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reallygrossstuff · 1 year

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since you mentioned it in the diaperstuck discord... Kris equipping the party with increasingly embarrassing and babyish items with weird effects... but the stats are so good! They can't just throw away items that powerful!~

This request spoke to me, I love RPG mechanics and I love getting to describe outfits, so thanks for indulging me! And I'm glad you liked that conversation, it was definitely a fun one.

(Had to cut myself off from describing about three tiers of increasingly embarrassing and humiliating outfits, lmao)

---

“Can I say? I freaking hate all of this crap.”

The chests Kris had been finding as they moved through the Dark World were... unexpected, to say the least. Some of them simply held weird items, friendship bracelets or brooches or average new weapons for their party members, but yet others seemed decidedly out of place.

Unlike the red chests, these boxes were always a pale blue, held shut by a pair of flimsy latches instead of a single clasp. In the beginning, the items these chests contained weren’t as necessary, and generally they didn’t ask anyone to wear them unless truly needed. Sure, a certain wristband might have increased Susie’s defence by a few points, but it wasn’t worth it if she was constantly distracted resisting the urge to chew on it. And what was the use in a pair of shoes that boosted Ralsei’s healing, if they also made him stumble and trip during combat?

As the party moved closer to the king’s castle and its fountain, though, the gap between the ‘normal’ equipment they found and the less usual pieces grew larger, and their bonuses grew more necessary to continue.

The outfit Susie was complaining about at the moment was the latest in a line of clothes she’d been voicing her displeasure at. In a paradox that would have been amusing if it were present in a game instead of real life, the clothing that granted her the most defence and survivability also appeared the daintiest. This one, a peach-coloured baby romper with a subtle zigzag pattern, was certainly the daintiest yet, only made more so by the pink ribbon pulling her hair out of her eyes and into a small ponytail.

“Sorry,” Kris said, trying to convey past their flat affect that they really were, “but you need the extra defence. That last jigsawry nearly knocked you out, and if it had then the rest of us would’ve gone down too. You need to be able to take more hits.”

Susie growled, clenching her fists around the grip of her new hammer - it squeaked when impacting enemies, but made them tired extremely quickly. “How the hell does that even work? My normal clothes are thicker than this, they should give me better defence!”

“But Susie,” Ralsei said soothingly, “if you’re cuter, darkners won’t hit you as hard.”

“You calling me cute, feather-duster?!”

Ralsei squeaked as Susie gnashed her teeth, taking an unconscious step behind Kris to shield himself. “N-no, of course not, w-who’d call you cute, haha! J-just, um, other people might think that, a-and you are taking more hits the cuter your, um, your clothes are, so...”

After a few more seconds of levelling a murderous glare at Ralsei, Susie deflated slightly, turning a slightly less violent look on Kris. “If you tell anyone I wore this crap, they won’t believe you, and I’ll throw you in the dumpster behind Ice-E’s.”

“I’m not going to tell anyone,” Kris sighed, tugging gently on Ralsei’s arm to get him walking with them as they continued forwards. “Who’d believe me about the Dark World in the first place? And besides, we’re all dealing with this.”

Susie snorted, falling into line behind Kris, on the other side to Ralsei. “Some of us way more than others.”

“Susie’s kind of right, it is strange there isn’t really anything for you in these chests, Kris... maybe we should go back and see if we’ve missed any, it’d be bad if your stats fell too far behind.”

Looking backwards at Ralsei as they walked, Kris conceded the point. While Ralsei’s clothing wasn’t as drastically changed as Susie’s, he was in a shorter robe than he’d started the adventure in, one that somehow looked even fluffier than his original one. It, along with the plastic diaper cover made visible by its short hem, was one of the best items for magic power Kris had found so far, while his new duck-patterned scarf sharply boosted his ability to channel tension points. Yes, it also made him poorly balanced in combat, and the matching mittens he wore made him unable to access his inventory quickly, but it was getting harder and harder to put enemies to sleep, so he’d had to get used to it all.

Kris knew in comparison they’d gotten it easier so far. They wore a silicone chew necklace over their armour which improved their ability to act at the cost of a quiet urge to stim with it, but otherwise all of their armour and weaponry had come from red chests. They were certain they would’ve found equipment if they looked, the same way their teammates’ outfits were clearly intended for them, and while they hadn’t ignored any blue chests they’d actually seen, neither were they keen on going back and searching for any.

They wouldn’t rub salt in Susie’s wounds, but the longer they could go without matching her, the better.

“Going back means more time for us to be worn down by other darkners,” They explained, shaking their head. “It’s better if we keep moving forward and try to find new things instead.”

“Man, stop being right, it’s not fair you get to dodge all this crap,” Susie groused, but kept following them regardless. “I swear, it’s like you’ve got some kind of magic shield stopping anything from-”

“-oh, there’s another chest!”

Ralsei’s call came a minute before they actually reached the chest, before they could even determine which kind it would be. But as it came into focus, no longer obscured by trees, all three of them could see that it was another blue chest, guaranteed to be more powerful - but less convenient - than someone’s current loadout.

Kris took responsibility for opening it, like all the other ones, and like the others they crossed their fingers as they levered the lid open, hoping that nothing too bad would be inside.

Unlike those other times, their luck ran dry.

Susie barked a single, sharp note of laughter when the contents were revealed, though whether at the equipment itself or from how the colour drained from Kris’ face was an open question.

“I don’t actually need to wear this,” Kris said quickly, making what they knew was a cowardly exit. “It won’t make my acts any stronger, and the downsides aren’t worth it like yours-”

“-It’ll make you take as many hits as Susie can, and you’ll always move first in fights,” Ralsei interrupted, kindly but without mercy. Fixing him with their flattest look only made them shrug nervously, clumsily tugging on the brim of their hat. “I-it’s true.”

“What was it you told us, Kris?” Susie clapped one hand on Kris’ shoulder, locking them in place in front of the chest. “Downsides don’t matter if they get us through this place faster, right?”

Forced to stare at their new equipment, robbed of any out they could find, Kris could only mumble, “where do I even start with putting that on?”

“I think I can see how it fits. Susie, if you help me take these mittens off, I think we can sort it out together...”

---

Kris was never going to be able to open a chest again.

As Ralsei neatly folded their previous gear to pack into the next dimensional box they found, Susie started laughing at them all over again, watching their clumsy attempts to stand upright. “Oh, god, this makes it all worth it actually. You look like the world’s worst spaceman!”

“We’re absolutely not talking about this,” Kris forced out in a deadpan, taking their movements even slower, insistent on being able to stand on their own.

On the upside, Ralsei was right; Kris felt sturdier wearing their new equipment, and that strange new sense they’d gotten since arriving in the Dark World said they would in fact move first in every fight. On the downside, that came at the cost of wearing a full-body sleeper with sewn-in mittens and booties.

The bulk of the sleeper was the same night-sky blue as their bodysuit, but there were accent stripes up their outer thighs and along their arms in the hot pink of their original cape, and their extremities were swaddled in the same colour. The sleeper had large pads of foam to replicate the armour they could no longer wear, albeit the cuirass was designed to look more like a sewn-on bib, complete with a childish card suits pattern. The zipper keeping them in ran parallel to their spine, which had required Ralsei to help them into and would certainly require Ralsei to get them out of, since they doubted Susie would cooperate with that.

Somehow making it worse, the sleeper was padded out around their waist, the material there baggy enough to accommodate the thick diaper they wore underneath it. Kris had tried to insist there was no reason to wear that too, but Ralsei had innocently commented on the underwear’s all-stats boost, and after that Susie had refused to let them opt out, which they should have expected.

Finally reaching their feet, Kris’ arms windmilled for a second, trying to find their balance with their gait and centre of gravity so altered. They stood at least an inch shorter just from how bow-legged the diaper made them, and every testing step they took was both insultingly slower and accompanied by a loud rustle, not at all muted by the thick sleeper covering their diaper.

“I mean,” Susie started, words interrupted by yet more laughter, “I’m not gonna tell anyone else, that’d be stupid with what you’ve got on me. But oh man, Kris, you are not hearing the end of this from me any time soon.”

Feeling unwanted colour rise in their cheeks, Kris looked away, hoping for some kind of support from Ralsei. But the goat simply hid his face under his hat, now finished packing their supplies and fumbling with his own mittens. As Susie helped him into them, Kris realised that Susie was now the only member of their party with quick inventory access, or available to help with changing equipment.

“Let’s just. Go. Before this manages to get even more awkward.” Setting a much slower pace, Kris walked - or waddled - onward, uncomfortably bare-handed since their mittens wouldn’t close around the hilt of any weapon.

Maybe that was a blessing, they thought. With how their luck had turned, any new weapon probably would’ve just been a giant rattle.

#really gross stuff #deltaruined #krisp #suzy #kindboy

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jippy-kandi · 3 years

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Digimon Adventure: 2020 – Episode 32: Soaring Hope (Review)

Thoughts on the thirty-second episode of the Digimon Adventure reboot series.

Well, what a surprise! This was actually a pretty good episode.

The sound of Patamon running is so cute. And how he just plops over from exhaustion. XD; He actually might be my favourite Digimon in the reboot, lol.

Sora and Taichi came to the rescue in a pretty dynamic way! I loved it. The episode opened so great and got my attention right away. :D

YAMATO!!! I’m so happy to see you. :D Yamato: “I see, so you were able to join them. Were you hurt, Takeru?” Takeru: “I’m fine, but Patamon’s . . .” Agumon: “Patamon looks in pain.” Piyomon: “What’s wrong?” Taichi: “It’s probably the damage from fighting DarkKnightmon.” Yamato: “Takeru. I’m sure Patamon will get well soon. Until then, you stay by Patamon’s side.” Takeru: “Yeah! I will, Big Brother!” Yamato: “Taichi, I leave Takeru to you.” Now, on paper, this exchange seems good . . . but Yamato’s voice actor sounds really “off”? He honestly sounds like he doesn’t care about Takeru, LOL. Which is certainly a change from OG Yamato - who would be losing his damn shit right now. XD; I’m not sure if there’s “more to the story” and Yamato sounds “distracted” (more like disinterested, LOL) for a reason and we’ll find out later? Or this was a weird performance from the voice actor. Or the series really is making Yamato less of an overprotective brother. But it was really odd to me.

LMAO Mimi started a Digimon fight club!? XD; But OG Mimi was such a pacifist. XD;

Jou . . . is still just a joke and the series honestly thinks it’s doing him favours? Sigh. I really don’t like him.

Koushirou tags in to remind us all that he’s still just an info-dump bot. And he’s still going on about a threat that no one (us) cares about. Yawn. This better lead somewhere (to actual on-screen relevance/impact) . . .

LMAO Master Jedi Lopmon astral projects himself into Patamon’s dreams - Oh hello! I didn’t think we’d be seeing you again so soon. I really liked the whole sequence, though. Nicely done.

Why are Taichi and Sora peeking in on Takeru and Patamon? lol. Did they really need privacy here? How respectful of them - except not, because they’re still peeking in. XD;

Takeru and Patamon’s exchange ending with Takeru telling Patamon that he’ll always be by his side was super cute. I loved the story he shared about Yamato helping him swim. This is actually the material we love and need - and not Taichi fighting enemy #7872. Please, Toei, realise this? This is what keeps people engaged and interested in the story and its characters.

Forget the puny Fangmons, Cerberumon is a beast! He looks like a better, cooler, more awesome version of Garurumon! I wouldn’t mind if Yamato had him as his partner Digimon, haha. XD

The series has shown us that Agumon is able to Mega evolve at very little cost - and at pretty short intervals. Why doesn’t he just do so against an Ultimate Digimon? Is a non-Mega not worthy enough for him to Mega evolve against? XD; I know, I know, plot. But this is an issue I have with the series. It doesn’t do a good job at handling Digimon levels and threat levels in general. Everything just comes down to plot convenience in a lazy way. And yes, I’m complaining too much, so I’ll stop. XD;

MY POOR BABY SORA! They always take her out. :( Well, I just remember her frozen leg, lol. But of course she looks like she’s seriously injured, while Taichi also gets hit, falls, but still manages to have enough strength to hang onto the side. Yeah. He’s fucking Superman.

Awww, I really liked Patamon remembering his past and how much Takeru means to him. It was great. The Takeru/Patamon stuff this episode is A+ material.

But Pegasusmon was totally unexpected to me! I had a bit of a “jump the shark” feeling because of how much I didn’t think that could happen. XD; But it’s cool, I liked it. Rodeo Gallop totally should have killed Takeru or at least make him dizzy, though. XD;

Next episode preview: We’re going back to The Taichi Show? -_-; The main focus better be Hikari, though!

I enjoyed this episode a lot more than the last several episodes. It’s amazing how interesting the show is when it’s not just The Taichi Show (centered around a dull, generic, action hero protag). I’ve even accepted Takeru’s heightened courage and I’ve gone back to thinking he’s a cutie and liking him again. :P His bond with Patamon is really endearing. The flying pig is just too cute for words.

I know next episode “looks” like it should mostly be about Hikari, but as Taichi’s involved . . . I am prepared to go back to The Taichi Show again. Sigh. Please hurry up and reunite all the kids again, Toei. My interest can only wane so low.

#digimon #digimon adventure #digimon adventure:#digimon adventure 2020 #takeru takaishi #taichi yagami #yamato ishida #sora takenouchi #review #screenshots #spoilers #what a surprise!

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lizacstuff · 3 years

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Liza that 3rd fragman 👀 "if I was born a 100 times I'd fall in love with you everytime" Eda saying this is their last obstacle and nothing can separate them, serkan's "I'll be right back, close your eyes I'm here" If this isn't all a red flag for shits about to hit the fan then I don't know what is LOL (but also how cute to Edser look and them telling each other they love each other very much 😭😭😭)

That fragman is both the SWEETEST and the MOST OMINOUS thing I’ve ever seen. ALL AT ONCE.

Friends... we’re gonna go through some things. That being said, everything is going to be great. These writers have been solid so far, and I have faith they have come up with something really interesting to increase the longevity of this show. And I don’t know about you, but I’m prepared to go through some things if it means keeping Eda and Serkan for longer. (I heart them)

This show is about Eda and Serkan and their love story, at it’s core it’s a comedy, it will all lead to happy things, but... yeah, buckle up!

I have a lot of asks both about the fragman and last ep, so I’m going to answer a bunch under the cut.

Anonymous said: The fandom theories about episode 28 have gotten so wild that I literally think the most shocking thing would be if they actually got married and were not separated (emotionally or physically). What if the earlier painful episodes were to make us believe that things couldn't possibly go right in 28 and it's a reverse psychology trick?

You could be right! I like your thinking. I checked on twitter and I had to back away slowly. The juvenile temper tantrums were too much for me today.

Look, I think it’s clear something big is coming. It has to, there has to be something that shakes up the show. Some of the theories are more upsetting and catastrophic than others, but the writers won’t do anything that dings either character or their love for one another. Whatever happens will showcase the connection between these two and the chemistry between the actors, that’s the point of everything, and anything that does those things is gonna be a-okay with me.

@jan31 Hi Liza. Do you think we are going to see the wedding in 28 or they will leave it on a cliffhanger for next week. Lots of theories going round mainly cos of Neslihan saying new dimensions coming in episode 29, which could just mean married life etc. I have seen suggestions of memory loss, it's all a dream since episode one. I would personally love Eda to wake up like in episode one but for it to be a total turn around and she is the boss and Serkan the employee. Eda being robot yildiz appeals to me!!! I know it will never happen but leave me here with my dreams!!

I started the day at 90% sure they’ll be married in 28/29, but now I’m down to like 30% that they’ll get married in these episodes. I really, really want them to get married before whatever happens happens, because every scenario I can think of for this reset or starting again, seems like it would be better if they were married.

However, the shooting spoilers from today, make me question that. Namely the videos where Hande appears to still be wearing the ring on her right hand. We shall see, that could be for many reasons.

Honestly, though, I wouldn’t hate a memory loss storyline. Seeing one of them (and Serkan’s line in the trailer makes it seem like it might be him) lose their memory and have to fall in love all over again? There are worse fates for a shipper than getting to experience that all again but in a different way.

Anonymous said: Your response to the fandom drama anon was so good, it's exactly how I feel. While I don't know what the old posts that were like are (that's shady as fuck) I did see all the other drama go down and wow. The actresses def need to stay in their lane and some of the fans, hoooo boy, it's obvious they're young based off their reactions alone. Had to unfollow some people once I realized what they were like. Also some of the IRL shipping reminded me of col*fer stuff, reading into everything and blowing it out of proportion (which then gets picked up by paps....). But you're right in that at least the show related drama is tame compared to OUAT. But still, people being too careless even while they know the paps see everything and harass Kerem and hande (omg did you see the video of hande the other day stopped in the van and she looked so overwhelmed 😔)

You’re referencing this post here about yesterday’s drama.

Today Neslihan made it worse by addressing everything and claiming she didn’t like all those Hande-bashing posts because... wait for it... she was HACKED. Oy. Hackers got in and went back two years to like gross posts about Hande? Sure, Jan. While I don’t believe that for a second, I guess that at least gives her cover with Hande so they can all pretend it’s true and move on so it’s not awkward on set. But, yikes, she needs to consult a publicist, she took a narrative that was circulating in certain circles in fandom and made sure all her followers were aware. Not very savvy.

As for the paps coming after Hande, yes I did see her in the car, she did look overwhelmed. Back off vultures!!! That’s why I think Kerem sometimes throws himself to the wolves so that doesn’t happen. She always handles them like a pro, but you can tell she’d rather be anywhere else on earth than talking to them.

The pap stuff is worse than I’ve seen before, they’re like vultures circling for any conjecture (sometimes made up out of thin air) they can turn into a question and blame fans. OUAT actors dealt with nothing like this. Also I can’t believe they never ask about the show. Like after last week? They could legit ask about the sex scene which probably would have given them some angle on the actors that they wanted, (especially since it was too hot for Turkish TV) but they let that pass them by, and instead asked the same questions about being together that they never answer. Dumbasses. They are not only awful people, they are awful at their jobs.

In Van, the paps pay off crew members for info, they always know more than fans. Also I don’t remember stars of my shows getting this level of tabloid attention before. Except for on Riverdale, Lili and Cole generated that level of interest, and while I didn’t pay terribly close attention to them, I feel like they rarely talked to the paps, were just photographed. Also I don’t suspected the CW of calling the paps on them, but I suspect either the network or production company of sometimes calling them on Hande and Kerem.

Anonymous said: Do you think it’s weird that they didn’t touch the kidnapping at all in either trailer? They might not have filmed it in time for the 1st one but certainly the 2nd. And I’m definitely not complaining about the ones we got because its like a fairytale but the kidnapping was the cliffhanger...? 🧐 I think they should’ve just left the princes storyline at “he went back to his country” but then they didn’t so......

If they’d left his story at just going back to his country, then the Prince really wouldn’t have served his purpose. He was brought on to cause some sort of trouble, so they probably need him to cause the trouble before he goes, lets hope it ends with this kidnapping!

And to answer your question, yes, I do think it’s weird that neither trailer touched on it. On any other show I’d think it was a huge red flag, but on this show maybe not as much because a) there’s obviously a lot of romance in this episode, it’s not crazy that they are focusing on that to draw people in with the promos b) this show likes to do cliffhangers that end up being no big deal, that happens a lot.

Who knows it could turn out to be a big deal that shapes the rest of the episode in some unexpected way (Eda’s captured the whole episode and she’s dreaming about wedding prep, or... who knows) but I think it’s more likely that they resolve in the first 5-10 minutes and then move on. Since we know from the summary (not that I trust those) that Serkan goes on the bachelor weekend, it feels like the Prince is taken care of prior to that. I don’t think he’d leave her alone for a second if there was a chance the Prince was still a threat. Perhaps Babaanne is pissed he tried to kidnap Eda and tells them she’ll handle it herself???

Anonymous said: Semiha not being in the promo is highkey suspicious. The actress is promoting the episode lol. She's about to Evil Queen this wedding ceremony but you know what, I'm fine with whatever she has planned if they end up married at the end of the day. What's funny is that since a lot of fans these days will assume that there will be shocking negative plot twists, not actually having one here would be a plot twist so I hope the writers keep them together for whatever's next haha

You’re not wrong, at this point, having this wedding take place would be a shocking twist for all of us! As for Semiha... hmmm... it will be interesting to see what her reaction is to Eda being kidnapped by her pick of suitor. Serkan Bolat might be the son of the man indirectly responsible for her parents death, but he would never hurt her. Take note, Grandbag!

Anonymous said: Do you mind sharing your speculative scenarios?

After the trailer today, I don’t know if I can even remember some of them.

Memory loss

Grandma forces Serkan to choose between Eda and his company/wealth, he chooses Eda and they start over from scratch with nothing

Time jump

AU starting over, showing a different path they might have taken together

Dream

These actors playing different characters in a new story

I don’t think the last three are likely, but they did spring to mind after some of Neslihan’s teases.

Anonymous said: So this show doesn't get like fantastic ratings (it actually seems to be on the lower end compared to all other dizis airing) but the social media engagement is off the charts. Why is that?!? Is the show just extraordinarily popular internationally? or that this is a "shipping" show? I'm floored by the numbers - its like no other show/fandom is even trying

The ratings were terrific during the summer. But to your point, it has a huge fandom both in Turkey and internationally, but it’s worth noting that most of those charts you see where it beats every other show in every imaginable social metric is just for Turkey.

It’s one of those lightning in a bottle situations where you get the right property and the right actors together at the right time and magic happens. And, for sure, the number one reason is the shipping. Shipping drives fandom engagement, and a fantastic ship with a juicy, fun, tropey love story is what this show offers. It also offers up two extremely attractive, talented, likeable leads with off-the-charts chemistry (plus the added speculation about an off-camera relationship that has intrigued more than a few fans, tabloids and gossip sites and fueled interest) who have done a good job of building the fanbase through their social media engagement. Plus the timing is part of it as well. I don’t know about you, but this show hit the spot during this pandemic and the horror of 2020. We all needed this escape.

Anonymous said:Do you think something happened in the writers room after the backlash of 25 and fan disappointment after Ayse's announcement? I feel like a switch flipped and now we're in fanficland with how much good content we've gotten in these last two episodes. Like I thought maybe they should wrap up the series soon before the characters got completely off the tracks but they may be finding their groove now and I'm interested to see what their next twist is after they can write out Balca/Seymen.

I don’t know about a switch flip, this show has been fanfic land since the first episode! The tropes! That is how I described it to multiple people when I first started watching: an AU fanfic come to life.

As for the writing changes, no, I don’t think backlash after 25 affected 26 or 27, because 26 was already 90% shot, and 27 already written. However, I assume they themselves could tell that 25 got just too dark and had strayed pretty far from the DNA of the series. While I didn’t think it was bad, it was not fun to watch and this show ought to be fun to watch.

Let’s hope, however, that the backlash affects future episodes in that they know what works... and what doesn’t. The last two episodes definitely felt reminiscent of the first batch of episodes. Light, funny, romantic. If they can keep that tone... I’ll be thrilled.

Anonymous said: i didn't realize how much i missed "together" edser until watching 27.. it's been so long since they were "officially" together and we also had such few episodes of it.. ppl have been comparing it to 12 and while in some ways i agree, edser are always so different here than they were there. 12 was them navigating their new relationship.. they were more shy and finding their footing.. here they are very much established, as they should be after knowing their love for so long in comparison to 12!

Yes, it was lovely. You know I’ve preached a lot about how even though Eda and Serkan were broken up, they’ve still been together all this time. And it’s true, but there is something about them truly being together that is magical. We never got enough of that the first time around (a writing mistake in my opinion) and they’re so good together it’s lovely to watch.

Anonymous said: Serkan not asking for help from Balca when asking his team for help with the marriage gifts preparations and refusing her offer of help when she asked made me so happy. Good job Serkan! He's learning! She's not trustworthy!

Yes, that was a good moment. And he was eyeing her very warily when she offered. The thing I don’t understand is how has no one caught on that she’s working with Babaanne? That entire office is filled with nosy people, has no one remarked on the number of times Balca has gone up to the office or they’ve disappeared for lunch at the same time? Come on Leyla! Come on Melo! Notice these things!

Anonymous said: Fingers crossed that we finally make progress towards getting rid of Seiman & Balca now that all the girls were drugged and Eda was put in the car in the last episode. Unless Seiman has a change of heart and takes Eda back inside before anyone wakes & the guys get there then the show has to address it. Although I do not think Balca is going to back down unless Serkan straight up tells her he has zero interest in her and never will. Totally fine if that happens in the next episode.

Will Balca backdown even if she’s humiliated like that? She’s so delusional I’m not sure. What I am sure is that she’s dangerous. This came in before we saw the other two fragmans that have no mention of the kidnapping. Hard to picture how that is so easily resolved. Unless she frees herself (which seems unlikely in her groggy state) or maybe Melo’s future boyfriend is able to stop it before they get far? Or I don’t know. I just know that I want to see Serkan lose his mind and all the other characters see Serkan lose his mind and then I want it to be over. LOL.

Anonymous said: As much as I am loving everything Edser, I cannot wait for Seiman, Balca and Grandma to be gone. And I am even more annoyed to think that the show might try to redeem all 3 characters. All 3 of them are truly awful people and no need to waste air time trying to make the audience think any different. Just my opinion...🤷🏻‍♀️. Show please finally expose those 3 for the psychos they are and get rid of them.

Bye bitches! I don’t think there’s any redemption for Balca and Seiman. They both have poisoned/dosed people, hard to come back from that. And there is no need to redeem them because neither is compelling enough to be a long-term character. But maybe Granny, we probably will see a redemption arc for her.

Anonymous said: i know you were worried a few weeks ago that with ayse leaving as writer, we probably wouldn't have the same sort of comedy as previous episodes... but istg the whole kiz isteme scene, especially with chef alex, had me almost crying with laughter. especially when serkan off the cuff just goes "well if that's an option..." to everyone misunderstanding alex "wanting" ayfer for 2 nights and then eda ready to beat him with the flowers he bought her... comedic gold lmao.

SO GOOD! I was thrilled to see that sort of comedy, the sort of comedy we’d come to expect, from these writers. I think it bodes very well indeed!

That scene was amazing. I know Neslihan said that much of it was improvised. Probably that line from Serkan (since Serkan is SO out-of-his-mind in love I’m not sure he could even joke about having Eda only two nights a week! LOL) was improv from Kerem, and Aydan asking about the other nights, and Seyfi bringing up the weekend. And Eda’s very Hande-esque “Ser-KAN.”

I just love rewatching that scene and checking out everyone who is breaking character and just losing it. Cagri most of all. He’s blurred aback there but you can see Ferit spends the whole time laughing or trying to stifle a laugh. Reminds me of Cagri in the scene in 18 when they’re watching the security footage he was losing it in that scene as well.

Anonymous said: i'm scared - I think they are really about to give us all of these happy EdSer scenes only to have something happen RIGHT before the wedding ceremony due to Babaanne. Based on the last episode, I don't think there's any chance of a breakup (knock on wood) but what if Serkan gets arrested, goes to jail for 2 years, and we get a time jump?

This was sent before the last two teasers, so yes I think something is gonna happen. We shall see! I don’t really think Serkan going to jail for 2 years is in the cards, at least I hope not! Besides if Babaanne did that she would have no hopes of ever reconciling with Eda, so that seems unlikely she’d follow through and leave him there for so long a time.

Anonymous said: With the last week's sex scene, they did a lot of fade outs but the scene was basically still there so it wasn't much wasted effort for the actors. But for what they're teasing in episode 28 - idk how they can get away with showing them in the shower at all if Serkan lifting Eda with her clothes on had required blurring? Is Eda dropping her robe even pushing it? It's intriguing indeed.

Great questions. We’re 36 hours from finding out (well I'm longer than that because I wait for the English subs, hee hee) All I know is I want to see these scenes.. one way or another!

#sen cal kapimi #edser #Sen Çal Kapımı #sck spoilers #sck specualtion #sckask #sck episode discussion #asklizac #Anonymous

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has-gilgamesh-doneanythingwrong · 3 years

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Celebration

In which an unexpected servant congratulates my mastersona for both passing their Mage Exams and helping Gudako complete yet another singularity!

(The true backstory is that I recently finished all of my essays, my thesis and exam- so thought I should treat myself by writing a fic to commemorate it!!! YIPPEE!!)

Staring blankly at the spotless ivory walls looming above their head, Seihai frowned. Listlessly plonking yet another slice of pizza into their mouth, they flopped onto their bed.

‘What the heck do I do with my life now?’ At current, Chaldea had lapsed into a week-long festival, due to everybody successfully completing yet another singularity.

As a result of this, Gudako managed to rouse the entirety of Chaldea into a tremendous partying mood; in which servants were blasting sparklers at one another; Liz was hogging the speakers to blast out her latest hit tunes; and the Chaldea kitchen was overwhelmed with both chefs as well as hungry customers.

Although Seihai did actively partake in some of the activities, and was overjoyed to see Chaldea enveloped in such joy, a gnawing sense of unease still tore at their stomach. Even though today was the dawn of Chadea’s first ever Nightclub Party- a day that Seihai had been dying to experience- said anxiety made it all but impossible to enjoy it.

‘I’m not in the mood to party anymore,’ Seihai languidly flicked through the television channels, eventually landing upon yet another battle anime. ‘I dunno...It feels like the victory’s hollow or something...’

In Seihai’s eyes, the one who did the bulk of the work during singularities were Gudako, Mash, the staff and their servants. When it came to Seihai’s own place in this war; they had no idea in hell where they belonged. Besides from offering support, assistance, and lessening the load on Gudako’s shoulders- by providing mana to servants that Gudako hadn’t the energy to supply- they were naught but a small bit-piece in the war.

Clutching their fists -as a character on the television behind them began to yell, they contemplated the box of pizza sitting before them.

As a treat for also passing the Mage Association’s rather convoluted, and extremely unnecessary Online Mage’s Exam with flying colors, Seihai had more or less begged Boudicca to make some pizza- so that they could celebrate on their lonesome. Lifting the glimmering slice towards the sky, Seihai smiled wryly.

“Congratulations, me. We’ve fought hard. Let’s not let the negativity beat us today.” Before they could chow down on the beautiful, tantalizing slice- an array of golden sparkles invaded their vision, as they choked on their slice.

‘H-HOLY SHIT!!!’ Slapping their back, they managed to slide the slice back out again, only to be distracted by a horrendous clunking noise; as Seihai’s room shook like a tornado.

Only one person would enter their room like this.

Spinning their head to the side, they take sight of the king’s pernicious smirk; his red eyes sparkling with impish glee.

“G-Gilgamesh....You sure as hell caught me off guard this time.” Sighing audibly, Seihai rubbed their crimson red locks of hair. “Why don’t you like to knock before entering?”

“You would ask one as mighty as I- the King of Heroes- to knock on your measly door before entering?” He looked genuinely shocked by the suggestion. “Have you lost your mind, by perchance?”

“I feel like we’ve gone through an argument like this already.” Helping themselves to their feet, Seihai attempts to look him in the eyes. “I tell you ‘Yes, you should knock’, and then you go ‘you foolish cur! The king shall never knock before entering! It’s my right!’ or something like that.”

“Well, there you have it. Although wisdom initially evaded that tiny brain of yours, you’ve finally conjured up the answer to your own enquiry.”

“Hey, my brain isn’t tiny. I just can’t keep up with you sometimes.”

“If you’ve managed to fool yourself into believing that, then who am I to disagree?” Whipping out a decadent golden throne from a rippling gold portal, he places himself by Seihai’s side. “Now, I’m here to depart a word of wisdom. Listen carefully.”

‘W-Wait, he’s here to talk?! Why?!’ Utterly bemused by this turn of events, Seihai felt compelled to burst into laughter. ‘Oh shit, hold it in! Hold it in!’ Last time they laughed at the king; Gilgamesh threatened them with a thousand deaths. “Er...You want some drinks? Food?”

“Hoh...I’m glad to see that you retain enough honor to serve your king. However, the food of mongrels isn’t to-” As soon as Seihai pulled out an assortment of global snacks, Gilgamesh’s words caught in his very throat.

“Fine. Pass that one. On the right.” A look of embarrassment briefly flickered across his features, as he coughed lightly. “Don’t hesitate, mongrel! Pass it, post haste!!!”

Seihai smirked proudly at that. ‘Hehe, that’s payback for you being so damn rude! Can’t look down on my global snack collection, huh?’

Keeping such thoughts locked firmly within their mind, they pass Gilgamesh a vanilla twinkie. ‘How amusing...Gilgamesh, the arbiter of all pleasures; owner of all the items of the world, is a fan of snacks like twinkies...’ Seihai would most certainly make a note of this later on.

As they both settled down, munching down on an assortment of foods- Gilgamesh cleared his throat, his expression as hard as stone. “Mongrel.”

“Hm?”

“What ails you, to be avoiding a festival as grand as the Chaldea party? I’ll have you know that even I have no choice but to approve of its splendor.”

Seihai’s mind boggled at this. Was he inquiring as to their health? Lowering their head, Seihai mumbled a tiny “Well, you know...I’m just not in the mood. That’s all.”

“That’s all? I hadn’t taken you to be such a bore.”

“Well, that’s not really my problem; you know. Sometimes, I can be boring as hell, and today’s just one of those days.”

“Mongrel, Chaldea’s been renovated into a sparkling nightclub. A nightclub.” Gilgamesh placed heavy emphasis on the word ‘nightclub’. “And yet you still manage to profess that you’re ‘not in the mood’?! Whatever happened to that mongrel that wouldn’t stop dancing in the canteen the other day?” Gilgamesh looked truly offended, as if Seihai had broken a sworn covenant or something.

‘Wait, what the hell?! He caught me dancing in the canteen? FUCK!’ Seihai grimaced at this. “W-wait, Gilgamesh. How the hell did you catch me dancing?!”

Ignoring Seihai’s question, Gilgamesh continued to complain. “Don’t you understand? A night as dazzling as this may never happen again. I declare that you enjoy it to the utmost, before everything disappears.” He had an excellent point there. Life was all but fleeting, a translucent kaleidoscope of effervescent events. Who knows when all of Chaldea may breathe their very last breath?

“Okay, I’ll admit you have a pretty good point there.” He definitely did! However, Seihai was yet to be moved by his advice. “However, I don’t feel like I’m worthy enough to join...I messed up so many times during the last singularity....and it took me quite a few tries before passing the mage exam.”

“So, you’re a fool then.”

Before Seihai could leap up in outrage at this statement, Gilgamesh silenced them with a flex of his golden-plated hand. “However. Albeit being a fool, you’re a determined one; who fights for their own cause. And as the King of Heroes, I must acknowledge that such actions are actually worthy of merit. Therefore, I shall not allow you to wallow in such pathetic self-misery! Celebrate your achievements with all of your might, mongrel- and REJOICE!”

Eyes widening with awe, Seihai’s heart sung with joy at his words. Spirit roused, they gawped at him in shock. “W-what...?!”

Did he just praise them? Gilgamesh offering praise? The world must certainly be ending soon. Looking around them, to check whether they were dreaming- Seihai was completely befuddled. ‘Of all the people to come and cheer me up when I’m feeling sad...How the heck did he end up being the one to do so?!’

“Fuhahaha! You look as if you’ve transformed into a fish! How utterly amusing!” Gilgamesh’s shoulders trembled with laughter. “You heard me clearly, mongrel. Even fools such as you have inherent worth. Now go out there, and rejoice!”

“Er...well, thanks Gilgamesh. That was kind of you to say that.” To see one’s own failures as a bastion for developing success...Seihai was taken aback by Gilgamesh’s perspective on things. However, it was much appreciated. “I do like hearing your titbits of wisdom.”

“Don’t grow too accustomed to them. I shan’t hand them out willy-nilly, you know. Now, rise to your feet; so that we can descend upon the dancefloor!”

“Haha, that does actually sound like fun. Thanks again, Gilgamesh.”

“Don’t get too conceited, mongrel. I’m only offering you alms for this particular occasion.”

As Seihai chuckled at this (as Gilgamesh obliterated their bedroom door with a flying kick), the two rivals (Friends? Enemies? Who knows, really), made their way to the festival.

The End

WAIT. WAIT. WAIT. THIS WAS MUCH MORE FRIENDLY A FIC THAN EXPECTED. ALSO, I AM CERTAIN THAT MY MASTERSONA AND GILGAMESH WOULD BE LIKE ARCH ENEMIES BUT THEY ACTUALLY GOT ALONG????????

#gilgamesh #fate series #mastersona #my writing #gilgablog #ok ye i wrote something selfish okay ye i did but i am bad at celebrating so idk i thought itd be funny to put gil there

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radramblog · 3 years

Text

And you don’t seem to understand

A shame, you seemed an honest man.

Duvet, by bôa (the British band, not BoA, the Korean pop artist) was my song of the year in 2020. According to Spotify, at least.

Most people who have heard Duvet know it as the opening to the cult classic anime Serial Experiments Lain. Like many things about Lain, the opening is iconic, matching Duvet’s acoustic meandering and haunting vocals with the mysterious and a e s t h e t i c visuals to create something unique that looks nothing like most anime openings these days. The average anime opening is energetic, introduces all the characters, has shenanigans and funny animation, and Lain is out here just giving nothing away. She’s on the TV and then walking down the street and then time stops and huh????

As a show, Lain is esoteric and confusing and doesn’t answer nearly as many questions as it sets up but manages to maintain interest through these mysteries somehow, through a combination of a slow build and sheer fuckery. Lain herself being a surprisingly endearing protagonist helps a lot; as a fish out of water with the computer systems the series centres around, her curiosity helps drive much of the early developments and worldbuilding. While the largest mysteries about the show surround her personally, by the time the audience is exposed to them they are likely comfortable enough with her to feel as unsettled by the implications as is intended. As comfortable as anything in the show could be, anyway- the show’s limited budget was used masterfully to create a stark, harsh atmosphere, with scenes where you’d expect that one anime cicada loop instead carrying the drone of power lines, and backgrounds painted alternately with sheer white and an excess of shadow, making the city feel as unnatural as the events taking place in it.

The show is also incredibly predictive about the nature of the internet and what online culture would look like for an anime released in the late 90s- the themes of online cliquing and personae are more relevant than ever in an age of social media and its role in modern politics.

Serial Experiments Lain happens to be available for free on funimation’s website in some countries (and Youtube where it isn’t), so there’s no excuse not to watch it! Unless its not your thing, which I could understand. Frustratingly, the Youtube version doesn’t appear to have the opening or ending attached, let alone the little bit before the opening (haha look it up its so great), so I wasn’t exposed to Duvet for much longer than I would have liked in retrospect. Because this song and album fuck so hard.

I suppose part of having a less than ideal budget meant using a song from an obscure alternative band than commissioning a new one for the opening, but I’m certainly not complaining about the result. Following the anime’s release, the album Duvet was sourced from, The Race of a Thousand Camels, would end up being reorganised and rereleased internationally as Twilight with a few bonus tracks on the end (I’m still hunting down a CD of either of them, but they had a pretty low run and such are hard as hell to get).

I’m not sure what the best comparison would be to get an idea of what Twilight sounds like- spotify’s recommended artists appear largely to be other composers associated with anime soundtracks (as well as the artist behind the VA-11 Hall-A soundtrack, you go mate) so that hasn’t been much help. If I’m honest, its not too out of the ordinary- while a very very solid album, I don’t think it strays too far from what would be considered late 90s British alt-rock, which makes sense considering that’s where they originate from. The Cranberries but less folky and less Irish? I dunno.

Particular songs on the list do resonate more with me than others. Perhaps it is a little presumptuous to say that Fool is relatable, as my experience does not quite line up to that of the lyrics, but there are connections I can draw there so it works pretty well on me. Bonus tracks Drinking and Little Miss both do it for me (wow, really?) with Little Miss’s unexpected aggression and emotion underlying the abusiveness of the second person protagonist of the lyrics and that little unexpected breakdown at the end reminds me of some of my other favourite tunes (Twelve Foot Ninja, of all bands, comes to mind). Drinking, on the other hand, mirrors Little Miss as an acoustic closer that could be from the titular woman’s perspective, mirroring the lyrical relationship between the two. It’s a great way to finish an album with as much emotion as Twilight does, and considering the latter half of The Race of a Thousand Camels was its weaker one, a good addition to the record overall.

I don’t really have much more to add, other than go consume these underrated pieces of media. It’s free content mother fucker (edit: was listening to the Lain soundtrack while writing this and its fuckin wiiild. Theme of Lain? Hella. Theme of a Hilly Road? Is that a didge mate?)

#ramble #anime #music #serial experiments lain #boa #is the title pretentious? yes #my blog my rules

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missjosie27 · 4 years

Text

Year 2 Part 9- The First Vault

Hello, everyone.

There is good news! I seem to have my mojo back, that spark every writer needs to adequately make their craft. So expect updates to come a lot more often.

This chapter is the vault chapter though it will not mark the end of Year 2. For the record, I intend to write all seven years but that is going to take a hell of a long time given JC's very slow updating schedule haha.

Anyway enjoy this chapter! As always comment what you think. I enjoy it immensely.

Year 2 Part 9. The First Vault

Ben’s hopes for an uneventful end of the semester turned out to be oddly prophetic. The number of ice attacks dropped so significantly that even the first years seemed to be more relaxed going into the latter part of May and into June. Tension ran much lower and even the most brooding Slytherin or skeptical Ravenclaw had to admit things were looking up. Though Dumbledore was still noticeably absent, Professor McGonagall filled in more than adequately as deputy headmistress.

All the while, David felt…conflicted. He was certainly happy that the ice attacks had stopped, and the danger seemingly gone. But that didn’t lead him any closer to finding out what happened to his brother nor the identity of ‘R’ and what they wanted in general. Would he trade for more clues about the cursed vault just to have more information on Jacob? No, he wasn’t that selfish, unlike those such as Merula who only thought about themselves. But it didn’t ease that same longing he’d felt since he was nine years old, nor satisfy his curiosity.

Ben, of course, was ecstatic and Rowan tried to see the bright side as usual, telling him that no curse meant more time to study for their upcoming exams (whoop de doo) and reduce their chances of getting in trouble with the teachers. Bill, however, was the only one who remained unconvinced that the danger had truly passed.

“A magical cursed vault doesn’t just stop cursing people,” he explained one day while at the training grounds. “From what I’ve researched, cursed objects are often unpredictable and not at all stable due to the sheer amount of dark magic they contain.”

“Are these vaults even dark, though?” Rowan pointed out, as he fired a stinging hex towards his target. “It could just be a natural defense mechanism of someone trying to interfere with it.”

“I don’t personally trust anything that has the capacity to seriously maim or kill someone,” David opined.

Bill send a burst of flame forth, incinerating a dummy to ashes.

“If it turns out that this was nothing more than a false alarm, I won’t complain,” he said. “But until we can actually confirm that, it’s best to remain on our toes.”

And remain on their toes they did, thanks to Bill. Three times a week, they were down by the ground training and when they weren’t Rowan was often in the library searching for more books on the ancient Aramaic language they found the previous year, or anything on the vault’s origin. Penny received several new potions books from her mother and was pouring through them for more ideas or possible brews they could use in the event of an attack.

For his part, David tried to juggle the rest of his schoolwork with the vaults. His mother in particular was expecting higher marks this year and constantly reminded him of that in her letters.

Do as I say, not as I do he lamented. It was typical of his mum to offer instruction but little sympathy in doing so. If only Dad actually had a backbone. Whatever, it’s not like they’re actually here seeing what I get up to

All of these things were to bound to come to a head sooner or later and when it did, it was in the most unexpected fashion imaginable.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The day of pandemonium coincidentally was on the last Quidditch match of the season, where Gryffindor was due to play Ravenclaw for the title. The air was abuzz with excitement, and though the Slytherins were more than a bit glum at being out the running, it was expected to be an even, prime time matchup. It was not an atmosphere concerned with the cursed vaults.

That included David and Bill, who in their eager anticipation of the match, rose early and sped down to breakfast both for the purpose of eating and wishing Charlie luck. Since his first match against Slytherin, his ascent into superstardom had been rapid. The game against Hufflepuff was as equally lopsided, with Gryffindor winning 400-100 in a span of about half an hour. But it wasn’t simply the score that had the Lions on the cusp of their first cup since the late seventies, it was a generational talent and that person was Charlie Weasley. His natural ability on a broom was so spectacular, many people openly talked of him playing for England someday. True to his nature, the second eldest Weasley merely shrugged such talk off, choosing instead to focus on the Quidditch Cup but the chatter was undeniable.

“Good luck, little bro,” Bill teased him moments before heading down into the locker room. “You know Fred and George are going to want a full play by play after you win.”

“Knock it off, Bill,” Charlie said, rolling his eyes but there was a small smile on his face all the same. “Just have the butterbeer ready when we come back.”

Giving each other fist bumps, Skye Parkin called over as she tossed the quaffle back and forth between herself and fellow chaser Ruth Barrett.

“Oi, Weasley! Orion’s called us to the pitch! Let’s go!”

“She has a way with words,” Bill observed mildly.

Charlie raised his hands as he got up from the table.

“Just who she is.”

“Knock em, dead, mate. We all know you’ll be brilliant,” David encouraged, giving one last slap on the back.

The red head thanked him and quickly exited the Great Hall to the applause of the Gryffindor table, while the Ravenclaws paid them no mind.

“Gotta say, definitely different than playing Slytherin from a pregame standpoint,” David observed.

“Ravenclaws don’t need to use shady or underhanded tactics to try and intimidate opponents,” Bill pointed out. “Their talent and tactics are usually enough. Besides, their team left for the locker room already.”

“Good point.”

Checking out his watch, David began to wonder where Rowan and Ben were. Both had assured him they’d be down just after himself. Even if his best friend wasn’t the earliest riser when it came to Quidditch matches, he was usually sufficient enough to dress and shower quickly.

“Where are those guys?” he muttered to himself. The Great Hall was beginning to empty out. Even the Professors were absent from the table. Something wasn’t right.

Bill tried to reassure him in his usual cool, collected manner.

“I’m sure they’ll be along s-”

He never was able to finish the sentence as screaming and panic began to erupt from outside of the hall. Whoever was left eating breakfast immediately ran to the scene of the commotion, including the two Gryffindors. What they saw was pure pandemonium: adolescents and teenagers from all houses were running back and forth and wasn’t hard to see why. Numerous spores of ice were blooming all around them, growing at a rapid pace threatening to engulf all in their path.

David and Bill, both glanced at each other, simultaneously gulping. Suddenly, wave of blonde slammed into them.

“Ack! Penny?!”

“Dave! Bill! Oh, I’m so glad I found you,” she said through a tight hug around David’s midsection (he blushed ever so slightly). “Is this the cursed vault?”

“Has to be,” the young Gryffindor replied. “What else could be making such gigantic icebergs?”

Just then, a large mass could be seen moving towards them through the crowd and given his height advantage it wasn’t difficult to spot who it was.

“Dave? Bill? All yehs thank goodness yer alrigh’.”

“Hagrid? What on earth is going on?”

The exceedingly large man’s warm, beetle eyes were saddled with watery worry.

“The cursed ice is spreadin through all o’ Hogwarts!” he replied, nervously tapping a pink umbrella by his side. “It’s getting ter be madness out there. Gryffindor Tower is completely blocked in, the dungeons got icicles stickin out everywhere. An’ apparently the Ravenclaw Quidditch team are trapped inside the changing rooms. The blasted ice is expandin so fas’ that the Professors can’t keep up with it and there’s only so much they can do. Especially with Professor Dumbledore off searchin fer that curse-breaker.”

Hagrid paused and mumbled to himself.

“Ah, shouldn’ta said that, should not have said that.”

“What curse breaker?” David asked curiously. But the groundskeeper waved off their concerns with one of his trash can lid hands.

“Never mind tha’ now. My job is to keep you lot safe until the ice is under control. Now head back into the Grea’ Hall while I go assist Professor McGonagall.”

As he sped off, or as fast as one of his girth could go, David looked back towards his two companions, blocking out the hysteria around him.

“We have to move fast,” he told Bill and Penny. “It sounds like the ice is back with a vengeance.”

“But shouldn’t the Professors handle it?” the blonde asked, fear evident in her crystal, blue eyes.

“It sounds like they have too much on their plate in order to properly deal with the cursed ice. And this time it might not be enough to save the day,” David pointed out.

“We’re forgetting one key thing,” Bill added. “The Professors don’t even know where the origin of this ice is. They may not be able to fix it.”

“But we do. And we can,” David declared. “Bill’s right. No one besides us knows where this vault is located. It’s time for a third and final visit.”

Bill looked over his shoulder to ensure no one was listening, simultaneous worry and conflict on his handsome features. However, he also appeared resolved.

“I didn’t want to go back in there without at least four or five us just so we could have each other’s backs, but it looks like there’s no choice. The three of us will go in, break that curse, and save Hogwarts.”

David nodded in complete agreement. As much as he wanted Rowan and Ben with them, his two roommates were effectively trapped within the common room. They were the last remaining hope.

“It’s settled then. Penny, are you in?”

Though her own misgivings could still be seen in her face and body posture, Penny didn’t hesitate in her answer.

“Absolutely. I told you David that the next time something like this happens to involve me. Well, you’re going to keep that promise whether you like it or not.”

She truly is the most loyal Hufflepuff I’ve ever seen

“You’re amazing, Penny. Alright let’s go!”

And without so much as a second thought, the three teens took off running towards the thirteenth corridor.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It didn’t take long to reach the corridor nor for David to reveal the hidden entrance. Being the third go around, he could pinpoint the spot precisely and the power of being an advanced Transfiguration student certainly didn’t hurt either.

When the eerie hallway and steps were exposed, Penny was taken aback.

“Whoa,” she uttered softly. “I’ve never seen a cursed vault before, but even this is a lot to take in at one time.”

“Stay close,” David nodded towards her. The last thing he needed was more casualties on this trip. Rowan and Bill had nearly frozen to death in each of the last instances. He would ensure nothing of the sort happened to Penny. However, her inexperience was showing already. The two Gryffindor teens already knew what to expect unlike the blonde Hufflepuff.

“Don’t worry,” he tried to reassure her. “It’s okay to be scared. We all are.”

“But it always helps to have a bit background. Especially for someone who’s never seen all of this macabre rubbish,” Bill joked.

Penny gave a frail smile, nevertheless she remained quite frightened of the ominous knights and ancient statues that surrounded them.

“What should I expect?” she asked bravely.

“If memory serves correctly, there will be a chamber with a massive door of ice in front of us, guarded by a giant shield shaped like a snowflake,” Bill explained to her.

“You’re taking the mickey, right?”

David resisted the urge to laugh despite the seriousness of the situation.

“It sounds pretty unbelievable but trust me, Penny. We’re not lying.”

As if to prove his point they came across the same giant wall of ice that stood against their path to the doors, twice as thick and formidable as before.

“Well…this is a problem,” David observed. “Will the knockback jinx be enough, Bill?”

“It’s our only hope, mate,” Bill told him, pulling out his wand. “If we hit it at the same time, it should be enough to create a big enough entry way for us to fit through.”

The two second years copied the older boy and prepared to fire.

“Give it all you got, Penny,” David told her, giving a look of encouragement. “Whatever ounce of power you think you have….summon every ounce of it.

I’m going to need it too

“On the count of three,” Bill announced and Penny’s normally cute, bubbly features took on an uncharacteristic degree of determination. “One….two….THREE!”

“Flipendo!”

Beams of blue light struck the ice with a tremendous force but to their dismay, only a slight dent was made, indicating the defenses were much stronger than originally thought of.

“Try it again. One…two…THREE!”

“Flipendo!”

This time a small hole was made through the ice, but it was barely big enough for a man to go ice fishing.

“One more,” Bill breathed heavily. “We can do this. On my count…one…two…THREE!”

This time, their efforted yielded paydirt as the combined power of their spells blasted the ice apart, leaving a man sized opening just big enough for them duck through.

“When you get inside, spread out and be ready when the door starts blasting its freezing charms,” the eldest Weasley informed them. “Penny, you remember the fire spell, yeah?”

“Incendio, right?”

“That’s the one. As soon as you get close enough to it, blast it with all your power.”

David nodded in affirmation. There was no time to think or get fancy, the only objective was to get past that door and ensure that this curse was broken once and for all. As for what came after….they could deal with that later.

Sure, enough as they entered the icy chamber and drew close, the snowflake shield began firing off freezing curses, causing the three teens to roll off to one side in order to avoid them.

“I see what you mean!” Penny yelled, drawing her wand. “Also, really wish I’d worn something other than a skirt had I known we’d literally be going into a cursed vault!”

David fired a knockback jinx to buy them some time, but their offensive nearly stalled as a freezing spell nearly hit Bill, causing him to slip forward on the slick, unstable surface.

“That was too close,” he muttered. “Alright, after the next curse it shoots off, fire away with everything you got.”

David drew his own wand and aimed carefully, shrinking low on the steps, concentrating all of his magic into the biggest inferno ball he could imagine in his head. By the hardened look on Penny’s face, she was evidently doing the same. As soon as the next freezing spell (aimed for Bill again) passed, he and the Hufflepuff were on their feet charging the door.

“INCENDIO!!” they roared simultaneously.

With their combined strength, huge plumes of fire issued forth and made contact with the shield attached the door. Through the heat and acrid smoke, David could see that the icy fortification was melting into a pool of water onto the floor. By the time the fire barrage ended, it was completely gone.

“YES!” he exclaimed. “We finally got rid of that bloody thing.”

The group barely had time to celebrate however as ominous rumbling could be heard from inside of the door, the ground quaking as though a giant were approaching.

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Penny stated, anxiety back on her face.

“I just realized, David,” Bill said turning to him. “All this time we thought this door was keeping us out of the vault…but what if it was keeping something IN?”

It was a consideration they had no time to discuss more for at that moment, as the massive doors opened to reveal a terrifying sight: an Ice Knight, made of iron but covered completely in chunks of snow and frost, about ten feet tall carrying a massive sword. It did not look pleased at their intrusion.

“Merlin’s Beard,” Bill breathed. “Everyone, take cover!!”

But he was too late. The knight struck out with his sword creating an icy wind so fierce, so deathly cold that one could not stand against it without plunging into a winter induced coma. In a quick succession, Bill’s body was quickly entrapped in ice as was Penny’s. Fortunately for David, he had managed to jump out of the way in time, all except his foot, which he managed to free.

“Blasted thing…” he muttered, ripping his foot away and breaking the containment. He ignored the rising chill in his bones as he saw his two friends stuck in blocks of ice so thick, it was a wonder they could move at all. Both of their faces were already turning blue.

“L-look out!” Bill warned threw chattered teeth as the knight swung his blade once more.

Again, David had to dive out of the away to avoid getting caught in the same prison. Wheeling around, he aimed his wand and issued out another fire blast. It caught the knight square in the chest, causing it to reel back but otherwise had no effect.

“Uh oh.”

For the third time, he avoided a blizzard blast but only just barely. There was no telling how long he could keep this up. Not to mention the health and safety of his friends were increasingly in jeopardy. He wasn’t going to win by simply dodging the strikes.

“D-D-Dave,” Penny managed to utter out. “C-c-come here. Reach into m-m-my j-j-jumper pocket.”

He did not argue, running over to her and doing as instructed. Within seconds, a bottle of green potion was in his hand.

“It’s f-f-fire breathing p-p-potion. I know i-i-it’s risky b-b-but it might be our only h-h-hope.”

“S-s-she’s right!” Bill called out in agreement. “You h-h-have to use it n-n-now!”

In a split second David managed to consider the options: fire breathing potion could damage someone’s esophagus and stomach beyond repair if too much was ingested at one time. And would it be enough to actually take down their adversary? Unless…

Wait a second, I have an idea

Ducking another blast from the Ice Knight, David wasted no more time. He quickly chugged the potion, feeling its warmth rush down his throat and into the pit of his gut (it was rather like ingesting tasteless, extremely hot water). Putting his wand directly in front of his mouth, he ran up to the Knight, and knelt down on one knee.

Summoning a deep breath, David aimed straight for its midsection with only a second to spare.

“INCENDIOOOOO!!!!”

The fire breathing potion combined with the spell of his wand issued a concentrated beam of fire so powerful that it cut through the giant’s armor like a hot knife through butter, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of its body. As soon as the damage was recognized the silent knight looked down, fell to its knees before bursting into a cloud of snow and dust.

Panting heavily, David barely even registered his victory, rushing over to help Bill and Penny. Using the last of his fire breathing reserved, he managed to carefully blow a ring of fire around the ice, cracking it to the point where both could effectively free themselves.

“D-Dave, do you know what you j-just did?” Penny asked him, her pretty features in full awe.

“Careful, Penny. You’re still shivering pretty badly.”

“F-forget me, that was the m-most amazing thing I’ve ever s-seen!”

“She’s right you know,” Bill concurred. His body still quaked as well but his larger size and body mass ensured he did not feel the effects quite as badly. “Dave, I’ve never seen a second year do that before. You just took down something ancient, something way beyond what most wizards have ever seen.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the compliments, but David had seen this story before. Rowan and Bill each required sufficient time to recover from the door blasts and the knight’s power was far stronger than that. They needed to get to the hospital wing.

“Guys, let’s go see Madam Pomfrey before you freeze to death, come on-”

“Not before you enter that vault,” Bill cut him off.

“Forget the vault,” David insisted, supporting Penny with his own body weight. “We need to leave this place.”

“Leave after everything we did to open the bloody door?” Bill barked out with a laughter. “Not likely. David we’ll be fine. This is what you wanted: the first step in finding the answers about your brother. Go, I can take care of Penny.”

Before he could protest, the blonde placed a soft, feminine hand over his mouth.

“Hush,” she said with a smile. “B-Bill’s right, we’re b-both okay.”

Swallowing, but also nodding his head, David acquiesced to their insistence. He didn’t like the idea of leaving them behind whilst they were still in considerable trouble, but curiosity and desire overrode his fear. Any immediate threat was gone now. It was time to see just what was behind those frozen doors.

“Together,” he said to them. “All three of us.”

His friends smiled at him.

“If you insist, David.”

And just as he insisted, the three friends stepped inside the doors into the unknown.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In contrast to the snowy, ice cream covered walls of the chamber outside, the inside of the vault was quite similar to the hallway in its décor and decoration. It was also considerably warmer. Inside was a dark, copper green colored room lined with four different knight statues, all resembling the one they had just fought. In the center was a lit column, situated upon a stone pillar, lit by a soft, yellowish glow the emanated from the inside. Upon the column, was an ancient language, the same that Rowan translated a year earlier.

“Unbelievable,” Penny breathed out.

“There is definitely something to this column here,” Bill said, rubbing his chin.

“Perhaps it has something inside?” David suggested to which eldest Weasley shrugged.

“Only one way to find out, mate. You can do the honors.”

The second year Gryffindor didn’t hesitate. Foolish as it may seem to touch a mysterious magical object of unknown origin and power, the nagging desire was too much to resist for him. He didn’t know what to expect really, if anything at all. However, a curious thing occurred upon his finger resting on the column. It began to shift and unfold as though it were a flower in bloom. What lay inside was odder still. They seemed to be hovering in midair in a yellowish mist.

“A broken wand and a book? Not exactly the treasure I was hoping for,” Bill observed.

“Who knows? Maybe their clues,” David countered. And before he could stop himself he reached inside and attempted to take the two objects. Upon doing so, a familiar voice began echoing loudly inside his head.

Find the other four vaults, David….Find my room…

Could it be…Jacob?

“Find your room?” he asked the voice aloud. “I don’t understand.”

You can’t let ‘her’ get there first! Hurry!

“Who’s her?” he asked again. “What do you mean?”

Just then he was pulled back from the center of the column by Bill.

“Dave! Snap out of it!”

“Wha?”

Bill looked at Penny and back to him, his expression confused and concerned.

“You were in some kind of trance. You kept talking to someone lime if they were in the room with us.”

“I…heard a voice,” David admitted, not knowing what else to say.

“Who?”

“My brother….told me to keep finding the other vaults. You must think I’m mad, don’t you?”

They must think I’m off my rocker. I don’t blame them either

To his surprise, neither Penny nor Bill seemed to regard him as a madman waiting to go to the looney bin.

“For what it’s worth, I believe you, Dave,” Penny spoke up.

“So do I. I could believe anything after what we just went through,” Bill agreed.

“Did he say anything specific?”

David regained his senses and analyzed the situation for a moment. How was it possible that he had just heard his brother? Even in the wizarding world, witnessing voices that weren’t there was not a good sign and yet he couldn’t shake the feeling what he heard was not the work of insanity.

“He told me to locate his room and that there are four more vaults, specifically. And to find them before ‘her’. Whoever that is.”

“Her?” Penny repeated. “This just keeps on getting weirder.”

“I concur,” Bill said. “But what about the wand and book?”

David inched closer once more and took both of the objects without further visitation from the voice. Upon inspection, he recognized the wand’s true owner.

“This is Jacob’s wand. The one he had while at Hogwarts. I’d know it anywhere.”

Bill took the leather bound journal from him and began flipping the pages, his eyebrows furrowed in befuddlement.

“This book, whoever it belonged to, is nothing but scribbles and random drawings. It appears the author was quite mad.”

“Could it be a clue to the location of the next vault?” Penny asked.

David didn’t know what to think. Far from answering questions, their journey and entry to the vault seemed to invite more questions, thickening this mystery even further. The quest to find his brother now took on a whole new meaning.

“I have no idea,” Bill said quietly after a moment of pondering. “But what I do know is that we need to get out of here before we get caught.”

Snapping back to his senses, the second year almost forgot how long they had been in here. It was long past overdue for their departure.

“Bill’s right. We don’t want to find any of the teachers waiting for us by the time we get back. It’s time to go.”

“Do you think that we stopped the cursed ice for good?” Penny wondered aloud. “I hope no one got hurt.”

It was a sentiment they all shared but one they had no way of knowing until they returned back to the halls of Hogwarts. With enough adventure completed for one day, the trio made their way out of the vault and into the thirteenth corridor.

#hogwarts mystery #fanfiction #hphm #hphm fanfiction #david grant #bill weasley #charlie weasley #penny haywood #gryffindor #hogwarts #cursed vaults #ice vault

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grimm-rific · 4 years

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A Short Paranorman Fic requested by @milliardpeacecraft !

“Hey Norman, wanna come over this weekend?”

“Hi Norman! I drew this picture of you!”

“Norman, can you tell me what ghosts look like? I’m really curious!”

Ever since Norman Babcock had rescued the town of Blithe Hollow from zombies a week ago, it seemed like everybody at school wanted to be his friend. He wasn’t exactly complaining, because it was certainly better than being seen as a loser, but he still couldn’t help but be as awkward as he was before. As he walked through the halls, waving shyly to everyone and attempting to answer all of their questions, one girl came up to him.

“Norman, did you hear about Matt? I heard you had a history class with him.”

Norman looked at her wearily. “Hear what about Matt?”

“He died. Freak accident,” she said glumly, holding up her phone. “I just heard on social media. Thought you should know.”

She walked away, leaving Norman feeling somber and wistful. He didn’t know Matt that well, except for his name, what he looked like, and the fact that he was a bit of a prankster. And even though he knew that life didn’t end after death, he couldn’t help but feel sad when he heard the news of someone’s passing. The rest of the school seemed to share this sentiment, as the rest of the day felt slow and quiet compared to other days. It felt like everyone was mourning, even if they didn’t know the kid.

He explained these feelings to Neil that day at lunch. They sat at a table with lots of other people, now that Norman was so popular, but he always reserved a spot for Neil right next to him. And next to that, a spot for Alvin.

“It’s just... weird,” sighed Norman. “When someone young dies. It’s more unexpected that way, you know?”

Neil nodded and patted Norman on the back. “It’s alright, you’ll get to see him sooner or later. And then maybe you’ll get to make him feel better.”

“I used to prank people with that guy,” said Alvin, “he was pretty good at sneaking around. I guess I should pour one out in his memory.”

Alvin then poured out a can of orange soda directly onto the floor. He drank the remaining soda, let out a loud burp, and then stood up. “I’m going to the salad bar to get some croutons.”

Norman and Neil stared at him as he walked away. Neil then turned to Norman and said, “Did you know he and Mitch have started hanging out?”

Norman nodded. “Courtney says their friendship is probably because of their ‘mutual dimwitted-ness’. Personally, I think it’s a match made in heaven.”

Neil snorted, and an eruption of laughter came from the people behind them.

“Jeez, it wasn’t that funny,” Norman said, turning around, only to find that the reason everybody was laughing was because Alvin had been pantsed while getting croutons. His underwear was bright pink, and he was looking down at himself with shock. Norman was caught off guard by this sudden change in tone.

“How could someone be pantsing people on a day like this?” said Neil, voicing what Norman was thinking.

“I... don’t know,” said Norman as Alvin stomped back to their table.

“Unbelievable,” grumbled Alvin. “I save the town with my best friend and this is how I’m treated.”

Later that day, in PE, it seemed like Alvin’s pantsing was all anybody could talk about. Norman assumed it was to get their minds off of their schoolmate’s recent passing.

“That’s it,” Alvin panted angrily after they finished running laps. “I’m buying a belt.”

“People will forget about it in a day,” Norman assured him. “If there’s one thing I learned from my years of being an outcast, it’s that middle schoolers have very short attention spans.”

Just then, they heard a “Wha- hey!” from the water fountain. They turned around and Neil had been pantsed as well. People laughed, but not as much as they had the first time. Norman instinctively looked at the kid behind Neil in line. Surely, he was the culprit. Then the kid turned around, and Norman saw that he had his arm in a sling, and looked just as bewildered as the rest of them.

“It doesn’t make any sense..,” said Norman under his breath. “Why are they only going after my friends?”

“They’re probably looking for cred by pantsing the most popular people in school,” shrugged Alvin. “Trust me. I know how a prankster’s brain works.”

Then it dawned on Norman. Prankster. Of course!

“If you and Neil have already been pantsed... that means I’m next,” said Norman gladly. Alvin eyed him suspiciously.

“Why are you so happy about it?”

“You’ll see,” said Norman.

The last period of the day. History. While Alvin and Neil kept anxiously looking over their shoulders, paranoid that a second round of pantsing would ensue, Norman felt calm. He knew who this prankster was. He was sure of it.

The teacher excused them, allowing them to start packing their bags for the end of the day. Sure enough, right before the bell rang, Norman felt a presence behind him, and as the signal for the end of the school day rang out, his pants came down. Norman whipped around to find just who he thought he would find-- the ghost of his former classmate, Matt. And as soon as Norman looked at him, he panicked and flew down the hall.

“Wait! Come back!” called out Norman as he pulled his pants up and ran after the ghost.

“Oh my god,” said Neil, who had been watching. “Alvin, it’s Matt! The pantser is Matt!”

Alvin looked at Neil blankly for a few seconds, and then it all seemed to dawn on him. “Ohhhh. Doy.”

Norman followed the ghost into the boys’ bathroom. “It’s okay, Matt! I just wanna talk to you!”

Matt turned around, panicked. “Leave me alone! I don’t wanna be a ghost!”

Norman watched as Matt sunk to the ground, defeated.

“I just... wanted to keep living life as normal. Going to school, pulling pranks..,” said Matt.

“That’s not exactly something you can do when you’re dead,” said Norman apologetically.

“So... what then? What do I do now?”

Norman thought for a moment. “Have you met the other ghosts yet?”

“Nah, I’ve been hiding from ‘em,” Matt sniffed. “I’ve been too scared.”

“Well,” Norman said slyly. “There are plenty of ghosts who are in need of a good pranking, but since you don’t want to, I guess I’ll be on my way...”

“Wait! Like who?”

Norman smiled. He then set his things down and began talking to Matt about all the ghosts in town. He talked about his grandma, about Mr. Prenderghast, and all the other living dead people he could think of. By the end of his tangent, Matt seemed to be feeling a little better.

“Do you think you can approach them now?” asked Norman finally.

“I can do more than just that,” said Matt, puffing up his chest with pride. “Thanks, Norman.” He then flew out the window, leaving Norman alone to pick up his things. Matt was just confused-- everyone is when they first become a ghost --but Norman knew he would adjust to it eventually. And there was no reason he couldn’t have some fun along the way.

Norman left the bathroom to find Neil and Alvin outside waiting for him.

“What happened?” asked Neil.

Norman shrugged. “He was just doing what he knew best. But I explained some things to him, and now... I think you guys are safe.”

The two boys let out a sigh of relief.

“Now, if you guys will excuse me, I gotta go home,” said Norman. “I gotta warn my grandma there’s an excellent prankster on the loose.”

hope that was good! it’s been a while since I’ve seen the movie so let me know if I got anything wrong haha :)

#paranorman #oneshot #request

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alwaysspeakshermind · 5 years

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Top 5 Anti-Varchie Arguments & Why They Make No Sense

#4: “Varchie’s boring/predictable, love at first sight is so cliché(d).”

Love at first sight is so clichéd? Okay, sure, I’ll allow that.

I’ll even agree.

But think contextually for a sec: love-at-first-sight is so clichéd as opposed to what? The utterly original, never-been-done-before uniqueness of best-friends-to-lovers that Barchie and also Bughead, why do people who say they want to see a friends-to-lovers relationship keep forgetting Bughead’s in that category? represents? The novel concept of enemies-to-lovers that is Cheryl/Toni (and Veggie if you squint)? The dated-in-the-past-but-sparks-still-fly (Falice, Tom Keller/Sierra McCoy, Fred/Hermione) or misunderstood-outsider-falls-in-love-with-“perfect”-America’s Sweetheart (Bughead, and also Kevin/Joaquin, Kevin/Fangs)?

Come on.

Whether it’s your cup of tea or not, a trope is a trope is a trope. There are only so many combinations possible when it comes to romantic dynamics, and since fiction and reality have both existed for a really long time, there’s no one trope that hasn’t already been done a million times over. So…what’s the point of harping on this particular one? Or any other trope just because it’s not your personal favorite?

Yes, Love At First Sight is the bread-and-butter of many fairytales and/or Disney movies. But it’s by no means alone in that regard.

Best friends/childhood friends-to-lovers has been a longtime staple of books, TV shows, rom-coms, and musicals (Harry Potter, Kim Possible, 13 Going On 30, Phantom of the Opera, and Lion King all say hello), and so has enemies-to-lovers (27 Dresses, The Proposal, You’ve Got Mail, Tangled, etc.). I’m not even going to bother touching on the sparks-still-fly/loner-loves-”good” kid thing, because the first is the golden goose for Hallmark, Lifetime, an a billion-and-one romance novels, while the second is YA fiction in a nutshell. And if you’re one of those “I can’t help it, friends-to-lovers is my crack” kind of people, it might be worth noting that “Love At First Sight” is plenty of other people’s crack. Also, if your complaint against a trope you find overused is a valid argument, so is someone else’s. Childhood-best-friends-to-lovers may feel newer and unique to you, but it doesn’t to everyone. Some people are as tired of it as you are of Love At First Sight.

And even if your claim is that “love at first sight’s not realistic/there’s like zero basis for it in the real world/it’s the exception not the rule,” that claim also extends to Childhood Best-Friends-To-Lovers and Enemies-To-Lovers.

In the real world, the Best-Friends-To-Lovers thing is about as common as Love At First Sight, with the latter maybe being a bit more common, since the overwhelming majority of people tend to notice attraction within the first fifteen minutes of meeting someone and the overwhelming majority of childhood best friends grow up thinking of each other as a sibling. (Important distinction: when childhood best friends do grow up, fall in love and get married, they don’t tend to take until high school/college to figure out how they feel. They’re typically aware of it from puberty/slightly before puberty onward, and it doesn’t change because they already know everything there is to know about that person...they know if they’re attracted to them; they know if they’re not.) And both those tropes are more common in everyday life than enemies-to-lovers since, in truth, most people don’t want to have anything to do with the antagonistic person who made their life miserable.

So realism/unrealism? Kind of a shifting-sands argument. Especially within the context of a show that puts an ex-“gang” member in as sheriff and deputizes other “gang” members, one of whom is named Sweet Pea, of all things. I mean, if you truly feel morally obligated to reality-police Riverdale, there are far more pressing issues than the likelihood of two teens meeting each other one time and deciding within five minutes that “This is The One” (which is not even how it happens except for Archie, but still).

What it really comes down to is not the trope itself, but how well the trope is executed.

In other words, it’s not what you’re given...it’s what you do with what you’re given. Every trope has been done many times before. Like it or not, that is an undeniable fact. Arguing that something has little-to-no value purely on the basis of its commonality is in essence weighting originality (theory) over style (practical application). To illustrate why this kind of thinking is a critical mistake, let’s put it this way: weighting originality over style is like saying Riverdale Season 3 is better than Riverdale Season 1.

...Which, as even the most casual of Riverdale viewers knows, is not the case.

Is S3 more ambitious than S1? Yes. Does S3 contain more jaw-dropping plot twists than S1? Absolutely. Are there some damn fun episodes in S3? For sure. But guess what? S3 also contains far more plot holes, inane plot “twists” and contradictory developments/sheer why-are-you-trying-to-make-fetch-happen-with-this-storyline moments because S3 goes so hard for shock value/the unexpected, that it effectively lapses on execution and winds up with a more creative, but ultimately less-compelling finished product than S1. Moral to the story? Creativity is good, but devotion to creativity at the exclusion of all else is not. If a few predictable elements aren’t mixed into an unpredictable world (or vice versa), everything ceases to shock. On Riverdale, because things are always so wild, the biggest surprises are usually when things unfold normally/don’t go haywire.

Now.

Me personally, I’ve shipped every trope at least once. I’m in the habit of making myself set aside all preconceived notions when beginning a new show/book/movie, because I never know what, if any, ship I’ll go for. Historically, I’m about 50-50 on Childhood-best-friends-to-lovers—sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it. Enemies-to-lovers—usually, I dig it, sometimes it’s a big, fat no from me, dawg. Love At First Sight however, I am overwhelmingly prejudiced against. And when I say overwhelmingly prejudiced, I mean that as a rule, I flat-out hate it. I find it stupid. It annoys me. I roll my eyes and make jokes.

But, here I am. Writing a bunch of long-ass Tumblr posts in defense of a fictional relationship that makes a direct play on the Love At First Sight trope.

So why are Archie and Veronica my huge exception?

Well, for one thing, their relationship kicks off in a manner that is highly evocative of the comics. The instant Archie sees Veronica, all of time (for him) stands still. The one solitary thing he’s aware of from the moment she steps into Pop’s and he looks up is her. No matter what he’s doing, he ends up looking at her, and after a very short amount of time, the same goes for Veronica (though of course, she tries to play it cool). Regardless of how I feel about the cheesiness of the trope, the execution of the scene is fricking cute.

For another: it actually is an unusual trope, and I was surprised to see it used.

Don’t get me wrong, the whole see-a-person-across-a-crowded-room deal is a cliché and it’s a million percent been done to death. But the funny thing is, Love At First Sight is such a clichéd cliché that it’s hardly ever used nowadays. By virtue of its extreme clichédness in fact, it has accidentally and ironically become fresh again because the second someone suggests it, someone else inevitably goes, “Nah, that’s too clichéd, we can’t do that.” In all honesty, I can’t remember one TV show or non-90s-Disney movie I watched in the last ten years where that trope was used over any/all of the other tropes available. I actually intended to make a list of the books/movies/shows I know of that have used the friends/enemies to lovers trope for comparison purposes, but it was getting so long with just the books section I ended up going, “Haha, no,” and scrapped that plan. (But for the record, almost every single Jane Austen novel is on that list.)

So, in summary: Love At First Sight clichéd? Yep. For sure.

Too clichéd?

Nope.

Certainly no more, and arguably less, than the other tropes Riverdale’s many ships adhere to. So if you’re not nonstop complaining about those other ships on the basis of the overdone/predictability factor, it shouldn’t be an issue that Varchie’s relationship is built around a recognizable trope that has been out-of-use by most everyone except Disney for a good while now. (Besides, some tropes are considered timeless for a reason.)

And seriously, if we’re going to go down the Disney path, let’s stop a second and recall how many Disney Channel shows/movies in the last decade utilized Best-Friends-To-Lovers and Enemies-To-Lovers. Or hey, what about Nickelodeon shows? Or maybe cop/CSI/civil service-type shows where best friend partners/partners who hate each other eventually fall in love?

Again, a relationship is not automatically made “boring” because it falls within the parameters of a well-known trope, and “predictable” does not automatically mean “bad.” If that were truly the case, no fictional relationship from probably the 18th century onward would have any popularity and/or critical acclaim. And if you try to argue that that’s just how it is for you personally: predictable/clichéd = boring, you should probably keep in mind that when measured by those standards, every single other ship on Riverdale is, by definition, boring.

Every.

Single.

One.

Not just Varchie.

So if you really are passionate about Riverdale not focusing on a “boring, predictable, clichéd ship instead of an interesting one,” you might want to take a break from griping about Archie and Veronica and start examining exactly how original those "interesting” ships you’re touting actually are. And if that’s not really what you mean, if you don’t really buy into the line you’re selling (i.e., you’re just using “they’re so boring” as an excuse to disguise the fact that you don’t like Varchie because they prevent your preferred ship from happening), you might also want to consider just being honest about that.

Because when you build your argument around a point that encompasses more relationships than just the one you’re criticizing, it makes you look like you’re either extremely clueless in not realizing that your complaint also applies to your ship/other ships, or else a giant hypocrite.

#varchie #archie x veronica #riverdale opinion #my opinion #my post #rant #I'm calmer now #so we're trying to remain relatively tactful here

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yupuffin · 5 years

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Why You Probably Think Nezumi’s Hair Looks Silly

(and why it’s probably not as bad as you think it is)

In the past I’ve written a few anime analysis posts with varying degrees of seriousness. My last post along these lines was not the most lighthearted read, but fortunately, this time around, I spontaneously got an idea for a less serious topic to write about. I managed to keep up with the anime JUNI TAISEN: ZODIAC WAR right on the tail end of its release, which I believe was crucial to my ultimate enjoyment of this series. What I did not manage to do was predict that Nezumi would end up my favorite character (although I’m certainly not complaining, given, for one, how much inspiration his narrative has given me for analytical posts such as this one).

Like most other viewers, I comfortably got to know Nezumi over the course of the story, but when the episode that focuses on his backstory rolled around, I was not sufficiently prepared for the most dramatic reveal of all!!: his true... hairstyle?

As usual, an obligatory warning for spoilers under the cut.

Let’s face it, the assumption that, under all of that armor, Nezumi is just a plain grey-haired anime boy is completely reasonable based on what we see of him i the first eleven episodes. Sure, we see that the armor on his head is shaped rather oddly, but -- I don’t know about you, but I merely assumed that its sole function was to provide a visual pun in reference to his zodiac animal and ability: the protruding portions are shaped like rodent ears, and match nicely with what I would guess is an ear cover shaped like a computer mouse (haha -- because of Hundred Click, and because he’s a rat). Alas, how very wrong I was, because it turns out, that part is actually --

...A HAIR PROTECTOR?

Okay, back up for a minute. What’s the deal with this?

As it is without the fwooshes (as I affectionately call the longer, flowing, reminiscent-of-rodent-ears portion of Nezumi’s hairstyle), short, solid-colored hair is a pretty typical style for any generic anime character, and based on what we can see when Nezumi is wearing his very stylish armor, we don’t really have any reason to think to ourselves, “Oh yeah, I bet his hair totally fwooshes out under those rat ears,” because we’ve never really seen it before -- or, if we have, characters with simple, short hair like you’d see on a normal person are much, MUCH more common. So, since that’s the basis of information we have to refer to, that’s what we conclude, and we never really give it a second thought until finally, in the very last episode, we see Nezumi in his civilian garb, and his hair, is in fact, very much not normal.

(Granted, there are slight visual indications of the presence of the fwooshes even when Nezumi is wearing his armor, or even the hooded sweatshirt he dons in the ending animation, but since we don’t have the expectation that there’s any ornamentation there to begin with, they are very easy to miss. That’s how the human brain works -- we tend not to notice things that we don’t expect to be there. This is effectively supported by one of my favorite studies of all time, which involves an animal whose close relative also participates in the Juni Taisen.)

Because Nezumi’s hairstyle is highly unusual and blatantly contradicts our expectations, it’s a big surprise when it’s finally revealed. From what I can tell based on the posts that were floating around on Tumblr, as well as other platforms, on the same day that the final episode of JUNI TAISEN was released, the overall response was one of shock. I recall reading the consensus that Nezumi’s hairstyle was thought of as “silly” (heck, I even said out loud to myself as I was watching the episode, in spite of how emotionally attached I was starting to get to him, “that looks stupid!”) and I distinctly remember reading a post that simply told Nezumi to “get a new haircut.” Again, given our previous assumptions and conclusions, this reaction is understandable. For eleven episodes prior, we got used to seeing Nezumi in cool-looking warrior armor, which, despite his meek disposition, makes him look strong and capable in battle on the outside. Hence, the flowing, delicate, arguably more feminine silhouette given by his everyday appearance is incredibly incongruous.

As anyone who has seen KADO: The Right Answer (another of my favorite anime to analyze, so shameless plug here) can certainly argue, properly executed surprises evoke a strong emotional response from the audience, and the artists behind JUNI TAISEN definitely did not design Nezumi thinking that the audience wouldn’t be at least a little bit surprised when they grew intimately familiar with an armor-clad Warrior of the Rat who was then revealed to be a normal schoolboy with strangely fwooshy hair in his everyday life. Hence, the pronounced and highly specific emotional reaction the audience experiences upon this reveal was evoked intentionally. However, the function of this response changes depending on your particular experience of the series.

The anime JUNI TAISEN: ZODIAC WAR is based on a one-shot manga released in January 2015 titled “The One Wish That Must Be Granted, and the Ninety-Nine That Can Be Done Without,” which, as you can probably guess from the shared name, encompasses what is essentially the exact same story retold in the twelfth episode of the JUNI TAISEN anime; hence, JUNI TAISEN functions as a sequel to the original manga, despite taking place beforehand from a chronological standpoint. As a result, the original manga is all about Nezumi; the readers have no previous experience to refer to when first diving in -- not even any background on the function of JUNI TAISEN in its dystopian society, or who any of the other characters are. In this case, Nezumi’s hairstyle does not exactly function as a surprise due to this lack of background. Instead, the added visual interest of Nezumi’s hair fwooshes make him less plain and more interesting to the reader. With normal hair, he would just be another main character anime schoolboy, and, because of his lack of other redeeming or heroic qualities (which makes him such an intriguing character in the narrative of a battle royale), there would not be much about him to make him memorable to the reader. (What he does have going for him is that his plainness and his general ambivalence towards the high school experience makes him particularly relatable to anyone who has also gone through that sort of thing.) Perhaps, in the case of the original manga, Nezumi’s hair was indeed simply an attention-grabbing visual quirk added mostly as a shoutout to his signature animal, the rat.

On the other hand, the JUNI TAISEN anime seems to be written under the assumption that the viewer is not already familiar with the original one-shot manga, hence the surprised reaction to Nezumi’s hairstyle reveal. This response adds some emotional interest and investment to an episode that would otherwise start out in a rather mundane fashion, and probably have the viewer thinking not much other than “Okay, here we go with yet another character introduction. I wonder what he’s going to wish for? Maybe, instead of watching, I’ll space out for the duration of the episode wondering what I would wish for.” This would be in stark contrast to the backstories of some of the other warriors, which tickled our emotions by making us feel for them to varying degrees. However, by instantly giving the audience a new, unexpected cue for a pronounced emotional response, Nezumi’s character design makes the viewers more emotionally vulnerable in preparation for the figurative roller coaster that is the twelfth episode. One of the major factors in my falling in love with Nezumi was the poignant expertise and effectiveness with which the narrative of “The One Wish That Must Be Granted, and the Ninety-Nine That Can Be Done Without” was composed to evoke very particular and measured emotional responses in the audience. We feel our pulses quicken as Nezumi frantically deliberates about which of his ninety-nine wishes would be the best one; our hearts sink when we witness Nezumi cry for the first time, begging that his one desire is to forget his experience of 139-plus horrifically violent deaths; and finally, we feel catharsis when Nezumi shows us his first smile, as though there was nothing more he ever wanted in the world.

Now, if the viewer was spacing out throughout this whole episode, none of this would have anywhere near as much of an emotional impact. Hence, as silly as it might look, the “surprise” factor behind Nezumi’s unusual hairstyle is actually critical for ensuring not only that the viewer is paying attention, but also that their emotions are activated and prepared to be fully invested in the story -- a necessity to experience full satisfaction at its deceptively meaningful conclusion.

And once you’ve recovered from that shock, maybe you’ll be like me and start to think that Nezumi’s hair actually looks kind of pretty.

That’s all I have for today on that subject! I hope you enjoyed reading this much more lighthearted analysis post. If you find this type of writing particularly interesting, feel free to take a look at some of my other anime analysis posts you may like. A few of them are linked in various places throughout this post, but here they all are in chronological order for your convenience:

Why I Love Nezumi (and the ending to JUNI TAISEN in general)

The Meaning of Meaninglessness in JUNI TAISEN: ZODIAC WAR and KADO: The Right Answer

Deus Ex Machina in KADO: The Right Answer, part 1

Deus Ex Machina in KADO: The Right Answer, part 2: Yaha-kui zaShunina as the Tragic Hero

*slaps roof of KADO* this bad boy can fit so much meaningful dialogue in it

JUNI TAISEN: ZODIAC WAR: Remember to Die

You can also find all of these by browsing through the “anime analysis” tag on my blog.

Additionally, my ask box is always open if you have any questions, want me to clarify something, have an idea about anything else you want me to write about, or if you just want to give me an excuse to gush about Nezumi for a little while!

#juni taisen #juuni taisen #juni taisen zodiac war #anime analysis #i don't think anybody reads these but i hope someone finds them and enjoys them as much as i enjoy writing them someday #because i'm going to keep writing these probably forever #no matter what i write about these always come out to about 1750 words each #the function of a tragic hero? 1750 words. nezumi's hair? 1750 words #i guess that's just the rhythm that works naturally for me

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helmes-deep · 6 years

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All good things must come to an end...

So the news finally came out yesterday. Can’t say it was totally unexpected: all good things must come to an end; all things must be expected to die someday. Jinyoung’s leaving seemed obvious to me, though Baro’s departure is certainly more surprising (and curious). That being said, I still feel slightly... off. Like the quick, sharp pain of ripping off the band-aid has finally come to pass, yet the mended wound is still clearly there, and I know it won’t feel quite the same as it did before. A part of me feels a little emptier, still misplaced... I still can’t picture B1A4 as 3 members (they’ll always be 5 to me, but y’all know what I mean :p): reading the news yesterday, it still all just doesn’t compute, haha.

Granted, I haven’t really been as excited about B1A4 as I have been since pre-Sweet Girl era (those of you who know me probably know that I haven’t really liked anything they’ve done since their magnum opus SOLO DAY :P). This might sound appalling, even abhorrent, to some, but upon hearing the news of B1A4 re-negotiating—and then extending—their contracts, I had much rather preferred that they disband altogether instead of staying as a fragmented group (I just hate imperfect, “unhappy” endings :///). As far as I was concerned, it was time to end it: B1A4′s fame, while not entirely extinct, was pretty much over, and their prime had come and gone (with or without the help of WM’s terrible management post-Sweet Girl era 🙄). Despite my declining level of interest with B1A4 within the past few years, however, not once did I ever not consider them to be my ultimate bias group. No matter what happened, I’d always come back to them. There’s just something so special about this group of “country-dol” boys—something so sweet, charming, endearing, precious, and truly amazing that I couldn’t quite find anywhere else—that I couldn’t ever bear to fully part with, no matter what other groups I got into or was later interested in. After Super Junior, B1A4 was the second K-pop group I really got into; they are also the first (and probably the last) group that I seriously, seriously got into. They’re such a group of talented, sweet, loving, and amazing people, and I honestly can’t think of my ultimate bias group ever changing. B1A4 have always been my number one and always will be, no matter what happens. They will always hold a very, very special place in my heart 💖🌱✨

I’ve never viewed a K-pop group’s 7-year run as their “7-year curse.” To me, it’s always made sense that a group lives on to be about 7 years old or so, before having to part ways or face some significant changes. Nothing lasts forever; nothing can live for eternity. Even when B1A4 debuted all the way back in 2011, when we were all perhaps too young or naive to realize it, one thing was for certain—their debut also signified their death, their inevitable end: the group to disband, the members’ needs to move on to bigger, better, and different things. So, rather than dwelling on B1A4′s “end” (which is only natural; I’m absolutely not saying that we should ignore, suppress, or dismiss such feelings), I’d rather focus on what they did accomplish within their magnificent 7-year run:

B1A4 literally built their company WM Entertainment from the ground up. They established not only their own presence and WM’s within the K-pop industry, but also helped to open the door for their juniors, such as Oh My Girl and ONF. And you cannot tell me that this didn’t have some effect, no matter how small, in helping K-pop lovers and wider audiences realize the value of, and also pay attention to, K-pop groups that come from smaller, less recognized/not-“Big 3”-companies. Being able to establish yourself within a highly competitive industry, as well as establish and solidify your company’s bearings, is no small task, yet B1A4 have been able to do this while still staying humble, grateful, respectful, considerate, and (mostly) staying out of trouble :p

B1A4 has blessed us with some GREAT music. Seriously, a lot of their songs have brought so much happiness and joy into my life (even though I know I probably sometimes complain about their musical direction a lot post-Sweet Girl era :pp). And it is clear that I’m not the only one whom they have positively affected through their music. Looking over y’all’s posts and reading y’all’s comments, it is clear that B1A4 was able to offer so many people such great joy, happiness, and hope through their music. And that, to be quite honest, is really AMAZING. Despite, I’m sure, of the boys being aware of how much time they had to accomplish what they needed—and wanted—to accomplish, I’m sure it’s a comfort to them knowing that their music and live performances have had a positive impact on so many individuals.

Seriously, they accomplished a lot. A notable, long discography filled with many solid, quality releases is just one of them. Even outside of B1A4, these five precious boys have done so much. Jinyoung has become a very respected and well-known composer and producer. Sandeul's been (generally) recognized as a vocal powerhouse. CNU’s gained recognition as a musical actor and singer. Baro’s also a noted actor, and Gongchan’s known for... well, doing his own thing, LEOL!! Each of these boys has accomplished so much during these past 7 years—you just can’t tell me that it should all be considered a “curse.” They’ve each come so far, and I am so freaking proud of them :’3

I hope that each of the boys’ decisions was the one they truly wanted. I wish all the best for Jinyoung, Baro, CNU, Sandeul, and Gongchan moving forward. There are still a lot of questions up in the air, especially in regard to Jinyoung’s and Baro’s futures and how B1A4 will be executed within the upcoming days, but overall, I hope it ends well for each of them. I’m happy there doesn’t seem to be any conflict between the members and that things ended amicably between them (and WM). And I hope, despite them being separated, that every now and then, they’ll pop up in each other’s radar (one can dream, ALRIGHT?!?!?!? xD). Their “death” or “ending” or “disbandment,” whatever you want to call it, could have ended in many other, and potentially much more nasty or disastrous, ways. In a sense, I’m glad it’s ended the way that it has. Things can’t stay the same forever; people have to, and will, change. That being said, I think there’s still a lot of positive stuff to look forward to. While this might be the “end” of B1A4, I don’t think it’s necessarily the end for each of the members. Jinyoung, I’m fairly sure, is still going to be heavily involved within the K-pop/entertainment industry. I’m not so sure about Baro, but I don’t think we’ve heard the last of him yet. And, of course, we’re sure to hear about CNU, Sandeul, and Gongchan soon since they’ve opted to stay with WM and continue on as B1A4. So it’s not quite over yet; the end hasn’t entirely happened upon us :pp But no matter what lies ahead, I want them to know that I’ll always love them, and I’ll always support them—no matter what happens. Whatever they decide to do or wherever they wish to go next—I’ll be right there with them. All I want to see is for them to fly high and to reach their dreams~ 🌱

#B1A4 #mine #text #essay #writing #RIP B1A4 #Goodbye B1A4~🌱#I know I posted this at 1 AM but I wrote this earlier today leool

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moldypieceoflasagna · 6 years

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36 questions that nobody asked me

(except @lollipoppedchainsaw )

(the 36 questions that lead to love or whatever) https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/fashion/no-37-big-wedding-or-small.html

1. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?

I hate going out to dinner so much i probably wouldnt be able to enjoy it properly

2. Would you like to be famous? In what way?

It would be interesting to see what it’s like for a short period of time, but i’d never be able to keep it up; i’d probably have an identity crisis

3. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?

yes i have to mentally prepare myself 100% of the time

4. What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?

hanging out with the people i love is enough to keep me happy for a good while tbh. sitting around doing nothing literally nothing with them is endlessly entertaining to me even though sometimes i might make that hard to believe

5. When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?

i sing to myself a lot, not so much to others- although i AM a slut for karaoke

6. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?

body because i feel thats probably what old people complain about most. plus like,, 90 years of life knowledge? sounds great to me

7. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?

probably an accident that’s almost statistically impossible

8. Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.

single rn (ladies) but i usually try to find friends with similar music tastes because scream-singing in the car is the most fun one can have

9. For what in your life do you feel most grateful?

im most grateful for my dogs and for my friends! i love them and it means the world to me to have people that i can call family. also i would die without my dog juno, she is my rock (and my therapist)

10. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

Not rly how i was raised, but i wish i had a closer relationship with my older siblings. Three of them had moved out before i was rly old enough to not be an asshole child, so most of them still see me as an asshole child and they never take me seriously. im glad i have an alright relationship with them, but that’s kinda all it is and i know i could do better

11. Take four minutes and tell your partner your life story in as much detail as possible.

Lived in Texas my whole life yeehaw. I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters; 2 of them dont like me, and my relationship with the other 2 is,, certainly not bad. Had a lot of physical and mental illness in the past, but 20gayteen is definitely my year, yeet

12. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?

either speaking a different language or playing the piano. im very jealous of good piano players, and at some point i need to be able to speak a more useful language than french because so far in texas it’s proved absolutely useless (other than talking to my mom but that doesnt count)

13. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?

I’d wanna know wtf im supposed to do with my life because sweaty i still have no idea. passion? dont know her please introduce me

14. Is there something that you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?

i wanna go skydiving bitch, no one wants to go with me! pussies!!! the lot of you

15. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?

that one time i did an entire semester’s worth of work in the last three days of the school year

16. What do you value most in a friendship?

being able to put up with my huge fucking mouth. also honesty is super important, even if it’ll make me feel shitty

17. What is your most treasured memory?

when i went camping with a bunch of friends and they were bitter i got to be in the middle of the tent because they were all cold. either that or the time i was getting really bad sleep paralysis and @lonelywaterfall & @skity stayed over so my paranoia didnt render me completely useless,,, also the paramore concert lol ive never been more vulnerable in my life.

18. What is your most terrible memory?

coming out to my mom haha

19. If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?

i’d go on a trip around the world to explore/to see a few people, and i’d put extra effort into my gender expression

20. What does friendship mean to you?

comfortable silence is my kink. also emotional vulnerability and SAD BOY HOURS we cant forget those

21. What roles do love and affection play in your life?

I’m such a slut for physical affection yall have no idea please hug me as much as possible and play with my hair or my hands

22. Alternate sharing something you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items.

i guess ill do the same with previous partners so.. i think being funny is probably the #1 thing i appreciate in someone. when you make me laugh so hard i cry, just know that’s like. peak. also stubbornness is strangely attractive to me, plus like,,, uh having an unexpected soft side? an appreciation of art is super important, too. also SPOON VERSATILITY.

23. How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your childhood was happier than most other people’s?

it was probably happier than a lot of people’s but there wasnt much to it. plus being the youngest in my ENTIRE family really sucked during my childhood because everyone picked on me and i think that’s probably what started a lot of my issues lol

24. How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?

better than it could be, but definitely not what i want it to be. we both love each other and i admire her work ethic, but she gave me a lot of anxiety problems (both genetically and not) and she isnt the most understanding person. i have hope though, people change

25. Make three true “we” statements each. For instance, “We are both in this room feeling …

I’m hungry and sitting alone in front of my computer feeling like OVERSHARING ON THIS BEAUTIFUL THURSDAY MORNING, BOYS

26. Complete this sentence: “I wish I had someone with whom I could share …

many, MANY animals and a lighthouse in the middle of nowhere

27. If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know.

I’m REALLY insecure about my body xd

28. Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you’ve just met.

LOVE feeling safe.

29. Share an embarrassing moment in your life.

probably every time that i’ve ever worn a dress, because i really,, really dont like wearing dresses and that’s it

30. When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?

last cried by myself this morning and last cried in front of another person at my friend’s birthday party

31. Tell your partner something that you like about them already.

no partner but if youre reading this im rly proud of ur attention span. gj buddy

32. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?

i think most things can be joked about after a certain amount of time, but like,, it has to actually be funny and it has to come from someone i know isnt serious about it. if a joke is made just for the purpose of being offensive and edgy, it’s never funny no tea just truth.

33. If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven’t you told them yet?

i’d regret not spending enough time with people that i love, not traveling as much as i should have, and also i’d regret not formally coming out of the closet to my family (they probably already been done knew but like. yknow). i came out to myself & the people closest to me a LONG ass time ago, but i’ve kinda seen what it did to my immediate family so im not too excited to do that to my extended family. if i’m not too much of a pussy, ill probably do it in the summer when i see them next, bc ive been meaning to for a while.

34. Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?

is it bad of me to say my computer? i feel like everyone else has a much more meaningful answer lol. it would probably either be that or the papers i keep on my bulletin board, bc most of them hold a lot of sentimental value (also my prescriptions would be a pain to get copies of)

35. Of all the people in your family, whose death would you find most disturbing? Why?

either of my parents because i dont want them dying before i reach the point where i can expect them to be happy for me when i marry a girl

36. Share a personal problem and ask your partner’s advice on how he or she might handle it. Also, ask your partner to reflect back to you how you seem to be feeling about the problem you have chosen.

personal problems? what’re those lmfao dont have any srry try me again later

i’m too much of a pussy to tag certain people so if you see this and I've had any sort of conversation with you, do it coward

(also @skity @drawinintherain )

#love exposing myself to people on the internet #hot

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tayegi · 7 years

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Untitled Tae Drabble #2

This precedes the first drabble

Word Count: 1,733

But then, someone knocked on the door, disrupting you from your fresh memories. Frowning, you tugged on your slippers and answered the door.

"___, were you sleeping?"

You were surprised to find Taehyung standing before you, still fully decked in his thick parka and mittens. "Taehyung? What are you doing here? Um, no I wasn't actually sleeping yet. What's wrong?"

"Good," he simply said, "Go put on your coat. Let's go."

"What?" You said in surprise, but he was impatient, tugging on your arm.

"Come on, ___, hurry. I have a schedule soon."

Confused, you stumbled around for your parka and snow pants. You were just putting your feet into your boots, when Taehyung tugged at your sleeve again. Flustered, you made a grab for your gloves before you were yanked out the door.

"Where are we going, Taehyung?"

"I don't know," he said, as he walked the two of you through the frosty park, "But it's kind of nice outside, isn't it?"

You stared at him blankly. He didn't notice it, too busy leading you through the thick snow. Suddenly, he stopped in front of the playground, "You know, I haven't played on a playground for years."

"Me neither."

"I used to love the swings… Come on, ___, let's swing."

Bewildered, you had no choice but to follow after him as the boy suddenly leaped towards the swing set, as giddy as a little kid.

"I'm getting too old for this," you muttered under your breath, but nevertheless chased after him and hopped on the swing next to him.

The two of you were quiet for a few moments, getting into the almost forgotten rhythm of the swings. The cold air hit your face like a ton of bricks. You couldn't help but laugh out loud, "What the hell are we doing, Taehyung?"

"I don't know, ___. I just felt like swinging. Do you like this?"

You thought for a moment, "Surprisingly, I do."

The two of you swung higher and higher so that the wind wrapped around you and mussed your perfectly styled curls. You didn't care. The cold seeped through your clothing and burned your ears and nose. There was something about this moment, where it was so cold that you could see your breath with every huff, where the wind was as sharp as knives against your bare skin, and there was only the sound of the creaking swing set and the cool glow of the full moon to outline the two of you in silver. You would never forget this moment and you weren't sure why.

"Have you ever tried to jump off one of these before?!" you called out to him, raising your voice in the midst of the whooshing wind.

"What do you mean?"

You grinned at him mischievously before abruptly launching yourself off the swing. You could hear his startled gasp before there was only the night sky before you and the rush of adrenaline. Then, you were falling, hitting the sandy ground with a soft thud. You looked up to find Taehyung looking utterly bewildered above you. "Jump!" You yelled at him, laughing.

He paused for a moment, hesitant, before taking the leap of faith, literally. His landing was a lot less graceful than yours, as expected for someone with so little practice, and he slid forward in the sand. "Oomph," he groaned, rubbing his knees. Then he looked up at you, and unexpected, the two of you burst into laughter.

You couldn't stop staring at him.

There was something about Taehyung's profile as he grinned at you. All sharp angles with the straight slope of his nose and the chiseled sharpness of his jaw. There was something about his laugh and the way his hair fell against his face. Every inch of him was outlined in moonlight, and he didn't seem human. He seemed celestial, radiating his own silvery glow.

It suddenly hit you, as hard as a slap of icy water, how easy it would be to fall in love with the boy. He was so beautiful and so full of life and energy that you didn't know how anyone could resist him.

Startled, you looked away, at the less picturesque scene of the moon above you. You had no idea where these thoughts had come from. It was the truth, though. If you let your guard down for even one moment, it might be too late. You might fall under the same spell that thousands of girls across the globe had. That every girl who had ever had the misfortune to know the boy and fall for him had.

You resisted this notion with every fiber of your being. You were not like all those other girls, weak-hearted and simpering. You had promised him that you would never fall for him, and you intended on keeping that promise. Your revelation sickened you to your stomach and you tore your gaze away from him.

"What are we doing here, Taehyung?" you asked, when you finally managed to catch your breath.

He glanced over at you, "Hmm? We're admiring the moon, of course."

You shook your head in disbelief. You'd never found yourself in a situation like this. You were too practical for these kinds of things. But at the same time, something felt inexplicably perfect about the situation.

You sighed and sat cross-legged in the sand to make yourself more comfortable, "I wish you warned me first that we'd be outside," you chided him, "I was in such a rush that I only managed to grab one glove!" you said, showing him your bare left hand.

"That's not good. It's so cold still that you could freeze."

"Yeah, my fingernails are already turning purple!" you complained.

"Hmm…" He leaned over, as though inspecting your fingernails, then all of a sudden, took your hand into his, "Well, we can just share a glove then. It's the last I can do for dragging you outside." And with that, he slid your bare hand into his mitten, linking your fingers under the fabric.

You stared down at the mitten in astonishment. Despite his delicate appearance, his hand was much bigger than yours and curled perfectly around yours. The fact that your fingers were entwined was invisible under the cloth, but that made everything feel even more intimate. Heat began to form from this skin on skin contact. You suddenly felt too hot, with blood rising to your face. Still, you couldn't let go, hypnotized by the moment.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

"Huh?" you nearly jumped in surprise.

"The moon, ___. Isn't it beautiful?"

You mentally scolded yourself for overreacting, "Oh, that. Yes, Taehyung. It's very nice."

He turned to grin at you. On any other occasion, you would have thought nothing of it, but under the intoxicating influence of too much laughter and moonlight, your heart skipped a beat.

"I wish this moment could last forever… I feel happy right now."

You looked at him, and it was as though you were seeing him for the first time. Past all the prettiness and the dorky exterior of V, the idol and finally seeing Taehyung, the boy. With his beautiful profile outlined in silvery moonlight, you knew that his heart was the same way. He was pure. He was light. And you felt grateful and also uncomfortable to see him in this way. To actually look inside of him to his core. It was too intimate.

"Taehyung… I'm happy, too," you admitted, and for the first time in months, it wasn't a lie.

"___… We should really run away together."

You laughed, "Ok. Let's do it."

The resulting impact of his smile was blinding. You almost had to shield your eyes. Taehyung looked like he wanted to say something, but at that moment, a car raced onto the street, honking and flashing headlights at the two of you.

"Taehyungie!" A voice cried out, "There you are! We need to go to our schedule!"

"Oh," Hoseok froze in his step to stare wide-eyed at you, "Hello, ___."

The other boys had arrived by then, with Jimin hanging onto Hoseok's back and peering over his shoulder curiously.

"Oh, hi guys," you said, bowing slightly. "What schedule do you have?"

"We're going to back to back music shows," Namjoon explained, his eyes drifting down to your joined hands.

"Hey, is that ___'s voice I hear?" Jungkook arrived late, pushing past his hyungs to the front. He stopped in his tracks to stare at the two of you. He also stared at your hands.

Suddenly realizing your situation, you quickly pulled your hand out of Taehyung's mitten and took a step away from him. Embarrassed, you looked away. You hoped they didn't misread the situation, but it seemed as though it was too late. You recognized the way Jungkook's jaw tightened and how his eyes narrowed. You'd never seen him genuinely angry before, and it was disconcerting.

Yoongi also seemed aware of the situation, glancing nervously between the two youngest members. "We should really go now, before we're late."

"Right," Taehyung readily agreed, "Thanks for coming out with me, ___."

"No problem. I'll probably see you all on a music program later."

"Right. Well, we need to go now, but hopefully we'll meet soon," Jin said, his voice uncommonly polite. You cringed at the sound of it. "Bye, ___."

"Bye," you said, watching them all load up in the van. Some of the members smiled and waved at you. But Jungkook didn't look back.

Only when the van had driven off out of your sight could you emit a sigh of relief. Things certainly got a lot more complicated. It was too late to hope that Jungkook wouldn't misunderstand the situation. Why else would two members of the opposite sex be holding hands alone at night in a secluded park? And this was so soon after Jungkook had confessed to you… Only the worst kind of human being would act like this. Especially since you hadn't exactly rejected him yet.

Even though you knew you did nothing wrong, you felt guilt well up in the pit of your stomach. You really needed to talk to the maknae. Too bad he wouldn't be home for the next few days.

You sighed again and stuck your one bare hand in your pocket. Your hand was freezing without the warmth of Taehyung's mitten.

Author’s Note: Once again, I will not post the full story for personal reasons, but this is an excerpt of a Tae fic I wrote in 2015. I’m just posting now because I think it’s amazing how his lines in DNA reflect what I felt 2 years ago haha.

#bts scenarios #bts drabbles #taehyung scenarios #taehyung scenario #imperial concubine

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panticwritten · 6 years

Text

Tag Game - 10 Questions x 3

I was tagged by @kclenhartnovels, @luminahart, and @yourbitchystudentwriter for this one, and I’ll answer all 30 questions in this one post! That way I don’t spam anyone’s dash and I also only have to think of 10 questions instead of 30 when I’m done haha.

Thank you so much, you three, for tagging me! I love these questions!

Rules: The Rules: answer these ten questions, create ten of you own, then tag ten people.

I’ll answer the questions under the break!

Round One!

1. What is your OC’s biggest pet peeve?

I’ll just answer for the three OCs of mine that have shown up in Breaking Furnace so far!

Sawyer hates unexpected changes in plan and unnecessarily repetitive noises. Like. Stop knocking after a couple seconds, they promise they heard you. Please condense those hundreds of tiny short messages into one longer one the pings are gonna drive them crazy.

Connor has a problem with people bad mouthing Sawyer, if you didn’t get that from Chapter 5 of Breaking Furnace lmao.

Dominic is touchy about topics dealing with family (”family is so important!” “you can always turn to your family!”). Basically, keep your perfect family narrative away from him or he’ll be forced to remind you that his father was the leader of a human trafficking cartel, which certainly won’t ruin your day as much as you’ve ruined his.

2. What book that you’ve read did you wish you had written, or think you could have written better?

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh man this is a hard one. When it comes to wishing I had written a book like “Dammit, I wish I’d had that idea!” I would probably say Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry. I still haven’t finished that series, but DAMN that was a good zombie book.

If it’s like “Wow, that’s a good concept but bad execution” hand me the rights to Twilight and Fifty Shades. Please let someone make these relationships healthy and not completely terrifying. Please.

With both, I think I would say Hunger Games. Like, the execution wasn’t BAD, but I read those books and see places where like. It could have been better. Better plot decisions could have been made.

You took Rue from us, Collins, why did you have to take Prim, too?

3. Which OC is smarter than you? What research did you have to do because of it?

Oh boy.

Notably, Jay is smarter than me. I haven’t written a ton with them in it so I haven’t had to do much research at all. They were created through a cloning process in which the Cube was manipulated to make them smarter and able to synthesize information faster than should be possible imo. They don’t have much formal education because of their unusual upbringing (see: Dominic’s father’s trafficking cartel), but they have sizable knowledge in biology, biochemistry, engineering, bio-engineering, nuclear sciences, psychology, pharmacology, computer sciences, geology, topography, and have been doing a lot of research into the way the Cube works (specifically the memory sectors). They’re also continuing looking into cloning. There’s a ton I’m missing but like?? I don’t really think I’m welcome in their labs these days haha.

Also, J (not Jay, easy mistake) is a lot better at thinking on their feet than I am haha. They’re like a prodigy with a sword, grew up learning how to fight and lie. I would die in a fight, whether with fists, swords, or any other weapons. And I’m only a good liar when I take too long to respond to a text/email.

4. If you were doing immersive research for your book, where/when would you have to travel?

I’ll do this one for Savior/Destroy, 100 Shades, and TS because those are the ones that doesn’t take place in a concept of a place. BF and SORH both take place in concepts because of the nature of those daydreams.

For Savior/Destroy, I would really just need to be a fly on the wall of business happenings (same for 100 Shades, ugh), to get a feel for how that field actually works. There’s a lot you can’t research online effectively.

For 100 Shades, I would really need to spend some time in Seattle and Denver. I know little to nothing about either area, and I’ve been putting off research since I’m not writing it yet.

Trollhunters: Subverted would suck because I would have to go on a nice timeline trip starting around 500 BCE in what is now Bulgaria. There’s a lot of running around in that general area for a time. Starting around 1400 CE, I would want to be in Britain. Also, it would be nice to know exactly what happened at Roanoke. And knowing exactly how the woods were in southern Oregon and northern California in the 1600-1800 would be rad.

5. Which character is most like you?

I’ll say. Other than the characters that are me.

Humphrey. He’s nice and sweet and kind of bad at lying except for that one thing that he’s been lying about for so long that it doesn’t even feel like a lie before. My daydreaming is just a much more innocuous secret than his. And he had to switch schools in the middle of a school year, he struggles with mental illness, he’s really not good at talking to people.

The thing is, he doesn’t write and he likes math so who the hell does he think he is?

6. What is your favorite scented candle and why?

There’s like a blood orange Glade candle that I smelled at Target the other day?? It was really nice, but i haven’t really let myself think about scented candles since I’m not allowed to have candles at all in my dorm (doesn’t stop me from having some tealights for my altar but eh).

I like incense, though, and I love voodoo (because it smells like chocolate and death. like, in a good way) and fizzee pop (because it’s like the scent version of carbonation). Coconut is my favorite for writing because it’s the one my sister and I burn when we have writing parties, so it’s just one that I like.

7. Do you have a bookshelf or library? What’s your ideal library look like?

I have a bookshelf over my bed with all of the books I brought to university with me. If I could have my ideal library, like, think Beauty and the Beast scale library full of informational texts, classics that I’ll probably never even read, ongoing series. It should have a faint scent of dust and paper fresh off a printer. There would be a full section for all the books published by the folks in the writeblr community.

It should have an air of being similar to how the Gryffindor common room is described as feeling.

Everyone would be invited to come and complain about writing whenever they want to. It would be warm, with tea and coffee provided in the very back where the books I don’t remember buying are shelved.

8. Who is your biggest tumblr fan of your writing?

Oh man. I would be stuck between maybe?? @breakeven2007 or @jade-island-lives. You two have responded to so much of my writing, and it’s so cool. I know there are others, and I’m gonna take this opportunity to thank all of y’all so much for everything. It means a lot to get these tags and to get responses to things that I’ve written.

9. What tv show/movie has influenced your writing the most? Or, which series do you wish you could help write?

Honestly. Probably. Pokemon. I grew up watching that show and it probably has a lot of influence on how I form stories and how I view different kinds of conflicts.

I want there to be a Harry Potter TV series and I would 100% want to help write it.

10. How do you feel about fanfiction of your work?

Fuck me up.

Round Two!

1. Describe your WIP in such a lamest way possible.

An idiot gets themself thrown in prison because they regret not killing someone.

2. Describe your WIP in the most epic way possible.

A group of friends return to a nightmare of their past to face it head on, but nothing is what it seems. Most of the group has ulterior motives and the monsters lurking in the shadows have plans of their own.

3. What do you usually wear when you write?

Gay clothes. Because I’m gay.

In all seriousness, I have a hard time getting into the mindset of writing if I’m not wearing my ring (which I got from a candle, it has a connection with the Trollhunters daydream), my nostalgia necklace (has my pentacle, a charm from a friend when I graduated, and a vial of my cat’s ashes), and my string of keys (my daydreams tie heavily in with keys and it feels wrong to write about them without the keys on my person). Loose, comfy clothes are also a plus but not a requirement.

4. What part of your story do you enjoy writing the most (action, dialouge, description etc.)? Why?

I like writing tender moments and dialogue. Like, I love writing scenes between me and Connor. I love finding the balance between what needs to be said and what should be left unsaid.

5. Do you prefer to write female or male protagonists? Why?

I prefer to write nonbinary protagonists, but that’s just because I’m nonbinary haha. I don’t really write women, men, or nonbinary folk any differently.

6. What are your plans for your WIP after you have finished writing it?

I kind of want to get it bound so I can have physical copies of it, even if I’ll never be able to publish it.

7. Have you, or would you participate in NaNoWriMo?

I have, sort of. I never got more than a couple thousand words in, but eh. It was fun. My projects just weren’t viable for a quick-write. I want to try again in the future, but November is just such an inconvenient month. It’s the worst month of the year for me, and I don’t see myself being able to work through that enough to write a 50,000 word novel in a month.

8. What do you enjoy the most about your genre?

Haha, that would make it sound like I stick to one genre. I think a lot of it has mystery, thriller, supernatural, and urban fantasy qualities, though, so?? I love the flexibility. “They separated their consciousness from their body?” sure, it’s my universe so that can happen.

9. What was your favourite read of 2017?

I didn’t really read a lot in 2017, which is tragic. My favorite book of the year was The Square Root of Summer by Herriet Reuter Hapgood. I had to race the clock to read this one because I started reading it really close to the end of my senior year. It was so good, and it surprised me in a million different ways. The protagonist had to admit to herself her own shortcomings in the process of facing an uncertain future, an old childhood friend, and crazy physics.

It was a great book, and if you like YA novels without all of the unacknowledged unhealthy relationships I would really recommend it.

10. What are your hopes for your writing in 2018?

I want to finish Breaking Furnace, goddamn it.

Round Three!

1. What inspired your current WIP?

Breaking Furnace is inspired by Escape From Furnace and the daydreams I’ve had in that universe. I have no idea?? Why this universe is the one I got fascinated enough with to live through the events of the original series in different ways 8 times, though, so that’s whatever.

2. what would you describe your writing style?

According to my roommate, “Almost cynical. It’s like the dark parts of your brain mixed with your humor and have this big fucked up baby. But in a good way. Like, a really good way. Like, you wouldn’t actually stab someone, but you would.”

And I think that’s beautiful.

3. What is an Au that you would love to see written about your OCs?

Literally anything where they are happy. Just let them have peace.

4. tell us a funny writing story.

Okay, so. I have a couple.

I’m sure we all remember the ‘eghit’ debacle, when I was trying to type ‘height’ and realized I needed to go to SLEEP.

And also that drunk writing party. Where I drank a single Mike’s Harder Lemonade (not to be confused with the much wimpier Mike’s Hard Lemonade). And really underestimated how much alcohol was in it.

So, here’s the whole story.

My mom doesn’t like cranberry juice, and I poked fun that she had cranberry Mike’s Harder Lemonade. And out of that conversation I obtained permission to have it. So, my brilliant self decided that since sober me, exhausted me, and depressed me can’t get any writing done, maybe tipsy me could.

And I ended up practically chugging it because I drink everything way too fast. And so I was writing, doing some outlining, and after I started to fuck up way more than I wanted to I actually went and checked how much drinking that in less than an hour would raise my BAC and it p much drove me over .04 so I laughed at myself for a solid ten minutes then went to sleep.

When I looked the next day, I wrote a paragraph, outlined ~4 pages of content, and a lot of it was good. If you can discount the typos.

5. do you listen to music while you write? if so what kind typically?

I do! When I’m writing new content, I listen to playlists I’ve made for each of my projects. When I’m editing, I listen to a classical Pandora station because I can not have words in my ears counteracting the words in my eyes.

6. when did you start writing?

A year or so after my sister started writing (or, when she started letting me read her writing), so maybe fourth grade?

7.who’s you favourite OC?

HHHHHH probably Connor. Definitely Connor.

8. who’s your least favourite OC?

Dominiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiic

9. do you prefer 1st 2nd or 3rd person perspective?

First person. I haven’t written in third person in awhile, and I’m assuming I would still not hate it, but I like being in a character’s head.

I write in second person if I’m writing creepypastas, which I haven’t done in a couple years.

10. uhhh….IDk just talk about anything wip or writing related, you decide!

I! Am really excited about getting to the point in Breaking Furnace where it completely breaks from the plot of the original series. I grew so much throughout this daydream, and it’s gonna be really cool to share that with everyone.

I really don’t want to spoil anything, but I also really want to talk about everything to do with Breaking Furnace.

Alright!

I’ll tag @panismightier, @breakeven2007, @jade-island-lives, @perringcentral, @angrymagicgirlmarsette, @vwritesfiction, @christinawritesfiction, @cadewrites, @happyk44, @lux-scriptum, but definitely don’t feel obligated to do it!

My questions for you!

1. How much research do you put into your projects, usually?

2. What do you draw the most inspiration from?

3. Favorite candy? How about your OC’s?

4. What are your OC’s star signs, and do their personalities fit their sign?

5. Which OC(s) secretly still have stuffed animals? Which one(s) have them, not so secretly?

6. Does your space have to be clean for you to write/draw?

7. What kind of view would you like to have from your desk?

8. Do you have an OC that doesn’t like to talk about their past? What do they have to hide?

9. Daytime writer or nighttime writer?

10. What trait do you least like in your favorite OC?

#tag game #this was hardcore #i loved it #i love answering questions!!#thank you so much for tagging me!

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thorne93 · 7 years

Text

Who Will Win? (Part 7)

Prompt: Jefferson (Once Upon A Time) sees you on the sidewalk one day, his “dead” wife.

Word Count: 1564

Warning: Threats, language, angst, sadness, sick parent, adult content-ish

Notes: This will span from season 1 through 5, if you don’t want spoilers, maybe don’t read this, haha. Also, the reader’s Storybrooke name is Alice. Beta’d by the amazeballs @like-a-bag-of-potatoes and badgered @amarvelouswritings Thank you both! Could never get this done without you!

Tags: @amarvelouswritings @cocosierra94 @essie1876 @magpiegirl80 @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @harleyquinnandscarletwitch @iamwarrenspeace @marvel-imagines-yes-please @superwholocked527 @myparadise19982sand @missinstantgratification @thejulesworld @nedthegay @marvelloushamilton

Sebastian Stan Tags: @nedthegay @lostinspace33 @alwayshave-faith @elleatrixlestrange @buenostardissherlock

Who Will Win Tags: @mrs-lancelot @elivanah @ultrarebelheart @learisa @isis278

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jefferson and you continued to date like normal. Picnics, dinners out, dinners in, trips to the ice cream parlor, texting throughout the day, movie nights together. Sometimes you never brought up the Enchanted Forest life, because it was too much to swallow, too much to think about and deal with, with everything else you had going on. Other times, it was all you asked about and he loved telling you. The idea of you in an enchanted, magical land with a full, happy family was just the ticket to brighten your day.

And Jefferson loved sharing his dual reality with someone, especially his wife. In his head, you were his wife and you always would be, even if some things about you were slightly different, you were the same at your core. To relive your lives together, it was making his heart whole again. It had been so long since he had anything to love. Of course he loved Grace, but not having her near him was rough, to say the least. But now...now he had you back and even though you didn’t remember your life together, you loved him and he was with you, which was a hell of a lot better than living believing you were dead and not having you at all.

About two months passed by since the day you decided to stay together, and Jefferson was the light of your life, past life as husband and wife or not. He made every day better, from the complaining women to the constantly broken things on your house or car, or the times they were out of things at the store, or when a truck splashed you with dirty, disgusting water in the rain. Even as you dealt with the issues that were plaguing your father, he was there every step of the way. For every bad thing, he was there to make something good. You were falling for him, if you hadn’t completely fell down the hole already. And that love seemed to transform into something else one night that you were having dinner together at his place.

“So, this house, is this something I would’ve liked?” you wondered, looking around as you sat on his couch.

“Absolutely. You dreamed of riches, but not just to have them. You wanted to earn them, to have a good life for…” he trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought.

“For Grace,” you finished. “It’s okay, Jefferson. You don’t have to not mention her.”

“I just don’t know what might upset you.”

“Nothing. Nothing you say will bother me. I’ve accepted you for all of you. Including your simultaneous realities.”

He gazed at you as if you were an angel who just fell from the sky.

“I really don’t deserve you.”

“Yes you do,” you insisted.

“God I love you,” he breathed as his moments turned sudden. He hands flew to your hair as he closed the gap between you two on the couch, his mouth instantly finding yours. This was the first time he ever said he loved you, but his hands and mouth were making you dizzy and incoherent. He held his hand so that it was cradling your head while he tilted it, kissing down the side of your neck, his other hand gliding on your skin under your shirt, your breathing got more and more labored, coming in short breaths.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked as he leaned up and looked at you, requesting permission.

“Hell no,” you responded, throwing your leg over his lap and straddling him while you kissed and bit his lip. He seemed to smile in response as you moved on top of him, his hands gliding down to your hips and ass. You began grazing his jawline with your teeth, making him shiver in response.

“I missed this,” he confessed.

You smiled at that, although he couldn't see it. You continued to move slowly on him, the passion and heat building between you two as his hands skimmed and touched all over your body. He was repaying the favor by kissing your neck and cleavage as moans and sighs escaped your mouth.

Pretty soon, he could no longer take the tension and he lifted you easily as you wrapped your legs around his waist and he carried you upstairs to his bedroom.

------------

You were laying in bliss, his arm around you as you cuddled into his side.

“That was...unexpected,” you said with a laugh.

“Was it okay?”

“Okay? It was beyond perfect.”

“I meant, was it it okay that we did that?”

You leaned up and looked at him for a second before kissing him.

“Absolutely.”

“And what I said...before…?”

You thought for a moment, wondering what he was talking about.

“Oh...I love you too,” you said easily.

“What?” he gasped.

“Yeah, Jefferson. I don't...I couldn’t have done what we just did if I didn’t love you. I’m not that sort of person.”

“I’m so happy right now,” he said with a joyous tone and broad smile. You settled back into his side and drew mindless patterns on his perfect chest as he lightly stroked your arm.

“Were we...happy?”

“In the Enchanted Forest?” he asked. You gave a slight hum in response. “Yes. Blissfully. Especially after we had Grace. My God, everyone smiled all the time in our house.”

“So she made our life better?”

“Beyond better. It was more than we ever imagined and you were a wonderful mother. You cared for her so much. You fussed after her, but taught her to be independent.” He laughed gently. “She reminds me so much of you. Sweet, gentle, kind, hilarious. She always sees the bright side of things as you do. She’s smart, resourceful, compassionate...”

You laughed slightly.

“What?” he inquired, a smile in his tone.

“I just...seeing myself as a mother. I can't imagine it.”

“Do you not like children?” he wondered, a terror starting to take hold in his heart.

“That’s not it. It’s just...it’s a lot of responsibility and I have enough to worry about with my Dad and my job.”

“In this world, yes. But back there, your family was able to help with your father.”

“Are they still there?”

“As far as i know, yes.”

“I want to go home to them then,” you noted. The longer you were with Jefferson, the more this old life made sense, the more it sounded so much better than this world, the more you wanted to return.

“Really?”

“Yes…If there is a way for all of us to be together, of course. And perhaps my dad would find a cure there.”

Jefferson squeezed your bare shoulders and kissed your head. “There was no cure for your father back home.”

You sighed. “Of course not. But...At least we could all be a family again.”

“That's what I’m hoping for,” he agreed. “I pray we can go home together. I am so happy to hear you say you want that too.”

“Jefferson, all I want is you. And if that means living in a magical land with a wonderful daughter and my family, then I want that.”

“I really do love you,” he finally said after a while.

You grinned and hummed in response.

“I really do love you…” you replied.

---------------------

The next day, you were working when a familiar woman walked into your store.

“Hi, I’m Andrea. This is my daughter, Paige,” she introduced sweetly.

“Oh, how nice to meet you,” you said, shaking her hand and her sweet daughter’s. As soon as you shook her hand, you realized why she looked so familiar. She was Grace, she was your alleged daughter, according to Jefferson. “Uh, what can I help you with?” you asked.

“I’m looking to renew my vows with my husband, and I’d like a gown,” she informed kindly.

“Oh, alright,” you started. You two began discussing gowns, styles, heels, veils. All of it, meanwhile, you brought Paige in on everything. Asked her opinion, played with her, put the veils on her... It was the most fun you had ever had with any kid, considering most of the women that came to your shop didn’t have kids yet.

By the end of the meeting, her husband came to meet them.

“Ready go to, honey?” he asked as he joined them.

“Yes,” she said turning to you. “Thank you so much for all your help. This was so much fun. But now we have to meet with the florist, and the caterer, and the church….I just wish we didn’t have to bore Paige with all of this,” she said, stroking her hair.

“Perhaps, I could watch her?” you suggested.

“Really?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’d be happy to watch her while you two get your errands ran.”

“Okay,” Andrea said, smiling. “She certainly seems to take a liking to you. Paige, do you want to stay here with Miss Alice?”

“Yes!” she said excitedly, holding onto your hand.

You laughed and went around to behind the desk. “Here, here is my phone number and address.”

“Okay, great! We’ll be by to pick her up around 8.Thank you so much!”

They left and Paige looked up at you with such a sweet expression. You never thought you would like kids but Paige was a wonderful exception to this idea.

#who will win #jefferson #jefferson fic #jefferson x reader #jefferson ouat #jefferson once upon a time #once upon a time #ouat #ouat fic #sebastian stan

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lexiseigneur · 5 years

Text

Chapter twenty-eight: Blind justice

Quinlan was reinvigorated when the familiar smells of the Greystone grounds reached them. The ratios of the different tree species, the individual animals and their unique scents, all together their perfume reminded him of Lexi’s smiles and of tender moments.

“I’m glad to be back,” she said when he drove off the asphalt road to join the cover of the trees.

It did not take long for the media to explode with educated guesses and speculations regarding the two Dhampir. Lexi would watch the evening news, standing by the couch and scowling anxiously the entire time. Questions were asked and people discussed their possible answers endlessly. What were their true intentions? Why had they not stopped the Master centuries ago? Those who knew the couple personally were sought out feverishly and harassed for interviews. Ambushed outside the Sun Hunter headquarters, Gus tried to avoid a journalist throwing questions haphazardly his way. The journalist, a young man in a frayed suit, trotted behind Gus and the image bobbed up and down from the steps of the cameraman.

“How did you come to trust non-human creatures like this?” asked the journalist while speaking in a microphone which he then thrust toward Gus.

“’Cause they didn’t ask no stupid questions like you, puto.”

“How did you turn your back on them without fearing a stinger bite?”

The wings of Gus’ nose flared.

“Bitch, they saved my life so many times I only have a good night sleep when they’re around.”

Gus strutted away because his exasperation was turning into rage.

“Do you believe they should be allowed to live around humans?”

Gus flipped around, his expression murderous. He got so close the journalist tucked his head between his shoulders to avoid their brows touching.

“They saved your life too, shitstain. When people talk about my family like this I feel like going medieval on their asses. Now fuck off.”

Quinlan stared at the screen even after Lexi turned it off. He was not shocked by Gus’ uncouth behavior; he was rather used to it. Family. Of all words, this was the one that struck him.

“I wonder when that happened. This really, really sucks,” said Lexi with a sigh.

Quinlan was already picking up the phone and Gus answered after a few rings.

“Sup?”

“We were watching the news and…”

Gus whispered a string of swear words.

“You saw it, huh?”

“I’m afraid we did.”

“Well, fuck.”

Quinlan hesitated before saying the very thing he had called to tell him.

“Thank you, Gus.”

“Don’t get all lovey dovey, it creeps me out,” replied Gus with his usual joviality.

“I assure you that I won’t.”

“Good! And don’t watch the news too much. They’re a bunch of dicks.”

Lexi stretched a hand to claim the phone. Her worry was gone and she stood very close to Quinlan as she spoke to Gus.

“We just wanted to see just how screwed we are.”

They exchanged a few more pleasantries and jokes then she hung up.

“I love you so much right now,” she said and hugged him so tightly it knocked the wind out of his lungs.

“Why is that?”

Quinlan hugged her back, playing with the wild hairs tickling his throat. The swell of her affection ran warm throughout his body. Suddenly, they both purred.

“It just is.”

***

One evening as Quinlan picked up the blood rations and the newspaper, he noticed a written note across an article. It was Nigel’s messy handwriting. “What an arsepiece.”

The article was titled: “Dhampir, friend or foe?”

“An evolutionary link between Strigoi and Humans lies in a species only recently uncovered, the Dhampir. However the main commonality they share with their cousins is also the most important one: they are predators. Specifically, they prey on us…”

Quinlan skimmed the rest as he walked back to the house. It was the usual mix of prejudice and the pretense of objectivity. It made him snarl in revulsion. The last sentence caught his eye.

“Why should the lamb he happy that the lion chased away the wolf?”

Should they expect pitchforks and torches during their next visit to New York? Quinlan was tempted to tear away the article and spare Lexi that grief. But she would not like it. She wanted to see and hear everything and Quinlan could not help but think that this desire was not motivated solely by pragmatism. It felt like self-flagellation.

The air was frigid and the sounds of the forest were quieter than when they had first arrived. Through the large window doors, he spotted Lexi busying herself at the stove.

“What are you making?” he asked after entering the house and putting the cooler on the countertop.

He tossed the newspaper on the dining table, retaining no hope that she would remain ignorant of the hatred within its pages.

“I missed making pancakes. At least this time no one will complain that they supposedly taste weird.”

Her phone buzzed softly. She took a quick look at the screen, made a surprised “huh” sound then put it back.

“Laura says we should check out Costello speaking to the press. It will start in forty minutes. Let’s have breakfast before then.”

Quinlan took two large glasses from the pantry and filled them with blood. He slid the newspaper to the side of the table and sat down. When she joined him with a plate full of food, he was about to speak. Quinlan wanted to tell her about his travels to Asia…or perhaps those in Northern Africa. Something exotic and strange which would take her mind off of the present. But she was quicker.

“Quinlan…I had an idea,” she said and her smile was facetious.

“When you smile like this, mayhem usually follows.”

Several pieces of furniture had needed replacement the previous time. He did not mind. There were oak planks in the attic which he thought about using to reacquaint himself with carpentry.

“Not that…not now…maybe later.” – her smile widened – “have you ever wished you could enjoy human food?”

“No. I think the equivalent for you would be imagining drinking blood when you were human. Not particularly appetizing. Though, I can appreciate certain smells. The scent of your meal is not disagreeable for example.”

“Would you like to try?”

“It would make me sick, I believe.”

The thought of swallowing solid foods was revolting.

“Not my food…like this.”

She tapped her temple and he leaned back in his chair to consider it. What a strange proposal. But she seemed too enthusiastic for him to refuse.

“Show me.”

He almost startled when she did. The smell was strong, rich and sweet. Though he expected her to share the memories of the meal she had been consuming at this very moment, he had been mistaken. The little cube melted as soon as it touched her tongue and coated it in an oily and smooth substance. He recognized the perfume and closed his eyes to fully appreciate the brand new sensations of the savors that accompanied it.

“Chocolate?” he asked.

“Ha! I knew I could not surprise you!”

Quinlan reached across the table to kiss her brow and nuzzle her temple.

“If anything, your surprising me is what doesn’t surprise me.”

“Really?”

“Your very first action came so unexpected I thought I was delirious from starvation. I was sitting in the sun waiting for an army to rush me, and without warning Strigoi exploded left and right.”

She burst out laughing and they kissed, but with difficulty because their lips were stretched by amusement. Lexi pulled away from him and peered into his eyes with curiosity.

“Did you like it? The chocolate?”

“I did.”

An entire world of sensations that had just came to light. It was a wonderful present and he was thankful.

“We can finish our meal later,” he said and at the same time rattled lowly.

Quinlan walked around the table and pulled her to her feet.

“Not now? Why?”

He hugged her and bit gently into her neck.

“Mayhem.”

***

Costello’s press conference sent a very clear message. Though she understood the apprehension and fear, she insisted on two points. Firstly, the Dhampir were under control and not a threat. Secondly, the harassment by the press would cease. They could ask for interviews in written form and if the answer was no then it would be the end of it.

“Everyone and by that I mean everyone, has a right to privacy. Those who refuse to understand that fact can continue their stalking and other paparazzi-like behaviors outside of New York.”

She gathered her notes and ignored the shouts of furious journalists. Under flashes and accompanied by police, she left.

Quinlan was relieved that their Sun Hunters would not have to suffer the unpalatable strategies of the press any longer. Lexi agreed that this part was certainly good news but was bothered by one thing.

“Only dangerous things need to be kept under control.”

“We are dangerous, beloved. That’s undeniable.”

“Not to them. I don’t want to hurt anyone. Do you?”

“No, I don’t.”

But that was usually the case until humans stood in his way in some fashion. And particularly when they pointed weapons at him. Or if they hurt Lexi, just like Hinata had done and to a lower extent, Arturo.

He switched off the television and enticed her to a walk in the forest. Their breaths condensed into clouds ahead of them and the air smelled a little metallic. Quinlan had decided against telling her about East Asia because it might remind her of Hinata.

“Have you ever been to the Dead Sea?”

“Haha! No! I think it might be simpler if I tell you where I have been. It would make a much shorter list.”

“Please do so. I’d like to hear it.”

Her fingers twined into his and they walked on.

***

Two days before the next hearing, Lexi and Quinlan were in New York for yet another training session. The extermination of the Strigoi plague could not bear a delay, even with the current events. Both Dhampir exited the unmarked police car and regarded the brand new coat of the paint on the Sun Hunter Headquarters with suspicion. Massive, industrial and a little shabby, the building had never required any change apart for purely practical considerations. Why should the Sun Hunters suddenly care about its outward appearance?

Quinlan approached the wall and touched it. It was still tacky. Lexi lifted her nose and sniffed the air.

“Some parts are more recent than others, they smell wet,” she said.

Once they were buzzed inside, Gus and Raul greeted them as usual.

“Hey, why did you paint the building? It’s weird,” asked Lexi.

Raul scratched his nose and looked away. Gus made the same face he used when telling trainees to pack their stuff and go home. He would not react that way unless it concerned the Dhampir directly.

“Some little assholes started writing stuff on the walls, it ain’t important.”

“It was important enough that you felt the need to hide them,” she said.

“From us,” she added for Quinlan’s benefit only.

“Please, do not feel obliged to spare us grief. We much rather be informed of such incidents as they come,” said Quinlan.

“Alright guys. Well, it was mostly random words like bloodsuckers, or collaborators. Once it was Quisling and I had to google that one. None of it made any sense,” said Gus.

“And some animal blood at some point. Splashed all over the sidewalk too. Nasty,” said Raul with a grimace of disgust.

The cousins avoided their gaze for a while.

“We should tell them,” said Raul.

“The other day we got a letter and it was for you guys but it gave me the hibbie jibbies so we checked it. There was powdered silver hidden inside. Just some people being assholes.”

“I’m so sorry,” said Lexi.

“Huh, you got it backward Lex,” said Gus and he laughed.

“Lexi, they are ashamed. I suspect this might be the main reason they chose not to disclose those incidents.”

Lexi appeared even more dejected. It distressed Quinlan that she should make herself responsible for every evil remotely connected to her. He did not consider it healthy.

“Ha! I hate it when you make that face! Come here,” said Gus and he grabbed Lexi by the shoulders pulled her along as they advanced toward the back of the room. A group of trainees waited for the next lesson. She slid an arm around Gus’ waist and inquired about Aanya and Angela. Quinlan and Raul followed them.

“I ain’t hugging you so don’t get your hopes up,” said Raul.

“I am overwhelmed by disappointment,” said Quinlan with a deadpan delivery.

***

The defense had a new strategy and it was quite simple. Two facts contradicted their strategy, that the Master was locked in a coffin when Zach pushed the trigger and that he had shot Quinlan when the Master was without shell. The veracity of those points relied on the Dhampir’s testimonies alone. And if their word could not be trusted for one reason or another, then it remained plausible that the Master had indeed controlled the accused.

“Is your stinger identical to a Strigoi’s?” asked Finnigan, a defense lawyer.

Quinlan was not surprised she would ask him this. For humans, this was by far the most displeasing part of his anatomy.

“It is somewhat shorter,” said Quinlan.

“Can you show it to the court?”

His lips remained firmly sealed and he looked at the lawyer, imagining what her reaction would be if he were stupid enough to carry out her request.

“Your Honor! Their stingers were clearly visible in video evidence and this is a blatant attempt at feeding the prejudice against our witness,” said Uru as she sprung from her chair.

“I agree. Counsel Finnigan, this is not a circus. We do not demand of anyone that they expose themselves without a very good reason,” said Judge Smith.

“I retract my question. Have you ever killed human beings?”

“I have.”

“Have you ever killed human beings with your stinger?”

“I have.”

The judge peered around the room, waiting for an upheaval which did not come. The media had discussed that point so often that no one was surprised to hear it confirmed.

“Did you use that stinger against Zach Goodweather?”

“I did, before he could shoot me once more.”

“Where did you supposedly get shot?”

“In this shoulder.”

“Your shoulder looks fine to me,” said the lawyer dismissively.

“So does your client. One could say we are even.”

“I meant that only two people witnessed my client supposedly shooting you. You and your companion. Do you have a scar?”

“I do not scar from normal bullets.”

“But I can see clearly from here that you can have scars. It is awfully convenient that you should have no mark at all from what my client supposedly did to you while we can clearly see traces of other injuries from that very same day.”

“There is nothing convenient about it. We do not scar from normal weaponry or injuries, only from silver and for a reason unknown to me, from the Master’s direct attacks.”

“Is there any person who can corroborate this, beside your companion?”

“As a matter of fact, there is. Mister Elizalde has witnessed Lexi healing from a deep wound in her forearm. The knife which caused it was steel and by now, there is no trace of it. Perhaps he should take my place at the stand.”

Gus very briefly confirmed that he saw Lexi cutting her arm open and soon after she was also asked to speak.

“If the judge will allow it, could the witness uncover her arms?” asked the defense lawyer.

“I’ll allow it.”

Lexi unbuttoned her cuffs and folder her sleeves up. Her alabaster skin was smooth on both her arms.

“Can you scar at all? Contrary to Mister Quinlan, you bear no apparent sequels from that day or at all.”

“Are you proposing that only Quinlan is unlucky enough to get marks but not me? That’s far-fetched, even for you.”

Quinlan repressed a growl and the growing animosity he felt toward that lawyer. Alvi gestured discretely in his direction, made big eyes at him and shook his head. The prosecutor had been quite clear that Quinlan should strive not to stare at people when he felt irritated. So he detached his gaze from the Esquire Finnigan and focused on Lexi alone.

“Well, you are not identical and we know little of your species. You can eat solid foods, he cannot and you have hair and he doesn’t…this could extend further than what you have disclosed so far.”

Judge Smith cleared his throat and with more hesitation than he had never shown before he said,

“Madam Lexi, please do answer the inquiry.”

“I can scar and I have scars.”

“Could you show us?” asked Finnigan.

Quinlan could tell Lexi did not want to. Her jaw had tightened and he could hear her small heart accelerating. A gentle rattle escaped him and Alvi turned in his direction and gave him a reproachful glance.

“Your Honor, we’ve been through this. We ask that our learned friend cease such demands,” said Uru once more.

“Overruled. I tend to agree with the defense on this one. We only know of the Dhampir what they chose to tell us so far.”

Now her heart was aflutter, impossibly loud to his ears. She looked at Quinlan, worried. It was so very petty and easily disprovable. Quinlan suspected that if Lexi had not reacted so defensively, the lawyer would not have pushed the question further. Finnigan seemed to smell discomfort like a shark sensed blood.

“Don’t. To Hell with them,” said Quinlan.

“It’s stupid, really…I hate it when you see them. It’s a reminder of everything I did wrong that day. And they are also hideous.”

It had been so long and she still dressed quickly or turned away from him so that he would not have a clear look of her scars. It pained him more as time passed. Sometimes, during brief moments he instantly regretted, he also resented her for it. How could she think him so shallow?

“Those are the medals of your victory over the Master. They are not beautiful but since they are yours, I love them all the same.”

She shook her head and smiled but it did not reach her eyes.

“You say the darnest things sometimes.”

She stood, pulled her shirt out of her pants and raised its hem just enough to reveal the five scars marring her midsection. They were larger than the size of the fingers which had inflicted them because Quinlan had burned the skin over and around the original wounds. They looked a little sunken, as though her flesh had melted shut over empty holes.

Most Sun Hunters averted their gazes, either in surprise or because they knew Lexi enough to recognize her uneasiness. The defense lawyer did not appear particularly disappointed and as soon as Lexi sat back down, she switched her line of questioning.

“Could the Master see through the eyes of all Strigoi?”

“Yes, he could and he did,” said Lexi, her cheeks still whiter than usual but her voice steady.

“What would that look like to a person facing one such Strigoi?”

“They would see the Strigoi’s eyes turn red, like a glow from inside.”

“Why did your pupils glow in much the same way just before you killed the Master?”

“Ha. People won’t like this at all,” she told Quinlan.

“Yes, that is the point. It changes nothing.”

“Because Quinlan and I can see through each other’s eyes as well.”

“Can you control humans?”

Lexi laughed and shook her head.

“Of course not! And we cannot control Strigoi and certainly not each other. Look at this mess of a world. If we possessed such incredible abilities, why would we let it devolve into chaos which only makes our lives more difficult?”

“Could the Master control you?”

“If he could, he would not be dead.”

She made a show of switching on the screen and fast forwarding through the video depicting their fight against the Master.

“Why did you hesitate here? You could probably have ended it and avoided a painful injury.”

“He showed me images of someone I loved that he had turned. It took me by surprise.”

“Interesting. Did you not know he could do that before that very moment?”

“No,” said Lexi between clenched teeth.

“So he had abilities you knew nothing about?”

“It appears so.”

“How could he do that if he could not control Strigoi at that moment? Because of the jamming devices.”

“We do not operate at the same…frequency…as them.”

“That’s also convenient. Is it possible that the Master had other such powers you did not know about?”

“Possibly, yes.”

“Could it be that just like the jamming devices did not affect his ability to reach you, that other hindrances to his ability to control his Strigoi did not apply to all his powers?”

“Objection! Leading question!” said Takaha.

“Overruled. Please, answer the question,” said Judge Smith.

“It could be, yes.”

“Very well. No more questions your Honor.”

Takaha took over and Quinlan was thankful for it. When he stood and spoke, Lexi’s quick heartbeat slowed.

“I would like to question Lexi here as an expert witness since she took over Dutch Velder and Dr. Goodweathers’ work in building those jamming devices.”

The judges agreed.

“How does a jamming device function, in laymen’s terms please?”

“It floods a specific frequency which the Strigoi used to communicate. It would be like a dog whistle, so loud, dogs cannot hear themselves bark anymore.”

“And you function on a different frequency level?”

“Yes.”

“If the ability to control humans truly existed, it would function on another frequency yet?”

“Possibly.”

“Much like a radio?”

“Much like it, yes.”

“What happens if you put a radio in a thick lead lined container?”

“It goes silent,” said Lexi with a grin.

“Would it block all such signals?”

“Yes, it would.”

“Could the Master have forced Zach Goodweather to trigger the nuclear bomb from inside the coffin?”

“No.”

“Could the Master communicate with you in any way while formless?”

“We could feel his pain but he made no attempt at stopping us with images as he had before.”

“In your expert opinion, why?”

“Because without a brain he could not control anything. He was crippled. The worm was like a seed and it needed a body to reach its full potential.”

“Thank you. I do not have more questions.”

Lexi returned to sit next to Quinlan and took his hand. The prosecution announced that they were done and the defense also confirmed that they had finished with their line of questioning. The judges put an end to the hearing.

***

The news had been taken over by the expectancy of the verdict. A date was set and on numerous television channels, a countdown showed the time to that last hearing to the minute. This time, when they talked about the Dhampir, it was mostly in the context of reiterating the evidence and testimonies again. There were still occasional debates regarding their trustworthiness. The Dhampir had killed the Master and had founded the Sun Hunters but they were not humans. So far the division had been clear. Though humans could be corrupted to work for the Strigoi, the opposite had never been true. What was Strigoi was the enemy and since the Fall it had been a truth for all. A division, neat and reassuring. But now that the existence of Dhampir belied that clarity, the dissonance was too much for many. Troubled minds did not deal well with blurry lines.

There were still protests in front of the courthouse as the countdown progressed. It was impossible to appreciate the architecture of the large-face granite building because of the large crowds. They were noisy and chanting vulgar slogans while brandishing cardboard cards on which they had written their anger.

“They are more bloodthirsty than we will ever be…” said Quinlan as they watched the news reports.

“It’s not directed at us this time but...Let’s just say I really hope they’ll be found guilty.”

Quinlan had little doubt on the outcome. So when the time came he was calm and shared that state of mind with Lexi as much as he could. The courthouse filled and Laura arrived last, though Lexi had kept her a spot. She had been running. Quinlan greeted her then listened to their conversation.

“Since school is out I could not find a babysitter,” Laura whispered then took long breaths to calm herself.

“Everything is ok though?” asked Lexi.

“Yeah, Maria stayed outside with her. She said she can’t be bothered to listen to more of this shit.”

“Maria, huh? You guys have been hanging out quite a lot lately.”

Lexi had a crooked smile and Laura blushed but did not seem too bothered.

“We could extend the invitation to include Dr. Miller, if you wish. Greystone is large enough to accommodate everyone for any length of time,” said Quinlan.

“Well…if instead of driving directly out of the city we could do a little detour then she could pick up her things. That is if she even wants to, of course,” said Laura.

Both Laura and Emma would leave the city with the Dhampir and spend a few days in Greystone. The weather had lost some of its cold bite and their grounds had been free of any Strigoi activity for months. Quinlan had crafted a new chess board himself and planned on surprising the little girl with it. Lexi leaned toward Laura and whispered as if conspiring,

“Of course.”

They all fell silent when the judges entered the room. It was followed by closing statements by Alvi then by Finnigan. When Judge Smith stood to announce his verdict, Lexi was incredibly tense next to him. But he knew it would be short lived suspense.

One by one, he named the accused and their crimes and the corresponding verdict. Thirty-four were found guilty of committing crimes against humanity. Judge Smith finished his statement on a dark note,

“Even if you were indeed controlled by the Master, you had at least one occasion lasting almost an entire day during which you could have made others aware of that fact. We have to conclude that your defense was purposefully misleading and untrue. Your actions which led so many to atrocious deaths were voluntary and will be punished accordingly.

“But we are not Strigoi. You will not die kicking and screaming. You will be put to sleep humanely by medical doctors and when completely unconscious, you will be bled until death. Your bodies and blood will be cremated and your ashes scattered into the ocean. If you have a god, may they have mercy on your souls.”

Quinlan looked a last time upon the face of Zach Goodweather who stared at his own feet. His rage was gone, replaced by the fear of a young boy. It was a sad spectacle.

The courtroom remained quiet for the most part. Some were grave, a few still staring angrily at the accused and many cried. The room quickly emptied into the hall and toward the front exit.

There were no sounds of protests outside. New Yorkers had been ordered to stay confined inside their homes for the last installment of the trial. Costello wanted to avoid riots in case the masses disliked the verdict. In one hour, the curfew would be lifted but that left plenty of time for the Dhampir and their friends to leave the city safely.

They walked out of the room amongst the last, giving time to the crowd to clear out first. The great hall was not yet empty. Teams of journalists recorded the people exiting while commenting on the events. Cameras and their crews stood neatly behind a corded area which Quinlan considered with satisfaction. In a corridor leading away from the wide doors of the courtroom, Maria waited with Emma. As soon as the little girl spotted Lexi and Quinlan, she called on them. Quinlan’s traits softened when Emma escaped Maria’s grasp and ran in their direction.

Someone shouted in the vast and majestic lobby of the courthouse.

“Bloodsuckers!”

All eyes were on the man. He was dressed like a bailiff and wore a hat which did not fit with the rest of his clothes. Quinlan did not recognize him. The man took an object out of his pocket and threw it at the feet of the Dhampir.

The grenade rolled noisily on the stone floor. It looked handmade.

Gus was already pulling Aanya and Laura back in the courtroom. Time slowed for the Dhampir and all the humans surrounding them stood almost still. They could run away before the thing had a chance to explode. But it struck Quinlan that this was not even an option. Emma was still running at him. He jumped toward the little girl who could die if shrapnel hit her at this distance. He crouched over her little body and glanced above his shoulder. Lexi grabbed the explosive device with both hands and pulled it apart.

There was no explosion. The fuse burned in her right hand without touching the explosive material enclosed in Lexi’s other fist. Quinlan’s relief was so short as to be almost non-existent

The sparks from the fuse highlighted a scintillating metal cloud from within. The silver sand contained in the device formed a fine mist which spread between Lexi’s arms, as though she was embracing it. She closed her eyes and turned away.

But it was too late. Her pain shot through the Bond. Lexi screeched and her unfettered agony tore roars from his chest. Emma cried and trembled against him. He let go of the girl and flew to Lexi because his mind was on fire. He had felt it when Hinata had driven a silver knife into her. It had been nothing compared to this.

And as he rushed, tripping over his own feet from the blinding loudness of her screams, he wished he could shut it all down. He wished he could will himself unconscious and not feel like this anymore. Then he saw her, almost convulsing on the stone tiles as she attempted to claw the silver off. And he disgusted himself for forgetting that this was her pain. She needed him.

Quinlan yanked a large water bottle from a nearby fountain and shoved it in Gus’ arms. With violence he wished he could avoid, Quinlan forced Lexi’s arms down and kneeled on them. The he pinched her nose close and forced her mouth shut. Gus poured the water over her face. But the pain was not going down.

“Make her open her eyes!” screamed Maria at Quinlan as she took a water bottle out of her purse.

He did, he held her drenched head down and forced her to open her eyelids. Her eyes bled and her feet smacked the marble, as if attempting to run away from this torture. Maria poured water over the burning sclera, irises and third eyelids.

Lexi’s body contracted and she lost consciousness. Quinlan felt guilty at how much relief this brought him. The water ran down her cheeks and temples, milky and shimmering with silver particles. The more water Maria poured, the clearer the liquid became.

Outside the room people screamed and ran but a line of Sun Hunters prevented the chaos from approaching them. In the distance, sirens.

When the ambulance came and they drove to the nearest emergency room at neck-breaking speed, Maria barked orders at the EMTs who were too scared of the two Dhampir to be of any use. Exasperated, she pushed them out of the way and injected Lexi with an anesthetic. Her gestures were blurry. Everything was blurry. He removed his gloves and wiped his face. When had he started tearing up? He had not noticed until now.

Lexi regained consciousness when they reached the hospital. Her thoughts were sluggish and dulled by the anesthetics but still she whimpered. Quinlan pulled her up against him, enclosing her small frame in his coat. Her words tasted like grief when she shared them.

“I can’t see you.”

Through the Bond he was a shapeless grey form. He wished he could reply that all would be well. That she would be fine. But through the Bond, he could not lie. So instead he stroked her damp hair and rocked softly until the double doors of the ambulance opened.

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