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spicycheeto · 2 years

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you wanted an ask so here we go! don’t know if it was answered already, but could you evaluate on all of the hagreeves kids? like what are your opinions on them, if you like their character development throughout the series and what are you expecting to come for them in the new serie? thanks for the answer, I’m really curious!

Oh here we go! If a little of my obsessiveness towards whatever comes through... than woops. You didn't see it.

Luther. At first I kinda hated him. Now, I'm indifferent. I think he's a nice guy. I think his heart is always in the right place. I think he grew a lot from season 1 to 2. He made mistakes, and I'm sure he has a lot of regrets stored away.

I think Hargeeves played on his weaknesses as a child so much to the point it drove him to literally see no other purpose in life other than to be his lapdog. Luther was always the closest with their father than the rest of the siblings, and I think this is for a reason. He played on Luther's insecurities a bit, I believe. We know how abusive and manipulative Hargeeves was as a father. I don't need to go into that.

I do think all of the siblings are well rounded, and it's difficult to see it when there seems to be a lot more obvious flaws in a character than strengths. He may not be a perfect leader, and I think this was partially Hargreeves' fault. Luther is, honestly, just a sweet guy. I definitely do think they could've used him for more in season 2. He seemed kind of sidelined.

I don't really have many extraordinary thoughts about him. I try not to think about him, to be totally honest.

Diego. Okay, I have some things to say. I think he's been played with as Number Two by Hargeeves enough as a child. It's led him to the exact superhero complex discussed in the show countless times.

He's seen as this big macho vigilante type in season 1, but seems to be quite the opposite in season 2. It's clear from the beginning he is kind and caring, though through a rough exterior. Both Lila and Patch brought that out in him, which I liked a lot. He's a mommas boy, who was seeking Grace out and protecting her in both timelines, and I belive he will try to do the same in season 3. Most of all, he loves his siblings, no matter how much they annoy the hell out of him. Though, I think almost anyone with siblings can atest to that.

I think in season 3 they're gonna be exploring a bit of his "parenting" side. Have you seen the stills of him, Klaus, and Javon Walton's character? Maybe I'm drawing too much from one picture, but I actually think Klaus and Diego are gonna be fighting over who gets to parent this kid through the entire season. I think it's a nice idea.

Allison. Now I have mixed feelings about her. Mostly, I like her. She's one of those characters where I know there's something about her I don't like, but I can't put my finger on it.

I love where she went at the end of season 1. I know that seems morbid, but I liked the idea of her neck injury. I wasn't upset when her injury healed. I'm just glad it didn't seem like they rushed it. They didn't show her recovery, but it was clear for a bit of time she was mute and was slowly recovering to get her voice back. Her goodbye with Raymond was gut wrenching, and I am glad she was given a second chance at a happy marraige. So glad she will hopefully be able to reunite with Claire for the next season, if only for a little bit.

Following the trend of the seasons, it looks like she'll be the one of season 3 to have a big obsession. Maybe it's Claire? I saw this theory somewhere else, but now I'm starting to believe she'll turn from her siblings in season 3. Maybe she'll join the Sparrows, in exchange for Sloane to join the Umbrellas. I actually do like this idea.

Klaus. Oh baby, my favorite. I think he still has a lot of potential. I think there are many directions they can go with all of the characters. But Klaus, Five, and Viktor particularly, there's just so much they can unfold and work with.

One of the directions I hope they don't go down is somehow bringing Dave back into the equation. We barely got anything of him in season 1 to actually be attached to him (aside from Klaus' own feelings). And seaosn 2 made it very clear Dave wanted nothing to do with Klaus, and he died in Vietnam just as always. I think it would be a good opportunity to explore how Klaus is dealing with this in the future world, and maybe just move on entirely.

I know there are a lot of his comic powers the directors still have to unpack, and I know one of them is fire related. Don't really know how fire works in with death and the afterlife, but there we are. I know he has some arsonistic powers from the comics. It was possibly hinted at in season 1 when he destroyed the briefcase after coming back from Vietnam and the case went up in flames. But I know he still has a lot to unpack, and I think it will happen next season. I'm excited for what they have in store for him.

Five. My other darling favorite. There's so much to work with here. First of all, he is a 60 year old man in a 13 year old body. He has the mind of a borderline elderly (yet is still sharp as the axe he murdered the board of committees with). It's clear his love for his family is a superpower all in its own, though he's rought to show it. He's like Diego in that way.

There's not a place for romance with him. And that's okay! That's great! I hate it when producers are led to believe everyone must have a romantic partner in order for the story to still succeed. I would be perfectly okay with none of the siblings iNteRMinGLing, but that's just me. Five is gonna be a loner, for the time being. Not for the next ten years, at least. And even then, it's gonna have to seem like a sugar-relationship type deal. Or like that one couple on tiktok (you know who I'm talking about). As his body ages, I do believe his mind will start aging along with it. We don't know for sure how that all works, since he hasn't actually had the opportunity to age since he came back from the future. But it seems like that would be the easiest and most explainable solution, yes?

I'm so glad they're actually giving Five a break this season! He actually gets to take a nap! He's in a hotel bath robe, he's chilling in his old man clothes, he's living his best life. I sincerely think Five will go full Luther-route from the beginning fo season 2 and say "figure this out on your own, suckers lol" and just peace out of there. Lord knows the man deserves it.

Also, can we please let there be an actual time skip for him. Five has been dealing with these 2 (maybe 3) apocalypses back to back with zero time in between. His siblings have had years to recover and recharge their superhero batteries. Meanwhile, Five is also aging physically. And we can tell from the trailer. Aiden is 18 playing a 13 year old. And the thing is... Aiden looks his age. He cannot pass as a tiny child much longer. He's maturing and growing like a stalk of corn.

I saw one funny theory that was through all of season 3, Five is just gonna be in the background of every shot or sititng down. That'll be the only way they'll be able to disguise how tall Aiden has gotten. Well, I gotta agree. It's not looking great. I feel like they would have planned an seen it coming that their main character (who happens to be a teenager) is gonna age a lot quicker than how his character's timeline is moving. Over the past 2 season Five has aged barely 3 weeks. Aiden aged 5 years.

I didn't think Five would actually be the longest explanation I would do. I thought it would be Diego or Klaus. Oh well.

Ben. We really don't know much about this funky little guy, do we? Everything we know about him is left up to headcanons.

He was my favorite for a hot second, then I just remembered Klaus and thought "yeah, this one's a little better". I think simply cause we've been allowed to have more of a connection with anyone else in the family than we have with Ben.

I think Sparrow Ben is gonna be EXCITING. I really think I'm gonna like the direction they're taking him in. And that's all I have to say about that.

Viktor. Now I don't know how they're gonna handle the transition from Vanya to Viktor. They could just never address it, and he's been himself forever. Or he actually comes out, and you see the transition as the season is going on. I think the second one makes more sense for them to go with. It would be a little jarring if for two seasons he was someone and then BOOM, no no he's someone else. That would be a little confusing for someone who hadn't been following Elliott. Also, continuity wise, they need to stay steady.

Anyway, I can imagine Viktor just going up to Klaus and being like "so, gender". And Klaus is like "omg broski SAME". And it's just a cute sibling bonding moment.

Thanks for this! It took me a While, but here. I was straight up working on it for a solid two hours straight!

#the umbrella academy #umbrella academy season 3

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bridgyrose · 3 years

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Alright, time for the post that no one asked for! Which ship had more development between Bmblby and Blacksun!

Gonna preface a few things first: I dont particularly ship either ship, so I'm going to do this with as little bias as possible.

This is only over the first 3 volumes, so anything after the fall of Beacon isnt taken into consideration right now.

And the rules are as follows:

First, winking will not be considered. Since people keep saying a wink isnt inherently confirming of a relationship, I'll ignore any winks and judge the scenes based on the content.

Second, scenes will be judged by whether or not you could replace any character and still get the same effect. (the more you can replace, the better in my opinion)

And lastly, since I keep seeing this coming up as well, the only evidence I will consider for absolute confirmation is of any sort of kiss in the first 3 volumes. Although, its going to feel a bit rushed and out of nowhere since the first 3 volumes takes place over 4-6 months at best.

Without further ado... everything will be under the cut.

Starting with Vol 1, after re-watching, there really wasn't any build up to either ship. Which, doesnt surprise me considering that Sun doesnt show up until the end of Vol 1 and the entirety of that volume is centered around introducing the characters, the world in which they live, and just general ideas on what it's like being a huntsman academy. But there are still a few scenes to note in vol 1:

Initiation: Its a quick blur, but you can see Blake rush across the screen once we see Yang walking through the forest. At that point, its safe to assume that Blake had already made her choice on who she wanted, which is further implemented with Blake helping Yang out with an Ursa.

Its safe to assume that between talking with Ruby the night before and seeing hearing how what she thought of Yang didn't quite match her thoughts.

Our next scene comes to Sun and his infamous "slow-mo wink introduction." As per the rules, I'm ignoring the wink and going straight off the content of the scene itself. Which, doesnt leave much. We know he pinpoints Blake as a faunus very quickly and he has some sort of infatuation with her, but the scene alone doesnt give us much.

However, that one does lead into the end of the Vol: Blake runs off from her friends and takes her bow off to finally show us her ears. At which point, Sun comments that he knew she'd look better without it. So that already shows that 1) Sun definitely pinpointed Blake being a faunus early on, and 2) he wanted to talk to her and this provided the right opportunity. Or... so he thought. Especially since the next scene opens up with him half complaining that they've spent 2 days together and all she's done is make small talk.

Which is all pretty on par for Blake. She then spends the next bit talking about her past, how she was pretty much born into the White Fang, stayed with it after it went from peaceful protests to more anger filled, until leaving Adam just a few months ago. After all of this, Sun asks if she's told her friends, to which we can assume she answers no to, you know, since she ran. Overall, it ends up leading Sun into going a bit gung-ho about helping Blake with the White fang.

Overall, Vol 1 did well to start putting together dynamics between Blake and her friends. Sun and Yang both make different impressions on Blake, both of which she ends up seeing as friends... for now.

Vol 2, is a bit of a strange one. Our first introduction to Beacon is Sun basically telling Neptune how cool team RWBY is, emphasizing a bit on Blake. Which does end up bringing us to the meat of the first half of vol 2: Blake worrying over the White Fang. Now, because of this, we dont see any build up between Blake and Sun or Blake and Yang while they go around town to figure out what the White Fang and Torchwick are up to. Sun makes a good point that Blake shouldnt go to the rally alone, and the two pair off while Yang goes to the club with Neptune.

Once the dance arc comes along, that's where things take an interesting turn. Sun immediately asks a sleep deprived Blake to the dance, in probably the most awkward way since he's trying to say the dance is lame, but would be less lame if the two of them went together.

Sun definitely cares about Blake and actively tried to help her calm down a bit. Which, ultimately, she never says no, just that she doesnt have time for a dance. So, I give this one a +1 in points for build up.

Then, we get to the burning the candle speech. Which, a lot of people seem to write off as either pointless or not build up. Personally, it gets a +1 in points on build up for me on this. First, Yang is absolutely worried about her partner, seeing her go down the same path she did when she was much younger. She immediately starts by telling Blake that she doesnt want her to stop, just to slow down and take a breather. And she ultimately makes a strong point: slowing down isnt a luxury, its a necessity.

This also end s up being the first time we see Yang open up and drop the party girl demeanor that she's had. She talks about her mother, someone that she doesnt talk to many people about, and just how much it hurt her to find out that Raven left shortly after she was born.

After an emotionally charged discussion, we finally see the point that Yang had been trying to get Blake to see:

And it finally does work. Blake slows down, takes a rest, and ultimately enjoys herself at the dance. Which, in her own words, she technically goes with Sun.

Overall, the dance arc in general gives great build up to both ships. Which ultimately is the end for the Black Sun build up.

Bmblby doesnt get much more build up in vol 2, the only other notable scene being the campfire where Yang, Blake, and Weiss start opening up a bit more to each other to figure out why each of them are becoming huntresses. Which absolutely gives a bit more foundation to the friendships they have.

Vol 3 ends up having most of the build up between Blake and Yang. The first major scene being after Yang was disqualified for breaking Mercury's leg. When Yang finally asked her team if they trust her, Blake is the only one who doesnt immediately say yes, instead, saying she wants to. Leading us to this face from Yang:

(yes, I know, captions are a bit off, deal with it.)

But Yang ends up being distressed by her own partner saying that she wants to trust, but doesnt yet. Blake ultimately ends up opening up about Adam, telling us how she used to trust him... until accidents started piling up. Eventually, she looks at Yang and asks her to look her in the eye and tell her she didnt do anything wrong. When Yang does, Blake allows herself to trust Yang.

Which then brings us to the biggest piece of buildup between the two: Adam. When Adam shows up, he starts using words like "my darling", hammering in that at one point, the two had something going on. He decides immediately he wants to hurt Blake just like she hurt him by leaving. But what really hammers in Blake's feelings for Yang, is the fear she had on her face when she heard Yang's voice not so far away... and right where Adam can hear her. It doesnt take long for Adam to look down at Blake, notice the fear, and then look in the direction of Yang, ultimately stating that he'll destroy everything Blake loves, starting with her.

Now, I know a lot of people will dismiss that as "it could've been anyone. If Sun had shown up, it would've been the same." And honestly, yes, it would've. This moment here is what solidifies who Blake ultimately cares about. Had it been Sun to come around, no doubt she'd show the same fear. But it wasnt him. Instead, it was Yang, who immediately found Weiss and asked where Blake had gone. And we further see her feelings for Yang cemented by the way she blames herself that Yang got hurt. The way she stays close, gently reaches for Yang's hand, the emotion of the entire scene after they get to safety.

Sun does ultimately care about Blake, and helps out where he can, but at least in vol 3, he had his own priorities of making sure everyone could make it to safety.

TL;DR: Both ships had a bit of build up in vol 2 and 3, although, the build up that Bmblby had outweighs the buildup that Blacksun has. Blake definitely had feelings for both, but ultimately, it took until Adam was a threat for her to realize the feelings that she had for Yang, and even then, she still wasnt entirely sure what they were until later in the series. At this point, the only reason anyone can say that Bmblby has little build up is due to either a higher bar for f/f ships (because, lets face it, everyone takes the wink from vol 1 as absolute confirmation for blacksun because its m/f) or they continue to deny that sometimes, there are multiple ways to show buildup between two people for a relationship and the slowburn route usually takes an emotional route over a physical route. And look, Blake has two hands. Take that as you will.

#rwby #rwby analysis #the post no one asked for #blacksun #rwby bmblb #bumbleby #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #sun wukong

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gohoubi · 2 years

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Another Thoughts Post™️ because that's what we're doing apparently:

I’ve been thinking about this recently, especially with the dawn of the 4th episode almost upon us…I am honestly really quite happy with how the writers have coped with not having Melanie (the main character) around on the show. It used to be that in S1/2, she was always there and thus all the interesting moments and good writing went to her, to the detriment of all the other characters. It seemed like the Melanie and friends show, which kind of got me? I love Melanie but I wanted to see what the other characters were up to, and what their interactions were like. It was unfortunate (and perhaps necessary) that everyone's storylines had to revolve around Melanie in some way, and now that she's gone and she's been replaced with a more nebulous idea (the data) the characters are more free to make different choices and develop in different directions.

Alex, for example. Yes, she's the daughter of Melanie, but for most of S2 I wanted to see who she was as her own person. Half the time she was just there to provide a foil to all of Melanie's decisions, and to add a layer of complexity to Melanie's interactions with Layton, Wilford, Ben etc. Now that Melanie is gone, she's developing as a character in her own right and is finding her own place in the world. I like that, I find that interesting.

And yeah the writing decisions are often downright ridiculous (seriously, that Asha lie? Were they all huffing glue back there?) but overall, they seem to be pivoting towards making the existing characters more interesting. I'm not joking when I tell you that I used to skip over scenes that had Pike and Layton in them - I found both characters incredibly annoying and boring. I mean, I like Pike now and I still think Layton is annoying and idiotic, but I actually want to watch them now. With Melanie being a chess piece that's taken off the board, so to speak, the remaining characters that aren't her have a lot more control over the situation and their own fates. Since they imagine that she's dead, a lot more decisions can be made without her at the forefront of all their planning (except for the climate data, but she's done what she needed to do so there's that) The writers have managed to make us a lot more invested in the other characters, which I wasn't sure they'd be able to do after S1/2. For the first time, I'm actually excited to see what happens with other characters! LJ and Oz, for example! Never in my WHOLE life did I think that a) I'd want to see more of them or b) even root for them a little bit. That's what they're doing now! I like that!

#snowpiercer #snowpiercer tnt #snowpiercer netflix #gohoubi talks

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purplellamanator · 3 years

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Second part is up for my @shinranweek fic. Above is my AO3 and again here is the fanfic link. There will be one more part that I will post soon. Thanks for anybody that checks it out :) I'll also post it below the cut again.

As it turns out, the ever righteous Kudou-san could be quite the dictator. He determined when she'd have her meals and even when she needed to rest for the night. It made her feel inept and she wanted to argue out. Every time though, she'd bite her lip. It was as if her body didn't want her to and she got the idea she wasn't used to being waited on.

It was actually . . nice. At times she did feel in the same category as a child, but . . . someone was watching over her. Someone cared about her. Well- that's what it tricked her mind into thinking. The girl knew that Kudou-san had no emotional ties to her. He was doing this because he found her wondering around in a park and felt obligated after thinking he caused her to have a brain aneurism.

She wondered how much longer he would deal with her. Though it still had only been two days, there were no leads and she still couldn't remember anything.

"I didn't want you to overexert yourself today." His sudden voice broke her inner musings and her eyes snapped to where he stood before the kitchen stove, stirring something consistently. Blue eyes glancing her way and realizing he had her attention, he nodded. "We can go out and get you some clothes tomorrow if you're up for it though."

The girl sat there, silently for a moment. Honestly, she felt up to it today. Staying inside the house was making her skin crawl almost and she figured her body wasn't used to it. But . . . "I can't ask you to do that for me," she spoke softly as she watched him cook.

"You didn't. I offered," he replied easily before his brows furrowed again. It seemed he was having trouble with whatever he was trying to make. . . Oddly she wanted to get up and help him but she was sure that was overstepping her boundaries. She already felt guilty that he was cooking for her. Kudou-san appeared like he didn't do it often but was making an effort for her. It would probably be best to suck it up and just swallow down whatever he placed before her.

This time, the scrunched features were from the way he caught the girl staring at him. "R-Ran?" He stumbled over the name embarrassingly, not at all used to or comfortable calling her that nickname quite yet.

Eyes widening and realizing that she was still staring blankly at the poor guy while he attempted to make their dinner, her cheeks heated a bit and she glanced at the wood of the table. "Have those detectives figured anything out?" Ran said suddenly to cover up the awkwardness.

Kudou-san frowned and shook his head as he began grabbing plates down from the far cabinet. "Not yet. There're still looking though," he spoke quickly hoping his first words hadn't discouraged her. "These things can take time."

Well she hadn't remembered anything and how much of his 'time' was he willing to waste on this? Surely he didn't plan on allowing her to live here with him forever. He'd probably realize how much of a bother this really was and take her back to the park where he originally found her, leaving her there alone like he was releasing a stray dog.

Suddenly Ran didn't feel so hungry and after the plate of whatever this was supposed to be was placed in front of her, she really didn't want to eat anything. Schooling her features however, she sucked it up and cleared the plate. He had helped her so much- the least she could do was eat the dinner he tried really hard to make. And somehow she knew and understood just how hard he really had tried.

She was found out however when Kudou-san took one bite and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "This tastes like crap," he admitted and she actually laughed at how bluntly he had said those few words. The man just seemed amazed that she had even ate the whole dish in front of her. He went so far as to scrape his in the trash.

"I can get better at that," Kudou-san promised so seriously but all she could do was chuckle at how earnestly he said it. Didn't he understand she was lucky to even have a meal tonight?

"So, since I don't think I'm the best choice for a shopping partner, I invited a couple friends along."

Ran glanced at him surprised but then again he did have a point. She highly doubted he wanted to spend his entire evening in a mall packed full of girls clothes shopping. "Where will you go though?" she questioned curiously. She couldn't help but wonder, after all, Kudou-san was the only thing she recognized anymore.

He shrugged. "Probably the book store- that's them right over there," he pointed ahead.

Standing some feet away still was a girl and a guy. Both seemed to be about her age though she still wasn't sure what that was quite yet. Doctor Araide had estimated her age to be around her early twenties from the development of her bone structure.

The two had yet to realize they had company and Ran's eyes widened from the language sprouting from the twos mouths'. If it wasn't the heavy dialect that caught her attention, it was the crude and abrasive names they called each other. The girl whom she had assumed would be so kind with her dark hair tied up with a ribbon was shouting equally as loud as the annoyed looking dark skinned boy.

It took Kudou-san clearing his throat before either party even began to quiet down. When they did, they both appeared equally embarrassed as the other at being caught in such a heated discussion. That didn't stop them from continuing to glare at each other from the corner of their eyes.

Eyes narrowed as well, Kudou-san directed their attention to the one unfamiliar face. "This is Ran. Ran- this is Hattori Heiji and Toyama Kazuha-chan." All the while the scowl was firmly in place on his features at the fact the two couldn't get it together just for a few minutes. They still had yet to stop frowning at the other as if they were straining themselves terribly from not yelling again.

Feeling the aggravated tension, Ran swallowed the trepidation down her throat. "It's nice to meet you both," she began and was thankful she bowed her head slightly so they couldn't see the wince she gave from how uncomfortable she sounded. When she straightened she very nearly fell over.

"She is cute." Ran had lifted her head only to come face to face with the girl whom seemed to be scrutinizing her closely. Realizing just what the girl said, her cheeks enflamed brightly.

"Stupid. You're embarrassing her," the man- Hattori? snapped. That got Kazuha-chan's attention off her fast and Ran took the time to scoot closer to Kudou-san.

It took Kudou-san clearing his throat again before either person quieted down again; both looking equally annoyed. "Ran needs clothes so I figured you could help her with that," he directed to Kazuha without any explaining. He probably wanted to get it all out before they started arguing again.

A card was suddenly placed in her line of sight and Ran stared at Shinichi, confusedly. "Just use this. Buy whatever you'd like." He placed the card in her hand considering she hadn't made a move to do so herself.

She stared at the card for a second before glancing up at him. "Where are you going?" she asked again but didn't pay any mind to how the other two stared curiously. Nothing against this Kazuha girl but she wanted to stick with the only familiar face she had and that was Shinichi.

"Hattori and I will probably wonder around. Whenever you're done or if you need something, Kazuha can call me," he shrugged to show her it was no big deal. He was but a phone call away.

This time she did blush a little from how attached she was appearing. She barely even knew Shinichi yet she already felt like he was the only thing she did have. Her only constant in the past few days.

Still not really liking that she'd be walking around without him, Ran nodded slowly with a small grin and they were off. It was quite embarrassing how she kept turning back while they were walking away. She did it every few feet until she couldn't do it no more and each time Kudou-san was standing there looking back at her as if he knew she needed that reassurance that he was right there.

If Kazuha noticed- and Ran was positive she did, she was respectful enough not to comment. And Kazuha simply led the way though she remarked multiple times she was from Osaka and didn't have a clue where all the good shops were. They decided they would stop at any place that seemed promising.

Shinichi stared at the girl's retreating back as it got further and further away. He watched her go until she got lost in the crowds of the other mall shoppers and he could see the girl no more. For some reason he felt a nervousness go through him now that she was out of sight.

"Not bad, Kudou."

And Shinichi startled at the reminder he was not alone either. A brow raised at the sudden comment.

Hattori, whom had also been glancing that way at first looked back at him with a knowing smirk. "She is cute."

Cheeks tinting a light pink, the half lidded glare he sent the Osakan man was impossible to hide. Why was he even surprised? He should've known better than to admit that to Hattori of all people. Still, as a last defense, the man said, "I never said she was cute."

"You said she was 'very pretty'. Same thing," he waved off.

The fact his face got redder had him mildly annoyed. "And you told Toyama-san," he accused.

They were already milling about the walkway and avoiding other passerby as they went. "Man, I live in the same house as that woman. Not that I told her myself- she overheard us talking but you think I'm going to lie about that? Trust me; it's not worth the argument."

Shinichi shook his head but honestly, he wasn't that bothered. Ran was pretty but it didn't change the fact that this was a case. The woman wouldn't want to live with him forever and anyone could see the emotional toll this was having on her.

"Have you found anything out? How about those two detectives?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. They're looking into any accidents that may have recently happened as well if anyone's filed a missing persons report but so far nothing."

Hattori pocketed his hands. "Have you tried tracing her memory back? Can she recall anything?"

"I think anytime she gets close to remembering anything, her mind goes into a panic. It's like she doesn't want to remember," he whispered the last part to himself but was sure the other man heard it anyway. It was a little disheartening though. What was something so terrible that had happened to her that she didn't want her memories back? He couldn't decide if it was the accident itself or her actual past life that had her mind subconsciously shielding her. That's what troubled him the most. Maybe she didn't want to know.

"Jeez, I'm starved!" Kazuha said as they waited together in some line of the food court. Just a minute ago she had texted Hattori letting him know to meet them there. Admittedly Ran was anxious to see Shinichi again. She had fun going through the stores and just being with another girl but she missed that one familiar face. She briefly wondered if he'd be mad by how much she spent and she glanced at the multiple bags she carried in her arms.

A little uncomfortable at first, Ran hadn't wanted to use that credit card given to her. It didn't help that nothing bought in a mall came cheap- even something so small as a pretzel she discovered. But after that, Ran wasn't sure how long they had been. She honestly had lost track of time and was enjoying herself. She was quite fond of this Kazuha girl and she liked her humor even more. Even though Shinichi had given her free reign with his bank account, she was sure to only swipe it on things she really liked. But had there been some unspoken price limit on how much she could use? Would he be mad? Now she was a little nervous to see him.

So trapped in her thoughts, she failed to notice her surroundings. She didn't catch any of the mindless chatter Kazuha was spewing beside her. She barely caught on to when the cashier was asking her what she'd like. So when the people surrounding her started gasping and a commotion began, she hadn't know until Kazuha gripped her arm tightly getting her attention. Blinking, she looked first at the girl in confusion before realizing she was staring somewhere else entirely.

Right before them was a man standing clad in sweats and a t-shirt. He appeared disgruntled and crazed and if that weren't enough to show he wasn't thinking, it was the fact he held a gun tightly in his grasp as he pointed it at them.

Ran could only raise a brow. Unlike in the doctor's office or when she met those detectives, fear was not her initial reaction. If anything, the surprising amount of irritation and annoyance that hit her almost made her giggle. Some man was pointing a gun at her and she wanted to laugh?

Then, "Step aside!" the man practically spit out and she realized he was talking to her. And now she was understanding the gun wasn't for her- it was for Kazuha.

The girl beside her stiffened at that but finally released the grip on her arm, as if silently giving Ran the okay to move out of the line of fire. Clearly the target wasn't her so why should she get shot?

Ran didn't move. If anything her stature straightened and her stance became even more firm where it stood. Ran didn't understand the way her body was having her react. Truthfully, she had wanted to move. She didn't want to die and the guy had a gun. But something was telling her she didn't have to be scared. That she would be okay.

"Move!" He barked again and there were gasps in the crowd when he cocked the gun.

Kazuha was tugging at her arm again now only gently. She was asking her to move like everybody else that had fled away from her the moment they realized she was the target. To get out of the way. She didn't want her to get hurt. "Ran-"

Taking the hand that was shoving her away lightly, Ran gripped it and practically threw her down behind her as she stepped forward. She didn't know what was coming over but she understood what her body wanted perfectly. She didn't have to be afraid and she didn't have to move.

Of course that didn't go over so well with the man standing in front of them and his face contorted in an angry snarl as he prepared to shoot.

Time seemed slower in that moment. So slow, Ran actually found the time to feel her lips tilt up at the sides the barest bit. Her eyes scanned his shaky stance and her grin almost broadened. People probably thought she was crazy but she didn't care in that moment for some reason. Not for the first time she felt trapped in someone else's body.

Then he pulled the trigger.

Screams rang out around them- the more prominent one being her name. But she barely paid them any mind. Her body was already steps ahead of her thoughts and instead of the pain of a bullet entering her, she felt nothing except maybe the breeze of it whizzing through her hair where her head had once been. The man didn't have time to blink before she was already before him and dispelling the gun from his grasp. She didn't really know what she had planned to do after that. Fight the criminal in hand to hand? She'd surely lose but now she wasn't so sure of that fact. If anything, her muscles seemed prepared- welcomed the challenge as if she had been holding back too long. Her body felt something familiar and it was latching onto that.

But by far, she was not expecting herself to turn the tables and actually bare the gun in her grasp. That's how she found her stance. One hand tightly clenching the grip; a finger on the trigger and ready to pull in a heartbeat on the criminal now turned victim. What scared her most was that the weapon was actually comfortable in her grasp.

In the still slowed pace of analyzing her own stance, she barely registered the man had dropped to his knees with his hands above his head in surrender. She couldn't tell if she even cared by the way the barrel of the gun followed his every move. Her eyes narrowed the slightest bit, curious as to if he would try to overpower her but the small grin never left her features. It seemed the idea . . . excited her. Yet she was almost at war with herself. Like she didn't want to pull the trigger but she would if she had to.

And then claps resounded around her and she jumped as she glanced around startled. As if snapping back and connecting her body to her brain again, she realized where and what she was doing- and couldn't of been more appalled. They cheered because they thought she was a hero. But she knew the truth. There was nothing victorious or gratifying about wanting to hurt another human being.

Shinichi and Hattori had arrived before the police did but it wasn't long in between. While the man was getting cuffed and Hattori was prattling and worrying over a frightened Kazuha, Shinichi watched her with stunned but puzzled eyes. She couldn't help but feel they were accusing and so she wouldn't meet his gaze anymore after that. Even as they were walking out of the shopping center and saying their goodbyes to the other couple, he stuck tightly to her side.

The car ride had been a silent one so it wasn't until they reached his house that he finally said anything to her. And it wasn't anything she was expecting.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Ran swallowed. Did she? Or would that only serve to make her feel worse when he agreed and called her the monster she was?

"I won't make you. I just want to be sure you're okay," he admitted a little reluctantly.

"Kazuha-chan was the target," she dodged. So if anyone wasn't okay it should be Kazuha.

Shinichi sighed. "It was an old client of Hattori's. The man had come to him because he feared someone was stalking his wife and hired Hattori to find him." Here the man shook his head a little sadly. "Hattori found the culprit eventually but it wasn't in time to save the man's wife."

Briefly, she wondered why Shinichi had to tell her something like that and she had to hide her watery eyes. And client. . . ? Client for what, she had to wonder.

Unaware of her confusion he continued with, "Hattori felt so much guilt over it but the client didn't see it that way. He's being questioned now but I think it's obvious he figured Toyama-san was an equal loss to Hattori as his wife was to him."

"When you say a client to Hattori-kun. . . you mean-"

Shinichi blinked a bit confused before they widened in realization. "Hattori's a detective- like me." He said it so matter of factly as if it were the most obvious thing; as if she should've already known this.

She hadn't.

A detective. Like him. Shinichi-kun is a a detective.

A strange type of panic gripped her heart and for some reason it was mingled with betrayal. Her whole reaction was completely unwarranted though she was sure. She wasn't nearly as freaked as in the doctor's office and she had no excuse to feel betrayed. Shinichi owed her absolutely nothing. If anything, she owed him.

But now blanks were being filled in as Ran processed exactly what this meant. For the entirety of the three days she had known Shinichi, she was constantly asking herself why she was here. What made this stranger walk up to her when all she had been doing was sitting on a park bench? It was clear to her now though that it was due to his own instincts. He was a detective and she saw now that when he discovered her she hadn't only smelt of gasoline but of another case.

Heart beating faster and faster as she broke this down, she had the urge to run. Here she thought this was a friend that saw someone whom needed help. That would keep their promise and keep the involvement of police out of this. Feeling stupid now, the understanding that he agreed to that because he was in fact the police disturbed her greatly. She felt duped.

And she didn't appreciate it one bit.

"Ran?"

The woman startled from her thoughts, completely forgetting that he was standing there and they were holding a conversation. The man looked to be waiting for a response of some kind but she didn't know what she should say; didn't know what she could say. In all honesty, she didn't want to speak to him. The urge to just make a jump for the exit was all she could detect. Were the police already on their way over? Would she be detained? Had he understood what she had felt only moments before when she had almost shot a man?

At this point she was worrying him. She could see it in his face, especially when he stepped closer and asked, "Is your head hurting again? Do you need to lay down?"

Laying down was the last thing she wanted to do.

"You lied to me." It didn't come out angry. It didn't even sound like an accusation; just a fact she was simply saying.

He didn't seem to think so obviously by the way his brows scrunched, puzzled and the almost offended expression he bore.

"You told me there would be no public involvement with this and the entire time you were a detective yourself." The saddest thing was that she couldn't find it in her to be mad. She wasn't surprised he had lied because in all honesty, who wouldn't of called the police? At the time it was blatantly apparent she had been in an accident of some sort. She gave off multiple signs that she needed medical attention and she didn't even have any recollection of her own identity. The best place for her would've been in the hospital's care until they could identify her.

"I don't work for the police!" he hurriedly said before she could give this wrong idea anymore thought. "Well. . I mean- I do sometimes but not directly. I'm my own name," he tried to explain when she could only give him confused glances. "I'm pretty well-known so I work independently."

Well, that explained his arrogant manner when he introduced himself. But then that means. . .

"So you're not hired by the police?" she asked almost meekly.

Shinichi shook his head with a small grin that tilted up only one side of his mouth. "Not right now, no."

Her cheeks turned a light pink. "Oh."

Her heart shot right into her throat when he suddenly took her hands in his. "I made you a promise, Ran." He was speaking so firmly and she could see in his eyes that he thought breaking that promise was not an option.

The need to apologize was all she could think of now. Though she hadn't come at him angrily and annoyed, she had accused him. Words wouldn't come out of her mouth however and as she stood there fumbling in her thoughts wondering why she couldn't voice what she wanted to, her gaze kept flitting from their hands to his cerulean eyes that seemed so close to hers. Her chest was still racing but she got the feeling it wasn't for the same reason as before.

What was wrong with her? Maybe she did need to lie down.

The doorbell rang and Ran wasn't too sure why but a certain amount of relief hit her as if she were saved. Saved from what though she wasn't yet aware.

Dropping her hands at the noise, he glanced towards the front foyer. "It's probably Hiabara."

"I still need to introduce you," he continued and the casual air he had about him made her even more antsy if possible. Clearly nothing was wrong if he was acting perfectly normal. Why was it that she was reacting weirdly?

She needed a moment to gather herself. As it was, her cheeks were still slightly flustered and she had no idea why.

"I'll go grab the clothes," she declared and before he could even say a word she was already strolling from the room. It wasn't all just an excuse. They really did need to grab the clothes because after all, it was more than likely the only reason the other woman was there.

Haibara Ai, as Shinichi told her, was his next door neighbor. She was also the person who was kind enough to lend her some clothes until she could go out and buy some for herself.

Making sure not to take more time than normal, Ran returned to the living room with the clothes freshly cleaned and folded inside a laundry basket. The two were already deep in conversation but it seemed their voices were lowered purposefully for the moment Shinichi saw her enter the room was when he straightened and greeted her- almost pointedly.

The other woman, whom she guessed was the neighbor, was facing away from her when she first entered. It wasn't until she turned around that Ran fully took in the light brown hair that was almost red and also cut short. They both seemed to be about the same age but there was also a certain maturity this woman gave off. Her eyes were a hardened teal almost that seemed like they could cut through anything.

And then the woman's gaze fell on her and all of that fell away.

The steely glint in her gaze fell away in an instant as her eyes widened almost impossibly. Eyes doing an automatic scan, Ran watched as her body stiffened to the point that she looked like a string strung so tightly and was prepared to snap. Almost subconsciously, the woman took a step back in what looked like a retreat. It almost seemed like she was trying to hide behind Shinichi.

The smile Ran had originally had on from about to meet this woman for the first time slowly fell away. The brown whicker basket in her hands seemed to feel heavier and heavier by the second. "Um. . . Thank you for the clothes. I-I washed them." She placed the clothes on the coffee table as she stood there uncomfortably. The tension was so thick in the room she was wishing she had made some other excuse or even agreed earlier with Shinichi that she needed to lay down.

Haibara didn't say a single word in response. Ran was sure the woman hadn't even heard her. The only form of acknowledgement was the way those teal eyes watched her every movement as they were stretched wide in what appeared to be terror.

Shinichi cleared his throat. "Haibara, this is Ran- the one I told you about," he admitted. "Ran, this is Haibara Ai. My neighbor."

They both heard the words but it really just passed from one ear right out the other. The two both seemed to be locked in some sort of stare off. Only thing, Ran couldn't understand why. This woman was staring at her as if she were the scariest thing she had ever had the displeasure of seeing.

When Haibara still appeared to be anything less than willing to actually speak to her, Ran forced a smile. "I- I think I'll take a quick shower. Thanks for the clothes- nice meeting you," she said softly but kindly before turning and slowly strolling from the room.

She really had originally planned on going to her room to shower. But something inside of her, that she choked up to the same person as in that mall earlier- a more dishonest and curious side, didn't go far. Only taking a few steps down the hall to give the appearance of her exit, Ran quietly made her way back to the doorway hidden and out of sight.

It was quiet in the other room, to the point Ran almost suspected she had been found out and she should just leave like she had said. But then. . .

"What's with that attitude?"

It was Shinichi and she figured he took so long to speak because he wanted to make sure she actually had left. He spoke differently though. Where as with her his tone was usually patient and calming, this voice was marred with irritation and disapproval.

Even more silence stretched on like that and Ran was beginning to think this Haibara Ai was mute. She had still yet to hear the other woman's voice.

Shinichi seemed to get annoyed after that. "Why wouldn't you talk to her? Do you have to be so rude all the time?" The last part was said a little frustratedly as if the way this woman spoke to Ran was a big deal.

"You need to call the police."

If it weren't the actual words that were spoken, Ran would've stiffened either way. That voice had not been one she was expecting no matter how mature and stern the girl appeared. It was very feminine but the underlining hardened edge to it wasn't hard to detect. But her words however. . . Call the police? Over what? Shinichi voiced as much.

"She's dangerous," Haibara said curtly.

"That's ridiculous! You don't even know her-!"

The interruption came swiftly.

"She's one of them."

Silence again. Ran leaned closer to try and pick up on anything but she couldn't even detect their breaths. One of who?

"Do you have any proof?" His voice was tight and controlled but it was clear he forced out the words between clenched teeth.

Haibara sighed. "You know my proof, Kudou-kun."

"That's not proof. Even if I wanted to believe-"

"You said she dodged a bullet." She paused for added effect. "She disarmed a fully grown man. Is that normal?"

"Being trained in the martial arts is not odd. And you seem to know a lot about her. A lot more than even she does at the moment so if that's the case, please do tell," he snapped almost sarcastically.

"Rum."

Ran could practically feel the tension. Could just feel the way he stiffened and his breath hitched from just that one word. But what did it mean? If she was supposedly dangerous and this the reason, she didn't get it.

"S-she's-" His tone was shaken from just more than being stunned. Truthfully she thought she heard fear.

"No, but she's almost a close second."

"Who is she?"

"A personal favorite to the second in command and a pampered lap dog," Haibara grunted in distaste not at all hiding how demeaning she meant the comment to be. "When she was first introduced in to the Organization and members saw how closely she was sheltered, rumors started going that she was kept around for. . personal entertainment. She rarely showed her face any more than Rum himself- I've seen her just once. But when she did, she was never alone."

Personal entertainment. . The words echoed around her thoughts and Ran swallowed down the nasty thought.

"But it was quickly proven that she was more than just a pretty face. One by one, members were just suddenly dropping- all of which were proven later to be undercover agents. CIA, FBI- there were numerous."

"Sorting out the traitors," Shinichi voiced his thoughts.

There was agreeance in Haibara's tone. "Her innocence and beauty that she radiated made it easy for her to be underestimated then- made it easy for you to underestimate her now," she said pointedly. "She's a master of deception; manipulative. When work isn't getting done and the boss wants results, they send her in."

"But she doesn't know that."

"Or that's just what she wants you to think. You're not thinking of her as the dangerous criminal that she is."

"If she does have her memory and she does in fact know who she is, then what would be her reason to fake that?" It sounded rhetorical like he wanted her to answer to prove a point but the woman answered anyway.

"To kill me. I turned my back on them and that's not something the Organization will take lightly," Haibara responded. "And you've been hiding me as well as trying to expose them."

"If what all you say about her is true, wouldn't you be dead already. And not just you but me as well for helping you? You always say the Organization works quickly, don't you?"

There was quiet after that and Ran got the feeling the woman didn't know how to respond to that. Deep down she probably felt that Shinichi was right. He really was after all. She had no idea what either of them were talking about. Organization? Rum? Trained operative? None of this was making any sense to her but if they knew who she was, shouldn't they tell her?

"I'm telling you, you don't know what you're dealing with," Haibara bit out. "We can't trust her."

"I trusted you. What is the difference between you and her?" he argued.

"The difference is that I didn't kill anyone."

"I'm sure others would debate that."

There was a sharp intake of breath and Ran assumed it was Haibara taking offense. Releasing a shaky breath she finally said, "Even if that were the case and she really can't remember- what will you do when she does gain her memory? After all of what I told you, you know what she's capable of now."

"Then we have until then to show her a better way."

"This could jeopardize everything we worked for," she whispered harshly and it was clear she did not agree at all. "She's practically the princess of the Organization. They'll have every agent searching for her and allowing her to stay here will only paint a giant target on our backs."

Disregarding what the other woman just said, Ran heard the rustle of the whicker basket being moved and she prepared to make a hurried escape. "I'll let you know if anything changes with Ran-" It was obvious he was giving her a dismissal but not for the first time that night, Haibara interrupted him.

"Champagne."

Again, she had to wonder what was with all the alcohol. Was it some code? She had already been saying Rum every few seconds and now she was talking about Champagne.

"What?" Shinichi sounded as confused as her thoughts. And then Ran slowly caught on.

"Her name is Champagne."

Just narrowly making an escape before she was discovered by the neighbor or Shinichi, Ran actually ran to take a shower. That's what she said she would do and how fake she'd look if she returned with dry hair.

She entered the kitchen in a fresh pair of clothes and loose, wet hair to find Shinichi- again, standing over a stove almost hectically. There was a book open on the counter beside him and she watched with amusement as he kept glancing hurriedly from the pages back to the stovetop again.

He had no clue what he was doing.

She shook her head before stepping further into the room. "What are you making?"

The real question was, 'what was he trying to make'. It was obvious he was struggling and she actually felt guilty for wanting to laugh.

Shinichi turned to face her a little jerkily and she really could see now just how much trouble he was having. "Uh. . curry. . I think. . " And something bubbled making a loud popping noise from the pan making him jump his attention back to the stove.

He thinks? How can he not know what he's making?

Before she could even understand what she was doing, her body was already taking more steps till she stood beside him. Now she had a perfect view of the less than perfect . . curry? She wasn't even sure now.

He scoot over a bit while giving her a slightly annoyed glance. "What are you doing-?"

"Do you need help?" It was a question but she was already sliding the wooden spoon from his hand before he could even respond. Their fingers brushed a bit but she didn't pay it any mind and began stirring the pan slowly.

Shinichi appeared to want to protest but again she was already moving before he could get a word in. "This is a bit too high," she commented almost to herself as she turned the burner down and then she was swiping a finger in the sauce and tapping it on her tongue. Her features scrunched the slightest bit and she hoped the man hadn't caught that.

Looking at the recipe displayed in the book, Ran took some of the spices Shinichi already had set out and mixed some more into the mix. Tasting it again she nodded before angling the spoon towards him so he could taste. "It was a little too spicy," she spoke as he blankly swiped a finger into his mouth with the sauce. "See? Is that better?"

He bore an amazed look and she hoped that could only mean he approved.

"If you'd like, I can finish this if you want to set the table," she offered and almost laughed at how fast he made an escape. Honestly, she didn't think she could watch him struggle over cooking her another meal again. And for some reason, she didn't mind cooking either. If anything, she'd say she rather enjoyed it.

And Ran wasn't sure how long she took to fix- finish the curry he had started. But when she finished and was wiping her hands on a dishrag to tell him it was ready to start serving, she found he was already standing in the doorway watching her.

From the way his cheeks flushed and his eyes flit away, it was clear he hadn't been expecting her to turn around just yet. How long had he been standing there and watching her? Was she doing something wrong?

She glanced away nervously herself. "It's done," she spoke softly.

He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare," and she was stunned to hear him actually apologizing. It wasn't like he had really done anything wrong anyway. "I just feel I need to keep an eye on you," he explained and unknowingly to him it struck a nerve.

"Because I'm dangerous." And his head shot up surprised.

Shoot. Her face turned a bright red and her gaze became even more intensified on the kitchen tiles. If she had wanted to keep her eavesdropping a secret it was too late now! Why had she said that?!

She peeked up curious to see if he was angry.

He wasn't. He looked only calm and relaxed. "I thought you would've heard."

Ran only watched him, a bit perturbed. He's not mad? That conversation had obviously been meant to be a secret one.

Shinichi sighed. "No. You're not dangerous."

"But you both said I was a dangerous criminal," Ran argued.

"Haibara thinks that but that's only because she just met you."

She raised a brow. "You just met me," she pointed out.

"Yet your the closest thing to a friend I have- besides Hattori," he shrugged at that. "So no, I don't think you're dangerous."

The girl blushed. He considered her a friend? "I was afraid to tell you earlier- about the mall," she clarified and swallowed her nerves. "When I was fighting that man. . " She shook here head. "I- I felt at ease. I felt relaxed; at home. Like killing a man was second nature to me." And as if her mind was just realizing this for the first time, her indigo eyes began to water.

When the man must've seen she was in the brink of crying, his own eyes widened worriedly. But that didn't stop her tears like he hoped.

Lower lip trembling, she looked at the floor again. "I felt like a monster. I was standing there pointing a gun at that man and all that was running through my head was how I could actually pull the trigger and not care. Who could kill another human being- take a life, and not care?"

Shinichi remained quiet, still not quite sure what to say. He hadn't expected her to start talking about the mall. But the quivering voice and guilt ridden face she wore almost broke him. And it made it apparent to him that she really had needed to talk about it.

"I am a monster," she finished. "Your friend is right. I am dangerous and you should have me locked away."

Almost angrily, the man stormed closer to her. "You are not a monster. You're not anything like those black crows."

"But you can't know that. I can't fully remember what I was like," she said dejectedly. "I can't even remember my own name."

Ran startled when he gripped her shoulders firmly.

"You decide."

Her eyes went wide.

"You decide what your name is. It's your choice."

"The fact that you're so repulsed by the possibility of killing anyone is all the evidence I'll ever need. I don't believe you're capable of ending another person's life," he spoke truthfully with his face as serious as she'd ever seen.

She choked. "But in the mall-"

"Did you shoot him?"

"No, but-"

"Did you want to?"

"No!" The thought almost pained her and made her voice come out horror filled.

"Then I don't think you're dangerous," he concluded easily.

He made it sound so simple. Made everything so clear when it really was not. Neither of them had any way to know if she was innocent or not. His own friend he obviously consulted with warned him against her. How could he still feel the way he does?

He tilted her chin up slightly so she would look at him and the action made her heart jump again. "You're thinking too hard. Let's eat and I think you should rest."

She disagreed wholeheartedly. She felt perfectly fine and she had already gone a complete week without an incident. But she couldn't find it in herself to argue with the man. And especially, for some odd reason, when he touched or looked at her like that.

Ran nodded slowly and he dropped his hand with an arrogant smirk as if he knew all along she'd agree. "Well, let's start dishing it out."

And she was stuck staring at his retreating back wondering, not for the first time, what was he doing to her?

#dcmk #shinranweek21 #dcmk fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #day 7 #shinran #shinran fanfic

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l-egionaire · 4 years

Text

She Loves Me Not- Chapter 1-An Owl House Fanfic.

Willow had had just about enough.

When she first realized Amity's obvious crush on Luz it had been somewhat funny. Seeing her serious and studious childhood friend being turned into a red-faced stammering mess by the human girl couldnt help but cause her to snicker. But after nearly three weeks of seeing Amity practically swoon as soon as Luz so much as gazed in her general direction and her friend still being almost painfully oblivious to her affections, Willow decided something needed to change.

She knew that if she just told Luz about Amity's crush, the witch would personally sic her largest abomination on her. So she would have to help Luz figure it out on her own. Which would be difficult as it seemed like Luz was especially dense when it came to Amity's feelings about her.

Case in point, when Amity leapt up from their lunch table with her face the color of blood and Luz's only response was "huh, guess something didn't agree with her." Willow was tempted to bang her head against the table.

Thankfully, she found the perfect moment while the two of them where walking down the hall and Luz had started talking about a new piece of Azura fanfiction she'd read.

"So then Azura pushes Hecate out of the way and takes the blow from the burning heckhound! Horrified by whats happened to her friend, Hecate is filled with rage and power and defeats the monster with one powerful blast of magic!" Luz swept her arm in excitement, just narrowly missing hitting Willows forehead. She chuckled nervously after noticing. "Sorry. Anyway, Hecate runs to Azura's side and cradles her in her arms. Hecate asks "why would you do that?" And Azura says "I couldn't lose you." Oh, it was just so romantic!"

Willow raised a brow at Luz's word choice. "Romantic?"

"Yeah. I mean, the author isn't really a Heczula shipper but the way they interact in the story just gives such a really strong romantic vibe. I tried telling the same thing to Amity but she said she didn't really see it."

Resisiting the urge to smile at the irony, Willow carefully asked. "So, Amity isn't really into romance?"

"Oh no, she's actually a HUGE Heczula fan. In fact she even showed me some really great fan art she'd done. I actually asked her about working together to make our own special Heczula piece. Marry our skills so to speak."

She could just imagine Amity's response to that. Still keeping her expression as neutral as possible, Willow pressed on.

"Speaking of Amity and romance, has she talked to her crush yet?"

Luz frowned. "No. And I don't know why. I mean, I get that she was afraid of being rejected but its Amity. She's smart, talented, cute. No way someone would reject her."

Okay, Luz calling Amity "cute" wasn't a bad sign. "Maybe its because she's already got a relationship with this person. You know, like a friendship shes scared of messing up."

Luz immediately struck a hand out in front of Willow and they both came to a stop. The human girl gasped like a banshee, practically sucking in air.

"Of course! She's developed feelings for a friend and now fears her romantic attraction will end up damaging their friendship if she reveals it! Its such a common romance trope, how could've I have missed that?!" She gave another loud gasp. "Ogmigosh. I know who Amity's crush is!"

Willow couldn't help but smirk. About time.

"Its you Willow! Amity has a crush on you!"

Willows left eye started to twitch and she internally groaned at her friend once again drawing the wrong conclusion.

Mustering up as much effort as possible, she calmly asked. "What makes you think that?"

"Well it all fits. You two were close childhood friends before suddenly being separated. You've started rebuilding your relationship which probably caused her to realize that her feelings for you went beyond friendship and because things only just started getting better between you she's scared of admitting her feelings because she doesn't want to lose you again!" Luz declared, looking extremely pleased with herself.

Okay, that actually made since. "Yeah. But you know Luz...that could also apply to you too."

Luz's pride turned to confusion. "What?"

"Well, you two only recently became friends after not liking each other and she might not want to mess up your friendship since its so new." Willow said slowly, hoping it would finally sink in to her.

Luz stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter.

After a round of giggles, she wiped a tear from her eye. "Thats ridiculous. Amity couldn't have a crush on me!"

At this point Willow couldn't swallow the annoyance when she replied. "And why not?!"

She expected to hear "we're just friends " or "we danced at Grom" as Luz's defense but what she said next completely shocked her.

"Amity would never be interested someone like me."

Both the statement and the paradoxical chuckle Luz gave while saying it zapped away whatever anger Willow had at her obliviousness and replaced it with intense confusion.

"What are you talking about? Why wouldn't Amity be interested in you?"

"Because Amity is, well, Amity and I'm me." The way Luz said it, t as if it should be completely obvious, caused Willow to get a twisted feeling in her stomach. Before she could say anything Luz pressed on.

"I mean, Amity's a skilled witch, Hexsides top student, she's planning on being part of the emperors coven one day! Plus she's rich, popular, she makes great fanart. And me? I'm...barely able to do magic. And I can't even do it the right way like you guys thanks to my stupid human organs. I'm not even a real witch. I mean, if Amity had a crush on me, you really think she'd be afraid of me rejecting her?"

Willow just stared at her in stunned silence. She was waiting for Luz to yell "kidding" or say that this was just a joke and she'd known about Amity's crush the whole time. But the bittersweet smile on Luz's face told her that she was completely serious.

She couldn't believe it. Luz, quite possibly the nicest person she knew, the one who tried to help her with a school project at the risk of being violently dissected, the one who'd managed to get past Amity's walls and become her friend, honestly thought that Amity didn't consider her good enough to have a crush on.

"Luz, I'm sure Amity doesn't think that way." Willow argued. "You two are friends now! You have that book club thing you do together! She doesn't think of you as less than her! In fact, I bet if you asked she'd definitely say she would be interested in you!"

Hopefully that would kill two birds with one stone.

"I can't do that Willow. Like you said, things are good between me and Amity. The last thing I want is to scare her off because she thinks I got feelings for her." Luz looked to the side and muttered. "I don't want to end up losing another friend because I pushed too much."

Her voice was so low Willow almost didn't hear her. She couldn't help but notice her use of word in particular. "Another?"

Luz winced, clearly not having wanted Willow to hear her but seeing the look her friend was giving, she began to explain.

"Back at my human school I would sometimes manage to meet people who had some of the same interests I did, like Azura or Anime. We'd talk about it, meet up, it was almost like we were friends."

Luz sighed

"But eventually, I'd do something. Somthing too weird or too much. Maybe even something that ccidentally ended up getting us in trouble. And then...they didn't want to be friends anymore."

The whole time Luz spoke her voice cracked, and Willow noticed a twinkle in the corner of her eye. The defeated expression on Luz's face seemed almost alien compared to her usual beaming face.

"Luz.....".

Upon seeing the sympathetic look on her friends face, Luz cleared her throat, plastered a smile on her face and tried to unnoticingly wipe the corner of her eye.

"But, anyway, thats my point. Amity and I are at a good place and I don't need to go asking her questions that might make her uncomfortable just to make myself feel better."

Noticing that she hadn't managed to ease her friend, Luz added. "Hey, come on, relax. Its not like I don't think anyone could like me But Amity? Trust me, I think she's be a bit out of my league. Now come on, we should get to class."

"You go ahead. I'll catch up."

As she watched Luz walk away, their entire conversation replayed in her mind. She couldn't believe her friend honestly thought that way about herself. She truly thought she wasn't good enough for Amity to like.

Willow knew one thing, still felt like she had before. She'd had enough. She wasn't going to let Luz keep thinking like that about herself. She was going to do something about it.

And she knew just what that something was.

#The Owl House #Owl House #TOH #the owl house fanfiction #fanfic #toh luz #luz owl house #luz noceda #luz the human #toh amity #amity owl house #the owl house amity #amity blight #lumity #willow park #willow the owl house #willow

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stardustedknuckles · 3 years

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Veth for the character ask?

First impression: Oh gods I loved her right off the bat honestly. She reminded me (Nott) of one of my dearest friends and the unapologetic way she approached chaos as a goblin was just my favorite.

Impression now: She's still not done yet. I mean nobody ever really is, but Veth has struck me for a long time as a woman pulled in many directions. I respect the choices she made in the end because that's all love is, is a series of choices and she loves her family and who she is to them. I think the camp more than anything is going to be such an amazing thing for her.

Favorite moment: shooting Beau in the ass. Alternatively, shooting yasha and getting scruffed like a kitten. Also stealing the doorknobs in the baths early on.

Idea for a story: oh come on there's a whole summer camp AU just waiting haha. But if I did do a veth-centric story, it would likely have a lot to do with identity.

Unpopular opinion: ethical non-monogamy would have not only solved a lot of the indecision I got from her, Yeza thinks the sun shines out of her and would have been completely okay with that. HE is who she comes to at the end of the day. Her family is what she chooses. If she had romantic/sexual entanglements outside of that with Yeza's knowledge, I think it would have gone over great. I'm not necessarily disappointed it didn't happen, just. This is it, the unpopular opinion.

Favorite relationship: Honestly? It's so hard to choose. Caleb is a gimme (though impactful). Her relationships with Yasha didn't see as much development as I'd like but "please don't kill me!" and teasing her about the darkest parts of herself, her lowest points (just as she did with caleb) brought a light to them that I'm not sure anyone else could've quite achieved. Also I repeat: shooting Beau in the ass. C'mon.

Favorite headcanon: Yasha sat at Zuala's grave longer than the snippet we got and went through the book page by page. Veth came up an improbable amount because she was always thinking of Yasha's love of flowers and even her favorite color. Veth looking after Yasha was so strange and different from the way she was with everyone else. I just think she would have made up a lot of that book.

#thank you!!#veth brenatto #cr spoilers #asked and answered #ask game

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willow-salix · 3 years

Text

The Shirt

This little thing is for @misssquidtracy and @soniabigcheese and was supposed to be a ficlet (tell that to the 2.5k that came out). It came about after a throw away comment to Sonia last night and then John ‘helpfully’ dropped the whole thing in my head fully formed. Enjoy!

Thanks to the awesome @myladykayo for the gorgeous shot of this dude!

"I don't need any new clothes, I told you that."

"And I didn't listen. Come on, John, you haven't bought anything new since college."

"And I'm happy with that, all of my clothes are perfectly serviceable," John continued to argue as Gordon towed him into yet another shop.

As always they drew attention, Gordon because of his loud voice and, according to him, his swimmers body that the women loved. Gordon had always loved to be the center of attention, he'd reveled in it back in his Olympic days, proud of the knowledge that his promotional pictures had graced many a teenagers phone backgrounds and lock screens.

John, on the other hand, had no idea what people saw in him and why they still watched him even when he was with his brothers. He knew his hair always drew looks and over the years he'd heard more than a few people whispering something about checking if he was a natural redhead, although he'd never wanted to stick around to listen too closely and had gotten out of there sharpish. He'd much rather just be left alone to fade into the background where his introverted wallflower tendencies could be appeased.

"Well, I need new clothes and you can't leave a man to shop on his own, it's just not done," Gordon continued.

"I'm pretty sure there's no such rule."

"I'm making it a rule, it's part of the bro code now," Gordon shot back, flicking through yet another rack of eye-wateringly bright shirts that even Hawaii would have disowned.

"I reject your rule."

"You can't, I'm your baby brother, you have to be nice to me, that's in the bro code too."

"I demand to see written proof of this rule book that you seem to keep pulling things from whenever it suits you."

Gordon glanced at his brother, seeing his lips twitch as he fought valiantly to keep any display of amusement firmly at bay. John didn't often get the chance to hang out with his younger brother but he always enjoyed it, not that he'd ever admit that out loud, that would only encourage Gordon to up his annoyance level by at least five points.

"Ha! You smiled, I'm off the hook!"

"I did no such thing."

"You did, I saw it! The robot had a feeling- ow!" Gordon ducked out of the way, avoiding another cuff around the back of the head from his, far too lanky for his own good, brother who apparently had the reach of an orangutan.

"I'm not a robot, you little jerk. Stand still so I can hit you properly." And there went the warm fuzzy feelings. Back to reminding himself just why said hang outs didn't happen more often.

"Yeah, right! Like that's gonna happen." Gordon shimmied backwards through the rack of shirts that made the sun look dull and out the other side to freedom. "Too much time in space has made you slow, bro!"

"What? HOW DARE YOU!" Without thinking John dived around the side of the rack, stretching out to grab at his grinning brother. "I'll show you who's slow!"

"I am lightning, I am the wind!" Gordon dodged aside with perfect ease, avoiding the grasping fingers of his brother.

"Full of wind, more like! Stand still!" How was the squid so fast?

"Come on, old man, keep up!"

John made another grab at the back of Gordon's shirt but the little shit wiggled out of his grasp like an eel.

"Ha! Victory is mine!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about th-" WHUMP! John spluttered, screeching to a stop as he got a face full of fabric, evidently thrown by Gordon who'd decided that weapons were now in play.

He flailed, tripping over the leg of a clothing rack as he stumbled blindly. He made a grab for the first solid feeling thing he could find, although his judgement of solid was woefully inadequate. He landed on the floor in a tangle of limbs, both his own and plastic, as the mannequin he'd inadvertently grabbed fell with him.

"Gordon," he gasped, winded from his tumble, but the sound of his brother's hysterical laughter was all that he received by way of an answer.

He yanked the material off his head, a shirt of some description by the looks of it, and staggered to his feet, dragging his dance partner up with him.

He managed to get her upright and back on her stand after a great deal of huffing and many swear words muttered under his breath as Gordon continued to howl like a hyena, hanging onto a mirror to stop his own downward descent.

Yanking her skirt back up where he'd accidentally yanked it down, John finally got the mannequin back in place and decently covered up.

"Gordon stop laughing!" he ordered as he bent to pick up the shirt that had assaulted him before angrily turning to face his brother.

"What a clumsy idiot," he heard someone whisper a few rows over, stopping him in his tracks. "Keep out of the way, he'll take us down with him next."

John ducked his head, his cheeks as red as his hair, wishing the ground would open up and swallow him whole. He hated being the center of attention and now, he risked a peek to confirm his suspicions, yep, now the whole store was looking at him. Great, just perfect.

"I'm never coming shopping with you again," he hissed in Gordon's direction.

"Too right. Did you see the shirt he's holding?" the woman's friend whispered back. "Anyone that picks out something like that should be avoided at all costs."

"He's looking, quick, pretend you haven't seen him!" Both women quickly looked away, suddenly extremely interested in a nearby coat.

What were they talking about? John glanced down at the pile of fabric still clutched in his clenched fist. It was definitely a shirt of some description, beigey-brown in colour, but not just one shade, oh no, this monstrosity had at least four other shades of brown thrown in for good measure, all coming together in wavy lines of what-was-this-designer-thinking to form some kind of texan nightmare, complete with gaudy gold piping. It truly was hideous, quite honestly the most disgusting thing he'd ever laid eyes on and he'd trained with astronauts who didn't have control of their digestive systems yet.

He looked around desperately to find somewhere to hide it away from his sight, ignoring Gordon who was taking deep breaths in an effort to calm down.

There! He spotted a convenient looking pile of sweatpants on a shelf and moved over to stuff the offending article back into the depth of hell from whence it had crawled when a single, solitary thought tickled at the back of his brain.

He paused, thinking, his brain hamster now awake and racing at top speed around its wheel. He glanced from the shirt to the women who had spoken before, then back down to the shirt.

"I'm going to try this on," he announced to his stunned brother, marching past him to the changing rooms.

He quickly stripped off his T-shirt, the one that declared that he was a communications engineer not a magician, and pulled on the horror shirt. Surprisingly enough it was actually made of quite a soft material, something his overly sensitive, due to time spent in low gravity, skin really appreciated.

He pulled it closed and buttoned it up, rolling his shoulders to allow it to settle into place. It was remarkably comfortable, actually long enough in the body. He stretched out his arms, pleased to see that the cuffs didn't immediately hike up to his elbows. All good so far, but only one thing would assure its purchase…

He pushed open the changing room door and stepped outside. The effect was immediate as two men, three women and a toddler that had been independently milling around near the entrance took one look at him and, as one, turned as quickly as they could in the opposite direction.

Grinning to himself he tugged the tag off the sleeve, grabbed his T-shirt from the changing room and headed to the counter.

"I'll wear it out," he informed the cashier, loving the way he not so subtly averted his eyes, unable to look at him. "And I'll take as many as you have in stock in this size and the next one up too." The cashier rushed to do his bidding, desperate to save what remained of his eyesight.

"See, I told you coming shopping with me was a good idea," Gordon grinned as they made their way back to the parking lot, their arms filled with bags.

"I will admit that it had its advantages," John answered as they strode easily through the crowd that parted like the red sea, unwilling to risk being contaminated by their fashion flu.

John breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he could relax for the first time since they'd gotten there three hours before.

"That shirt is magical," Gordon declared, watching in astounded awe as eyes all around them shifted to avoid looking in his brother's direction. "It's like a people repellent in clothing form, it's….it's…" he groped around for the right words.

"It's perfect," John declared, lovingly stroking a sleeve like one would a beloved pet. And it truly was. It was like people had a filter, an ugly shirt firewall in their heads that made them avoid it at all costs.

He couldn't remember a time that he hadn't been stared at since the year he'd turned seventeen and hit his second growth spurt. In that year he'd shot up six inches, his lanky frame had filled out a little, his weedy arms turning into tightly packed muscles and he'd developed abs and a voice that had deepened a few octaves. Then, for some reason, his anxious aura with its go away vibes had become nothing but a challenge for most people, acting as a kind of siren call for them to latch on to him and decide that he needed to be included, chatted to and made the center of attention.

Now it was like he was practically invisible and it felt amazing. Even with the neon orange shirt Gordon was wearing, people were mostly ignoring him.

"I'm never taking this thing off again."

***

"Why am I always the one doing the laundry for you lazy arses?" Selene bitched as she dragged a massive basket of assorted Tracy clobber into the lounge where the assorted Tracys owners sat around in various states of lazy.

"Because you love us?" Gordon answered, grinning cheekily.

"Nope, that can't be it," Selene retorted, sitting down on the steps of the seating area to begin the mammoth task that was sorting and folding. She dragged out one of Virgil's plaids and folded it into some semblance of order and dropped it on the floor to start his pile.

"Let me help," John offered, moving to sit beside her and take some of the pile from her lap.

"Thanks, gorgeous."

"Whipped," Scott teased, reaching for his coffee cup. "Hey, Sel, if you're the only one doing the laundry as you claim, how comes you haven't managed to wreck John's ugly shirts?"

"Why would I?" she shrugged, balling up a pair of Scott's socks.

"Because I know you. Any excuse to shop, right?"

The socks made a handy projectile as she threw them at his head.

"Thanks!" Scott grinned, effortlessly plucking them from midair. "Seriously though, look at it."

Selene looked at the shirt that was currently hiding the delightful chest of her even more delightful husband.

"I fail to see the problem with it."

"Really?"

"Hey, leave my shirt alone, it's perfectly serviceable, thank you."

"It's old, it has to be at least seven years since you bought them," Gordon joined in. "They probably don't even make them any more."

"They don't," John said, concentrating on folding one of Alan's T-shirts into a perfect square. "So nothing had better happen to the ones I have left."

"Now's your chance," Alan whispered to Selene. "Kill them with fire and you'll never have to see them again."

"Yeah, you know that he's got much nicer clothes in his wardrobe," Scott added.

"I've actually grown quite fond of them," Selene answered, carefully folding one she'd plucked from the depths of the pile, smoothing it out like it was something precious.

All three Tracys, minus one Virgil who was down in the hangars no doubt creating more washing for her to do by getting covered in grease and muck, stared at her like she'd just announced that she was going back to blonde.

"What? How? You said that he's never looked better than when he's wearing a decent shirt, I had to give you a drool cloth at your wedding."

"All true," she shrugged, folding one of Virgil's vests to the best of her ability.

"Yet you continue to let him walk about in, what was it you called it, his rodeo clown shirt?" Gordon asked, completely bemused. "Are we missing something here?"

"I'm a witch," she started by way of explanation.

"Duh," Alan snorted.

"And I have a healthy respect for glamour magic, and that right there," she continued as if she hadn't just been rudely interrupted, pointing at the shirt that John was wearing, "is the most magical thing I've ever seen in my life."

All three of them burst out laughing, unable to believe what they were hearing. Selene waited patiently for them to finish cackling like they had just cursed Macbeth.

"Allowing the shirts to live is doing the world, and my arrest record, a huge favour. Now, if you'll excuse us…" she got to her feet, relieved John of the socks he was busily matching and dragged him to his feet.

"OK, OK, I'll bite," Scott continued to chuckle, wiping the tears from his eyes. "What makes you think it's so magical?"

"That should be obvious, nothing short of a miracle could hide that amount of sexiness. Why do you think I'm good with him hiding in Five when he's wearing that space suit?" She dumped the half folded pile of washing back into the hamper.

"I've decided that you lot can sort your own laundry, because I've got the sudden and overwhelming urge to see that shirt on our bedroom floor. Later, fashion rejects."

John put up zero resistance.

"I love this shirt," he grinned, waving a cheerful goodbye to his stunned brothers as his wife yanked on his hand, towing him bodily from the lounge and on to far more pleasant things than chores.

#we need more squidboy and spaceman #SquidMan #John Tracy #Gordon Tracy #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirdsarego #thunderbirds #thunderbirds 2015 #thunderbirds fanfiction

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ballet-symphonie · 2 years

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Who do you think is going to carry the Mariinsky's name after Tereshkina retires? I honestly think is going to be Skorik and Shakirova. Mainly because Kondaurova, Vishneva, Novikova and Somova are almost the same age and will probably retire soon. Leaving the more younger ones to the next years. I know Skorik had a rough start but oh boy she is a prima!! She is definitely the prima they talk about when they say one is only born in every generation. (I'm gonna continue this in another ask lol)

Also, there is Nagahisa, Batoeva, Evseva, Shirinkina and Shapran, but I don't see them becoming the Mariinsky. There's Osmolkina and Matvienko that will probably retire as well. Among the second soloists I think the good ones will retire, but Bulanova, Iliushkina and maybe Lukina will shine through, but only time can tell. I really like Guseinova and Ionova, but among the coryphees and corps, I keep my hopes high for Chernyvskaya, Mazzi and Smirnova (even though Im not seeing much ofher lately).

It should be Skorik IMO, she has blossomed into a truly complete artist, yet there are roles that mgmt doesn't like to give her. Namely Aurora, DQ, and even sometimes Medora. She went 5 years without dancing Aurora until earlier last year (the performance was fab of course). But I mention that because as fabulous as she is, I don't think is going to be completely 'carrying' the MT because her rep that she is 'comfortably' dancing is smaller. She's not the direct replacement for Tereshkina, it's going to be a combination of people.

I'm a big fan of Batoeva, she's stable and charming in classical AND contemporary and I think she just might end up being in the right place at the right time if she keeps going. I like Shakirova too, but mgmt isn't quite as supportive of her as I think they should be. Where is her Paquita? Medora? Gamzatti? I think she has plenty of capabilities in dramatic roles as well, but mgmt seems unwilling to even give her other soubrette-type roles...I'm hoping she will eventually get promoted but I'm less sure.

Bulanova could end up taking over a lot of Kondaurova's rep, they both excel at the dramatics. And while Iliushkina isn't at Lopatkina's level, I think she could develop quite a name for herself in more lyrical roles. I'm still shaking from her Nikiya. I'm waiting for Nagahisa's full Aurora, I think that will be very telling. I'm also hoping for Khiteeva to have a somewhat Obraztsova-like career.

Smirnova I know was pretty ill, missed a lot of performances but is now back! I have high hopes for her too, someone with that kind of jump doesn't come around all the time. Also she was kicking butt in her very first season at Mik with 3 or 4 principal roles, the girl thrives under pressure.

While Evseva, Shirinkina and Shapran are all gifted artists, I don't see any of them moving up at this stage. I agree that Osmolkina and Mativenko will retire soon as well. The rest of the names you mentioned are too green to make any sort of judgement.

Of ourse, there's a name missing from your question, we all know who MT is pushing to lead the theatre right now.

#mariinsky theater #mariinsky #ballet #ballet ask #russian ballet #oxana skorik #Nadezdha batoeva #anastasia smirnova #maria bulanova #maria iliushkina #may nagahisa #renata shakirova

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elenajohansenreads · 3 years

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Books I Read in 2021

#83 - Shadowmarch, by Tad Williams

Mount TBR: 69/100

Beat the Backlist Bingo: Cover features your favorite color prominently

Rating: 1/5 stars

Well, that was a slog.

So I have a history with this piece of intellectual property. I was introduced to Williams as an author in college (1998) because several of the friends I made my first year were big fantasy nerds--no surprise there--and I was perfectly ready to move on from my high-school-era love of less sophisticated fantasy authors. I borrowed The Dragonbone Chair from one of those friends and off I went.

So in 2001 when news about Williams writing an online serial went around, and I saw the $15 price tag...well, I was a perpetually almost-broke college student still, and sure I spent money on books, but that was a high gateway, because a) I didn't own my own computer yet, I was borrowing friends' or using the computer lab to write papers and such; and b) sure, a chunky fantasy novel might be $7 or $8 in paperback, but it was portable, easy to reread whenever, and nobody had tablets or smartphones or e-readers yet, so an online serial publication was definitely not portable. Even fifteen dollars seemed like too much for the inconvenience of a book I could only read sitting at a computer, and couldn't read all of at once.

I was genuinely angry about this shift away from the paradigm, and much like Williams vowing this serial was online only and would never be published traditionally (which I distinctly remember but don't actually have a source for) I too vowed that I would never read it.

I held out much longer than he did, if my memory of that claim is even true. But I'm wishing now that I hadn't bothered.

This is bad. Not even close to the level of quality I expect from Williams, based on the earlier Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series, as well as War of the Flowers--which was weird but I enjoyed it--and the Otherland series, which was even weirder and not always good, but yeah, I still enjoyed that too, for the most part.

Who am I supposed to care about in this book? I'm no stranger to multiple protagonists, but there are simply too many here, meaning none of them get the development time they would need to be interesting. I'm trying to wean myself from the complaint that protagonists need to be "likable," because a character can be a jerk and still be interesting, but few of these protagonists are particularly likable either!

1. Barrick is a whiny jerk who folds under pressure and abdicates responsibility to his sister, and then makes a spectacularly bad decision for no reason other than to set up some tension at the end, and his future arc. If it's because he's "mad," bad plot reason, and if it's because he's affected by the more general shadow-madness, well, I guess he could be vulnerable to it like anyone else, but that's pretty flimsy too. 2. Briony is a fairly standard "if only I weren't a woman, people would take me seriously" princess who doesn't fold as much under pressure but is dealt a really raw deal. I'll give her credit, she does legitimately try her best to rule her lands, but she's also kind of a whiny jerk like her brother, too. 3. Quinnitan is...pointless. Sure, I see how the end of her arc in this book echoes those of the Eddon twins, but there is no direct connection between her plot and anyone else's. And I mean that literally, if there's anything that ties her story to any other single part of the book, I simply do not see it, it's buried in lore or foreshadowing that was lost on me amid the sheer weight of nearly 800 pages of plodding narrative. I read all of her scenes constantly wondering why I should care, and the fact that her arc is a very basic harem plot, "I don't want to be a token wife but really what choice do I have?" sort of thing, doesn't help, because on its own it's incredibly unoriginal. 4. Chert is marginally likable, because he's arguably got the most defined personality and most personal growth in the book, as a person of a "little" race who is distinctly not human--I get a mix of gnome and dwarf, with a faint whiff of Podling from The Dark Crystal--and who deals with an unexpected foundling by taking him into his family and trying to make it work, even when that foundling is really a big blank space in the story who still manages to get into trouble. 5. Captain Vansen gets points from me for being the guardsman deep in unrequited love, which is a trope I would absolutely eat up with a spoon. The problem is, the object of that love is a protagonist I don't care for (Briony,) leading me to question what the eff he's thinking that he can even admire her from a distance, let alone be in infatuation/love. And his plot arc is mostly "something goes wrong that's not really has fault but everyone blames him anyway." Which got dull.

Chert and Vansen are most of the reason this book gets a second star*, honestly. Chert's scenes with the Rooftoppers are generally pretty excellent, even if they're mostly tied to a plot arc that I don't care for.

The other thing that's getting me about this is that it feels like a deliberately grim-dark retread of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. You've got a castle that's the seat of current government but used to belong to the enemy--the enemy that no one is sure even exists anymore, that lives in a land far enough away to feel distant but also somehow close enough to be threatening, once people believe in them again. That castle is perched upon magically important ruins/caverns, and that enemy has forms of magic/communication that affect humans and can cause or appear symptomatic of madness. There's a race of small likable people who aren't quite dwarves or any other "standard" fantasy race, but are still somehow cute/appealing. There's a crippled prince who's not really well-liked. One of the primary female protagonists is a young woman who laments the limitations of her womanhood under the patriarchal feudal system of the world.

And to someone who's never read either of these series, that list of similarities could mostly read like fairly common fantasy tropes, and I forgive anyone who reads this review and thinks that. But I've read MSaT probably ten times all the way through in the twenty-plus years since I was introduced to it, and I feel like I've just been handed the same story again, with a thick coat of gray paint slathered on it and a few details changed--and those changes are basically always for the worse. No one in this story can be said to be a direct equivalent to Simon, who gets a very clear hero's journey, but if I'm supposed to slot Barrick in as a Simon/Josua mashup (that crippled prince problem) then it takes the entire book to get Barrick out of his comfort zone and on his journey, where Simon got booted from the castle at the end of the first act of the first book.

And that gets at the underlying problem that is at least partially fueling all other problems--this book is clearly just the first act of the larger story, and yes i know! that is what first books do! but this also doesn't have a lot of forward motion on its own, and it doesn't resolve anything aside from the mystery of a single murder at that happens near the beginning. Seriously, all other plot threads get kicked down the road with the "and now they're exiles" theme that the ending has assigned to most of the protagonists. Chert doesn't suffer that fate, but the ending of his story line--also the end of the book itself--is the foundling reasserting that he doesn't know who he is, which is not new information. We've literally not known who he is the whole time, except that we do find out who his mother is, but don't find out how he was taken or why he apparently hasn't aged as much as he should have or what the Qar intended by sending him back "home." The identity of his mother is basically the least important question surrounding him.

I truly feel like I just read a 750-page prologue, and that is not a good feeling.

*Yeah, I told myself this was a two-star book, but by the time I wrote the whole review, it's not and I can't pretend I still believe that. This is a one-star book. This is so bad I don't want to go on with the series, even though it almost has to get better, now that most of our protagonists are out on their journeys. And because it could hardly get worse, right? But this already took up so much of my time (I had to take a week-long break in the middle to binge some romances, as a relief from all this grimdark toil) and even though I've managed to collect secondhand copies of the rest of the series, and they've been sitting on my shelves for a few years waiting for me to invest my energy into them...I'm giving up. Not worth it.

#booklr #book review #tad williams #shadowmarch #book photography #my photos #my reading challenges #mount tbr 2021 #beat the backlist 2021

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jaehyunsuh · 4 years

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nct ot21 reaction to: being dared to kiss their crush on 'truth or dare'

part 3: wayv

nct 127|nct dream

REQUESTS ARE: OPEN

please go to the ask box to send your requests or questions♡ you can interact as much as you want !

summary: you have been friends for quite some time now, you aren't besties but for sure you have a nice friendship and connection. You hang out to eat and stuff with the same group of friends, sometimes just the two of you talk and have good conversations.

kun

kun is such a cutie honestly😭 he seems like the type of guy that doesn't falls easily for someone, he studies the person, seeing if he can trust her enough and after that he might developed a nice and cute friendship. As soon as Kun met you he feel so comfortable with you, you were always smiling and including him in any conversation, that made his feelings for you grow even more.

winwin texted inviting you to have a movie party on wayv's dorm with some other of their friends, he said it was going to be fun and there was gonna be a lot of food so you agree immediately. You are happy to spend some time with Kun, together and watching movies. He is really sweet but he isn't that talkative with you but he always laughs at everything you say melting you with his cute dimples.

you enter the dorm and greet Hendery who opens the door for you, you place the snacks you bough previously, on the food table and start looking around searching for Kun. You see him facing the tv trying to pick a movie with Ten. You make your way to say hello to them when Yangyang stands in the middle of the living room grabbing everyone's attention.

"Since we all are standing in a circle, let's have some fun before the movie and play 'truth or dare." He claps excited and sits on one of the couches.

Kun turns agaisnt the tv sitting in the table and smiling at you while waving his hand. The game was going well making Hendery and Xiaojun embarrass themselves making everyone laugh and having a good time. Then the bottle stops pointing at Kun.

"Kun! Truth or dare?" Yangyang asks excited.

"Uhm, dare." Kun hesitated a bit but also wanted to join the fun.

"Wow, you are bold now."

"Well, since you seem to have a lot of fun with y/n, always laughing about her bad jokes... i dare you to kiss her." Yangyang looks at you raises his eyebrows playfully.

Kun stars blushing and stays still for a few seconds, after he reacts he slowly makes his way to to you. He gives you a shy smile and proceeds to lift your jaw connecting your lips. He starts kissing you slowly making you feel butterflies in your stomach. You follow him and grab his shoulders pulling him closer to you. He is so gentle and romantic, he doesn't includes his tongue but he keeps the kiss so passionate.

you slowly end the kiss and look at each other and laugh after noticing how flustered you look.

"I'm sorry our first proper and direct interaction had to be like this." Kun smiles shy looking at the floor.

"But i enjoyed it." He looks directly in your eyes making you panic inside.

"Honestly, i enjoyed it too." You give a shy smile back.

"Since we enjoy each other so much maybe we should grab a meal together." He says in a happy tone.

"I would love to."

ten

in my opinion ten is fearless and he isn't really afraid of showing interest on the person that he likes. I think he will be build a nice friendship with them making that person trust him and have a lot of fun together, and eventually get to know the person better and see if they can really build a nice relationship. He seems like a really open guy but even thought of that I feel like he takes things seriously, so he wants positive people in his life instead of people that could be like problematic or something so he's kind of picky in that part.

you were invited to Lucas birthday party and since you haven't seen your friends in a while and needs to have some fun, you decided to accept the invitation. You try to prepare a nice outfit because you realize that ten is going to be there and you wanted to impress him. He's always so nice and cool to you but you feel like there's something missing between you two and you really want to build a new phase with him.

you enter the apartment greeting all of your friends that are by the door and proceeded to congratulate Lucas for his birthday handing him his gift, he takes it with a really happy expression in his face and gives you a hug. You look around searching for Ten but he's nowhere to be seen so you wished you can see him later that night.

"Let's play 'truth or dare'!!!" Haechan screams while grabbing your arm and making you sit on the circle of people. You notice Ten at the other side so you try not to show your smile.

the whole night was fun, full of laugh and embarrassment from the dares. The bottle spins and then stops on Ten.

"Ooooh, fun." Jaehyun says playfully.

"Yes, yes don't ask, i pick dare." Ten rolls his eyes pretending to be annoyed and makes everyone go 'oooh'.

"Uhm, since we are doing fun stuff today, i dare you to kiss y/n." Jaehyun smiles obviously teasing Ten.

Ten smirks and walks to the spot you're sitting on, he seats down in caresses your face, then places a piece of your hair with kind your ears he grabs your face between both of his hands and starts kissing you is slowly. He starts sliding his tongue inside you, tasting every bit of you. You place your hands grabbing his neck in making the kiss deeper. You feel so complete by finally kissing Ten and letting out all of your emotions.

you separate after a while realizing how many people could be around you, and look into each other's eyes kind of embarrassed.

"So can we go on date now? I mean we already are a step ahead." He laughs.

"Yes, i would like to go on a date." You smile back at him.

"Yah! It's my birthday, don't grab all the attention." Lucas jokes making everyone laugh

winwin

he is the type of guy who tends to seem shy and that holds back but in reality, when he is around a circle of people that he feels comfortable with his confidence increases a lot, and that's how you started liking him and being into him so much.

winwin and you have been friends for a while, he is always really talkative, friendly and a little flirty i should say, he says the right things in the right moments.

you arrive at mark's birthday party, you were nervous because this was the first time winwin and you were going to see each other in "bigger" social situation, by mow you've had a nice thing going between you two but you still weren't you sure what was happening. As soon as you enter the apartment you say hi to all of your friends and try not look to obvious while searching for him between all the people. You finally see him and when you are about to approach to were he is sitting you see he is happily talking with a girl, they laugh and become kinda touchy while chatting, you try to hide your disappointment and continue to talk to your friends.

you aren't feeling well and the night seems to last a lifetime and just in that terrible moment someone shouts "hey, gather up, we are playing truth or dare." you don't eve think about moving from your spot but then "get up, let' play." Mark says smiling. "mark, i don't feel like playing, sorry." You said looking down. "hey, i know you are upset because of winwin and that girl but you will be okay, come on it's gonna be fun." You grab his hand finally agreeing to play.

you are sitting on the floor with everyone else and when you look up winwin is sitting in front of you, you don't see the girl anywhere what makes you smile on the inside (lol ??). He stares at you and smiles, you smile back. suddenly mark sits besides mark and whispers something in his ear, mark smiles and high fives him, then he goes to other members, you have no idea what is happening but it makes you nervous.

the night is going really well, everyone laughs and enjoys but you try not to look at winwin all the time even tho he hasn't took his eyes of you in the whole night, you still kinda upset so you don't pay attention. The bottle starts spinning again and points at winwin. "oh my god." mark says really hyped, not even a second later. "truth or-." mark says. "chill, it's my turn to ask, i know what i'm doing." jaehyun says while smirking. "winwin, truth or dare." He asks to the beautiful chinese boy staring right into him. "dare." Winwin says without any hesitation while smiling at his friends.

"okay, that's an easy one." jaehyun says taking a look around the room. "i dare you to kiss your good friend y/n". jaehyun claims while smiling. Winwin doesn't even answer and he is already walking at your spot, without noticing he is in front of you staring at your eyes. Everything was going so fast that you didn't eve knew how to act, you palms were sweating and your heart was beating fast. He takes your hair off your face, grabs your jaw between his fingers and gives a little peck. Hhen it takes you by surprise that he starts kissing you slowly, even sliding his tongue inside of you. You feel like heaven. He decides to end the kiss and stares right into your eyes. "do you really think i was going to be with anyone at this party if it wasn't you? i even made the guys dare me to kiss you so you could finally see that I've been dying for you." He says smiling. "let's go, i want to take you somewhere right now" he says while he grabs your hand and you get out of the party.

lucas

Lucas seems like he isn't afraid to show his attention towards the person he likes, it seems like he would just be friendly and nice as he is just everyone but with her, he would try to learn about her favorite things and make her laugh all the time.

as soon as Lucas met you his heart went all ways, you were so nice and kind, you immediately became his friend and started to laugh at his jokes so he felt touched because of that.

wayv were finally coming back to korea after a long time of promoting in china and they are throwing a little party. You are excited to see your friends and congratulate them for doing such a good job, but you were specially happy to see Lucas again. You loved his happy and bright personality that always made your day better.

you enter the place trying to find any wayv members but you just see some of your friends gathering at the living room, you get close and notice that the members are sitting in there as well playing 'truth or dare'.

"Y/n come join." Xiaojun smiles, patting the empty spot next to him indicating that you can sit. You go there and the games starts.

the atmosphere is all pretty nice, everyone is having a good time and it's all fun. The bottle keeps spinning and stops on Lucas he gives a bright smile and cheers a bit since it hasn't been his turn yet.

"You are excited aren't you?" Hendery gives a playful smile.

"Truth or dare?."

"Mmm... truth! No, dare!." Lucas says excited.

"To give you a little more excitment i dare you to kiss a really beautiful girl, y/n!." Hendery stands his arms and points at you. You open your eyes in surprise and gulp.

you see how Lucas smirks and walks to your spot. He sits in front of you and grabs your face between his big ass hands and without warning starts kissing you, he doesn't hesitates and goes straight to explore all the inside of your mouth. You place your arms around his neck so you can give him more access. You feel Lucas smile during the kiss and you smile as well. You are so glad to finally have a moment like this with him.

you both finish and stare at each other with a big smile but then you stare at the floor embarrassed.

"I really liked that." Lucas smiles at you

"I likes it too." You give him a shy smile back.

"Would you mind if hang out tomorrow and maybe repeat it again." He says teasing you.

"I wouldn't mind at all." You sat caressing his arm softly.

xiaojun

he looks he would just try to be friends with the person he likes. He would try to get to know them better so like that he can be closer to them and he would just try to establish a nice friendship and then slowly show his feelings for her.

ever since you met Xiaojun you love to spent time with him, he was always so sweet and smiley, carefully listening at your words. He even tells you to recommend him some songs and it makes you go crazy.

you decide to do little party for your birthday, you invited some of your friends over to spend the night. You chose a nice outfit and did your makeup. Some people have arrived already but then you see the cute Xiaojun entering your house lighting up the whole place with his sweet smile.

you make your way to were he is standing but one of your friends grabs your hands and takes you to the living room.

"You are the birthday girl, so you definitely have to play 'truth or dare' as well." Your girl friend says excited. You notice how wayv members join the game as well and then your sight crosses with Xiaojun who mouths a 'happy birthday' from the other side of the circle while giving a big smile.

the game starts and Xiaojun is the first one to go.

"Truth or dare." Ten asks.

"Okay, since it's a birthday i'll go dare." Everyone cheers making you both laugh.

"So, for the birthday girl we have a good gift... a kiss from Xiaojun. Dude, that's your dare go ahead." Ten says encouraging his friend to go to you. Xiaojun looks shocked but goes to your spot anyways.

he grabs your check and connects your lips making it the sweetest kiss ever. He is so nice and gentle while kissing you, making your palms sweat and your heart skip a beat. You had no idea he was going to make you fall even more for him, but now he made it.

he separates from you and stares into your eyes making you blush.

"I'm sorry that i had to make this before giving you your actual gift." You both laugh.

"I don't think there is better gift that this." You say playfully. He laughs and covers his face.

"Uhm, so maybe we should hang out more, you know, just the two of us." He is shy but manages to speak fluent.

"I would love to." You smile and stroke his cheek.

hendery

he seems like a really nice and friendly guy so if he interested in someone he will try to find the things they have in common and start from there to build a nice friendship with them, making them feel comfortable, and he will tried to be a friend they can always go to.

Ever since you met Hendery you have been really into him, he's always including you in all conversations asking questions about the things you like or what do you think about certain topic your group of friends is talking about.

you were invited to your friend's party and you i immediately accept since you knew Hendery was going to be there. You put a little but of effort in your outfit so you can get his attention and finally head to the party.

"Y/n, you came! Let's go play 'truth or dare' with rest." An excited Hendery says dragging you to the room where everyone's gathering.

"Our dear friend Hendery." Ten pats his shoulder.

"Truth or dare?"

"Mmm...dare!" Hendery answers.

"Well since are having fun tonight i dare you to kiss y/n." Ten smiles playfully. Hendery opens his eyes wide in surprise and turns at you while you are already flustered.

"Here i go." He whispers softly.

he connects your lips making it the sweetest and most gentle kiss ever, and even though he doesn't use his tongue he already makes you feel like you're in heaven. You can't believe that you have been awkward to each other for some time but now you are like this.

"Y/n i like you, i really like you and if i didn't said it know i wasn't going to do it ever."

"So would you mind if i take you in a date?" He ask with an awkward smile.

"I wouldn't mind at all." You hug and he smiles because of his success.

yangyang

this boy isn't scared of anything, he is really nice and cool to be around but if he likes someone he would try to give them signs. He would enjoy being friends at first but wants to let the other person know that he is interested so like that he can see their reaction to that.

Yangyang is the best guy for you. He always made you feel so comfortable and good. He would take any chance to sit next you and have a nice conversation, he was always so flirty but you couldn't deny you really liked that

you were invited to Renjun's birthday party were all of your friends were going to be at. You were so hyped to see Yangyang after a few weeks, you really want to go on a new level with him and be more than friends.

you enter and go to the people gathering on the living room joining whatever game they are playing. After finding out it's 'truth or date' you roll your eyes since your friends always make you do stupid stuff.

Yangyang is pointed by the bottle next.

"Truth or dare." Winwin asks.

"Dare!." Yangyang says without hesitation.

"You seem to be nice friends with her so, i dare you to kiss y/n." Winwin claps excited.

Yangyang smiles and sits in front of you. He grabs your face with his right hand and starts kissing you. You love how bold he is about everything. The kiss doesn't last too long but is one of the best experiences you've had.

"So you after this you shouldn't be shy and go on a date with me." He gives a playful smile.

"Woah, woah, you are fast, aren't you?" You laugh.

"Yes I'm when i want to get something." He stares at you.

"Okay, i'll go on a date with you to see if you can get me." You wink and he smiles at you.

#wayv scenarios #wayv reactions #wayv fluff #wayv requests #wayv au #lucas scenarios #ten scenarios #winwin scenarios #kun scenarios #yangyang scenarios #hendery scenarios #xiaojun scenarios #nct reactions #nct scenarios #nct imagines

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ardenttheories · 4 years

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I don't expect a super serious answer from this, but I'm just curious. in a perfect world, how would hs^2 be written? do you have any particular headcanons or plot lines that would be interesting to explore? I understand the hesitation in answering a question like this, because other people might try to discredit your critiques under the guise of "well its not ur headcanons so that's why ur mad". anyways, just curious because I respect your perspective and ideas

In complete honesty? The first thing I would consider vital is a diverse team of people - genuinely diverse - to consider every point of representation with. I’m talking people of different races (to avoid the anti-black coding of Gamzee), with mental illnesses (to avoid the ableism in both Gamzee and Dirk), with different gender identities (to more accurately and healthily portray Jade, Roxy, Vriska, June - any character we could feasibly want to make trans or nonbinary), with different romanticisms and sexualities (so that we could write genuine MLM and WLW relationships without falling into homophobic pitfalls; to avoid biphobic stereotypes), and overall, with different traumatic experiences and triggers (so that we could more accurately gauge what triggers would need to be tagged and how to go over them in an appropriate and respectful manner).

We could never be 100% perfect, but with a team like that, we could at least get close to it.

Additionally, I’d bring back either fan prompts or closely listen to fan theories and conversations. Homestuck^2 was touted to be written with the fandom in mind; to consider the direction we were asking it to go in, while basing it around a general barebones structure. I’d want to make sure we were including as much of that in as humanly possible. So, if a fan theory seemed like it’d fit into the story? I’d want to include that with the rest of the text; if the fans liked a specific character? I’d want to try and include them more often. Little things to show that we’re listening and that we’re writing the story WITH the fans - like how early Homestuck used to be.

On an actual storyline basis, I really do love the concept of Meat and Candy; that there’s one timeline that goes off the rails and one that is very rigidly stuck to a track. I wouldn’t want to change that concept entirely, but I would want to make it more palpatable for people to read.

This would mean, for me, absolutely getting rid of anything to do with Yiffany. I’d completely replace that with Dave and Jade having a child together via ectobiology; how Jade has to raise their child in Dave’s absence after he goes missing, how that affects her, who she turns to for comfort and help.

I’d want to focus Candy more on that feeling of helplessness and dissociation. On John feeling adrift in a world that doesn’t quite connect with him, that doesn’t entirely feel real; how that would affect his relationships, his friends, his family. In this timeline, all of the rebellion stuff would be completely background to the interpersonal connections everyone has (the things that supposedly don’t matter, as is the point of Candy), with much more emphasis on how useless and frivolous the whole war is. It’d get to a point where nobody actually knows why they’re fighting anymore except for the fact that they are, and that even Jane, who started it out of a genuine fear for the human race, is getting tired of it, is losing resources, is starting to realise that she’s drifting away from her own child.

A truce would be garnered, started by Jane who just very much wants to reconnect with her son, with Karkat taking on the role as troll emissiary. It features long talks in a large, empty room, pouring over papers, where Jane admits that she doesn’t actually know what anyone is up to these days, how long it’s been since she’s seen her husband, since she’s seen John, and Karkat quietly confesses that it’s been several years since he’s seen Dave or Jade, and that he misses them both.

After that, a lot of the content of Candy would focus on healing. They would get back to their happily ever after, even though some things would never be the same, and there would still be inconsequentialities. It would also correspond with John coming to the slow realisation that he really doesn’t need a plot to be happy at all; that just because it doesn’t matter to the overarching story doesn’t mean it can’t matter to him.

The Candy timeline, therefore, would close early; it would fade from our view just as Dirk feared, but it would be happy and content, and free from any further meddling. I’d essentially want to enforce this idea that, yes, we can still have happy endings - even if they aren’t “full of meaning”. They can still be satisfying.

The Meat timeline, on the other hand, would have a significant focus on Dirk and his attempts to continue the plot. I think it would be fun, admittedly, if nothing went the way he thought it would. That after all of his villany and his acceptance of destruction in order to facilitate something he thought would be better, he actually just lost complete and utter control.

The plot isn’t something that he alone can continue. It’s created with character conflict, with motivations and rises and falls and losses and gains; trying to recreate SBURB, to try and restart the cycle, isn’t what a plot needs to be. It isn’t what he thinks it will do.

I’m unsure if you’ve seen this recently, but there’s been a lot of fanwork around the Lord!Jake English idea that went around several years back (when people saw the Caliborn sona). Now, this I’d want to put into it.

Jake, fed up with being stepped on, walked over, hurt, suffering from the trauma of being completely and utterly ruined by Dirk, absolutely flips shit. He chases after Dirk to seek revenge, to cut short whatever bullshit he’s trying to do, and therefore much of the comic becomes this constant back and forth with an increasing fear for Dirk the closer Jake gets as he traverses Paradox Space.

It’s very much clear that when Jake arrives, Dirk will lose. There’s no question about it. Nobody suggests that anything else will happen. There’s several arguments on Meat’s Earth C over whether or not they should try to stop Jake, or let him stop Dirk - and whether or not Jake will calm down afterwards or continue his rampage.

In the end, Dirk fails. Jake catches up to him, and just before he hits the killing blow, the entire thing goes dark. Our narrator dead, the plot abandoned; there is nothing more to see. This I would want to use to enforce the idea that, yes, plot can still be satisfying as hell and still have integral moments and be heavy and harsh - but it can also end in a way that leaves open questions because that shows that it isn’t the best ending you can get.

And then we jump back to Terezi, using her Seer powers. Both timelines have been her trying to use her powers to See what’s in store, where she should go, what she should do. She’s still floating through Paradox Space, looking for Vriska, and as such she’s met with this... sort of internal dilemma.

She knows, now, that the chances of her dying out here are high. She also knows that even if she does survive, she’s pretty much never going to see Vriska again anyway. She knows there’s a chance at a happier relationship with John, and that the only way she can get that is if she somehow manages to make a timeline where Meat and Candy merge together at once.

So, she flies back. She manages to arrive on Earth C the day of John’s big decision, and interrupts him before he can go to the picnic. Through their dialogue, John gets it stuck in his head that, hey, there’s something BIGGER out here that you need to do, but you need to do that amazing thing again where you make a third Choice.

When John arrives at the picnic, he decides to eat some of the pumpkin instead - to which you might be thinking, what pumpkin? The one he put there, of course, using his retcon powers.

So we start on the Pumpkin timeline, written entirely in the 1st person narrative from John’s POV. It’s a completely biased interpretation of what’s going on, but it’s honest to John’s own thoughts and feelings, too, allowing everyone to act the way they usually would do without any influence, but still having a narrative touch.

It shows John actively fighting to free the timeline from Dirk’s and Alternate Calliope’s narrative controls, those little hooks they’ve planted in it since time began, with a lot of back-and-forth as the two talk to John through the narration (which, he hears their voices as thoughts in his head).

John attempts to free them both from their own biases and chains, encouraging Alternate!Calliope to leave the space she’s isolated herself in and join Earth C while convincing Dirk to undo the bullshit villain schtick he’s on (and that plot or no plot, there’s still a reason worth living for).

It’d be a timeline filled with references back to original Homestuck (and funny quips from both Alternate!Calliope and Dirk along the way), a lot of morality discussion, plenty of theorising on narrative control and arcs and the placement of plot and fluff in a satisfying story, and have plenty of representation and romance and hints towards kids, too (such as nonbinary RoxyJaneCallie, DaveJadeKat, aromantic Jake, JohnDirk [because I couldn’t stop myself, honestly, with how their Classpects work so well hand in hand], and definitely RoseMary being the first to adopt a child that they absolutely do not call Vriska).

It’d fill plotholes the fandom wants to be filled, and it’d have drama, of course, in the form of figuring out a way to destroy Lord English that doesn’t inherently lead to the Candy timeline. But it’d go back and forth between the heavy, plot-filled moments and the slower, relationship-based moments, with more humanising and development of Dirk and Alternate!Calliope and John as rounded characters.

That’s the best my tired mind can come up with right now. It’s something I’ve daydreamed about a lot, actually; how I’d rewrite Homestuck^2, or what my own ending to Homestuck would be using it as a foundation. I hope it makes sense! It’s a fun little thought experiment, honestly.

#long post//#ardenttheories #homestuck^2 critical #Anonymous

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kyunsies · 3 years

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Bilingual 🌻 anon here

I hope you're feeling better 💕

I think I tend to think too much in the future about a lot of things lol

Especially when it comes to having kids (ideally I'd want 3-5 but however many I have I want to love them very much and hope that they can confide in me with anything)

But I'm afraid of a lot of things especially bc of some traumas I've gone through (I won't go into detail I'll just leave it at that). I'm afraid of projecting that trauma on to them unintentionally (and I know what that's like) or belittling/diminishing their feelings by saying I've gone through worse (instead of listening to their kids and trying to understand them) and those things hurt a lot.

Especially when all you want from your parents is for them to understand you, you know?

I feel like those things are so scary, and then if it comes down to getting married and everything, I don't want a man that will belittle or diminish my feelings bc for sure I'll leave him in two seconds flat.

I feel like maybe that's why I feel like I'm emotionally stunted in that sense (of course therapy can help but it's a lot of money smh)

Sometimes, I feel like a black sheep bc the way I feel that the way I process things is different compared to the normal person (considering I have ADHD lol).............. it's so crazy how life experiences can really impact you immensely

I hope that wasn't too much ranting 😬

Sending you hugs 🤗❤

hi bubbie !! i hope u are having a nice day so far <3 if u don't mind, i'm not going to put my answer under a "read more" since i think this is actually really important to talk about (as a woman in her young 20s lol) so i'm going to roll up my sleeves and answer as much as i can <3

i think women think a lot about the future !! obviously everyone does no matter what stage they are in their life lol but i feel that u are someone like me in that i am running out of time for a lot of things .... do u feel this way too? i think about it all the time :( i have seen quite a few ppl say they don't want children and honestly i don't blame them !!! having children is a HUGE responsibility and it's daunting to think about !! some ppl want to adopt and i think that's a wonderful idea as well <3 some ppl just don't want children and would rather create a wholesome life for themselves, and i think that's perfectly fine too :) i will give u a little background: i have 3 aunts along with my mom, 2 of them have 3 children and the other aunt has 2 ... i basically raised 5 of them while the other 3 acted like my older siblings <3 i have been around children enough where i absolutely would love to have children of my own, to call my own ;____; and that's a choice !! i think anyone who wishes to take on a parent role will have these thoughts, and i think that's okay :') i often ask my mom "where u scared when u found out u were pregnant" and she said she was more happy than scared ..... but i honestly think that happiness only comes after the initial shock u know? she was so excited to see how her tummy grew each day and wondered how well i would be developing as her pregnancy went on ; i also think it's normal to feel like we will never be good enough as parents bc we will only want what's best for our bubs....... and although maybe u don't want to invalidate them, you will be able to steer them in the best direction possible bc of everything you have conquered right? this is just my thinking LOL ... we all have our traumas, some worse than others and we would never want that for our children so i think naturally you will steer ur children in the right direction <3

now in terms of getting married there are a lot of different opinions out there, each valid for their own reason !!! i agree with u that i would like to be married too <3 i am always wondering when i will start dating and i know that sounds so embarrassing ......... like i'm still in high school or something stupid like that ....... i've never dated i've never kissed anyone i'm pretty sure no one has even looked in my direction lol but i think it's bc i don't put myself out there much :( honestly i'm afraid but i want to be loved, i want to love someone more than myself, i think sharing that with someone is really lovely . idk if it's bc i don't have any confidence in myself to make the first move and initiate anything; i don't go out and party/drink; i'm not a confident gal so i often wonder "i'm wasting time, i'll never be married or meet anyone, i'll never have children of my own if i don't do something soon" ....... will i end up taking fate into my own hands and meet someone ? idk !

what i'm trying to say is that u are definitely not alone in these thoughts angel <3 for me, i think u think a lot about these things bc u care and that will make u even more caring as a parental figure if u decide u want children in your future <3 and i think it's a life journey to reflect and work out our past traumas, no matter how terribly they may haunt us, right? we owe that to ourselves, don't u think? :) these are really big decisions we face in the future, but i think, i'm hoping that we will all do what feels right for anything we face <3

i hope this was able to bring you some comfort love !!! i think about this stuff all the time about being a good parent, being a good partner, if i ever will find love in this life, will my past experiences affect how i love in the future; i want u to know i am here and i understand <3

#asks #🌻 anon #angel have a wonderful day !!!!!!!! it wasn't too much to handle <3 i like talking about this stuff it helps u know that u aren't alone !!!#sending u hugs right back <3

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ordinaryfander · 5 years

Text

The new video sure was something, uh

So, as usual I'm here to brag about the newest video. This time, I'm going to analyze "Dealing with INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS", and it's a long analysis/theory, so be patient with me.

This will majorly center around Remus and "the Others", so beware! (I'm so happy I don't have to call them Dark Sides anymore, it was never fair)

I wrote many points to consider, and each one will take quite a bit. With that, let's begin!

1) So:

[ 1) Remus: Who he is, what he does, why he's there ]

I think we can all agree that his debut was a surprise, especially because most of us were expecting the "Green Side" to be associated with something like Envy, or Greed, since dark green is sometimes associated with money.

However, we got Remus, aka Intrusive Thoughts, which I think is, in my opinion, the best option they could face.

So: he is Thomas' nasty thoughts, the evil, twisted fantasies, and he keeps Thomas' awake at night with dark ideas, he gives him the worst thoughts to deal with, things Thomas is deeply troubled to think of, because as Logan said, his catholic beliefs instilled in him that thought is the precursor of action.

Remus is there, and why is he there?

The fun thing is: I don't think he's there to be "useful". Later I'll explain where I think his Character Arc is going to go, but Remus really doesn't have any reason to be there except that intrusive thoughts are something absolutely everyone deals with. You all have to consider that, even if those are Thomas' Sides, they're also everyone's Sides. We all have Logic, Creativity, Morality, Anxiety, and we all lie (I'll return to that).

And this traits help us live with eveyday life?

But intrusive thoughts? They just majorly upset us, and worsen our view of ourselves, but we all still have them.

However, I'm really happy with this choice, because Thomas is starting to really show what I've been screaming since Deceit's debut: things are not black and white, and he is NOT a completely good person, because NO ONE is, not 100%. We can act like good people and sincerely mean to do good, but we're still gonna have dark, horrible thoughts. And, as Thomas' said, that's ok. Those thoughts don't make you a bad person if you don't act on them, but you should consider a therapist/psychiatrist if they bother you too much. There's no shame in that, too: please, reach out for help, if needed.

[ 2) Remus' relationships with: Roman, Deceit, and Virgil ]

- Remus' relationship with Roman

At 35:50, it's officially and definitely confirmed that Remus and Roman are brothers, probably even twins.

A moment after the Duke disappears, Roman says "I don't like him".

Thomas goes, at Roman: "So, you have a brother?"

And Roman clearly is uncomfortable with it: "Yeah... It's a little like looking into a fun-house mirror. But instead of a giant head, or, like, long legs or a tiny torso... It shows you everything you don't want to be."

Thomas answers: "That doesn't sound like a very funny house"

And Roman: "Yeah... Uhh, whatever, y'know-? (...)"

Roman and Remus obviously don't get along, but we understood that the moment Remus knocked out Roman with that weapon I don't know the name of (sorry rip, don't focus on this :'))

Roman considers himself a dashing Disney Prince, a knight in shining armor, an example of bravery and justice, while Remus is pure chaotic evil. He doesn't care what other people think and his idea of fun and fantasy is twisted, and he isn't afraid of Roman and his sword in the slightest. They're opposites.

Unluckily we didn't get much brotherly interactions or interactions at all, so there's no much to say, but those two have a whole damn lot to work through.

The question that many have been asking is: do Roman and Remus share a room?

The answer is: I honestly don't know. It would be a complete and utter mess that Roman would hate to have to share. Time will tell.

- Remus' relationship with Deceit

We haven't even seen them interacting on screen, but we already know so damn much about it.

WAY BACK in "Can LYING Be Good?", this was said about Deceit:

Roman: "If you really don't want to know something, he (Deceit) can keep our moutjs shut."

And Logan immediately goes "You don't want to believe it. That's where his (Deceit's) power comes from. Things that you want to believe. Things that you wish were true. And things that you wish weren't."

And later:

Deceit is able to shut up the Sides, but he's also able to hide them. That's what he did with Remus, he kept him locked away.

I've always been rooting for morally gray/sympathetic Deceit, but I'll try to stay neutral on this: though, I really believe that Deceit was trying to protect Thomas.

Remus is... A lot, to say the least. He's pure chaos, and isn't useful or helpful (for now) and doesn't even care to be. Deceit, on the other side, really cares about Thomas, and he showed that in many ways: he just cares about Thomas in his own way. Missing the callback of SVS still hurts Thomas after all this time, and I already explained why Deceit tried his best to do what was good for Thomas in court (https://ordinaryfander.tumblr.com/post/183871155711/thomas-shouldve-gone-to-do-the-callback-he).

I also said, tho, that in SVS Deceit was frustrated to no end because the other Sides weren't listening to him.

Look how confused he is at Patton's words.

You know why? Because Thomas thinks what he says. Thomas lies, and Deceit is there to prove it.

But they didn't listen to Deceit, but Deceit isn't like Virgil: Virgil waited lots of episodes to be listened to until he finally ducked out.

Deceit straight up released Thomas' worst thoughts because Thomas had to face in the most hard way that he is n o t a completely honest person. Deceit just got really pissed and went: "You know what? I'm useful, you need me and I'll prove it."

And he just did that. He straight up released Remus, Thomas' worst thoughts, on them. Deceit is the only one who could do that, and you know why he did?

Remus: "Thomas, speaking of knowledge; recently a snake offered me a morsel from the tree of knowledge. He said you're wanting to be more honest and be direct dealing with your issues, no longer will you deceive yourself about the ugliness within you, me!"

Deceit smacked in the face Thomas with Remus, so Thomas could get the point. I think he did. "If you don't want to lie to yourself, at least face who you really are"

About Remus and Deceit alone...

I don't think Deceit really likes Remus. Deceit is kinda goofy, but he's also sophisticated, charming, a silver-tongue. Remus is a stinky garbage man.

Deceit wants to protect Thomas' reputation, Remus would destroy it. Probably Remus likes Deceit (I think he likes everyone, he doesn't care), but Deceit doesn't really reciprocate the feeling. I could surely be proven wrong, those are just my points.

- Remus' relationship with Virgil

Boy oh boy.

Well, the video already said what I could'be said: Virgil dislikes Remus, he doesn't trust him, but he's also not as scared of him anymore like he used to be.

Virgil, at Remus (32:27): "I thought you were some... Horrible illness. Now I can see that you're just a common cold, a mild inconvenience that's gone before you know it."

And Remus looks at him like this:

That's not a evil look. He's soft, almost proud.

He isn't even offended. He just goes "Eheh, you tickle me, emo."

And Virgil has one blink-and-you-miss-it-moment when he genuinely smiles.

I think he did somehow used to like (platonically y'all) Remus, even if he was scared of him. They were still... Friends, maybe, at some point. Deceit and Virgil never had such a kind-of-sweet moment, even if just a few seconds long, and even if the Duke and Virgil still are not likely to get along in general and for the time being. The Duke's phrase about Old Times wasn't a welcomed one by Virgil.

I don't wanna dig in too much else, we already know that Virgil doesn't still trust the Duke. That was just some looks I noticed that stuck with me.

Also, I won't ignore the fragment revelead his name and said: "Of course (I told you, Thomas), I would never hide anything to you." And it cuts right off to Virgil. Eh. Busted.

- How Will His Character Arc Go?

That one is the most important question.

Everyone is gonna believe what they will, but I don't think he'll get... Sympathetic, even? He's just pure chaos.

Maybe his Arc will entangle with a Roman new one, maybe his Arc will entangle with Deceit's. I do hope that Thomas and co. will now value Deceit better, he really isn't that bad... At least, not compared to Remus.

Deceit shut up Logan guys, but Remus straight up murdered him. Even if they can't literally die, y'all really can't close a whole eye on that.

So I just think he's gonna stay around and do mischief, but will surely get some sort of development related to other characters. I'm almost sure he won't get a Solo Arc, surely not for now. However, I'm pretty sure they'll get back to talk how to manage him, and how he can become more useful.

- Conclusions and predictions for the next video

Honestly, sorry this was messier than my normal analysis/theory posts, but I don't fully know how to take Remus yet.

Y'all see, the moment I knew Deceit I made my mind up: he's morally gray, he has a purpose, he has to get credit for it.

Remus confused me in every possible way. He's chaos. I'm sure we won't see him in the next video, but I predict maybe Deceit will be in it, just to look how good of a job he's done.

And that's pretty much it. I hope you all have a good time :>

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kira-ani-mcgrath · 4 years

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I'm too bored and have too little time to spend on Frozen 2 (not to mention that my Disney boycott is still in effect)...what happened, and what were your gripes with the movie?

[I will preface this by saying I have not actually seen the movie (I refuse to), but I kept up with all the spoilers and have seen enough clips, gifs, and recaps that I know the plot of the movie and most of the script.]

My involvement in Frozen-related things hinges on Hans (if he didn’t exist I’m sure I wouldn’t be as invested in the franchise as I am). And I, a Hans fan, spent six years waiting for a Frozen 2 through the nonsense that was his heel-turn in Frozen, the demonization of his character and his fans by the fandom, the insult that was his Frozen Fever cameo, the pettiness of the Easter egg digs at him in other WDAS movies (BH6, Zootopia), and the cold shoulder that was his absence from Olaf’s Frozen Adventure. Then Frozen II finally comes along… and it figuratively gives Hans fans the middle finger. Twice.

Frozen II didn’t have to include a charades scene. But it did. The charades scene didn’t have to include Anna trying to mime the word “villain.” But it did. Olaf didn’t have to guess “Hans” (and from the clip on YouTube, I can’t see any reason why that would be even a remotely logical guess). But he does. The following dialogue didn’t have to be: [ELSA] “Unredeemable monster!” [KRISTOFF] “Greatest mistake of your life!” [OLAF] “Wouldn’t even kiss you!” … [ANNA] “Villain!” … [OLAF] “We all kind of got it.” But it was.

When Elsa goes to Ahtohallan (a water memory glacier place (don’t ask :\)) there didn’t have to be a memory of Hans there. But there was. And it didn’t have to be a memory that was near enough for Elsa to walk past (it could have simply been in the background). But it was. Yet it could have been a memory she would be genuinely horrified by, such as Hans’ betrayal of Anna or Hans on the fjord with his sword. But it wasn’t. Instead it was Hans introducing himself to Anna, an innocuous scene in and of itself. Yet Elsa turned up her nose and destroyed Hans’ snow sculpture.

The first incident is the more reprehensible of the two, since fans have been asking for Hans’ redemption since Day 1. This scene feels like it was included specifically to metaphorically flip off these fans (myself included) due to the writers twisting the word “redeem” (expressed in requests and wishes such as “Please redeem Hans,” “Hans is redeemable,” and ”I want to see a Hans redemption,”) into Elsa’s line of “Unredeemable monster.”

The second incident, while not quite as overt as the first, is still insidious. The obvious angle is that it simply was not necessary. It adds nothing to anyone’s characterization nor does it add anything to the story. It is merely included for Hans’ haters to cheer at (just like Anna’s punch in F1). The more subtle angle is that, as I stated above, Hans introducing himself to Anna is a harmless scene in and of itself. That means Elsa destroys his image for events unrelated to what’s currently happening before her. (I’m sure that sounds familiar to you, as it does to me.) Yet if this moment had never happened, it’s entirely possible Elsa’s powers would have never been revealed, and she and Anna would have stayed separated. So even Hans’ role as a catalyst for the sisters’ reunion is ignored in favor of the “Hans is 100% bad and deserves only bad 100% of the time” narrative.

Unfortunately, these things go hand-in-hand with the original Frozen’s lackluster morals, but that’s another essay in and of itself.

Putting that aside, the rest of the movie is not good either. Granted, I’m not invested in the other characters anywhere near the level I am invested in Hans. However, the problems that plagued F1 are evident again in F2. The writers were too focused on 1) forcing the narrative to fit their predetermined ending, 2) being “realistic” to the detriment of the plot/characters and 3) subverting audience expectations to the detriment of the plot/characters.

Example for #1: In F1, the Kristoff/Anna relationship was endgame, so they got Hans out of the way by making him a villain. In F2, Anna becoming the queen of Arendelle was endgame, so they got Elsa out of the way by making her decide to leave Arendelle.

Example for #2: In F1, they wanted to go against the “fairytale cliche of ‘love at first sight’” since that’s not “realistic,” so Anna gets ridiculed for her decisions regarding Hans. The audience is supposed to side against Anna despite the narrative simultaneously attempting to make the audience approve of Kristoff and Anna’s relationship. In F2, it’s more “realistic” for siblings to move out of their childhood home and live in different locations, so Elsa leaves Arendelle even though there’s no real reason for her to do so.

Example for #3: In F1, Hans’ twist was obviously only because the writers wanted to pat themselves on the back for shocking the audience by “subverting” the “Prince Charming” trope, even though, as other excellent posts have pointed out, Hans’ character goes beyond that trope and his heel-turn was not honestly foreshadowed (not to mention the narrative cheating by having him give a genuine smile for no one but the audience’s benefit). In F2, it’s almost like the writers went out of their way to not develop the characters the same way the fandom has developed them (not in a “the writers should have listened to the fandom” sense but in a “the writers wanted to make sure no one had ever thought of anything remotely like this before so they took the characters in a completely different direction than logic would dictate” sense). For example, just from being around the fandom and reading a bit of fanfiction, I’ve seen that something people loved about Elsa was her combination of humanity and otherness. She has these amazing powers, yet in F1 she (sort of) learns she can’t just run away from her responsibilities and focus only on her powers. She has to balance her magical aspects with her human aspects, which is demonstrated in her using her powers for her subjects’ benefit in the ending scene of F1. Yet what does she do in F2? Basically the same thing as F1, only this time she ends up choosing to leave Arendelle permanently since her character is now permanently lopsided toward her “otherness” aspect. (I’m aware it can be argued that she was doing what was best for Arendelle, but the problem I have with F2 is that it presents the aforementioned lopsidedness as the natural, intended completion of Elsa’s character. This doesn’t jive with F1, which gave us a character who, at the end, was just starting to learn the balance she needed for herself yet was finally happy. Instead, F2 tells us she was never supposed to have that balance as she was never supposed to rule Arendelle and was always destined for the “Fifth Spirit” role. It would have made more sense if Elsa had to sacrifice her humanity and her right to rule Arendelle in order to become the “Fifth Spirit” and save Anna and Arendelle while unknowingly yet simultaneously saving herself. This would have been a fitting parallel to Anna’s sacrifice in F1 that ended up saving both of them.)

There’s other criticisms I’ve read, such as the pacing is terrible, the plot is confusing, the new characters are pointless, and instead of the characters driving the story with a good rotation of baseline-conflict-growth, the characters merely react to plot contrivances plopped before them. Based on what I know, I’m inclined to agree.

So, to recap, an implied “F*** you!” to Hans fans (particularly those who wanted his redemption) and a mess of a movie means no Disney products for me.

Except the new Broadway merchandise has me in a conundrum. On the one hand, no money for Disney as per the reasons above. On the other hand, money talks. If new Hans-themed merch sells well, Disney may decide it’s profitable to do something positive with the character. As of right now, I’m leaning toward buying the Hans merch but not buying anything else Disney-related.

#Frozen #Hans #Frozen 2 #Prince Hans #Elsa #Anna #KAM's personal stuff #KAM's thoughts

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