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sentinelpri · 2 years

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I Could Use A Little Danger

(y/n) Han.

Zen groaned as he saw the name in the chatroom. He'd been sick recently, and though he was mostly over it, everyone in the RFA (minus your stupid older brother) was worried about him. Especially you. Though he appreciated how much you cared, it almost always caused arguments between him, you, sometimes Jaehee, and Jumin in the chatroom.

It seemed like now was going to be one of those times. After his mistake of informing the RFA about his cold, there had been an organization-wide debate on whether you or Jaehee should be coming to check on him. Zen would rather have no one come over, but go off. There was no stopping you two stubborn women. Though you and Jaehee both offered to just go with each other, Jumin didn't want his sister and his assistant going over there.

Stupid trust fund kid.

(y/n): Zen, you're logged in! How are you feeling?

Zen smiled, unable to help himself as he laid back on the living room couch, sipping on the bottle of water in his other hand.

Zen: Much better, thanks

Jaehee: I'm glad to hear that. I was worried.

(y/n):^^ seconded. Would you be alright with me dropping by tonight after I get off work so I can check on you? Just for a quick visit

Jumin: I wasn't informed you would be going over there.

(y/n): That's because you don't want me to.

Jumin: Exactly. Why can't Assistant Kang do it?

Jaehee: I gladly would, but (y/n)'s been pretty insistent... And Mr. Han, if you're worried about anything happening in between Zen and (y/n), we offered to go together, and you objected.

Jumin: I don't see why anyone has to go over there. You're over your cold, Zen, aren't you?

Zen: Yeah, but I don't see why you're so controlling, I'm fine with either of them visiting me whether I have a cold or not

Zen continued to type furiously, feeling his face heat up as he tried to understand what the fuck was running through Jumin's mind. The director had always been somewhat protective of his sister. Since you owned your own bookshop rather than working for C&R, Jumin had always kept a close eye on you, but he'd never been this controlling... Maybe it was just because this had to do with Zen... Which actually made him more upset. Sure, Zen liked you, but you were Jumin's sister! You wouldn't want anything to do with him- Not like that, at least.

Zen: Jaehee has her own life outside of work, so she doesn't have to do what you say

Zen: And (y/n)'s old enough to handle herself. You can't dictate everything in her life just because she's your sister! Stick to obsessing over that damn furball

Zen actually really liked you. Though he'd been hesitant about another Han being welcomed into the RFA (one was more than enough), you had been an excellent addition, as you were nothing like your brother. You were kind and considerate, but still just as levelheaded and hardworking as your older sibling. And you didn't make him want to sneeze when he saw you.

Jumin: Her name is Elizabeth 3rd.

(y/n): Considering that I only have a few minutes until I get off of work, it's too late for you to schedule something with me or tattle to our father, Jumin.

(y/n): I'm going to do what I want, but I'll meet you and father for lunch tomorrow afternoon.

(y/n): See you soon, Zen! Jaehee, Jumin, have a good night.

(y/n) Han has left the chatroom.

Well then.

Jumin: ...Assistant Kang, please cancel the rest of tomorrow's meetings. I would like to go home and spend some time with Elizabeth 3rd. Have a good night.

Jumin Han has left the chatroom.

Zen: And then there were two... Well, since (y/n) is going to be here soon, I'll be off. Don't let that stupid trust fund kid get to you, Jaehee. Get some rest!

ZEN has left the chatroom.

Jaehee: Right... Have a good evening, everyone.

Jaehee Kang has left the chatroom.

Zen felt his heart pound as he heard a knock on the door. He knew it was you considering the timing and walked to the door, opening it, smiling as he saw you standing there. Sometimes it was hard to believe you were actually a member of the Han family, as you didn't infuriate him or make him want to sneeze at just the sight of you. You were pretty, (h/l) (h/c) hair tied up so that he could see your sparkling (e/c) eyes. The actor stepped to the side to allow you in before shutting the door behind both of you, suddenly feeling far more nervous than he should've been.

"It's good to see you." You smiled, reaching up and moving his bangs away from his face so you could place a hand on his forehead. "Seems like the fever's better. You look as good as ever... I guess Jaehee and I had no reason to be concerned after all." Zen sighed in relief, figuring that you'd be off, but you made your way to the couch and sat down, looking up at him expectantly. "Got any beer?"

Zen laughed as he watched you loosen your tie and pop open the top two buttons on the dress shirt underneath your skirt suit. Blushing, the white-haired man walked into the kitchen and grabbed two cans of beer out of the fridge. Walking back into the living room, he plopped down next to you on the couch, cracking one open before handing it to you and doing the same to the one he'd kept for himself. He bit the inside of his cheek, still trying to act casual as you rested your head on his shoulder and looked down at your open beer.

"Yeah, it's off brand-" He began to explain, knowing that you were used to traveling with your brother to wineries and other places with nice, expensive alcohol that the actor didn't waste his money on.

"No, it's fine. I was just... Thinking. Sorry."

"Don't apologize, (y/n)... You came all the way from your shop to check on me, the least I could do is try to help you. What's on your mind?"

"It's about Jumin and our father."

Zen already felt himself frowning at the mention of the chairman and the chairman-to-be, but waited for you to start, watching as you chugged your beer and slammed the can down on the coffee table all in one breath. You leaned back, staring at the ceiling. You looked distressed, so figuring that you could use some comfort, Zen patted his thighs.

"You can lay on my lap, if you want. The couch isn't too comfy."

You gladly look the opportunity, kicking your heels off and laying on your back on the couch before resting your head in Zen's lap and staring straight up at him.

"Thank you."

"Yeah," Zen whispered, gently running his hands through your beautiful (h/l) locks to work out the tangles that had gathered there throughout the day. "What were you saying?"

"Right. Jumin and our father... I've done everything to try to prove my independence; I started my own store without their money, I live on my own, I have an education, and I've made friends and connections that don't have anything to do with them. But they're both as stubborn with me as they've always been." You sighed, moving one of your hands up to land on the one of Zen's that wasn't in your hair, interlacing you guys' fingers and giving a gentle squeeze. "I just want to have fun and live life like everyone else, you know? They never approve of any of the guys I like. One time I brought a man who I'd been dating for a few months to meet my family for lunch, and he was immediately berated and interrogated about his intentions with me... I didn't see him again. And any time I even talk about someone, Jumin shuts them down... Especially the most recent one. He told me that he needed to go get a glass of wine while we were talking about this guy, went to his kitchen, got a glass of wine, popped it open, and gestured for me to continue... And then drank straight from the bottle as I continued. And that was a week ago, so obviously he hasn't matured much since then."

Zen felt his heart drop and break into tiny little pieces at the concept of you liking some other guy, but as he looked down at you, he quickly came to realize that the discussion with Jumin about this most recent guy could've very well been about him.

"What makes you think you have to listen to that stupid jerk? If you already own your business, if you're already doing well, and if you find someone you love... Who is he to stop that?" You were about to speak, but Zen continued, soothingly tracing patterns against the back of your hand with his thumb. "Look, I... We both know I don't get along with the guy, but I understand where he's coming from. You're his younger sibling and he wants to protect you and make sure you make the best decisions, but he can't decide everything for you. You're two people and you know what'll make you happy better than he does."

"You're right."

Your gaze fell to the ceiling as he set his beer down on the table.

"Can I give you some advice about Jumin?" Zen questioned, looking down at you to see you smile. You were waiting, expectant. "Just try to piss him off. Make him think you're doing shit that he thinks is really, really stupid. And then when you do the regular, reasonable things you want to do that he has problems with now, he'll be thankful."

"I feel like you're saying that so you can watch him suffer, but at the same time, it's not a bad idea. I bet we could piss him off in a lot of ways." Zen felt his face burn as he theorized on exactly how you and him could work together to piss Jumin off. "I just wish I could have some fun without worrying about him... You know, I've always loved your house."

"Really?" Zen looked around, surprised that the daughter of one of the richest people in the country would like his house.

"Yeah. It's small and homey, but nice. It'd be great to come home to something like it every night. I was thinking about moving into this neighborhood for a while, but you know how the media is, and I'm afraid it'd get broken into. I could always hire guards like Jumin does, but I can handle myself well enough."

"You can come here any time you want, (y/n). Maybe we can work on pissing trust fund kid of just like you said." He shot a wink your way, to which you sat up and playfully nudged his bicep with your hand.

"How about tomorrow?"

"How about yes?"

It was eleven the next night when you waltzed in through Zen's front door, a small bag on your back as you shut the wooden door behind you with a smile on your face. He'd had rehearsal until nine and needed time to clean up before having you over.

See, normally, he wouldn't allow a lady to travel to his house this late at night, let alone sleep there unless it was an emergency, but... You'd both decided that this was the best way to piss Jumin off. Throughout the day, the private thread between you two on the messenger was used to discuss just what you could do to make the chairman tick. And, after some strategizing, you two had done it.

"My, my, what have I done to deserve such a beautiful young lady at my house this late at night?" Zen joked, watching as you pulled your phone out of the side compartment of your backpack and propped it up against the coffee table.

You bent over as you messed with the phone camera, causing him to look away in embarrassment as he caught a glimpse of the way that the skirt you were wearing clung to you in all the right places.

"Hm, who knows... If this young lady is so beautiful, why don't you come take a photo with her?"

Zen looked over to see that you'd set up the camera to take a timed photo, so he moved to stand behind you and wrap his arms around your waist, resting his chin on the top of your head and smiling as he saw the flash of the camera. You didn't even wait before running over to your phone and grabbing it to show Zen the photo.

The actor was surprised with how it turned out; your hands were on his hands, you were looking up at him adoringly with that bright smile of yours when the photo was taken.

"He'll love this." Zen sarcastically referenced to the other Han sibling, looking over your shoulder as you opened the messenger app.

(y/n) Han has entered the chatroom.

707: Whoot whoot~!! Who's this girl?

(y/n): Hello, Seven! What are you up to?

707: Just dreaming

707: About having my dear Elly

707: In my loving arms~

Ew. Zen wasn't even there and that furball was somehow relevant to the conversation.

(y/n): Good luck with that...

Jumin: Hello, (y/n). What are you doing this late?

(y/n): Just hanging out with Zen

Jumin: ...I'm sorry?

Jumin: Also, do not talk about Elizabeth 3rd as if she is your cat, Cat Abuser.

707: Oh!

707: (y/n) and Zen...

707: Is this...

707: Love!?!?!?!

Jumin proceeded to send the emoji he used on the rare occasion that he was truly exasperated, to which Zen laughed. Delivering the final blow, you sent the photo you and Zen had taken together into the chatroom.

707: Wow, the ship is finally sailing~~~! Congrats! >.<

Jumin: (y/n), it's almost midnight. Why are you at Zen's house?

(y/n): We're just hanging out.

707: lolol Jumin, (y/n)'s an adult, she can do what she wants to

Jumin: I don't believe in staying together in the same house before marriage.

707: Oh, you mean like you and V do? Lolol hypocrite much?

You had been typing up a response of "Yes, you've made that clear" whenever Seven sent that response of his own. Zen looked at you, struggling to believe that Seven had actually brought up V and Jumin's very obvious relationship.

Jumin: That's irrelevant.

(y/n): Right... Well, I just came to see how you guys were doing, so... I'll be off. Also, I'm staying over at Zen's and taking the day off tomorrow, so don't come to the shop looking for me for anything. Good night! Sleep well, Jumin. You too, Defender Of Justice!

(y/n) Han has left the chatroom.

You threw your phone onto the couch across the room, burying your face in your hands as your beautiful laughter began to ring through Zen's ears. Unable to help himself, the actor grabbed your wrists, gently pulling them away from your face. You were truly beautiful in that moment; (e/c) eyes crinkled at the corners from your continued laughter, cheeks stained red and pretty pink lips curled into a smile.

"Hey, you know what'd piss Jumin off even more?" You asked, letting your laughter slowly die down as you batted her eyelashes at the actor. He felt nervous at the question for some reason, cheeks burning a bright red that matched his eyes when he realized that your wrists were still in his hands. Before Zen could even blink, your lips were on his. No matter how much he wanted to kiss back, Zen let go of your wrists and gently pushed at your shoulders, breaking the kiss.

"You're... Not doing this just to upset him, are you? I like you, and I'd be fine doing this because you feel the same way-"

"Zen. I already mentioned that he was upset when I told him last week that I like you." Oh. So it had been him. "I'm doing this because I like you..." You explained, wrapping your arms around Zen's neck and jumping up without warning. Zen caught you on instinct, of course, hoisting you up by the bottom of your thighs as you wrapped your legs around his waist. "Because I want you..." You trailed off again, leaning in to whisper into Zen's ear. "Because I need you."

"Those are dangerous words, (y/n)." Zen warned, grip on your thighs tightening as if to accentuate his point.

Without hesitation, you reached a hand back to the actor's hair and pulled it out of his ponytail, tossing the hair tie away before grabbing a handful of it and pulling. "I could use a little more danger in my life. Give it to me, Zen."

Zen shrugged. "I hope you don't regret that." Then, he was carrying you to his bedroom, not even bothering to shut the door behind the both of you as he deposited you onto the bed. You sat up, watching as Zen hurriedly rushed over to the nightstand and dug through the drawer, his hand emerging with a condom as he shut it back. Zen set the condom on top of the nightstand and turned to you, sitting on the side of the bed and placing his hand on yours. "What do you want from me, (y/n)?"

"I want you to take control," You explained, debating on backing down due to your shyness, but knowing that it would be better for both of you to communicate your desires. "Let that beast out that you talk about so often... Bind me, restrain me, ravish me. That's what I want from you."

Zen bit his lip for a moment, debating it. If there was a problem, he would stop the second you wanted him too, so surely nothing bad could result from this. Reaching forward, he grabbed your tie and gently untied it, slowly pulling it away from your neck. You shuddered in response, kicking your heels off onto his floor and doing the same with your skirt. You started to unbutton your shirt, but you were cut off by Zen making eye contact and shaking his head, setting the tie down on the bed. "Let me get that for you, princess."

"Ah..." You bit your lip as well, watching as Zen's nimble fingers worked through the buttons on your button down and fully revealed everything that wasn't covered by your bra and panties.

"Princess, hm?" You tilted your head as you asked the question, unable to deny the growing tension that took over the room. "Tell me, Zen, are you my knight in shining armor? Or are you my prince?"

"I'll be anyone you want me to be, princess." Zen laughed, slipping the shirt off of your arms and dropping it to the ground. The actor picked the tie back up and gestured for you to turn around, so you did, humming in satisfaction when he pulled both of your hands behind your back and tied your wrists together, binding them in place. "Is it too loose? Too tight?"

You pulled at the bonds experimentally. The knot was tight enough to dig into your wrists a little bit, but it was comfortable, and you couldn't break out of it with ease. "It's perfect."

"Good."

Zen kept you there as his hands landed on your shoulders, giving them a quick squeeze. You felt your heartrate quicken, rubbing your thighs together as your panties grew uncomfortably wet, the burning sensation between your legs throbbing and in need of satisfaction. The actor's hands moved to your strapless (f/c) bra, unhooking it and pulling it off before you felt a hand on each of your boobs. Zen moved closer and adjusted your positions so that you were sat in between his legs, back still facing him. His clothed stomach was pressed against your tied hands as he caressed your breasts, rolling your nipples between his fingers as he leaned down to nip at your shoulders and the back of your neck, leaving sloppy kisses and hickeys in his wake.

"Zen..." You whispered, fingers twitching slightly as he took his hands away. Zen chuckled, moving to take his shirt off and toss it on the floor before returning his hands to your chest, moving them down to your stomach, to your waistline, right back up... You whined, so deciding not to be too much of a tease, he pushed your (f/c) underwear down your thighs, admiring the goosebumps that rose on your (s/c) skin.

"I've got you, princess. Could you bend over on your knees for me with your legs spread?" You struggled to do as he said, getting on your knees in the middle of the bed and bending over so your backside was in the air, the side of your face buried into the sheets. Your arms were starting to go numb, and your hands were just aching to reach out and grab Zen by his hair so you could rock his world, but you knew that your vulnerable state was turning you on more than freedom ever would in this context. You heard something hit the floor and the crinkle of plastic, and before you could ask, you felt Zen's hands on the back of your legs. "Nah-ah-ah, I see you about to look. Don't. I want to surprise you."

Shuddering, you did as told, keeping your face in the sheets.

Zen ran his hands up and down your legs and then up your thighs. He was on his knees behind you, in between your spread legs. Your form was beautiful; legs already shaking, breathing shallow enough to make the rising and falling of your chest prominent, shoulders slightly caved in, arms bound, your pussy practically dripping wet for him.

The actor went for it, gripping one of your hips with one hand to keep you in place as he felt the weight of his knees sink even further into the mattress. You tensed immediately, letting out a sharp gasp as he leaned down far enough to lap at your juices, his free hand going around your waist to the front of your body so he could tease your swollen clit. Zen began eating you out, the moans you let out serving as encouragement as he spread you open with his tongue, taking your clit between his thumb and index finger and increasing his pace.

You were getting wetter and wetter, hips rolling against his face on their own accord no matter how much you tried to stay still. You hadn't expected him to do this, but you certainly weren't complaining as he began to steadily fuck you with his tongue, fingers working magic against your clit. You felt a pool of warmth that you hadn't felt in far too long build up in your core, threatening to overflow when Zen gradually pulled away, grabbing you by the hips and quickly slapping your ass, the sharp and stinging pain taking you by surprise. You moaned at the unexpected action, throwing your head back.

"Zen, let me look at you, please."

"Go ahead, princess."

You turned around to see Zen in all of his glory; red eyes sparkling as he licked your juices from his long fingers, muscular chest covered in a light layer of sweat, hard condom-covered cock standing to attention. The actor positioned himself at your entrance, his tip teasing you as you turned back around. After a couple seconds, Zen slowly pushed into you, making you release a low moan as you were filled up. He moved your hair off of your back and in front of your shoulders so that he could see all of your (s/c) skin as he fucked you, causing the rustled (h/l) (h/c) strands to cascade around your face.

"Fuck me, Zen..." You gasped as one of his arms went around your torso, lifting you. You were still on your knees on the bed, and he was still inside of you, but your back and bound hands and arms were up against his sweaty chest and- "Oh my God, I'm not going to last long... You feel so fucking good." You praised the actor as he started thrusting in and out of you, the fact that he could hold you up with just one arm for the amount of time necessary for this something that you hadn't ever thought about. He was physically fit, so it shouldn't have been too much of a surprise, but God, did it make you swoon.

Zen continued to fuck you, groaning in unison with you as you snapped your hips back against his, admiring the way your body shifted and reacted to every movement. He knew he wasn't going to last long either, but couldn't help from trying his best to please you as he slowed down his pace in an attempt to stall for time and be more thorough.

"You're so pretty like this... I wonder how pretty you could look in other positions, my princess... (y/n)..."

You let out a loud shout as you felt Zen's length brush against a spot that made you jolt, your (e/c) eyes squeezing shut.

"Zen... Oh my God!"

The actor's movements were languid but thorough like he was taking his time to explore every inch of you, in a way that you'd never experienced with another man. You felt your knees go weak, your bound arms beginning to burn from being numb for so long, but the pleasure was too much for you to complain in the midst of as Zen hit your sweet spot repeatedly. The sensation was building up in you like a fire ready to be extinguished, burning every inch of your being as it was taken over by the tingles that ran up and down it. Finally, the fire was extinguished with another thrust from Zen, causing you to zone out as you tossed your head back, cumming with a moan of Zen's name.

"(y/n)... (y/n)!" Zen whisper-shouted, fucking you through both of your orgasms as he came into the condom and pulling out as he began to come down from his high.

As soon as he regained his composure, he took the condom off and tossed it into the trash bin under his nightstand, grabbing a Kleenex from the box on the dresser and using it to wipe both of you off before disposing of it in the same manner. You groaned, flopping down on your back as soon as Zen freed your hands and chucked the tie to the floor, getting into the bed. The actor laughed and pulled the both of you under the covers, grabbing your wrists and taking a look before pressing a kiss against one of them with a small chuckle.

“Zen...”

"Ah, your wrists; they're red... I didn't mean to tie it that tight. You just got me riled up," Zen explained, holding your hand and intertwining you guys' fingers. Both of you were laid on your sides on the middle of the bed, facing each other as he continued to talk. "You really are beautiful. Especially like this. Let's get some rest."

"I'll sleep on the condition that-" You cut yourself off with a yawn, burying your face into Zen's chest. "You take me to the store in the morning and let me get some ingredients so I can make us breakfast."

"You don't mind being seen with me?" Zen questioned, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you in closer, playing with your jumbled hair. Maybe you'd let him braid it in the morning. "You know how the paparazzi can be. They've really been pestering me a lot recently."

"I don't mind," You smirked. "Like I said earlier... I could use a little danger. I can handle some crazy fans with cameras."

"Hm... If you say so. Sleep well."

"Sleep well, Zen."

#zen x reader #hyun ryu x reader #mystic messenger #mysme zen #mysme hyun ryu #mystic messenger smut #mystic messenger fanfiction #jumin han #mysme jumin han #seven #mysme seven

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fncreature · 3 years

Text

Another Chance: Part 1

A/n: HELLO MY PEOPLES

Okay, legit, hi, it's been a while since I posted a fic. And since the introduction did so well and Name got over 75 notes (You guys are heckin amazing, ilu guys /p), well, Here ya go!

Warnings: Drugging I guess? S.H.I.E.L.D.'s an a-hole, Fury's an a-hole, implied imprisonment if you squint? Idk, really nothing major

“Let me go!” You cried.

Strong hands pinned you down and a sharp point was felt in your neck.

The already dark hallway started to seem darker, and the details of the ceiling seemed to blur.

Was it blurring? It seemed to be spinning.

Blurring, it was blurri-

Was that a different ceiling? It looked lighter, it might’ve been lighter out…

Wait.

If it was lighter out, then it had been a good eight hours. At the least. You didn’t remember eight plus hours. That wasn’t good.

You frantically tried to sit up, but found yourself restrained, your arms, chest, and legs tied down. Yeah, tied down was the most viable option. You closed your eyes for a second and took a deep breath.

You stared back at the ceiling for a minute. Most definitely different.

Square tiles, light grey with darker specks, a grid of thin lines, a few shades darker than the light gray of the panels, was holding it up from what you could see.

You concentrated a bit, and heard exactly what you wanted. Rushing footsteps.

So your guess was a hospital or some sort of medical building or office.

You turned your head to the left, since usually doors would have been on that side. The door didn’t have the window at roughly an adult’s eye level. That set off a few warning bells. It was also grey, darker than the paneling and panels. You took a quick glance to your right.

Grey wall, no windows, The shade was in between the paneling and the door.

A glance back to the door told you that was also the color of all the walls.

There was also a logo, crest. You forgot what it was called but it was like the symbol on the wall, like of the military or the U.S. In general, except it had a non-shocking gray color with lines taking the shape of most likely an eagle. You had to squint to see the words on the far end, as it had a saying, like most.

Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division.

There was probably an acronym for it, as the name was long and all the words were capitalized, though that happened with most logos and sayings. Oh, and it was probably strapped down, not tied.

The ‘and’ was probably not included in the acronym, but it might have been, so you tried it.

S.H.I.E.A.L.D? S.H.I.E.L.D.

The acronym was S.H.I.E.L.D.

Likely a government organization, however you’d never heard of it.

On the other hand, the words could’ve easily had been for a spy organization. That made more sense. Why wouldn’t a spy organization want you, a kid who they could mold into a weapon, with powers that they (mostly) couldn’t control, except for super speed. And any spy organization would like that.

Oh, and you should probably figure out what they drugged you with. You weren’t the most knowledgeable with drugs, but you knew the basics.

“Is this slurring?” You asked yourself, so that was a no. You weren’t dizzy, you remembered everything, you figured out a ton of stuff so your judgement was fine. AKA, you didn’t know.

You were staring at the wall still when the door opened.

“Hi, Mr. S.H.I.E.L.D. Spy doctor” You told them, not bothering to look in that direction.

You assumed they were going to say something, but were a bit shocked at the accurate description.

You decided to look their way anyways.

Dark skin, eye patch, which didn’t seem right in a hospital, no uniform.

So, not a doctor, or at least not one working here. Gave a bit of an off-vibe. He wasn’t wearing a uniform, so he probably wasn’t a lower ranking officer here. In fact, the most likely thing was he was the head or director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

So that probably meant you were in their central building, or he just came to visit. The former was probably more likely, so you were probably on the east coast, which would be a change of scenery from sunny California. And out of the east coast, it was probably either NYC or DC. So, probably D.C.

“So, Mr. Director of the spy organization, S.H.I.E.L.D., what brings me to the east coast?” You asked, making your tone light and joking. He sat down in a chair in the opposite corner of the room. White fabric, sticking with the neutral theme of the room.

“L/n Y/n, correct?”

“Yeah, so are my observations?” You asked.

“Where’d you find that information out, L/n. That’s classified.” Even his tone was neutral.

“So S.H.I.E.L.D. 's that type of place, huh” You paused. “So what is it, D.C. or New York, Mr. Director”

He sighed. “You are to refer to me as Director Fury”

“Fury. Probably a last name. Kinda funny of one though, but it seems like it fits you. So what’s the first name? You seem like a generic name kinda guy. Jeff? Jake? Bill? Joe? Nick? Bo- Nick?” He sighed when you reached Nick, so you said, “Hi Director Nicholas Fury, nice to meet you. Anyway, straight to business. What am I doing here? Actually, you probably want my powers, so lemme redo that. What-”

He cut you off. “Enough rambling, L/n. First thing’s first, I need you to tell me how you knew those things, it’s-”

“Classified?” You guessed. “Street smarts, Fury. Second thing?”

“Do you know where you got your powers?”

“Nope”

“Nothing?”

“Yup”

“You need to come with me”

“I’d love to, Nick, but I’m strapped down here”

“You are to refer to me as Director Fury” He repeated.

“I’ll try. Mind unstrapping me and I’ll follow?” You asked.

A different man came in. Pale, auburn hair, brown eyes. He unstrapped you, and then promptly walked back out again.

You stood up, then glanced down at your clothes. Baggy, too-large S.H.I.E.L.D. Grey sweatshirt with the logo in the corner and dark grey pants, white socks, and a tightly fitting metal band around your left ankle. Probably a power dampener, which made sense.

“You guys really like grey, huh?” You asked.

“Follow me, L/n”

And you did. It was kind of fun, sliding through the halls in socks.

He opened a door into a room that may have been a cell, told you to stay there, and left, locking the door.

It probably was a cell, actually, but a nice one at that. Clean bed hanging on the wall, three shelves parallel, the bottom holding a few identical outfits as the one you were wearing, socks included, a hoodie, and a pair of pretty nice looking sneakers, which you slipped on. The top two were empty

So they bothered to get fitting shoes, but not clothes? Oh well.

Desk with a rolling chair on the wall across from the bed, with two drawers and a cabinet, and- Was that an iPad on the desk?

You rushed to check. Sure enough, a tablet was standing on the desk. Internet access, wifi, google with all the programs, Netflix, Hulu, and a S.H.I.E.L.D. app or program, but the only thing you got from that was “Y/n L/n does not have access to any files or programs.”

You opened both drawers, which were empty, but the cabinet had three shelves. The top had a binder and a good few notebooks, the second had some pencils, pens, and a legal pad. The bottom had some pads, which were shoved in the back, a flashlight, and a box of protein bars.

There was also a bathroom in the back, with a shower, sink, and closed off toilet. Few disposable cups next to the sink, and a hair brush, five black hair ties, and a bun donut.

You pulled the binder out of the cabinet, sat on the bed, and started flipping through it.

After skipping four pages of credits and authors, the first page was a dress code for recruits.

It required the outfit you were given, the sneakers, and for people with long hair past their shoulders, a high ponytail or bun. So you were a recruit.

So you pulled your hair into a high ponytail, and continued.

You decided to read the dress codes for higher ups, and then it was protocols. You probably should’ve read it, but you didn’t feel like it. After that it was the ranks, which you also should’ve read but didn’t feel like it. Then it was history. You read the start, but then it got into all the Directors and missions so you skipped it. You left the binder on the bed and watched a documentary on WWII and Captain America. You were in the middle of it when Director Fury opened the door.

“Hiya Nick” You said, pausing your movie.

“Director Fury” He replied sternly.

“Sorry” You shrugged sheepishly. “Anyway-”

“This is Agent Romanoff” A redheaded, green eyed woman with hair down to her shoulders, which was a dress code violation, but Nick didn’t care, in a combat suit walked in behind Fury.

“She’ll be your trainer”

He promptly left, closing the door behind him.

“They really gave you the babysitter job, huh? You look you can do cooler stuff than that”

“I can” She said. “You can call me Nat, by the way. I call ‘im Nick too, so he might just hate you”

You laughed. “I mean, I can think of multiple reasons for him to hate me, but if he wants my powers, he should be nicer”

Her smile faltered. “You didn’t see it yet?” She asked.

“You mean my anklet?” You asked. “Still”

#Another Chance #Ominiverse was gonna be the title and then I came up with Another chance at 4 am #anyway here are your regularly scheduled tags:#avengers #avengers x reader #avengers x teen!reader #avengers imagine #shield #shield x reader #shield x teen!reader #shield imagine #nick fury #natalia romanova #natasha romanoff #y/n #reader insert

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coffee-and-quill · 3 years

Text

Birthday Wishes Pt. 2

Stucky x Reader: You have been feeling neglected lately, but Bucky and Steve promised they would be there for your birthday. When they don’t show up, you are left feeling broken, and they are left wondering how they will every make it up to you

Authors Note: It took a long time to figure out how I wanted to end this. Relationships are hard, they are constant work and give/take. It takes communication and understanding for all parties to feel heard and loved. I hope y’all enjoy, and please let me know if there’s anything else you would like to see from me!

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It had been three weeks since Steve had seen you, talked to you, held you in his arms. Three weeks of radio silence, and it was killing him. He and Bucky had gone to your parent’s house the morning after they discovered you were missing. As if they weren’t feeling awful enough, the icy look your mother had given them so different from the warm, caring smile they were used to, sent shockwaves through their chests. Steve had begged to talk to you, but your mother had told them that you had left early that morning. You were going somewhere they couldn’t find you or bother you. When Bucky had tried to get more information, she had slammed the door in their faces.

It took two more days of searching and desperation to figure out that Tony had helped you go completely off grid. “It’s not my place to tell you where she is, you shouldn’t have fucked up this bad,” the billionaire had told them when they tried to force your location out of him. He wasn’t wrong, and that set a heavy weight on their chests like nothing they had never felt before.

Steve tried to go back to work, but every time he tried to buckle down and focus, or to accept a mission, he thought of your face. What if you wanted to talk to them? What if you came back and he was so caught up in his work again that he lost you for good? He might have already lost you, and the thought alone was enough to bring him to his knees gasping for breath. He felt small, smaller than he’d ever felt in his life. He would take being a sickly, scrawny kid in the 40s over these feelings any day. It got to the point where Fury told him to go home and not come back until his head was in the game again. “At this rate,” the director had grumbled, “You’re likely to get yourself or someone else seriously hurt if you continue as you are.” Steve didn’t argue. Instead, he slumped home, collapsed on the couch, and sobbed. Pain and heartbreak were the only things he knew anymore.

Bucky was no better. After the acceptance that there was no finding you until you wanted to be found, the former assassin completely shut down. He barely ate and never slept anymore. How could he when there was the constant reminder that you were no longer in his life, no longer snuggled safely between Steve and him. The nightmares came back full force. He had almost forgotten what it was like to wake up screaming in a cold sweat. Now, instead of visuals of Hydra and the chair, and the blood and death that followed him like a storm, he had nightmare of you telling him you were done with him. You told him with a stone face that you’d never loved him, that you could never love a murderer, and you left with him begging and screaming on the floor. During the day he stayed in bed. He felt useless and weak, so, so weak. He was used to suffering, used to the constant weight of guilt on his chest. But this, this feeling, this guilt was far worse. People are constantly telling him that his actions as the Winter Soldier were not his fault, but this was all on him. There was no scapegoat, no evil organizations pulling the strings, no excuses, no one else to blame but himself. He was the reason you were gone, and it was destroying him.

()()()()()()()()()

Three weeks, and you were feeling like absolute shit. You barely slept, ate only what you could unwrap in seconds, and you’re pretty sure you haven’t showered in at least a week. You couldn’t tell what day it was; time seemed to slip and slide together in a meaningless fuzz in your mind. Most days found you on the small couch of the cabin Tony had so graciously offered you, the TV on a low hum in the background playing some sort of celebrity reality program. Not that you really cared. Nothing really held your interest for long anyway. Your thoughts were stuck back in your apartment with your boys. You kept replaying the better times over and over, trying to figure out where you went wrong.

Back when you first got together, Steve and Bucky had been so sweet, so shy when bringing up the idea, so afraid that you would turn them away and they would lose the best thing that had happened to them since they were reunited. When you told them you wanted to give it a try, they had been ecstatic. Their excitement was infectious, buzzing around you like two overenergized puppies who had just been given the best treats of their lives. Those first few months had been blissful, none of you willing to be parted from the other longer than a day or so. You went on dates, ate crappy Chinese food together, snuggled up to each other on the cold nights.

You were crying again thinking about those times. You missed being with your boys more than ever, missed the connection and the feeling of safety and security. You missed the two people who knew you better than you could ever know yourself. You had been stuck on a loop for the past three weeks. Where did it go wrong? When did it happen and how did you not notice? Was it you? God, if you could only talk to them. You had so many questions, so many concerns. Mostly, however, you just wanted a hug. You just wanted to be held between your Stevie and your Bucky and you wanted to feel loved.

It had been around midday, after shoving down a lukewarm hot pocket, that you heard the front door of the cabin click open.

“Damn,” came the snarky voice of Tony Stark, “You look worse than I did after that one Easter party I threw.” Even through the fog in your brain, you couldn’t help but smile.

“That was your own fault, Stark,” you sassed, “Who the hell takes that many tequila shots at a brunch party?”

The billionaire scoffed. “Obviously you have no sense of danger, babe.” You flipped him the finger. “So,” he said, lifting your feet up so he could make himself comfortable on the cushy couch, “It’s obvious to me and to literally everyone else that something went on between you and the two super stooges back home. And by the way they have been moping around the tower and by the grease buildup in Barnes’ hair, they are fairing about as well as you.”

Your ears perked up at the information. You should feel satisfied that Steve and Bucky were feeling miserable for what they did. You should feel relieved that they are getting a taste of what they put you through. Instead, you just felt your heart sink into your stomach. No matter how angry you were at them, you could never stand the thought of them in pain.

“I’m not saying the two don’t deserve it,” Tony continued, “I’m just saying that if your going to make them suffer, at least do it in a way that you aren’t suffering as well.”

“I don’t want to make them suffer,” came you soft reply.

“No?”

“I was hurt.” The tears that had been gathering in your eye dripped down your face at your watery tone. “I was hurt, and angry, and I just felt like I had to run to escape those feelings, so I came here. But the longer I stayed, the less hurt and angry I felt. And then the sadness and loneliness came and I felt like I was drowning, and all I wanted was to be back with them. But I had already stayed away for so long. What if they don’t want me anymore? Or they think we can fix things? What if they realize they aren’t willing to try, Tony? I don’t think I could handle that.”

Tony scrubbed his hand over his face and let out a huge breath. “I can’t answer those questions for you, sweetheart. Lord knows if I could take the pain away, I would. But nothing is going to happen with you sitting here and refusing to talk to them.” You nodded, knowing that what he was saying was logical. You couldn’t solve anything by sitting around and moping, and lord knows you won’t solve anything by running away.

You took a deep breath “Ok. I’m ready to come home.”

“Good.” Tony stood up and adjusted his suit. “Because honestly, the boys have start loitering outside my lab looking like a couple of drowned kittens, and it’s depressing everyone.” He held out his hand for you, which you graciously took, standing and hissing out your cramped muscles. Tony took one step towards the door before stopping suddenly and turning back. “Maybe you should shower first. You stink like that casserole Clint tried to make for dinner that one time.”

Tony barely dodged the chipped mug thrown at his head.

()()()()()()()()()

When you showed up to the apartment you shared with Bucky and Steve, your nerves had been on fire. Steve had opened the door looking he hadn’t slept since you had seen him last. His eyes widened and his arms twitched towards you instinctively, wanting to wrap you in in them and never let go. He held himself back, though it left a deep ache in his chest to do so. You wanted nothing more to go to him, to card you fingers through his hair and reassure him that everything was fine, that you were here and you would never leave again. You had to clutch the straps of your bag until your knuckles were white to stop yourself.

“We need to talk.” Your voice was small, fragile. You wanted to run and hide all over again, but you knew this needed to be done. Steve nodded jerkily, widening the door to allow you to enter. Visually, everything looked the same; the couch was in the living room, blankets thrown haphazardly across the back, and the table sat in the kitchen with its three mismatched chairs and well-loved surface. However, as you moved further into the space, you noticed a staleness to the air that hadn’t been there before. It wasn’t a home anymore, and the thought made you frown deeply.

Steve closed the door softly behind you. “I’ll go get Bucky,” he murmured, and you shivered. God help you, you were so in love with these men. Even tired and beat down, Steve’s voice still had an effect on you. It reminded you of soft kisses over bare skin in the early morning hours before the rest of the world was awake, of tender love and honey sweet words spoken between breathy moans.

You pushed the memory to the back of your mind as Steve reentered, Bucky following close behind. You felt your breath catch at his appearance. He looked broken. Dark circles fell under lightless eyes, the grief and despair that sat heavy on his shoulders was visible in the hunch he wore, as if he was being physically crushed by its weight. You could have honestly cried if it were a different situation.

At the sight of you standing in the living room, he cracked a smile that looked almost painful. “Hey, Doll. I missed you,” he rasped. Hi voice was scratchy and rough from crying. Despite the somber tension that hung in the room like mist, you felt a sense of peace wash over you at the presence of your boys. Despite your nerves, despite your fears and reservations, you smiled at them. The tension melted from Bucky and Steve’s shoulders, and you knew everything would be okay. You could do this.

()()()()()()()()()

The three of you spent hours talking. You told them everything: your fear of being left behind and forgotten, your frustrations with always feeling second place to the duties as avengers, the anger of that night and the emotions of the last three weeks. In turn, they shared their guilt and frustration at their own actions. They told you how they felt that being avengers was the only thing they could do to help people, it was the only thing they knew, and they had been scared to deviate from that routine, even when it had started pushing you away. They shared the fear they felt at finding you gone, and the terror and grief that had set in when they realized you might not come back and that was it for the three of you. Finally, they shared their confession that nothing they had done or would ever do as avengers would be more important than you. They wanted to change, to get better. They wanted to do it for you.

What started as you sitting across from them quickly transitioned into the three of you cuddled together on the couch, seemingly one entity. Weeks of no contact had starved the boys of your touch, and they couldn’t remove themselves from you if they wanted to. Bucky lay across you legs with his head in your lap, his arms wrapped around your waist. You hand was tangled in his hair, massaging the base of his skull. Your other hand was gripped tightly in Steve’s as you leaned back into his broad chest. His blond head rested comfortably on your shoulder, turned inward to whisper his apologies into the exposed skin of your neck. Every once and a while he would leave a lingering kiss there, the skin tingling nonstop from the feel of his lips. You felt more relaxed than you had in weeks. That night you fell asleep in your bed, bracketed by the two most important people in your life. You would be okay.

#stucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #steve rogers x reader #tony stark

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avengerscompound · 3 years

Text

The Tower: Happily Ever After - 5

The Tower: Happily Ever After An Avengers Fanfic

Series Masterlist | Character Refrence PREVIOUS //

Pairing: Avengers x OFC, Bruce Banner x Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton x Wanda Maximoff x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Tony Stark x Thor x Sam Wilson x OFC (Elly Cooper)

Word Count: 1601

Warnings: Pregnancy

Synopsis: Almost 40 years after Elise Cooper first crashed into Natasha Romanoff outside the library at Columbia University, she and the Avengers are adapting to a near-immortal life together with their large brood of children. Yet things aren’t perfect. Life is moving on without them and they’re starting to discover who isolating being immortal can be.When Angela comes and asks Thor to take the throne of Asgard once more, the group leaves Earth in the hopes that they will find their Happily Ever After there.

Chapter 5: Farewell to Our Old Life

It was kind of strange how little there was to organize for us regarding our move. There was packing, but we couldn’t exactly hire a moving truck so it needed to fit in bags that we could carry or it had to stay behind. That was difficult. We had had a long time to collect a lot of things we considered precious to us. The glass artwork that Thor and I had inadvertently made on our honeymoon was the thing I wished we could bring the most. It would stay in the fountain in the entry and hopefully, we’d come back sometimes and see it.

Thankfully, most of our things were fairly portable. We also wouldn’t need a lot of clothes because Asgard would provide things more fitting for the palace, and it’s not like we would need any furniture. Mostly it was just personal effects and tech that Tony wanted to use there.

Other than that it was just letting the doctors know I was leaving, pulling Marya out of school, and organizing the party.

It was still leaning on the stressful side though - especially considering we were still waiting to hear what the rest of the kids were going to do.

Even though Rose and Paul had appeared closest to deciding to come, it was Billy and Teddy who came back to us first with a yes. They had also said they wanted to do a bonding ceremony when we were there, which added another level of excitement and another level of stress.

Rose and Paul came next. They said that they would try it out and see. The concern about their children’s lifespan was a big issue for them, but Paul also said he’d be crazy to give up at least trying to live on Asgard as actual royalty.

As expected it was Eddie who took the longest to decide. He really did love his job, and I think even with his talk about having children, he, Lyra, and Rory were still right into the rich, young party lifestyle. He was worried about what they’d lose going to Asgard, rather than focusing on the things he might gain.

No one pressured him though. Any questions the three had were answered as honestly as we could and if we didn’t know we’d send word back to Asgard and Loki would come and give the answers they were looking for if at all possible. Eventually, he decided that he’d give it six months for us to settle and make sure things with Stark Industries and the Avengers was transitioning smoothly given our sudden departure, and then he and his family would join us there to try it out. He mentioned maybe doing six months on each planet or returning to Earth for a month or two every year, but we were all just glad he was willing to try it out, and his delayed departure from Earth was a good idea. He even promised to come and visit when his new siblings were born.

When our goodbye party began, the whole family was excited for this new chapter in our lives and sad to say goodbye to the last.

Many of our friends were elderly or had passed on, so the party was going to be a mixture of different people. Clarke was still around, though Jax had passed a few years ago. We’d lost Rhodey and Fury, though Hill was still running the day-to-day operations of the Avengers, even in her old age, and Coulson had retired after years as successfully being director of SHIELD. Vision was the same as ever, and people often came to him for direction when it came to the Avengers. Carol also hadn’t changed though she still spent more time in space than on Earth. A lot of the people we had met that had seemed so young when we met them, were all not officially middle-aged. Even Peter Parker who was only fifteen when I met him was now pushing fifty and had a wife and daughter of his own.

They would all be at the party, including a lot of the new Avengers lineup. Most of whom were much heavier hitters than any of us, even when we were wielding Mjolnir. It was definitely going to be sad to say goodbye.

“It’s going to be okay, you know?” Wanda said, snapping me out of my mini-trance as she ran a brush methodically through my hair.

“No, I know,” I said, tilting my head back.

“Then tell your brain that,” she teased.

I giggled and leaned up and pecked her lips. “I’m sorry. I would if I could. Just hormones I guess. Feeling stressed.”

“Well, stop it,” she scolded playfully. “It’s bad for the babies.”

She began to braid my hair and I hummed as her fingertips grazed over my scalp. “Imagine it though, Elly,” Wanda said. “All the kids nearby - the new babies.”

“You’re a baby-oholic,” I said, laughing softly.

“It’s true,” she says. “I am.”

She ran a hand around my side and pressed it on my stomach. “I can’t wait to meet them,” she said. “They already have such busy thoughts.”

I looked up at her and I’m not sure whether it was the look of pure and complete love in her eyes or the way the light caught in her hair, but I was struck by how beautiful she was and how much I loved her. She smiled and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I love you too,” she said and picked up a strand of silver wire with black opal and threaded it into my hair. “All done.”

I stood carefully and straightened out the skirts on my blue lace cocktail dress. “How do I look?” I asked.

“Perfect as always,” she said. “Let's go say goodbye to our friends.”

We made our way down to the party deck where the party was only just starting up. Bruce, Steve, and Clint were all already there, but there was no sign of Tony, Natasha, Clint, Sam, Thor, or Bucky.

Some of our kids were there and their kids all played out in the garden atrium that was built on the protruding wing of the tower and the party deck opened out into. I greeted everyone and as I made my way around the room more people arrived.

Clarke came over and tapped me on the shoulder. I turned and smiled, hugging her tightly. She had aged well, not as well as I had obviously, but while her face was lined and she was a little frailer looking, she had kept in good shape and she continued to color her hair. It would be easy to think she was in her early fifties rather than her mid-seventies. Her eyes were what gave it away. What had once been vivid violet had faded to pale lavender and were slightly cloudy. They were heavily lined at the corners, the years having carved deep crevices to mark each time she was happy or sad or angry or worried. It was still my Clarke though and I was going to miss her.

“I can’t believe you’re not going to be here when these two are born,” she said, indicating to my stomach as we pulled apart. She was one of the select group of people I would be totally fine with touching my stomach unasked - but she never assumed. “Where am I going to get my baby kisses from?”

I laughed and shook my head. “I guess you’ll have to visit me on Asgard.”

“You can do that?” She asked.

“I mean… I’m the Queen. I think I can pull some strings,” I teased.

She laughed. “God, thinking of you as a Queen is such a trip.”

“Hey Auntie Clarke,” Billy said, appearing behind us. “I haven’t seen you for a while.”

Clarke hugged him and looked around. “It’s been too long. Where are those kids of yours.”

“Come on, I’ll take you to them,” he looked over at me and narrowed his eyes. “You go sit down, mom. You know you’re supposed to be taking it easy.”

“I am taking it easy,” I argued, holding up my hands. “I’m just standing here.”

“Go on,” he said. “Don’t make me page Dad Tony.”

“Heaven forbid,” I laughed and he wrinkled his nose at me and led Clarke out to the atrium. I got myself a little plate of appetizers and a glass of punch and went and took a seat.

It wasn’t long until the whole room was teeming with people. The Avengers had gotten to be a rather large collection of people since the original six had been reluctantly dragged together all those years ago. Having so many of the people who meant so much to all of us here at the same time couldn’t help but make me think about how I’d first joined this group that would one day be my family.

All those years ago I had been a traumatized woman in her mid-twenties, just trying to get by. I didn’t have many good friends, because it took a lot for me to trust people. It took a superhero to get through and with her, so many other people flooded in after. I was so grateful to them, and so in love with each of them to this day. It would be hard letting this life of ours go, but it was inevitable. I still had my 9 chosen people though, and I always would. I was glad to be taking this next step with them at my side.

// NEXT

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some-cookie-crumbz · 3 years

Note

Hello!!!

I’m sorry if I’m bothering you but if my memory serves me right, I think you wrote a short headcanon/ideas based Huwumi AUs, particularly an Anastasia AU. If possible, can you please add some more please??🥺

Anon, you are’t bothering me in the slightest! I am ready to scream about Huwumi at a moments notice! I think I also warn that I LITERALLY have a small army of Huwumi fics/ AUs waiting in the wings! I'll elaborate on a few more down below, so get nice and comfy for me to weave together some stories~!

I’m going to focus on a handful of ideas here, but let me just state that I have a list probably twice as long with even more Huwumi goodies!

Gods AU: Basically in this AU, Gods and Goddesses once walked amongst mortals, directly assisting and guiding humanity from generation to generation. After a hostile takeover about 500 years prior to the start of the story, however, the Demon King rose to power and cast the world into an eternal winter. Fuyumi is a newcomer to one of the more habitable towns and learns that she is actually the reincarnation of the Goddess of Winter, the only daughter of the God of Time and Goddess of Nature. She’s forced to embark on a quest to release her Godly siblings who were sealed away, regain her Holy form and lost memories, as well as to help organize a rebellion to defeat the Demon King. In her travels she is joined by Keigo, the God of the Hunt and Harvest, who she was miraculously able to seal and seems to have some connection to.

Fake Dating AU #1 #2?? Kinda???: This is a prequel of sorts to my TodoDeku Theater Kids AU, but will be able to stand alone perfectly fine on it’s own. After a recent scandal for both professional musician Takami Keigo and movie-star-turned-director-and-producer Todoroki Enji, their respective PR teams come to a conclusion; they need to work together to save their reputations. Keigo is seen as a flighty womanizer while Enji is seen as an emotionless brute, so they decide that the best solution is for Keigo to pretend to date Enji’s only daughter, Fuyumi, and for Enji to be publicly supportive. The plan is for the rouse to only last about half a year or so. However, things get a bit more complicated the more time Keigo and Fuyumi spend getting to know one another for the sake of appearances. Particularly in how deep and genuine their attraction to one another really goes.

Fake Dating AU #2 #3?? Kinda???: No Quirks Modern AU where Rei and Enji have been divorced for a good few years. One night, Enji announces he has a new girlfriend that he would like to introduce the kids to. Fuyumi is adamantly against this and decides to put a stop to this herself by sabotaging the relationship in a rather discreet way. Enter Takami Keigo, a struggling actor, hired by Fuyumi to pose as her boyfriend for these dinners and meet-ups. Her one direction for him? Be as obnoxious and push as many of these buttons as necessary to run her off. Filled to the brim with the expected awkwardness and gradual pining typical in one of these AUs.

Pet Owner AU: No Quirks Modern AU where Fuyumi and her students find an old, miserable cat lost in the rain and decide to take him in. After a few days, Fuyumi finds some missing posters for the aforementioned cat which leads to a phone call and meeting with his eccentric owner, Keigo the firefighter. It’s mostly just cute and soft animal shenanigans while two dorks fall in love. Oh, and Enji the Chief of the Fire Department being very displeased with his daughter dating one of his colleagues.

Veterinarian AU: No Quirks Modern AU that is somewhat similar to the prior one but with some key differences. Fuyumi finds a box of itty bitty baby kittens on her way home from work and takes them with her to look after. After a few days, she notices that they seem to be incredibly sick and takes them to a new local clinic by her work. Here she meets the two “owners” of the place; an old cat named Dr. Grumbles and young veterinarian Dr. Keigo Takami. From there, a romance begins to bloom involving cat pictures and health updates.

Romeo and Juliet AU: The Shakespeare tale with a magical twist! The Takami and Todoroki families were at war with one another for years, leading to countless blood shed. The Emperor of the Land of Yuuei at the time called together the most powerful mages across the land to help alleviate this battle through magical means; locking the respective families and their allies in parallel universes where they can no longer interact with one another. After many generations, however, the magical veil separating them has started to waver, allowing them glimpses into one another’s dimensions. It is through this that only heir to the Takami family, Keigo, and second born heir of the Todoroki family, Fuyumi, first catch glimpses of each other. With the help of a mage, Keigo and a small group of his friends are able to travel to the Todoroki dimension to crash a masquerade being held there and, if lucky, catch a glimpse of the young lady he’d seen. Thus begins a forbidden love story between the two.

Arranged Marriage AU: Following the development of Quirks, a subsection of the government became dedicated to determining the compatibility of people based on Quirk, personality, sexual orientation and family lineage, leading to a majority of the population being in government-sanctioned relationships. The results are determined during adolescence but not revealed until one reaches their early twenties. Thus leading to Todoroki Fuyumi being informed that she has been paired with cocky, haughty Pro Hero Hawks. With this knowledge being made known by both parties, the Commission rushes in to begin meddling and barking orders. With the pair starting off on the wrong foot with a rushed marriage, tense cohabitation and pushy, opinionated relatives, it becomes a question of how willing they both are to put in the work, or if Fuyumi’s greatest fear of living in a marriage like her mother will come to fruition.

Soul Eater AU: The least developed of them all but it’s going to happen. I still haven’t finalized what roles they each have but… I’ll eventually say more about this. Because no I won’t just let the idea of Soul Eater AUs for all of my ships go.

Single Parent AU: Look… You can tell how deep in I am if I have at least one Single Parent AU for a couple… Canon Divergent, but after the death of her best friend, Fuyumi becomes the legal guardian of said friend’s little son. With little time to grieve and constant fires to extinguish in the family home - including her own resentment towards her Father - Fuyumi doesn’t have time for a relationship. She wants to focus instead on being a good mother to her new son, to give him the love and life she knew his blood mother would have wanted him to have. In swoops Hawks, easily smitten after a chance encounter with the only Todoroki daughter, even in the face of her polite indifference. But is his interest in her deep enough to commit to something like fatherhood? And, even if it is, can he prove that he’s willing to commit?

Farmer AU: AU where Takami Keigo is a famous model/ actor who finds himself involved in a huge scandal and in desperate need to escape the city for a good while. His agent calls in a favor with an old contact to help get him somewhere safe and sound. That location? A rural farming community known as Yuuei, working as a new ranch hand for the Todoroki family. Problem number one? Keigo knows nothing about farming, tending crops or caring for farm animals. Problem number two? Todoroki Enji is an incredibly uptight and particular boss. Problem number three? Todoroki Enji’s only daughter, Fuyumi, is an incredibly sweet young miss. And Keigo really wants to impress her.

#crumbles grumbles #Huwumi #Am I planning to write all of these?#Hopefully yes #It'll just be a very long time before they see the light of day

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occasional-drabbles · 3 years

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I'm Not Him - Chapter 7 - A BOTW Fic

So this is a very... very... long chapter. 3,700 words. So hopefully it was worth the wait! Kibo's still having to do a lot of back and forth for the sake of getting set up for the quest ahead!

Read the Fic on AO3 Here!

Quick Summery of the Fic: This is basically a ‘What If’ Fic. What if Link had actually died in BOTW, instead of being resurrected? The Hero would have to be reincarnated… into someone who isn’t Link.

Chapter Warnings: None that I can think of? Ask to tag

First | Previous | Next

When Kibo was woken up the next morning, he hardly felt any more rested than when he fell asleep in the first place. But there’s no time to lament lost sleep. So he just forced himself out of bed, quietly thanking the innkeeper who had woken him up as he repacked his bag.

How to get into Hateno and up to the director’s house without being caught… He could climb up the cliff, on the opposite side of the town? That would be more straining and exhausting, but it avoids him having to disappoint people… or if he waits until night time then he can try to go up that way, and wait until morning for the director to wake up? He’ll figure it out when he gets there.

So after taking another quick sweep of his room to ensure he had everything, he picked up his bag and started out of Kakariko and back towards Hateno.

Have you decided how you wish to proceed?

The princess’s voice startled him out of trying to figure exactly that out, sighing softly as he rubbed the back of his neck. “No, not yet… I could go around the back of town, try to climb up the cliff to reach the director’s house without going through Hateno, but that’s exhausting…”

You don’t want anyone to see you, do you?

He shook his head, even if she couldn’t really see his reaction. “No… They’ll probably just try to get me to go back to my parents. Or they’ll all just be disappointed in me for running away in the first place.” Since that’s technically what he did. Ran away, abandoned his parents, even if it’s with good intentions… no one there ever really understood.

“So I could try going through town at night, maybe pass by home to check on my parents…” Part of him wonders if they miss him, if they looked for him… if they still would be. It’s been almost two weeks now, after all…

Shaking his head again to dismiss that train of thought, he adjusted his backpack and focused forward.

He could tell that Zelda wanted to say… something. He wasn’t sure what, and she didn’t seem to either. There was a hesitance in his brain, a tense silence, and heavy emotions that he couldn’t place. Regret? Guilt? Curiosity? Some mix of all three?

However she seemed to eventually decide against saying anything, settling into the silence. Kibo once again stopped on the bridge near the fork in the road between Kakariko and Hateno, looking at the deactivated guardian silently, his eyebrows furrowed. This time, he didn’t feel the same fear and dread he did when he first came to Kakariko.

No… instead, he just felt tired. It was finally starting to sink in just how much he was taking on. Sure, the fear was still there, but the weight on his shoulders overshadowed it. But no turning back now. He’s already started, and he’s determined to see this to the end. One way or another.

Forcing one foot in front of the other, he took the path up towards Hateno, glancing up to the sun. “I don’t want to drag this out too long…” He mused to himself, sighing and rubbing the back of his neck. “So it’s probably best to just climb the cliff… I doubt I can sneak through town… We don’t get a lot of visitors or travelers, so trying to hide like that wouldn’t work.” He sighed. Though as he got closer and looked around, he got an idea. “I can go alongside the cliffs to the side of town…” He mumbled. “That keeps me above everyone and out of sight, and I think they go all the way to the director’s place…”

Is it safe?

Kibo couldn’t stop himself from snorting in amusement, “Is anything safe?” He asked, then paused. That was rude. Bad Kibo, bad. He sighed “Sorry, that was mean… I used to love climbing on the rocks when my parents weren’t looking, so I’ll be fine.” He reassured “If it’s too difficult, I’ll figure something else out.” That seemed to comfort the princess at least a little, letting him sigh in relief. He doesn’t want to upset her or anything when she’s just worried about him. And considering the circumstances, the concern is well warranted.

It was late by the time that Kibo reached the outskirts of Hateno, the sun having already set. “Looks like I’ll need to wait until morning, no matter how I go about it…” He mused softly, but went right off of the path to follow the cliffs. Hopefully it wouldn’t draw much attention, since he knows that people still tend to be up and about at these hours… He feels a pang of guilt, knowing that he’s sneaking around to avoid these people who are so important to him, who helped to raise him. But… he’s doing this in part for their sakes. To make Hyrule safer for them. For everyone. Hopefully they’ll forgive him for leaving like he has.

His climbing practice as a kid really did come in handy, though his travel pack was a new obstacle for sure. Despite the extra weight, he was able to traverse the cliffs pretty easily, hopping down on the far side of town to follow the path up to the laboratory. Hopefully it won’t rain or anything tonight, so he can try to get some rest… perhaps he should hide around back to rest, to avoid being seen if anyone happened to come up. Sure, the odds were slim, but it was a risk never the less…

So he opted to do that, planning on going to the back of the lab once he finally reached it. He hadn’t been this close to it before, though, and couldn’t help examining the large… thing out front. He wasn’t sure what to call it. It looks like a balloon with an awning, with some sort of pedestal in front of it. Shaking his head dismissively, he yawned and rubbed at his eyes, taking his travel pack off and setting it down beside him as he slid down the wall of the lab. “Time to sleep…” He mumbled to himself, finally shutting his eyes.

Kibo woke up to the sun shining in his eyes, whining as he stretched out and rubbed his eyes in hopes of waking up more. He pushed himself up off the ground, slinging his backpack back into place on his shoulder. He looked at the strap thoughtfully, debating whether or not to bother with breakfast yet… he wasn’t sure what exactly to expect…

He decided to wait on breakfast, just in case he has to fight to prove himself… again… and went to the front door. He hesitated for a moment before knocking, unable to help snorting in amusement. It’s not really surprising that the lab could be left unlocked, considering how most people in Hateno know better than to mess with the lab. And even then, most people in Hateno don’t lock their doors, since it’s a relatively close-knit community.

“Hello?” He called hesitantly, pushing the door open and walking in. He saw a lot of… things, mostly books, strewn around the room. A young Sheikah girl with large goggles, who didn’t appear to be much older than 5, stood on a stool in front of a large table covered in papers. In the back was a Sheikah man, seeming to be organizing books.

Kibo went to the man in the back, forcing himself to stand up straighter to at least feign confidence in what he’s doing. “Excuse me?” He started, waiting for the man to turn around and face him before continuing. “I was told I need to speak to the director.” The man perked up some and nodded, giving Kibo a smile. “That’s the director, right over there.” He said, pointing at the girl he’d noticed earlier.

“...Her…?”

“I realize she looks young, but I assure you, Ms. Purah is as brilliant as they come!” The man reassured. “Oh, where are my manners! I’m Symin.”

“Kibo.” He returned with a polite nod, but was doing a terrible job at hiding how skeptical he was regarding the director’s identity. “Thank you…” He added as a bit of an afterthought, going over to the girl.

She’d clearly been listening in to their conversation, absolutely beaming with a hand on her hip as Kibo joined her at the table. “Ha! I had you totally fooled, didn’t I?” She teased with a wide grin. “But it’s true! I am the director of this lab!”

Kibo wasn’t sure what he was expecting from the director of the lab… okay, he does know what he was expecting. Someone really old, but maybe not as old as Lady Impa, maybe in a long jacket, and probably a little crazy. Not… this. But, now isn’t a time to mull over expectations, he needs to mind his manners! Especially if he wants her help!

“My name is Kibo… Lady Impa sent me here to have you take a look at the Sheikah Slate? To make sure that it’s in working order…?” He introduced, turning his bag a little to reach into it, pulling out the Sheikah Slate and offering it to her.

Purah absolutely lit up, all but snatching the device out of his hands. “Oh, I recognize this one! This was the one I left… with…”

Her joy visibly drained from her face as she realized what that meant, and Kibo was able to fill in the blanks. She left that slate with Link… for when he’d wake up, be healed, and return to save Hyrule...

Kibo did his best not to dwell too much on the fact that this was something that wasn’t meant for him. This quest wasn’t meant for him either, really, but… so many people had been expecting Link. Not some nobody like him.

“I’m sorry…” He said quietly, looking down at the ground for a minute and shifting his weight.

Purah shook her head to dismiss the negative air, nearly knocking herself off of her stool, forcing a grin back on her face. “But no matter! It still has a purpose to serve!” She hummed, nodding determinedly. Though, she faltered again. “Unfortunately, I can’t really help you right now… With the furnace out, the Guidance Stone that we’d need in order to repair your slate isn’t working.” She admitted. “And the slate does need repairs. It’s missing a lot of key features.”

Kibo fought back a pout at the news that he has more stuff to do, and it isn’t as simple as handing it over. “Okay, so… how do you fix the furnace?”

“Did you not see it outside?” Purah asked, tilting her head. “The large fixture just outside the door and to the left as you come in?”

Kibo furrowed his brows thoughtfully, distracted for a moment by a small strand of hair that got in his face, trying to blow it out of his way. “Ohhh, the thing that looked like a balloon?” He asked, perking up some.

“Precisely! It needs to be lit with a blue flame, the source of which is just downhill some.” Purah explained. “But I can’t let the people down in the village see me like this. It raises too many questions.” She admitted. “And Symin has too much to do to do it himself. So… if you could….” She trailed off, looking up at Kibo eagerly.

Kibo took a deep breath and nodded, putting on his best ‘I don’t really want to do this but I know I need to be polite’ smile. “Alright, I’ll do that… bring up the blue fire. That… should be manageable.” He decided against voicing the issue of how he can’t be seen by anyone either. He doesn’t need to go spilling his issues to everyone he meets, after all.

Purah lit up, clapping her hands eagerly “That’s great! As soon as you get that done, we can repair your slate lickity split!” She beamed before playfully shooing him out.

Kibo let out a laugh, grabbing the torch by the door on the way out. He didn’t have one on hand, so he’d need it if he’s working with fire.

Well, she certainly hasn’t changed… personality wise, at the very least.

“Oh! There you are.” Kibo hummed, walking to the edge of the cliff and looking for the blue flame the director was talking about. “You’ve been really quiet today…” He pointed out, not trying to be accusatory, but also… with all of these interactions with people who knew her, knew Link… He wants the support.

My apologies… For what it may be worth, I knew you could handle her. I would have chimed in if necessary.

Kibo snorted at that answer. Somehow, he had been expecting something like that. ‘He could handle it’, sure.

For the record, that stone structure is where you want to go.

“Oh! Thanks.” Kibo chirped, perking up some as he noticed the structure she was talking about. “Now to just… figure out how to get there…without being noticed.” He sighed.

And hope for good weather.

Whining a little at the reminder that weather would be a factor, he looked up to the sky. “It looks like it’ll be okay for now, at the very least… Just a few clouds.”

With that, he focused on figuring out his path.

“I could probably climb down this cliff, slide down it to go faster, go through the farm, and just go straight for it. But coming back with the fire… I don’t think I could climb while holding it… I’d have to hold it in my mouth, and that seems like a… very dumb idea.”

The worst part is, he was actually considering trying it too.

Kibo, no. Do not try to carry the fire in your mouth, you’ll hurt yourself.

“Boo.” Kibo pouted, but sat down on the ledge of the cliff to start sliding down it. It was definitely not the safest way down, but it’s fun, and a lot faster than trying to climb ‘correctly’. He could just about feel the Princess’s anxiety as his own, but it was just separate enough that he couldn’t help but snicker.

He was back on the ground in no time, glancing around before he hopped the fence to ‘sneak’ through the farm. As tempting as it is to stop and pet the animals, he was on a mission. Thankfully the dogs didn’t bark at him, having long since gotten used to his scent since he’d help up out here sometimes.

Managing to clear the farm without being seen, he slid down the next, much smaller cliff, and continued to the furnace. He easily hopped over the small river, sighing in relief once he reached the furnace. “Going down is always the easy part… getting up is a pain in the butt.” He pouted, lighting the torch. Though he caught himself fascinated by the blue flame, and having to fight the urge to touch it. It’s just… such a pretty blue!

Kibo…

“Yeah, yeah, don’t touch the pretty magical blue fire.” He snorted, turning to try and figure out how to go back. “I think I can just… hop the river, and follow the path… I can probably avoid drawing too much attention that way… though sometimes kids play by that tree…” He sighed. “Maybe it would work if I told them I was playing hide and seek or something…”

Shaking his head to dismiss the though, figuring it’s best to deal with it once he gets there, he went over and hopped the river again. Though, he nearly fell in the river in the process, but that’s neither here nor there.

Keeping up against the cliff face, and praying that no one would pass by or really be paying attention, he started to sneak towards the trail up to the lab. As he expected, he got by without being noticed by any adults, but there was one of the little boys in town, Azu, under the tree. Greaaaat…

He still tried to walk by, hoping the kid wouldn’t recognize him… somehow… despite the fact that Kibo’s had to babysit him and the other kids before…

“Kibo?”

There it is. Kibo flinched a bit and tried to just ignore Azu, and just keep walking. But he was stopped when he felt a tug on his shirt.

“Kibo? Is that you?”

He sighed and looked down at the kid, who absolutely lit up when seeing his face. “It is! It is you! Everyone’s looking for you!”

Kibo quickly tried to hush him “Azu, Shhh.” He said, squatting down to his level and putting a finger to his lips, making sure to keep the torch well away from him. “It’s a secret that I’m here, okay?”

Azu’s excitement dulled some, tilting his head. “But why? Everyone is trying to find you… they say you left without saying goodbye!”

How to explain that you ran away from home to pursue a mission that is likely to kill you for the sake of the entirety of Hyrule and couldn’t say goodbye because everyone thought that you were crazy, and you had to come back because you’ve got to deal with the hundreds of year old tech that was meant for the guy who came before you who died…

“I’m on a super secret mission.” Kibo explained in a loud whisper, keeping his finger just in front of his mouth. He gave Azu a grin just like he usually would when playing around with the kids, especially when they were getting up to some harmless pranks.

That seemed to get Azu into a playful mood, the child covering his mouth as if to help hold in the secret.

“I need you to promise not to tell anyone, and I mean anyone, that you saw me today… okay?”

Azu nodded eagerly, even offering out his little pinky finger for a promise. Kibo laughed and used his free hand to accept the promise with his own pinky.

“But…” Azu started, clearly hesitant. “Why do you have magic fire?”

“It’s part of my quest.” Kibo answered honestly, since there’s no real point in lying about that.

“Ooohhhh” Azu gasped softly, finally understanding. “Okay! I promise I won’t tell anyone I saw you!”

Kibo laughed and nodded, standing back up finally, careful not to lose his balance thanks to his traveling pack. “You go back to playing, and be safe, okay?”

“Okay! You too Kibo!” Azu beamed, going back to his spot at the tree to play.

Kibo sighed in relief and continued his trek up to the lab.

You handled that very well, Kibo.

He snorted. “Of course I did. I babysat him a few times, just like the other kids in town. I know how to convince him to do things, or to keep secrets… at least long enough for me to do what I need to.” He sighed, his excitement over his ability to get Azu to keep a secret being overshadowed by the guilt of having just manipulated someone he’s basically grown up with and been at least somewhat responsible for.

After a few steps of silence from the Princess, she hesitantly spoke up again. This must be hard on you, isn’t it?

Kibo wasn’t much more sure with his answer, trying not to focus on how his heart was pounding from lying like that. “It’s… a lot harder than I thought it would be… I thought I wouldn’t have to come back, and even if I did, that I could focus on my goal a lot easier… just… avoid everyone. Get everything done, help you and Hyrule, and then…” He trailed off with a shrug. He wasn’t really sure what to expect, once this quest was over… assuming he finishes it.

It can be difficult to gauge just how something may affect you.

“You don’t say…” Kibo sighed, barely speaking above a whisper.

Finally reaching the furnace, Kibo lit the flame, and watched as the furnace lit up. And alongside it, a weird pad on the ground in front of the entrance to the lab that he… somehow hadn’t noticed before.

He put out the torch before he went in, and Purah was absolutely ecstatic. “Wonderful! You lit the furnace! Now we can repair the Sheikah Slate for you!” She beamed. She even hopped off her stool, took the slate from Kibo’s hands, and went to update it herself.

Kibo simply watched in awe as the ancient technology worked, but made sure to stay well out of the way.

In no time at all, Purah was offering the Sheikah Slate back to Kibo. “And here we go! You’ve got access to the runes you already should, like the camera, the map, the Hyrule Compendium, that sort of thing.” She explained, even showing Kibo how to use each one, since he didn’t have the slightest clue.

“What about these other five… runes?” Kibo asked.

“Oh! You have to get those from shrines.” Purah explained. “No, it’s not like the Shrine of Resurrection. They’re more so tests of your body and mind. I believe the ones you need can be found on the Great Plateau…” She mused out loud, tapping at her chin thoughtfully. “So I’d suggest heading there next and getting those. Runes can be super duper helpful!”

“The Great Plateau… noted.” Kibo mumbled to himself, hoping he’d actually remember if he said it out loud. “I should probably go back to Lady Impa though… let her know I saw you and got everything upgraded.”

Purah nodded and beamed. “Of course! And if you need anything or want to upgrade your Sheikah Slate and have the ancient materials, feel free to stop by!”

Kibo nodded to her and waved with a smile, settling his Sheikah Slate on his hip now by his belt since he can actually use some of its functions now, and started towards Kakariko once again.

#botw #botw fic #loz #loz fic #loz botw #botw au #loz au #loz botw au #loz botw fic #legend of zelda #breath of the wild #fic #writing #my writing #original post #I'm not him #im not him #kibo

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welllpthisishappening · 4 years

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Welllp This is...Sports Fic

Oh hai there, internet. I hope you all are staying safe and healthy and there’s plenty of your favorite drink in your cabinets. If you, like me, miss sports, I have a vaguely shameless self-promotion for you because I have written just...a copious amount of sports-type fanfiction. Mostly Captain Swan, but I’ve started to tread into Bellarke and now arrive with this almost well-organized list.

We run the gamut here, so there’s everything from hockey to lacrosse to soccer and basketball. And, you know, if there’s something else you want to see or read about, I’m running out of features to write in the real world.

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Tripping Over the Blue Line Rating: Mature Chapters: 40

It's a transition. That's what Emma's calling it. She's transitioning from one team to another, from one coast to another and she's definitely not worried. Nope. She's fine. Really. She's promised Mary Margaret ten times already. So she got fired. Whatever. She's fine, ready to settle into life with the New York Rangers. She's got a job to do. And she doesn't care about Killian Jones, captain of the New York Rangers. At all.

He's done. One more season and he's a free agent and he's out. It's win or nothing for Killian. He's going to win a Stanley Cup and then he's going to stop being the face of the franchise and he's going to go play for some other garbage team where his name won't be used as puns in New York Post headlines. That's the plan. And Emma Swan, director of New York Rangers community relations isn't going to change that. At all.

They are both horrible liars.

More under the cut, because seriously there’s a lot

More in the Tripping Over the Blue Line Universe

We'll Take a Cup (defense) of Kindness Rating: Mature Chapters: 2

It's one night. New Year's Eve. And a whole list of rules. Because Regina might have actually lost her mind. Or maybe that's just Emma. Because they've played a million games in two days, or it's at least felt that way, and planning an outdoor practice a few weeks before the Olympics seemed like a good idea at one point. Now it just seems insane. So she's going to wear this dress and kiss her boyfriend. A lot.

He's good. Better than good. Great. The greatest. It's New Year's Day and, yeah, sure it's freezing, but Killian hasn't actually tried to push Scarlet on the Subway tracks yet so that seems like a step in the right direction. So he's a little distracted a few weeks before the Olympics, but that's fine. It's good. Or it'll be good. Eventually. Soon. In the meantime he's probably just going to kiss his girlfriend. A lot.

The PyeongChang Triple Rating: Mature Chapters 15

It’s the Olympics. The. Olympics. And Emma’s running out of post-it notes to write schedules and plans on and there are more games and more expectations and not enough time for any of it. She’s fine. Totally. Absolutely. If she could just sleep. Or stop feeling as if her knees are going to give out every time she stands up. Or get Ruby to stop staring at her like that. It’s fine. After all Killian Jones, captain of Team USA, keeps promising it will be.

He’s going to win. Again. At the Olympics. And Killian’s not nervous. Not about that. It’s hockey. He could play hockey in his sleep. Probably. He’s never tried that. But he probably could. And, sure, there are expectations and games and schedules and barely any time for what he wants to actually be doing, but winning a Gold medal isn’t bad. After all, Emma Swan, temporary New York Rangers Olympics team social media manager, keeps promising it will be.

They’re fine. They’re going to win. Together.

Going Top Shelf Rating: Mature Chapters: 20

It's more than just one season.

It's hits and goals and being the face of the franchise and events and family and road trip facts. It's on-ice injuries and off-ice dramas and weddings and cross-country flights and shouting in the stands. It's games and holidays and traditions and athletic-based superstition.

It's life and it's not just hockey and as far as Emma and Killian are concerned, that makes it even better.

A collection of 'Tripping Over the Blue Line' one shots from before, during and after the original story.

A Biscuit in the Basket

Or: the AU of the AU where Will and Belle adopt a kid

Also Blue Line one shots are under 4K stories that only get posted to Tumblr.

OTHER HOCKEY STORIES

Whistled for Icing Canon One Shot

Elsa leaves a bit of magic in the forest just outside of Storybrooke and it’s reason enough for the town to investigate. Or start up a game of hockey.

What Used to Be Limes Rating: Teen One Shot

Killian Jones is only a little worried that he’s not going to survive his first season in the NHL. With a snarky roommate and a fridge that’s barely boasting a few limes, it’s going to be a close call. At least he’s got one thing going for him: his best friend Emma Swan.

Who he just happens to be in love with.

A Rooting Interest Rating: Teen One Shot

This is all Ruby’s fault. Emma doesn’t normally work behind the bar, but Ruby’s sick and there’s something happening at the Garden this weekend and she knows she can help.

She gets behind the bar and starts making drinks and it isn’t so bad when some guy who only wants water shows up.

Or when he leaves a pretty good tip. Two tickets to the hockey game. She assumes that’s what’s happening at the Garden.

BELLARKE HOCKEY Connecting on the Wraparound Rating: Mature Chapters: 15, WIP

Bellamy Blake is exhausted.

Sick of the game that’s been at the center of his life for as long as he can remember, and the reputation he’s garnered because of it, Bellamy is desperate to get away from the ice during the NHL All-Star break. So, without much thought to what he’s doing or why he’s doing it, Bellamy heads home, to the place he thought he could never come back to.

It’s a stupid idea, really, or so Octavia has told him seventy-six times, but then Clarke Griffin is standing in front of him and her daughter is an even better skater than Bellamy is and, all of the sudden, Arkadia seems like the most important place in the world.

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BASEBALL

You Play Ball Like a Girl Rating: Mature Chapters: 47

Emma Swan had a plan. Get the story. Get the byline. Up her Twitter follower count. It was simple – she was going to take over the New York City journalism world. And she was going to do it from the sideline with a credential around her neck and a pen stuffed in her hair and a fierce determination no one was going to be able to put a dent in.It was the perfect plan.That plan just failed to factor in Killian Jones.

Sliding Down the Hill Rating: General

Emma Swan's phone rings and she makes a quick, split second decision. She keeps doing that. She makes choice after choice and change after change and, suddenly, she's crying on ESPN. That's probably the last thing she expects.

Or: A not-quite a Little League World Series AU.

Back in the Swing of Things Rating: General

The Sliding Down the Hill sequel.

Safe Upon Review Rating: General One Shot

Henry won’t stop crying. And Emma can’t sleep. Or stop worrying. And it’s snowing. Of course it’s snowing. She’s not sure what she thinks Mary Margaret can do, but she’s certain she can fix it and the drive across campus should only take ten minutes and….Mary Margaret isn’t there.

It’s the anniversary of something. And Killian is in the room by himself. With a questionable amount of takeout food. And it’s snowing. Of course it’s snowing. He’s not sure when David will get back, but he’s certain it’s too early when he hears the noise in the hall and…David isn’t there.

Step Right Up and Greet the Mets Rating: General One Shot

Emma doesn’t want to go.

It’s going to be a goddamn disaster because the Mets really aren’t that great and no one on that team will give Jacob deGrom any run support and she doesn’t want Killian to freak out when he sees Mary Margaret live and in action at Citi Field. Mary Margaret is not actually playing the game.

Mary Margaret doesn’t know that.

But none of those things seem to matter and Killian agreed to the invitation and now, a few months into a relationship that sees Emma thinking all kinds of things, they’re going to Queens. Batter up, or whatever.

Start Spreading the News Rating: Teen One Shot

Emma Swan is just looking for something that’s hers. She’s fairly certain she’s found it in New York, with a group of friends and a good job and picture frames on her apartment walls. But then the past she’s spent so long trying to ignore shows up where she least expects to find it – wearing pinstripes in right field at Yankee Stadium.

More Famous Than a Yankee Can Rating: Teen One Shot

The sequel to Start Spreading the News from Killian’s POV

Batting a Thousand Rating: Teen One Shot

If asked, Emma would promise she doesn’t mean to start dating her brother’s sworn baseball enemy. But she also knows David didn’t mean to hit Killian that one time in college and, well, you can’t predict baseball.

and it’s subsequent Tumblr-only one shot sequels

Puppy Love The Yankees host an adoption event. Killian wants to adopt a puppy.

The One Where They Elope Basically what’s on the tin.

Pace of Play

She can’t believe she’s never noticed it before. Because, honestly, Emma can’t even come up with a number to try and calculate how often she’s watched Killian step into the batters box. And that’s the thing. He never really steps out, either. It’s a weird approach, but that could be the subheadline for their lives at this point and she’s mostly concerned with the power behind that swing.

A Long-Standing Rivalry Killian and David start buying the other’s kid merch for the opposing team. It’s absurd.

Hitting Against the Shift Rating: Teen One Shot

She has no idea how this works. She doesn’t know what’s a hit or what’s an error or how, exactly, to cope with the way he looks in those pants. Seriously, they’re good pants.

But when Killian showed up at her door that morning, promising “we just need someone to play, love,” Emma couldn’t figure out a reason to say no. So, here she is, playing the game on the field and off it, with half a hope and, honestly, far too many thoughts about his pants.

She’s a mess, really.

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LACROSSE

Playing Man Down Rating: Teen Chapters: Two

Emma’s boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, thank you very much, makes the incredibly large mistake of telling she shouldn’t want to coach at the prestigious lacrosse camp he’s working at this summer. So, she sets out to prove girls can check just as well as guys.

Even if she’s not admitting she’s a girl.

Or: a “She’s the Man” AU, but with lacrosse

Marking Up Rating: Teen One Shot

Killian had no expectations going in.

Mostly, he’s just made his teammates stole his phone. But then that leads to this and a date and Emma Swan and...she doesn’t know anything about lacrosse. He can work with that.

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ESPORTS

Where You Can Still Remember Dreaming Rating: Mature Chapters: 35

Killian Jones, former crime reporter, was not happy to be home. It hadn’t been home in a very long time, after all. Home was an abstract construct that existed for people who didn’t know as many adjectives for blood as he did. Home wasn’t New York City, but it certainly wasn’t Boston or New Orleans either and he’d always gone where the story was. And he was positive Emma Swan was one hell of a story.

Emma Swan, pro video game player, desperately wanted to find home. She thought she had, a million years ago in the back corner of a barn and a town and faces she trusted. But that had all blown up in her face and it didn’t take long for her to decide she was going to control the pyrotechnics from here on out. So now she was in New York City and a different corner and she kind of wanted to trust Killian Jones.

Neither one of them expected a year of of video games and feature stories to dredge up old enemies and even older feelings, but, together, they made a pretty good team.

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BASKETBALL

A Touch of (March) Madness Rating: Teen Chapters: Two

Emma can't quite remember how it started or why it happened, just that it did and she wants to win. Desperately. To prove something. Probably.

Or just to beat Killian. Either or. It doesn't matter.

She's picked her teams and her upsets and she's got a string of trash talk ready for any potential on-court situation. They're not playing the game, but they're playing a game and this one might change everything.

Or: The March Madness AU about questionably competitive friends and very strong college basketball opinions.

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SOCCER

It's a Funny Old Game Rating: Teen Chapters: Two

Killian's not sure why he agreed to this. Well, no, that's not true. He does. Because Henry asked. And, well, maybe they're some kind of family now.

Emma's not sure why she hasn't said anything. Well, no, that's not true. She does. Because she's not supposed to. And, well, things were pretty good already.

Or: A quasi Out of the Frying Pan sequel with soccer.

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THE OLYMPICS

Holding the Edge Rating: Teen One Shot

Killian Jones does not want the questions. He doesn't want the interviews or the spotlight or the sky-high expectations.

The world, however, does not seem to care. The world, after all, loves a good comeback story.

And Killian Jones is one heck of a comeback story. With his eyes on gold. And maybe slightly gold'ish hair and green eyes and, yeah, maybe he's got some questions of his own.

Almost Believing, This One's Not Pretend Rating: Teen Chapters: Two

They don’t grow up skating together.

They don’t even want to start skating together.

But then life happens and they kind of need each other and maybe that sentence means a lot more than either one of them are willing to admit at first. Or ever. So they keep skating and, sometimes, winning and, always, ignoring the questions. There are a lot of questions.

Because how could two people have so much chemistry on the ice when they’re just partners?

-----

BOXING

Pulling Your Punches Rating: Teen One Shot

It’s not meant to be a secret relationship. But Emma can’t help that her and Killian’s friends are incredibly unobservant. And then it becomes something of a game, waiting to see how long they notice. Until Killian gets hurt. Emma can’t help anything after that.

#cs ff #captain swan #bellarke ff #listen the sports #i like them #seriously i hope you guys are all staying healthy!#here's a lot of kissing too #as if you'd expect anything else from me really

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lesbians4shaynetopp · 5 years

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Smosh Theatre AU

Actors

• Shayne- Baritone

• Courtney- Soprano

• Noah- Tenor

• Keith- Baritenor

• Damien- Baritenor

• Olivia- Alto/Mezzo

• Sarah- Mezzo/Sop

• Kimmy- Alto/Mezzo

• Ian (but mostly assi. director)- Bass

Crew

• Matt- stage manager

• Mari- assi. stage manager

• Joven- set head

• Lasercorn- set head

• Wes- sound head

• Boze- costume/makeup head

• Flitz- props head/choreographer

• Sohinki- lights head

Directors- Rhett and Link

The Musicals

Little Shop Of Horrors

Seymour- Noah

Audrey- Courtney

Audrey II- Keith

Orin Scrivello- Damien

Crystal, Ronnette, and Chiffon- Kimmy, Olivia, and Sarah

Mr. Mushnik- Shayne

Falsettos

Marvin- Damien

Whizzer- Shayne

Trina- Kimmy

Mendel- Keith

Jason- Noah

Charlotte- Olivia

Cordelia- Courtney

Waitress

Jenna- Courtney

Dawn- Olivia

Becky- Kimmy

Dr. Pomatter- Damien

Earl- Ian

Ogie- Noah

Cal- Shayne

Joe- Keith

Headcanons

Actors

Damien

• Damien is the star of the program

• He has a lot of range as an actor

• He has singing range up to a F#4 belt

• He had so much fun as Orin in little shop

• Dark Damien popped off honestly

• And then with falsettos he went off with it all. Bitch’ll make you cry

• Though he had a harder time staying in character with him

• Just because it’s hard to do Thrill Of First Love with your best friend (if you know you know)

• He didn’t think he was going to be Dr. Pomatter but that’s how it ended up

• It was a little harder on his voice, but he loved every second

Keith

• Keith has RANGE BABYY He goes up to an A4 and down to a C3

• His favorite role he’s every done was Audrey II.

• He says it’s because he didn’t have to worry about blocking

• But it’s really bc he got to play with it a lot

• Mendel was harder for him bc he’s used to over the top characters

• He was so excited to work with Noah a lot

• Bc ya know bffs

• Being Joe in Waitress wasn’t his favorite role, but he can play old really well

• He was the sweetest old man and he made Courtney cry on stage during Take It From An Old Man

Noah

• Then Noah is a NATURAL tenor. He can go to a B4 but he can’t go very low

• He’s a phenomenal with body language on stage

• Also he gets main roles bc he can sing so high

• But also bc he’s just fucken talented

• Seymour was he best role. Like- he was perfect for the role.

• He burst out laughing when he saw the cast list for falsettos bc OF COURSE he was cast as the little Jewish kid

• But that also meant Damien, Keith, Shayne, and Kimmy got to be his parents 🥰🥰

• The CHEMISTRY he and Keith had on stage during falsettos tho

• In Waitress he was lowkey confused about being Ogie and not Dr. Pomatter bc he thought Damien was gonna be Ogie

• But he ended up really liking Ogie

• He basically had the comedic relief and two solo songs sooo

Courtney

• Courtney?? She’s a hella soprano. Belts a F5 and amazing falsetto.

• She will usually get the main roles bc she a soprano and blonde

• So of course she got Audrey

• Doing the accent was really fun for her

• The entire character was very over the top and fun for her

• Tho she honestly thought she was going to be Trina, but she accepted the fact that she has been overthrown by Kimmy

• And she loved being a lesbian with Olivia

• Bc that was just everyday for them

• Jenna in Waitress was her best role

• It was the most vulnerable she’s ever felt on stage

• She loved working with Damien too

• Bad Idea? So much fun.

Shayne

• Shayne is more into the straight plays but he does like to do the musicals.

• He’s truly a baritone, but for falsettos he was able to stretch it and build his falsetto (haha)

• It did take a little bit of a toll on his voice

• But it was SO worth it making people cry during The Games I Play and You Gotta Die Sometime

• It was the most work he’s ever put into a show character-wise

• He usually plays the homophobic assholes and now he’s playing the boyfriend of the homophobic asshole (haha oops 🤭🤭)

• Honestly he did fall a little more in love with Damien (in a friend way obviously) during the entire process

• Being mean to Noah in Little Shop? Best thing

• The dancing in Mushnik & Son was a lot of work for him

• But it was a really fun song too

Kimmy

• Kimmy was a newbie for Little Shop and blew everyone away with her powerful alto belt

• They didn’t think twice about her for Trina

• And she fucking KILLED IT

• She thought Courtney hated her for a little bit, but she realized that’s it wasn’t the case

• Everyone accepted her in immediately

• She got closer to everyone really quick because of falsettos since it was a smaller cast and more relationship building

• Working with Keith was a lot of fun for her

• He brought a lot to the table, comedy-wise and it was just a blast for her

• Then with Waitress she REALLY got to connect with the girls which was amazing

• And she got to really belt out those alto notes as Becky

Olivia

• Olivia was never a naturally good singer, but she really wanted to do theatre (especially musical theatre) so she did A LOT of voice lessons

• She’s a great dancer and actor though

• But she usually doesn’t get the biggest roles in the musicals

• Except for Waitress which was a great experience for her

• It was such a perfect role for her character-wise

• With falsettos though, she had a hard time with it all

• The character was really anything she’s done before

• And the singing was VERY belt-y

• But by the end it was great

Sarah

• Sarah isn’t the best out of the other actors, but it doesn’t really bother her

• Anything is good for her

• She likes supporting the actors

• And she got to be assistant director for Waitress!

• When she’s not in the shows, she usually helps Boze with costumes and makeup or set with the design aspects

• She’s sort of a jack of all trades around there

Ian

• He’s been apart of the program for a WHILE

• He started out as an actor, but as more people kept coming he started doing more assistant director stuff

• Which is fine for him

• He likes doing the more director-y things

• Since he IS a bass, it’s harder for him to get musical roles since broadway is FULL of tenors

• He was ecstatic when he saw he got to be in Waitress

• Of course as Earl

• Rock vocals are his thing

• Also acting as a creep

Crew

Matt

• He is THE stage manager

• He’s super organized and very on top of everything

• He works a lot with sound and lights

• The focus is REAL during shows bc he be calling cues like a madman

• If you look at his script, it’s very messy though

• All different colors and notes jammed into the margins

• He’s not afraid to yell at the crew if they screw something up

• But they all still love him

Mari

• She’s also super organized so she and Matt are a super team

• She works more closely with the more tangible aspects of the show like set and props

• She’s also not afraid to yell at them

• She takes more organized notes so the directors are actually able to read them

Joven and Lasercorn

• they’re like an old married couple when it comes to the set

• Joven dreams big, while Lasercorn thinks more practically

• Mostly because Lasercorn does the bulk of the actual building and inventory

• Joven does the blueprints

• In the end, they’re a dream team and are there to make the shows look awesome

• And they Do

Wes

• Sound is no easy task that requires a lot of patience with the directors and focus

• There have been multiple instances that Matt has YELLED at him because of missed cues, a cue being too quiet, etc.

• And on performance night, literally sweat is dripping from his forehead bc of the stress

• They joke that it’s where his silver hair comes from

• And it may seem like the worst thing ever to be on sound, but Wes loves the thrill of it all

Boze

• She loves theatre and always wished to be apart of it somehow

• She’s never been able to act, dance, or sing very well, so she applied to the local regional theatre to do the things she CAN do: thrift, sew, and do makeup

• She loves helping with quick changes and putting makeup on the men

• ESPECIALLY Damien since he hates makeup

Flitz

• He’s always loved dance, but he’s not really a singer or an actor

• Also loves antiques

• So the program put him head of props because they were low on staff at that time

• The theatre doesn’t usually do super dance heavy musicals, so any songs that do have dance numbers, he will choreograph

• He did all of the choreo for Crystal, Chiffon, and Ronnette in Little Shop, Mushnik & Son, the smaller stuff in Falsettos, Never Ever Getting Rid Of Me, and Bad Idea in Waitress

Sohinki

• He had experience in lighting for a small concert venue and then he came to the theatre bc he needed a job very bad

• And the theatre needed techies, so it was a perfect match

• He had to admit, doing lights for shows is so much better than concerts

• There’s more of a thrill to it

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smokeybrandreviews · 4 years

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Smokey brand Reviews: Carrie Lite

Since we’re all under government quarantine, i mean, since we’re all social distancing, i figure this is a good opportunity to catch up on some of the things is didn’t have enough tome to see otherwise. There were a few movies coming out that i wanted to take a legit theater gander at but i think they’re hitting streaming instead. Invisible Man, i’m looking at you. In the meantime, i took in a few shows on the Netflix that caught my interest, the first of which is I Am Not Okay With This. It’s the new show from Jonathan Entwistle, the director of the excellent End of the F*cking World, and appear to be a mixture of that show and Carrie. I absolutely adore End and Carrie is one of my favorites stories ever told, so my anticipation for this adaption was palpable. After binging the entire show in a day, i must say, i have opinions.

The Good

I rather like the overall plot of this show. It feels real. Telekinetic powers aside, this feels like one of the more realistic portrayals of awkward teen development i’ve seen in some time. Everyone is so awkward. Everyone is so clumsy. It’s like watching actual high school kids living high school lives. No one knows who the f*ck they are except the weird kid, which is the truest thing about this narrative that you never see in lesser, teen oriented dramedies.

Speaking of narrative, the writing on this show is strong as f*ck. Easily one of the better written shows out right now. Seriously, this is about as tight in the writing department as End of the F*cking World and that was, easily, the best written show i had seen in probably a decade. Okay gives that masterpiece a run for it’s money.

My, goodness, is this thing beautifully shot. The frames chosen, the pans, the wipes, that use of slow motion at just the right time; All of it comes together in a feast for the eyes. This show is truly a joy to watch. It’s not super laden with effects or saturated with Bayhem or whatever but if you’re a fan of camera work, the composition of shots, or the way Wes Anderson frames his scenes, you’ll definitely appreciate the look of this show.

The direction of this show is good. I can’t say i’m enthused by it because i already saw it in The End of the F*cking World, and this show skews to hard toward that one. That’s a choice made by Jonathan Entwistle, considering he was a director and creative force behind both shows. Now, i understand that cats have a certain style, a certain flair to their craft. You know a David Fincher flick when you see it. You know a Chris Nolan flick when you see it. That said, their movies are not the same. Dunkirk does not feel like The Dark Knight. Alien 3 does not feel like Gone Girl. There are, of course, superficial similarities; Cinematography, shot composition, editing style, etc. But, the sum of the parts does not make the same whole, over and over again. Michael By has that problem. It’s why no one takes him seriously as a director anymore. You have to innovate, evolve your style, to stay relevant and Entwistle seems to be resting on his laurels with Okay. He’s good at his job, don’t misunderstand, i’m just left wanting, you know?

The casting of this show is pretty legit. I mean, there are those twenty-somethings masquerading as teenagers but the gap isn’t as bad as you’d assume. I’m pretty sure these cats are supposed to be around Junior/Senior level age and, for the most part, the main cast falls in that wheelhouse relatively adequately. That lends itself to the believability of this teenage dramadey. I mean, who the f*ck is trying to watch a show at thirty-year-teenagers? Riverdale, i’m looking at you.

Sophia Lillis is absolutely brilliant as the our heroine, Sydney Novak. An obvious Carrie White allegory, Sophia was able to inject a genuineness to her character that give Syd an independent energy. Syd’s plight is rooted in very real, very emotional, turmoil that lends itself to what a lot of real life teens nowadays, have to face. Ma was excellent as Beverly Marsh in the IT films and i hear great things about Sharp Objects so i had confidence she could carry this show. I can’t say i was surprised when she hit it out of the park but i was, one again, incredibly impressed. I mean, she’s f*cking fresh 18! There’s no way she should be this god at her craft, so early in her career!

Another standout, and easily my favorite character in this show, was that of Stan Barber. Stan is that weird kid i poke of earlier. He has his own issues at home but Wyatt Oleff’s portrayal makes that sh*t real. He embodies that high anxiety and awkward waywardness. You can tell Stan has lived a life and is just done with the nonsense superficiality of High School bullsh*t, a fact that i can identify with. Stan is delightful eccentric, lovably awkward, and refreshingly real throughout his arc, all testament to the outstanding portrayal of Wyatt Oleff. Interestingly enough, he, too, is an IT alum. That cast of kids was truly excellent. It’s dope seeing them branch off into other great roles.

Sofia Bryant’s Dina, Syd’s best friend and object of infatuation, deserves a mention as well. She was excellent in her role, mostly. There were times when i felt her portrayal a little wooden or flat but, overall, she did a great job. It was necessary for whoever was cast as Dina to have that chemistry with Syd and Bryant played well off Lillis. Without that relationship, this entire show wouldn’t work. Fortunately, Bryant and Lillis are excellent together onscreen.

The supporting cat is pretty strong as well. No one feels fake or inorganic to the world created in this show. I have to recognize Aidan Wojtak-Hissong and Richard Ellis as Liam Novak and Brad Ellis, respectively. These cats were integral, if underutilized, to the plot. I was a little disappointed with Jenny Tuffield, played by Sophia Tatum. Her generic bad-boy turned bad-girl archetype, complete with cliche leather jacket and everything, felt too manufactured. The Fonz doesn’t exist in modern day. Greasers are extinct. Still, i think she did a decent job with what she had but she ain’t have much.

The Bad

Some characters felt underutilized. For instance, Maggie Novak, Syd’s mom. There is a lot there for the character to do but it feels like her role was purposely mitigated to exposition and cameo. I wanted more of their mother/daughter relationship. I wanted a more intimate exploration of their family dynamic. They found a way to work around that absence but it felt a little cheap. Missed potential for sure.

This show feels a little too much like End of the F*cking world. That’s not a terrible thing for me as i love that show, but it kind of handicaps what I Am Not Okay With This can truly be. If you’re constantly looking at this show through End colored goggles, you’re not truly seeing this specific show for what it is. In the long run, i think this is a detriment. End is the superior show, easily, but Okay has enough originality to stand on it’s own. They’ll definitely need to pivot for season two.

It’s very obvious that this season is only a set up for future seasons of this show. Unlike End, which had a definitive end after their first season, Okay seems to want to continue some sort of narrative. That’s fine as long as it’s planned out. Netflix is good about nixing shows before they over stay their welcome but the way this season climaxed has me worried. it feels like some Riverdale nonsense or that goofy Walking Dead thing they do where it ends on a cliffhanger of sorts. That does not bode well for the future. However, Netflix has succeeded more than they have failed in this avenue so i’ll keep the faith. For now.

The Verdict

This Is Not Okay With This is a great show, if a little derivative. It’s filled with beautiful cinematography, a compelling if a little familiar plot, and excellent performances. The teenage interactions feel real and organic while the overall narrative is decently executed, testament to the strong writing. Okay feels a little too much like End of the F*cking World at times and definitely wears it’s Carrie influences on it’s sleeve but that’s okay. For a first season, this show gets off to a strong start. Hopefully, it becomes more of it’s own thing going forward but, for a first attempt, they definitely stuck the landing. I’m Not Okay With This is definitely an easy recommend and worth your time. Since the world has stopped for at least a few weeks, there’s more than enough time to check this gem out.

Also, both of these shows are comic adaptions by a guy named Charles Forsman. You should check the books out, too, since we got all the time in the world. Literally.

#Smokey brand Reviews #I Am Not Okay With This

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allhallowsreid · 4 years

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just lots and lots of very long-winded, random thoughts about last night’s finale and the show itself...

so obvs no one has to agree with me on any of this, i just feel like there likely ARE ppl who feel like this and it’s easy to get shut down on tumblr for having different opinions, and i mostly just need to gather my feelings and thoughts in one place.

-ive seen a handful of ppl upset that the last ep centered around reid, but if you were to take 10 fans of this show, it’s a pretty good chance that 8 or 9 of them would say reid is their fave character. that isn’t me trying to insult any of the other characters, that’s just the way it is. whether it’s bc of his looks (and my lord was he gorgeous in this finale ep), or that he’s your typical cute white boi, or more organic reasons like he’s been there since day 1 and we were able to watch him change and grow, and he’s the opposite of the typical male characters we often see, especially on cop shows.. whatever the reason, he is a VERY popular tv character. and if it weren’t for that character, for better or worse, this show would have ended a long time ago.

-the ending itself.. i just feel like i don’t know what ppl were expecting?? this is not a show like supernatural or dexter or a show that has had a fluent overarching story to tell from start to finish. the story continues without us watching it. it’s another day at the office for them. was it a great ending? no, but it was fine. we see where all of them are headed. endings are so difficult, i’m just glad they didn’t kill anyone off or some garbage like that.

-so damn happy they hooked up luke and garcia. i have had such issues with garcia’s character since morgan left, i feel like she became a caricature, where she just overacts and i recently read an article with kirsten where she actually admitted that when shemar left she really didn’t know what to do with her character anymore. honestly? it showed. the obnoxiousness to luke was cute at first bc she obviously had a crush on him, but then it just became mean and out of character. this season i was happy to see her get a little bit more back to herself. all this being said, they were very clearly headed towards getting luke and garcia together this season with the overt flirting and one on one convo’s, i’m so glad they went through with it instead of leaving it open ended. and i will admit that of all the characters, i didn’t think garcia would be the one to leave, but it made sense. garcia is tough as hell, much tougher than she gives herself credit for, but like luke said, she can do this other job without the gore that she cringes over in literally every single episode of the show. also loved jj saying garcia was the glue of the team. so true, so well said. and side note, kirsten does a hell of a job writing these characters that she knows all too well, the other writers should’ve just let her take over in later seasons.

-prentiss... i love my emily so dang much, but man they give her the absolute worst dialogue. she gets stuck with all these long sentences that just.. they just don’t flow?? and it takes me out of the show so often. this has been since s12 when she became unit chief. there has been a handful of times since she became the boss that we have had flashes of old school smartass goth girl emily, and i cherished each moment, but it wasn’t enough. somewhere along the way they forgot how to write into the show that their characters had PERSONALITY. just as an example of the stupid dialogue she gets.. the end of the ep where it’s intended to look like rossi’s retirement party. then, idk who it was, emilys boyfriend maybe(?) says some dumb comment about oh gee i thought this was dave’s retirement! and then emily starts some awkwardly long line that could’ve been summed up in “dave decided not to retire afterall” and it was just soooo... weird?!!? if we are agreeing that A MONTH has gone by.. you are to tell me that it never once came up that dave said he was gonna retire and then changed his mind!??! that night, one month later, is the first that this discussion occurred!!?!?! and all of these dumb lines come out sounding so robotic, and i can’t blame paget, bc the lines are boring as hell. also unless i missed something i can’t rule emily out of being the next director, especially since their profile ended up being correct, lynch and the mom didn’t kill themselves, so i’m sure when that all came out, the next hurdle emily would have to clear is how they just blew up their very expensive jet right after having a budget meeting 2 episodes ago!!

- i’m gonna lump the newer characters together.. and just say that it was all too little, too late. they tried to give matt and luke more this season, and the ep’s centered on them were great, but it all felt forced to me. all this character development should’ve started as soon as they came onto the show. the relationships between the new and original characters also feels forced a lot of times, barring relationships like rossi and his boys, luke and garcia, tara and emily.. i mean that’s kind of all, right? we never saw much off-the-job, personal interactions between them and the rest of the characters, did we? and the way tara was treated on this show is inexcusable. aisha’s talents were so underused on this show it was criminal (pun intended). and actually, the above stuff i said about emily getting nonsense dialogue, you can throw matt in there too. his dialogue was friggin god awful at times on this show. in the words of early seasons reid, maybe try to be more conversational, writers!!

-man oh man was jj a badass and a half in this finale. tbh i always enjoyed liaison jj more than ssa jj, but when badass jj comes out i get all excited. i do feel like she would be the best fit to take over if emily left, she’d stepped into that role before and excelled. but she is another character that at times i think the writers just forgot how to write her personality somewhere along the way. i understand that the reality is that people change over time, but there were times that she was written like a typical high school mean girl, and that was just an insult to the character they created. the whole jeid thing was severely overblown and unnecessary. i don’t hate the idea of them being together, but why wait til s14-15 to deal with this? in the end i thought it was handled okay, i personally didn’t feel like it ruined their friendship or stayed awkward, which i appreciated, it was just a storyline that wasn’t needed and wasted time. also, ppl griping about “oh but she clearly loves will, if she loves spencer then she can’t love will!” i mean, actually, ppl are capable of loving more than one person at a time, hate to burst that bubble for ya.

-this seems like a good moment though to pause and just get this out about will lamon-fuckin-tagne jr... this guy is too good for jj lol, i am sorry but he is such a great guy. and can we review some things about will and his wife’s bestest friend, godfather to his children, spencer reid?? when will and spencer first met, it was during an unbelievably personal case to will, i mean his father died sending him a message about this case that the fbi was called in on. and his first intro with reid?? let’s see, reid spent that ep strung out on drugs, and full on abandoning the case to go hang out with his friend at a club/bar/lounge/whatever. ok, so that’s will’s first impression of jj’s bestie, and will STILL okay’d him being the godfather of his kids. not to mention, can you imagine your wife has been gone in the damn middle east for who even knows how long, then when she finally gets back and you think you’re gonna have her to yourself, but oh no, here comes jj’s friggin bestie again to come cry on the couch every night for several weeks!!!! and he gives zero indication of not liking spencer, in fact he seems rather fond of him. will is the most patient man ever, i swear.

-ok that was an unexpected side track. moving onto rossi. not sure why they were all like oh pfft this guy will never retire. the dude literally retired before the show started lol. if he retired once, when he was fairly young, why is the idea of it happening again so impossible? again, dumb dialogue. i loved the stuff with him and young gideon (i may be biased tho bc i’m just so damn proud of ben savage), i loved that rossi knew more about the jet than the others, however that was an inconsistency bc when rossi came back from retirement, he couldn’t believe the bau had its own jet. unless i just misunderstood what emily meant when she said it all started with rossi and gideon. i felt like lynch was a very underwhelming villain. super forgettable. there was no charisma like foyet or cat adams, there was no creep factor like mr scratch, there was no mystery like the replicator or the fisher king. his whole story just fell flat, and if there were anything interesting about him whatsoever, it’s bc of what rossi brought to the table, not the “chameleon”.

-my boy reid. he has several lifetimes of baggage to unpack, and i think of all the characters on this show, no one hates unpacking their trauma more than reid. i feel like it was so relatable that he could barely speak in this ep without sounding on the verge of tears, like every sentence was painful to even get out bc of how much hurt is stored up inside him. his trauma has defined him for years now, and if they had ended the show without addressing even some of it, the show would’ve been incomplete. i understand that actors schedules just don’t work out sometimes, but idk what the point was of having strauss and foyet be his devil and angel. and foyet’s long explanation of how bc he changed hotch, he changed the team was so convoluted that he may as well have just said “they couldn’t get james van der beek or the dude who played mr scratch, so im here instead”. i liked what they did with reid and maeve, and i actually don’t mind that there was no mention of max. they’re still very early in their relationship, and i feel like him coming out with some “wait i think i love max!” revelation would just be too fast and ooc. we already know that the relationship between them is growing, it doesn’t need to be said. and can i get an amen that maeve and reid didn’t kiss bc god that would’ve been weird as hell.

- i hate that we couldn’t have hotch or morgan or blake or elle or any of the main characters that helped make this show what it was, but i’m still grateful for the crumbs they gave us if the actors just couldn’t be booked for whatever reason. i’ve seen many shows at their end just try to pretend their previous characters never existed, so that we got some flashbacks with them was appreciated.

- RIP bau jet. i wiiiill reMEMber youuuuuuu.

-the song choice of david bowie’s Heroes was perfection. strangely, when i was driving home from work yesterday that song came on my playlist and i blasted it on repeat and performed a car concert for my fellow drivers on the road, and thought to myself that this song would be great for cm to end on. never thought they would actually do it since they had previously used the song in penelope’s ep. but what a great scene of all them dancing and singing and laughing like the bunch of nerdy idiots they are.

-i came late into the game with this show. ppl have been telling me for years to watch it and i only picked up watching in s13, after i read a spn/cm crossover fic and became super curious about who all these awesome characters were. with that said, i’m aware that since i haven’t invested years of my life in this show, that my feelings and thoughts about the ending will be different than those who have been hooked on this show for over a decade. i’m still just so thankful for the family portrayed by this show, and these characters i fell in love with, and episodes i’ll never forget.

#text posts #series finale #thx for reading if u took the time to do so :-)#criminal minds

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 5 years

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Michael After Midnight: Hereditary/The Tall Man

Modern horror movies have a lot of problems. Any horror fan will tell you this; things just aren’t the same as they were in the 70s, 80s, even the 90s, and the 90s was really where the major decline started to set in as everyone tried ripping off of scream. But in the decades after, horror films started relying far too much on jump scares, cheap CGI, and just a lack of care to the point where the genre was something of a joke.

Thankfully, things have started to look up. Films like Get Out, A Quiet Place, Don’t Breathe, these sorts of acclaimed, well-liked horror films are getting a lot of attention. And one of the most interesting of the lot is probably Hereditary, a contender for the best horror film of the decade… it just has one glaring problem, a problem that ALSO has begun cropping up lately: overexplanation.

It seems a lot of the time nowadays horror directors feel the need to beat us over the head with a logical explanation for the horrors before us, and oftentimes it sucks us right out of the experience. Perhaps the film that was hit worst with this was Jordan Peele’s Us which, while still a good film, loses something towards the end when the movie lays out everything. And while this trend seems to be cropping up a lot recently, I think the shining example of how bad it can get occurred earlier in the 2010s with the awful horror thriller The Tall Man, which features an ending that overexplains and does in the compelling elements for a tacky, tasteless reveal.

I bring it up because I’ve been thinking about how it compares to Hereditary, and how the two films have a very similar problem and similar flaws. Hereditary is a film that builds up an incredibly compelling drama that blurs the line between the supernatural and the mental trauma derived from a crumbling family, delivering an intense and uncomfortable narrative that ends up clumsily dismantled in the third act for a big demonic reveal. The Tall Man sets up a chilling supernatural force that stalks people and whisks away children, never to be seen again, only to reveal the titular Tall Man is a fabrication for a secret underground society of child traffickers who kidnap kids from poor families to give to rich families in a sort of screwed up reverse Robin Hood situation.

But where The Tall Man falls flat on its face, Hereditary still stands tall. Why is that?

I think it mostly has to do with the execution. Let’s look at Hereditary, as it is by far the better film. Hereditary spends the vast majority of its runtime with most of the supernatural elements in the background, or at least less of a focus than the mental anguish of this family in the face of the ultimate tragedy: the death of a child. The movie turns its lens to the uncomfortable atmosphere created between the mother and her son as she has to cope with his culpability in her daughter’s, his sister’s, death, eventually leading her to latch on to seances and lash out at her remaining child, her poor husband acting as a beleaguered referee.

I think the movie mostly remains consistent until the final act, when hints of a demon-worshiping witch cult begin popping up, but things don’t really jump the shark until the father is immolated in a nonsensical violation of the established rules, seemingly just to torment the wife further. After that, the movie turns into every other demonic posession movie ever for a bit before ending with the son being possessed by the demon king Paimon in a scene that is highly evocative of the final scene of Rosemary’s Baby.

Now, I already hate Rosemary’s Baby, so this scene was never going to fly with me, and it comes off as silly and ridiculous, the gnarly Paimon statue that utilizes the bug-eaten corpse head of the guy’s little sister notwithstanding. But despite that, the movie still has more of a leg to stand on than Rosemary’s Baby, or The Tall Man for that matter. The reason why is because even if it stumbled in the finale, it has an incredibly strong foundation. Think of the ending as a very ugly roof on an otherwise sturdy and perfectly fine house; yes, it’s unpleasant, but you’ve still got a great house here.

The Tall Man, on the other hand, constructs a decent foundation and then starts whacking at it with hammers as soon as that foundation is built up. As soon as we get to the twist that our protagonist who we have been following is actually a kidnapper who has abducted a child from an impoverished woman who is now desperately seeking her child back, this house is starting to shake at the foundations. And once we get to the end, well, the house just falls in on itself. You see, the issue isn’t even that they squandered a really interesting supernatural concept; the idea of a child-kidnapping boogeyman is not exactly new or anything. The problem is that even after the twist we are expected to see the kidnapper as a sympathetic martyr, and her organization as a bunch of people who have to make the tough choices to do the right thing.

But Thanos this organization is not. They are not noble, or kind, or sympathetic in the slightest. Their modus operandi is to kidnap children from impoverished families and hand them over to rich people who will give that child whatever they want and, as far as the organization is concerned, a better life. When the main character is caught, she straight up tells the grieving mother who spent the film chasing her down that her child is dead, and she will never find the body. Her child, who is very much alive and now being cared for by some wealthy family, was taken from this poor woman just because our main character felt she couldn’t provide for him. I really don’t think I need to tell you that this entire film is just disgustingly classist, and the fact that the movie to the end tries to garner sympathy for these reprehensible human traffickers is bogus.

You’d think, maybe, if they had this massive secret organization, they could try and utilize their power to help the impoverished reach levels where they could adequately take care of their children, like actually help these families instead of kidnapping and dealing in human trafficking because they believe in some sort of eugenics-esque bullcrap about how the poor are unfit to raise children and only the rich deserve the right to rear offspring. This message was deplorable back in 2012, and it certainly hasn’t gotten better with age. And see, this is where the film truly fails: it did not build up a solid foundation where something this stupid could be acceptable – not that any foundation could make this acceptable, mind you – as the whole “child-stealing boogeyman” would have at best made an entirely passable, mostly forgettable horror film that might have developed a cult following but otherwise been ignored. Instead, it veers off into the most wildly offensive territory possible, delivering a wholly unsatisfying and downright offensive experience that just boggles the mind as to how anyone ever thought this was a good direction to take the film.

Two horror films with similar structures building up in one way, but one still manages to be good in spite of itself while one manages to be one of the most repulsive films I have ever seen… frankly, this is one of the reasons why I love the horror genre, because you can find movies with all kinds of extremes like this. Hereditary is a film I heartily recommend to anyone looking for a good horror film, because it is undoubtedly fantastic even if I don’t much care for the ending. The Tall Man? Leave it. It’s not worth your time, and I don’t want anyone to be subjected to such repugnant morals. If you really want to see it, don’t pay for it; don’t give the hacks who made it any money. The only value I can see being gleaned from that film is to see just how ass-backwards and callous a filmmaker can be.

#Michael After Midnight #review #movie review #Hereditary #The Tall Man #Horror Movies #horror

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closetofanxiety · 5 years

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Fyter Fest: SUCCESS

I liked this show a lot! Not everything was to my taste, but there was plenty to enjoy. Briefly:

* The Cody vs. Darby Allin match was one of the best wrestling matches I’ve seen in 2019. The crowd was a little subdued for long stretches of it, perhaps being accustomed to more of a flashy style, but I loved the whole thing. Cody, who liked like a giant compared to Allin, was trying to wrestle and old-school (dare I say, Southern) style match, while Allin was trying to shift it to a more familiar indie style, which would be to his advantage. It was a genuine collision of two different approaches to wrestling, and it worked incredibly well. Darby took at least two completely insane bumps I’ve never seen anyone do, and after one of them, Cody contemptuously did push-ups in the ring. THAT’S GOOD OLD SCHOOL VILLAINY. I also loved that this was a time-limit draw, another old school story device. Neither guy lost any face in the match, and the crowd was still excited by the end, which they timed very well (Cody hit his finisher with two seconds left, and thus couldn’t get the three-count). Cody, derided in his initial indie run as “The Three-Star General” for his supposedly pedestrian matches, has stolen the show on both AEW events so far.

* I did not love the post-match run-in by Shawn Spears! Without getting into any of the piping hot takes about unprotected chair shots, I thought it pulled focus from the great wrestling match that just happened, with Darby Allin being turned into kind of an afterthought. I get that they need to advance storylines and right now they don’t have weekly TV to do that, but this felt almost Russo-esque.

* The Moxley-Janela match was really good! Going into it, I wondered how much different an AEW hardcore match was going to be from the WWE template. Like, would they go full indie and have shopping carts and pizza graters and barbecue skewers? The answer is no: we didn’t see any items in this match that would be outside the bounds of a WWE match (except maybe the barbed wire), but it was how the two wrestlers used them that made the difference. The barbed wire spots were wince-inducing without being truly gruesome, the tables were swiftly destroyed, and the barefoot thumbtacks spot at the end was a stroke of sadistic genius. What a first match for Moxley in AEW!

* The women’s triple threat match was a little sloppy at parts, but the whole thing was redeemed by Nyla Rose totally playing against type down the stretch and hitting a truly insane flying guillotine knee drop from the top turnbuckle. She then snapped off a truly brutal German suplex to solidify her status as the early badass of AEW. Yuka Sakazaki and Riho looked a little out of step a few times, but mostly they did well in the role of competitors who also have to compete against the monster opponent.

* One thing AEW has managed to do well so far is put on three and four-way matches that don’t get bogged down the way they do so often in other companies. You know: there’s a three-way match and invariably one person spends most of it outside the ring, effectively turning into a two-person match with occasional run-ins. In the women’s match and in the four-way, AEW’s agents managed to produce matches that actually felt like all the competitors were involved throughout the course of the contests. The four-way was particularly good, and should go a fair distance toward making Jungle Boy a breakout star in the company. He’s got a great look, he’s got unique offense, and his friendship with giant dinosaur man Luchasaurus is the stuff of a marketer’s dreams.

* The six-man tag was fine. I know this is going to sound like I’m complaining that a buffet is too good, but I think I’m full up on matches pitting the Young Bucks against the Lucha Bros for a while. They’re fun, they involve incredible athleticism and exhibitions of timing and skill, but you know what to expect. The bright spot of the match for me was the underappreciated luchador Laredo Kid, who got a lot of quality time as the Lucha Bros’ partner.

* I really did not like the pre-show. The three-way tag match was very good, and I was really happy to see people online reacting with astonishment at Private Party. Those guys are fantastic, and they’re so young. They’re only going to get better. Everything after that match was extremely not my thing. I appreciate they’re trying to do something different with the comedy, and it’s going to be important for them to have something that connects with non-wrestling fans or wrestling-curious fans who aren’t going to want to watch two hours of matches every week. And I certainly don’t expect a company that has two shows under its belt to have a foolproof formula in place. But if they’re going to do comedy, they should really hire actual comedy writers, as much as the idea of writers has become a taboo in non-WWE wrestling. The jokes were flat and most of them centered around the Fyre Fest documentaries, which are really yesterday’s news at this point.

* The librarian thing really died a death with the crowd. I don’t watch Being the Elite or The Road to, so I missed the explanation for this gimmick, but it does not come across well. The constant shushing is so bad it feels almost avant-garde after a while, like it’s actively confrontational with the audience over our expectations for a wrestling show. Then Leva Bates cut a heel promo in defense of books and I wanted to check out. Her match with Allie was decent for a match on a Shine midcard, but Leva’s limitations as a wrestler are pretty much what they’ve always been. The match ended with a totally blown spot that was supposed to be the pay off for the whole “the librarians love books” thing. Terrible.

* I hated the last pre-show match. Every once in a while, you’ll see a super local indie show where one of the sponsors gets to “wrestle,” usually meaning the crowd is treated to the owner of a car dealership standing on the apron for most of a tag match, until getting the chance to throw a weak clothesline and cover a hated midcard baddie for the three count. AEW, though, decided they should do that same thing but with the non-wrestler sponsor being put in a 10-minute hardcore match. I’m sure some people liked this. I am not among them. This match inadvertently featured the gnarliest spot of the night (until the Darby Allin coffin drop onto the edge of the apron JESUS DARBY WHAT ARE YOU THINKING DO YOU WANT TO DIE YOU HAVE A LOVING SLEAZY WEIRDO SPOUSE PLEASE THINK OF HER) when the fighting games convention organizer guy did a German suplex that dumped Nakazawa directly on his neck. Thank God Japanese wrestling training involves constant neck bridges! This is why super local indies only let the sponsor guys throw a weak clothesline: because they know that non-wrestlers doing wrestling moves endangers everyone’s safety.

* Other things: Commentary seemed to be markedly better for the most part, thanks to the addition of “Goldenboy” who might be a video game person? (sorry video game people I am no use here) ... JR is really straying into Grampa Gaffes territory with his praise of “Oriental” wrestlers and blurting out that the women wrestlers all seem like his daughters ... the camera direction still needs work, with the director missing a number of big spots ... Kenny Omega running in to pummel Moxley after the final match was good stuff ... the Super Smash Brothers’ “Dark Order” thing is treading perilously close to Black Scorpion territory ... this was just shy of four hours, counting the pre-show, and I found myself wanting more when it was over ... a friend was over watching with me and we found ourselves yelling at the screen in a way we haven’t done with televised wrestling in a long time

#AEW #Fyter Fest #show reviews

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theheavymetalmama · 5 years

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And now, some Unpopular Opinions!

Because at this point, why the hell not?

Iron Man was better than The Dark Knight

I am in no way, shape, or form suggesting that The Dark Knight is a bad movie. Far from it, in fact. It’s a damn good movie with some fantastic performances, a gripping story, and some of the best written characters and dialogue in the history of movie making. So is Iron Man the better movie? For one, it’s not so stuck up its’ own ass about its’ message. The Dark Knight is a lot of things and one of them is pretentious as fuck, come off as less of a love letter to Batman and more of a method of the director Chris Nolan showing how much he has nothing but contempt for superheroes and comic books in general. Iron Man, in contrast, embraces it and has fun with the idea of a guy who builds a mech suit and fights bad guys. There’s also the question of influence, and that right there is no contest. The Dark Knight influenced Batman; Iron Man influenced the entire movie industry.

Final Fantasy XV was a massive disappointment

I kind of feel bad for dunking on this game considering they just cancelled the last of the DLC. Then again the last of the DLC was going to expand on Lady “Show Up and Blow Up” Lunafreya and Aranea “I’m here and now I’m not” Highwind’s stories and now we’re not getting them and I’m still bitter as fuck for the director’s pathetic excuse for why a girl couldn’t attend the coming of age road trip, so all bet’s are off! Okay, the ladies getting shafted aside, there is a lot to like about Final Fantasy XV, but was it worth the tedious development time? No way in hell. The game looks good but like many open world games feels mostly lifeless and empty, and of the four main characters only one of them is likable and isn’t even playable in the game’s vanilla form. The story is a broken mess that requires other forms of media to fully grasp (dick fucking move there, Squeenix) and the summons coming at random times serves as more of an annoyance than anything, especially since they always seem to show up except during times when and where they’d be useful. It also doesn’t say good things about a company’s management when a game can sell millions of copies in record time as well as do gangbusters on downloadable content and then still manage to lose over 30 million dollars.

And for the record, let it be known that Noctis is far and away the whiniest and most emo protagonist in Final Fantasy history, which is saying something considering this is a series where one such protagonist’s entire character is being so jaded and world weary to the point that his name is the sound a crying baby makes, and he doesn’t whine and complain as much as Noctis does.

Just because you’re a cop or a soldier, that doesn’t automatically make you a good person

I’m in favor of police and law enforcement and even though I believe our military budget makes Caligula himself look frugal in comparison I do support our troops. Having said that, being a cop or a trooper doesn’t mean jack shit if the person under the uniform is a complete and utter scumbag, which happens more often than many care to admit. In fact some people, many people, become cops and soldiers not to protect and serve or out of a sense of honor and duty, but simply because they like making others miserable and want to do it for a living. There’s a reason songs about fighting the law and unflattering depictions of authority figures date back as far as authority figures have been a thing. Respect is earned, not given.

‘White Nationalist’ and ‘Nazi’ are the same things

Calling a Nazi a white nationalist is like calling somebody who abuses their spouse a rough lover. Stop beating around the bush and tell it like it is. Also, don’t debate Nazis, punch them. Punch them as hard as you fucking can. If they punch you back, punch them again, and again, and again until they either run away (which most of them do) or stop moving. Trust me, nobody is going to miss them. That goes double for the alt right. Oh, and speaking of which...

Far Cry 5 chickened out

As somebody who grew up in a dead gold mining community that was mostly Catholic, when the first trailer for Far Cry 5 came out I was stoked as hell for the chance to gun down religious fanatics and skinheads in a place in rural America that didn’t look all that different. Then the game came out and it was abundantly clear to anybody that something somewhere in the game was changed at the last minute. Some have argued that it was their intention from the get go, others claimed they didn’t want to alienate their core demographic. It doesn’t say nice things about your core demographic if you’re worried about depictions of white supremacist cultists scaring them away, but okay, fine. Then make a game that takes place during the decline of the Ku Klux Klan, or in a post World War II Europe where you hunt Nazi war criminals, or failing that make something akin to Black Dynamite or a wacky 70′s Kung Fu movie where everything is purposefully over the top and exaggerated, I don’t care! All your other games have you gunning down hordes of brown people, let people like me and my husband kill some skinheads god damn it!

If you still support Donald Trump after all the vile and abhorrent things he’s done, you’re a bad person

There’s no beating around the bush on this one. I don’t blame people who were swooned by this conman thinking he’d genuinely make a good president and have since regretted their decision. I have nothing but sympathy for them. No, I’m talking about the people who STILL trip over themselves to defend this vile, homophobic, delusions, misogynist, narcissistic bigot. Like when he called Nazis “very fine people,” or is still pushing for a stupid wall along our border that will be bested by two extension ladders and a pair of tin snips. The travel ban, the rollback on regulations that kept food insecure people fed, kids dying in his fucking concentration camps, yeah, no. He’s a treasonous scumbag who deserves to be locked in an 8x8 cell until he rots, and if you still support him then you can claim the top bunk.

Climate change is real and coal can fuck off

Coal is dead. Let it lay down and rot. What, coal is your only source of income in the area you live in? Then move somewhere else! You think I would have left my hometown if there were any opportunities other than timber, fishing, and tourist traps? Sorry, but the longer we stay in the past with coal the lesser we can look forward to a future where a planet can sustain human life. If we want our planet to live then coal needs to die.

No, the left isn’t “just as bad” as the right

This is a fucking gas lighting farce that immediately falls apart when put under scrutiny. Are there extremists and crazies on the left? Of course there are, but they’re entirely different beasts as those found on the right. The left is more of a “eat enough kale and you can talk to dolphins” or “sleep with crystals under your bed and you can see the future” kinds of crazy, whereas the right is more of the “kill all the queers and let the brown babies starve” kind of crazy. Oh, and to each and every single person who said “Clinton is just as bad as Trump,” y’all can cover your reproductive organs in honey and stick them in a mason jar filled with live bullet ants and tarantula hawks, you ignorant scare mongering shitheels!

“Captain Marvel doesn’t smile!”

So what? She’s a space Navy Seal, not a boy scout like Captain America or Superman; she’s not supposed to smile.

No, the ‘alt left’ doesn’t exist and Antifa aren’t the same as Nazis

Are Antifa breaking the law? Yes. Should they be held accountable for their actions? Yes. Are people who want to kill Nazis exactly the same as people who want to exterminate the Jews and subjugate anybody who isn’t white while wiping other people’s culture off the face of the Earth under an authoritarian rule? Hell to the no and “Antifa is just as bad as the Nazis” is right up there with “Vaccinations cause autism” and “the Earth is flat” on the scale of “If you believe this, you are STUPID.” If Nazis and white supremacists went unopposed they’d go around raping and murdering Jews and non whites until there were absolutely none of them left. You know Antifa would be doing if there weren’t any Nazis around? Sitting in their crappy apartments smoking weed, sipping craft beer, eating pizza, and laughing their asses off at 20 year old Saturday Night Live skits. Ooooooh, scary! Yes, Antifa are assaulting people and destroying public property and yes they should be held accountable for their actions. But I’m not going to pretend, even hypothetically, that Nazi apologist scumbags like Tucker Carlson having his door banged on or actual Nazis like Richard Spencer getting punched in the face is on the same playing field as babies being put in cages, innocent black people being murdered by cops, or Jews being put into ovens, you fucks!

New She Ra is better than Old She Ra and 80′s cartoons in general

If you don’t like the new She Ra and prefer the old one, fine, you do you, but don’t act like the original is “So much better” because it isn’t at all. The villains were jokes, the animation was beyond cheap, the characters all looked the same, there were stupid talking animal sidekicks, and the story went nowhere really fucking fast outside of “Bad guys are doing bad guy stuff, our heroes must stop them” because they were commercials to sell toys. Nothing more, nothing less. If the new She Ra isn’t your bag then that’s all well and good, but don’t be a stupid asshole about it, talking about how it wasn’t featured at PowerCon like it’s a big fucking deal when only sad dorks like us give a shit about conventions, or whine about how you’re being oppressed and censored because a 16 year old isn’t rocking 44DD’s, or talk about “CalArts style” like that’s a real goddamn thing. Oh yeah, and speaking of which...

“CalArts style” is not a thing

Shut the fuck up, no it isn’t. It’s a stupid, meaningless buzzword hurled at people who never fucking went to CalArts in the first place. If you’re perplexed as to why modern cartoons all look like Steven Universe, the simple fact is that cartoons are made predominantly for children and shows are made to be aesthetically pleasing to them. With shows like Adventure Time, Regular Show, Steven Universe, Star vs the Forces of Evil, and Gravity Falls being soaring success stories while shows like Young Justice, new GI Joe, and 2011 Thundercats ambitious failures, it’s obvious that formal abstractionist non angularity is in while aspirational human physical fitness is out, and a big reason the latter was even a thing in the first place is because they were toy commercials first and there were only so many variations on plastic molds to form the fucking action figures and because it was the 80′s and Arnold was the biggest star at the time.

“Star Wars: the Last Jedi” is a good movie and fanboys can eat bantha poodoo

I’ve heard all the reasons for why The Last Jedi is a bad movie and they’re all either stupid nitpicky bullshit or meaningless fanboy gripes. I could write an entire essay debunking those reasons point for point, like how the reason Holdo didn’t tell Poe a damn thing because no admiral would ever a tell a lowly grunt anything about their plan, especially after being demoted for being a hotheaded little fuckup. Or that Rey being related to Obi Wan or any previous Star Wars character didn’t happen because that would have been stupid and the definition of predictable. Or that the reason Akbar didn’t do the suicide run is because he’s a meme that the general audience doesn’t give a shit about and that there’s no way in Hell that the Mouse would allow a character named “Akbar” to do a suicide run. Or that Kylo Ren not being an intimidating villain is the whole point and that you’re supposed to hate him because he’s a petulant Darth Vader wannabe and a snake to boot. Or that the effectiveness of said suicide run, where Snoke came from, or the state of the Resistance by the end of the movie, or that any other so called ‘plot hole’ doesn’t matter because this is a movie about space wizards for children and paying obsessive attention to meaningless and pedantic details is exactly how we end up with stupid subplots in the Beauty and the Beast remake and Metropolis and Gotham City being across the river from each other! But the biggest one is Luke wasn’t portrayed as some Jedi Clint Eastwood (why fanboys want that eludes me; the EU did that a few times and they were all terrible) and that him exiling himself doesn’t make any sense.

Sorry, but no, Luke running off to a far and unreachable island makes perfect sense. For one, it’s kind of a thing that disgraced Jedi do, and for two, Star Wars is a fairy tale in space. All of the characters draw inspiration from characters and archetypes from fairy tales and fables of old, and the one Luke Skywalker resembles most (largely by design) is King Arthur. Think about it. Common boy who doesn’t know who his real parents are, meets an old wizard, gets a legendary sword, discovers he’s of noble lineage, tags along with a few colorful characters, goes on a quest that’s bigger than him and the life he knew, hits a few bumps down the road, and then eventually he saves the kingdom by overthrowing his father who once was a great man and a hero but gave in to power and corruption and became a dark reflection of his former self.

You will never unsee that.

Oh yeah, and remember how things turned out for King Arthur in the end? He started a whole new kingdom, he had a few good years, he grew arrogant, things started to fall apart, and suddenly he and everything he worked to build up were undone overnight by a younger, more vindictive relative. Disgraced, Arthur was whisked away to an unreachable island deep rooted in his own legend and mythology where he remained until Britain had fallen to darkness and needed him again. Now of course Britain as we know it has yet to see such a thing (we’ll see how Brexit turns out) but Luke did exactly that. And no, sorry fanboys, but The Last Jedi wasn’t a failure in any sense of the word. It grossed over a billion dollars, received critical praise, the DVDs and BluRays sold like hotcakes, and was adored by kids, teenagers, and young adults, the primary audience that Star Wars is for in the first place. And I don’t give a shit what the audience score on RT says, because for one aggregate sites are a blight on film criticism and we went from this;

“Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad are AMAZING, Rotten Tomatoes is biased and paid off by Disney!”

To this...

“Star Wars: the Last Jedi is TERRIBLE, Rotten Tomatoes says so!”

In just over a year. To say nothing of the fact that what you’re currently saying about The Last Jedi was also said about The Empire Strikes, and like ‘Empire’ twenty years from now people will look back on the fanboy outrage and say “Wow, what a bunch of babies.” And before the inevitable response...

“But Solo bombed because of The Last Jedi!”

Nooooo, Solo bombed because it came out right between Infinity War and Deadpool 2, was rife with development issues since day one of production, it was aimed overwhelmingly at fanboys obsessed with Star Wars deep lore answering questions that the general audience doesn’t give a shit about, nobody was even interested in the thing until the Lego Movie guys were signed on for a hot second, moviegoers aren’t currently hurting for cocky space cowboys...

...and because of the simple fact that it’s a solo movie about Han Solo...and it’s not 1995 and Harrison Ford isn’t in it. See, fanboys don’t realize that just because nerd and geek bullshit is mainstream now doesn’t mean that everyone is now a fanboy deep rooted in everything from where the characters are from to where they’re going, because when people say “I love Star Wars and Han Solo is my favorite character” what the vast majority of them mean is “Those movies with the space wizards and the laser swords are a lot of fun and Harrison Ford is a great movie star.” That’s it. That’s extent of why people like Han Solo. Sad dorks like us may care about stuff like where and when he got the Falcon, how he met Chewie, where the dice came from and all of that and more, but the general audience just wants to see Harrison Ford do cool shit in space. That’s it. To say nothing of the fact that nobody was even interested in the spinoffs in the first place. When Disney announced that they were making episodes 7,8, and 9 everyone went “Oh Hell yes, sign me up!” Then when they followed up with that they were also making spinoff movies about stuff that happened off screen or between movies the same audience was like “Oh...well that’s neat, I guess.”

And no, that stupid fanboy boycott had nothing to do with. Even the dude who started that petition to strike TLJ from canon admitted that he was in a bad place and that he was being stupid and angry, and I can promise you that all the shrieking dorks on Youtube are the buzzing of flies to Disney. If that crowd had any box office and movie making decision influence whatsoever, the next spinoff we’d see a trailer for would be “My Twi’lek Waifu: a Star Wars Story.”

PewDiePie is the worst thing to happen to video games this side of the gaming crash of 83 and he needs to fuck off

Yes, you read that right, and I don’t say that lightly. All sorts of terrible things have happened in the gaming industry since the gaming crash of 83. The console wars, the Atari Jaguar, the Philips CDi, Jack Thompson, the death of the Dreamcast, WoW, an entire console generation packed to the gills with homogenous gray and brown shooters with protagonists who all looked the fucking same, GamerGate, microtransactions, DLC abuse, the death of Maxis, an increasingly toxic fandom, “women are too hard to animate,” the degradation of E3 from a showcase of the biggest and bestest in gaming to a corporately sponsored circlejerk of self congratulatory backslapping and so much, much more.

I don’t care how much PewDiePie gives to charity, or how many fans he has, or how many people think he’s just the greatest, because he’s not. He’s an embarrassing, stupid asshole who constantly gets busted for making stupid racist jokes and by extension making his fans and everyone who has even the vaguest ties to the word ‘gamer’ look like stupid, racist assholes. He’s a corporate ass sucking apologist who gives exposure to anti Semites and racist wastes of space to his audience of mostly 10 to 15 year old boys, and he’s more terminally obnoxious than an Adderall addicted Pomeranian.

The day he posted his first video of him overreacting to a jump scare while making loud screeching noises on top of edgy rape jokes was the day the progress of “gaming as an art form” was shot between the eyes, placed in a box that was then filled with concrete, and thrown into the ocean. He’s a dumbass man child that’s making all of us look bad and he needs to take his millions worth of corporate sponsorships and fuck off forever into some dark, lonely corner of the Internet where he’ll never be seen or heard from again until an inevitable meltdown that lands him on an episode of Down the Rabbit Hole.

And that concludes this post. I’ll give my final thoughts tomorrow, and on Saturday I’m closing this account forever.

#unpopular opinion

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rdmfavcpls · 5 years

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Title: Reversal

Category: Pokemon

Rating: T

Pairing: Soulsilvershipping (Lyra/Kotone x Silver)

Summary: Silver doesn’t care for Valentine's Day. He just goes by like the day is a regular day. He doesn’t understand the importance it has to young ladies like Kotone who are too scared to confess their feelings. He is confused over why Kotone rushed towards him, shoved a wrapped box in his chest, and then run away. Now, he can’t seem to find her.

Disclaimer: I don’t own any rights to Pokemon.

~~Story Begins~~

Silver ignored the sidewalk sides that told about special deals for those last minute Valentine’s Day presents. He paid no attention to men that glared at him because he was used to it from his father and from his father’s beloved organization high ranked members. He sneered at the girls who giggled or blushed as he passed by them.

He’s been mocked and downgraded by his father for too long to understand that the men were jealous of him because he was the Champion’s, right-hand man. The thought that the females were blushing and giggling because he looked at them would never enter his mind. He didn’t know that most of the young female population around his age (and some of the older population) thought he was handsome.

He was glad that he finally got to the Dragon’s Den and breathed in the stale watery cave air. He felt more at ease in a place that was isolated or not as populated. If he wasn’t at the Dragon’s Den. He was in New Bark Town which he found out to be surprised about that as well.

His time in New Bark Town was spent mostly in Prof. Elm’s labor at Kotone’s house much to his displeasure. It was mostly due to Kotone and Hibiki (mostly Hibiki with a red-faced Kotone) insisting that he should stay over and enjoy some warm dinner.

Silver wasn’t going to lie that he started to come over to Kotone’s house for the warm and delicious food. He did see where Kotone got her over affectional spirit from and it annoyed him to no end over their stupidity.

He walked down the first set of stairs when his name was echoed within the cave. He turned around towards the entrance and stared at the girl who called his name.

“Idiot,” Silver said. “You didn’t have to yell. You woke up all the wild Zubats.”

“I don’t think your Crobat will mind,” Kotone said. She ran up to him and stopped just an arm's length away. “I’m also not here to battle!”

“Please explain as to why you are here then,” Silver said with a glare. Within a blink, that glare was replaced with a look of surprise as the Champion and his rival shoved a box wrapped in red towards his chest. “What the?”

“Happy Valentine’s Day. IreallyhopeyoulikethemandIwillseeyouinaweek. Haha. WhoamIkiddingbecauseitisgoingtobelikeamonth. Iloveyou. Bye,” Kotone said so fast that Silver felt like he was at one of those auctions that her mother liked to watch.

The only problem is that Silver could never understand the auctioneer with how fast they talked so he had no idea over what Kotone just said.

He took a second to look at the box before he looked back up with intentions of returning the box only to see the tail end of her double pigtails leave the guarded cave. He looked back down at the box and examined it.

The box didn’t seem to be very big and it looked like someone had professionally wrapped the box in a red wrapping paper that matched the shade of his long hair. The ribbon on the box was simple, but it was of a silver color.

Wataru should know what this present is and why Kotone just ran away.

~~Pokemon~~

Kotone needed a place to hide. That was easier said than done with the status of her being a Champion but also she was a very sociable person and needed to talk to someone. She also had her pokemon to worry about.

Her first thought over a place to hide was the Ice Cave, but she would freeze there. Her Typhlosion could keep her warm and enjoy sliding on the ice, but she wasn’t going to freeze her most trusted companion.

She couldn’t hide at home because Silver was a constant visitor and Hibiki would not let her hide for a month. He would either trick her into going out if Silver is nearby or would tell Silver where her hiding spot was.

She has learned her lesson over not to tell Hibiki over any of her crushes again.

She had only two places left to choose from. Slowpoke Well and the old Team Rocket hideout where they kept the Director.

Thieves still lingered around the old Team Rocket hideout and the Slowpoke Well would be wet and chilly. There was also a storm that they believed was on its way and she really didn’t want to stay in the well in case it floods.

“Team Rocket hideout it is,” Kotone said as she brushed her hair out. She was going in disguise and that meant she would need to lose the pigtails that everyone recognizes her with along with not wearing her poofy hat or usual outfit.

“Okay,” she said. “I think I am ready to hide for a month.”

~~Pokemon~~

“It’s a Valentine’s Day gift,” Wataru said as he took a two-second look at the box that Silver held. “Have you never received a Valentine’s Day gift before?”

“So, this is just some store-bought chocolate,” Silver said with disgust in his voice.

Wataru laughed. “Kid, those aren’t just store-bought chocolates,” he said. “The wrapping of the present proves that. Kotone really did put some effort into the present. Wouldn’t that one boy with the Marill be the best person to ask about it?”

“Hibiki? She could have given this to me by mistake,” Silver said.

“Doubt it. The black heart-shaped tag clearly says Silver in silver marker. She wanted you to have this present. Maybe you should open it to see what she gave you first. This way you can start preparing for White Day.”

“What the heck is White Day?”

Wataru placed his hand over his face. “Kid, you have a lot to learn.”

~~Pokemon~~

It’s been a week since Kotone decided to hide before she was forced to come back out to the public because of a challenger who apparently couldn’t read the sign that said the Champion would be away for a month.

She was furious because the challenger couldn’t wait for her to get back in her usual attire so here she was with her hair down and wearing an outfit she got in Kanto when she visited last year.

Her anger vanished like an Abra when she saw who the challenger was.

“Silver?” Kotone said. “What are you doing here? There was a sign that was posted that stated I wouldn’t be back until the 16th of March.”

“Where is your hat? Why isn’t your hair in your stupid pigtails?” Silver said.

“I was on vacation,” Kotone said with her arms crossed. “And I would really like to go back to being on vacation so let us get this battle over with.”

“Absolutely not! You cannot just give me a box of delicious chocolates and then just vanish for a month!” Silver said. “This was the only one I could find you and I demand answers!”

“You can ask and I may not answer,” Kotone said and crossed her arms. She blinked a couple of times and soon found grey eyes staring straight down into her own in such a close proximately. “Silver what are -”

She was cut off aggressively by his mouth sealing hers. She had pressed her hands against his chest, but that he stopped that too as he grabbed her wrists. She didn’t care at that point as her mind finally processed that yes, the boy she has had a crush on since she saw him peering into Prof. Elm’s laboratory is indeed kissing her.

She wasn’t as experienced as Silver, but it didn’t seem like he was too concerned about it. Then again, she wasn’t so concerned about it with the way he seemed to manipulate her mouth against his.

Kotone pulled back to get some much-needed air and Silver seemed to be perfectly fine while she was a mess.

“What was that about?” Kotone asked.

“You need to explain more about this Valentine’s Day, White Day thing,” Silver said. “You also can’t vanish like that.”

“Huh?”

“Ya heard me,” Silver said. He looked away from her as his red hair matched the red on his face. “I’m from Kanto. We only have Valentine’s Day.”

“Kanto celebrates both,” Kotone said in confusion.

“Shut up,” Silver said.

Kotone smiled. “Okay, fine. I will explain both over dinner at your place.”

“My place? Why?” Silver said.

“Because then it will be considered a date,” Kotone said. “Now, if you don’t mind. I would very much like to go back to my vacation.”

“What vacation? Hiding in the old hideout?” Silver said which caused Kotone to freeze in her steps. “Those thieves that hang out around here are my friends. You honestly didn’t think I wouldn’t know.”

“I hate you,” Kotone said with an Ekans hiss.

“That’s not what you said a couple of days ago,” Silver said with a smirk.

~~The End~~

#pokemon #pokemon soulsilver #pokemon heartgold #Silver #Kotone/Lyra #Soulsilvershipping #Valentine's Day Special #only uploading two stories this year

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f-nodragonart · 5 years

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alright, so I saw HTTYD3 the other day, and I have a few thoughtsss abt it and the franchise as a whole. below the cut for spoilers

HTTYD3 is..... a strange conclusion to the series....

while I wouldn’t say I had necessarily high hopes for this film, considering how the 2nd was handled, I was at LEAST expecting more than we got here

tho I suppose the main reason I was expecting more was b/c I know the overall plot for this trilogy was more or less planned out after the 1st film came out. the director-- Dean DeBlois-- knew how this was all gonna go down b/c he only agreed to a 2nd film if it could be made into a trilogy. I’ve known this for at least 8yrs, so I was expecting careful planning and execution if he was so excited to do EXACTLY 3 films

in retrospect, this may have been what ruined the continuations. I’m p sure HTTYD1 wasn’t guaranteed to continue into a series initially, so it was made as a mostly standalone film. I think the following films were stunted by their need to fit into an overarching storyline, b/c if you look at the trilogy as a whole, it feels very much like the climax hit in the 2nd film, while the whole 3rd film was simply a wrap-up of the plot

and that’s what rly ruins this film for me-- even more than the Light Fury (which I will get to). Grimmel seems like a gr8 villain on paper (the guy who eliminated practically all Night Furies?? awesome!!), but in practice he isn’t very threatening. I’m p sure he doesn’t actually kill a single dragon in the whole film, nor does he even rly threaten the safety of any humans. he mayyyy have killed that one dragon that charged him at the very beginning b/c there was a discretion shot over the dragon’s head, but Grimmel literally never used deadly arrows in the rest of the film, so I can’t guarantee he didn’t just tranq the dragon instead

like, every scene where I thought there were going to be actual stakes leading to an actual climax, everything was just resolved a few moments later. oh no the main gang got trapped w/ the Deathgrippers! oh, they all escaped just fine. oh no, actually Ruffnut was left behind!! oh wait, Grimmel isn’t threatening her in any way, so she’s prolly gonna be fine

like, hell, if he at LEAST gave the implication that he had every intention to eliminate any obstacles, but was simply being held back by those side-villains he was working with, he would’ve been SO much more threatening. maybe if he had gone to stab Ruffnut in that scene, but the other folks there were like, “WHOA Grimmel, she’s just a kid, cool it!!” I would’ve LOVED a sort of Jumba reveal like, “Hiding behind your little friend won’t work anymore! We got fired this morning~” where all bets are off in the final battle and Grimmel’s strategies turn strictly deadly

on that note, it would’ve been fun to utilize the Deathgrippers’ poison to emphasize this point. like, make it clear that dosage levels change the effect of the poison, where a small dosage may simply paralyze or knock out, while a large dosage can kill. sadly this isn’t how the poison was used-- instead it was some vaguely-defined substance that in one instance could knock out a dragon completely, while in another could be used as a mind-control serum? what???

at the very least, the Deathgrippers themselves are VERY cool. prolly my fave dragon designs in the whole franchise, right after Toothless

my biggest worldbuilding complaint is actually something that transfers over from the second film-- Alphas.

I don’t think I’ve talked abt this much here, but I fucking HATE this stupid Alpha thing the 2nd film introduced. like, the power that the queen dragon had over all the other dragons in the 1st film was already a big stretch I didn’t particularly like, but this Alpha thing rly breaks any and all suspension of disbelief for me

like, the dragons in these films are designed to be incredibly unique, both physically AND behaviorally. there are water dragons designed for an exclusively aquatic lifestyle, tiny dragons that scuttle around the underbrush in little packs, ENORMOUS dragons that seem to live solitary lifestyles, dragons w/ 4 limbs or 6 limbs that must be separated by millions of years of evolution, etc. etc.

there’s just. there’s NO good reason ANY single dragon (any single SPECIES of dragon) should be considered an “Alpha” to ALL DRAGONS, when there’s no realistic indication that these dragons are even socially/physiologically bound to one another in any significant way. these are UNIQUE SPECIES built to live their UNIQUE LIVES in UNIQUE ENVIRONMENTS/SCENARIOS. sure, they may be social enough to intermingle, but why in the world would they all be grouped together??

like, if we’re rly gonna go for a “hivemind” approach, here, then what are the roles of each species? “hivemind” groups can be compared to a superorganism, where each caste performs a certain task comparable to an organ system, so what do Nadders do? Zipplebacks? Monstrous Nightmares? I mean, they HAVE to be built for a specific task in this scenario, b/c why else would each species be designed so differently??

not only that, but “Alpha” is such a Western human concept that rarely ever applies to the rest of the animal kingdom-- not actual “hiveminds” (go to the “swarm intelligence” section), and certainly not the wolf packs alphas are popularly associated with

hivemind simply doesn’t work here. it’s like saying all mammals are bound by a planet-wide “packmind”, and that there’s some “Alpha Mammal” out there we all have to answer to. it’s goddamn ludicrous

but ok, let’s give this hivemind idea the benefit of the doubt-- who’s to say that this HTTYD planet has to be bound by the same rules as our Earth? so let’s say that HTTYD dragons are bound by “packmind”, ok sure

but the packmind present here isn’t even consistent w/in the narrative!

when Valka first introduced the Bewilderbeast as the true “king of dragons”, the implication was that leadership is some kind of species-specific thing-- like only Bewilderbeasts (and possibly Red Deaths, to a lesser degree?) could be Alphas. alright, fair enough, that’s one way to approach the worldbuilding here. maybe this one species is very rare across the planet, and they feel an instinctual, almost parental pull towards other, smaller dragons

but then Toothless becomes alpha, so that theory is thrown out the window, and we come to realize this is a social thing. OK sure, that’s another approach to packmind. individuals compete, and the most capable takes on the role of Alpha

but then you realize it rly isn’t JUST a social thing b/c.... Toothless glows now. and Alphas in general are shown to have not JUST influence over dragons, but straight-up MIND CONTROL

WHAT. THE FUCK. DEFINES. AN ALPHA.

like, ok, physiological changes can make sense, our physiology is actively influenced by our environment, emotions, etc. I’ll even be forgiving and say that Toothless’ glow is an understandable, physiological change due to being Alpha.

but if Alpha truly is a social/physiological role rather than a species-specific role, how the HELL does the straight-up mind control work? are all dragon species capable of it, but they have to get the Alpha role in order to use it? why is it straight-up mind control in the first place, that’s not even very practical? what is going on?????

and now we finally get to the problems this brings up in this final film, and how they complicate the problems we see b/t Toothless and the Light Fury in terms of design

see, Toothless is STILL the only black Fury in the whole franchise (besides his kids maybe, but we’ll get there). we only see the main Light Fury and two other Light Furies, but not any other NIGHT Furies

after Toothless goes Alpha, we don’t REALLY know what of his new traits are typical to a Night Fury, and what traits have been influenced by being Alpha. who’s to say that his glow isn’t simply a Night Fury thing he had to grow into, for instance?

so we get to one of the most egregious things in this new film-- to me, at least-- where Toothless gets fuckin........................................ lightning powers.......................................

HELLO??????????????????????????????

is this an Alpha thing? can alphas control lightning? or is this a Night Fury thing? the Light Fury certainly seemed surprised by it, so it seems that at least females can’t do it!!

at least if it was an Alpha thing, I could give this the tiniest of passes and say, “oh, Alpha-ness affects each species of dragon differently, so they unlock species-specific powers when they go Alpha.” it’s fucking DUMB, but at least it’s SOMETHING. but this rly feels like it was meant to further highlight male/female differences, and give Toothless a decidedly more “masculine” power compared to the Light Fury. which makes no goddamn sense in terms of sexual dimorphism, so it’s automatically more dumb than the Alpha explanation. we’ll never know for sure which reasoning it is, but either way I hate it.

and NOW we finally get to the meat of what ppl have prolly wanted to hear from this-- my thoughts on the Light Fury in-context

well, sadly, as folks have pointed out to us over the last few weeks, our aquatic theory was blown out of the water. the Light Fury (I’m just gonna call her LF for convenience), nor any of the other dragons in the “Hidden World” were any more aquatically-leaning than any of the other dragons in the film. Grimmel himself smacked cold climates out of the running for Furies, so LF’s not even white for arctic camouflage. all signs point to........ *sigh*............. ~~*sexual dimorphism*~~

the especially shitty thing is that there could’ve been a cool, semi-explanation for this, since Night Furies as a whole seem to have camouflage abilities. maybe LF just prefers to be white, or she goes light in certain scenes (like when they’re on the beach) to match her environment, but is actually black like Toothless. it still wouldn’t explain away her dainty build, but it’d at least be SOMETHING. but no, she’s dainty and white b/c ~~~feeeeeeeeemaleeee~~~

which is actually rly confusing, b/c this tweet suggests that LF actually IS a unique variation on the species, but almost nothing in the movie indicates such. the one scene that rly stuck out for this was when Grimmel saw the Light Fury for the first time and IMMEDIATELY was like, “A female?” now u could argue that he’s so familiar w/ Furies that he can tell at a glance the sex of a Fury even in just a few small details, but what this scene implied to me is that female Night Furies are obviously and recognizably white-- thus that Light Furies are actually just..... Night Furies...

the only thing that convinces me that LF rly is a subspecies rather than just a female Night Fury is that Toothless’ and LF’s kids turn out all patchy, which wouldn’t make a whole lotta sense w/ sexual dimorphism. now u could argue that juveniles of a lot of species usually have to grow into their adult coats/patterns, or maybe even that Night Furies start out unisex/nonsexed then grow into a sex depending on hormones (or could even change their sex over their lifetime!). that would actually be interesting lore to make up for some of the shitty dimorphism!

but I get the feeling that these hatchling designs are supposed to be the designers’ get-out-of-jail card, like, “see, their kids are CLEARLY hybrids, so this explains away LF’s design as a subspecies, so u can’t actually get mad at us for it!!!” despite the fact that there’s no real explanation for why she looks like...... that. the coloration I can see for that weird technicolor Hidden World, but the smoothness? the daintiness? only an aquatic lifestyle could’ve saved that for me, and that was trashed hard

there’s just no good reason for a Light Fury subspecies to look the way they do, and there’s even less reason for female Night Furies to look that way, so either explanation is trash

so y’know. real nice to see HTTYD continue their tradition of crappy treatment of their main female characters. Valka’s sudden decline from a strong, mysterious warrior, to a damsel in distress when she’s revealed to be feeeeemaleeeee in the 2nd film. that HORRIFIC, “but THIS is a KING,” line in that same film. Astrid’s unrealistic nosedive into love straight from apathy in the first film. actually, Astrid’s presence in the whole franchise feels.... some weird kinda way to me, but I can’t rly put my finger on it. someone else will have to deep-dive analyze her for me b/c I can’t rly get a grasp on why I don’t like her much as a character, but something feels off abt her, esp after she falls in love w/ Hiccup...

anyways, all those specific critiques in mind, here are my synthesized thoughts on the trilogy:

I’m tempted to call HTTYD1 a practically perfect film. the plot is solid and takes the “boy and his dog” approach in a new direction, most of the characters feel real and relatable, there’s so much unique charm in the world/aesthetic/characters/etc., and most importantly it has so much heart that shines through every interaction (particularly b/t Toothless and Hiccup) and the general theme of the film. I think my only real complaint abt this first film is how quickly Astrid flips from feeling nothing for Hiccup to being in love w/ him, that was p ridiculous

HTTYD2 has a lot of faults. a LOT. a lot of weird sexism involving the Valka and the comparisons b/t “kings” and “queens”, weird motivations for Valka, a lot of weird racism involving Drago (which didn’t rly transfer to the 3rd film so it didn’t feel relevant to this discussion earlier), and absolute NONSENSE Alpha plot convenience. however, even if HTTYD2 lacks in plot/worldbuilding (and, more disappointingly, appropriate handling of certain characters...), it still has all the heart and charm of the first film imo. this film is absolutely BURSTING w/ emotions b/t different characters (Stoick/Valka of particular note, of course), and most every scene hit hard enough to stick w/ me longgg after I’d seen the film. it’s far from perfect, but I think the heart and charm can make up for a lot of its faults

HTTYD3 is. not great. the plot isn’t bad on paper, but in practice it lacks any real stakes due to a fangless villain. for as much as I hate the Light Fury’s design and the heavy sexism associated w/ her whole plot, I would honestly say it’s the flat villain and lack of any real stakes that make this film most unenjoyable. this fear of real stakes scooped out all the heart that should transfer from the first two films, leaving a rather empty film where even the emotional moments (like the reverse callback to Hiccup first touching Toothless’ face) don’t hit nearly as hard as they should, nor do they stick w/ me at all after leaving the theater. the only thing I’ll give this film is that it at LEAST has the charm of the original characters to carry it (Hiccup and Toothless are still great, Ruffnut’s imprisonment was prolly my favorite scene in the film, etc.), but that’s not rly saying much when the film SHOULD be able to stand on its own and not simply rely on the crutch of already well-loved characters to pull it thru

-Mod Spiral

#httyd #httyd3 #how to train your dragon #how to train your dragon 3 #mod spiral #reviews

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