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sometipsygnostalgic · 2 years

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So I’ve been developing an AU where Bow and Entrapta swap places!

Here are the key points of this AU for Entrapta:

Entrapta is Glimmer’s cousin, the child of one of Micah’s more distant non-magical siblings. When she lost her parents as a kid she was alone for a little while, and after people caught on there was some debate with whether she should go to Castaspella or Micah. She had no magical powers so she went with Micah, and was effectively raised as Glimmer’s older sister.

She’s about 3-5 years older than Glimmer here.

Entrapta lacks her hair powers and has less tech advancement, so she is a bit of an underdog in the Rebellion. People are not afraid of her here, they underestimate her but she’s still a chaos gremlin who loves technology and machines, and adapts quickly to new challenges set in front of her.

Somehow she still gets Emily. She builds tiny robots. I’m going to struggle to stop her from trying to befriend Hordak and Catra.

Glimmer is largely the same, except without Bow around during her childhood as the Voice of Reason, so instead Glimmer and Entrapta take turns being the voice of reason (though if you ask Glimmer she will claim she is always the sensible one).

Adora and Entrapta should not be allowed in a room together. Adora’s storyline might get challenged if she has Entrapta there pushing her towards chaos and asking questions about how She-ra works and why Light Hope is stealing energy from the runestones.

Their core conflict is that Glimmer has all of the expectations placed on her while Entrapta is seen as a bit of a disaster nobody, and nobody has any expectations of her. So from Entrapta’s POV, everybody believes in Glimmer and nobody believes in her, she’s the Amethyst of this situation and the black sheep, while from Glimmer’s POV, she is fighting so hard to be her best self at all times to break out of Angella’s shadow, while Entrapta never takes anything seriously and does pretty much what she wants. .

Entrapta’s relationship to Angella is pretty awkward and complicated, because Angella is so focused on Glimmer. Entrapta doesn’t call her “mom” or even “aunt” most of the time, just “Angella”. However Angella does truly care about her niece.

Bow meanwhile....

Bow is the Prince of Dryl and in charge of the kingdom already. Bow never really wanted to be a Prince but takes his responsibility very seriously and has pushed down all of his own desires in order to live up to his fathers’ expectations. His fathers love him very much but, like in the show, he thinks if he does a bad job then he will be letting them down, and they fail to recognise that he’s unhappy. So, Bow shuts things out and becomes a pragmatic character.

Bow’s technology is very polished and he rarely has experimental mishaps but he’s not as into it, he doesn’t see his robots as people for example. Bow has a utilitarian approach to technology and his work serves its purpose perfectly and is well-tested before use.

He doesn’t have any close friends, though he is very good in social situations as always - he has lots of practice. Bow is a charmer among the boys and girls, in COMPLETE contrast to Entrapta. However, he never gets to truly connect to people, as genuine as he comes across.

Bow charms Glimmer pretty hard when they first meet, she gets a crush on the guy and there’s something about her that he likes. When she gets kidnapped at Princess Prom he offers his support to rescue her.

Bow is presumed dead after No Princess Left Behind (and I’d do a much more convincing job than the show did here...) but in reality he decides to join the Horde because he thinks they can help him advance his technology and the Rebellion is a disaster so he thinks it’s the only way to safeguard his family and kingdom.

Glimmer is Fucking Pissed when she finds out and she thinks Bow is a douche now but they do interact again. Oh god I turned them into Glitra 2.0. Bow’s relationship to Catra is nothing like Entrapta’s since he isn’t in it for the friendship and she doesn’t interest him much, but Bow actually warms up greatly to Scorpia. Bow loses his shit constantly at Hordak’s weird technological choices and isn’t afraid to call them out.

Over time Glimmer starts to realise that deep down Bow is a dork. Bow wants to use a bow and arrow and bare his abs, but is stuck using useful weapons and robots and dressing like a sensible person. He is a very repressed individual and his banter with Glimmer and other characters reveals the cracks in his cool facade. Eventually he learns to embrace his dorky side and stop hiding from his emotions.

So the purpose of this AU is mostly to show how Bow and Entrapta would be different if thrown into each other’s circumstances, namely their relationship to technology and to heart: Entrapta’s connection to these things is part of her very soul, I reckon, or at least she’s always going to be autistic and have the experiences that lead her to relate to machines. She can find love in technology and that is what she focuses on. However Entrapta’s technology is very chaotic and prototyped, she could have been far deadlier if her distractability and sheer love for science didn’t get in the way of the whole “making weapons for the Horde” thing. But she is a chaos gremlin through and through so that’s not going to happen. In these circumstances she’d struggle a lot with the inability to escape social situations but also have more support pillars from Glimmer and Adora, and can look out for them too.

Bow meanwhile CHOOSES to embrace love and connection, it’s more socialised into him by his parents, and I think there is an unexplored more jaded side to him, that we see sometimes like in Reunion where he hides his identity from his parents. I think Prince Bow, a version of him without Glimmer in his life, would be very susceptible to pressure and would make pragmatic choices over following his heart. I also think he would be far more efficient and deadly at tech than Entrapta because he doesn’t get distracted, but at the same time, she’s always going to figure out his work and keep up with him for as long as he isn’t truly passionate about it, and what Bow is passionate about is his arrows. That’s his dream, to become an archer, but he doesn’t think he can follow it.

So yeah Bow is basically Equius Zahhak but more likable. Also he was meant to have a goatee but I only remembered to draw it in one panel. Since Entrapta’s hair isn’t magic she just cuts it short.

#she ra #spop #glimmer #bow #entrapta #my art #adora #nerd swap au

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caseyhastings20 · 2 years

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The Mysterious Mikaelson

"Let's play something! I'm getting bored." Natasha suggests. "Yeah let's play truth and dare!" Tony suggest making the rest of the avengers groan. "oh come on man! We are not teenagers!" Sam whines. "Come on! It'll be fun." Nat supports Tony. "Fine! okay Steve, truth or dare?" Rhodey asks. "Truth?" Steve hesitates. "Okay, Have you ever kissed a man?" Rhodey asks making Steve blush. "yeah!" Steve replies making everyone look at him in surprise. "What? who? when?" Everyone started asking. "Hey you only said one question I'm not answering any other questions." Steve defends. After a few rounds when everyone had at least had gotten their chance except bucky. "Okay, Manchurian candidate, your turn, truth or dare?" Tony asks. "Uh.. truth." Bucky says. "Okay, Tell us about that girl you were seeing during the war. You never let me meet her." Steve says. "Ooh, A secret girlfriend! Tell us more." Nat says interested. "Its nothing guys. Just a girl I went on a few dates with." Bucky says. "No, It was not that, stop lying. you used to talk about her like she was some sort of angel, you even once said that you are going to marry her. Why do you keep her so much of a secret?" Steve says. "Because I lost her and now I can't get her back so what's the point of talking about her especially when it only causes pain." Bucky almost yells at Steve. Realising his pain everybody backed off. "What's her name?" Tony asks "Huh?" Bucky says. "What's her name? Come on tell me maybe I can find where she is. She might be alive, maybe in an old age home, but finding what happened to her might give you some closure." Tony says to which Steve along with others agreed. "Come on Bucky, tell us. It might be good for your guilt which I know you are feeling because I felt the same." Steve softly says to him. "Isabelle, Isabelle Mikaelson. That's her name." Bucky says. "Okay, Friday look for Isabelle Mikaelson." Tony says "Sir, There is no Isabelle Mikaelson born around the time." Friday replies. Fridays answer makes everyone confused. "Where was she from maybe we can get a something on that." Tony asks " She had a british accent but she always said that she lived in New Orleans." Bucky says which makes everyone look at him. "What?" bucky asks "Nothing its just weird, lived in New Orleans but had a british accent." Nat says. "Boss, There is still nothing that I can find." Friday says. "Whoa Bucky your girl just became more and more mysterious." Sam laughs making bucky glare at him. "Okay, how did she looked? Paint a mental picture" Nat suggests. "She had raven hair, blue eyes, about five eight tall, she always looked so mysterious and had a mischievous look in her eyes, she was different you know." bucky says. "Yeah yeah we know she was not like other girls!" Nat mocks him. "No No, not in that sense, I mean she really was different like even in that time period she was just as badass then you are now with all that training but always had that aura of superiority like we were all just toys for her. She herself sometimes would say that she is a uh.. psychotic maniac." Bucky said. "What the hell Man! you fell in love with a psychopath?" Rhodey says astonished. "You didn't meet her Rhodey, she was just amazing and so charming that even after being a psychopath you would have been smitten with her." Bucky defend himself. "Like you were?" Tony says. "Not just me Tony, so many more. " Bucky says. "Man that's dark." Rhodey comments "She would say, Don't underestimate the allure of darkness Bucky, even the purest hearts are drawn to it." Bucky says with a dreaming look in his eyes. "Well that's true, looks like your girl was quite intelligent." Tony says. "Did she had a brother?" Sam suddenly asks making everyone look at him in confusion even bucky. "What?" Bucky replies. "A brother, did she had a brother?" Sam repeats. "Yeah she had many brothers." Bucky says. "No, did she had a twin brother?" Sam asks again. "Oh Yeah, she did had a twin brother his name was k-" Sam completes him "Kol Mikaelson." making Bucky's eyes go wide. "Yeah that's what she said. Wait do you know something about her." Bucky asks. "Oh My God! Oh My God! " Sam keeps on repeating. "Sam! Tell us! What is it?" Nat snaps at him. "The Mikaelson family is a legend." Sam says. "What kind of legend?" Tony asks. "It is said that when people first came to the land now known as New Orleans it was just a small colony but The Mikaelson family turned the small colony into the now known as New Orleans." Sam explains. "So you are saying that Bucky girlfriend from the forties belong is a descendant of The Mikaelson family?" Nat says. "Oh my god this is turning into such a good mystery!" Tony exclaims making many people glare at him. "No Nat! This is the legend The Mikaelson family is said to be still alive." Sam replies. "What do you mean still alive." Tony asks interested. "They never died, none of then even had kids and for three centuries they lived there not looking a day older than the first they arrived in the city." Sam says. "Oh my god! This amazing! Wait does that mean the she might be still alive?" Tony asks. ""Maybe who knows." Sam says. "Wait how do even know this is the truth. It cloud be just some sort of stupid legend." Bucky argues. "Oh I know! Friday show the painting made in 1803 in New Orleans Named ' The Merciless Queen' by Charlus Black ( A/N Just a random thing I made don't mind) Friday shows them the pictures making bucky choke. "What the hell! Are you sure this was made in 1803? Because that is her. That is Isabelle" Bucky yells astonished. "Yes Mr Barnes, I have shown the right painting." Friday replies while everyone else are too shocked to say anything. "But how is this even possible?" Bucky whispers. "Whatever it is man, I am not going to stop until I find out how." Tony replies. "Oh come Tony! you are just doing it because you love a challenge and a mysterious challenge is just you favourite thing." Nat says. " Oh please Natashalie everyone love a good mystery." Tony replies. "yeah you are right." Nat replies. "damn it"

#bucky x reader #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes #avengers #the originals #the mikaelsons #kol mikaelson #tony stark #new orleans #ww2 #steve rogers #sam wilson #natasha romanoff

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pan-fried-autism · 1 year

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Test Results

Characters: Swap!Grem, Swap!Nikolai (@bowlerhatwearer), Swap!Mothgo (@sallychaosaura), Swap!M0u5e

Summary: It’s been about 9 years since Jack Harris came to visit. How’s everybody doing now?

The biting wind blew the snowflakes around outside, turning them into tiny little weapons of frost. After hurrying back inside the house with the mail, Grem shut and locked the door. A winter storm was coming, and he wanted to keep warm.

Yeah, he went by they/he now. Those felt better.

Either way, they shook off the snow and took off their coat and boots, hanging em up and putting em aside. The house had the heat turned up a bit, and Christmas decorations were spread about. They hasn’t gotten the tree yet (Grem thought it was a little early for that), but you could still feel the spirit of the season in the house.

Grem had a Christmas sweater on that said 'I Saw My Wife Kissing Santa Claus', paired with blue plaid pajama pants and bunny slippers. He walked over to the couch and sat back on it, relaxing ntot he cushions.

"We're gonna be having a warm night in, aren't we, sweetie pie?" they remarked happily to the person next to them.

"We sure are."

... replied Nikolai Akdow, smiling back at them.

There was a good bit to unpack here.

Nikolai and Grem's friendly feelings towards each other ended up being a little more than that, and they ended up being in a QPR, and have been since.

As for how Nikolai was in Grems house, there’s so many things that happened to make that happen, it would require its own story to tell. But Nikolai was mortal again, and that’s all that matters for now.

Grem scooted over next to Nikolai, bonking his head softly against his shoulder and purring slightly.

“Ya know what we should do?” They asked the human.

“Hmm… depends. Do you read minds?” Nik replied, friendly smirk on his face.

"Maybe I do."

Grem closed his eyes, and pressed his fingers to the sides of his head. After a few seconds, he said "Were ya thinking of.... watching a movie with our family, and then cuddling later?"

"Hmmmm... " Nikolai made a show of thinking very hard. "Yes."

The cat gave him an evil little grin. "Never underestimate my POWERS, sweetie."

Nikolai chuckled and started to reach for Grementine, but quickly stopped.

"Would you be okay if I pulled you close?" he asked.

"Always :)" they responded.

The human reached out again and pulled Grem close to him, making them giggle and blush a bit.

From the hallway of Grems house came an unusual sight to most-- a 7 ft tall orange robot, clad in warm dark purple clothing and with functional moth wings. She was leading another robot by the hand-- a taller M0u5e.

The orange robot, Mothgo, had been Grem and Nikolais housemate for a while now. They met when Mothgo broke into the house to get light bulbs, her primary food source. Besides that, she was a total sweethearted goofball.

M0u5e had also gotten an upgrade. Grem had made it a larger body that came with more functions, such as varied facial expression. He still couldn't eat. She was, however, still the same old M0u5e.

"Hey guys!" chirped Mothgo. "We heard something about movies."

Grem peeked up at them from the couch.

"Mmhmm. If there's gonna be a snowstorm, we might as well have ourselves a good time, y'know?" they replied happily.

"You two wouldn't happen to have any ideas, would you?" Nikolai added.

"Hmm... Can we watch, perhaps, Tangled?" asked M0u5e. "I know you two seem fond of that movie, and it's very funny."

"Oh, Tangled, I love that movie." Grem fondly spoke. "You're speaking my language, kiddo."

Grem looked at the other adults room in the room, asking "You guys have objections or ideas?"

"I think Tangled is fine."

"Yeah, Tangled!"

"Then it's Tangled." the cat announced.

They turned back to Mothgo and M0u5e. "Do you guys wanna make popcorn and hot cocoa for us all?" they suggested.

M0u5e ears wiggled around, and she clapped her hands in glee. "Yes, please, I want to be the little popcorn boy."

"Of course!" said Mothgo, beaming. "We're gonna have a GREAT time tonight!"

She and M0u5e skipped off to the kitchen for a bit, leaving Grem and Nikolai alone again.

"Now," started Nik, "Do you want scritches?"

"Yeah!"

Nikolai moved his hand to the top of Grems head, and gently scratched at it, unleashing a chorus of light purring from his partner. The cats eyes were closed, delighted in the sensations as he lightly kicked his legs back and forth.

After a few seconds of this, Grem opened his eyes and spoke to Nikolai.

"Ya know... I'm glad you killed Jack for me."

The suddenness and bluntness of this statement stopped the scritching in its tracks, causing Nikolai to blurt, "What?"

Grem sat up a little, but still looking at Nikolai while he continued.

"Well... if you hadn't gotten there in time, we wouldn't have all this. We wouldn't have the house, or Mothgo... or each other, anymore."

Nikolai was silent for a second, then sighed.

"You would be right, my dear strawberry, and every day I'm thankful for it." he replied, solemnly. "I wish it could have gone different, however.

"He didn't have to die, and you didn't want me to freeze him. But he would have continued to make your life a nightmare if he was allowed to go on living. Not to mention, his... (whew) his family. If there was any reason I wouldn't have killed him at the time, it would be if I knew how it would affect his family."

The human now wore a downcast expression. Seeing this, Grem snuggled into him, purring a little again.

"I know, sweetie, I know." they reassured him. "Even if I didn't like his dad, I felt pretty bad for him, too. But, ya know, he dug himself a grave through his actions. It was only a matter of time before somebody pushed him in... though it's unfortunate that you had to be the one."

Nikolai smiled slightly, taking Grems hand into his own. "It really is." He responded. "It's just... there's one thing going through my mind-- why. Why couldn't he just accept it was over between you and him, all those years ago? Why couldn't he move on? Why the obsession, the painful, horrible obsession that led to his demise?.. by my hands."

"... I don't know, sweetie. I just don't know."

More silence, except for a low purring sound.

Suddenly, Grem held Nikolai's hand with both of his paws, looking back up at him with a little smile.

"But it's all in the past. For now... I'm just grateful to call you my love, and every day I feel lucky to have met ya."

The human seemed to be genuinely touched and surprised by this statement, before breaking out into a big grin, a single tear forming in his eye.

"... Thank you, Grementine. I'm glad you get to be in my life." was his response.

Grem gave a big smile of their own, asking "Do you mind if I kiss you, dear?"

"Not at all."

With that, Grem placed their hand to one of Nikolai's cheeks, pulling him in a little, and putting a soft and loving kiss on the other. They pulled away and stared deeply into his eyes, their thumb ghosting over a small scar on his upper lip, a remnant from his days as a Lich.

The moment was unintentionally interrupted by Mothgo and M0u5e however, when they both came out of the kitchen with a big bowl of popcorn and three cups of hot chocolate.

"Order up!!" chirped Mothgo.

Grem and Nikolai quickly looked away from each other, blushing furiously. This didn't last long, however, as they ended up laughing about it a few seconds later.

Mothgo lightheartedly shook her head at the two lovers, sitting on the couch with M0u5e on her lap.

"What have you two been doing? I figured you goobers would have gotten the movie up by now." she joked.

Grem shrugged and reached down to the remote, eventually getting the menu for Tangled up.

"You guys ready to watch it?" he asked.

A small chorus of confirmations erupted.

"Alright!"

And with that, he pressed the play button.

While the little family watched their movie, the snow blustered and blew around the world outside. Much like past events, however, it couldn't hurt them right now.

THE END

#the north experiment #fiction #short story #swap au #swap!grem #grem #dr grementine mewton #swap!nikolai #nikolai #nikolai akdow #nikogrem #mothgo #swap!m0u5e #m0u5e

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blackswallowtailbutterfly · 9 months

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IM OBSESSED WITH YOUR SHAPESHIFTER STORY!! Genuinely so good.. I'm so so curious to see what the ending will be like!! Little hints throughout the story, like Jen instantly asking "What did he do?" after Anne reaches out makes me think Will wasnt always cracked up to be what everybody thought he was, but the daughters comparing their relationship to Gomez and Morticia makes me think the other way round. I love the supernatural elements too, ghosts in an eery haunting sense but not too unrealistic. really parallels creepy ass shit you hear about/see irl that just never rlly gets explained. i also rlly adore Anne's support circle, like fr never underestimate womens bonds. you dont get that a lot in horror/sci-fi, usually it's the lone final girl up against the world. her having ppl look out for her is so heartwarming, like when Micheal sticks with her when he knows she shouldnt be alone with him?? the 'good' men in this story arent overbearing but also realize like. dudes can be fucking insane. and sometimes all it takes is just listening and keeping eyes open for the ppl you love. idk it's like midnight lol, im just a sucker for alllll this. ive gotta read more scifi by women forsure. its like 12 at night for me but i needed to spill this somewhere. Thank you!!

Thank you so much, truly! Can't say how touched I am that people are liking it so much. :) And definitely read more sci-fi/horror/fantasy by women when you can! There are certain themes that just go differently. I remember reading the difference between men writing romantic relationships and women writing romantic relationships. Men write them as destructive: bringing down dynasties, starting wars, etc., but women write them as hope. Compare, for example, Rhaegar and Lyanna's relationship in ASOIAF essentially bringing about the fall of the seven kingdoms with Jamie and Claire's relationship in Outlander where they overcome horrific violence through their devotion to each other. And I think the same is true of friendships. I think men tend to write them as, you can't really trust anyone, whereas women tend to write them as one of the things that makes life easier--and someone you'd kill for; think Earl Had To Die, No Body No Crime, etc.. one of my favourite things about women's writing is all the little relationships with the female side characters. You just don't get a lot of that in men's writing unless it's a plot device (setting up for a betrayal, etc.).

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thewhumperinwhite · 1 year

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🔨 Are there any whump tropes that you'd love to see your OC's reactions to even though you couldn't or wouldn't put it into your actual story for whatever reason?

✂ Is there a plotline that you'd planned to write but for whatever reason has been abandoned?

🥇 Pick one aspect of your story that you are particularly fond of. Anything at all.

OOH okay good question. Alright. So.

Hammer: I really really love mind control, and for some fucking reason I have written a vampire story where the vampires don't have mind control!!!! a perfect fuckin opportunity and I have wasted it!!! I think I wanted it to be clear that Karim is stuck with Micah because of Good Old Fashioned Emotional Manipulation and not because of magic, and also because i hate myself i guess.

(i do have a... maybe-canon-maybe-not post-story arc for ATTD that heavily features mind control, which i am Obsessed With, but it would be extremely difficult to write it without a Big Big Spoiler for ATTD so once again I have placed myself in a mind-control-less hell of my own making. 😔

Scissors: It's more of a scene than a plotline, but I had a whole scene plotted out for WKW where everybody's at like a grand ball and Morden tells Thorne to dance with Andry, and Thorne goes into Good Boy Mode and picks up on how funny (and maybe hot) Morden and all the rest of the Falconers think it is when he pushes Andry around in public, and he gets carried away and kisses Andry in front of everybody. Thorne is not thinking too hard about Why Morden Might Like That, he was operating 100% on Make Master Happy So Master Wants To Keep Me instincts, and he's confused afterward about why Andry, who has been starting to very cautiously open up, is suddenly cold as ice again. And then Endure happens before they actually Talk About It.

Buuuuut I couldn't find room for it in To Bid You All Welcome, which was already getting untenably long, and it feels weird to have two different Big Fancy Parties within such a short time span, so it never worked out. sigh

Medal: I really really like my villains, lol, and especially how they fulfill their roles in their various stories. in particular I think the contrast between Morden and Micah (the Vampire Daddy from atykm) is really, like. Funny???

Because, like, Morden is competent and sexy and like... a fairy tale villain? Honestly, he's just a few extra sex crimes away from being a disney villain. if you asked him what his alignment was he would say its capital e Evil. And I don't think he's like a cartoon, really, either! He's just a guy who has a lot of power and thinks he's entitled to more social status than he's been granted, and he thinks he Gets To burn the whole world down if he wants to, and he's having fun doing it. So he's always a balance between Genuinely Reprehensible And A Real Threat while also being, like... "likeable" is maybe not the right word but like. Fun To Watch, certainly.

And meanwhile Micah is like... the exact opposite of that. What appeals to me about him is that he is, stripped of all artifice, Deeply Pathetic. He's just a sexual predator with magic powers. The only thing he's good at other than Being A Vampire is sensing other people's vulnerabilities and exploiting them (and he didn't even get that right tbc: he has Deeply Underestimated most of his coven and they're going to fucking Get Him pretty soon). So he's a really fun balance too, because i get to figure out how to make it clear that he is Not A Criminal Mastermind, he's just privileged and confident, without lowering the stakes of the story--he's a pathetic old man, but he also has the power to Literally Ruin Everything.

...this got longer than i meant it to be lmao BUT basically the thing I am proud of is!! the way both of these Evil Men fit into and improve their stories while..... also being exactly What I Want From My Whumpers at different times 😁

#asked and answered #noncon kissing #(only mentioned but just in case)#listen. sometimes you want your villain to be sexy and compelling and like. Fun To Watch #bc when the Sexy Charming Villain loses his cool its Extra Scary #and sometimes you want your villain to be like. a fundamentally insecure pathetic white boy #bc the fact that somebody so insignificant has so much power over your whumpee makes it even more clear how vulnerable they are #And Thus It Is Extra Scary #also what morden and micah have in common is that they are Very Proud And Vain #which makes them appealingly unpredictable bc like. if they feel like their power is threatened. You Are In Danger #and i just think thats very cool and sexy 😌#(the difference between them is that I have keep trying to rearrange the planned final scene or wkw so that morden doesn't For Sure Die #and i cannot WAIT for the coven sisters to murder micah with their bear hands lol)#UHHH anyway lets see #wkw extras #atykm extras #about the blogger

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caffinedragon · 5 months

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Durge remebers his life before...sort of.

An Au headcanon:

R'yleh(durge) rememberd his life before being tadpoled but its a bit different from the reality.

Instead of his canon life he remembers this:

"I was the son of a Bhaalist cult leader in Baulders Gate who treated my sister and I like shit. We were his left hands, killing in order to further his cult and ambition. And when we werent doing that, he was pitting us against eachother to be his 'top assasin.'

I thought it was normal. Never really questioned it. Didnt have any reason too.

Despite me and my sisyer always competing for dads favor my life was...pretty good, considering some of the other poor bastards in the city.

Pretty swanky roof over my head, never without food or clothes, plenty of heat during the cold months, etc.

But then I met my buddy Envy. And He questioned everything. And I mean EVERYTHING.

And his questioning sort of flipped a switch in my brain. A need for knowledge and to know how everything worked and why seemed to possess me.

I began to wonder where my strange powers come from. Why I felt more at home in the water then in the Bhaal temple. Why I always seemed to know things and hear things I shouldnt. Why I always felt...wrong in my own body.

And with his help, we found out why.

Turns out my father is a bit of a monster fucker. Had a crazy one night stand with a Great Old One of all things.

And after I was born, my dad somehow stole me from her and hid me away in the temple where he thoguht she wouldnt find me.

Unfortunately for him, I found her.

She taught me many things my father had denied me, unlocked powers my dad had surpressed, and showed me how a parent was supposed to love thier child.

And the only thing she wanted in return?

Was to be there for me as a mother should be for her son.

Needless to say, I was fucking pissed after that.

I went from being daddy's favorite obedient son, to a thorn in his mother fucking side.

Even had a whole plan to dethrone him so me and my buddy could take over.

But, it seemed we underestimated dear old dad.

The last memory I have is of my baby sister, getting the drop on me and stabbing me in the skull.

Guess she got to be daddy's favorite like she always wanted.

But now, everybody thinks I am fucking dead. Other than the tadpole squirming in my brain, I am free to do whatever I damn well please.

And I couldnt be happier.

Too bad I couldnt have taken Envy with me. His dad was a piece of shit too."

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldurs gate 3 #durge #bg3 durge #bg3 the dark urge #the dark urge

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theskyexists · 1 year

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gundam ep 5 & ep 6 & ep 7 &8

Poor elan, raised a tool, tortured as a child. surprising he wouldnt want aerial for himself if it doesnt hurt him. but he can actually feel the robot as his own body....

i love that jeturk actually came to protect suletta. really like him now tho i dont understand him.

aha he did want it

Suletta is definitely starting to get on my nerves. i know shes just in it for the sleepovers and the boyfriends and whatever it takes to set up a school and not the high stakes intergalactic political game. but like. get with it. stop accepting duels.

hold up hold on, Elan was old enough to accept the role of being a surrogate Elan... i get that it takes the life out of the surrogate, they didnt want to make Elan go through it. i guess...i guess it makes sense.

why wouldnt aerial have thrusters. we SAW that lfrith has thrusters.we know she went flying around on mercury. you’re telling me she couldnt fly there? shes in zero gravity here....we SAW her pick up miorine. wwhat

theyre in outer space. they could blow each other to quick goddamn death here. aerials voice is that of a child....

theres a lot of Nanoha in this. she trounces everybody decidedly and befriends them in doing so. they realise that winning - everything they thought theyd get through winning - that its not actually what they want or need. But that Suletta can give them something else...

IM AN UNDERSTANDING BRIDE. I WILL TOLERATE SOME MINOR TWO-TIMING. i adore the concept of suletta harem anime. but mio is first of course

oh shit. ok they showed quite deliberately. by jeturk getting thrown out. by not-elan getting discarded. that capital does not CARE for fairytale befriending.

it is merciless

MIO DOESNT JUST LET SULETTA INTO THE GREENHOUSE BUT EVEN LETS HER NEAR THE TOMATOES WITH SHEARS

the beautiful and simple metaphor

RED AND BLUE. TRULY BEAUTIFUL DRESSES. OH MY GOD

Nika tries to compliment Mio and she takes it as sarcasm lololol

STAND UP STRAIGHT. their dynamic is so great sfjlkdsjfaksd

why is suletta’s mother trying to make an enemy of mio - why is she letting on shes not fully to be trusted? (or is she trying to teach her a lesson? why say it so evilly tho)

ah. Nika got the thrusters from Shaddiq.

she actually got out of her stutter because of mio’s harsh love haha

wtf. how are they getting out of this one. why did Delling let them go in the first place and why go about accusing her once again of possessing a gundam in public in such a roundabout way. what is stopping him from using his power fully?

ok thats cool. thats a very cool idea by miorine. but everybodys afraid of delling mio

VERY GOOD IDEA BY MIO. VERY GOOD. (it’s not pride, it’s hatred, far more effective lol)

japanese people always seem to think so weirdly from anime. ‘the gundams curse is heavier than you think’ - IT IS JUST A FUCKING MACHINE. A KILLING MACHINE. oh no its pilots die. yeah. so what. why the fuck is that the line. its not MAGIC. you cant just mash ‘witch hunt’ with ‘killer robot’ and be done with the worldbuilding..

Anyway Delling goes in for it lol why. does he care about miorine after all? he set this whole thing up to destroy the gundam and now he’s like ok yeah you can take on the curse then i guess. what.

anyway yeah its definitely better to be ceo of a startup company funded by the whole group including your father (who is only 3% owner!) than be a daughter completely dependent on him. i do not understand why Delling did what he did, why he made Mio a ‘bride’, why he didnt destroy Aerial last time nor why he went along with setting up a company for MAKING GUNDAMS when he already ‘knew’ the pilot dying problem had been solved. what is this man thinking

her mother is completely underestimating what having lied to her daughter and then admitting to it will do to their relationship

so is Mio buying up Peil’s team and shin sei’s to work on gundams based on Aerial and Pharact? Peil and shin sei didn’t even agree. tho i guess suletta’s mom was like: yep sure lets go

even the intro song is kannazuki no miko as heck.

still lying to suletta

‘i didnt come here to build mobile suits’ then why are you at the mobile suit school

IS THIS THE FIRST TIME THEY’VE DEALT WITH THE REALITY OF MOBILE SUITS BEING WEAPONS????

miorine is very smart. suletta is not very smart but has other qualities.

miorine really does have a LOT of freedom of movement right now. yet she hasnt thought to use it at all to get to Earth.

no one but the vanadis group ever thought to use robot tech to save lives? prospera literally has a prosthesis and mio wasnt TOO shocked. how are spacians suriving space right now??

what the fuck lol. who in the world was like: yeah lets leave the billions of investment to the high schoolers to make a silly video with. THE WHOLE GROUP WAS LOOKING TO MAKE WEAPONS AND NOW THEY’RE LIKE HEY LOOK AERIAL IS HERE AND WE”RE GONNA......USE IT TO IMPROVE PEOPLE’S BODIES? there is simply no way to marry the giant robot with developing medical technology.... why do the cyborg parts need an ai....why develop a suit at all? just to please the shareholders? mio is gonna be in the same problems as vanadis

‘Its better than being complicit in war’ YOU ARE AT A MOBILE SUIT ACADEMY. YOU WERE ALWAYS GONNA BE COMPLICIT

hold on. the group just invested 240 million in this startup and now some school regulations are gonna stop the establishment of the company? lol come on

#gundam #my stuff #vidi

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baizhuo · 1 year

Text

❥ ; humanising others

whether it be for better or for worse - good or bad - biazhu has tendencies to HUMANISE just about anybody & anything he interacts with . this ranges from normal people to archons to EVERYTHING else in between . this also includes those from the abyss and the harbingers . the medic simply just does not have the time to view anybody as a DEMON anyway - has better things to do .

quite frankly , seeing somebody at the same level as himself can change behaviours . again , maybe its for the better or for the worse . it is a psychological thing , but it’s NORMALLY for the benefit of himself .

this did get long , but there are examples of how baizhu interacts with ZHONGLI , VENTI , & CHILDE .

let’s take the TWO archons that he has met so far ( through interactions ) . & just archons in general .

generally speaking , he doesn’t particularly BELIEVE in the gods . he knows that they exist , he KNOWS what they’ve done - excluding the ‘ legends ’ - but he simply does not have the FAITH for them . he is not pious by any means . in a way , he just thinks that they simply exist . baizhu also just DOESN’T BELIEVE in placing the gods on some sort of HIGHER pedestal to BLINDLY worship them . as mentioned before , he dislikes the idea of blind faith . & if you were to put your faith in something , then at least understand WHY you would do that . with the archons , he just doesn’t particularly .... as the some phrase goes ‘ put his eggs in that basket . ’

is he thankful for his vision , sure . maybe . sometimes its a nuisance for him . it DOES bother him that he has it - but for completely different reasons . it’s irksome for him - but he CAN understand that he has been blessed by the gods to HAVE one . but what i am saying is that , he doesn’t LOOK towards the gods for help - even if they have decided to gift him something . & it ISN’T because he is ungrateful either . it’s more a neutral feeling .

baizhu just looks at the archons as individuals who have a different set of abilities compared to humans . no , he is NOT underestimating or undervaluing them . he will still give them the utmost respect that they deserve , but his respect is DIFFERENT than others . the way he GIVES respect is by giving them a different way to see themselves .

think of it as him essentially DISRESPECTING them as what other people see them as - gods , archons , higher beings - but giving them that RESPECT to see them as EQUAL instead . depending on who you ask , determines whether or not that is respect or not , but it’s simply a way to HUMANISE them instead of constantly & always EXPECTING them to perform at the level that everybody else sees them as .

ZHONGLI

take ZHONGLI , for example . at some point , baizhu does find out that he is / was an archon . he’ll have his suspicions anyway prior to learning from him directly , but it DOESN’T change how baizhu sees him . a partner , an equal . he’s not ASKING zhongli for anything the way other people would ASK their archon . he’s not about that life to do that . & in some way , he would find that abusive to do . he doesn’t want to USE zhongli for his personal gain . could he ask zhongli about what it’s like being IMMORTAL ? or having a LONG life ? oh sure , absolutely . could he ASK him for immortality ( even if zhongli CANNOT give him that ) yea , baizhu could ask him . but he DOESN’T . why ? because he doesn’t want to ask the archons for help that way . he wants to find that answer for himself .

baizhu could ask zhongli for A MILLION different things . selfish things too . things that could help him get ahead . things that could help with his pain . but instead , he merely asks him if he would care to have a life being beside him . zhongli doesnt HAVE to either . merely if he WANTS to & that he can if he so desires . but even further than that , the things baizhu asks are more humane & selfless than anything - but also almost .... simple & mundane . one PRIME example is that he asks zhongli if he can care of qiqi in the event that baizhu himself is no longer around to take care of her ( essentially he asks zhongli to take care of qiqi after he dies ) . again , not something he HAS to do . only if he wants to .

essentially baizhu is putting zhongli in a place where the latter has a CHOICE to do whatever he wants . he is humanising him in such a way that its almost humbling . while i cannot speak for zhongli , its most likely something that zhongli enjoys since its not the same as what everybody else does .

again , consider this concept because baizhu neither blames or put the onus on the archons to do ANYTHING . they can & will do anything they want , & he shouldn’t EXPECT them to do anything .

VENTI

it’s strange because baizhu , again , is highly AWARE of who & what venti is . & he doesn’t give him any special treatment . venti is allergic to cats ? damn , how HUMANISING that is to be ALLERGIC to something . he’s not going to give venti special treatment just because he is a god . in fact , he’s more likely to KICK venti out of the pharmacy for troubling him for such a small thing . ( he’ll honestly kick him out for less anyway )

he is also HIGHLY aware that venti does suffer from other issues ( mental health & alcoholism ) which is why he will tolerate the archon , but he also CANNOT help somebody who doesn’t want to BETTER themselves or try to learn & grow from their past . essentially he just doesn’t tolerate venti being a hypocrite most of the time .

in fact , baizhu probably respects venti LESS than zhongli but it could be for various other regions as well . most likely its jsut due to venti’s haphazard nature & personality .

CHILDE

childe is def an interesting case due to him being ... HIM . he’s a harbinger , yes . & he can DEFINITELY tell that he’s not wholly HUMAN either . ( seems to have some sort of eldritch vibe to him ) yea , he can tell he’s been in the abyss . i suppose a ‘ better ‘ term for it is that baizhu can sense that childe is INFECTED . im sure some people would consider childe inhuman - a freak , a monster , a demon - but keep in mind that biazhu does not view others like that .

does childe smell like DEATH to baizhu ? yea , he does . is childe a harbinger & TECHNICALLY an enemy ? sure . childe carries an air of ‘ DANGER ‘ around him . & baizhu should be on his best guard around him . while he DOES & is very careful around childe , biazhu can still HUMANISE the young man too . Childe is neither above nor below the medic . at times , he may even SCOLD childe like a CHILD . he cares not for who or what the harbinger is . in fact , baizhu is more INTERESTED in childe than he leads on . but he doesn’t really share or express that .

as previously mentioned in the last long hc i made , baizhu doesn’t particularly care abut who is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ because , to him , there really isn’t that in the medical field . but i think its really even further shown with the interactions he has with childe .

childe himself veiws himself as a horror . & why should the doctor bother in taking care of an abomination like him ? but baizhu doesn’t see him like that . the reality is that the medic sees somebody who is broken - similar to like how venti is - but broken doesnt necesarily mean demonic . sure , it’s interesting what childe has for abilities & feats . but that doesn’t sway him . it doesnt scare him .

thats right , childe DOESNT scare baizhu . he has no reason to . & while perhaps childe may threaten baizhu , i am sure that baizhu can handle the childish antics from the other . its a bit like ‘ he’s all bark but no bite ’ while being keenly aware the he DOES have a bite . but baizhu also has a bite as well . so its not anything he can handle.

alright im going off now and im really distracted , if i think of a better way to explain baizhu’s sentiments about childe , i will . just understand that baizhu does treat childe humanely & perhaps even more humanely than childe does for himself .

#hc.#long post //#no edits jsut this

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uwuwriting · 3 years

Text

Boyfriend w/ Megumi, Itadori and Gojo

Request: hii I just read your jujutsu nightmares piece and oh my god I am indeed a very simple simp and your writing just makes my heart go uwu so may I maybe req a very soft, fluffy s/o for Megumi, Itadori Sato and maybe Sukuna if you write for him? I hope it's not too much, thank uu <3 - anonymous

I can’t get enough of the JJK content, I love them so much my heart can’t take it. Sadly I don’t write for Sukuna *I think I mention it in my rules but I’m not sure*, he pissed me off big time in the manga so yeah sorry about that. Really all the curses have kinda pissed me off but that’s a story for another day lmao. Love ya.💖💖💖

masterlist II rules

warnings: boyfriend things lol, fluff, maybe some angst sprinkled on top but not a lot.

Fushiguro Megumi

-Megumi reminds me of Suna from Haikyuu.

-Like a lot.

-He will put effort in the relationship of course but he won’t flaunt it around in everybody’s faces.

-Yes he has a s/o and yes he is in love but in his book that should be mostly kept in between you two, no one else has to know.

-So at first your relationship isn’t really acknowledged by the others.

-It’s so subtle at casual that everyone around you thinks that you’re merely best friends and close to each other.

-Only Makki knows that you two are a thing since she sees how you worry and take care of him after he has been injured.

-It’s different from platonic concern and she knows what’s going on.

-Plus she saw you steal a kiss one time and that sealed the deal.

-Eventually the others figure it out and they are losing their shit, for completely different reasons though.

-Nobara can’t believe Megumi got a s/o before she did.

-Gojo is hurt because neither of you said anything and he has been trying to hook you up for the past two years now.

-Itadori is just confused because he thought that you were like that to everyone.

-Now PDA is non-existent with this one.

-He doesn’t feel comfortable touching you in public even if it’s a small peck.

-He prefers showing his love behind closed doors or through acts of service.

-So expect to find multiple bentos waiting for you in the kitchen each morning or a hot bath on the ready when you come back from a long mission.

-You are okay with the no PDA rule, your only request is that he at least hold your pinkie when you need it.

-It grounds you and who is he to say no to that?

-During missions he doesn’t underestimate your strength and let’s you do your thing.

-He only interferes when you ask for help or when he notices that you’re extremely overwhelmed.

-He doesn’t smother you and you are eternally grateful for that.

-Training sessions between the both of you are brutal.

-Neither holds back and you're left a panting, sweating mess at the end, crawling to your respective rooms to change before you settle for a movie later that afternoon.

-If either of you gets injured it’s mama bear time.

-You need to change your bandages? Megumi has already taken out the kit and all the essentials.

-He needs to take some meds to calm the pain in his ribcage? You have the pills in hand.

-He is a shy boy so even in private he hesitates to touch you.

-Don’t get him wrong he loves holding you and feeling you close to him but he is also afraid he will make you uncomfortable or overstep.

-So you will be the one initiating cuddle session during the first months of your relationship.

-After a while he will simply pick you up and carry you to his bed for cuddles if he needs them without uttering a word the whole time.

-Good morning/Goodnight kisses are a must.

-It’s a ground rule that he follows religiously since day one.

-It doesn’t matter if it’s a simple peck on his lips or a passionate kiss, he just wants to get a kiss before starting/ending the day.

-Sleeps on his stomach with an arm always draped over your waist.

-Isn’t really into the whole sleeping on each other thing but he won’t say no to being the big spoon or even better the little spoon.

-He gets flustered when you kiss his knuckles or trace patterns on his palms.

-He knows his hands are rough from all the training but after your touch they feel tender and gentle.

-Prefers indoor dates rather than outdoor ones.

-His favorite is cooking dinner together and then cuddling on the couch *in hopes you won’t get interrupted by Gojo*.

-The only thing he dislikes about the whole relationship thing is the teasing he receives from Gojo.

-He is ready to rip his ears off.

-Boy has murder on his mind 24/7 and it is all directed to his mentor.

-Gojo noticed that Megumi had you as his wallpaper ONCE and now it’s game over for your boyfriend.

-The thing is that you don’t get teased as much and he is *salty*.

Itadori Yuuji

-He is such a lovable boy, how could you NOT fall in love with him?

-Your relationship is naturally effortless.

-Everything flows so naturally and without even trying you two have formed such an unbreakable bond that not even Sukuna himself can tether even if he tried.

-Many MANY spontaneous trips to the nearest convenience store at 3 am.

-Oh you are craving some popcorn? Well go on, get your shoes, we are going grocery shopping.

-Won’t hesitate to do anything for you and when I say anything I mean it.

-He ditched Gojo once because you had bad period pains and said you needed cuddles.

-What cruel creature would he be if he denied his beautiful girlfriend her cuddles???

-Sukuna has cockblocked you two and has ruined your cuddles on multiple occasions.

-From weird noises to rude comments to interrupting Yuuji’s thoughts with random shit.

-Real party crasher.

-Yuuji’s love language is touch mainly so expect a shit load of hugs and kisses.

-Won’t let go of your hand while you are out in public.

-If he can’t hold your hand he will place his palm in the small of your back or wrap his arm around your shoulders/waist.

-It’s a physical need.

-He has to be touching you at all times because that reminds him that you are truly here beside him and that you are okay.

-The sorcerer's life has already taken a toll on his mentality and he hates leaving you alone so most of the time you go on conjoined missions.

-Unlike Megumi he tries to protect you during fights by all means.

-He doesn’t do it because he sees you as weak and in need of protection it’s just an instinct that he can’t control at all.

-He will put himself in immense danger, taking all the blows just so you can leave the scene unscathed.

-You have scolded him on his complete disregard of his own life and the tears that pooled in his eyes as he explained that his body moves on its own when he sees anything darting towards you, breaks your heart.

-If you kiss the little marks under his eyes all his worries fly out the nearest window.

-He forgets about everything around him, about the looming threat of his imminent execution, the only thing on his mind are your lips on his cheekbones and your thumbs rubbing circles on his cheeks.

-If you pepper him in too many kisses he will begin his own assault by first tackling you to the floor or the bed and capturing you in a hug before the smooches begin.

-He has a tendency to leave hickies on your neck which you struggle to cover each morning and you are always real close to glaring at him when he beams like the sun itself at you in the morning but your mild anger fades the moment his lips meet yours.

-You have your suspicions that he knows what he is doing with that, he knows his kisses make you weak so he uses them to his advantage.

-Will never admit it but it always places a small smirk on his lips every time you clutch his shirt for balance or rest your forehead on his shoulder to regain your composure.

-An I love you a day is required for good vibes.

-Won’t hesitate to shout it even in front of others, he just has no filter and no shame.

-Makes you turn tomato red and he snickers.

-Fuck him, literally.

Gojo Satoru

-This fucking tease.

-He has no chill!!!!!!

-How are you with him?!?!?!?!!

-My man fine af and he drinks his respect for y/n and y/n alone juice every morning.

-That doesn’t mean though he won’t try to fluster you throughout the day.

-It’s his main goal really.

-Full blown make out sessions in the hallways of the school, ass smacks in front of others and trying to leave hickies on your neck during your lunch break.

-It simultaneously pisses you off and turns you on so you can’t decide if you should smack him or jump his bones.

-It’s a never ending debate and his chances of getting the quawk quawk 5000 are 50/50.

-He respects your boundaries when you give him a sign that you really don’t want him to be like that on certain days.

-He is a very observant individual in general so it’s not hard for him to take note of the signs of pure discomfort or awkwardness.

-True he loves flustering you but the moment things get out of hand and you don’t feel okay with how he is acting, he is throwing his attitude out the window and becomes respectful Gojo in a flash.

-Likes having his arm draped over your shoulder.

-He is super tall so chances are he towers over you.

-He has used you like an armrest several times which resulted to a trip to Shoko for a dislocated wrist/shoulder.

-You make him bentos almost everyday and he waits for them like a lost puppy.

-No matter the time, he doesn’t care if he is late, he will wait for you to make him a little bento to take with him.

-Curses can wait, he needs to receive his first dose of y/n love of the day.

-Brags to his student about you and to Nanami, much to the blonde’s dismay.

-Talks everyone’s ear off.

-He becomes super protective when an elder shows up or at the mere mention of them.

-He will grasp your hand, keeping a firm grip as those pretentious fucks stare down at you.

-They really don’t care about Sato’s happiness and they will never show you a fiber of respect despite being chosen by the strongest sorcerer.

-You are not part of one of the three clans so you are worth nothing in their eyes.

-Gojo hates them for that.

-Deep rooted hatred that could turn into a mass murder if one of them call you a distraction or a slut one more time.

-You are really grateful for him in those moments.

-You are grateful in general but during those times when you are being bombared left and right with rude comments, he will remind everyone in the room that he doesn’t give a flying fuck about what they believe.

-He fell in love with you because you are your beautiful self and not because you are a powerful sorcerer.

-He wants to imagine your kids as a sign of your love and not as an item of power, as a weapon like many of these people see him.

-He has ditched the elder meetings on many occasions just because he wasn’t in the mood of listening to their bullshit so he came home to you and spent the rest of his night cuddled up under the large comforter, watching a movie while peppering your shoulders with kisses.

-Adores seeing you in his clothes.

-They are so big on you that you wear them as dresses around the house.

-He especially loves the sight of your bare legs peeking from underneath his black t-shirt.

-99% of the time this ends up in you getting your guts rearranged.

-Surprisingly remembers all the important dates and he makes it to as many dates as he can.

-Being a sorcerer is difficult man, give him a break curses he has a date at 8 and he needs to get his formal glasses.

-All in all he loves you to the moon and back and would do anything to keep you safe and next to him.

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ackerfics · 3 years

Text

edelweiss — levi ackerman.

— levi ackerman x female reader

— warnings: spoilers for season 4 and the good old aot canon-typical violence.

— summary: you pour your unsaid thoughts to levi, only to break a promise that costs you your heart.

— word count: 4.5k

The sea holds so many promises with its sea-green hue that it spreads a chilling wave through your body like the first breath of winter’s snow. The first time you had ever set eyes on such a majestic view, there was still momentary happiness lingering as your comrades splashed each other with its blue waters. It was a symbol of hope and yet it remained a mystery that prevents all of you from knowing what was beyond this thing called the horizon. You remember how you laughed in delight when Hange presented a bizarre creature on their hands, beckoning you to move closer and focus your entire attention on the small unknown thing lying on your best friend’s palms. You remember glorying under the Sun’s ever singing rays, watching them glitter against every small jostle of water at your feet. You remember turning around to face your lover with a bright smile that might have rendered him speechless — fumbling for words when the two of you face each other.

Those moments were timeless.

Minutes spent wading in the sea was the only time you had peace.

You let out a shuddering breath as you brushed your fingers against the gold band decorating your left ring finger. This is no time to be vulnerable. You were a captain for years, for heaven’s sake, even before Levi joined the Survey Corps. The younger soldiers would feel nervous if they see your unnecessary tears. Hastily wiping them from your cheeks, you turned away from the railing separating you from the dreadful vastness of blue that placed you in such a mood and placed a tentative hand on one of the rooms housing your injured husband.

Entering the small room was more stifling than the situation happening around the continent. It would mean seeing Levi in such a state that would always accumulate unshed tears in your eyes. The bandages wrapping his figure only worsened your melancholy and with every step, you pray that he wouldn’t wake up from the cringing creak of the wood paneling of the floor. The room only had one single bed and a convenient chair on the opposite side of the lone furniture. You wasted no time in lifting the chair to place it beside Levi’s bed, seating yourself with pursed lips and clenched fists. The more time you surveyed his battered body, the more your throat burned with the urge to pour out your feelings in the small confines of the room.

With the Rumbling purging the continents beyond Paradis, this was no time to be relishing in old memories.

Yet living in those memories you shared with Levi kept you solid.

Your life wasn’t guaranteed in this last mission. There will always be a possibility that you won’t come home with the rest of the people fighting against the Rumbling and you had to make do of the short amount of time you had with Levi. But a part of you was saying that you had to survive no matter what, to make that dream of opening a tea shop in a small village possible — to give your child the freedom and childhood you had never experienced. That little ray of sunshine that came to both you and Levi in times of hopelessness a year after taking back the lost territory of the Walls. He looked like Levi that it was so hard for you to say goodbye, even if it were only missions for weeks on an unknown land. This time, you didn’t utter a single closure to your son, regret started bubbling in the abyss of your mind and stomach.

And now, you don’t know if you could ever meet with your son again.

Taking Levi’s hand as gently as possible, you took a deep breath.

“If time really was against us, I promise I wouldn’t cry. I promise I wouldn’t wait for you because I know you’ll still be the strongest soldier I have ever known. I am a mere mortal compared to you, Levi, and I fear that this dream of ours will have its last breath.”

A bitter chuckle came out of you as your grip on his hand tightened. The memories were now more vivid than usual — the time you introduced yourself to him and his friends from the Underground, the respect that blossomed between you when he knew you will be his new squad leader, the way he looked after you as your second-in-command, you recommending him in the vacant Captain spot of the Survey Corps, and you giving him a welcoming gift in his new office. Then, the images shifted to when he finally kissed you under the canopy of stars, to when he whispered words of reassurance as your bodies erased every space between you, to when you screamed in Shiganshina that you were pregnant with his child, and to when you started carrying his discovered last name along with the birth of your first son.

“The reason these thoughts tend to cloud my head at this moment was that the memories simply flashed in my mind as I stared at the ocean that I always longed for. Memories we shared that might have been fleeting yet they carry a thousand-fold of emotions coursing through every fiber of my being. Funny how every time we went out on an expedition all those years ago, you always told me to keep safe and come back with a heart that’s still beating for you. As if I would ever stop loving you and set my sights romanticizing the Titans as Hange does. I had realized that you never once accepted that my life could abruptly end with a constant war on our hands.

“Until your tired breath from lack of sleep gradually diminishes, this time, I will be the one to protect you and fight until I will let go of my own heart to sing a song worthy of you.”

“Was that a speech of farewell just now?”

Your eyes flew from your joined hands to the dulled gray irises of the keeper of your heart. Before you know it, tears continuously flowed a stream on your cheeks, your shoulders hunched as sobs racked your body. “I don’t know what came over me, must be the tension brought by the possibility of dying when we haven’t even stopped the Rumbling from erasing the rest of humanity.”

“Hey, look at me,” Levi uttered your name so softly as if he was afraid it would sadden you even more. Placing his left hand on your cheek, he wiped the cascading tear that glistened under the mellow glow of the lantern beside his bed. “You’re not going anywhere. Not when I am still alive with limbs fully intact. Well, except for the fact that I lost two of my fingers.” From that, more tears appeared in his view, flustering him in the slightest. “The point is that I will protect you. This dream with our small family will be forever ingrained in our future. You will always have me looking out for you.”

“But I’m supposed to be the one protecting you now.”

“Are you underestimating me?”

You shook your head, covering his hand with both of yours. You placed a tender kiss that you hoped radiated the unsaid thoughts that could ruin the moment you share with him right now. You wanted him to be a part of humanity’s victory against whatever crazy plan Eren has set his mind on.

“Our little boy is waiting for us to come home,” Levi reminded you after a few minutes of silence (with your occasional sniffles here and there). “Isn’t that enough reason for us to come home alive? Imagining him losing one of us was the one thing I don’t want to happen right now. Promise me.” You love the sound of your name when he says it. Akin to the flowers that seem like they hold all the jewels at the center of their petals. “Come home with me safe and sound.”

“I’m not one to keep promises, Levi, you know that.”

“Just this once,” he pleaded. “All I wanted was to have a happy ending with you, my edelweiss.”

With new tears blossoming in your eyes like flowers in spring, you gave Levi a promise that will desperately cling as long as the two of you are alive.

And he regretted making you say those words.

The battle with the Nine Titans of the past proved to be tormenting. With forces so small, the group who allied two countries at constant war with each other fought with bated breath, all eager to get out of the situation alive like no other. As hollow as your chest became after witnessing Hange sacrifice their life to let all of you escape, you steeled yourself and momentarily forgot the emptiness you felt as you landed on top of Eren’s back. You fought back a gag of disgust when you realized that the humungous creature shared similarities with those insects you loathe. However, Armin was captured by a Titan out of nowhere and everything went to absolute shit. Maneuvering in the air was perfect for the remaining members of the Survey Corps as they assessed the onslaught and ongoing appearance of their intelligent enemies on Eren’s back but their numbers continued pouring in. Two thousand years of Titan history right in front of your eyes. Everybody, Mikasa especially, was starting to feel agitated that one of their comrades was hauled away with a good number of Titans to prevent them from saving him.

“Even if I was in perfect shape,” Levi told them while they stayed perched a good kilometers away from Death, “I would still not choose to make a charge there. So calm down. Mikasa, don’t rush. Wait until I distract them.”

You glanced at him from the corner of your eyes. “Levi, don’t overexert yourself. We don’t want to lose you.”

“The feeling’s mutual. Don’t die on me.”

The rush of adrenaline started when Pieck initiated the charge, along with the thought that she had never known Eren unlike the rest of the people behind her. You screamed for her to retreat but they were futile when the Warhammer Titan materialized behind the Shifter and pierced a weapon made of hardened Titan skin through the torso of the woman’s Cart Titan. Gritting your teeth, you followed your comrades in a route specifically to rescue the new commander of the Survey Corps. Thunderspears were released every minute, maneuvers were done in utmost accuracy, and sliced napes gradually increased as your small group evaded every death-defying moment. As you were about to set your sights on one Titan in particular as well as avoid the Colossal Titan, Connie descended when the fifty-meter mass of burning flesh threw Reiner’s inert Titan at the rest of the squad, shaking the entirety of the spine you were carefully standing on.

“Levi!” you called out desperately when you saw him cough up blood. He was only a few meters away from you and you had to take him away from there fast. However, the sudden motion of a jumping Titan made you rethink your decision, latching your hooks at somewhere near Connie and blinding the creature’s eyes with an angered shout that might have startled it. The horrible creature tried snapping at your form but you were quick enough to evade its jaws with a hiss from your ODM gear, turning in midair to slice the Titan’s nape and rendering it lifeless. Looking down for a moment to check on your blades, you saw the lone pair sitting inside either sheath of the gear. “Fuck. My gas canisters and supply are not cooperating with the situation right now.”

Looking around, you suddenly realized with a hollow chest that everything was hopeless at this point. There was no escape as every intelligent Titan known to mankind swarmed your squad, their shadows a foreboding omen on your death.

Feeling a prickling sensation at the back of your neck, you turned around and saw that the Warhammer Titan was starting to make another one of its weapons, this time, a needle-like spear forming from the hardened material at the bottom of its foot. Shouting at the top of your lungs for your friends to flee, the message only registered to them when you pushed Mikasa, who was dangling in the middle of the trajectory with a determined face, oblivious to the weapon hurtling towards your squad’s direction.

Pain was something you always described as a chain of a chemical reaction. From all the books you read while trying to keep up with the latest idea Hange had, you always marveled at how a small prick of a needle would soon creep the sensation to your entire finger. To prevent yourself from being affected by the pain, you always likened the creeping pain to a blooming blossom in your and Hange’s favorite season. It promised something anew that would grow from the initial pain that racked your body. The dizziness was another story entirely. You never had issues with iron deficiency while growing up. You were a force to be reckoned with — battle scars lining up your legs and knees from all the running and climbing you did as a part of your childhood. These dents on your body grew in numbers as the years passed by until you were granted a position in the military regiment of flying wings and anxiety-ridden adventures. You wore these battle scars proudly like any other soldier.

Then, the promise of being alive rang across your head like a beacon.

That spear caused the entire left side of your torso to be gone.

The shouts of terror and agony from your squad fell on deaf ears as you slowly plummeted to your death. Ah, so that was why you were having flashbacks of your life from gazing at the ocean a final time. Glassy eyes stared lifelessly at the steaming sky as a single voice screamed your name nearly made you smile. You can finally let go of those long, never-ending days now. There won’t be nightmares plaguing you every other night as you finally succumbed to your last sleep. Selfish as it may, you were at peace once again.

“[Name]!”

And when you opened your eyes, a familiar face appeared to greet you and everything felt like a dream you just experienced from a drunken daze.

“Hi, I hope that wasn’t a bad dream.”

You blinked away the drowsiness that fell upon your eyelids, staring at a familiar landscape you only saw in daydreams. The clean air reminded you of the good old days, of summers left uncherished and autumn with its red leaves and yellow treats. There weren’t any Titans looming at every corner of the space and you slightly felt relieved at the thought until a single tear ran down your cheek like a chill in the winter air.

“Don’t cry.” A slightly panicked tone that only deepened the cut you felt in your chest. “You’re safe here.”

Those words only fuelled your cries. Palms covering your mouth, you uttered the name of the person who would pull you from the inner workings of your mind and bring you back to the surface. You never knew how much you missed them until you wrapped your arms around their shoulders, pulling them in an embrace that you should’ve done before they said their farewells, face taut with determination to stop Eren.

"Hange.”

They smelled like home. Of baked bread during late-night trysts in the kitchens to make them eat after a week of slaving inside their laboratory, of hot chocolate from the marketplace, of scented shampoo from the baths you had to force them. Your grip tightened when you felt their gentle hands reciprocate the hug you showered on them.

“I can’t believe you’re here waiting for me.”

“You did well.” A call of your name snapped you from reuniting with your best friend.

“Erwin?”

A warm smile lifted the said man’s lips as he kneeled beside you and Hange, who was now trying so hard not to cry. “You fought beautifully, [Name], and I’m so glad to see your smile again.”

The overwhelming emotions made you laugh brilliantly in the vast meadow where the veterans once had their picnic. Then, an image of a man with ebony locks and loving steel eyes and a toddler with an uncanny similarity as him made you stop breathing. The tea shop you promised your husband would have. The perfect childhood your son would’ve enjoyed. “What about Caelum? Levi?”

Erwin placed a firm hand on your shoulder. There you realized your torso was still intact. “You will see them as many times as you want. Come,” he took your hand and pulled you up, “the others are waiting. It’s your time to tell your story now.”

“I bet it was interesting since I never got to see it,” Hange interjected, wrapping a nostalgic arm around your shoulders. “That blasted Eren! I will haunt him in his sleep if he survived that massacre he started!”

Sleep was never Levi’s friend growing up. It was a realm that he chose not to venture at certain nights, afraid of the demons lurking at every corner of his tunnel vision. There was a time that sleep was kind to him. It took the form of a beautiful sprite with gentle fingers; coaxing him, tugging affectionately on his black locks, and humming lullabies that will guarantee him a good night’s sleep after a tiring day of having responsibilities. Only there was no fairy to lull him to sleep this time around. The nightmare was always the same — it started as any other random memory stored in the kept jar inside his chest, turning the whole scenario in a crescendo until he saw the limp body of his wife dropping lifelessly, the wire of her gear snapping from the impact of a white spear. His wife had the same face as the fairy who he held every night while being in the Survey Corps. The wife who gave him the light of his life, who was sleeping soundly beside him on the bed; black hair tousled, puffy cheeks blabbering drowsy nonsense, and chubby fists clenching on the thick sheets.

Glancing at the child on the bed, Levi ran an agitated hand through his hair, tugging at the roots as hard as he could. His mind flittered to the dream he just had, shocked that no blood and corpses were waiting at the end. Levi doesn’t know if he should be grateful or spooked at the sudden change of his unconscious.

“Guess you won’t be calling me ‘Captain’ anymore, huh, Levi?”

A playful jab colored Levi’s new office. It was a new change from that stuffy bedroom he got back when he was still the second-in-command of the woman standing in the middle of his office as if it was a new wonderland fit for admiring. The room was nothing much. It was an old storage room, which ticked Levi off to many tomorrows, spending every free time polishing the wooden cabinets and bookshelves until they reflected his face. There was an adjoining door to the right of his desk, showing his new sleeping quarters — equipped with a bed, housing double the pillows he got a while back and a soft mattress that his spine was grateful for. Now, the black-haired man observed how [Name]’s face lit up when their eyes met, igniting a foreign feeling inside his stomach and chest.

“So what’s second on the agenda, Captain Levi? I deduced that cleaning is the first one and you finished that without a hitch. You should’ve told me you needed help, I can always spare a few minutes taking a break from paperwork.”

Levi snorted at how smooth the title and his name sounded with the woman’s voice. “Finding brats to place on my squad.” As he fidgeted with the stacks of papers on top of his desk, his gray gaze kept glancing at [Name], who was now sidling up on his bookshelf, occasionally commenting that they pay a visit to the marketplace downtown for some good books to add in his collection. (“Your taste is bland, Levi, spice them up, for fuck’s sake,” to which the man brushed off.) “Uh, if you don’t mind, you can help me with finding some good soldiers for my squad.”

[Eye color] irises immediately snapped to meet his, causing Levi to clear his throat to ease the nervousness that started to chill his spine. It was as if he didn’t spend the past year under her leadership, which amounted to more moments spent with just the two of them. This, however, the nervousness he felt, was uncalled for. The cause being the woman with the unbound hair, curling at the bottom from the hours she pinned it in a bun, and a resolve that rivaled that of a stoked fire shining through her eyes. Truly worthy of the title ‘Humanity’s Beacon’, being one of the few women to ever prove themselves by slaying titans and conditioning their bodies and mind to achieve such an accomplishment. Levi found himself continuously staring at [Name] with the most blatant awe his stoic face could muster. He realized something that might have crossed his mind a couple of times they were together.

[Name] [Last Name] was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

“Finding good soldiers?” [Name] hummed, oblivious at the fact that she took the black-haired man’s breath away with a glance. “I think I have some cadets in mind.” Then, she clapped her hands. “But before that, I would like to give you your welcoming present!”

“Welcoming,” Levi trailed off, “present?”

[Name] nodded, turning around to the long couch pushed against the wall. So that’s what that poor excuse of wrapping paper was for, Levi thought. Like a little kid presenting the parent their shitty drawing, [Name] placed the gift in the middle of his desk with a clang. Wait, clang? “I hope I didn’t break it,” the female captain murmured, scratching her head sheepishly. “You can open it now.”

Levi tentatively unwrapped the brown paper around the supposed gift the woman gave him. Upon seeing what was nestled inside the papers, gray eyes met the most tantalizing [eye color] as he slightly gaped in disbelief. “You bought me a,” an eager nod could be seen from the woman in his peripheral vision, “a tea set. And a new jar of tea leaves as well. [Name], I-I couldn’t accept this, this must cost a lot. You know I have plans of buying my own tea set and tea leaves once I have a solid paycheck. These are even made from the highest quality, both of these, how—?”

Laughter bubbled from [Name] as she endearingly stared at the flustered state of her friend, abruptly stopping his chatter. “You’re rambling, Levi. Don’t worry about the lost money, we will be getting our paychecks next month anyway. I don’t have anything to splurge the rest of my savings on, except for a few books and quills. Besides,” she paused to give Levi a brilliant smile that once again rendered him speechless, “I guess giving you these are worth every single penny. Congratulations on being captain, Levi.”

Clearing his throat, he looked away. “Tch, you’re the one who recommended me to Erwin, stop with the congratulations as if you don’t know the promotion.”

“Still stingy, I see. So about those cadets you wanted to recruit. Here, I recommend these people.”

A small weight knocked Levi out of his stupor, silver-gray matching his stare with worried eyes. Small hands plopped on either side of the man’s face, squishing his cheeks as the hunched smaller figure on his lap pouted with furrowed eyebrows. “Dad, did you have a nightmare?” Letting out a sigh, Levi took his son’s hands from his face and proceeded to hug him close. The little boy sensed that his father was in a sad mood because of the man’s tense shoulders so he determinedly patted Levi’s head. “There, there, Dad. It’s more than okay to forget that dream.”

“You know I wouldn’t dare forget your Mom, kid,” Levi murmured, leaning back to look at Caelum with a raised eyebrow.

“You were dreaming about Mom?”

“Yeah.”

Great, his kid inherited his insomniac tendencies. If [Name] would see him now, there would be no doubt she will initiate a late-night tea party with Caelum. The kid also inherited his love for tea (Levi lets him drink fruit teas in the meantime) which is more than fine.

Caelum ducked down, pouting while fiddling with his father’s shirt. “I miss Mom.”

A sad smile pulled on Levi’s lips. “Me, too, kid. Me, too.” He brushed his lips on Caelum’s forehead (which lead to a small whine from the toddler, saying that he’s a big boy and he doesn’t want kisses from his dad) before lying down on the bed, with his son on top of his chest. “Deal with the kisses. Let’s sleep, yeah? Are you sleepy, kid?”

The little boy yawned and rubbed his eye. “Nope.”

Levi snorted. “Well, no shit.”

“That’s a bad word. Mom wouldn’t like you saying it.” Silence enveloped the two until, “Hey, Dad, can you tell me stories about Mom?”

“Go to sleep, brat.” A pause. “She is—,” Levi sighed, “quite a handful, even when she was a captain.”

Caelum huffed. “I already know that. You always complain about it.”

“Well, did I tell you about that time she stood on top of a Titan we were planning to capture, leading it like a horse to our trap?”

The dark-haired boy shook his head adorably. “Did Mom get hurt?”

“That idiot did.”

“That’s not a very nice thing to say about Mom!”

“Setting that aside, your Mom…”

Telling stories of [Name] always proved to be quite a time-consuming thing as the toddler fought against his drooping eyelids. Levi fondly stared at the only memory his wife left behind, his hand soothingly rubbed the boy’s back as their breaths turned into a rhythmic melody synced with each other. “I love you, kid. I know your mom will be proud of you. We’ll always be here for you, our edelweiss.”

To you, glowing with the suns,

There was no one alive to tell the tale of how the world almost came to an end, how earthquakes rumbled, how hopes were extinguished. There was no one alive to tell the story of how much I dedicate my heart to you. If I’d known it would be this way; I would have written thousands of paragraphs with the way I looked at you as if you were the sea, I would have written the ending with words that rivaled the infinite stars in the cosmos, and I would have finished it off with happiness that we (you) deserve.

You are my prologue, my epilogue, and every chapter and page in between.

From a tired soldier who loves you until we become ancient,

Your Levi

#attack on titan #attack on titan imagines #attack on titan x reader #levi ackerman #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman x you #yes this is angst #i know this is a fluff blog #but i can't help it

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gra-sonas · 3 years

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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Was the year time jump because of the pandemic? To sidestep making that too central to the plot, or was that always the plan?

JEANINE MASON: That was always our intention and it was just sort of a saving grace in that way. We also don't acknowledge the pandemic in real-time on our show. There are no masks and that was just so wonderful just to get work in that way and have that time where it was a little more normal. Also, that's just our show — we want you to come to us the way you always do, which is for nineties nostalgia, sexy Cowboys, brilliant scientists, you know? CHRIS HOLLIER: So we wanted to drop our characters in a year later, let them stew in their individual decisions that were made last season. We want everyone to root for our poster couple but we want to honor what happens in real life, which is sometimes you step away from that person, even if you are entwined with them in a very particular way. So we wanted it to be a real enough time and distance so that they could live a little life on their own.

With showrunner Carina Adly MacKenzie departing at the end of season 2, has much changed? Or are you still working with ideas she had in place?'

HOLLIER: It's a little bit of both. There are things that Carina and I built that live all the way through and then once the story got up on its feet, discoveries were made with our new crop of people that we were like, "Oh, we're going to bend it this other way."

Jeanine, how is Liz doing in her new life in L.A. when we pick up this season?

MASON: Well, it's been a year and at this point, her life is actually pretty great. She just hasn't taken a second to acknowledge that. She's doing what she does best, which is just full head in her work and trying to figure out what she could use of her discoveries and her brilliance to save Maria. She has a great job, a really nice place, and an awesome partner at work who is a good time and a real match for her in terms of intellect and ambition. He begins to ask her to recognize that and to maybe give something a chance that she's been reluctant to because of how drawn she is to Roswell and to Max. It's a fun first episode. It's sexy. It's fun to find opportunities for her. She's our hero so she's got a lot on her shoulders and anytime where we can find levity for her is always a real treat for the writers and for me.

And no Crashdown waitress uniform must be nice?

MASON: Honestly, I miss it quite a lot right now. I have a note in my notes with Chris, I'm like, "I gotta tell him we gotta find him more opportunities for it."

Should Liz and Max shippers be worried about them finding their way back to one another after he destroyed her work and didn't follow her to L.A.? Should we resign ourselves to a season apart?

MASON: This season really is about these characters having themselves mirrored to each other. Max and Liz need some growing and ultimately they can't do anything but be orbiting each other. We found so many opportunities to have such a beautiful language around the cosmic element of their connection. They're asking, "Is this our decision, or are we just acting off of a decision that the cosmos made for us?" It was so fun to navigate that. I always have such a good time with Chris Hollier and with Nathan Dean, just finding the little tiny notches, a tiny bit of movement towards where they're going next. I really loved following them. It's my favorite Max and Liz season to date.

HOLLIER: It's not a season apart. I'll tease that they, in an unexpected way, end up in front of each other relatively soon. But it's really about when am I ready? And what does it mean to talk to my ex? When someone makes such a big influence in your life, when do you know it's over and when do you know you should fight again? We tried to give them real grown-up lives.

Steven Krueger (The Originals) also joined the cast as Heath this season. What can you tease about his character?

HOLLIER: He's just an awesome human being. I know him from The Originals and we were like, "If we're going to have to be stuck with people in the desert, who do we want?" You want to be stuck with a handsome and lovely and charming Steven Krueger. So really this was looking at, "Well, what did Liz want and what does it look like when you start to give Liz versions of what she wants?" Heath is somebody that is beyond being just a lovely person, he is smart and wants to advance science and that's appealing to Liz. It becomes, "What does it look like when the man that I hang around with all day is also into the same things that I am?" MASON: I love him. Heath is just such a fun, whip-smart, fantastic character. His humor was so fun. We've been having a good time with kicking the humor up really through season two and in season three, we just took it up another notch. There are some moments that are like, "Is this a drama or is it a sitcom?" Looking back on it, he was such a fun partner to spar with. They're both such intellectual characters and I love that there's a real meeting of the minds. It makes it competitive and sexy. I know a lot of fans are so excited because they know him from The Originals and he's going to be a great addition.

Technically, Mr. Jones is a new character too. Can you tell us anything at all about him?

HOLLIER: I'd say he's a new character — and a fully-fleshed interesting new character. Mr. Jones has an awesome beard. At some point, he might lose that beard. A lot of people are asking me, "Is Jones good or bad?" And what I would argue is that's a perspective based upon who you are in the conversation that you're having with him. He knows a lot about our heroes' story and he knows a lot about home. He'll be able to answer questions for them. This season our heroes will get to learn why they ended up here on earth. One of the things I think that people will love is that they're going to get to see that home planet this year. We asked ourselves a lot about this whole season, "What have we set up for the past two?" We look at these first three seasons almost like a trilogy so a lot of things are going to be paid off.

Has Nathan enjoyed pulling double duty this season? Or is he just exhausted?

MASON: He's exhausted, but he's such a champ. That really is the beginning of this mirroring thing that starts with Max and Jones with him actually getting to look at himself to a degree and those questions that come up. The self-analysis that it provokes in him is really the beginning of what is happening to all of our characters this year; everybody's being confronted with themselves. I loved that the Max/Jones of it was also a real sci-fi element.

Did he really grow that beard or was that not possible if he had to go between the two characters?

MASON: That was a prosthetic beard and our makeup team killed it. He was not accustomed to early mornings, which, of course, all of us babes are. It was a lot of extra time in the chair for him.

Can Jones dupe Liz into thinking he's actually Max since she doesn't know he exists?

MASON: You're totally on to something. It's a real and pressing threat. I mean, she's totally in the dark and he looks like her cosmic lover!

HOLLIER: What I will say is that, Liz — beyond her being number one on the call sheet — is integral to this story in a way that she and none of our characters are going to perceive when they start episode one. We're bringing [the characters] to a new crossroads moment in their lives and they're getting, through Jones, a mirror into their own lives to decide what they're going to become next.

How's Rosa (Amber Midthunder) doing this season?

MASON: By the end of season two, Rosa really makes the decision to start taking care of herself. She really becomes an incredible asset to the Scooby-Doo gang. It's something that Liz is in constant adjustment to. As much as she's the younger sister, she feels very protective of her sister and Liz has had to make adjustments in her trust and faith in Rosa. I loved it because it just felt like a real personal, authentic thing that sisters would go through, but also that Hispanic sisters would go through. I think we sometimes, culturally, have a tendency to baby our women — maybe that's the wrong word — but just to underestimate their physical ability and what they might take on, and sort of 'queen' our women in a way where we treat them tenderly. I hate that. I'm a tough bitch and so is Rosa. So Liz has to confront that and go, "I'm an idiot to underestimate you. You've done nothing but prove me wrong."

What about Maria and her visions?

HOLLIER: This year I think Maria has the most complete arc of any season, as she recognizes things about herself that cause more questions about who she is, who her family is, how she's linked to this story. We dive into it in the present-day and we dive deliciously back in time too.

In the exclusive clip above we see her have a vision of a funeral, can you tease anything about who potentially might be about to die?

HOLLIER: Maria is front and center in driving the first half of the mystery for us. She's burdened with trying to figure out whose death she is seeing. It takes a few episodes to unravel and we use it to ask, is this linked to our supernatural stories or real-world stories that are going on politically? Is it bad luck? Is it herself? There's a whole gambit at play. We joke that we solved a past murder, now we're going to try to stop one.

Can Malex (Michael and Alex) shippers have hope that this might finally be their time?

HOLLIER: What I would say is that I think that Malex fans are really going to dig this journey. We, as writers, put them at the same level of importance as Max and Liz. So we wanted to really honor the next step in what they may or may not be. How did they grow up and how did they have those hard conversations just like Liz and Max are going to have?

Is Isobel going to continue to date women this season?

HOLLIER: Isobel is going to go on a more personal journey. You got to love yourself before you can love someone else. We lean into those possibilities by the end of who she might love. It's not something that is dropped all season — it is something that you'll see. We play some romantic comedy stuff with her character this year and with Maria that I think fans are gonna dig. There's a lot going on in the world and wanted to pump some humor and hope into it.

Will see more of Liz fighting to challenge the perception of the Latinx community?

MASON: I think that just by nature of it being one of such few shows that are led by a Latin woman, it's always going to be, to an extent, a protest or an assertion of the space that I get to fill and that Liz Ortecho gets to fill on network TV. I was really excited to just have Chris as a collaborator. Over our hiatus, before the season started, I was doing a lot of reading. I chronicled the books that play into Liz every season on my Instagram. I was reading some Sonia Sotomayor. Her book is just incredible. I was texting him screenshots of pages of the book with things underlined. Ten episodes deep into season 3, he's like, "Remember that page you sent me?" He's a real dream collaborator. I loved him for that. A pressing struggle for people of color is going through the ranks in these big corporations and then sometimes coming to find out that those corporations are purporting to support marginalized groups but actually aren't following through. So how do you, as someone who's having your success, your dreams become reality, navigate supporting the company and giving so much of your intelligence and your work — that they often legally own, especially with science — to a company that isn't going to be for your people?

Roswell, New Mexico returns Monday at 8 p.m. on The CW.

#long post is long #jeanine mason #chris hollier #liz ortecho #max evans #echo #isobel evans #rosa ortecho #malex #alex manes #michael guerin #rnm spoilers #maria deluca #rnm cast interviews #roswell new mexico s3 #roswell new mexico

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illuminatedquill · 3 years

Text

Nevertheless, Episode 9

More Thoughts/Analysis

“So it’s true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love.”

- E.A. Bucchianeri

Jae Eon’s Self Sabotage

Chekov’s Gun is the dramatic principle that details within a story will contribute to the overall narrative. You might have heard of this before in its simplest form: if there is a gun shown in Act 1, it absolutely must go off in Act 2 or 3. In episode 9 of Nevertheless, we have this scene right at the beginning:

Yes, that scene. Park Jae Eon sees Yang Do Hyeok standing off to the side as he waits outside Na Bi’s apartment to retrieve his stuff. Na Bi doesn’t know Do Hyeok is nearby. Jae Eon makes the calculation in his head and manipulates his way inside Na Bi’s apartment, knowing exactly what it looks like to Do Hyeok. It’s petty revenge for seeing Na Bi and Do Hyeok together on campus from earlier.

This is the gun. And it backfires on Jae Eon big time. Throughout the entire episode, his acts of sincerity towards Na Bi seem genuine and heartfelt, yet his action in that one scene undermines anything he attempts. It doesn’t work; to his mounting frustration, Na Bi and Do Hyeok continue to talk and meet as if nothing happened.

(We know that’s not the case as seen from Do Hyeok’s alone time but I’ll talk about that later in this post.)

It’s a ticking time bomb and it goes off at last in the rain scene. Nothing is working for him. He is desperate not to lose Na Bi. And he goes off in a drunken rage on Na Bi after she returns home on that fateful rainy night.

And he loses her. The gun goes off. Everything sincere he did turns rotten in Na Bi’s eyes after he reveals his actions. Actions have consequences, always rippling forward and affecting change in moments not yet experienced. He ruined his chances because of his petty cruelty towards Do Hyeok in the beginning. His sincerity only extended towards Na Bi and it was only to get her attention once more.

Jae Eon lost. Not so much to Do Hyeok, as he lost to Na Bi, who cares about him deeply. He underestimated her feelings towards Do Hyeok, assuming, like so many other viewers, that he was an an irritating distraction that refused to go away.

He can’t fathom why Do Hyeok still seems to like Na Bi after seeing them enter her apartment together. Is he really that incredible a person? What makes him so special?

Well, let’s talk about it.

Do Hyeok’s Crisis Playbook

We see from Do Hyeok’s time alone after his initial visit to Seoul that he is taking it pretty hard; I can’t really blame him, considering what he saw that night. His struggle is open, honest, and raw; like Na Bi, it affects him to the point that he can’t focus on his work (anyone seem to notice that Jae Eon’s work never seems to be affected by his feelings?).

It’s jealousy and insecurity eating away at him. Just like Jae Eon. He’s also desperate not to lose Na Bi but doesn’t want to do anything untoward or overboard because he’s afraid of ruining their friendship. Once again, his consideration is for Na Bi and how she feels, but he cannot ignore what he saw and how he feels about it.

So, what is our favorite Potato Boy to do? Park Jae Eon already made his move by staging that whole scene of him and Na Bi going into her apartment together. How does Do Hyeok fight back? What’s his playbook in this time of crisis?

He doesn’t fight back. And that’s how he stays in the game. Do Hyeok is not a player like Jae Eon; there isn’t a manipulative or deceptive bone in his body. Do Hyeok does what he always does and doubles down on his sincerity, on the strength of his feelings, and his faith in Na Bi.

Do Hyeok doesn’t play the game Jae Eon tries to involve him in. He always lays it all out on the table with Na Bi so there is no room for misunderstandings. That’s one of the reasons why their relationship works so well; they talk more. Not just about feelings or romance but about school or their day to day life. What they’re building now is something that can last a lifetime.

So he talks to her about it. And admits his jealousy. She wasn’t even aware that he had seen them and yet it sounds like he’s the one who is apologizing (even though he never let his hurt feelings show in his conversations with Na Bi, DO HYEOK YOU ARE TOO GOOD). He lays himself bare to her once more. We don’t see Na Bi’s response other than her shocked and guilty expression, which is annoying because it would definitely be interesting to see how she reciprocated his frankness.

(Underrated super cute scene between them in this episode; when they meet up at night and bring drinks for each other. It’s even the exact same drink. I was grinning like a maniac.)

But Na Bi is familiar with Jae Eon’s game. And when she finds out how badly Do Hyeok was hurt by Jae Eon’s actions (and how he involved her in it) Na Bi finally is snapped to her senses and severs the thread still binding her and Jae Eon together.

Na Bi’s choice isn’t shown as a redemptive or heroic moment. It never was supposed to be. Although I’m sure a lot of us were cheering in that moment, her moments of unrestrained grief alone afterwards are the sobering reality that love, as always, comes with a price.

Nabi’s Choice (The Review)

This is a follow up to my earlier post before episode 9 came out. So, now we see what Na Bi decides and, maybe, how it will all play out in the next episode (barring any last minute twists).

First, let’s address the still ongoing criticism I see regarding Na Bi and Do Hyeok’s relationship: lack of passion, no romantic vibes, blah blah blah. I wrote at length in a previous post why that isn’t true - at least on Do Hyeok’s part (one of the reasons why we don’t get internal monologue from Do Hyeok is because what else is he thinking about other than Na Bi?).

Na Bi, on the other hand, is still ambivalent about her feelings towards Do Hyeok. Episode 9 provided more clarity for her stance towards Jae Eon - he’s the dog shit she stepped on and was promptly wiped away in the grass - but Do Hyeok is still a mystery. Yes, she’s friendly, she cares, and genuinely enjoys being with him but the spice, the passion is missing. And that is kinda important for a romantic relationship.

Well. Look no more. Na Bi has spice for Do a Hyeok and it shows not once, but twice this episode. Where’s the passion? Jae Eon fucked around and found out. Very kind of him. Turns out Na Bi, like all of us who like Do Hyeok, will not tolerate any Do Hyeok slander and I am 100 PERCENT here for it.

There’s a scene shortly before the climatic rain fight where Na Bi is having another meeting with her assistants: the junior (does he have a name? Jin-su?) and Jae Eon. The junior talks to Na Bi about her and Park Jae Eon: the usual tired gossip of whether or not they’re dating. Na Bi waves it away like dandelion fluff.

And then the junior mentions Do Hyeok. “What about the noodle shop guy? Ever since the camp meeting, people have been saying there’s a higher chance you’re dating him.”

And Na Bi just . . . we’ve never seen this from her before, even when she broke up with Jae Eon in episode 5. Her whole demeanor turns ice cold and her voice is wicked sharp as she proceeds to shut down that avenue of questioning. The junior physically leans back from the force of her anger and wonders aloud why she’s so upset (you’re talking about her love life as gossip, idiot, why do you think she’s so upset). Jae Eon walks in and doesn’t see the foreshadowing; he just hears Do Hyeok and it feeds his jealousy.

There it is, everybody. Evidence of Na Bi’s feelings for Do Hyeok and what he means to her. Her protectiveness over him and her refusal to let him be involved in the drama surrounding herself and Jae Eon. Her desire to be the better around him; not because he asks (and he would never) but because his feelings for her make her think she might be worthy of such a love.

And then there’s the rain scene. Na Bi and Jae Eon, vulnerable in the rain. Na Bi admits to her faults in the relationship, how she brought this upon herself. No, she hasn’t been nice or good this whole time; in fact, she’s been kind of terrible. But Jae Eon revealing what he did and how it was to hurt Do Hyeok wakes her up and convinces that the time has come to end this “game”. It got Do Hyeok hurt because of her inability to end it with Jae Eon and good people don’t let that happen to people they care about.

So Na Bi ends it with Jae Eon and chooses herself. At last. And to do so, she has to cut out this malignant tumor of a relationship and, God, does it hurt so much to end it, but she gets it done and takes the first step to being a better person for herself.

The cinematography in this drama is top tier and we see her situation presented so viscerally. She’s alone, in the light, but it’s not a warm, redemptive light; it has a sickly, yellow tint and is surrounded by darkness.

But she’s still there. She still made it.

One Last Observation, I Promise

Last thing I noticed from this episode that I want to talk about: the professor’s critique of Na Bi. She specifically mentions that a good artist can inspire others and Na Bi, whether she realizes it or not, actually does do that.

Na Bi helps Do Hyeok with his videos, giving advice that helps boost their popularity and making them better.

Jae Eon is inspired to make the butterfly bracelet for Na Bi and gifts it to her.

The difference between the two? Do Hyeok actually thanks Na Bi for her help and points out that it was her influence that made his videos better.

Jae Eon obviously means his gesture to be romantic and sincere but he again fails to talk about why he’s doing it. The implication is there but Na Bi needs more than some vague nonsense.

Communication is at the heart of this episode and how, without it, relationships stagnate and fail. Bit Na + Gyu Hyun and Soljiwan couple - their relationships only progress because the couples voice their concerns and fears to one another. And instead of being rejected or being hurt, it allows their partners to reassure them and move forward with their relationship.

Why do Na Bi and Jae Eon fail? They. Don’t. Talk. Na Bi is stuck inside her head and Jae Eon relies on vague gestures and sexual chemistry to express himself.

Why do Na Bi and Do Hyeok succeed? Because they talk. About everything. Their dialogue is clear and honest and sincere without any hidden meanings or motives. And you see why Na Bi is rapidly moving more and more towards Do Hyeok and not Jae Eon.

(The preview does raise some questions about how it will all end but I don’t think the show is going to pull a bait and switch and have Na Bi end up with Jae Eon. I also don’t think it’s likely they’ll have an open ending, either. I’ll talk about that in another post.)

My next post will be what I envision to be the best version of a Na Bi and Do Hyeok endgame and what I mean by that since Na Bi shouldn’t be dating anyone right now. So, look forward to that.

Until next time, everybody. Thanks for reading this long ass post. Hope you enjoyed it.

#jtbc nevertheless #nevertheless #kdrama #han so hee #chae jong hyeop #song kang #yu na bi #yang do hyeok #park jae eon

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