters suck, the audience didn't need to see some lame ass summary of their lives. Supernatural is more suited for an open ending.
Like, leave shit up for interpretation, I don't need to see the end of their lives to be satisfied, in fact it takes away half the fun away by telling us what happened. The big bad is gone, the winchesters probably won't have any apocalypses to fight since the writers, in a dumb stroke of genius, managed to explain away why so much bad shit happens to the winchesters. They could've left us with that and it would have been sooooo much better.
They're finally at peace, sure things aren't perfect and they're still hunters, but they don't need to save the world anymore. They should've just ended it with a scene of the whole fam together happy or they could've paralleled that trunk scene from episode one then cut to black
You know the one
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Idk, I'm not a writer and i never expected the spn series finale to be good but I'm convinced they had to be trying to make a finale that shit
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fictionadventurer · 2 years
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Hello! So I remember a while back you recommended Regina Doman's Fairy Tale novels, which made me decide to pick up the first three. I've loved them and I'm thinking about picking up the last three, but I have a bit of a concern. I've seen some reviews for Rapunzel Let Down that imply there's a descriptive sex scene in it? Which would surprise me, but I'm very cautious about anything that has even sensual scenes, so I wanted to ask you whether that's true or not. Thank you for your time.
The original Grimm's version of "Rapunzel" involves the prince impregnating Rapunzel with twins, and Rapunzel Let Down builds off of that version to craft a story about the broken relationships between men and women--how they can hurt each other, how they can find healing, and how to contrast objectifying lust with true sacrificial love. To serve that end, this book does have two sex scenes. I wouldn't necessarily call them descriptive, and the point of them is to serve the wider themes of the book, not to titillate the reader. I personally find them, for the most part, less descriptive than the kissing scenes in a lot of sex-scene-free YA books and "clean" romances--but the scenes are there. There's a reason that Doman classifies this as an adult book. Even beyond the sex scenes, she explores some very difficult topics and serious sins much more directly than she does in the other books in the series. The book's never voyeuristic, but it's not flinching away from reality, and it assumes a greater level of maturity in the reader.
I think the scenes are something that someone who expects "clean Christian homeschooler" fiction might be uncomfortable with (I think I skimmed over them the last time I read), but looking at them more closely now, they're very tame by modern literary standards. It really depends on the reader and the level of imagination they apply to the scene.
They're I'll go into a bit more (possibly spoilery) level of detail about the sex scenes below the cut (trying not to get *too* descriptive, in case you'd be uncomfortable) so you could decide if this is something you can live with in a book. (If you don't want to read any description and just want to skip, the scenes are in Chapters 11 and 16--pages 92-95 and 136-137 in my copy.)
The first scene scene is the more descriptive of the two. It starts in Chapter 11--in my copy, pages 92-95. (That includes the entire romantic scene surrounding the sexual encounter.) It starts with Hermes kissing Raphaela repeatedly, but with little description. There are mentions of touching stomach skin and undoing clothes, and mentions of the "passion" and "arousal". The act itself is described in very vague terms, focusing on "passion" and "love" rather than any concrete details. Afterward, they lay together, and there are a few adjectives that give concrete details of what it feels like. It's about as close to fade-to-black as you can get without actually cutting away from the scene, but there are a few details.
The second scene is in Chapter 16--pages 136-137 in my book. Hermes helps Raphaela into a bathtub with innocent intentions (she's sick and needs help). He then gets aroused, slides in next to her, (both partially clothed), and begins kissing her. He then goes further and realizes that she's not enjoying it. It doesn't get much more descriptive than that in the actual scene, but this is the scene that the rest of the plot revolves around. Hermes get arrested for statutory rape, and their legal teams repeatedly ask them about the moment as they gather evidence for the trial. However, they're looking for legal evidence, so the descriptions stay on that level--they're certainly not asking for the steamy erotic-novel details.
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getmemymicroscope · 2 years
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About 15 seconds into this movie (okay, maybe more like 2 minutes), I found myself really, really hoping that Zee5 had some weirdly edited, shortened version of the movie that had randomly cut out parts of the movie (just like that version of Inteqam: The Perfect Game that I tried to watch once and was just cutting stuff left and right, preventing any sort of following of the "story"). Unfortunately, the interwebs tell me that the movie runtime is 2 hours and 7 minutes, which is the exactly length of the movie I watched. Which can only mean one thing...
Holy shit was movie editing a disaster in 2001 (or maybe it was just this movie, because Dil Chahta Hai definitely didn't have editing issues). Especially the first bit as they're trying to introduce characters, it's more jumpy than a drugged up kangaroo. I don't mean story-to-story - that happens plentiful. I mean within stories. Even just the introductory sequences for Raja are so jumpy that you're getting whiplash just watching. And, quite honestly, it doesn't really get much better. Oh, and that whole, tv serial-like zooming in on characters multiple times (him once or twice, his mother once), but instead of just zooming in, we get cut scenes and with each cut they move further to the right of the scene - but just them; the background remains unmoved, and it's like they're just blocks being moved from here to there. They couldn't even just zoom in correctly.
With 'Tu Nikla Chhupa Rustam' and 'Yeh Chand Koi Deewana,' Mamta Kulkarni 100% gets the better songs in the movie; Manisha's songs, especially that last one, are painful. Manisha also gets to the play the role "jealous girl that almost ruins the whole thing," and the only way they make it up to her is they let her, somehow, choke someone to death (after getting shot) before passing away herself. Her role as the jealous ... uh, ex? ... is horrific, but they clearly had to do something to get her back in the story. But then, that just means they follow every cliché that Bollywood has ever loved in that regard: introduce her as a love interest, and then bring her back when you need some more drama (ideally, of course, between the two lead heroines) and another song - and that's exactly what she does here. It's sad.
The twists, if you want to call them as multiple, are also exactly what every similar movie has done for years. Not just the twist, even, but also the plot as a whole. Whenever you have lookalikes like this, it is always someone scheming about money.
And when he shows up to take the place of the other, you know there's a 50/50 chance that he's actually himself, pretending to be someone pretending to be him. There's nothing really new here, except that we get to see Sanjay Kapoor (heavens, he really sounds like Anil Kapoor in this movie; not that he hasn't before, but I've never really noticed it) take on that plot this time around. The bad guys are the guys who are always bad; the comic relief are the people who are always comic relief; the caring niece, like Manisha's character, just disappears after her necessity is gone (you'd have thunk she'd have been the first to be like "this ain't my uncle," but instead, or maybe because of this, she apparently just completely disappears from everything).
Aurangzeb. Duplicate (very similar). Don (very similar). Aankhen. Mauli and Lai Bhaari, if we go to Marathi movies. Rowdy Rathore. Bol Radha Bol. All these movies where one person replaces, or maybe doesn't when they were supposed to, or maybe is just pretending to be not-themself ... it's a very common theme, and sadly, for the most part, they refuse to do anything to make it stand out. Even the final twist here is something we've seen before (though, then, maybe it was a bit more novel 21 years ago).
Raja is not a likeable person. Raja as Nirmal/Nirmal as Raja is not likeable either. Nirmal was a bit more so, maybe. But it's problematic when, even if you know he's got a valid reason, he's not at all someone you're sympathetic for. Even when the directors are stupid and spoil any sort of 'suspense' about the 'who' super early (though, let's be honest - with this cast, we already knew that his father had been killed, not just died in an accident, and we already knew that everyone else was involved), they then make our protagonist an heartless asshole who, at no point on the actual screen that we're watching, learns any of this. No, they go all in on the "I want money" thing and ruin the great chance they had to show our character having any sort of development at all - if he, or him pretending to be he, had even shown an inkling of "I know you did something bad and I'm going to prove it," that'd be great. Instead we just get some short monologue at the end about "I already knew and just needed it recorded." And instead, we just have to watch him be an ass for 2 hours.
It's been a while since I've seen 90s Bollywood (okay, this is 2001, but it really wants to be an 80s/90s movie) - I'd forgotten just how desperate they were to randomly throw in songs. Which is fine when the songs are good (a couple above average here, but the one that is really just thrown in out of the blue - the last song - is not), or I guess when you need a song to give you a break from the plot - but when you combine subpar song with bad plot, you really just want it to end and the song becomes even more torturous.
I miss 90s Bollywood (which, in case it's not obvious, is not a good takeaway to get from a non-90s movie).
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ryoceann · 3 years
Note
Hi. Itk here. Believe me, don't, doesn't matter. Thought I'd drop (after you summoned ha) by given the chaos and try to enlighten the ones who choose to believe me, as much as I'm capable of.
The first thing I wanna say is: stop trying to figure out their relationship. You most likely never will. Fans are stuck on both extremes, when the actuality of it is far more in the middle (perhaps even up or down and all around ha). It's complex and strange and not at all "normal" (as normal as they could be, anyways).
It's not as simple as "oh they're just a closeted couple who engage in bearding and have kids and behind closed doors they're just a regular, old married couple and a big, happy rainbow family".
Doesn't sound like itk info, believe me, I get that but observing the fandom I'd say it almost is because most fans simply hang on extreme simplistic ideas of what their relationship is.
Second thing I'd like to say and unfortunately seems like it's not at all obvious but: do not believe anything they share publicly. Not saying they're lying compulsively, but they are public figures and they have a lot at stake to just casually drop the actual truth of any given situation.
Just don't. The same salt you have regarding itks, have towards them. It'd do you some good...Believe me. Unless you are involved in the entertainment or political life, you cannot even begin to fathom what it's really like, the level of manipulation, falsehood and well, overall deviation of it. It's quite disturbing tbh. So just always take whatever's said and shown with a good amount of salt. With public people hardly anything is accidental or casual.
I think the most prominent question now is...Why? Why would they do something like that? Regardless if you have the ingenuity to believe the little scene they made or not...Still, the question lingers.
With my level of "in the knowness" I cannot for sure say the real reason, yet from the pieces I've collected so far, seems to be a multiple gain scheme. It was a high risk, they were well aware, and it paid out in the way they were expecting, minus small bumps here and there. But overall it seemed to have worked in their favor. How in the hell, one would ask?
Believe me, I used my best sneaky capabilities to find out exactly why but they were smart enough to keep this one locked tight, minus a few loose lips. And from those all I've heard was that "whatever the purpose was, it worked out".
As weird as it may sound to the innocent mind, it's actually not at all, given that even leaked nudes are not at all leaked or accidental, and those tend to (at least in the past) get immense amount of backlash. It's not the first time famous folks fake a fight, surely won't be the last.
A lot goes into public image, it's not black and white as "well but it looked bad on Jensen", "it looked bad on the prequel", etc. You'd be surprised as how little this truly matters given the level of manipulation they are able to pull on the public. And well, even with them...It happens all the time. Both made mistakes far worse than just "not telling my bestie about my new project" and fans would eventually let that go and put them back on the pedestal.
So just remember, always: not in the industry? then don't judge anything because you simply do not understand how it works.
Another piece of itk information I can give besides "this was planned and it worked" is: they are fine. From what I've heard they are not fighting over it or going through anything more dramatic than what they usually have been going through ever since they met haha.
So just sit back and chill out. Breathe, read fanfiction and remember that we will never truly get answers, because even what comes out of their mouths are most of the time carefully thought out and directed to have a specific meaning and effect (why do you think Jared mumbles and rambles so much?).
Another interesting piece of itk: you know how they always say they never fight? Even though that sounds insanely hard to believe even if they were just friends because who knows someone for that long and is constantly together and never fights? Unlikely, right? Yes, as obvious as that was. But unfortunately a lot of you seem to believe that, given the level of shock you had for this little twitter feud (as fake as it was). Yeah. They fight. A lot.
They fight as much as individuals in their situation would. Like I said, not at all what most people absentmindedly seem to think it is. They go through a lot. Way more than anyone who isn't in a similar situation would understand. It's messy, although they try their best to make it simpler in the ways they can.
On top of being in a very complex situation, they both have strong personalities and one of them is quite hard to "pin down". So altercations happen a lot, but they know how to deal, and they are exceptionally good at making sure that doesn't interfere in their work (oh well, at least not any work that doesn't benefit from intense emotional exchanges, anyways 😉...chemistry isn't something random, you know? haha).
I find it quite...interesting (to put it nicely) that a lot of hats easily believe they are a couple that lies constantly about almost every aspect of their lives, yet, they cannot believe they would fake a social media narrative. It makes no sense whatsoever.
It'd do you all good to be a little less tendentious and look at them as, you know...Humans? They are not what they seem to be, just as you guys also take in different versions of yourselves in different situations, they do too. And don't be so hopelessly naive to actually believe they see fans as "hashtag family". This is their work. And as grateful as they are for supporters, they certainly do not consider them family. To the point of never lying and trusting you with their life.
I'm sure they love their fans, but come on, saying they would never lie because that's mean to fans is just beyond naive. They've been doing it all along and oh, another interesting info? They don't think they're doing anything wrong.
Yeah, sounds weird, you'd think they'd feel guilty. But again, unless you were media trained, you'd never get it.
From years now if there's one consistent info I've gotten was this: they don't feel obligated to tell you anything. They believe they are doing "what they are supposed to do, the right thing for everyone involved".
So. Yeah. And hell, they are right about not being obligated to say anything about anything, I guess.
Well, I hope that was helpful or at least entertaining. It's hard to share info without accidentally making it obvious who I am for the lurkers (sure you guys were well aware that they lurk around the fandom). But it's safe because as long as I don't provide evidence, I'm fine. Just walking a thin line between sharing and not sharing something too specific that would be easy fir them to know who has that info and although they can't do anything against itks, they can manage to cut us off somehow and I enjoy having access lol, so that'd be a bummer.
Anyways, take itks and J2 themselves with a ton of salt haha! You are lovely, btw, you seem very kind and I enjoy your blog very much! much love!
itk anon everything you said was <333 and i agree with like almost all of it. very nice analysis and ask thank you ! i don't always believe everything j2 put out but the whole stunt being a false narrative just seems wrong so idk what to make of it. regardless i myself can sometimes get carried away in my star-struck love of j2. and i am a tinhat so well :) and now they look to be really good and taking a break from here was well worth it <3
''You are lovely, btw, you seem very kind and I enjoy your blog very much! much love!'' i love u so much hope u have a great day !
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