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myrandomfandomramblings · 3 years

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Madarcher fanfic

Over 2 years ago I decided to write a fic to explain all the apparent inconsistences in 7x10, especially in regard to the stage of Madarcher’s relationship. It didn’t really work and I’m not a great writer but I did end up with a pretty cute (and longer than intended – 4776 wds) fic detailing my version of how Madarcher (mostly Robin) spent the ~24 hrs before the curse. Complete with skinny dipping, proposal planning, some fun ideas of past adventures and a flashback to their first kiss. So I hope you enjoy!

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The Sun was just setting in the Enchanted Forest 2.0 turning the sky brilliant hues of pink and orange as Robin and Alice emerged from a crack in the trunk of a giant redcedar.

“See I told you Ancient Amy’s wardrobe would take us back to our realm,” Alice said gesturing to the woods around them.

“Aha, but what you failed to mention was that ancient Amy was a 20 ft long purple dragon that lived in a volcanic crater.” Robin retorted “And that to get there we would have to walk across lava fields for 6 hrs in 100 oF weather” she added, absentmindedly touching her sunburnt cheeks.

“Did I?” Alice replied shrugging her shoulders, before both girls burst into laughter.

They both knew Robin wasn’t actually mad, she was just tired. They both were and after 6 months of crazy adventures throughout the realms they were both happy to be home.

“Well the good news is now all we have to do is follow the river then turn left at the bridge and we’ll be home in 20 minutes,” Alice said grabbing her girlfriend’s hand and pulling her through the trees towards the sound of rushing water.

As they walked the sound became louder and in no time they were standing at the edge of a small gorge. About 40 feet below a river snaked its way along the gorge’s base and steam rose off small rock pools beside it. A little further upstream a beautiful three-tier waterfall ended in a large pool.

“Race you to the bottom!” Alice exclaimed as she let go of Robin’s hand and began traversing the steep slope. Robin was right behind her, sliding between trees and rocks until her cloak got snagged on a rogue root. By the time she had untangled herself and got to the bottom of the gorge Alice was already swimming in the pool at the base of the waterfall and her clothes and bag were hung on a nearby willow tree. Robin’s eyes traced the lines of Alice’s body taking in the scrapes, bruises, and scars that were like a map to all of Alice’s adventures many of which Robin accompanied her on. Although they had known each other for almost 7 years and had been dating for 5, though dating seemed too insignificant a word to accurately describe there relationship, Robin was still amazed by how lucky she was to love and be loved by such a beautiful women, both inside and out.

“Are you going to join me or just stand there and stare?” Alice teased splashing some water in Robin’s direction and pulling her out of her reverie. Robin quickly discarded her clothes, hanging them beside Alice’s then joined her love in the pool. The water was cold but it felt good on Robin’s hot skin and sore muscles. As Robin swam around she watched as dirt and grim flaked off her body and diffused into the water around her. Alice swam over to her and uncorked what looked like a wine bottle “Some Greener Cleaner?” Alice asked tipping it towards Robin.

“Yes please” Robin replied cupping her hands in front of her. A bright green liquid trickled from the bottle as Alice poured it into Robin’s outstretched hands. “Thanks,” Robin said as she began lathering her hair with the colourful liquid. Alice meanwhile had poured some for herself and began doing the same. The Greener Cleaner had been a Christmas present from Zelena, a homemade potion that served as soap, shampoo, conditioner and lotion. It could be used in water or when you were completely dry and would vanish after being applied, leaving you sparkling clean and moisturized while having no impact on the environment. Once both girls’ had washed their hair they began rubbing the greener cleaner down their arms and legs and over the rest of their bodies, relishing the feeling of nearly a week of accumulated dirt being removed from their skin.

“Want some help?” Alice asked laughing at Robin who twisted and turned trying to reach her back.

“That would be great, Thanks Al,” Robin replied as she turned her back towards the blonde.

“My pleasure,” Alice answered playfully as she ran her hands over her girlfriend’s back and down to her butt. “How’s that” she whispered into Robin’s neck Robin let out a short moan as she leaned back into the shorter girl. “Now there’s just one more place you missed,” Alice said mischievously before collecting a finger full of green foam from Robin’s arm and depositing it on the tip of her nose.Robin spun around as Alice jumped back giggling.

“Oh I’ll get you for that,” Robin teased collecting two handfuls of green suds and holding them high for Alice to see

“Not if I get you first,” Alice countered lobbing another glob of green at Robin. And then the pool filled with flying green foam and infectious laughter that echoed off the walls of the gorge. When the foam suddenly disappeared water became the weapon of choice. The young lovers splashed each other and attempted to drag or tackle the other under the water even though they were already completely soaked. The battle only ended when both sides were completely out of breath and their sides too sore from laughing to continue.

By this time the sun had disappeared behind a hill and the sky had turned to grey effectively dropping the temperature several degrees. The water once refreshing now just felt like ice, to Robin, seeping into her veins and bones. And when she looked at Alice she noticed her teeth were chattering and her lips were starting to turn blue. “Should we warm up a bit?” Robin asked pointing slightly downstream to the steam curling off the surface of a series of small pools beside the river.Alice just nodded locking hands with Robin as they made there way out of the pool and past the willow tree their clothes were hung on.

“I’m just going to put the greener cleaner away and grab something from my bag,” Alice said shivering, “I’ll meet you there,” she added pointing to the hot pool.

“OK,” Robin replied begrudgingly untangling their hands. Robin slowly made her way to the hot pool, clambering over rocks and making sure not to trip. By the time she got there she was shivering violently but that subsided quickly once she submerged herself in the warm water. This pool was much smaller than the first, about the size of a large bathtub. Robin laid down, leaning against the wall of the small pool, and closed her eyes letting the warm water caress her tired, achy body. She only opened her eyes when she heard Alice coming towards her. Robin could only make out her silhouette as the light was quickly fading but it looked like she was carrying something in front of her.

As she got closer Robin could make out a tray that was topped with grapes, apples, a baguette, a block of cheese, a stick of cured meat and a jar of marmalade ,as well as, some plates and cutlery. She also noticed that their canteens were draped over Alice’s shoulder. “Dinner is served,” Alice said as she placed the tray and canteens by Robin’s head “I didn’t have time to cut anything though,” she added shyly.

“It’s perfect!” Robin beamed reaching up a hand to help Alice into the pool. Once Alice was comfortably seated in the hot spring beside Robin they started on the food. The crazy adventures of the day had pushed food out of Robin’s mind but now that it was right in front of her she realized just how hungry she was and it didn’t take long until all the food was gone.

“Well that was delicious, thanks Towergirl” Robin said as she sunk deeper into the pool.

“You’re welcome, Nobin,” Alice replied sinking down beside Robin and leaning her head on the archer’s shoulder, “and thanks for a great adventure, It was definitely one of my craziest, I mean we almost died 13 ½ times, assuming you count that thing with the panflute, but it was a lot of fun with you by my side,” Alice finished, a large smile spreading across her face as she closed her eyes and nestled in closer to Robin.

“I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else,” Robin replied kissing her girlfriend’s forehead. And after that adventure she was surer than ever that she wanted to be by Alice’s side for the rest of her life.

Robin had been intrigued by the ‘girl in the tower’ since Nook first started telling her stories about his special daughter. When she first met Alice she was amazed by her beauty, tenacity and optimism and by the end of that first day, Robin knew Alice was someone special that she wanted to be part of her life. And as they got to know each other Robin’s feelings for Alice just continued to grow. She had hidden them for a long time, using the delivery of Nook’s letters and anything else she could think of as an excuse to see Alice rather than admit the real reason she visited so often and risk loosing her best friend. Eventually, they had begun hanging out, just to enjoy each other’s company, no excuses necessary, but only in the context of best friends albeit with quite a lot of less than subtle flirting. Robin had debated telling Alice about how she felt at this point but between Alice’s frequent trips to other realms to run errands for Rumple or try to find a cure for her father and Robin’s own endeavours which regularly took her away from home she had decided the time apart would put to much strain on a new relationship. However, it was in these times apart that Robin realized just how much Alice meant to her. How much she missed her, longed for her and loved her.

Looking back now Robin was pretty sure she had been in love with Alice since the day they met but just hadn’t realized it until then and realizing just how strong her feelings were had made Robin determined to tell Alice when she returned from her travels. Alice must have been thinking along similar lines because a couple weeks later, that day came. It was Alice’s birthday, exactly two years since the day they met. Alice having just returned from her latest trip had knocked on the door of Emerald Acres Farm then waited, nervously pacing in circles, ringing her hands and rehearsing a speech under her breath: “Robin, two years ago I met you, you turned a bad day into a good day, and when you told me to make a wish I wished to spend more days with you… No… No…” Alice mumbled shaking her head “I’ve been on a lot of amazing adventures but the best has been getting to know you or they’re always better with you?” she shook her head again clearly still not happy with her words, “… and the thing is… I guess what I’m trying to say… I just want to tell you… I love you,” Alice sighed and stilled, her wheels turning, trying to find the right words, she was so focused on her thoughts she had completely forgotten where she was.

“I love you too,” came Robin’s voice from the doorway. Alice looked up in surprise. She was completely caught off guard having not heard the door open but when her gaze fell on Robin she immediately relaxed, a smile spreading across her face. The archer’s eyes were shining and a blush had covered her cheeks.

“I missed you, Nobin,” Alice teased as she stepped closer to the woman she loved. “I missed you too, TowerGirl,” Robin said laughing as a tear slid down her cheek. Alice took another step closer reaching up to wipe away the tear and then they were in each other’s arms and they were kissing and everything else melted away.

They had begun dating after that, within 6 months Robin was spending most nights at Alice’s unless they were on an adventure, which they nearly always went on together. In another 6 months they had moved Robin’s last few belongings still at Emerald Green Acres to their little cabin in the woods making their co-habitation official. By that time Robin had known that Alice was her forever but she had just always figured that they would make it official when they were ready to settle down, when they were no longer jumping between realms every other day, when they had time to plan a wedding, when they were ready to raise a family. But perhaps most importantly when they found a cure for Nook’s cursed heart so he could walk Alice down the aisle. However, this last adventure had made Robin re-evaluate these assumptions. In those moments where it seemed they were about to die, before they narrowly escaped, she was reminded that tomorrow is never guaranteed so she decided she didn’t want to wait any longer to make their love and life together official and ask Alice to marry her.

“There was certainly something extra special about this adventure, some of the scariest and happiest moments of my life” Robin added reflecting on her musings.

“I definitely wouldn’t have been able to get all of the stuff for Rumple without you. I was thinking we should probably bring it all to him tomorrow morning, then we can go see my Papa in the afternoon and have dinner with your Mom. I’m sure they’ll both be very happy to see us,” Alice said, tilting her head up slightly to look at her girlfriend.

“That sounds nice” Robin replied. But she was already starting to formulate a plan of her own. There were three things Robin needed to do before she could propose to Alice. 1) Ask Nook for his blessing. This seemed pretty old fashioned to Robin. Alice was a grown, independent woman who was more than capable of making her own decisions with or without her father’s approval, but Robin knew how much Alice’s Papa meant to her and how much he treasured her happiness and wished he could be more involved in her life. So, she figured they would probably both appreciate her sharing the plan with him first. Plus, he was hundreds of years old, or at least the Hook in Storybrooke where she grew up was. She wasn’t actually sure if the same was true of Alice’s Papa, but if it was he would likely favour the more traditional route. 2) Tell her mom. Robin knew that Zelena would be less than impressed if she heard such exciting news second hand and she was also hoping her mom might act as a sounding board to help her brainstorm some ideas and workout the logistics. 3) Get a ring (obviously). And most importantly, to maintain the surprise, Robin had to do all this without Alice finding out.

Robin had got so lost in her thoughts she hadn’t even noticed that night had completely engulfed them. The sky above them was full of twinkling stars and a nearly full moon reflected off the nearby pool and provided enough light to softly illuminate their surroundings. The chirping of crickets and croaking of frogs filled the air accompanied by the occasional hoot from an owl somewhere deeper in the forest. The only other sounds Robin could hear were the running river and Alice’s slow, regular breathing as she slept soundly on Robin’s shoulder. Alice looked so peaceful and Robin hated to wake her, but she too was starting to nod off and was eager to get back to their cabin and sleep in their own bed. So, gently she nudged Alice awake and together they climbed out of the pool, collected the remnants of their dinner and retrieved their belongings from the willow. They each wrapped their cloaks around themselves like towels and crammed the rest of their belongings into Alice’s magical bag which had been gifted to her by Rumple and enchanted to fit anything without getting bigger or heavier. Then they walked in silence enjoying the smell of fresh forest air, the sound of nocturnal songs and the feeling of their hands intertwined together back to their little cabin where they swiftly threw on night gowns then climbed into bed and fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

Robin awoke the next morning to birds singing, just as the sun was beginning to rise. Beside her Alice was still fast asleep. As Robin watched her love’s chest steadily rise and fall, she began to plan her day. She wanted to get engaged as soon as possible. She didn’t want to wait any longer to commit to this amazing woman, to cement just how much Alice means to her. And she defiantly didn’t want to get whisked away on another dangerous adventure before she got the opportunity. Therefore, she had made up her mind. Today was the day to get all the logistics worked out so she could give Alice the super special proposal she deserved. The only problem was she had to come up with an excuse to be away from Alice, for the whole day.

Alice and Robin were rarely apart. When they were it was usually for no more than a few hours at a time. Their parents often joked about how they must be sick of each other, but they never were. Therefore, not only was it going to be hard to come up with a believable excuse but as Robin sat there watching Alice sleep the idea of being away from her all day was becoming less and less appealing. She knew that as soon as her girlfriend woke up and looked at her with those big blue eyes and grinned that dazzling smile Robin’s will power to leave would be all but vanished. So, determined to not be swayed Robin reached into the drawer of her bedside table to retrieve paper and a pen and began to compose a letter.

To my love, Alice,

I am sorry to leave you with only a note, but you looked so peaceful and after our last few months of adventure you definitely needed your rest, so I didn’t want to wake you. I had such a great time traveling the realms with you and I always enjoy spending time together, but I think after 6 months of being together 24/7 it would be good for both of us to have a little time to ourselves. Just one whole WHOLE day of not seeing each other. So, I’ve left to visit my mom then I will spend the rest of the day hunting and collecting food for us. You can take the items to Rumple and see your Papa or just enjoy your day. And I will meet you back here tomorrow at sunrise.

Robin reread the letter and it didn’t even convince herself. So, she continued to write.

I know this seems quite drastic, but I think it will be really good for us. So, please, please please, don’t try to find me. Under any circumstances. I will see you tomorrow at sunrise. NO SOONER, NO LATER.

All my love,

Robin

Robin reread it again. She didn’t like it. It was bossy and she worried even rude. And the explanation was lousy at best. However, she was at least convinced that it was persuasive and therefore it would ensure Alice heeded her directions and thus would provide her with the time and secrecy she needed. She was also certain she couldn’t come up with anything better. So, determinedly she got out of bed, got ready and headed to her Mom’s leaving Alice with a kiss on the forehead and the letter waiting for her on the table.

As Robin walked through the woods to her mother’s farm she began brainstorming ideas for her proposal. She could put the ring in a cupcake and surprise Alice on her Birthday: the anniversary of the day they met and two years later the day they started dating. But what if Alice swallowed the ring? Maybe not the best plan. She thought about trying to recreate the day they first met but being trapped in cages, chased by an angry mob of villagers and ultimately having to turn your first friend to stone didn’t seem very romantic. She considered planning something that involved their loved ones since family was so important to both girls but ultimately decided that between Nook’s cursed heart and Zelena’s flair for the dramatic that was just asking for disaster. She was just starting to think about something more lowkey like breakfast in bed (eating), followed by a hike (walking) to a nice picnic (more eating). Afterall, Robin was a big fan of food. When she realized she could see Emerald Acres in the clearing ahead. She had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn’t even realized how far she had come.

As Robin approached, she noticed her Mom was on the front porch, glaring at an object as she turned it over in her hands. Hearing Robin, Zelena looked up, a smile spread across her face and the item was quickly discarded into her pocket as she ran out the gate to hug her daughter. “I missed you too Mom,” Robin sighed as Zelena squished her in a bear hug. “How long have I been gone?”

As time moved differently in each realm this was always an important question to ask. One-time Alice and Robin had left right after breakfast, spent 5 weeks in Wonderland emptying Robin’s grandmother’s, the Queen of Heart’s, vault and returning all the hearts to their rightful owners, and were home in time for dinner the same day they left. While another time, they took a quick weekend trip to Oz to visit Ruby and Dorothy and when they returned, they had missed Christmas and both their parents’ birthdays.

“About 6 months,” Zelena replied, releasing Robin from her death grip.

“That’s about how long it was for us too.”

“Speaking of you two, is everything all right, where’s Alice,” Zelena questioned

“Everything’s fine Mom. Actually more than fine. That’s why I’m here alone, actually. I wanted to tell you that I’m going to ask Alice to marry me!”

“That’s fantastic” Zelena exclaimed as she smothered Robin into another hug. “All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy and I can see that Alice makes you happy.”

“She sure does,” Robin exhaled as she hugged her mom back.

“But for the record you don’t need an agenda to visit. You can come anytime simply to see the outstanding woman that birthed and raised you,” Zelena said releasing her daughter and stepping back to strike a pose.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Robin replied rolling her eyes, “But for know I could really use your help planning the proposal… ye of endless wisdom.”

“Of course. Where should we begin?” Zelena asked as she opened the front door and led Robin into the house.

Several hours of conversation covered the following. Summaries of what they had each been up to in the last 6 months. A number of overly extravagant proposal ideas from Zelena. Robin ultimately deciding to go with her more low-key idea from earlier and Zelena helping her pick the details to make it extra-special and coincidentally a lot less low-key. She decided on marmalade toast and tea for breakfast, Alice’s favourite. The hike idea got converted to a scavenger hunt to collect clues in the form of mementos and pictures from their time together. Each clue would have a letter on the back and when they are put in order would spell ‘Will you marry me?’ After all, Alice loves adventure and puzzles. Plus, this way their loved ones could be involved by each having a clue to give Alice. Robin wanted to spend the day with Alice and see all her reactions, so she was going to accompany her. She was going to present it as an anniversary/birthday present, early or belated. That was the thing about frequently being in different realms where time moved differently, you could pretty much celebrate anything whenever you wanted. The final clue would lead them to a picnic in a clearing where a board would be set up for Alice to organize the clues and reveal the hidden message and then they could star-gaze as a newly engaged couple. Once that plan was settled Robin casually mentioned needing to find a ring. Zelena responded to this by casually going outside and using her magic to pull up the biggest diamond Robin had ever seen, directly from Earth’s mantle. She then magicked it into a ring setting that she continued to change based on Robin’s feedback until Robin had the perfect ring for Alice. One last burst of green magic created a ring box which robin placed the ring inside before slipping it into her pocket. Years later in another realm Robin would find this box, ring still inside in the basement of Roni’s bar just in time for the curse to be broken.

Having completed tasks 2 and 3 on her list Robin set off to Nook’s but when she arrived, nobody was home. Although she had wanted to have everything ready for the proposal by the end of the day, during her conversation with her mom, she had realized her vision would take a little more time and planning. Therefore, she knew she would have another opportunity to talk to Nook. In fact, Robin was sure Alice would have a letter for her to take to Nook detailing their latest adventure in the next few days.

It was routine that when they returned home from an adventure, the first day back Alice and Robin would visit Nook. Alice would stand several meters away from Nook behind a tree and yell an approximately 3-minute summary of their adventure. Any longer or closer and Nook’s life would become endangered by his poisoned heart so they would say their I love yous and good-byes and a few days later Robin would return with a letter from Alice to her Papa about their latest adventure in glorious detail. So confident in her plan, Robin returned to her mother’s.

As she approached emerald acres farm a figure outside the gate triggered her nerves which were still frayed from 6 months of dangerous adventuring. This resulted in Robin firing a warning shot at the perpetrator who Robin was relieved to realize was her aunt Regina. Regina was quick to play the how old are you now game, their way of dealing with the inter-realm time differences. Sometimes Regina guessed close like today, 23 when Robin was 25 and sometimes, she just chose outrageous numbers. Robin and Alice spent so much time in different realms and missed so many birthdays she would actually be surprised if Regina was able to guess right if she tried. Robin was less happy to hear Regina’s news, which immediately made her worry about Alice. Zelena and Regina still loved to tease not only her and Alice but also Henry and Ella about their ‘young love’. ‘A love so pure and powerful it consumes all your thoughts and prevents you from thinking about anything else, or rationally at all,’ they liked to say. Whenever Robin was daydreaming and not listening to her mom and aunt or talking exclusively about Alice, they would say she had a case of young love. Robin ignored their teasing. She was pretty sure Alice would be at Rumple’s and wanted to immediately run there. However, Regina assured her Nook was on his way to warn Rumple of the impending curse, so Robin agreed to stay and help stop it. This changed when Nook arrived with a letter for Robin from Alice detailing all of her visions for their future together. She had given everyone hugs goodbye and ran out the door as green magic braided her hair and her mother yelled, “You want to look your best for your girlfriend if it’s going to be the last time she sees you!” Robin continued to run as fast as she could all the way to Rumple’s and into Alice’s arms to see the love of her life one last time. Turns out it wasn’t the last time and she got to fall in love with the girl of her dreams all over again and this time she didn’t wait to pop the question.

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Note: Hook telling Robin stories about Alice before they met, a proposal involving a picnic and stargazing and Zelena using magic to braid Robin’s hair before she left to find Alice all came from different fanfics I read like 2 years ago and now can’t find again to credit. So if you wrote these thank-you for the inspiration.

#madarcher #curious archer #ouat #once upon a time

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estellaestella · 3 years

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Hi estella! I saw your post about Frantz and and then I read about the movie - I will definitely watch it! Thank you for writing about it!

Last night I watched for the second time “Cloud Atlas” and I was brought to tears again. I wanted to ask you if you watched it and what you think. I have a feeling the book will be more shattering, I still hadn’t a chance to read it. All this intertwining of destinies, predestinations, impossible love between two men (Ben Whishaw!), the anti-utopian story, the fateful significance of the decisions we make, etc. And last but not least, the great performances of all the actors!

Thank you for your amazing edits you make of Timmy!!! I love them and always look forward to them! ❤️💫❤️

You're very welcome 🤗 . Ah, I'm so glad you're planning to watch FRANTZ. I came across its name while reading a CMBYN review (two days ago) and, quite frankly, remembering that I'd seen a selfie of Timmy with François Ozon the director might've made up my mind to watch it. I went in thinking it was one thing but it turned out to be quite something else. And I have to say, I loved not being able to see where the story is taking the viewer.

As for CLOUD ATLAS, I watched it a few years ago and didnt like it that much. Which might be my fault coz I always expect so much from the Wachowskis. I felt Cloud Atlas was too sprawling and figuring out who's-playing-who-again? is almost too distracting. But yes, I can imagine a second viewing might be far more rewarding. As it is, I remember Hugh Grant and Tom Hanks doing a good job and that the Frobisher storyline was the best bit. But then again I dont think I've ever seen Ben Whishaw in a role he has not delivered on. The man is amazing. Even when he's a bear. ❤️

Speaking of PADDINGTON, I wasnt quite sure how I felt about the director for that -Paul King- helming WONKA. While the PADDINGTON films are warm and cuddly they dont hit any high notes for me other than the jungle scenes (specially the dream sequence in the sequel). But I looked him up and he directed the tv show THE MIGHTY BOOSH and that gives me a lot of hope. TMB is a surreal, bonkers tv series that is a genius blend of weird and wacky. I'd say it's rule-bending but it just flat out throws the rule book out of the window while driving thru a forest...with a shaman and a talking gorilla in the backseat. So yeah high hopes are back on the menu.

Thank you so much for your compliment 🙈. I do love making these weird little edits. At some point I ought to look into why I enjoy what is essentially a version of playing with dolls but till then I'm going to enjoy this silliness 😘😘😘

#frantz #cloud atlas #the mighty boosh #the second season of THE MIGHTY BOOSH is the best #you can skip the first season and just dive into that #paddington #ben whishaw #Anyone in need of a good cry should watch him in LILTING; it's a movie about grieving and Ben is devastating in it.#if anyone cares for another recommendation I'm watching QUEEN & SLIM today and its definitely a solid watch #havent finished watching it but i'm hoping they subvert all the tiny bits of foreshadowing #that wd make it brilliant

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daylighteclipsed · 4 years

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Yo but can we break down each part of WD’s dialogue during that scene tho??? ‘Cause from “I only want you to be yourself” (when she really doesn’t/doesn’t understand what that means) to “If you can’t do that, I’ll do it for you” (you *literally* CANNOT be someone else for them, nor can they for you, it goes directly against the very definition and concept of self) and even beyond that, hoo boy is there a lot to unpack 😧😧😧

“I only want you to be yourself” *who I think you are *how I think you should be *who I want you to be

“If you can’t (*don’t) do that, I’ll do it for you (*make you)” By literally imposing herself--her beliefs, desires, ideas--on to someone else, erasing that person’s entire self, entire sense of self, stripping them of their agency, their color. It’s pretty obvious what White Diamond is a thinly veiled metaphor for, a bigoted parent, and on a greater scale, societal conformity.

But it’s pretty interesting that RS has said, because WD sees herself as every gem, as this collective of ideals that, in WD’s eyes, equal perfection, which she projects on to gems, sometimes literally; because she spends all her time striving for ‘perfection,’ she has no sense of self. She has no idea who she is as an individual. She exists as a standard, not a person, statuesque with her arms held out, elbows bent at the forearms, stationary in balance and grace. I’m pretty sure Rose’s stone statue in her Fountain is in this exact same position, and no way that’s coincidence. That illusion of perfection, Rose reduced to a standard, a belief, a symbol. When you strive for perfection you lose everything that makes you human. When Steven cracks WD’s pedestal--no, even before that. When he refuses to let her control him, he forces her out of her perfect position, out of her perfect smile, her perfectly pleasant voice. Suddenly there’s passion. There’s fury. Her facade is cracking. Her pedestal is cracking. She’s not a statue. She’s a person. Bratty. Stubborn. Uncertain. Embarrassed. She blushes like a human. Because in many ways, like many of the Gems we see and get to know, she is. Gotta love submitting to the mortifying ordeal of being known.

I think it’s particularly brilliant that WD takes over Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst during Steven’s confrontation with her and that we specifically get a shot of White speaking this line through them: “I only want you to be yourself!” The Gems have long abandoned this rhetoric, but for a while there they wanted Steven to be who they wanted too, Rose, and Steven has constantly felt that pressure to meet their expectations, that standard that Rose had come to represent, and the show really spends the entire story deconstructing this idea of Rose as a standard by humanizing her. And I’m too lazy to add pics and research rn, but there’s this quote on the wiki I love. I think its from RS and it’s like ‘Steven has to realize it’s impossible to fill his mother’s shoes. She’s always been barefoot.’ And that’s it, man, that’s what it’s all about, there’s never been these shoes to fill. Rose’s pedestal is an illusion. WD’s pedestal is an illusion. Perfection doesn’t exist. To be flawed is to be human, and all that matters is that you’re happy with who you are. Steven’s fusion dance with himself is him sticking it to White, to the Diamonds as a whole, to the pressure the Gems had unintentionally put on him, even to gems that wanted him to be Rose for bad reasons like revenge. Sorry to disappoint, but he’s not her, or better yet, he’s not this image they have of her. Never has been. Never going to be. And that’s great! The catharsis I feel by simply describing this scene. god. I digress

I think White understands the concept of self in others. She just believes those selves are wrong if they don’t conform to her vision and takes it upon herself to purge them of their perceived imperfections by forcing her ‘self’ on them. “now, they are perfect. now, they are me.” But she has no ‘self’ because she exists as this concept of perfection instead of a person. She doesn’t let herself have a ‘self,’ have flaws, which is why she doesn’t understand herself. When she throws a childish tantrum and is rightfully called out on it by Steven, she doesn’t understand why she did that or why his call-out makes her blush. She immediately assumes there’s something wrong with her when, really, she’s just being human. Steven proves WD’s a person, and she’s forced to reevaluate everything she thought she understood about other gems and herself. She’s not different or better than them, she’s a gem too, has flaws too. She’s an individual, she has a self and now she has to figure out who that is like the Crystal Gems have, and it’s good. SU is good.

#steven universe #su #i may have uhhh gotten a little carried away here #what can i say i like smart writing

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astudyinsarcasm9 · 5 years

Text

Steven Universe The Movie - Review - a confused mess - SPOILERS!

I’m still thinking about the movie and I still can’t properly say why I didn’t wholeheartedly like it. It’s complicated.

On one hand I liked the animation, I loved Spinel and I loved seeing the uncorrupted gems roaming around Beach City but that was about it.

I understand the tone this series has and where it has positioned itself and knowing that of course I knew how the movie would end, pace itself and handle its characters but it was still rather disappointing.

But let’s start things off.

What did I like?

Spinel - her animation, design, voice and song, the only song I liked, apart from the song Pearl sang when she was reset.

The concept of the Rejuvenator - I think it’s brilliant. Considering that we long thought of gems as being like computers it makes sense that you could reset them to their factory settings. Though this does create some plot-holes I will address later.

I loved how Spinel was not up for the whole talk it out and sing approach. refreshing. Though she did sing but on her own terms.

Loved the little homeworld bit but it does raise questions.

The fact that they addressed the plot point of PD wanting a colony and waiting for it. Even though it was mentioned in passing.

The Pearl lore we got. How they re basically an OS when they are made.

Pearl sing-explaining.

Pearl obessing over Greg. HILARIOUS. BUT ALSO like a lot of implications for her relationship with PD.

And that was about it. I guess.

What I didn’t like or understood

The Diamonds going from antagonists to obsessing over Steven and being those annoying relatives. I. mean the concept is hilarious and I love it but when you consider what the Diamonds did and who they are it gets unsettling.

How the hell does Spinel know what a son is? Im pretty sure she wasn’t filled on the whole Rose/PD stuff unless Steven told the whooole story in that one transmission at the beginning of the movie. And even so it took the diamonds a whole while to understand the concept of a child and a parent. Apart from WD which is still unexplained.

Where did Spinel get an injector? We can infer the whole plot takes place over the span of a day or so. How did a gem who used to be basically a Pearl get access to an injector?

For that matter, why and how is this injector different than the injector we knew of? One pops in gems in the earth’s crust and the other just up and destroys the planet?

Why did Amethyst behave that way once reset? I mean in ”Now we’re only falling apart”, we saw first hand how the other Amethyst were emerging, full fledged and self-aware and able to talk. And ok she was overcooked but overcooked doesn’t mean talking like a parrot. Does it? We received no indication prior to this that that was the case. If anything we knew gems just popped out already knowing who and what they were supposed to be.

I’m getting real tired of the whole Garnet is true love, when she isn’t. I love her, I do but she became her fusion and Ruby and Sapphire are neglected as a result. Even in Change your mind when they are in their gems as a result of being poofed by YD, Steven doesn’t call for them but for Garnet. Way to go Steven. Ok, Sapphire saved Ruby this time and they are meant to be together but what they are displaying is love at first sight and codependency ( as WD put it) .

Steven really seemed like a jackass in this when interacting with Spinel. He didn’t care for her, didn’t care for her feelings. He wanted her to go back to normal just so she can remove the injector and when she called him out on that he said that yeah that was kinda it. She was just in the way. When she was nice and hanging around Steven never showed her anything but annoyance. I think maybe once or twice he softened to her but that was it.He was more focused on bringing back his friends (legitimately so but still.)

The fusion between Greg and Steven is...Look I know it’s an anime reference but it was so uncomfortable to watch. Idk why.

Connie being useless throughout, appearing very little. despite her being awesome.

Bismuth, Peridot and Lapis being only comic relief and not contributing much to anything. Aside from Peridot who spoke about the injector a bit.

Lars only briefly seen.

The off-colors only having cameos here and there.

And finally the fact that a fascist dictatorship was just dismantled and put aside without it having any consequence whatsoever. People just weren’t affected by it. Yellow just did away with her army and her colonies.

It’s just...I understand the message SU is talking about, I understand it is this pacifist and friendly show. But like...I really felt like the movie was talking down to me, like you would talk down to a kid who you think doesn’t understand stuff.

Especially in the dialogue Steven has with the diamonds. Where they tell him their good deeds of the week. How they dismantled their armies, talk nice to lower life form and refrain from shattering gems.

It’s like if someone wanted to scold Stalin over what he did and made him pinky promise he’d change nce his policies.

Maybe I’m being too harsh but there’s one thing to promote non-violence and a pacifist approach to conflicts and it is another thing to just apply that to every possible situation ever. It just doesn’t work. Dictators don’t turn nice over night just cus you’re related to them.

Also, the end felt bittersweet. The Diamonds took Spinel not because they cared or whatever but because she used to be Pink’s and she reminds them of Pink and they have a spare room. And they are going to pour out all their issues on Spinel and make her fill a role instead of caring for her for who she is.

Bonus: how tf is Spinel able to rotate her gem like that? I thought Diamonds could cus diamond powers but some rando gem?

P.S. Doesn’t Little Homeworld feel a bit creepy to any of you?

Like, I get they miss their home but all they’ve ever known ever since their creation was the genocidal dictatorship of the Diamonds. Why would you want any part of that close to you again? Much less live in it? I would’ve understood if, I don’t know those were homeworld gems who lived all their lives there and wanted a piece from there despite being such an awful place.

But all those gems on Earth were, er...corrupted gems by the very regime they had back home. All of those gems thought a war with their Homeworld. Why would they want that on Earth?

Btw, are Yellow and Blue Pearl still slaves? Cus sure they looked happier but they were still serving the diamonds.

#su movie #su spoilers #steven universe movie #su critical #garnet #amethyst #pearl #bismuth #lapis #peridot #spinel #pink diamond

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ashes-and-ashes · 5 years

Text

So there’s been a bit of talk regarding Canjy on the WDS, so I thought I might give it a go...

“So,” Benjy said. He was dressed up in an extremely colourful combination of a white denim jacket and orange shorts. “I made Sirius a bet the other day.”

Caradoc sighed. They were in the common room; Benjy sprawled out on the sofa, Caradoc on the floor. The sunlight kept hitting them in streaks, slanting across Benjy’s face. Outside, Caradoc could see the Quidditch field, all the broomsticks whizzing around on the court. “Aren’t you a decent Quidditch player?”

Benjy shrugged. “Not bad.”

“Why didn’t you try out?”

Benjy shrugged again. “Not interested.”

“But - “

Benjy sat up, swinging his legs over so that they rested over the side of the sofa. “Do you want to hear about my bet or not?”

He didn’t know what to make of Benjy when he first came, halfway through 5th year with his bleached hair and piercing eyes. There had been whispers, of course, tales of America and Ilvermorny and running away, but Caradoc didn’t pay any attention. He was far more interested in watching, the mounds of neon clothing, the various hairstyles and the way Benjy never stopped smiling.

If anything though, he knew that smiles meant nothing. He’s spent enough time with the Group, all of the trauma and pain and baggage, hidden behind a grin pasted onto faces.

Benjy had fit right into their little gang, slid right in and stayed there and Caradoc would often find himself just watching him, the smooth, confident way he navigated life, the utter confidence which he carried himself with.

He wished he could be more like Benjy. He didn’t know how.

“Hello?” Benjy said. Caradoc realized he had fallen silent, staring off into space in front of him. “My bet?”

“Thought you said you couldn’t look Sirius in the eye after you walked in on him and Remus?” Caradoc said drily.

“Yeah, well his ass is just too fine for me to ignore. Pity Remus has him. Though, I wouldn’t mind going for Remus myself. Quiet, studious, bookish types are the absolute best.”

Caradoc frowned. He suddenly found that he didn’t like hearing about Sirius and his ass. “Dude. What the hell is this bet now? How many of them do you have?”

Benjy winked. “A lot. A lot of bets. One of my problems, I guess.” His smile faded. “Can’t turn down a challenge.”

“Are you - “ Caradoc began, then broke off. Benjy got like this sometimes, his moods wild and unpredictable. “You good?”

Benjy took a deep breath. “Yeah. Anyways…yeah, it’s kinda stupid in hindsight. Making a bet with Sirius and all.”

“What was the bet?”

“Who could get more earrings.”

Caradoc stared at him. “Like…piercings?”

“No, like clip ons.” Benjy snorted at the expression on Caradoc’s face. “Yeah, like piercings.”

“Who’s winning so far?”

“Me. I have 5 in total right now, so I’m waiting to see if Sirius will go for it. Don’t want to get into the cartilage yet.”

Caradoc blinked. “5?”

“Yeah.” Benjy laughed. “Here.” He swept the hair away from his side, baring his ear and a good chunk of his neck. “See?”

Caradoc stared at him, at the 3 studs glittering in the ear lobe. He thought his heart was pounding in his chest, triple time. He was too close to Benjy now, close enough to see the streaks of brown in his hair, the tiny freckle behind his ear. He wanted to touch it.

Benjy pulled away, facing him. “I have 2 others in my left ear. Sirius only has 3 total so far - one on his right, 2 on his left, so I’m waiting to see if he’ll chicken out yet.”

“Probably won’t,” Caradoc said. His mind was a thousand miles away. “It’s Sirius we’re talking about.”

Benjy studied him curiously. “Yeah. Maybe not.”

He took a deep breath. No, he thinks, I can’t be.

He was raised in a muggle care home, his parents either dead or long gone. He can still hear the preacher, sometimes, if he closes his eyes. Abominations. Devils. Demon-folk. Corrupting children and forcing themselves on others.

He doesn’t believe it anymore, not after seeing Remus and Sirius, Marlene and Dorcas, Fabian and Kingsley, Mary and Emmeline. It’s hard to banish the little voices inside his head though, the little parts of himself that he’s kept buried for so long.

And Benjy. Benjy, with his dyed hair and 5 piercings and orange shorts. Benjy, with all his flirting and drinking, the way he commanded everyone’s attention the second he walked into the room.

“Caddy,” Benjy said softly. “You’re doing it again.”

He blinked. “I - “

Benjy sighed, pulled Caradoc closer and kissed him.

He’s never been kissed before, all lips and teeth and hands tangled in hair. He’s had a few ones, yes, from pretty muggle girls, with flowers in their hair and knee-high white socks. He’s never liked it, not like the other boys in the Home, who whispered about their various deeds in the dead of the night. It had gotten to the point where he wondered if something was wrong with him, some part of him that was broken and shredded and ripped.

But it was different when Benjy kissed him. It felt different, like something unlocking in his chest, like a key had been turned inside of him. He’s never felt this way before, not with anyone, and it’s strange and exhilarating and terrifying and he lets it swallow him whole.

Benjy finally pulled away, eyes sparking with mischief. “I’m your first, right?” he asked softly.

Caradoc groaned. “What. Am I that bad?”

Benjy shook his head. “No,” he whispers. “You’re brilliant.”

He’s never been told that either, that he’s brilliant. He never thought he’d ever amount to much in life yet Benjy made him feel like he was drowning in gold. “Benj...”

Benjy shrugged. “Alright,” he said, eyes flicking towards the door. It was almost dark, Caradoc noted, the sun setting over the horizon. “Guess it’s time to get back at Remus and Sirius.”

“Oh really?” Caradoc asked, as Benjy pulled him down on top of him.

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askwdwheeler · 4 years

Note

What presents did you get for Christmas?

I was not the only one celebrating Christmas this year. This was the first Christmas I spent with Luna, and Barnum made sure she was well and spoiled by old Saint Nicholas. He managed to gather up an abundance of Ellie’s old puppy toys — Luna has taken a particular liking to the squeaky elephant — and even went so far as to get Luna a custom collar and jacket, both sparkly red, and a top hat. His hintings at wanting her to become part of the circus act are gradually becoming more and more obvious.

As for me, I received a... rather remarkable pair of glittery red trousers. Yes... I told Barnum that I could not possibly wear them at the circus, for they would surely overshadow the ringmaster, and we can’t have that, can we? Don’t speak a word of this to him, but they are currently stuffed in the deepest corner of my bedroom closet.

Carlyle was insistent on giving everyone handmade gifts this year. I admire his efforts, and received a... unique... wooden statue. He says it’s a dog. I... well, I shall let you be the judge of that.

Sometimes I wonder if he does this on purpose or if he truly does not realize what many of his ‘crafts’ end up resembling.

Lettie knitted me a wonderfully soft scarf, deep blue and gray in color. She has taken my dear sister under her wing, and Anne promises to have made me a matching snow cap and mittens to go with it by next Christmas. This year, she baked me a wonderful plate of chocolate chip and snickerdoodle cookies using the exact recipes our mother used to make. I don’t have the slightest idea where she managed to find the formulas, but I took one bite and immediately found myself back in our mother’s kitchen. I could almost see her there at the stove, fussing over her recipe and having Anne and I taste-test to make sure it was just right. It was a wonderful treat.

Charles... thought it brilliant to gift me a pink wig and hair dye, “to match my sister.” He still finds it humorous that he managed to dye my hair while I was aslee— what? No, that never happened. You have no proof.

Overall, it was a wonderful holiday despite the sickness that hit most of the troupe — somehow I managed to avoid most of it, save for a slight sniffle. Luna enjoyed her first Christmas, as did I, and it was a fun time filled, as cliché as it may be, with joy and laughter. The troupe is as much my family as anybody related by blood, and I could not ask for a better group of people to spend my time with.

—WD

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sigritandtheelves · 5 years

Note

Hi!! I’m the anon that has bothered you about Simple before. I definitely have not forgotten about, but no pressure! Whenever you choose to gift us with the next chapter is great!!!

I’ve had this message for so long… thank you anon, and I’m sorry this took so long, but here you go. 💛

Simple

Chapter 5

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

PG-13 | 2k wds | pre-XF AU | MSR, Melissa/Samantha

A/N: I’m not sure if taking a break helped my writing at all—it still felt like pulling teeth to get any words on the page, but I did put them there, so… here? Sorry.

—

January, 1990 - Stanford

She was down to the wire now, and the pressure was on. Surrounded by books, diagrams, and piles of notes in a cocoon of preparation for her second licensing exam, Dana had barely made time to eat for weeks. Studying was both necessary and the only thing keeping her mind off of the deep, lonely ache inside her. In bed at night, she oscillated between feeling crushed by the weight of the uncertain future, which seemed to press her down into the mattress… and the light fluttering of hope, the pulse of joy and desire when she thought of Fox Mulder. She imagined him as he’d been on that last morning, touching her face, his eyes searching hers, the solid feel of his hips between her knees. Her mind was a storm of medical facts and the interrupting image of his face in her memory, lowering to touch his lips to hers as he made love to her on her sister’s guest bed.

Then, inevitably, she would think of the residencies she might be offered in St. Louis or Albany. She thought of the fact that long-distance relationships rarely worked out, in the end. She thought of Fox getting tired of late-night phone calls, and of all the other women who were right there in D.C. already. She thought of Daniel, who had found her twice now at the hospital, pulled her into an alcove, and dropped less than subtle hints that he thought she should stay with him.

(“You’re a brilliant doctor, Dana. Just imagine what it could be like, the two of us.”)

She’d been firm, but he’d dogged her about why, and she couldn’t answer. She thought of his teenage daughter, of his wife who’d done nothing to deserve this, of the sharp jealousy she’d heard in his voice the day she’d broken things off. (“Is there someone else?”)

“Damnit,” Dana mumbled when she caught a mistake in her work. She erased, blew away the pink-gray shavings, scribbled another string of names and symbols. She appreciated the clarity of the answers on these tests: there was right and wrong, true and false. Nothing like the foggy, dark path toward her future, which she could not see.

It was past four in the afternoon when the phone rang—she’d been hovering over her coffee table working on her notes the whole day, and the low-hanging sun through the kitchen window surprised her with the hour.

“Hello?” She answered.

“Ah, there you are.” Fox’s voice, like a cool breeze cutting through humid air, made her smile. “I thought maybe I’d imagined you.”

“I’m here,” she said, nearly breathless with the pulses of joy the sound of him brought her. “And you? Are you real?”

“I’m real. Lonely, but real. You okay?”

She hesitated a moment. “Yes. Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Hmm.”

“What about you? How’s that strange case you’re working on?”

“It’s fascinating. I wish I could get your opinion on some of these medical files, but I’m not sure how this other agent would feel about outside opinions. She’s kind of territorial about her work.”

“Oh.” Dana turned that sentence around in her mind several times. Territorial. She. “But it’s, um, it’s going well? Your new, ah… arrangement?”

“Yeah. It’s good. I can’t wait until I can tell you more about it. Speaking of which, I may not be able to call for a few days. We’ll be out in the field. Out of town, I mean, for the case.”

Dana swallowed and sat down on her kitchen chair. “Oh,” she said again. “Where will you be?”

“Ohio. Near Columbus.” There was another pause where she could hear him thinking, even as the image of him on the road with this other woman elbowed its way into her mind: on a plane, in a rental car, face to face over a table at some diner in some small town, in a motel room… “Dana,” his voice was a gentle interruption. “Are you really okay?”

She wanted to tell him that she was fine. It was silly, she thought: there was nothing to be done right now, and worrying could only make things worse. But the soft tug of his voice, the concern at its edges, made her want to confess. “I’m so scared,” she whispered.

He was quiet a moment. His voice, when it came across the line, was so soft she barely heard it. “Scared about what, Dana? About us?”

She squeezed the phone cord, wrapped its loops so tight around her index finger that her skin turned red. “About the future,” she said. “And yes. About us. I mean, is there an us? What will happen if I get placed in Reno or Boston? Won’t you get tired of this?”

She heard his deep breath over the line, heard the rustle of him changing positions. “Are you tired of it?”

“No!” She said, perhaps too quickly. “No. But you have another kind of life. You must want something more than whatever this is.”

“Dana, what I do… It takes a lot out of me. You haven’t seen that part of it yet, but it’s hard. I’m a mess most of the time. And Sam, she’s pretty good at pulling me out of it, but the thing is…“ he took another deep breath. “Since I met you, you’re the only thing that makes it better. Remembering you. Thinking of you. So no. I’m not going to get tired of it. Even if I only see you twice a year, I’m not going to get tired of it.”

Dana’s face was hot—she could feel its flush. Her heart hurt. “Really?”

“Yeah, really,” he said. “So if you want there to be an us, there’s an us. At least until you get tired of me.”

She imagined him broken after a case, unshaven and rumpled with those sad eyes looking at her. She imagined how she would hold him, kiss his eyelids, let him cry if he needed to. She imagined a lab where she might work, where he’d call her in the middle of the day, excited to tell her some impossible thing. She imagined a world where they fit together like this—complimentary. Interlocking. Seamless.

“I do,” she said. “Want it, I mean. I think—yes. I want it very much.” Her flush of affection was so surprising and strong, she’d almost said she thought she loved him. Too soon, she thought. I can’t possibly. But somewhere inside her, she knew that she did.

“That’s good. Then we’re an us. And the next time I see you, I’m going to show you what a good us we are. With wine and maybe some dancing and a kiss so long and slow you’ll forget your own name.”

“Oh god,” she said, glad she was sitting down.

“Yeah,” he said. “With some of that too.”

Then she was laughing and missing him so hard she felt it in her bones.

—

January, 1990 - Ohio

“Agent Mulder, tell me more about yourself. Why did you join the FBI?”

Agent Fowley drove the rental across a flat suburbia. They were outside of Columbus, now, heading to the site of three unexplained deaths. Fox fidgeted with the map in the passenger seat, aware of his new partner’s curious energy.

“I was recruited out of my PhD program,” he said. “I showed an aptitude for behavioral science, and I enjoy the work. Profiling, I mean. It’s like puzzles, only when you get it right, you save people’s lives.”

She nodded, with a half-smile that said she understood. “No power fantasies, then? No grand heroic ambitions?”

He smirked. “No.”

“That’s good,” she said. “I’ve known enough men in the Bureau like that. Not married?”

He cleared his throat. “Ah, no. Not married.”

“Hmm. Me neither.”

He watched her drive, svelte in her black suit and carefully adorned with understated but expensive jewelry. She carried herself well, shot daggers with her looks when she felt disrespected (a fact he’d learned while visiting the Arlington PD with her last week), and she missed nothing in the case reports. She was intimidating as hell, but she seemed kind at the same time. Kind in the eyes, and in the way she angled herself to listen.

Unless that was flirting. God, he was bad at this. As clever as he was at profiling, Fox had always had a terrible time discerning for sure if a woman was flirting with him or just being nice. With Dana it had been different, a kind of immediate magnetism that made every glance and word and gesture feel charged. It hadn’t been deliberate or game-like at all. He thought of Dana’s frank curiosity, her sharp confidence in her work that softened into subtle apprehension about him—about them. Because they were a them now. She was maybe even sort of his, and this realization warmed a place low in his abdomen. He could flirt freely with Dana just by being himself. But he would need to be careful around this other woman.

Hard-frozen and empty soybean fields appeared around them, gray and frostbitten, as they passed beyond suburbia. The fields then gave way to strip malls that dotted the lazy, rolling hills outside their small-town destination. He and Agent Fowley dropped their things in two adjoining motel rooms, then met at the diner across the street to go over their case notes. She was all business, strategizing the order of their interviews and examinations—except when she ordered a slice of pie with a guilty smile. “Just this once,” she said, offering, for the first time, a hesitant vulnerability. She offered some of the pie as well, but he declined.

Later, in a farmer’s small kitchen, she wielded questions like knives. while he collected careful observations. They worked well together, a harmony between studious and persistent. By ten, they were back at the motel with more interviews planned for tomorrow. “You were good out there today,” she told him. “Insightful. I wouldn’t have picked up on that thing with the pen.”

He shrugged. “I’m sure you’d have figured it out.”

Her eyes lingered, perhaps just a little too long as she fiddled with the key to her room. “Well,” she said, and now her voice was husky, just a tad playful. “Good night.”

He swallowed hard and wasted no time with his own key. “G’night,” he said.

In his room, he double checked that the adjoining door was locked and dropped onto his bed, face first into his pillow. It was definitely flirting, and that was bad. Bad news bears. The Danger Zone. He was terrible at rejection, miserable at letting women down easy, probably because he’d so seldom had to do it. He was usually the one undergoing the rejection. In some other time, some other version of the world, he knew this would play out differently. A weaker version of himself would give in, would fall toward her like a desperate lost animal until she grew tired of him and left.

But he had Dana now, and just the thought of her made him feel strong. He remembered the feel of her pajamas under his hands while they slept on the couch, how she’d come down the stairs in soft flannel, nervous at first, like he might change his mind when he saw her. But when they looked at each other across the living room, her socked feet quiet on the carpet, it was as if the tumblers of a great lock clicked into place and they were just them again. They watched A Christmas Carol on TV with her head on his chest, like they’d known each other a thousand years. He needed her now (needed her always), so he drew on the strength he’d found with her that night.

In the morning, Fowley drove again. “Is it a left up here?”

He checked the map. “The second one.”

“Agent Mulder,” she said. “Can I call you Fox?”

“Um.” He cleared his throat. “I, ah… I’d like to keep this professional. If that’s alright with you.”

“Of course,” she said, stiffer now, sitting upright in the driver’s seat. “I just wanted to say thank you. For taking time out of your work in BSU to do this, I mean.” She put on her blinker and made the turn. “Agent Mulder.”

He nodded, and they were silent for the rest of the drive.

Three days later they were on their way back to D.C. When Fox got home, he put in a request for two days off (a long weekend) and booked a Thursday morning flight to California.

—end chapter five—

go to chapter six

#a thing i wrote #simple #chapter 5 #i can't promise it's good...

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argentdandelion · 5 years

Text

Handplates: Easy Ways to Stop a Mad Scientist

Warning: Mentions alcohol and tobacco use. Also has vague mentions of child abuse.

Assume a devoted reader of Handplates spontaneously becomes a monster and is now in Handplates canon. Using knowledge of Handplates, the reader-monster could easily and safely stop Gaster’s mad-scientist cruelties.

The following methods all rely on five principles:

- Remove motives. - Let him suffer just a teeny bit more, discouraging further cruelty. - Make the starting cost just a little higher, preventing cruelty (because he’ll chicken out). - Lower starting cost, preventing post-hoc rationalization. - Make it impractical but still technically possible for him to do the experiments. (He’ll have to justify to himself why he still doesn’t do it even though it’s technically possible.) - Explain how cruelty is unnecessary and, in fact, counterproductive, in an objective and scientific context.

Methods’ ease and safety are ranked by stars; more stars means less safe and easy. Some methods can be used at multiple points; they are sorted by the most effective time to use them.

1. Pre-Project 2. Pre-Hole Punching 3. Pre-Plates 4. Post-Plates

Pre-Project

Boulder Plan (★)

Remove motives by putting a really heavy boulder in front of the door to the Ruins. Humans therefore can't leave Toriel, so Asgore doesn’t have to kill them, and Gaster doesn’t feel he has to relieve Asgore’s suffering. (Note: This would be more useful before the Yellow SOUL, or before the SOUL before that.) Cons: Monsters will remove the boulder, because they know that's where the humans are coming from. (Hire a really strong monster that doesn’t know that’s where the humans come from)

Communication with Toriel (★★)

Toriel is one of the very few people to which Gaster has an emotional connection. When Toriel disappeared after Asgore’s declaration of war, Gaster assumed she died. Spider monsters can send a telegram between the Ruins and Hotland; giving Toriel Gaster’s telegram address might make her send messages to him. Alternatively, talking to Toriel through the door, writing down something only Gaster would know on a piece of paper, and then delivering that letter to Gaster would have Gaster read the letter and realize Toriel is alive. Gaster would then go to Toriel and talk about why she left Asgore. Regardless of the outcome, Gaster would likely be far too distracted/conflicted between who to serve to start his project. Cons: If telegrams are exclusively a spider-monster service, reader-monster would likely have to pay quite a price to have them carry a message. (assuming reader-monster isn’t also a spider-monster) The spiders might spy on the message, or the message must be necessarily coded so the spiders can’t understand it. The coding would, in turn, make it more difficult for Toriel and Gaster to interpret it. It’s also possible the spider monsters might attack reader-monster if the telegram service is a secret or if one is too rude.

Steal His Idea (★★)

(From this page) A later comic reveals Gaster was inspired by the idea of homunculi: artificial humans. If one takes the idea of homunculi to try to create “teraculi” (a monster equivalent) before he can start his project, Gaster wouldn’t feel so purposeful and brilliant to start the project himself. If he’s smart about it, he might get himself involved in the other “teraculi” project and offer his own body materials for it. In that case, a bunch of scientists would know about the project. They’d either quit it once it’s clear the test subjects are sentient, or continue without causing them excessive pain or discomfort. If Gaster can spread the labor of the project, it wouldn’t stress him out, and therefore he wouldn’t do foolish and painful things (e.g., breaking Papyrus' arm to illustrate a point) just because he’s tired. Cons: This would require reader-monster either be a scientist, or obtain several scientist-friend candidates and subtly encourage them to the same ideas.

Pre-Hole Punching

Science Inspection Laws (★★)

Talk to Asgore/other parts of the monster government, if they exist, on a new lab inspection law. This could be about lab safety, accountability for potentially dangerous experiments, ensuring the Underground’s taxes are being used productively for subsidized experiments, or other things. If implemented, people would check out Gaster’s true lab (potentially on an unpredictable schedule), making it more difficult to do ethically questionable/outright immoral experiments. For example, he’d have to explain why he has tables and chairs with leather straps fitted to a common monster size and body plan. If he goes long enough without doing especially painful experiments, he might rationalize it by saying it wasn’t that valuable anyway. Or, he might have to adjust the procedures so they’re less painful and uncomfortable, so the leather straps are unnecessary. Cons: King Fluffybuns is a pushover apparently fine with people visiting him unannounced. On the other hand, he respects Gaster and rarely checks up on his projects. If Gaster tries to make a royal scientist exception to the law, he might persuade Asgore. Thus, the best method is talking to other parts of the monster government, if it exists.

Steal Hole-Punching Machine Parts (★★)

From this post. One assumes Gaster got the parts by browsing the dump. Reader-monster would have to know not only exactly where the parts were on the day he assembled them, but also know locations of any other spare parts. If some of the parts are so general-use no monster could figure out what he was going to do with them, Gaster might simply purchase the parts from other scavengers/scientists, so the reader-monster would have to deal with that, too.

Fake Damage to Hole-Punching Machine Parts (★★)

Reader-monster would have to find the parts he’s going to use in the dump (as well as backup parts), if he indeed found them in the dump, and then damage them to the point of uselessness or spray them with a solution mimicking Waterfall-appropriate damage. (e.g., dirt that’s hard to remove, slight acid damage, water damage) If all the parts he finds look too damaged, he might presume it’s unlikely any scavengers or scientists have working parts. If he knows other scientists have suitable machine parts, he’d have to negotiate with other scientists he doesn’t have authority over, or redesign the plate-drilling machine to not require the parts. If he has to negotiate, he might chicken out because he doesn’t like to (or is afraid of) actually applying high-level social skills, or be discouraged about the time and effort needed to make a new plate-drilling machine design.

Complimentary Bottle of Whiskey (★)

Give him painkillers for the hole-punching. The least suspicious painkiller to give him is a bottle of whiskey, delivered as a gift from another scientist/a fan of his work. (A note implying alcohol’s pain-killing properties would make this extra persuasive.) Since he won’t go through so much pain, he won’t need to justify the pain to himself and therefore commit less.

Pre-Plates

Steal Components for Death Beams (★★)

Steal all components for death beams. He might install locked doors instead, but then Sans and Papyrus wouldn’t be hesitant to pile up behind the locked doors, take him by surprise and escape. They also wouldn’t be afraid to get close to the doors and attack the doors using magic. Cons: Components used to make death beams might be common, multi-purpose components. Thus, there might be too many to steal at once, and it might badly affect the Underground’s technology over time.

Animal Training Manual (★)

Give Gaster a progressive animal training manual; mention certain animals (e.g., parrots) are very smart for animals and able to imitate speech. Thus, he’ll liken his test subjects to animals, and treat them accordingly. (that is, nicely) There’s an entire post on this, but, in brief: he’ll train his subjects to trust him, keep that trust, and gradually build up their pain tolerance so the handplates-drilling isn’t so traumatic. (if he still goes through with that, instead of tying it around their hands or using another less-painful method) Cons: Since animals/animal training do not fall within his interests or expertise, Gaster would wonder why it’s even relevant for him. Loudly talking about a made-up story with lab mice paralleling his test subjects at a scientist party is more likely to get his attention, but it’s unlikely he’d attend a scientist party.

Get Asgore to Say Nice Things (★★)

Between Gaster realizing his clone-children are alive and choosing to go through with drilling the hand plates, talk to Asgore and suggest Gaster is like his child. (“I’d love to be like Gaster, but, alas, I didn’t have the king himself raise me as his own child...”) This might get Asgore to talk about that to Gaster, and perhaps talk about how much he loved his children. This would be extra persuasive if he talks about how promising Asriel was and how sad he was he didn’t have more time to teach him the ways of kingship and see his ruling accomplishments. In a Mercyplates scenario, Gaster heaps praise on Sans because he thinks Sans is going to be a brilliant scientist like him, so appealing to Gaster’s selfish desire for a mini-me might work here.

Talk About Skeleton Greatness (★)

Get Gaster’s book on skeleton culture (Asgore might have the only copy; he’ll probably give it to people who ask), read it, and then send fan mail talking about how great skeletons are and how sad it is Gaster is the only skeleton left. (or, get Asgore to talk about that) Then, Gaster will realize he can produce more of his kind. (If the grey-background comics are broadly canon, he does seem to think highly of the fact he’s a skeleton monster)

Non-Painful Name Tags (★★)

Create metal “name tags” for porcelain lab equipment/skeletons of taxidermied animals. Attach name tags with tiny clamps or a special superglue suited for bone/plausibly bone-like substances. If Gaster knows he can get these name tags custom-made to certain proportions with test subject designations, he would consider making hand plates himself an impractical waste of time. To be even more persuasive, say one can easily install tracking devices, to keep track of porcelain equipment containing volatile and/or extremely valuable chemicals/ensure the equipment isn’t stolen. Cons: Would require reader-monster to actually make or acquire effective metal name tags suitable for this purpose; it might take a few months to perfect the technology.

Post-Plates

Prevent Tobacco Use (★★★)

Monster-reader would need to figure out when he started smoking, and then prevent him from either acquiring a packet of cigarettes or hide it somewhere in the lab once he got it. It is possible he took up smoking shortly after drilling in the plates, since he’s not seen doing so at any time before. It’s likely he did this to try to reduce his stress. (Though nicotine dependency exacerbates stress, it’s unclear how nicotine chemically affects monsters, given their bodies are so very different) If Gaster can’t reduce the stress he feels here, he’d have less ability to do cruel things again for fear of how it will affect him. (For example, if a woman gives birth in a way that’s especially agonizing, the next time she’s likely to use local anesthesia, not bear any more kids, or use C-section.) Cons: This would require sneaking into his lab, or knowing exactly when and where he found cigarettes in the dump and then removing it. (this is especially difficult because cigarettes are common trash items) He might also simply find cigarettes on another day. Of all the things to steal from him, this is the least likely to cause trouble. Others could infer he smoked based on the smell on his clothes, without knowing anything about his projects. It's also possible the motives are nothing more than wanting to do what’s best for his health; one could spin this into wanting to see the irreplaceable brilliant Royal Scientist have a long and productive life and thus appeal to his arrogance.

#Handplates #W.D. Gaster #Gaster #Zarla #Undertale Comics #Mercyplates

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