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#and it connected with whatever it was that made me dislike the jack and the beanstalk narrative (i know what it is. its just not really
katabay · 6 months
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L'APPEL DU VIDE
okay so. jack! jack. what a collection of guys. the overlap between jack and the beanstalk and jack the giant killer, though. that sure is something! sometimes king arthur is there, which always takes me by surprise.
this. specifically. is an idea I've been kicking around. jack and the beanstalk is not a story I've ever enjoyed, as a kid it was probably my least favorite to read. as an adult, I was INTENSELY fascinated by reading j.g. ballard's the drowned giant. I think about it frequently, and somewhere during a re read of it, I ended up revisiting jack.
combining different versions of jack into one character is not a new concept, but it IS a fun one! the version I've been assembling together plays less with the fun elements of a jack story (and adjacent folklore stories), and focuses more on the potential for tragic elements with the addition of the usual grim and jagged narrative edges that I personally enjoy.
jack with the backstory of the devil and the three golden hairs, only jack doesn't find love, he's TIRED, all he wants to do is go home, but there isn't a home to go back to. what is the point of being born lucky if this is what it gets you? jack the giant killer, only he doesn't want to kill giants, jack who saw a body of a giant when he was a small child and cannot bring himself to do as a king commands. jack, who climbs up the beanstalk and stops halfway to look down. etc.
to go back to the drowned giant real quick, both to set the tone about jack seeing the body of a giant as a youth, and also because I've been haunted and obsessed with this excerpt of it ever since I read it:
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J. G. Ballard, The Drowned Giant
anyway! this was originally like, a two illustration concept to get out of my system. however. I'm halfway through outlining a narrative. so. maybe it will also be several illustrations and also comic.
bsky ⭐ pixiv ⭐ pillowfort ⭐ cohost
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bluecatwriter · 6 months
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Arthur 1, 3, 12, 16
Thanks for the ask! :D
1. My first impression of them: I honestly don't remember what I thought of Arthur when he first shows up in the narrative; I joined Dracula Daily in July and was rushing through the entries to try to catch up! Like, I thought he was fine, no reason to dislike him. I think I really had my "oh" moment when Lucy died (the first time) and Arthur was grieving her— I have a thing for men crying, and I loved that unlike Jack he was so expressive with his feelings. What made me fall absolutely head-over-heels for him, though, was when he cried on Mina's shoulder. Forever fave after that.
3. A song that reminds me of them: I actually don't generally associate characters with songs (especially since a lot of the music I listen to falls into the songwriting style of "people in very specific situations"), so I don't have this connection. I'd be interested to hear what anyone else has to say about it, though!
12. Sexuality hc!: I tend to headcanon people "whatever makes the most sense for the fic I'm writing" (which can vary wildly), but my favorite headcanon is that he's demi-bisexual, aka he can fall in love with and be attracted to anyone, but he generally doesn't feel attraction until after he's formed an emotional bond. I think this fits well with how he relates to the others in the story.
16. A childhood headcanon: I favor the backstory that his mom died giving birth to him and that his dad worked hard to make sure that he had a wonderful childhood. He just strikes me as someone who comes from an emotionally stable background (unlike someone I know *coughJackcoughcough*). My favorite headcanon is in one of my fics, written from child!John Seward's point of view:
Arthur also confused John. The boy seemed to have no concept of proper and improper, much as his governess tried to instill good manners in him. Arthur was full of questions and exclamations, and often acted on impulse without the slightest thought of what would happen next. John hated it when Arthur came over to his house, because some easily-avoidable catastrophe would always occur. Arthur would want to smell a pretty flower in a vase, and the next thing they knew he had pulled the whole vase down on top of his head, and gotten water and flowers all over the carpet, and he was crying. Then John's mother would burst in and yell at John for not being the responsible one and keeping his friend out of trouble. At the Godalming estate, everything was different. When Arthur inevitably did something foolish, such as trying to get his pet cat to sit and play tea-party with them and then got his face scratched, no one ever blamed John for it. If Arthur's father was around, he would always give Arthur a hug and listen seriously as Arthur told him what happened. He would ask gentle questions, trying to help his son connect the dots between his actions and the consequences of his actions. John would stand by impatiently, knowing how extremely effective a stern, "I'm ashamed of you" would be with a sensitive boy like Arthur, and feeling oddly restless when Godalming never expressed disappointment or tried to shame him for the things he did.
(Ask game here. This is fun!)
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mylittleredgirl · 1 year
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🚀 dear space swap creator 🚀
thank you for whatever you will make for me! i hope you're excited about whatever we matched on.
i'm pretty easily delighted and like being surprised by things i did not consider, so you are welcome to take my suggestions and prompts as random inspiration or pitch them entirely in favor of whatever you want to create!
this letter is just a rewrite of my requests, but with the general likes/dislikes broken out in bullet points to be more legible.
anonymous asks are on for this account, so feel free to ask questions if you want! (& i forgot to write this in my main request, but in case anyone else is here from the exchange, treats are always loved!)
general things i love:
happy or hopeful endings
episode-related fic
pining (especially respectful no-i’m-definitely-NOT-jealous pining)
hurt/comfort (especially oh-my-god-you're-not-dead)
friendship & family fic
canon divergence
complications
5-times fic
anywhere in/post canon is fine but i do have a special love of early-season things in just about every show
all ratings welcome
i tend to really love all canon characters, so feel free to include friends and relations in the fic that aren't directly part of my requests
kinks enjoyed:
soft dom/sub (bondage & praise yes, pain & shaming no)
aliens made them do it (or equivalent)
overindulgence (food, drinks, whatevs)
masturbation (mutual, pining, voyeuristic, whatevs)
body image/weight gain/aging/body worship
i’ve never said no to a quality blow job or hand job fic
sweet i-love-you sex works for me too i'm not picky
general things i do NOT love:
permanent character death
hurt no comfort
crossovers except within the extended canon universe (crossovers between star trek series are welcome)
historical or supernatural AUs (no pride-and-prejudice or zombies)
supernatural elements are actually fine (like telepathy, psychic powers, soulmate stuff, etc) but i specifically want to avoid zombies & vampires
bashing of canon past relationships or other characters (if a character loved somebody else in canon, thumbs down to the "i never really loved them" trope). except sam carter's collection of terrible exes in stargate, i can live with that.
-
fandoms requested:
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stargate atlantis
i'm equally fine with fic set in seasons 1-3, fics where "that just didn't happen," and AUs where elizabeth gets rescued! in rescue AUs i'm fine with "came back wrong" or suffering along the way as long as at her core she's elizabeth and it ends in a hopeful or happy way :)
some prompt ideas/things i think about in this fandom:
john and the challenge of giving/receiving affection or Having A Feeling in general
elizabeth should get to go off-world more
a little surprise telepathy/alien bonding rituals/interesting reactions to alien booze could do everyone some good
i’m always here for fix-it, hurt/comfort, and recovery fics.
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stargate sg-1
mini!otp (clone sam/jack): i love them with some understandable existential angst, the tension between what they have lost and this new life they have, navigating a relationship when they spent so long NOT being in a relationship…
some ideas/things i think about with them:
i love the "this used to be normal but now it feels different" kind of injury or hurt/comfort trope for those two.
high school era is great, but i’m also really curious about what happens to them later -- how is it to be 20 or 25, when they were cloned at 15? at what point does this life feel like their own? are they still connected with the SGC? do they want to be?
pairing-specific DNWs: clone sam & jack changing their first names. i usually prefer fics where just sam & jack have been cloned, rather than it becoming an entire high-school AU.
classic sam/jack:
i loveeee episode-related fic (canon compliant or canon divergent!). i'm currently obsessed with "desperate measures" so i always prompt that one, but any episode is great, particularly seasons 1-8 since i haven't gotten to 9-10 yet!
piniiiiing especially if they mutually have to acknowledge it by the end
this pairing is always good for amtdi
pairing-specific DNWs: unexpected pregnancy or babyfic
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star trek: picard
soji & kestra or soji & elnor
soji asha my beloved!!
i would love for her to heal, and i especially love "nepenthe" and how the troi-riker home would be such a perfect place for her to heal! and kestra, deanna, and will have their own things they're healing from, so i love the idea of this little family and was excited to see this tag in the tagset.
i have never really thought about soji & elnor's relationship, but it's a cool idea! for a big-idea kind of fic, what if they hadn't been left behind (effectively) in season two? for a smaller-idea kind of fic, what if they helped each other choose their next path in between seasons one and two? (either the direction they ultimately went in canon, or divergence of your choice…)
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star trek: voyager
b'elanna/kes is a rarepair delight! with voyager i love everyone and am happy for any kind of canon divergence that keeps the family together (so if you choose to write kes staying into s4 and beyond, that's fine!)
kes has no preconceptions about klingons, so how does that affect how b'elanna sees herself?
anything at all to do with kes's powers
i've been thinking about kes aging, and how b'elanna's abandonment issues might bump up against a friendship or relationship with someone who she will probably outlive by quite a while...
i'm deeply convinced that the kes we see in "fury" is from a mirror universe (maybe not THE mirror universe, but maybe!) so that's an idea, but i would also be very happy to ignore "fury" entirely because it hurts me.
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star trek: enterprise
i'm so shocked and delighted to see hoshi and travis show up in the tagset! i used to love them back in the day and genuinely thought i was the only one. they are SO SWEET in the tiny moments they have alone together, and would love to see anything you have to offer for them as friends or lovers or anything in between. some ideas off the top of my head:
something to do with her time recovering from her experience on the xindi weapon
five times hoshi and travis were alone (and/or in command) on the bridge
they should get to save the day once in a while, don't you think?
trip/t'pol prompt ideas:
t'pol lets trip help her in her ongoing recovery
how is it for them to be either on vulcan or on earth as a couple for the first time?
TELEPATH SEX TELEPATH SEX
trip survives his injuries in these are the voyages and that brings them back together
---
thank you again! i hope something in here inspires you (or inspires you to ignore it and do your own thing). see you on the flip side!
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shirophantomvox · 3 years
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Hold My Hand- Illumi x Reader
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OMG thank you! My first international fan! Thank you for this wonderful prompt! This was requested by @illucilfer .
Summary: Today’s story takes place in a 1950s diner by a frequently used Interstate; Interstate 95. We know this dinner for its delicious hamburgers, hot dogs, milkshakes, and jukebox records, but every night one Patreon never returns home. A few men who were angry about your recent arrest have shot you both. As you both stare at each other exchanging mental signals, everyone around you tries to help you to the hospital. Y/N is narrating the story. I seem to have fewer grammar errors that way. FYI, Bold and italicized font will reference a thought or flashback.
Story Navigation
Let’s get started!
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The leaves have turned bright yellow and orange, fluttering every second to the ground. I could hear little children a while away laughing and playing in the community park; throwing up the leaves, jumping into piles, and throwing them at each other. The smell of freshly baked donuts brightened everyone’s mood. All you had to do was take one bite and your face would brighten and crack a smile. Dining at Cupid’s Kitchen will always have your heart and interest.
Interstate 95 was always heavy with traffic during this time of year. The folks of Dallas celebrated mulch annually. The “Mulch Fest” was a street fair that stretched 1.5 miles to the east that contained music, drinks, farmer panels, homemaker Q&A, and other activities that southerners enjoy. Illumi and I are only here because of an unfinished assignment. We have worked night and day for countless days trying to catch Jack “Da Hamor” Gilberton, but he was nowhere to be found. Eventually, I allowed my anger to get the best of me and made the executive decision to take a day off. I barred Illumi from searching, tracking, or any form of hunting for our target. The life of a bounty hunter and an assassin can thrill, but it can drive you insane if you allow it.
Ironically, Illumi and I both enjoy fall. It is perfect for cuddling (although he acts as if he’s too good to cuddle), wearing creative hoodies, going to pumpkin patches, and attending apple orchids. I tend to “lose my cool” when we have dates there. When I was a child, my family did not go on trips like these because they were over an hour away from our home and I had 5 siblings. But once I made money for myself, I made it my mission to go to one at least 5 times out of the year. Illumi enjoys the different fudge, hot cider, and candy apples. He almost broke a tooth on one!
“Say cheese snag-a’-tooth!”
“Stop it. It’s not funny!”
“It is! Could you imagine if you lost your two front teeth? You’d look almost adorable as you did in the 1st grade!”
“How did you know about that?”
“Duh! It happens to everyone, but your mother showed me the pictures, of course.”
“Curses!”
Illumi’s sweet tooth is just like Killua’s; both have a weakness for chocolate. Except, Killua will admit defeat while his older brother keeps denying it.
Cupid’s Dinner has been in Dallas for over 55 years. A black woman established it in 1945 by the name of Mary-Lou Benson. Since then, Mary’s family has been running the shop, making sure all of her customers are happy with the service. During the turn of each season, Cupid’s Dinner gives its customer's food options based on the season. The fall options include donuts, candy apples, different flavored cider, fudge, and hot coffee specials. As much as everything looked appetizing, I could not order it all. Our server, Little Ben, placed our drinks in front of us and handed us the menu. I could tell he was happy with his line of work, just as I was to be with Illumi.
“You all take your time. I’ll be back in five.”
Ilumi glanced on both sides of the room, scanning for Jack Gilberton, already forgetting the agreement we established.
“Illumi, what are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“You keep looking around like you’ve seen Da Hamor. Eat your donut and relax, sweetheart.”
“I cannot relax. I must stay on alert.”
���If I can relax, so can you. It’s not that hard.”
“Fine. If I die, it’s on your head… literally.”
The jingling bell rang almost every second when a customer walked in. It was a joy to everyone's ears; the spirit of Mary Lou-Benson was alive and well. An overwhelming feeling of love seemed to have overtaken the diner. After examining the bistro for quite some time now, each customer had been using their cellphones at the table instead of chatting with their families. Many traditional families hated that about this generation but they should be open to new traditions forming. Illumi dislikes using cell phones or tablets at the table unless we use them for missions. He has emphasized how rude it is to be surfing the web about utter nonsense while someone is speaking. This is a pet peeve of his, something I’ll never step on his toe about. Although I think that is overdoing it, I respect it.
Little Ben served our table quickly, leaving us with two dishes of a classic chicken sandwich, kettle chips, one chocolate, and vanilla milkshake. Milkshakes were my weakness; I nearly foam at the mouth when I see one. When I found out that Illumi had NEVER had a milkshake, I almost fainted.
“No. I’ve never had a milkshake.”
“Huh? You’re missing out, pal.”
“What’s the big deal? Isn’t it frozen milk?”
“Not just frozen milk. You can add many flavors, toppings, and whip cream!”
“Well, then. You’ll have to show me sometime.”
We thanked Little Ben for his service as he clocked out for the day.
“I have to admit these sandwiches look very appetizing.”
“You can say that again!”
Before I nibbled on my sandwich, I wanted to take a moment and adore the man before me; Illumi Zoldyck. A man full of mysteries, professionalism, skill, and talent. His enormous eyes were immersed in the large pieces of chicken in between the sourdough bread. He licked his index finger vigorously; allowing the homemade honey mustard to drip enough from the bread to the plate in between licks. Just the sight of him actually relaxing for once has blown me away. For once, Illumi Zoldyck could be himself and I had the privilege to witness it.
“Um… why are you staring at me? Do I have food on my face,” he asked; violently wiping his mouth off with a provided cloth napkin.
“Oh! Ha, ha; no reason. I wanted to see your reaction after drinking your milkshake. That’s all.”
“Why? It’s just a drink.”
“Whatever you say, babe.”
“Babe? What happened to LuLu or Illumi-Lu?”
I gasped and pretended to be surprised… although I was a little.
“I did not know that you liked those pet names. I assumed it mortified you.”
“Who told you that? That never rolled off my tongue. “What I said was” — He bent closer to the table and to me; glancing both to the right and left to ensure no wandering ears were around — “I prefer Illumi-Lu to be said in the bedroom and LuLu when we’re alone, like how we are right now.”
“Aww…. ok,” I yelled in excitement.
“Don’t blow it out of proportion, alright?”
“Yes, sir.”
As we ate, Illumi hummed along to the tune that played a few times on the restaurant's jukebox. Illumi and I were born in the mid-90s, but listening to 50s music was a part of his aesthetic. I was told that he had an “old soul” which sounds romantic at first until you realize how men were during that era. His raging temper was a noticeable toxic trait, but it has drastically improved. Nonchalantly sipping on his milkshake and then eating more of his chips, he grazed the soft part of his left hand over mine as he continued to hum.
“What’s the name of this song? You seem to know it rather well.”
“Put your head on my shoulder, a famous song from the 60s. I heard my parents sing it once and since then, they have addicted me to it. Do you like it?”
“Yes, in fact, I love it. All of this is—”
“A surprise to you? Well, enjoy it while it lasts because once I find Jack Gilberton, this side of me will hide for a while.”
“Understood.”
Damn! I was just feeling connected to him again!
The music swelled; everyone seemed to be happy. Not an evil spirit insight to disrupt this beautiful moment. For once in my life, my raven-haired beauty actually held my hand tight, stole a few of my barbecue kettle chips, and gazed into my eyes harmlessly. His lips brushed against both of my hands, ever so lightly placing kisses on both sides of them. Illumi’s gentle smile warmed my heart as my lingering thoughts of hope stayed intact.
The welcoming bell jingled again. Two men in black leather jackets, stone-washed blue jeans, and tattooed all over their arms came into the diner. The men seemed to be bikers who had just left their own “spot” but one thing struck me as they continued to walk towards the staff. They both wore sunglasses when the sunset for the day. Not to mention that the lights were not dim in the diner and the moon was as bright as ever. The second man had his eyes glued in my direction. My heart beat faster as I wondered if Jack Gilberton had found us. Could you imagine?
Put your head on my shoulder
Hold me in your arms, baby
Squeeze me oh-so-tight
Show me you love me too
I am used to coming in contact with enemies on my hit list, but given Jack’s criminal history; I felt like I may not survive his attacks. Illumi will survive, but just barely. Both men approached the checkout, crowing over Little Ben’s sister. She was a short woman but full of might, and I could tell by the shakiness in her voice she was frightened. I wanted to step in so badly, but I didn't want to blow my cover just in case it was, in fact, Jack Gilberton. After I assume, ordering food, both men stood by the entrance, blocking it from others from entering and leaving. The sound of their old, beat up-lighters crackled as one lit a joint and the other lit a cigarette. This horrid smell ruined the atmosphere because they were not in a designated area and it drowned out the lovely aroma of the food being served.
“If you gentlemen would like to smoke, you need to go outside. There is no smoking in here.”
“What? You think you’re better than me because you don’t smoke?”
“Huh? I never said that, sir. I asked for you to go outside. Not all of our customers can deal with it.”
They did not move a muscle. The sound of their mucous laughter made everyone’s stomach turn. They laughed at the young girl and called her many slurs. Little Ben’s sister didn’t flinch, nor did she cry; she remained still, staring at the men. I had just enough of their obnoxious behavior.
“If you do not leave, I will call the police.”
“The hell you won’t.”
Put your lips next to mine, dear
Won't you kiss me once, baby?
He drew a gun from his left side. He aimed it at Little Ben’s sister and demanded that she emptied the drawer. She refused. Her stone, iron will reminded me of Illumi; no matter the circumstance, they remained intact, determined to fight until the end. Bravery is always encouraged, but too much will cause your life to be taken away. Little Ben’s sister grabbed a fake till that they kept under the real one and threw it at both men. Fake money fluttered everywhere in the small diner, mimicking confetti. Gunshots rang in all directions as the imbeciles recklessly shot, aiming for Little Ben’s sister. Everyone threw themselves on the ground to avoid being shot, but luck cannot spread itself throughout an entire room of people. A young child, an older man, and another worker were shot in their lower leg. Blood reflected from the ground as it continued to seep. Ignoring injured civilians is a jackass move and continuing to deny the fact would prove that the oath I pledge to meant nothing. Sure, bounty hunters must remain hidden, but if someone is injured, I must help them.
The child was lying lifeless on the polished marble floor. He would not respond to my shaking or my silent whispers. When I rolled him over, my heart broke into a million pieces. This child had no chance of survival; a few bullets struck his chest, one just inches away from his heart. A tear rolled down my cheek.
“Why must the good die young,” I whispered to myself.
“... Because snitches get stitches.”
Before I could gain sight of who stated this utterly corny response, I felt an overwhelming amount of pain in my lower back. It felt like a million tiny needles were jabbed so far through my skin that they entered my intestine. I could still hear, but my body would not move. I tried and tried, but my brain would not signal my legs.
Move! Move, damn it!
It’s odd; I could hear myself talk, but my body would not move at all. The sound of another thudding body made my mind jump. My heart had already been pounding enough to try to resuscitate my organs to move, but a familiar semi-blurring sight of none other than Mr. Illumi Zoldyck cleared my sight. My brain went wild. I didn’t know if Illumi died or if he became paralyzed, but one thing is for sure. We finally made eye contact that felt special; something I hadn’t felt since the day I met him. Our contact felt like magnets; an unbreakable bond. Suddenly, my icy hand felt warmth around my palm and fingers. Illumi simultaneously fell in a way that connected our hands. Our unbreakable bond, the warmth of his fingers laying on top of mine, and the gaze we shared somehow made me feel like it was just the two of us alone. I could hear his thoughts loud and clear; thoughts that came from the heart.
“Please help me. Before it’s too late, LuLu,” I cried, thinking I was going insane. “I don’t want to leave if it means leaving you behind.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Not without you.”
“Please! I want to live a life. Life as a bounty hunter, build a support system to our children, and a good lover is all I want to be.”
“You are a warrior and so am I. We have been through worse. This is nothing.”
Mere eye contact is all we need to exchange wandering conversations. The bond that we’ve created is something so strong that I haven’t realized it until now. The warmth emitted from his loose grasp seems to lose its effectiveness. It blurred my vision beyond recognition, leaving Illumi as a near figment of my imagination.
“Oh no. I guess this is it.”
My vision darkened. Illumi was slipping away as my lingering thoughts almost made my heart give out from exhaustion. I was ready to accept my fate, but it seemed like fate had other plans. My vision was still darkening by the second, but my sense of touch remained there. Smooth fingers outline my arms, torso, and chest. I heard muffled voices yelling and screaming about calling for assistance, but I didn’t care if they came or not. I made peace with my life’s end. Bit by bit, my breathing slowed down, but my sense of touch remained heightened. I felt a rubber glove touch my face and neck, examining it for any damage.
The jukebox continued to play Illumi’s favorite song, Put Your Head on my Shoulder. I remembered the day I laid my head on his shoulder; boy, what an endearing moment that was. It was something I took for granted, something I should have savored, for I never knew that this moment would have happened. The song grew muffled by the second verse. That verse repeated every time I tried to force myself to take what felt like my last gaze at my raven-haired beauty.
Just a kiss goodnight, maybe
You and I will fall in love (you and I will fall in love)
-FIN.
A/N: Since you’ve made it to the end, I’ll say something. The reader did not die in the end. They were later revived at the hospital.
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killianmesmalls · 3 years
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On your comments about Jack: ye-es, in the sense that Jack is a character who definitely deserved better than he was treated by the characters. The way Dean especially treats him reflects very badly on Dean, no question. But, speaking as a viewer, I think the perspective needs to shift a little bit.
To me, Jack is Dawn from Buffy, or Scrappy Doo. He’s an (in my opinion) irritating kid who is introduced out of nowhere to be both super vulnerable and super OP, and the jeopardy is centered around him in a way that has nothing to do with his actual character or relationships. He’s mostly around to be cute and to solve or create problems — he never has any firm character arcs or goals of his own, nor any deeper purpose in the meta narrative. In this way, he’s a miss for SPN, which focuses heavily on conflicts as metaphors for real life.
Mary fits so much better in that framework, and introducing her as a developed, flawed person works really well with the narrative. It is easy for us to care about Mary, both as the dead perfect mother on the pedestal and as the flawed, human woman who could not live up to her sons’ expectations. That connection is built into the core of SPN, and was developed over years, even before she was a character. When she was added, she was given depth and nuance organically, and treated as a flawed, complex character rather than as a plot device or a contrivance. She was given a voice and independence, and became a powerful metaphor for developing new understandings of our parents in adulthood, as well as an interesting and well-rounded character. You care that she’s dead, not just because Sam and Dean are sad, but for the loss of her development and the potential she offered. So, in that sense, I think a lot of people were frustrated that she died essentially fridged for a second time, and especially in service of the arc of a weaker character.
And like, you’re right, no one can figure out if Jack is a toddler or a teenager. He’s both and he’s neither, because he’s never anything consistently and his character arc is always “whatever the plot needs it to be.” Every episode is different. Is he Dean’s sunny opportunity to be a parent and make up for his dad’s shitty parenting? Yes! Is he also Dean’s worst failure and a reminder that he has done many horrible things, including to “innocent” children? Yes! Is he Cas’s child? Yes! Is he Dean’s child? Yes! But also, no! Is he Sam’s child? Yes! Is he a lonely teenager who does terrible things? Yes! Is he a totally innocent little lamb who doesn’t get why what he is doing is wrong? Yes! Is he the most powerful being in the universe? Yes! Does he need everyone to take care of him? Yes! Is he just along for the ride? Yes! Is he responsible for his actions? Kinda??? Sometimes??? What is he???
Mary as a character is narratively cohesive and fleshed-out. Jack is a mishmash of confusing whatever’s that all add up to a frustrating plot device with no consistent traits to latch on to. Everything that fans like about him (cute outfits, gender play, well-developed parental bonds with the characters) is fanon. So, yes, the narrative prioritizes Mary. Many fans prioritize Mary, at least enough that Dean’s most heinous acts barely register. To the narrative (not to Cas, which is a totally different situation), Jack is only barely more of a character than Emma Winchester, who Sam killed without uproar seasons earlier. He’s been around longer, but he’s equally not really real.
I debated on responding to this because, to tell the truth, I think we fundamentally disagree on a number of subjects and, as they say, true insanity is arguing with anyone on the internet. However, you spent a lot of time on the above and I feel it's only fair to say my thoughts, even if I don't believe it will sway you any more than what you said changed my opinions.
I'm assuming this was in response to this post regarding how Jack's accidental killing of Mary was treated so severely by the brothers, particularly Dean, because it was Mary and, had it been a random character like the security guard in 13x06, it would have been treated far differently. However, then the argument becomes less about the reaction of the Winchester brothers to this incident and more the value of Jack or Mary to the audience.
I believe we need to first admit that both characters are inherently archetypes—Mary as the Madonna character initially then, later, as a metaphor for how imperfect and truly human our parents are compared to the idol we have as children, and Jack as the overpowered child who is a Jesus allegory by the end. Both have a function within the story to serve the Winchester brothers, through whose lens and with whose biases we are meant to view the show's events. We also need to admit that the writers didn't think more than a season ahead for either character, especially since it wasn't initially supposed to be Mary that came back at the end of season 11 but John, and they only wrote enough for Jack in season 13 to gauge whether or not the audience would want him to continue on or if he needed to be killed off by the end of the season. Now, I know we curate our own experiences online which leads to us being in our own fandom echo chambers, however it is important to note that the character was immediately successful enough with the general audience that, after his first episode or two, he was basically guaranteed a longer future on the show.
I have to admit, I’m not entirely sure why the perspective of how his character is processed by some audience members versus others has any bearing on the argument that he deserved to be treated better overall by the other characters especially when taking their own previous actions in mind. I’m not going to tell you that your opinion is wrong regarding your feelings for Jack. It’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it, it harms no one to have it and express it. My feelings on Jack are clearly very different from your own, but this is really just two different people who processed a fictional person in different ways. I personally believe he has a purpose in the Winchesters’ story, including Castiel’s, as he reflects certain aspects of all of them, gives them a way to explore their own histories through a different perspective, and changes the overall dynamic of Team Free Will from “soldiers in arms” to a family (Misha’s words). In the beginning he allows Sam to work through his past as the “freak” and powerful, dangerous boy wonder destined to bring hell on earth. With Dean, his presence lets Dean work through his issues with John and asks whether he will let history repeat itself or if he’ll work to break the cycle. Regarding Cas, in my opinion he helps the angel reach his “final form” of a father, member of a family, lover and protector of humanity, rebellious son, and the true show of free will. 
From strictly the story, he has several arcs that work within themes explored in Supernatural, such as the argument of nature versus nurture, the question of what we’re willing to give up in order to protect something or someone else and how ends justify the means, and the struggle between feeling helpless and powerless versus the corruptive nature of having too much power and the dangerous lack of a moral compass. His goals are mentioned and on display throughout his stint on the show, ones that are truly relatable to some viewers: the strong desire to belong—the need for family and what you’ll do to find and keep it. 
With Mary, we first need to establish whether the two versions of her were a writing flaw due to the constant change in who was dictating her story and her relationship to the boys, which goes against the idea that her characterization was cohesive and fleshed-out but, rather, put together when needed for convenience, or if they both exist because, as stated above, we are seeing the show primarily through the biased lens of the Winchester brothers and come to face facts about the true Mary as they do. Like I said in my previous post, I don’t dislike Mary and I don’t blame her for her death (either one). However, I do have a hard time seeing her as a more nuanced, fleshed-out character than Jack. True, a lot of her problems are more adult in nature considering she has to struggle with losing her sons’ formative years and meeting them as whole adults she knows almost nothing about, all because of a choice she made before they were born. 
However, her personal struggles being more “mature” in nature (as they center primarily on parental battles) doesn’t necessarily mean her story has layers and Jack’s does not. They are entirely different but sometimes interconnected in a way that adds to both of their arcs, like Mary taking Jack on as an adoptive son which gives her the moments of parenting she lost with Sam and Dean, and Jack having Mary as a parental figure who understands and supports him gives him that sense of belonging he had just been struggling with to the point of running away while he is also given the chance to show “even monsters can do good”. 
I’d also argue that Jack being many ages at once isn’t poor writing so much as a metaphor for how, even if you’re forced to grow up fast, that doesn’t mean you’re a fully equipped adult. I don’t want to speak for anyone else, but I believe Jack simultaneously taking a lot of responsibility and constantly trying to prove to others he’s useful while having childish moments is relatable to some who were forced to play an adult role at a young age. He proves a number of times that he doesn’t need everyone to take care of him, but he also has limited life experience and, as such, will make some mistakes while he’s also being a valuable member of the group. Jack constantly exists on a fine line in multiple respects. Some may see that as a writing flaw but it is who the character was conceived to be: the balance between nature or nurture, between good and evil, between savior and devil. 
Now, I was also frustrated Mary was “fridged” for a second time. It really provided no other purpose than to give the brothers more man pain to further the plot along. However, this can exist while also acknowledging that the way it happened and the subsequent fallout for Jack was also unnecessary and a sign of blatant hypocrisy from Dean, primarily, and Sam. 
And, yes, Jack can be different things at once because, I mean, can’t we all? If Mary can be both the perfect mother and the flawed, independent, distant parent, can’t Jack be the sweet kid who helps his father-figures process their own feelings on fatherhood while also being a lost young-adult forcing them to face their failures? Both characters contain multitudes because, I mean, we all do. 
I can provide articles or posts on Jack’s characterization and popularity along with Mary’s if needed, but for now I think this is a long enough ramble on my thoughts and feelings. I’m happy to discuss more, my messenger is always open for (polite) discussion. Until then, I’m going to leave it at we maybe agree to disagree. 
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olivinesea · 3 years
Text
In the Golden Dark, pt. 2
Part 1
a/n: This was already pretty much done so here you go. These parts are all rather short but that can be nice right? ~1.6k
i can’t concentrate if i keep seeing your face showing up in tea leaves lit up on my tv i can’t stand up straight under your gravity so i lay awake with my eyes closed
“Did you know 12% of people dream in black and white?”
“Wha-what?” Hotch groggily looked at the time on his phone. He had answered it blindly, autopilot kicking in to attend to the buzzing beside him on the couch. He blinked again and brought the phone back to his ear to hear Spencer’s voice more clearly.
“Yeah! It used to be a lot more when television was only in black and white but now that’s shifted obviously. Elderly people are still a lot more likely to have dreams that are—“
“Spencer,” Hotch interrupted the way the words were beginning to tumble out. When he was met with an abrupt silence he realized he didn’t have a follow up, he just needed a moment to breathe. To take in the dark living room, the flickering light of the television, its muted colors and grainy film showing a syndicated rerun, the kind only played in the middle of the night or the middle of the day, times when no productive person was meant to be watching. Something soft in its age, he found it comforting to put it on when he couldn’t sleep, woken again by nightmares that some monster had found their way to Haley and Jack. That they were suffering and he didn’t even know.
On the other end of the line, Spencer held his breath. He had been nervous about making the call, he wasn’t sure if it was too intrusive, too far across the boundaries they normally worked within. It wasn’t that he was worried about waking Hotch, he knew the other man was already awake. Even before they had started talking more, casually sharing details about the time they spent away from the office, it was obvious that Hotch did not sleep like a normal person. It was something else that they shared.
Seemingly endless minutes passed without another word from either man and his fear that he’d made a mistake grew. He told himself that Hotch was not pleased with the interruption. That he was being too assuming—why would Hotch be interested in anything he had to say at three in the morning? He’d called spurred on by the acute need to share a thought and, though he wasn’t totally conscious of it, a wish to hear that comforting voice, maybe even a quiet chuckle. He had smiled imagining that gentle sound, only he hadn’t realized it, the corners of his mouth moving without informing the rest of his mind. He touched his lips now with cold fingertips, running them over the dry skin, oblivious to the way his jaw clenched.
The silence between them hung like a bridge. There was a moment where both of them looked out at their respective living rooms, mentally steeling themselves to take a step and hope the other would meet them. Hope that they wouldn’t find themselves suspended over the water, alone as ever.
“I’m sorry for calling so late,” Spencer sounded so remorseful Hotch felt guilty immediately. He hadn’t meant cause him any anxiety with his long silence, he was just trying his best to gather his thoughts. To make sense of what he meant to do.
“It’s ok, really, I—“ Hotch hesitated, unsure how much detail to go into, how much reassurance was the right amount. He felt unreasonably awkward suddenly and twitched his fingers in irritation, “I wasn’t really sleeping anyway.”
“Really?” Spencer scrunched his eyes up, disliking the eagerness bleeding from his voice. He couldn’t help it though, the prospect of having the other man’s attention, even if it was only his voice reflecting from a satellite, knowing that Hotch was listening made him feel more secure. He’d spent too many restless nights pacing his apartment, starting and abandoning tasks in attempts to distract himself from the way the night was pressing uncomfortably close, threatening to overtake his mind. To have a friend to talk to, to reflect back his own reality, was a gift he could barely believe he deserved.
Hotch grunted as he adjusted himself on the couch cushions, supporting the back of his head on the pillows, resting the phone between his shoulder and ear. With his free hand he pulled up the blanket that had tangled at his feet. “Wide awake,” he said dryly. “What were you saying about dreams?”
Spencer’s smile was so big Hotch could hear it through the phone as the man stumbled ahead with the details of some completely unnecessary study. Hotch wanted to ask what had led to him reading such a thing but he was enjoying the happy way Spencer was running through all the new material he’d learned. He adored listening to Spencer speak, how he sometimes stopped short when remembering a related detail and how there’d be a pause while he took a split second to make the choice whether to jump to the new train of thought. Hotch smiled to himself and was pleased enough to offer hums of interest at inflection points. He let his eyes wander back to the television, as the title credits of another episode of Bonanza played across the screen, the pale wheat and horses and cowboys, already a distant fantasy in the 1960s, ancient history by today’s standards. His eyes fell half closed as he continued to listen to Reid’s voice.
“And, they just published a new study about how sleep deprivation decreases the body’s pain tolerance.”
Hotch snorted softly at this. “They really had to get a bunch of scientists together to figure that out? Someone paid for that?”
“Well it is always important to gather data and scientific evidence for these types of things. Anecdotal testimony won’t lead to any developments in the care for conditions like chronic pain,” Reid paused when he heard more quiet laughter from Aaron. He grinned.
“Do you want to hear something really crazy? They’ve found a connection between a person’s favorite sleeping position and their personality. Can you imagine!”
“Hmmph,” Hotch sank deeper into the cushions, settling in for whatever came next.
*
The calls became as regular as the midnight pancakes. Spencer would call with some piece of trivia, every night a new topic. He had a seemingly endless well of knowledge to draw on. In truth he spent the day trying to think of new ideas to share, new information he thought Hotch would appreciate. For no reason other than his own private satisfaction, he grouped topics thematically. This week they were going to be talking about space.
Now Hotch was ready, drowsy but checking his phone every few minutes to see if he’d somehow missed it ringing. He was looking at it yet again when it buzzed. He stared at the screen for a moment before answering, letting the name that flashed send a small thrill up his spine. He was not sure how it’d happened but he had come to rely on these calls. They still hadn’t discussed it, hadn’t acknowledged what this extracurricular time spent together might mean. They were simply seeking comfort, not questioning how this might be perceived outside these invisible moments.
“Hey Spence,” he barely got the words out before Spencer launched into that night’s prepared curiosities.
“Did you know most of the visible stars are actually multiple star systems? The singular stars are so much harder to see that astronomers used to believe that it was fairly uncommon to find a singular star like our sun.They hypothesized this was a contributing factor to why we hadn’t found evidence of extraterrestrial life. It is much harder for a planet to have the stability necessary for a habitable atmosphere with the potential fluctuations of a binary star system. Without as many single stars it made sense that it was exceedingly unlikely for life to form outside of our solar system.”
“I think it’d be nice,” Hotch murmured, not really thinking about what he was saying.
“What’s that?”
“Oh, ah,” Hotch stammered, a little embarrassed to have the comment acknowledged. He felt his neck growing warm as he tried to make out a reply. “Well, having two suns. I think it could be nice."
 “Why?” Spencer was genuinely curious.
“Um, I guess, I imagine it would be warmer for one,” he paused before adding on, waiting to see what Spencer’s reaction might be. He could almost hear the wheels of his mind turning with all the reasons Hotch’s logic was faulty. He hurried on before he became too self-conscious to finish his thought. “And, I’ve just never really liked the night, all the darkness. Maybe with two suns we could have a little more light in the world.”
Instead of responding, Spencer remained quiet, surprised by this uncharacteristically whimsical thought. Hotch could feel his whole neck had turned red, along with the warming tips of his ears.
“I—I don’t really like the night either,” he tried to sympathize. “It can feel…overwhelming.”
They sat for a moment, not sure where to take this or how the facts had turned into feelings.
“I’m happy I have you to talk to though.”
It was simple, but it was true and sweet and Hotch smiled, closing his eyes to better absorb the words.
“I’m happy too, Spencer.”
Now they were both blushing, the depth of meaning behind these brief statements readily apparent. For a moment, feeling the heat dancing across his face, Hotch wondered if this wasn’t a mistake. Maybe he was allowing things to become something irresponsible, something he couldn’t so easily walk back. He pictured Spencer, sitting across from him, animated and full of life, pulling further away from the shadows that teased around the edges. It didn’t matter, he decided. It didn’t matter what this was, only that they had found a hand to hold through the night.
“So, what else have you got for me?”
~Part 3~
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Sweet Pandemonium - Gally (The Maze Runner) Part 5 of 16
That fact that I’m more consistent in these posts than I am with my schoolwork...RIP my college education 🤪
~~~~~~~~~~
(not my GIF :) )
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To think the day wouldn’t get any weirder, and yet, Jeff seemed to drop the bomb that made your head spin.
“What?” You stuttered. You thought you only hallucinated the girl saying your name before, in the Box. “No, that can’t be right, man.”
Jeff shrugged. “I heard what I heard.”
“Geez, were you stung by a Griever or something?” You snapped, making Jeff hold his hands up in fake surrender.
“We should both go talk to her then if that’s the case. Plus, you’re a girl too. It might make her feel more at ease.” Thomas suggested.
“Oh, you noticed?” You huffed.
Thomas gently grabbed your upper arm, forcing you to walk with him. “Look, I know this situation is weird. Really weird. But we need to find out what she knows, why she’s here, and if she feels the way we do.”
You lightly shook your head, running your fingers through the knots in your hair. “I don’t know...this whole thing is messed up. I still have no clue why we feel connected in some way, man. Ugh, I feel my headache coming back...”
“Hey, I don’t either. But we should at least try to understand, okay?” 
You sighed. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. I mean, two strangers going up to talk to her at once, don’t you think she’d feel a bit ambushed? I would.”
“Yeah, okay, fine. But stay at the tower, alright?” You nodded reluctantly, Thomas giving you a reassuring smile. “Okay then, let’s go.”
Gally glared at Thomas as he walked up to the tower with you by his side. “Hey, it’s Thomas!” Thomas called up to the girl, and she stopped throwing rocks at the Gladers.
The girl peaked her head over the side of the tower, and you gave a little wave. “I’m going up, alone.” Thomas announced, giving you a light nod.
All the Gladers started to saunter away as Thomas carefully ascended the ladders of the tower. “Man, is this what all girls are like?” Fry voiced.
“Hey!” You pretended to be offended.
Fry paled at your tone, suddenly becoming a stuttering mess. “Well, I mean, well, I didn’t mean, uh, you just, uh, it’s like you’re one of us. Not like a boy! Uh-”
“Chill, Fry.” Gally chuckled, waving him off. “He’s got a point though. You definitely weren’t this hostile when you came up.”
“Probably cause I wasn’t constantly harassed with questions I didn’t know the answer to.”
Gally rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Come on, let’s leave the Greenies alone.” He said, turning around, giving you a look of confusion when you didn’t follow suit. “What?”
“She might need back up.” You shrugged.
Gally snorted. “From that shank?” When he saw you were actually staying, his amused face fell. “Something about girls gotta stick together or something, huh?”
You smiled weakly. “Something like that.”
Gally huffed, throwing his arms up weakly. “Fine. You know where to find me.” He said then walked away, catching up with the other Gladers.
It was a few minutes of waiting before Thomas called out for you. “You can come up.”
“You sure?” You asked, only for Thomas to wave you up as a response. “Alright then...” You mumbled to yourself, climbing the sets of ladders.
You almost gasped when you saw the girl holding a machete by her side. “Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Thomas quickly reassured you.
“I’d very much like it if she put the machete down.” You said with a nervous chuckle.
The girl reluctantly handed the blade over to Thomas, and you felt safe enough to fully enter the top of the watch tower.
“You’re Y/N then?” The girl voiced.
You nodded. “Yep, that would be me.”
“This is Teresa.” Thomas introduced.
“Wow, she remembered her name already?” Thomas nodded. “Well, nice to meet you, Teresa.” You said, her name flowing off your tongue perfectly.
Thomas handed you a couple vials of blue liquid, and you looked to him with confusion. “What’s this?”
Thomas immediately huffed, leaning back defeatedly. “I was really hoping you’d have some idea.”
You furrowed your brows together. “Why would I know?”
“Teresa and I already talked about this. It seems like we’re the only ones that are different.”
“What, different how?”
“We feel connected, you and me, Teresa and I...and we can remember certain things too.”
“Can you remember anything?” Teresa asked, and you quietly sucked in a breath.
“I have these weird dreams...but, I thought they were just dreams, you know. I saw you, Thomas, in my dreams. And I heard this woman speaking-”
“Saying that wicked is good?” Thomas interrupted, making you blink in shock.
“Yeah...” You whispered softly.
All three of you seemed to not know what to say after that. Looking out the tower, you saw Gally from afar, looking at the three of you sitting together with his arms crossed. Seeing him in a dream felt even weirder to you almost, especially since he was struggling from what you could decipher. But you felt no reason to give out that information, knowing that Teresa and Thomas couldn’t be able to tell you even if they wanted to.
You looked down to the vials in your hands, seeing the W.C.K.D logo that seemed to be everywhere around the Glade and the Glade’s supplies. “What do you think these do?” You voiced, not really expecting a real answer. “There’s a needle at the tip, like a syringe or something.”
“I thought about that too.” Thomas paused. “Maybe they could help Alby.”
“We don’t even know what it is though.”
“Probably not gonna damage him anymore than he already is, could it?” Thomas shrugged.
“I suppose it’s worth a try.” You stood up. “We should tell Newt.” You reached out a hand to Teresa, offering her a smile. Giving back a smile, she took your hand and you lifted her up.
You, Thomas, and Teresa all walked to the Med-jacks, seeing Newt already there watching over Alby. “What is it?” Newt asked.
“These were in Teresa’s pocket when she came up.” You said, handing the vials to Newt.
“We think it can help Alby.” Thomas said.
“We don’t even know what this stuff is. We don’t know who sent it, or why it came up with you. I mean, for all we know, this thing could kill him.” Newt fussed.
“He’s already dying. Look at him. How could this possibly make it any worse?” Thomas said. “Come on, it’s worth a try.”
Newt looked on at Alby, debating it for a minute before he finally gave his answer. “Alright...do it.” He said to Thomas, handing him a vial.
Thomas quickly went over to a struggling Alby, situating the syringe to his skin. “Okay...”
Everyone jumped in shock as Alby suddenly grabbed a hold of Thomas. “You shouldn’t be here! You shouldn’t be here!” Alby screamed at him, his eyes open wide in fear.
You and everyone in the room quickly went to hold Alby down as he fought to free himself. “Get the syringe!”
Teresa quickly injected the syringe into Alby, him immediately calming and passing out. “Well...that worked.” Jeff said.
“Geez...” You exhaled a shaky breath and placing a hand over your chest, feeling your heart beat rapidly. “I, uh, need to take a breather.”
“Okay, from now on, someone stays here and watches him around the clock.” You heard Newt say as you exited the room, walking out of the building to take some needed deep breaths.
It was dark out, and you could feel the weight of your tiredness hit you as the cool night air blew past you. You were actually looking forward to sleep. But then seeing Gally walk up to you made you remember you couldn’t sleep in your comfortable hammock that night. “Hey...” He said.
“It’s time, huh?” You weakly smiled.
“Hey, I’ll try to make it up to you, okay?”
“No need, Gally. I broke the rules, plain and simple. Shall I go get Thomas?” You asked, pointing back to the building you just exited.
Gally rolled his eyes. “No. I’d prefer to walk with you without that shank.”
“Well,” You motioned in the direction of the Slammer, “lead the way, Captain.”
You noticed Gally glancing at you from time to time on the way to the Slammer. “What?”
Gally sighed softly. “I just really wish I didn’t get you punished for something stupid...”
“And what about Thomas?” You smiled playfully.
“That shank actually deserved to be punished.” He scowled.
“Why do you hate Thomas so much?” You asked, starting to get really annoyed all of a sudden.
Gally shook his head disapprovingly. “He’s changing everything. He’s gonna destroy everything, everything that we’ve worked so hard to build. He’s probably gonna get us killed. And that girl...who knows what she’s gonna do.”
“The girl’s name is Teresa...”
Gally stopped walking half way to the Slammer, turning to you with a slight glare. “What you said about Thomas...did you mean that?”
You were rendered speechless. You had no idea how Gally would react if you buckled down on your feeling about Thomas...and now Teresa. Would he start to dislike you too? “I...” You stuttered.
“You said you felt like you knew him. Why?”
“I...I really don’t know why. It’s just a feeling...”
“And the girl, Teresa, what about her? I heard she was saying your name too. And you all were talking up on the tower.”
You sighed, reluctantly nodding, not being able to lie to Gally. “I don’t know what’s going on, Gal...” You whispered. He kept his typical harsh expression plastered on his face, his grip on his torch tightening slightly. “I guess you hate me now, huh...” 
Gally sighed through his nose, turning back to continue walking to the Slammer.
You tried not to tear up as you kept following after him, trying not to trip over roots and twigs that littered the ground as Gally kept his torch in front in him.
Gally opened up one of the Slammer doors, waiting for you to get in the makeshift cell, avoiding your eyes.
You walked up to the cell, but stopping in front of Gally. He didn’t even look at you. “Gal...” He briefly met your gaze. “...I’m sorry.”
Gally didn’t say anything as you entered the cell, taking a seat against the back wall. He paused for a moment, keeping the cell door as he looked at you. He took a deep breath, “I don’t hate you, Y/N.”
You looked up at Gally, who already locked you in the Slammer for the night. You gave him a thankful smile. The torch was the only thing illuminating his face, giving his features a soft orange glow from the fire.
But it was enough light to see he gave you a smile back before he left to go get your Slammer buddy.
Usually, spending the night in the Slammer would be extremely uncomfortable. It was, but with Thomas in the cell next to you, it wasn’t too bad. Plus, Chuck brought you food, which you told him to remind you to give him a giant bear hug when you got out in the morning. Or just let him have half of whatever Frypan would cook up the next day.
Thomas was excited for his first proper run, which you thought was absolutely insane. But after overhearing his and Chuck’s conversation, you felt a burning passion to escape the goddamn maze, if not for you then for Chuck.
Thomas seemed like he could find a way out.
Only living in the Glade for just over a month, you never had enough time to adjust to the idea that you’d be trapped forever. You still had hope, and hopefully it was a good thing. Unlike Gally, someone who’s been trapped for so long he’s grown used to being in the Glade. It almost seems like he’d forgotten that he was even trapped, it’s home to him now.
The thought that Gally had lost hope a long time ago made you incredibly sad. None of you deserved to be trapped in the Glade. It might’ve been silly, but you really had hope for Thomas, for him to finally be the one to get everyone out of this mess.
The thought alone kept your hope ignited for a better future, and you wanted Gally to be in that future. 
You just hoped he felt he same, even if you had a different perspective than he had.
~~~~~~~~~~
I’m starting to forget how to movie goes lmao. I’ll have to rewatch it😂 
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piracytheorist · 3 years
Text
A ridiculously needed defense of Mia Winters
(and I say ridiculously because I don't particularly care for her as a character. But I care for Ethan, and I care that he went through so much shit to save her and never gave up or even thought to, so by extension Mia needs to make sense to me so I need to have a clear image of her in my mind to justify Ethan's ridiculously brave actions in re7, and his devotion to her in re8. But also because my experience watching the show Once Upon a Time and engaging with its fandom has taught me to not hate on characters when they're not fully fleshed out and their bad actions are not adequately explained, especially when said characters are women written by men. And considering that Ethan himself is not fully fleshed out in re7 either, it's no wonder Mia's character is suffering)
So. I'm not here to tell people they're wrong to hate or even just dislike or distrust Mia. That's not my point. But if you do continue to read after the title, you're checking in on your own accord. And my main gripe with people hating on Mia is that they seem to dislike her character when the game itself didn't give much of a good basis on her character in the first place. So yeah, being a woman myself and having seen how fandoms work, I do tend to get a little pissed when people (no matter their gender) are so ready to hate on female characters for no good reason.
Now, I'm not saying Mia is a saint, far from it. RE7 makes clear she holds a lot of the responsibility for what happened, and she even accepts that. But she's also been given redeeming qualities, if you're willing to look for them.
The first glimpse we get of Mia is of her sending a happy message to Ethan, then immediately after we see her admit her wrong and warn him to stay away from her. There's a reason we even get the second video, and that's called setting. The writers wanted Mia to be shown as protective over Ethan while also accepting responsibility from the very first moment - and it's something that repeats itself when we do find her. She apparently has no idea she asked Ethan to come, she self-harms in an effort to stop hurting him, and even through Eveline's control she manages to tell him to leave her.
(like idk why people take lightly the fact that she fucking banged her head on a wall, giving herself a concussion, all in an effort to protect Ethan from what she knew she had turned into but leave it to a fandom to underplay self-harm I guess)
But that's only from the beginning, and from the confused POV of Ethan and a first time player. In Mia's flashback, we see that she'd been given orders that should Eveline get out of control, she had to be eliminated. Now, Eveline had grown fond of Mia, and she was super powerful herself. Taking a powerful being on your side and using them to be on top? That's a super villain origin story if I ever heard one. But Mia doesn't even consider it, from the first moment that civilians are getting in danger, she's ready to eliminate Eveline.
And that's when the first holes start appearing. For what kinds of wars did Mia know that Eveline was made for? How long had she been working with The Connections? Was it before or after marrying Ethan? How did they approach her? How did they know she'd be okay with making a bioweapon to assist in wars? And as herself, how deep was she willing to go in terms of human experimentation?
That's all stuff we have no way of knowing, and frankly any answer, from one extreme to the other, can be assumed. For all we know The Connections approached her, and before she had even realized she was assisting them in creating Eveline. So in general I feel it's kinda unbased to jump on the Mia Hating Train so easily when there's so much missing from the whole story.
Though again, I’m not here to tell people what to like and what not to like. It’s just that I feel there’s a bit too much focus on how Mia is such a horrible person and the true villain of the story and like, it’s getting super tiring, entering fandoms and seeing people being so fucking pissed at some characters. Like, ok. You can’t like everything. But it feels like some people are trying to make that everyone else’s problem.
And the victim blaming is not helping, either. People say all of what happened in re8 is Mia’s fault because she didn’t tell Ethan the truth about what he is, and like. Are we fucking serious. Like I see people call Chris dumb for not explaining the story to Ethan from the beginning, and how it could’ve made things much more simpler if he had, but I don’t think I’ve seen anyone call him the villain of the story (if anything because without him being cryptic we wouldn’t have had the story in the first place). He had his reasons to be cryptic, and if you pause your hate train for a moment, you’ll realize Mia had her reasons as well. We don’t know how long she knew that Ethan was all mold - she wasn’t even conscious during the moment Jack killed Ethan in the first place to see how serious the injury was. For all we knew she only noticed while being pregnant with Rose, or after she was born - so we can’t really blame her for not speaking up. If anything, considering she did realize it and still she stayed with him and knew he and his feelings mattered (”We matter, Ethan! You matter!”) is a big thing. She also seemed to want to tell him, but like, how do you even begin such a discussion? Ethan also saw that she was troubled; you can’t convince me that they were like this, with Ethan knowing she was holding something from him, and Mia knowing and knowingly having a child with him who would definitely be infected by Mold, for three fucking years.
Like at some point you start going like “They can’t have shown us such a fucking toxic relationship and expected us to feel sad for Mia at the end.” But like, people do believe that yes they intended them to be so toxic and Mia to be such a horrible person and for us to just shrug at it, so of course they would blame everything on Mia and not like, idk, Miranda, who was actually the one actively harming the entire Winters family. Or that Rose getting kidnapped was because Mia had been working with The Connections, and that’s how Miranda found out about her, and I’m like, y’all can’t separate butterfly effect from actual blame, can you? Ethan and Mia decided to have a kid two whole years after the Baker incident - when they felt they were safe, on the clear from whatever could be chasing them. They were on witness protection, the newspaper Ethan looks at in the beginning says that Ethan and Mia’s whereabouts are unknown; they were understandably feeling safe to move on with their lives, until someone from The Connections found where Mia was, and through them Miranda was able to learn about Rose. That’s an entirely different concept from Mia being careless or carrying the entire blame for Rose getting kidnapped or Ethan being self-sacrificingly determined to save her. But of course, let’s hate on Mia and then seriously ship Ethan with the villains because they have redeeming qualities and Mia doesn’t ig
I don’t know. Maybe I’m a bit too jumpy of people hating on female characters. But on the other hand, it says a lot that I don’t really care much for Mia or her character, so it’s not like I feel defensive because my fave is receiving hate. If anything, Ethan is my fave, he gets much more uncalled-for hate and I just shrug that off because who gives a fuck about them haters right. But with Ethan... I feel that the hate he receives is mostly because he subverted expectations; he’s not your average trained badass who knows what he’s doing and remains calm through anxious situations, he’s the exact opposite, and people hate on him for not being the former like... you’re missing the entire point of Ethan purposefully being clueless, panicking, saying cringy-ass quips, and honestly, your fucking loss lmao. With Mia, it feels like people choose to see the worst in her when there aren’t too many things to see. And knowing stuff about the world of gaming, it’s fucking telling. In the world of fandom, that’s just fucking annoying. I hate stuff too. But after a certain point you learn to not make your biases everybody else’s problem. Or at least you should. What would I know, being here hoping fandoms could be calmer places.
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everamazingfe · 3 years
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Magic in the Mundane
Fic Summary: Everyone had something special about them, their own personal bit of magic. Most found out about their abilities early, but Gavin had always been a bit of a late bloomer. Luckily, Michael comes by to help him put the pieces together. 
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Words in this chapter: 5521 Pairings: Gavin Free/Michael Jones Warnings for this chapter: None
Notes: Written for Kait (@uy8hg) for the RT Writer’s Discord Secret Sunshine event! All of her prompts were amazing and I spent far too long trying to decide between them, but I'm so glad that I decided to go with this one because it was so much fun to write. Check the source for a link to read it over on A 0 3!
Prompt: Someone discovers a new power or something that they find really cool, and they want to show it off to everyone else, with varying levels of success.
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In a world full of wonder, it wasn’t always easy to appreciate the beauty in the mundane, but those who had magic running through their veins found it quite simple. The way that magic would manifest itself in those people wasn’t always the same, though. Sometimes, the magic was in their personality. Jack had a warmth about him that could make anyone’s day better in a matter of seconds. Trevor’s charisma was off the charts, he was such a smooth talker that it was hard for anyone to dislike him unless they really tried. Other times, it was in their looks. Alfredo had a smile that could light up any room, big and beaming and bright enough to outshine the sun. Geoff had amazingly artistic tattoos that seemed to come alive if one looked at them a little too long (he would always deny this, but there was a gleam in his eye that made everyone think twice about his words). Sometimes, it was something else entirely. Their magic came in the form of special abilities, of genuine magic. Lindsay could speak to animals, using their skills for good a majority of the time, but otherwise causing mischief. Michael could create just as well as he could destroy, rendering entire buildings obsolete and creating new ones in their wake. 
There was a little bit of magic in everything, but oftentimes there were those that couldn’t see it in themselves. That was where Gavin stood. He was a smooth talker, sure, but not as smooth as Trevor. His smile wasn’t as bright as Alfredo’s. He didn’t have any magical abilities. Though he was welcomed into their group, he didn’t feel as though he belonged. He didn’t have any magic. They insisted that he was part of their crew, magic or not, and that he was welcome, but sometimes he didn’t want their comforts. He just wanted to be left alone. It was hard enough to be the lone member of the mundane in their little crew, he didn’t want their pity points on top of it. Still, it didn’t stop them from trying to help.
“Maybe you’re just a late bloomer?” Fiona suggested to him late one evening when the sun had already set, laid out on her back on the roof of a building Michael had created just for her. Her magic was her ability to be good at anything she set her mind to, with an unwavering confidence that Gavin admired (and sometimes envied), even when it was misplaced. “Or you could just be totally oblivious to it. That’s always an option.”
He let out a soft sigh, shrugging a shoulder as he turned his head to look at her. “Someone else would’ve noticed it in me by now though, I think. Everyone has something, even if they're not the ones who see it.” Those who had magic were usually pretty good at picking it out in others. It had been how those without genuine magic had discovered theirs. How Jack had discovered his warmth, how Ky had discovered her strength, and so on. 
Fiona bit her lip, going quiet. He had a point there, but she didn’t want to admit it. She hated when he was right. “Maybe your magic is just being an idiot?” There was a grin on her lips, but the way that she spoke made it sound like a genuine suggestion. Gavin couldn’t help but burst out into laughter, his and Fiona’s giggles echoing out across the landscape. 
“Kind of a shitty magic, don’t you think, Fifi?” He asked finally, when his sides ached from laughing and his lungs begged for air. “I know Michael would certainly agree with you, but… I really hope that’s not it.”
“I don’t know, Gavvy. Could be. But I hope that’s not it too. I think you’re made for something a bit better than that.” Instead of pity, or jokes, she gave him a vote of confidence, and there was a little gleam that formed in Gavin’s eyes at her words. 
“You mean that?” 
“Of course I do! 
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The day after speaking to Fiona, Gavin was still thinking about her words. Despite how good it had made him feel in the moment, they’d ended up putting him in a worse mood than usual, and it was hard for him to even begin thinking about the magic he might have held. Was he really meant for something better than the idiocy his friends assigned to him? He wasn’t sure. 
He’d set out on a hike, outside of the city that they’d made for themselves and into the woods surrounding it. Some time out in nature always made him feel better, more at ease, more connected to the magic of the world around him. The small nuances on how the ecosystem worked together to thrive always intrigued him, and he was jealous of how cohesive it all could be. 
“I’m just a bit too all over the place for it, I guess,” he muttered to himself, taking a seat on a fallen tree. The moss was soft beneath him, and he ran his fingers over it as he talked to himself. Working through his thoughts aloud always made them feel less jumbled. 
A figure sat down beside him with a heavy sigh, and a hand was placed over his. “Don’t beat yourself too much, Gav,” Geoff said quietly, wrapping his arm around Gavin and pulling himself close. “We can’t all be something special, otherwise there wouldn’t be anything special at all.”
Gavin let out a long sigh, leaning into the gent when he was pulled in. He’d stopped asking how Geoff could find him so easily long ago. It was the same answer every time, ‘I just know where to look, you assholes aren’t exactly all that hard to find,’ said with that same glint in his eye. “Yeah, I know. But it’d be nice to be able to do something more than exist.” 
Geoff hummed softly, rubbing his thumb gently over Gavin’s shoulder. It always made him feel guilty when any of his friends were upset, particularly Gavin, but he’d been so hung up on the same thing for so long. “Are you sure you don’t just want an excuse for the attention to be back on you for a change?”
The lad sat up quickly, pulling away from Geoff and cutting him a confused look. “The hell’s that supposed to mean?” 
“I’m just saying! Going around talking to everyone, being all mopey about not having magic? Pretty good way to get everyone to pay attention to you for a change, right?”
Gavin scoffed at the notion, pushing Geoff away from him. “That’s not what I’m doing at all!” 
“Are you sure?” He asked, arching an eyebrow as Gavin stood up suddenly. 
“Yes.” They’d had a few new members join their ranks, and attention was divided as they worked to expand their little city and network with others, but he hadn’t minded people paying less attention to him. If anything, he enjoyed it. It meant there was less pressure on him to perform. “Now, I’m going. And this time, you’re not allowed to search for me.” 
He didn’t even know where he was going, he just wanted to go away. He wondered if that’s what everyone thought, or if Geoff was just trying to get a rise out of him. If they all thought that way, they’d certainly never said anything of the sort, but this was how people were going to treat him, Gavin didn’t want to be around them.
“What a dick,” he muttered to himself, pulling his cloak tighter around himself as he walked deeper into the forest. It was a beautiful green and gold tapestry, the hues blending together to make a simple but pleasing pattern. The threads had been hand-woven by Matt and enchanted to protect its wearer from whatever may come their way, and it did a remarkable job. 
As he ventured deeper into the woods, the trees grew taller and thicker, blocking out the sun’s rays and sending a chill through the air. As the coldness began to creep in, the cloak kept him warm and made him feel safe. However, it couldn’t protect him from the turmoil inside his own mind. 
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In the city center, Michael was having a different sort of crisis, and his angry shouting could be heard all across the land. 
“You said what to him?!’
His relationship to Gavin was indiscernible at best, no one knew whether they were deeply in love or mortal enemies, but one thing was certain: he was fiercely protective of the fact that he was the only one allowed to bully Gavin, and anyone else could only do so with his permission. Whether they were soulmates or archnemesis, Gavin was his boi first and foremost. 
“I just suggested that maybe being an idiot was his form of magic! It was funny, we were both laughing!” Fiona said, completely oblivious to the way that Michael was shooting daggers her way. Usually Michael played along with her playful teasing of Gavin, so when he didn’t continue to make jokes, she looked over. “Don’t you give me that look, you’re thinking it too.”
“I’m not, though.” Fiona scoffed, and Michael all but growled. “I’m not. You all underestimate him, and when he does find his magic, you’re going to be blown away. All of you will be.” There was a special sort of conviction to his words, one that was usually reserved for saying the most ridiculous things completely stone-faced. 
Michael stormed off after that, ignoring Fiona’s demands for him to keep hanging out with her. Movement came from the bushes on the outskirts of their community, spotted just out of the corner of his eye, but his attention snapped towards it in an instant only to reveal that the movement was caused by Geoff. His eyebrows furrowed as the other tried to pretend like he wasn’t covered in burrs and twigs, like he wasn’t trying to sneak out of the brush and back into the city unnoticed.
“Do you know where Gavin is?” he asked instantly, lifting a hand swiftly to raise a dirt wall behind Geoff, who was trying to retreat back into the bushes as quickly as he’d come out of them. 
“Why would I know where he is?” Geoff asked, his voice pitchy and lilted like he certainly did know where Gavin was, but also that he knew that revealing that information would get him in more trouble with Michael than not at the same time. 
Michael’s eyes narrowed, and he stepped forward, the ground beneath his feet rumbling and propelling him like a moving walkway until he was nose to nose with Geoff. “Because you know where everyone is, you always know.” 
There wasn’t fear in Geoff’s eyes, but the man’s chest rose and fell rapidly with anxious breaths. The staredown was long and tense, though he eventually relented, letting out a long sigh as the wall behind him fell. He wasn’t going anywhere. “I spoke to him in the woods maybe an hour ago, he told me that I’m not allowed to look for him, but here.” He reached into his gear, pulling out a weathered piece of parchment that was rolled and tied with a thin strip of leather. A map, one that he’d made with the same magic that lived in his tattoos, that not only held the lay of the land but also markers for everyone who lived in it. Geoff offered it to Michael, who quickly swiped it from him and unrolled it. “He never said anything about you going after him.” 
The lad hummed quietly as his eyes scanned the map for the forest green marker that indicated Gavin’s name, wordlessly stepping beyond the brush and into the woods towards it. 
“I don’t even get a thank you?!” Geoff cried out behind him, annoyed by the lack of gratitude. The ground beneath his feet rose suddenly, knocking him off his feet and onto the earth. He cried out, flailing his arms in an attempt to stop himself from falling, but it was futile. Michael was already gone.
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The woods looked easy to traverse on the map, and they most likely would have been if Michael had stayed on the trails, but he opted to make a beeline towards Gavin. The terrain was rocky and there were steep cliffs off the beaten path, but it was nothing that he couldn’t handle. He could mend and mold the earth to make it easier to traverse, creating stairs along the cliff faces for an easy descent. The climate was what was really getting to him. The chill in the air was unbearable for him, only getting worse as the sun began to dip down, and he had a bear’s pelt to keep him warm. Gavin’s frame was thinner and frailer than his own, he most likely wasn’t faring any better.
He lit a torch as night fell, raising up dirt and stone walls around himself to block out the cold and keep himself safe from the nocturnal monsters around him. After jamming the torch into the wall, he unfurled his map and saw that Gavin’s marker had stopped moving and was instead spinning around in frantic circles. Evidently, he was trying to make camp for the night as well. With a swift movement of his hand, miles away on the other side of the woods, similar walls raised up around Gavin, and the marker finally stopped moving. Satisfied that his boi was safe, he settled down, wrapping his pelt around himself tightly for warmth as he laid down to sleep. 
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Gavin was startled as the dirt walls rose up around him, terrified that something was trying to trap him within them, though he quickly became at ease when he realized what it meant. Geoff had listened and wasn’t going to be searching for him, but Michael was certainly looking out for him instead. The fear that came from being alone out there dissipated as he ran his fingers down the dirt, pulling out several clumps of roots and knocking bits of earth loose. Dirt walls were less than fancy, but they were a great comfort regardless.
He slept easily through the night with a newfound sense of safety, his cloak pulled tightly around himself for warmth. It worked wonders against the cold. As the sun began to rise, it didn’t emerge from the clouds, the sky grey and dreary as rain began to fall. Gavin could hear the rain hitting the tops of the trees, but even as he began to move none of the drops ever hit him. Above him, the branches of the trees bent and molded, shielding him from the downpours as he walked. No doubt this is Michael’s doing, he thought to himself, a small smile forming on his lips. No matter how much they seemed to argue, the other lad still managed to be protective of him. It was something he was always grateful for, even when the others seemed to give him shit for it. 
His pace that day was slower, more leisurely now that he had calmed down some, but he still had no intentions of going back to the city. If Michael was the only one who cared enough to come for him, they could start their own city far, far away. Together. He quickly shook the thought from his mind, pushing his hood down and taking a look around. Though the trees were tall above him for now, he knew that if he just kept going they’d give way to a beautiful, grassy plain. He couldn’t wait to walk on grass again, the dirt and stones beneath him were starting to make his feet ache. 
Several yards from where he’d first had that thought, he had to stop, kneeling down to untie his boots so he could re-lace them tightly. Moving slowly, he bent down, not wanting to end up with another cut on his knee from landing too hard on a rock like he’d already done far too many times this trek. But the terrain beneath his knee was soft, and as he looked down at his boot, he saw that there was soft, lush grass beneath him. Not dirt. 
“What on earth?” He asked himself, brushing his fingers through it. There was some grass on the forest floor around him, but it was rough and patchy, nothing like this. “Michael’s really outdone himself this time.” With that thought, he smiled to himself before continuing to lace up his boots with deft fingers. Before he stood, he spotted a small wildflower that had bloomed among the blades , and he gently picked it and placed it behind his ear. “What a dope.”
What Gavin didn’t know was that Michael didn’t have the ability to create foliage or flowers underfoot. No one in their community did. And with each step that Gavin took, more of it sprouted up from the dirt beneath him. 
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Night fell again soon enough, and Gavin wasn’t sure where he was. He could’ve sworn that the forest gave way into plains at this point, but instead he found himself in the middle of the desert. Stupidly, he’d continued on, just in case the plains were just beyond it, though now he was too tired to turn back. 
“Maybe Fiona was right,” he muttered as he sat down in the sand, digging his toes into it and wiggling them for some amusement as he propped his cloak up over himself like an umbrella. It was nighttime now, but it would be morning again soon enough. He didn’t want to end up burnt to a crisp before he even woke up. No walls came up around Gavin this time either, so it was up to him to protect himself. 
Gavin leaned forward against his knees, peering up at the night sky for a few long moments. Jeremy had spent many long nights back in the city teaching him the constellations and the stars within them, though he could never tell which ones were real and which ones the lad had made up for his own amusement. Orion was certainly real, but Beauregard’s Chariot was almost certainly not. Almost. He picked that one out, finding comfort in its familiarity, before he decided it was time to get some rest. Toes still in the sand, he laid back, arms crossed beneath his head as he closed his eyes. He had been so focused on the sky that he was unaware of what was happening in the sand beneath him. 
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With Gavin’s slowed pace, Michael was able to start gaining on him. He raced through the trees with even greater speed now that he was beyond the craggy cliffs and difficult landscape, the earth moving beneath him to propel him along. By nighttime, he’d closed in on Gavin’s position, and he was stunned by what he saw.
Smack dab in the middle of the desert, where not even cacti could manage to survive due to the horrible heat and scorching sunbeams, Gavin found himself within an oasis. That same lush grass and wildflowers were no longer just underfoot, but in a wide circle around the lad, almost tall enough to completely hide him from Michael’s view. Small trees were even beginning to grow, supporting Gavin’s cloak above him in place of the flimsy sticks he’d set up before. 
“Gavin?” Michael called softly, stepping forward with caution in case it was a facade, a trap of some sort. The desert was known for causing hallucinations, for preying on the hope of the desperate. That was the kind of magic it held, and it was very skillful at using it. But as he knelt down at the edge of the circle and reached forward to feel the greenery, sure enough, it was real. “What the hell? Gavin! Wake the fuck up!”
The lad sat bolt upright with a start, catching himself in his cloak and fighting it off with all the fierceness of a kitten. Sleep was still gripping him, catching him somewhere between being wide awake and deep asleep, but he was quickly coming to. “Who’s there?!” He shouted, finally tossing his cape away from himself and looking around in confusion. “Michael?” That wasn’t the last thing he expected to see out there, but it wasn’t the first either. “What are you doing here, Michael?”
It had taken everything in Michael not to laugh at the display in front of him, but he quickly wiped the smirk off his face to look offended when Gavin addressed him so incredulously. “Jeez, don’t sound so happy to see me,” he drawled, rolling his eyes before shuffling forward on his knees. “Mind telling me what all this is?” He arched an eyebrow, gesturing to the small haven among the sand. 
However, Gavin had no more answers than Michael did. “I’m not… I’m not sure what it is,” he responded earnestly, glancing between it and the other lad before reaching for his cloak. “I thought you were doing it. You’re not?” Michael shook his head fervently, and Gavin only frowned as he pulled the garment on. “Then who is?”
Michael shrugged a shoulder, humming a soft ‘I don’t know’ before standing, stalking around the mysterious growth. This wasn’t anything that anyone he knew could do, and when he tried to make it happen himself, all he could do was raise the earth itself. He couldn’t make anything grow from it. Which left only one option…
“Come here,” he said suddenly, and Gavin looked at him like he’d asked him to do something insane. “Stand up! Get the hell over here!” When there was still no movement from him, Michael reached forward, hauling Gavin to his feet and yanking him out of the circle. Sure enough, grass sprouted up beneath the lad’s feet, extending the circle and connecting it to wherever he stepped. “Holy shit… Gavin! Look!”
Gavin had thought that Michael was angry at him, scolding him, but the tone of his voice was nothing but excited. Thrilled, even. He followed Michael’s gaze down to his feet, but he wasn’t quick enough to put the pieces together like the other had. “This happened to me back in the forest too! I don’t know what’s going on!”
“You’ve found your magic, that’s what’s going on!” Michael was practically screaming, bouncing on the balls of his feet and looking at Gavin with a big beaming grin. “You can make stuff grow! That’s incredible!” 
That made things click for Gavin, finally, and his grin ended up matching Michael’s. “I can make stuff grow!” Geoff was going to be blown away, everyone was. He wondered if Michael would be okay with them going back to the city immediately, they’d be able to get there by morning thanks to his abilities. “Fiona was right!”
The other bristled immediately, his grin turning to a frown in a fraction of a second. “Fiona was… Right?” She’d told Gavin that his magic was being stupid, that his special ability was being an idiot. This certainly wasn’t that, not by a long shot. “Gavin, this isn’t stupid. This is awesome! Fiona wasn’t right.”
“What? What are you on about? No, she… She said I was made for something better than what everyone else thought. And she was right! Oh, and she’s had such shit luck getting flowers to grow at her place too, no wonder!” Gavin threw his arms around Michael’s neck, wrapping him in a tight hug that was fueled by nothing but pure glee, and he could only hug him back just as tight. “We have to get back there, immediately. Everyone is going to be so jealous, Michael-boi.”
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Some proper rest would’ve been a great benefit to them both, but Gavin had insisted that they return to the city as quickly as possible. The moving ground beneath their feet made it a relatively quick task, and Michael had managed to find a well-worn trail that made it even easier. They were back in the city by sunrise, and while the excitement had died down in Michael to give way to sleepiness, Gavin was no less giddy. Probably because he’d climbed on Michael’s back at one point and managed a small nap. Lucky bastard, Michael had thought to himself when he’d heard the soft snoring in his ear, but he hadn’t woken him up. 
“Michael. Stop here, Michael,” Gavin urged, nearly losing his balance as the dirt beneath him ground to a halt suddenly. They were just outside the city, inside the same bushes that Geoff had attempted to sneak out of a few days prior, hidden from view as residents began to leave their houses to begin their tasks for the day. “I’m gonna get on your back-“
“You’re not taking another fucking nap,” Michael interjected, and the other huffed and waved him off. 
“No! I’m gonna get on your back so I can do a grand reveal, you dolt. The flowers appear when I step, and if I step too soon the surprise will be ruined!”
“Hey, assholes!” Jeremy’s voice boomed across the city center, no doubt hearing the commotion, and Gavin quickly began to scramble onto Michael’s back. 
“Ow! Watch it, you’re gonna knock off my glasses! Stop!” Michael huffed, swatting at Gavin’s hands as they reached for purchase anywhere they could. He stepped out of the bushes once he was settled, looking annoyed while the lad on his back was nothing but gleeful. “Hey, Lil J! I rescued our favorite dumbass. You’re welcome.”
Jeremy couldn’t help but laugh as Gavin let out a little ‘hello!’ and waved, though he was curious about why the other was on Michael’s back. It wasn’t unlike Gavin to demand piggy-back rides. Though normally once Jeremy was in view, he made it his mission to climb onto his shoulders instead. “Gav, are you hurt? What’s going on?” He stepped up with caution, ready to call for help if needed. Injuries weren’t uncommon, but if Gavin needed to be carried, it must’ve been serious. 
“No, the asshole’s not hurt. Not yet, at least. He’s just got a surprise for you,” Michael assured, rolling his eyes. “For everyone, actually. Do me a favor and ring the bell? They’re gonna want to be here for this.”
An eyebrow shot up, but Jeremy was quick to comply with the request. He crossed the city center, grabbing the rope and pulling it once, twice, three times to signal that it was a meeting of utmost importance, but not one that brought bad news. When the bell rang three times, it meant that there were good things to come.
Soon, all of the residents of the city were there, eagerly awaiting to learn the reason for this meeting. Very rarely did the bell ring thrice, and there were hushed whispers and guesses of what was to come. They all fell silent when Michael, with Gavin still on his back, stepped forward.
“I’ve found my magic,” Gavin announced, savoring the look on everyone’s faces as they processed that announcement. Particularly Geoff’s, whose face was twisted into one of apologetic guilt. A sense of satisfaction bubbled up inside of him at that. And of course Fiona was delighted, jumping up and down and pumping her fists, shouting ‘I knew it!’ before she even knew what Gavin’s magic was. It didn’t matter to her. Alfredo and Trevor were also excited, but only because their beloved Dusk Boy had finally joined their ranks, though Jack and Matt simply looked skeptical. He couldn’t blame them, really. Why now? Why did it take so long for him to find it? Those were the questions behind their eyes, and Gavin wished that he had answers for them.
When he felt like he’d let the suspense hang in there air for long enough, he stepped down. For a moment, nothing happened. Matt was about to open his mouth to complain about being dragged out of bed for a grand display of nothing. And then, all at once, a beautiful display of lush grass and flowers appeared at his feet. The more he focused on it, the bigger it grew and the more beautiful it became. No longer was it simply wildflowers, either. In the hours of their journey, he realized he could control the types of flowers that grew. He opted for sunflowers this time. Everyone knew that they were his favorite. It was proof that the magic was his, and not anyone else’s pretending to be his. 
The reactions were mixed, and Gavin deflated a little as several people seemed unimpressed and walked off to return to their duties. It wasn’t the most spectacular power in the world, he knew that, but it was his and he liked it. That was what mattered to him. There wasn’t much time for him to mope though, as Fiona quickly rushed him, wrapping him in a hug and lifting him off his feet. 
“Gavin!” she shouted, stepping back to inspect the flowers closer. She plucked a few blades of grass, feeling them between her fingers. After a few seconds, she gasped, her eyes lighting up. “You can help me grow flowers at my place!”
Gavin laughed, nodding quickly and beaming at her. He could always trust her to cheer him up. “I can, yeah. No wonder you’ve not been able to grow anything.”
“Yeah, cause you stole my green thumb! That’s hardly my fault.”
“Oh, I dunno about that. You should’ve been keeping a closer eye on it.”
They bickered back and forth, Michael watching with a tired but fond smile, until Fiona decided that she’d had enough and thumped Gavin on the side of the head before racing off. The lad was too exhausted to follow, so he just stepped over to Michael, the foliage underfoot following him as he went. Everyone else came up to congratulate him in time, Geoff doing that and apologizing for the harshness of his words in one awkward convoluted mess that Michael wasn’t even sure was an apology, but Gavin understood what the gent was trying to say. He’d learned to decode Geoff Speak over the years. 
Still, the person whose opinion Gavin valued the most was Michael’s, and once the excitement had died down and they’d retreated to their homes to rest, Michael stopped by to give it. 
“I’m real proud of you, Gav,” he said, making himself comfortable on the bed next to the lad without a second thought. 
“Proud of me?” he asked, snatching his blankets back from the lad as he tried to steal them. Michael always did this to him. 
“Yeah. Proud of you. For putting up with the bullshit and finding your magic. Even if it was a total accident.” Michael snorted out a soft laugh and smiled, crossing his arms beneath his head and looking over at the other. “You just lucked into it, just like you lucked into everything else.” 
“Including you?” Gavin arched an eyebrow as he met the other’s gaze, desperately wanting to wipe that smug look off his face.”
“Especially me, are you kidding?” That comment earned him a gentle smack to the chest, a kiss to the cheek, and a mutter of ‘I’m going to make a tree grow through your damn house.’
To everyone else, their relationship was indiscernible at best. But Michael and Gavin knew exactly what they were to each other, they didn’t need anyone else in their business about it. They were partners. Not just in life and love, but in their magic as well. As he learned how to hone and control his abilities, Gavin would decorate the city and beautify the buildings that Michael had created. And once he had mastered his skills, Michael began to create buildings specifically for Gavin to embellish. Dirt roofs became his signature style, the gravity-defying feature held together by the roots of the flowers that Gavin planted into them. The city had never looked better, and even those who were initially unimpressed by Gavin’s abilities had to admit that it was perfectly suited to him. He took great pride in rubbing it in their faces. 
Gavin was happy to not be a member of the mundane anymore. His spirits were higher, and he felt more useful to the city. His abilities, with more practice, extended beyond flowers and grass and into fruit and vegetable plants. The magic that Gavin held could sustain them all. 
But Gavin had always held magic within him, in Michael’s eyes. He had never been mundane. That gleam in his eye when he got another crazy idea to cause chaos was nothing if not supernatural, and his ability to find the fun in even the most boring of situations had proven to be valuable time and time again. It just hadn’t been the form of magic that Gavin had always desired, so he never took note of it despite it always being there. Michael was just glad he could finally see it in himself too. 
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anextraordinarymuse · 3 years
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How are you feeling about Nathan and Nathan and Elizabeth right now? Do you feel like the show has destroyed him? Just, how are you feeling about all this—what are your thoughts?
Oh anon, I’m so glad you asked. Buckle up! We’re going for a ride.
I would marry Nathan Grant this instant if 1) I wasn’t already married, and 2) he wasn’t a fictional character. 
Nathan is not even remotely close to being destroyed for me. I love and adore him as much right now as I ever have. I absolutely, wholeheartedly disagree with anyone who says that Nathan was in any way responsible for what happened to Jack, to any degree. That’s just ridiculous. By that same line of thinking, then Jack was responsible for Doug’s death in season 3 or 4 (I can’t remember). I don’t remember anyone pointing fingers at Jack for that series of events. And you know what? By the line of thinking that I’ve seen in regards to Nathan and the secret, then Jack would actually have been more responsible for Doug’s death than Nathan was for Jack’s. Jack declined his orders to go to the Northern Territories. He straight up said “sorry, but no” because Elizabeth wanted him to stay, and he wanted to stay with her. Nathan did no such thing. He made a decision to chase bad guys - which was in line with his job, if not his direct orders - and was disciplined for disobeying orders. That led to Jack being asked to lead the training mission. Not Nathan’s refusal of orders. So ... nope. Jack wasn’t responsible for Doug’s death, and Nathan wasn’t responsible for Jack’s death. Also, depending on who you are and what you believe, it could almost be said that Jack should have died in Doug’s place, and because he didn’t that meant he was going to die in Nathan’s place. There is a macabre sort of symmetry to it: Doug dies in Jack’s place, Jack dies in Nathan’s place. That’s full circle. 
Now, I’m not saying that I believe that. Just pointing it out. I believe that Jack died because of an accident. No one is at fault. It just happened, because sometimes bad things happen. And I understand how difficult it would have been for Nathan to tell Elizabeth that, especially as they got to know one another and he started to fall in love with her. Not telling her doesn’t make him evil or a bad person or whatever - it just makes him human. He knew that it would hurt Elizabeth, and you never want to hurt the people you love. 
I’ve seen various other criticisms of Nathan, of course. I’ve seen some comments saying that he’s too aggressive in his pursuit of Elizabeth, and to that I say that I don’t think I’m watching the same show. Nathan has never been aggressive with Elizabeth in any way. I could literally write a book about that argument, but I won’t, because I still have a lot of other points to cover. 
So, no. I don’t think the show ruined Nathan. I think some people are just ready to hate him for any reason, and if that’s how they feel then ... well, I don’t care, actually. The great thing about fandom is that you get to choose how you engage with it, and I’m not interested in those points of view. Other people’s dislike or outright hatred of Nathan does not dim my love of him one whit. 
As far as Nathan and Elizabeth are concerned, I am tired, but I have absolute faith that they will be together by the end of the season. Nathan is Elizabeth’s “next great love” (words used by Erin Krakow); we’ve always been moving toward their end game, and despite how rocky and painful and awkward the journey has become, that end game hasn’t changed. Here’s a (non-exhaustive) list of reasons why I know that:
Quality of storytelling: Nathan and Elizabeth have the highest quality of storylines both separately and together. Their storylines focus on real and important values such as family, forgiveness, growth, loss, etc. I’ve mentioned this before, but pretty much from their first interaction we are shown that Nathan and Elizabeth are a team. They are united. Elizabeth is the first person to welcome Nathan to HV, and she shares a personal story of her first days in the town and how challenging they were. It’s the first thread that connects them. Also, I should point out that the first time Nathan meets Elizabeth he delivers a measure of relief for her in the form of Jack’s pension. We know that Elizabeth makes money from her teaching, and that her family in Hamilton would probably never let her want for money, but still. Receiving Jack’s pension undoubtedly relieved a financial burden for her (as evidenced by her reaction to seeing the amount). Anyway, the themes of team and unity keep going from there. Elizabeth helps Nathan search for Allie; they have to work together to correct Allie’s behavior and reassure her; Elizabeth distracts Amos Dixon while Nathan is infiltrating the saloon to catch him; etc. These themes are not present in Elizabeth’s relationship with Lucas. All of Lucas’s storylines are impersonal, with the exception of the one with his parents in season 8 and the little bit of backstory we got with the Amos Dixon incident. The work and effort that has gone into telling Nathan’s story, and Nathan and Elizabeth’s story, is absent from Lucas’s plotlines both with and without Elizabeth. Another point: whereas Elizabeth’s first interaction with Nathan ties that first thread of connection between them, her first interaction with Lucas starts them off on the wrong foot: Lucas asks her where her husband is and if he’ll be joining her. Elizabeth immediately walks away from him and Rosie and Lee have to tell Lucas about Jack. 
Depth of interactions: At this point, the lack of any real depth between Lucas and Elizabeth is absolutely intentional. I think it always has been, but now there’s just no question. Almost every interaction between Nathan and Elizabeth has depth. They can’t help it - they’re not really surface level people. Helen Bouchard tells Elizabeth this season that she knows that Elizabeth is a person who feels things deeply, and I think we know by now that Nathan is as well. They bring that level of feeling to their interactions. They argue, they flirt, they talk about the hard things. Pain, loss, distrust, obstacles ... we never see that depth between Lucas and Elizabeth. The one hard thing they talk about is the reveal of Helen’s secret, and it’s important to note that in that interaction Elizabeth calls out Lucas’s comment for what it is: cruel. “What would you know about it?” Uncalled for. This is the only time we really see Elizabeth and Lucas argue, and Lucas doesn’t meet Elizabeth’s depth here. She tells him something meaningful - that maybe Helen had to be the first one to reach out, and that love should be fought for - and Lucas responds with a cruel comment and walks off. That was intentional on the writers’ part. When Nathan and Elizabeth argue they get heated, but they do not attack each other. That’s an important distinction. They’re not trying to hurt each other. Now, I’m sure someone will point out that in Nathan and Elizabeth’s most recent argument about Allie, Elizabeth says “now you’re just being hurtful” when Nathan tells Elizabeth she originally wasn’t invited. Guess what? Cruel and hurtful don’t mean the same thing. Cruel means: willfully causing pain or suffering to others, or feeling no concern about it.” Whereas the definition of hurtful is: “causing distress to someone’s feelings.” I would say there’s a huge difference in those two words. Plus, even though it may have hurt Elizabeth to hear it, what Nathan said was true. It was not an insult, or a petulant remark said in anger. In fact, while Nathan is irritated and kinda snarky, I’d say he’s not really even that angry in the scene where Elizabeth confronts him. They bicker, but he doesn’t lose his temper like he did in the cabin scene in season 7. In fact, in all of the times that Nathan and Elizabeth have argued their disagreements have never been mean spirited or intentionally hurtful. 
But it’s not just that. When Nathan loses his temper in the cabin scene, he says “you both could have died!” When Elizabeth confronts him in the Mountie office the next day, she says “please stop shutting me out!” These are not surface level arguments - they’re not arguing about Elizabeth’s inability to decide what she wants for dinner. (Sorry, had to throw in a joke). They’re arguing over deep concerns: bodily harm, and emotional withdrawal. I find it interesting that Nathan displayed concern about Elizabeth’s physical safety and Elizabeth over his emotional withdrawal, considering that at the end of season 7 and now in season 8 we’re seeing an Elizabeth who is terrified of losing Nathan (physical safety) and a Nathan who has had to weather Elizabeth’s emotional withdrawal. Who’s shutting who out now, Elizabeth? I digress. 
Another thing of note: we’ve never actually heard Nathan tell Elizabeth that she’s beautiful, and we’ve never actually heard Lucas tell her anything but she’s beautiful. Interesting contrast. Nathan says, “You matter to me,” “you’re quite the teacher,” “I’m glad the publisher realized how special you are. He’s not the only one,” and of course, “I love/am in love with you.” Even Nathan’s compliments go beyond surface level. Whereas Lucas tells her she’s beautiful, and that he’s so glad to have her in his life. Again, depth vs. surface level. I do remember that in the first episode of season 7, I believe, when Nathan says that he was never engaged with school Lucas butts in and says “that’s probably because you never had a teacher like Elizabeth.” I tend to disregard this compliment though, because it didn’t feel genuine. Lucas butts in to a conversation that Nathan and Elizabeth are having and then compliments her - it feels like a showboat move. In contrast, all of Nathan’s compliments have been sincere and given in private, without anyone else around. 
I was going to make a separate point for this, but I actually think it belongs here: the depth of Nathan’s gift giving/wooing vs. Lucas’s is also very apparent. Nathan gives her personal, humble gifts: an apple, a hand carved wooden sign with a quote from her favorite poet (which she mentioned once, to someone else), a moment of relief when he offers to hold baby Jack at the christening party. Lucas’s gifts are more grandiose, but impersonal: flowers, fancy dates, etc. The two sweetest things Lucas has done for her, in my opinion, were when he gave her the binoculars to take for the kids on their trip to the woods, and the Virginia Wolff trip. Note, I don’t mean the dinner out of town or the picnic on the way there: I mean the fact that Lucas bought tickets to go see a reading of an author that he didn’t particularly like because he thought Elizabeth would like them. Granted, I didn’t like the way he sprung them on her, but it was still a very thoughtful gesture. 
Wardrobe: Costume and set designers will tell you all the time that they make conscious decisions about who wears what, and when. Nathan and Elizabeth are always dressed in complementary colors. They match, or at least blend well; Lucas and Elizabeth are often mismatched or outright clashing. Elizabeth and Nathan generally dress in lighter colors, whereas Lucas dresses in darker colors. Also worth noting is that we have seen several instances of Nathan and baby Jack being dressed alike, and Allie and Elizabeth being dressed in similar/complementary colors. 
Family Imagery: the amount of family imagery that we are presented with in regards to Nathan, Elizabeth, Allie, and baby Jack is impossible to miss. They pick out and decorate a Christmas tree together in a warmly lit home with a combination of Elizabeth’s decorations and Nathan and Allie’s; even though it doesn’t happen, the first time Nathan asks Elizabeth to dinner they go as a family unit; Elizabeth brings over cupcakes for the sleepover and helps Nathan loosen up by flirting with him in the middle of his kitchen, with an apron on; these are all intimate, family oriented scenes. 
Shows of fear/worry/concern: look at Elizabeth’s face any time Nathan is heading into danger, might be in danger, or just generally might be unsafe in any way. She is visibly distressed every time. She’s also distressed every time Nathan gives her the cold shoulder/tries to back off/resorts to any kind of formality. We’re always shown this moment of fear for her, and usually some kind of scene after that shows us the aftermath. For example: after the fight in the cabin, when they’re back in town it looks like Nathan might be about to apologize and Florence interrupts him and he leaves to find Lee; we get the scene of Elizabeth confronting him the following day. After that confrontation, we get Nathan showing up at night and telling her “you matter to me.” Elizabeth asks Lucas to dance and then sees a crestfallen Nathan leaving the saloon; in the next episode (even though it’s the first episode of the following season) we see Elizabeth purposely approach Nathan in the street with a sweet but awkward comment about Allie’s book report on Queen Victoria. We’ve only seen two real moments of danger for Lucas: the Amos Dixon situation, and the oil derrick explosion. In the Amos Dixon incident, Elizabeth is angry with Lucas for endangering her; in the oil derrick explosion, we actually don’t get a scene addressing that other than the one where Elizabeth stops Helen and tells her that she’s sure Lucas is fine. Interesting differences, I’d say. This also ties into the previous point about the emotional depth that exists between Nathan and Elizabeth, but not Elizabeth and Lucas. Other than the hug, of course, which was a huge display of fear and emotion from Elizabeth, I'd also point you to the scene at the end of 8x01 when Elizabeth is waiting on her porch for Nathan to come home. She can hardly breathe when she sees him ride up. Watch the way she breathes - she inhales so deeply that it makes her collarbones stick out sharply, and her expression is intense. The way she says "you made it home" is so tense and shaky!
The pursuer vs the pursued: This is a huge point, and difference. In the Elizabeth and Lucas relationship, Lucas is the pursuer; in the Nathan and Elizabeth relationship, Elizabeth is the pursuer. Lucas inserts himself in conversations that Elizabeth and Nathan are having, he repeatedly asks her to dinner and surprises her with things (like the Virginia Wolff tickets, and sending her manuscript to his mother, etc). At first, Elizabeth seems hesitant about these things: she turns him down once for dinner, hesitates over the tickets, then finally sits down to dinner with him but won't call it a date. To me, the relationship between Lucas and Elizabeth seems to come about mostly because he wears her down. Elizabeth only really goes to Lucas and opens the door for a relationship after Nathan's profession of love. That certainly makes it seem like she's not so much running to Lucas as she is running away from Nathan. In comparison, we have a whole bunch of examples of Elizabeth being the one to pursue some sort of relationship with Nathan. Not necessarily a romantic one (at least purposely) but every time Nathan tries to leave Elizabeth alone and put distance between them, she closes that gap by figuratively running straight at him. Calling him out for shutting her out, finding excuses to talk to him (like Allie's book report), basically telling him that she went to Union City with Lucas because Nathan wouldn't ask her out. Now, in season 8 I would say that we've taken a fairly hard turn and Nathan has now taken the lead as the pursuer and Elizabeth is the pursued ... which is mostly true. I think one of the key takeaways on this point, and up to this point in the show, is that Elizabeth and Nathan can't help but pursue each other. It's a frustrating game of cat and mouse. But, it's true: even though they're on shaky ground and things are complicated, we still see Elizabeth and Nathan running to each other as much as they run away. Nathan does so in obvious ways, but Elizabeth is more subtle. She sends him that note about missing the parent teacher conference and then they have that conversation in her living room; Elizabeth follows Allie as she barges in on the inquiry and then waits outside with her, and they're together when Nathan emerges; Nathan invites her to the adoption ceremony, they share the moment outside the infirmary, Elizabeth stops him to ask about the stolen car outside the mercantile; Elizabeth and Allie upset each other and Elizabeth runs straight to Nathan. No matter how they have tried not to, it's clear at this point that they will always gravitate to one another. In support, in argument, in misunderstanding, in triumph ... they just keep going for one another.
This, I think, has been the point of having Lucas witness all of these interactions between Nathan and Elizabeth. No matter what they might say or the perception they might try to give off, the truth always comes out - and the truth is that they can't stay away from each other. Even when she tries to hide it, Elizabeth's heart is a compass, and we all know that compasses always point one way (and in her case, the N doesn't mean north).
To that point, I think that there has been a lot of double meaning to the things Elizabeth has said this season. The most recent example: in the last episode when Elizabeth says, "I tried to tell you at Allie's parent teacher conference. You are her rock. You are her foundation. If you let her down, her whole world crumbles." Also, to this point, in the scene where they're in Elizabeth's house, she says, "You will always be the measure of the quality she'll look for in a man as she chooses who to marry." I find the wording of both of these statements both interesting and telling. At this point, I think that Nathan isn't just Allie's rock - he's also Elizabeth's. She trusts him, and depends on him, and holds him in high regard. Nathan has unexpectedly filled a hole in Elizabeth's life: he is her main male support now. She has Bill and Lee, of course, but they don't fill the same spot. Bill is like a father figure, and Lee is her best friend's husband. But Nathan - Nathan is only Elizabeth's. It's a very specific spot he fills, and it's as the leading man in her life. They solve problems together, mentor and parent Allie, address the town's needs, etc. Again - they're a unit, and we're meant to see them as such. Elizabeth's behavior didn't change until after she almost lost Nathan (and then he told her he loved her); she doesn't seem shaken or upset until Nathan does something to make her feel that way. Nathan has become her rock, and she's laid a new foundation with him. Her emotional state is directly tied to Nathan (and Allie, as I think we've now seen). No matter how painful or difficult it is, Nathan and Elizabeth are already bonded (and deeply). A fact that will be highlighted in 8x09 when Elizabeth will choose Nathan's hands in that wedding game, despite the fact that she has never held his hands (but has held Lucas's several times now).
So. This turned into a freaking novel, and I could honestly keep going, but I won't. I will just say, once again, that I love Nathan with my whole heart. I may not agree with his every decision, but I don't expect to. I don't agree with a lot of Elizabeth's decisions, but I still love her too. The writers do have some work to do, however, because they took this further than I expected them to and now they need to work their way out of it. But, even in my most frustrated and tired moments - of which there have been several, and will probably be a few more - I have always known all roads lead to Nathan and Elizabeth. We'll be exhausted by the time we cross the finish line, but we'll get there. Don't lose hope.
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deepdarkdelights · 3 years
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Hello love! I’m the one who wrote to you about the potential inspo for a story. Again you can throw it away or use it, it doesn’t matter haha. I just truly enjoy your writing so I thought that if anybody could make something out of nothing, it would be you. Anyways, I was inspired by the picture above. Oh and I was going to send you this anonymously, but then the picture wouldn’t have been saved (and I’m super shy about this lol, seriously I’m blushing).
Story Begins:
The world holds its secrets, and I hold mine. Deception is never formed by intention, it’s mere collateral damage based off promises and dreams of distant futures.
My dreams were based off my family at first. Based off my brother and mother. Based off the memory of my sister.. But that’s all in the past, and now that I’ve awoken from the imagery of delusional hope. I’m left to deal with the cost of my deception.
—————————————————————
“Mr.Kim, I see you’re yet to finish you’re meal. Oh my! You couldn’t even have a bite?!” The petite young woman shrieking at the untouched meal moved forward to retreat the “warm” mushroom soup that was meant to be in the belly of her boss by now.
With a heavy sigh “Mr.Kim” turns around in his chair. Face still in concentration from whatever is in his hands, he reaches toward his cup of coffee (the only thing for consumption that didn’t occupy too much time).
His secretary stood in front of him speechless at his lack of response. Yes Mr. Kim was young for his profession, his grayish blueish strands contrasting from the dark wool of his turtleneck, his glasses modestly framed to his face, and shiny gold watch that clung to his wrist all precedent to what would be considered a young bachelor -but no, instead this demeanor belonged to a top detective in the field of criminal justice.
From what Jisoo, his secretary knew of him, he was a very bright and professional detective. She was aware of his battle with prostitution rings in South Korea, who’s successful case landed him a job in the New York station of private affairs and criminal justice, where he also succeeded in bringing down one of the most influential law firms for the involvement of illegal transactions and drug smuggling. His work on the field had provided him with a private, yet comfortable life. Not long after his station in the New York City department of justice, he and a couple of team members were asked to work for the The General Directorate for Internal Security in France.
“Jisoo, I know we both were born in Korea, but could you please drop the formalities? I’ve known you for 3 years now “, said the heavy voice in the chair.
At this Jisoo felt a pang if guilt for her earlier charade. Mr.Ki-Na..Namjoon’s voice sounded tired. ‘Of course he is’, she thought to herself. He had spent the last 2 years and a half perusing an unamed organization whos’ motive was unclear, but actions centered around the illegal transaction of money.
“Jisoo? Are you even listening?” The young secretary looks up, “Sorry what was that?”
“I guess I’m not the only one who has had a rough day. I asked you.. am i not a nice person?” At this Jisoo meets the eyes of Namjoon without hesitation.
“What?”
“Have I been mean to you in anyway? Have I thrown your sandwiches out or made fun of those ridiculous pens you bring to work?” He asks with his eyebrows comically lifted.
Jisoo, finally understanding where he is getting at responds, “Not until this point you haven’t”.
“See! We even banter for crying out loud! If that doesn’t scream friendship I don’t know what does!” Namjoon is practically out of breath delivering his sermon on how good of a friend he had been throughout the past three years until it gets to the point where Jisoo has listened to it twice.
“Okay, okay! Enough... friend”, it’s not that she dislikes thinking of Namjoon as a friend, but more of the fact that she doesn’t perfer to associate herself in that aspect with any of her coworkers -much less higher ups. Her lack of attachment also has to do with the fact that back home, in the same position she stands today, she had seen a handful of her beloved coworkers in caskets in no less than 5 weeks of knowing them. However, despite all of this, she can’t deny that Namjoon has acted out the role of a bigger brother during her stay in France, especially in the sense of bringing her Korean food from one particular restaurant on the outskirts of the city. Their relationship has always been comfortable and despite his undeniably handsome features, there was no physical attraction between them... it was nice.
“Okay now say it with enthusiasm, as if you actually like me. Come on FRRI- “ all the sudden the phone rings. Jisoo turns to quickly take her exit, but not before she hears a curse from the man who was a second away from singing the friends theme song.
‘Namjoon i really hope you don’t come close to catching these guys’ she silently prays. She knows the consequences of bringing justice, she’s seen the red splatter that the name decorated itself with.
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“Joon this just turned from a fraud to a murder scene. We are not just talking about big investments, but the murder of two prime ministers and the chief of justice in Germany.”
Namjoon looks at his fellow detective and reaches out for the stack of papers near his desktop. “What did Germany say?”
Yoongi, his literal partner in (fighting) crime answers with a simple, “jack shit”. “They don’t believe it’s connected”.
“Then why do we?” Namjoon at this point is at a dead end yet again. This same secret organization has plagued his office walls, desk, and even bed for almost three years. It’s normal for a case such as this one to take time, but when your teammates and you are specifically placed in an international office for one specific case, it gets a bit frustrating.
“Because.. both the German officer and the Prime Minister in Bordeaux had their tounges taken out.”
“What!?” Had this been any other criminal investigation, this piece of information would not have surprised Namjoon. This however was not just any case, for the duration of his stay in France, and the additional years he was not assigned to this area, this was the first similarity between the crimes. Whoever these people were, made sure to not leave a single message, nor fingerprint, nor act of pride that would give them away. It was almost as if these crimes were committed themselves, and the world was forced to accept it for the time being.
OKAY IT IS GARBAAGGÉÉ, but hey if it works as inspo I’m all for it. Oh by the way, the first part is from jungkook’s perspective. When I initially started I thought about there being a mysterious “sister” aka y/n (didn’t plan out how or why she disappeared yet lol), and because I’m a garden hoe for yandere, I thought about making jungkook slowly progress into a ridonculous yandere. As you can see it’s a bit all over the place. But anyways, I freaking love your writing and throw this away or change it up or use it as it is, it’s all yours.
Ps. Love ya
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Hello my lovely!
First off, I am so proud of you for being brave and sending this off of anon! I know how vulnerable that can be, so thank you really for feeling comfortable enough to do so!
Secondly, omfg you have skill! Like I was getting into it and I legit screeched when I realized there wasn't more to read! You did so well sweetie!
Moving on, I really enjoyed this, I don't think you realize just how much skill and potential you have as a writer. I want to read more please!
I do really like this as a concept, although I am coming off of an investigator Joon fic so I think I would need to take a break from that theme lol.
I would like to talk about this more if you're up to it, I think you should pursue this idea because it has great foundations. Let's talk more please you little genius you!
P.S. (ILY TOO 💜💜💜)
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intoafandom · 3 years
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Why I like Kevan Miller, Steven Kampfer, Trent Frederic, Torey Krug, Tuukka Rask etc and why I will continue to like them.
(Sorry this is soooo long but it’s the only way I can explain)
So last night I got an anon ask and the person was asking why I like Kevan Miller when he’s a republican and I mentioned how I would make a separate post explaining my reasoning better and now that I have the time and its no longer 3 am, now seems like a good time lol.
So I’m gunna give a backstory about the players above that I mentioned and why a lot of bruinsblr doesn’t like them (so people that may not be aware know the context of why people are upset/dont like them). Most of bruinsblr doesn’t like Miller or Kampfer because they’re republicans. Everyone on bruinsblr is allowed to dislike them if they choose to. I recognize I’m in the minority on this app when I say I like and support Kevan Miller and Steven Kampfer. People on here also don’t like Torey Krug for the same reason and because he follows/followed Trump’s twitter account (since trumps account got deleted, torey now follows the “trump archives” account). People on here don’t like Tuukka anymore because over the summer, during all the blm stuff in the bubble, Tuukka went on tv in the bubble for an interview with a hat that said “Boston police” on it (the interview also aired right after the Bruins Organization posted about how they stand against racism, so people ended up calling Tuukka a racist hypocrite.) Last night, people on here found out that Trent Frederic follows Trump supporters and republicans on social media, which is why he’s losing some fans on this app. There are probably more stories about other players that I’m not aware of as well but these will be the ones I’m focusing on for now.
I am NOT going to start talking about my political opinions or my position on social issues. My account is called IntoAFandom for a REASON. So I can escape the real world and go “into a fandom” and have some peace. That’s why i never reblog or like or post about any real world events or issues. I want my blog to be solely about things, fandoms, and people that I love and care about. I don’t wanna come on my blog and see how a bombing happened or if someone got shot or this president signed this executive order etc etc. i wanna come on my blog and fangirl about Bucky Barnes being a sweetheart with kids or how amazing Matt Grzelcyk is at “tight turns” etc etc. Hence the name “IntoAFandom.”
I’m getting a lot of questions as to why I still support these players and I’ll definitely answer those questions in this post. Just so my mutuals know where I stand on this.
Now obviously it would be super easy for me to just go “well the player is super nice so i dont care about their political views.” And while that’s partially true for me, its not the only reason. For me, the reason is much deeper than that. I’ve never mentioned or talked about or even said it out loud. I touched upon what I’m about to say in that anon ask I got last night, but I’m going to go into detail now. It’s kind of hard to explain and the only way I can describe it is to tell you about my hockey journey up until this point, and specifically the 2018-19 season.
So one day in April in 2018, I was on school vacation and I was very bored. There was literally nothing on tv. However, as I was scrolling through the channels, I saw that a bruins game was on. I had never really watched hockey before in my life and the only experience I could remember having with it was when my mom was obsessed with them in like 2013 and how she set up this whole contraption to try and watch a game when a snowstorm made us lose connection. So with nothing else on the tv, crippling boredom, and being a Massachusetts native, I put the game on. It was literally just starting and the national anthem was about to start. We were playing the leafs lmao and it was game five or six of the series probably. I cant really remember because I didn’t think I would care this much about hockey at the time of watching it. But what I do remember was how CREEPY Tuukka looked😂 He was just standing there alone with a huge spotlight on him, head down, wearing these huge pads and looking straight up terrifying. I literally started laughing because of how creepy he looked. And then he put his cool ass mask on and right there I knew he was my favorite player. And to this day he is still my favorite. Tuukka was the first hockey player I EVER knew and could remember by name. I gotta admit, at first I thought his name was “Tuuk Arask” because that’s what it sounded like whenever the announcers would say it, specifically Jack Edwards lol. But then I was like “wait is it Arask or Rask” and after looking at his jersey like 3 games later I finally realized it was actually Rask lol. And I was like “Tuukka Rask. So freaking creepy lol. He’s my favorite.” I also have to mention that I’ve always been a sucker for people that play positions that no one else wants to play. Like for example, when I first started watching football in like 2014, my first ever favorite player was Stephen Gostkowski because he was the kicker. He was super good and he was instantly my fav. That’s what Tuukka was like for me. This huge, tall ass, creepy ass, goalie who was playing super well. How could i NOT like him. I didn’t really bother to learn any other players on the bruins team since they got eliminated in the second round. I remember saying to my mom “I don’t want them to be out. I wanna learn more.” I wanted to know more about the game and 6 games, or however many it was, wasn’t enough. So for some reason, I followed them throughout the offseason and in late September/early October I started watching a ton of their older games on YouTube. Not super old obviously, but games from like 2013-2017 ish. Just whatever I could find. And it was so interesting. I tried to only watch games where they actually won so I wasn’t wasting my time lol, but not having to worry about the score helped me start learning the game and some of the rules, like what an icing was for example. So then preseason games started and I got more into it. And then the beginning of the 2018-19 season started. I still didn’t really know any players besides Tuukka, even though I was watching YouTube games. The YouTube ones were more for me to learn the game and the rules rather than players (however, looking back, I did notice that Kevan Miller was a freaking beast, but I just didn’t acknowledge who he actually was. I just saw a player going absolute sicko mode and being like YEEEEAAAAH). The second player I could actually remember by name was Danton Heinen. I noticed he was playing really well and I was like omg who is that and I learned his name and he became one of my favorites with Tuukka. Next was Anders Bjork. I remember I was texting my friends and was trying to make it seem like I wasn’t a complete amateur at hockey knowledge, so I was like “hey guys, Bjork is back in the line up😃” and so I always remembered his name. Next was Ryan Donato because he was literally AWAYS smiling. Every time he was on camera he was SMILING. I loved it so much he was like a little bean. And so he was one of my favorites and i had a top three with him, heino and tuuks.
Now I was watching games and slowly learning important names like Chara, Bergeron, Marchand etc but it wasn’t really on my radar to actually learn all the players because I hadn’t even done that with the patriots who I had been watching and loving for yeeeears. But that was until I decided to watch a behind the b episode. And I was HOOKED. I instantly began to love and care about every single player on the roster. This was in like February of 2019. And that’s when I started trying to name everyone on the team, including their numbers. I made it a mission. I remember writing out lists in math class because I was so bored and would rather try to memorize hockey players. And that’s when I found bruinsblr. It was march by the time I started to post hockey stuff. And i made an instagram account so I could started editing them. I’ve had this blog since 2014 and its seen many phases, but march of 2019 was when I changed it into a mainly bruins blog. And I remember not knowing what “bruins lb” was and i never wanted to tag it because I thought it was like a club or something that I would be intruding on😂 So I started posting and reblogging bruins stuff and posting sucky bruins edits on here and on my insta account. And I started watching every single behind the b episode from every season and I was literally obsessed with the team. And then Donato got traded and i was heartbroken cuz I loved him and I was like Coyle is gunna have to wow me to get me to like him and he DID and i LOVE HIM. But then I decided to have a top five instead of a top three. And it was Tuukka, Krug, DeBrusk, Pasta, and Marchy. They were the players I noticed the most. And Marchy started LICKING people how could i not choose him😂 So then the playoffs come and we beat the leafs in game 7 AGAIN (and I literally missed the first two periods because I was at my confirmation) But I finally understood all the memes about the leafs and I finally understood hockey and hockey culture by this point. I knew the rules, the players, the memes, literally everything. And then we make it to the finals and get lil nas x singing old town road before game 1 and we get JD wearing that stupid hat😂 and the two people from The Office (one of them wanted the bruins to win and the other wanted the blues) and it was all just amazing for me. Then we lost and i was devastated. And we had to see pictures of CMac sobbing on the ice and JD sitting alone in his stall crying and all of them were so sad and after that journey we just went through i was fvcking crying too. We didn’t win, but that 2018-19 season is SO special for me.
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The people on this roster (minus gemel smith and lee stempniak) are EXTREMELY special to me. They TAUGHT me hockey. They turned me on to an entirely new culture. I got to experience my first real bit of hockey. I got to experience EVERYTHING about hockey with them (besides the cup) in this ONE season of hockey. I saw the preseason games in china, the halloween visit to to the hospital, Chara bringing pies to the homeless, them buying toys for kids in the hospital at Christmas then visiting them, the new years game outside against the hawks, trade deadline crushing my heart, every round of the playoffs, players pushing through crazy injuries, loving players, despising other teams, all the memes, all the jokes, all the players. Everything. The 2018-19 season is SO incredibly special for me because it’s the first time I ever experienced real hockey and watched an entire season. The people on that roster mean so much to me because of that. Now take a look at the names on that roster. Rask. Krug. Miller. Kampfer. Frederic. They all helped me experience my first year of hockey. Freddy in his first freaking game, getting into a fight😂 Miller and Kampfer were BEASTS on the ice. Krug being a SPECTACULAR little defenseman, quarterbacking the pp and sticking up for himself and SLAMMING thomas. Tuukka Rask being the brick wall. There is no way that I could ever dislike the people on that roster unless the did something suuuuuper bad. I don’t know if you would call it hero worship or whatever, but those people on that roster are so fucking special to me. Even ones like JFK and Vaak and Colby that didn’t play that many games. They still made an impact for me as a hockey fan. THAT is the main reason why I will never stop liking and supporting tuuks, krugger, kampfs, millsy, or freddy. Everyone on that roster has a special place in my heart and I’m not going to let their political views change or tamper with the incredible experience they gave me during that 2018-19 season. I wont ever love another team as much as I loved that specific roster. And no one is going to change that for me. I dont care about their political views or whatever. For me, the experience and the feelings they gave me trump anything i may or may not disagree with. That roster is so special to me, I cant bring myself to dislike any of those people. I will always like those players, no matter how republican or democrat or whatever. Political views dont matter to me when it comes to those players.
Now besides all of that and the experience they gave me, I do believe that they’re still good people even tho they may be republican. I wanna start with Tuukka because it literally doesn’t make sense to me. Tuukka is not even AMERICAN. I dont think he cares that much about American politics since im pretty sure most his family lives in Finland. People got mad at him for wearing a Boston police hat. But I think those people are forgetting that Tuukka has been in boston for soooo long. There have probably been multiple occasions where the police had to help him or the team for some reason or another (they are technically famous after all). Tuukka wearing a hat that says Boston Police doesn’t make him a bad person. He was probably just showing support to the people that helped support HIM as well as his family and teammates. I follow Tuukka on insta and he literally NEVER posts anything political. Probably because NEVER actually posts ANYTHING at all lol. Tuukka had been my favorite from the start and theres almost nothing he could ever do that would make me dislike him.
As for the other 4, and any other players on the team that may be republican (honestly i bet most of them are because 1) most hockey players are and 2) a lot of the guys are christian/catholic and most christian/catholic people are republican as well) I choose to believe that political opinions dont make you a bad person. I like to believe that it depends on the circumstances for every individual. Now I’m not gay or black or anything. Im an 18 year old, straight white girl. So obviously i dont know what its really like for someone to hate or disagree with my race, sexuality, etc. I saw someone say (sorry I forget who it was) that they keep thinking “well what would that player say about me because im gay. What would they actually think about me. I cant support them.” And honestly that’s extremely valid. I never thought about it that way before. So if Kevan Miller for example was out here posting a bunch of homophobic stuff like “i hate gays” or “gays are all stupid” or anything like that, then yeah my opinions on him would probably change in some way. But I follow him on insta and i know the stuff he post about. I have NEVER seen him say anything like that. Ive never heard any bruin say anything like that. From what I’ve seen, they all seem like super nice, sweet, supportive people when they’re off the ice. (I think it’s also important to mention that I follow EVERYONE on the 2018-19 roster. I follow all of their instas. Most of them dont have twitter, but I follow all the ones that do. It’s part of the whole “that roster is incredibly special to me” thing). I choose to believe that following republicans or being one yourself doesn’t automatically make you a bad person, especially when you consider the different circumstances that every individual is under as humans. We all experience different things and that always plays a role in how you act or the opinions you have or the people you support. Someone’s political opinions have never stopped me from liking people. Ive clearly shown that I don’t mind republicans at all, but that doesn’t mean im going to dislike democrats either. Most of the actors/ singers that i like are democrats. And it just happens that most of the athletes i like are republicans. The political stuff doesn’t matter to me. I just dont want it being slapped in my face 24/7. I dont care if you’re a republican or democrat as long as you aren’t constantly talking to me about politics or social issues or trying to change my mind on stuff. Hopefully you can try to see my point of view on this and UNDERSTAND why I like them. Again, I’ve never told my hockey story to anyone so please don’t try and invalid my feelings about the season or the players.
Please, I beg, please don’t comment on this calling racist or something. Please dont try and change me mind. Please dont tell me i need to educate myself. I know WHY i like these players. I know where they stand politically and who they support. But these players are too special to ME for me to actually give a sht about if they like trump or not. Honestly tho, feel free to give your opinion (especially if you’re gay or black or anything) cuz i dont mind hearing other standpoints as long as you aren’t mean about it or try to change my mind. If i change my mind, which i probably wont, I want it to be on my own terms. Please remember that we ARE still a hockey family 💛🖤💛
(Also I’m NEVER talking about this again. If anyone ever asks or something like this comes up again im just gunna link/ reblog this post)
(Also, thank you to whoever made it this far and actually read all of that. ESPECIALLY if you’re someone that doesn’t agree with me. Its good to hear multiple standpoints on this stuff.)
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Flowers // Jack Kline X Reader
A/N: Hey loves, sorry its been so long since I’ve published an actual fic. I’m moving out of my current household rn and into a new one so I’ve been pretty busy with that. Along with everything else thats been going on, I wanted to talk a break and help out with the Black Lives Matter protests. I’ll put links to donations and petitions you can sign so that you can help out! Please do whatever you can to help!!
TAKES PLACE DURING SEASON 13 WHERE CAS IS STILL DEAD
REQUESTS ARE CLOSED BTW (FOR NOW)
Requested: Yes (by: kylasyrtiaan) // Hi 👋 I was really enjoying your Jack Kline images. Maybe you can make one more? How about a soulmate AU? When one of the soulmates is wounded, another in the place of the cut appears the favorite flowers of his soulmate. You can take the scene where Jack stabbed himself, but you would have seen him and stop him in more caring way. Or y/n was cutting something and accidentally cut a finger, and in a different room Jack would have examined a tiny tulip growing from his finger. Thanks in advance))
Warnings: Blood, accidental and purposeful self harm TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR SOME
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Not my gif!! (Please tell me if you, the owner, would like me to take the gif down!)
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You didn’t find out until you were making pie for the boys in the bunker’s kitchen. It was rare to actually make full on meals in your home but there was a recipe for this s’mores pie that you wanted to try.
Ever since Cas died, there had been a gloom in the bunker that everyone could see. Dean was affected the most, locking himself up in his room listening to the mixtape that he made for Cas. Wanting to cheer him up a little bit, you thought a delicious pie would help.
Jack, the sweet boy he was, wanted to help you. For being the son of Lucifer himself, Jack was literally one of the greatest guys you could ever ask for.
While he didn’t have much experience in baking, you thought it was adorable seeing him crush the graham crackers happily and stir the melting chocolate and butter.
You were in the middle of cutting the dough for the intricate design you wanted for the crust when the knife cut the side of your left ring finger. You cursed in your head and hissed at the small cut. You’ve had much worse wounds than this but it still bothered you.
Blood started to seep from the cut and you walked over to the sink to run some water over it for cleaning.
“Are you okay, (Y/n)?” You heard Jack asked, your back to him.
“Oh, I’m fine. Just cut my finger on accident...” You explained.
“I could try to heal y-” Jack stopped mid sentence and you turned around to see what was the problem.
The brunette was staring at his own left ring finger where a small black dahlia flower began to bloom in the exact same spot where you cut yourself. You could feel your whole body freeze up while Jack continued to stare at the flower in confusion. 
“What’s happening, (Y/n)?” He innocently asked you.
You stayed silent as you could feel your heart beat faster. You knew what this flower meant, how could you not? You waited your whole life to see who would found black dahlia flowers in the same place you got wounds. But now that you knew who was getting them, you didn’t know what to think.
‘Jack Kline is my soulmate,’ you thought. ‘Oh dear Chuck, Jack is my soulmate.’
Your mind was filled with different thoughts, some good and grateful that Jack was the person you would stay with for the rest of your life, some bad and scared that the literal anti-christ was your soulmate. Dean was not going to like this.
You were so caught up in your thoughts that you didn’t even hear that Jack was calling out to you.
“-/n)...(Y/n)!” Jack yelled at a volume loud enough to snap you out of your state.
“What’s wrong? Is the flower bad?”
You gulped and stared into Jack’s deep sky blue eyes. You smiled and pressed a hand on the nephilim’s cheek, gently.
“The flower isn’t bad. In fact, it’s amazing.” You took a pause to breathe. “That flower growing in your finger is the black dahlia flower-”
Jack interrupted you. “Your favorite flower?”
He remembered. He remembered your favorite flower. It was a small detail, but it didn’t stop your stomach from having that fuzzy and warm feeling.
“Y-yes...yes. it’s my favorite flower. And the reason why you have that flower is because I cut myself. It means we’re connected, Jack. We’re soulmates.”
Jack’s face calmed a bit but still held some minor confusion. He set his own hand on your own.
“Like Castiel and Dean?”
You giggled, remembering when you told him the reason behind Dean’s dislikeness to him. Jack was so much like Cas in a way, reminding Dean of when he first met his angel. You told him that when Castiel died, it really hurt him, them being soulmates after all.
Explaing the definition of soulmates wasn’t too bad, he had gotten the concept fairly easily. You remember he was so excited to see who his soulmate would turn out to be. You also remember feeling the smallest amount of jealousy in the pit of your stomach.
But soulmates were soulmates. Castiel and Dean Winchester were soulmates.
Just like you and Jack.
“Yes. Just like Castiel and Dean.”
“We’re soulmates.”
Jack’s mouth slowly formed into a grin.
“We’re soulmates!” The brown haired nephilim brought you into his arms and hugged you with all his might.
You laughed as he twirled you around in happiness. It was the most happy you’ve seen him ever in the bunker. Carefully setting you down, Jack’s joy filled eyes stared back into your own (e/c) ones.
“I’m glad you’re my soulmate, (Y/n).” Jack softly told you.
“And I’m glad you’re mine, Jack.”
“What’s this about soulmates?” Dean’s voice suddenly filled the room.
Oh shit.
-
After today, you needed a break from everything. The fourth prince of Hell continued to pursue Jack and when Jack’s powers got a little out of control, Dean’s distaste for him grew.
Jack settled in his room while you, Dean and Sam did more research on this Hell prince. Well, more like Dean drank beer while you and Sam did the research. You flipped through the pages of the book you were reading while sitting at the table in the kitchen.
“Hopefully this fourth Prince of Hell is the last Kardashian in the family.” Dean said, taking a sip of his beer.
Sam chuckled as you finally found what you were looking for.
“According to this, if that was Asmodeus...it’s the end of the line.” You told them after reading all you could on the demon.
Nodding slightly in understanding, Dean sighed and got up from his seat to leave the room. You closed your book and was about to leave to see Jack when Sam’s voice stopped the both of you.
“Dean, wait a second. (Y/n), you can stay if you want.”
You stayed in your seat, wondering what the conversation was going to be and Dean turned his attention to his brother, Sam sighing as well then spoke.
“The kid came through for us today. Jack saved us.”
“No.” You turned your head to Dean, confused. “No, whatever that was, it was a reflex. It was a sneeze. Maybe next time he sneezes, he kills us.”
“Jack wouldn’t do that. Jack wouldn’t hurt us like that. If we just continue to help him control his powers then-” Dean interrupted you before you could speak any further.
“Then what? He learns to control his powers and then what? He just becomes good?”
Angered, you stood up from your seat and stared him dead in the eyes.
“He. Is. Good. How many times do I have to tell you that he is not evil?”
“Jack may be your ‘soulmate’, but he is still Lucifer’s son, (Y/n)! Are you forgetting what son of a bitch did to Cas? To us?”
“Just because he has his genes, does not mean Jack is his father!” You spat. “You know how that feels, don’t you Dean?”
The elder Winchester was silent as you two continued to stare at each other. Your face was red and Dean’s was emotionless, but there was something behind his eyes that you couldn’t make out.
You grabbed your book off the table, bid a harsh goodnight to the brothers and left the room.
As you made your way down the hallways to Jack’s, you started to feel a stinging pain all over your chest and stomach. It felt as if someone was stabbing you with a small knife- oh no. 
Lifting your t-shirt, you found different sizes of purple, white and light pink hyacinth flowers growing out of different spots of your stomach and chest. There were a lot, too many for your liking.
Immediately, you sprinted down the rest of the hallways until you finally found his room. Jack was standing in the middle of the room, his back turned to you and a large bloody kitchen knife in hand.
He grunted every time the knife hit his body and the squishing sounds of his skin meeting the sharp knife could be heard from outside the bedroom.
You instantly popped open the door right away.
“Jack!”
Hearing your voice, the said boy turned around right as you forcibly grabbed the knife from his hand.
“(Y/n), I-”
“What are you doing?! What are you...why are you...Jack...” You couldn’t even find the right words to speak as tears were forming in your eyes absentmindedly.
There were holes in his white shirt, some parts of the tears in his shirt were bloody. Although, the scars from the knife were completely gone. Still horrified from what you just witnessed, you pulled Jack into a hug. Tears were definitely running down your face now, not that you cared.
“Jack...what the hell were you thinking?” You questioned him as you released him from your hug and gripped onto his shoulders. He just remained quiet, staring down at the floor.
“Answer me, dammit!”
Slowly, Jack’s eyes met your tear filled ones. A single tear fell from his eye. As much as you regret raising your voice at him, your emotions were too strong at the moment.
“(Y/n),” He spoke. “What the hell am I?”
The question caught you a bit off guard, you didn’t really know what to respond with. Sure, Jack knew he had powers and that he was the son of an Archangel, but he didn’t know to the extent of what he actually is.
“I can’t control...whatever this is. I will hurt someone.” Jack’s voice was crestfallen.
“I’ll hurt you.”
The words alone broke your whole heart.
Jack was so sure that he’ll end up killing someone, that he’ll end up hurting you and it was utterly heartbreaking to see the love of your life like this. Jack didn’t ask for these powers, he didn’t ask to be Lucifer’s son. Jack just wanted to live.
“Maybe. Maybe not. In this bunker, we all get hurt around here. Whether or not it’s emotional or physical, we all get hurt.” You confessed, knowing it was the truth.
“But I believe in you, Jack. I believe that you won’t hurt me. I believe that you can be saved. And so does Sam.”
Jack slightly shook his head. “But not Dean.”
You sighed and bit down on your tongue, wanting to slam Dean’s head against the bunker’s concrete floors but forcing yourself not to.
“Screw Dean. Okay, screw anyone who doesn’t think you can be saved. Because I’ve been around these Winchesters long enough to know that you are capable of being saved.”
Your rested your foreheads against each other, and while Jack was a bit taller than you, it didn’t matter. The intimate moment was calming, your sniffles and tears started to subdue and the air around you seemed to feel a little less doleful.
“I’m sorry.” He whispered.
“Don’t be. You shouldn’t be sorry for what you are.” You carressed his cheek with your hand.
“Did the flowers grow where I hurt myself?” He asked, suddenly worried.
“Yeah, they did. But it’s okay,” You reassured him. “I like the flowers.”
-
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@shortwinchester​ | @coltcas |​ @urlaslongasafalloutboysongtitle | @irinazatyk​ @meadow-melody​ | @eleventhdoctorsangel​ | @xsweetnsour​ | @gay-drian-cain​
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sortavibing · 3 years
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Hello, I seen your Haikyuu matchups and I really like them, do you mind if I ask for a match up as well? :3
My name is Koe and I go by They/Them pronouns. I would like a male matchup please <3
My mbti is ISTP-T. I have been told that I am chill and laid back and can be borderline lazy at times... then I can do a complete 180 and be a crackhead that will not shut up and will laugh at anything that I see. I also like to scare people, like randomly jump at them from around a corner or behind them, I’ve also scared people unintentionally by just walking by them to see what they are doing :/. You’d think that my friends and families would get used to me by now but I still scare them almost every time🤠👍
This surprise most people for some reason, but I actually love to read and write🤭 for some reason people don’t believe me when I say I do🤧 I read manga a lot... and I love reading long novels that take forever to finish as well🤗 I like free writing stories, poems, random song lyrics that come to my head, and random comedy scripts that I thought up of! I like to sketch sometimes...but that’s pretty much it😐
What would I want in a partner? I never really thought of that🤔 I would like someone who I could joke around with and laugh with about the most stupidest of shit that shouldn’t even be funny😌 also maybe someone who is fine with just chilling while we vibe to some mother mother or AJR or twenty one pilots... or Jack Stauber....... Tally Hall is nice to vibe to as well.... and CaveTown.......... sorry I’m getting off track😆 OH and maybe someone who can deal with my scare attempts and my annoying ass when that 180 personality comes around 😗✌️*cough* totally didn’t say the things that my irl best friend has that I totally don’t have a crush on 🤐 *cough*
Another thing people are surprised about..... my star sign is Pisces. I have been told that I act more like a Gemini though but I can’t really change my birth date so yeah... I am Pisces🤠👍
I like horror and thriller movies, anime, and books of all kind😌 I also like psychological shows and stuff as well. I also like mashed potato’s for some reason.... and steamed carrots- like why the hell are steam carrots so good?!?! OH I also like being warm.... like really warm☺️
I dislike my sister jk I love her.... sometimes. In all seriousness though, I dislike bright lights, the teacher explaining something for the millionth time, when people drag me into their drama or shit when I very VERY clearly don’t want to be apart of it😤 being cold- like I swear to god that these last couple of months I’ve been nothing but an ICE CUBE... AND I HATE IT😢
Okie time for who I kin😋 I kin.... Iwaizumi and Tendou🥳 I told my friends this and they agreed with me almost instantly... is that something to be proud of? 😂
Some fun facts about me is that I can play the guitar, trumpet, and alto saxophone! I also need music to fall asleep to(I just listen to the radio at night 😆), sometimes I can be like completely deaf and other times I have like super human hearing and will pick up the tiniest of sounds😒
OKAY- I’m about 5’6 with short black somewhat wavy hair that actually covers my eyes if I don’t do something with it... aka I’m blind like 24/7🙂 I also neon yellow streaks in it which has earned me the nickname as pretty bee😋 I get called horny hornet too but we don’t talk about that😋✌️. I have dark brown eyes (it’s kinda hard to see my pupils if you don’t look for them😗) I also wear dark blue glasses but what’s the point of them since my hair already like blinds me jk I need them otherwise I’ll probably run into an open door😣 I also wear a toque with a grey Pom Pom thingy on it whenever I can which also helps keep my hair from my face😃, I also wear a hat in the summer but it’s not summer right now😙. As for clothing, I wear mostly baggy hoodies and pants because they are comfortable and WARM, that’s a big one for me😌 they also kinda match my style so there😋 LASTLY I have snake bite lip piercing that are balls and are a metallic blue colour 🙃 I also have a fair share of ear piercings but I don’t feel like writing them all down
Alright- I think that’s it!😋 sorry if I got off topic a bit... also sorry that it’s a big long... and a bit all over the place🤧
Anyways, I hope that you have a good day/night Hero! <333💕
hi koe! omg- you are the non-binary bitch i aspire to be ack-  i really want to get another piercing, i’m thinking septum or industrial bar. anyways, here’s your matchup!
i match you up with semi!
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what first drew semi to you was your passion for music and also your immaculate taste in bands. when he heard you humming something by cavetown, he immediately wanted to get to know you better, so he could actually talk to someone that shares the same taste as him (goshki probably listens to eye of the tiger, please save semi-), and you guys quickly became friends.
he really wanted to get a piercing, and you were the person who convinced him to do it, so you guys went to the place where you got your pierced, and he got a helix piercing that he connected to the basic frontal lobe piercing with a chain earring, and it looks so good. please convince him to get more because we stan alt semi :)
semi will always give you his hoodies, because he knows that you hate being cold, and love oversized things. you always say that you are going to give them back, but you never do, because they are really soft and they smell really good. he pretends that he’s mad at you for stealing them, but he actually finds it really cute.
he probably let you dye his hair one time, and it actually turned out pretty well, but tendou made fun of him, so semi doesn’t want to do it again. he does like to help you dye your hair though, so every few months he touches your hair up, and he is actually pretty good at it. 
you and semi like to just vibe with each other at someone’s house, and play whatever instrument you want. semi can play the guitar (electric or not), so you guys improv songs or learn to play something together. once semi wrote you a love song, and it was really sappy and cheesy, but it still was really cute.
i think semi is lowkey scared of horror movies, so if you ever want to watch one, he will agree, and while you are watching he will but his arm around your shoulder, but whenever there is a jump scare, he will unknowingly put you in a choke hold from the back because he got scared. if you ever ask if he is afraid, he will pretend not to be, but you know he is.
even though he is afraid of horror movie jump scares, he will never be scared if you do the same thing, because he knows it’s you, and to him, you could never be anything short of angelic. if you do one of those “jump scare” things, he will just laugh, or he already knew you were there because he has this scary accurate sense of where people are.
semi likes your 180 degree personality change, because he can never tell what he is going to get from you, and he likes the thrill of the surprise. for either one of your personalities, whether it is the chill side or the strung out on crack side, he likes them both equally, because one is spontaneous and crazy, while the other is sweet chill, and he likes the mix that he gets from you.
if you are talking with someone, semi likes to come behind you and wrap his arms around your waist and pick you up, because he likes to see the look of surprise on your face when you are lifted into the air. after he picks you up, he just puts you back down again and walks away like nothing happened, and you just have to get over your surprise and keep on talking.
overall, you guys are so aesthetic together, and you are always convincing semi to do more spontaneous things, while semi is just happy to be spending time with you. your jam sessions are really fun, and people are amazed that both of you are so good at playing music, especially when you guys are together.
i hope you enjoyed!
(also- imagine he/they semi😳 omg please i am passing away)
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juniaships · 3 years
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Vanessa Marble-Whittaker Bio **redux**
I had to delete the old post due to spelling mistakes and to add more info, but here is the official character bio for my AIO OC....possibly the only one in existence 😅 Contains spoilers and subject matter of abuse & postpartum depression; if you're curious you might have to do look into the main story arcs of AIO for easier understanding.
Full Name: Vanessa Crystal Marble Whittaker (nee Marble;)
Age: Unspecified but around late 20s to mid 30s
Birthday: May 15th
Race: African American (with European ancestry on both sides)
Fandom: Adventures in Odyssey
Voice Claim: Cree Summer; Vivica A. Fox is also a good alternate
Character Role: Heroine & love interest/spouse of Jason Whittaker
Items: Cross necklace, Midnight Manor (formerly Blackgaard's Castle)
Relationships
Family: Robienne Marble (mother), Regis Blackgaard (father), Edwin Blackgaard (uncle), Jerry Jr. (son, infant), John Whittaker (father in law), Monty (nephew in law), Jana (sister in Law)
Friends at Whit's End: Whit, Eugene, Connie, Katrina, Angel (pet doberman)
Acquaintances: Nuns, denizens of Odyssey
Love Interest: Her primary love interest and eventual husband is Jason Whittaker. They began as tensse & awkward relationship during the Blackgaard Saga duento their contrasting personalities, before becoming close friends and allies. They do not become completely official until after Novacom. Their relationship is regarded as the bonafide example of "Opposites Attract" in Odyssey.
Enemies: While enemies are far and few, she considers her own father as the major obstacle between her and a peaceful life. She was a major player against Novacom. She had a brief yey tense rivalry with Monica Stone (partly for Jason's affections) but the two made peace at the end.
Appearance
- Average height (say, 5'7)
-Brown skin, light brown eyes, and wavy-curly black hair
-Has an average body type (pear shaped) and seemed to gain a few pounds since giving birth
-Typically were darker shades of purple, blue, with the occasional maroon
-Sense of fashion is put together, professional even if casual
- Still has her nun fatigues
Personality
Vanessa is a composed and reserved lady with a deep connection to God, while respecting other religions (and non religious). While seen as a cold person at first glance, she is actually very kind and open-minded, though she isn't immune to making sardonic comments once in a while. While not really great around kids, she has moments of being supportive. After becoming a mother she is rather clueless, though well-meaning and tries her hardest to be the parent her father wasn't.
One of her biggest obstacle is overcoming her aloof demeanor. She needed to learn to open up to others and to out faith in her new friends. Even now she still has her moments of keeping her true emotions, though she has a wide circle of friends and a spouse to talk to. Vanessa was also ashamed of her Blackgaard blood, though she learns to come to terms with her past in order to create a brighter future for herself and the rest of her family. Sometimes she is prone to feeling inadequate and jealous, especially during brief periods of romantic rivalry.
There is a fierce protective side that comes out when loved ones are threatened, as seen with the Blackgaard and Novacom Sagas. She dislikes staying on the sidelines and does whatever she can to help out. She even broke her vows to protect her mother Robienne when Regis came into town, and later inspired her uncle Edwin to stay and fight her father to help save Odyssey.
While studious snd intelligent, Vanessa is not very tech savvy, naturally preferring traditional mediums such as writing letters and books. While she learns how to use computers and cellphones, don't expect her to be a technophile anytime soon. She expresses curiosity and concerns over the next invention hubby makes.
Abilities
Vanessa can memorize a lot a bible verses which she uses as prayer, or as a quip. She also has taken self defense classes to hold her her own.
- Strengths: In her early years she proved to be surprisingly strong and fast when need be. She can adapt to certain situations and keep her cool. Clever and resourceful, Vanessa often thinks and plans her actions. She can speak three languages (Spanish, French, and Mandarin Chinese) and plans om studying more.
- Weaknesses: After pregnancy she isn't as physically strong and has to limit herself to recover, and can be overpowered by much stronger foes. Vanessa is not very good at advanced technology, and she is a bad cook (Jason keeps her away from the stove as much as possible).
Backstory Vanessa was the only child of Regis and Robienne Blackgaard. Their marriage had be a short and rocky one marred by neglect, emotional manipulation and mental abuse. Finally, on the guidance of Edwin (Regis's brother) Robienne decided she had enough and divorced Regis when Vanessa was two years old. Robienne moved her daughter to New England to be with family, and the two lived peacefully after that. After graduating high school, Vanessa went to the nunnery and stayed there for a few years, while Robienne moved to the Midwest to pursue a career in teaching.
However Vanessa soon grew discontent, feeling as though she was missing out on normal young adult life. Should she stay as a nun or forge her own path?
She would find clues to her answer in the form of receiving news about her father moving to Odyssey - the same town her mother lived. Fearing for her mother's life, Vanessa requested a temporary break in vows, family business, she had said. Settling in Odyssey (under the surname Newman) she got a job working at Whit's End and as a private tutor.
Following major and minor events including the Blackgaard, Novacom, and Green Ring Conspiracy drama, Jason proposed to Vanessa, and they had a summer wedding (but not before overcoming premarital jitters and a threat from Jason's past). Two years after their union (or as of current Odyssey storyline) they had a little boy named Jerry Jr. (named after Jason's deceased brother). Vanessa continues to work at Whit's End as a curator and artist.
Major Storylines: If she was canon she would've been a major player in some of Odyssey's biggest stories including:
- Blackgaard Saga: Her debut, she came to town to take care of her mother & to confront her father on troubled past. She was hired to work at Whit's End where she met then-owner Jack Allen & the previous owner's son Jason for the first time. The townsfolk were.mesmerized by the seemingly mysterious woman and rumors started to abound. Near the climax, Vanessa revealed to Connie and Eugene that came to Odyssey to protect her mother from Regis. Towards the end of the saga, she, her uncle Edwin, and a few townsfolk helped to set up a trap for her father to save Odyssey.
Novacom Saga: She was a big player in taking down Novacom, using her skills writing letters to raise awareness on Novacom's shady actions. This is where her rivalry with Monica Stone began as Vanessa feelings for Jason turn romantic. After Novacom, she would be involved in more stories.
Green Ring Conspiracy: Following Jason's supposed "death" she briefly left Odyssey in mourning. Her uncle and mother managed to convince her to come back to Odyssey. She was unaware of Jason's secret of being alive and working as the Stiletto, and had several encounters with the Stiletto where the mysterious man left her roses and notes of endearment. The two would later reunite after Jason retuned to town, but Vanessa was angry with him for keeping secrets from her. After a long time (and counsel from Whit) she forgave him, and the two reconciled with the promise of being more open with each other.
Courtship Of Jason & Vanessa: An original storyline where the romance between her and Jason comes full circle, leading to their engagement! If only they could overcome personal inhibitions, a hateful doberman, past rivals and a threat from Jason's spy work!
Junior's Birth & Beyond: A couple of years into their marriage Vanessa became pregnant. She was anxious over multiple scenarios, her growing appetite and mood swings. After her son was born she developed symptoms of postpartum depression and sought medications and therapy. Slowly but surely, her mental health improved, & her anxieties faded away. As of now she has gotten involved with the current Rydell Saga.
Trivia
Vanessa won several awards for her artwork and has them on display everywhere in Odyssey
She is one of my most complex characters, but also one starting to really grow on me mostly out of nostalgia for the series
- Characters that inspired Vanessa's creation are Megara (Disney Hercules), Rei/Sailor Mars (Sailor Moon), Esther (biblical stories), Tzipporah (biblical stories esp. Dreamworks The King of Egypt), Talia Al Ghul, and Elisa Maza (Gargoyles). Other inspos include Maria Von Trapp and Marian Ravenwood.
- Vanessa was made to have a unique female character to contrast Connie and Katrina. Also because I have a soft spot for the Forbidden Love trope (if done right).
- She is the only main character OC of mine that is explicitly religious. She was Catholic and while she converted to Protestant, she still holds on to Catholic values. She is also the only main OC to be a parent as of current.
- Vanessa still visits her old nunnery when she and Jason goes to New England.
- She has bouts of postpartum depression, and takes medication to regulate.
- Her favorite things are the color blue, making her own pigments, and coffee flavored ice cream
Quotes
"Blackgaard already made our lives miserable uncle Edwin! If you leave now you're only giving him more power! You helped mama and I so many times, so it's my turn to return the favor!"
"Connie I'm a nun not a miracle worker."
"If my mother superior saw what I'm doing right now I would've had an early meeting with the Lord!"
"No more secrets. From now on it's just truth and nothing but the truth. Except for my age, don't ask me how old I am."
"Sheesh with all these buttons I'm surprised we didn't destroy Odyssey yet!"
"Jason I know you're worried about the baby but did you have to baby proof the doghouse too?"
"My little Angel! Who's a good girl? Who's a good girl!"
"I can't believe I can still wear this after all these years!?"
"Jason Whittaker you have got to be the most stubborn, reckless, foolhardy man I have ever met, and I wouldn't have it any other way."
"You call it junk I call it avant garde."
"I'm not responsible for my father's sins but I am responsible for mine. But my mother and uncle are in trouble. If not for me then please, do it for them!"
"She doesn't hate you Jason, she hates everyone equally."
"I guess God had a plan in store for me after all. I would've never met such wonderful people."
"Are you going to keep talking or should I start the kissing?"
Pictures
I haven't drawn any references for her yet, so that's going to be on a separate post
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irikahkrios · 3 years
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2, 3, 5!
2. You can redesign the canon outfits of three characters. Who are they? Bonus, what would your redesigns look like?
okay i'm gonna go with the obvious answer here and say miranda, jack, and samara. with the common thread being "for the love of god PLEASE let these powerful deadly women wear something other than boob straps and painted-on-looking catsuits."
for miranda it would definitely have been cool to have her in something a bit more structured and uniform-like in me2. but i know everyone and their mother has complained about miranda's catsuit, so i'm actually gonna focus on me3 and how she really should have gotten new clothes. i mean, she's in hiding, sneaking around the galaxy evading her former employers and desperately trying to find her sister, and she's....wearing the exact same very recognizable catsuit from the previous game, just with the cerberus insignia removed? i think it would have been cool to see her in something a bit less polished and put-together, and a lot less obviously recognizable. let her pull shepard aside on the citadel, a mysterious figure wearing a hooded jacket or something? maybe some sort of....asymmetrical hooded sci-fi trench coat? god i dunno. i can sort of picture it in my head but it's hard to put into words. also let her tie her hair back and wear flat shoes you cowards
this might be cheating since it's an existing outfit (but i made this ask game so whatever), but jack's alternate dlc outfit is already so much better than the Boob Strap and i would have preferred it as her main outfit. that cool sorta-punk, sorta-biker look? fucking excellent. it fits her vibe so well. the sunglasses are kinda silly and i'll admit i don't care for them, they're the one thing keeping me from putting her in that outfit every time i play (i usually will put her in it until i get her loyalty outfit though), but everything else about it is *chefs kiss*
i do like mods that put samara in the asari commando armor, i think it's definitely better than her canon armor, but i don't entirely think it fits her vibe. i do enjoy how ornate her armor is, in that aspect it really does feel like something a member of an ancient sect of warriors would wear. but the rest of the design is just......oof. as for what i would prefer, there is this one concept (in two different colors) on her page in the art book that i think is really cool, it captures that same ornate design vibe while being....a lot less grossly oversexualized.
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it's still not as armored as i would like (and it still has the high heels which are a pet peeve), but it's a far more interesting design overall. i can see the lighter colored one as her regular armor, and the darker variant as the loyalty mission reward recolor.
3. Think about your least favorite character in the series. Hypothetically, what changes could be made to their character that would make you like them better?
i really wouldn't hate liara half as much if she wasn't shoved in your face to the extent that she is. the games just consistently present her as Shepard's Best Friend, as the single most important squadmate in shepard's life, and the writing generally assumes that her strong attachment to shepard is reciprocated, resulting in all this forced dialogue that makes no sense if your shepard felt neutral on her or straight-up disliked her. i would be able to tolerate liara a lot more if i could set boundaries with her. i want to be able to establish that she and my shepard are not close, and i want that decision to be respected by the games instead of being constantly railroaded into dialogue that implies a deep intimate connection that simply isn't there in my canon. the more the games pushed liara on me, the more i pushed back against her, and i'm at the point now where in my headcanon version of the games, she isn't even a squadmate in me3. i definitely wouldn't have gotten so frustrated and so actively resentful of her as a character if bioware had given me any kind of choice in how my shepard interacts with her.
5. What's a scene you would have liked to see in the series?
i want more scenes, specifically in me2, of the squadmates interacting with each other. me2 has this great setup with one of my all-time favorite tropes, the Morally Ambiguous Ensemble Cast Who All Have Fucked Up Issues, and then has the audacity to NOT do a found family plot. i want the me2 squadmates to be found family SO BAD and i end up having to write that plot in my head because the game sure as hell doesn't give it to me. i want something like the movie night scene in andromeda, something where all your squadmates get to hang out together and have banter and be a family. i want a scene that shows how this group of people has become Home. we deserved that dammit, me2 had the best squadmate roster in the series but the least amount of interactions between said squadmates and frankly i think that's a crime
admittedly we do get something kind of like this in me3 with the citadel dlc, but i would argue it isn't quite what i'm looking for, since citadel is more of a love letter to the trilogy as a whole and i would have preferred something that was just for the me2 roster. also thane is my favorite me2 squadmate and one of the characters i would be most interested in seeing interact with the others, and he's not in citadel because he's fucking dead. so, yeah.
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