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wiypt-writes · 3 years

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Stark Spangled Banner

Ch48: The Terrible Twos Part 1: More?

Intro: In the fourth year since the snap, Jamie enters the terrible twos.

Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut (NSFW, 18+)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

A/N: So this chapter is kind of a little different to the others here really, as it’s almost like a collection of long drabbles detailing their life over 2022. And just a little reminded, Phobias, Steve admits to Katie he has a fear of clowns…keep that in mind! Also linked to this chapter is a smutty little One Shot- Got You By The Chain- Guest writer @sweater-daddiesdumbdork

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Chapter 47

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

April 2022

By the fourth anniversary of the Snap, it finally looked like society was moving on. There was still a lot to do, but most schools and Universities were fully functioning, TV shows and Movies were back in production, restaurants and shops seemed to have gotten back to some level of ‘normality’. Whilst places weren’t as buzzing as they had been, it seemed like people were finally taking those baby steps forward, which was the mantra Steve continued to preach at his support groups.

If only it was that easy to follow your own advice.

Steve, and the rest of those of them who had fought Thanos and been spared, would be lying if they said their failure wasn’t still at the back of their minds. But nothing short of a time machine was going to bring any of those stones back. They had to learn to live with it, and for the most they did, their lives had moved on. Tony, Pepper, Steve and Katie had become parents, so they had something to focus on. Natasha, however, was all over the place, focussing even more with Rhodey on trying to track down Clint, the archer having given his vigilante alter-ego a name- Ronin-the word taken to be an idiomatic expression for “vagrant” or “wandering man”, someone who is without a home- or so Katie’s research told them.

‘Ronin’, was still leaving trails of death and destruction all over the place and both Steve and Katie had tried to coax Natasha out of pursuing him too much. As usual, she completely ignored them and had also point blank refused to attend any of the support groups. In the end Steve had stopped asking.

He and Katie found most of their time taken up dealing with Jamie who had entered what the parents now knew why everyone dubbed the terrible twos. He was a nightmare, not necessarily due to bad behaviour but he was so boisterous and such a rough and tumble little boy thanks to the half of him that held the super serum and he was ridiculously clever too. He was constantly up to mischief, which was why now, one Thursday morning Steve was stood in the kitchen, an equal mixture of exasperation and fear flooding his system as he gazed up at his son who was once again sat on top of their large stainless steel fridge freezer, about a foot out of his dad’s reach. This was his favourite activity at the moment and neither Steve nor Katie had no idea how he kept getting up there.

The soldier was currently torn between grabbing a chair to climb up to get him down and being rooted to the spot, not wanting to move in case the tot threw himself off which he was prone to doing.

“Jamie, please come on.” Steve sighed.

“No.” “I’ll give you a cookie if you get down.” Steve pleaded, cursing inwardly at the fact he was resorting to bribery. Jamie cocked his head to one side, clearly weighing up his options and then his face split into a grin.

“Nom!” He grinned and then in a flash launched himself forward.

“Fuck.” Steve cursed, forgetting his language as he stepped back, catching the toddler in his arms, heart in his mouth. Jamie giggled as his dad’s strong arms caught him.

“Don’t do that!” Steve sighed. “Please.” He added weakly.

“Fuck.” Jamie repeated with a laugh and Steve groaned.

“No, we don’t say that.” “Why?”

“It’s a bad word.” Steve explained setting him on the counter in front of him. “Only momma and daddy can say that. And even then we shouldn’t.” He reached for the kitchen cupboard, undoing the child lock before he grabbed the jar and held out a cookie for Jamie.

“Fankoo, Daddy”

“You’re welcome, but that doesn’t mean every time you climb something you get one.” Steve looked at him sternly.

Jamie stared back at him, his mouth full and Steve knew they boy didn’t care one iota about the utter horror he had just put him through. A fact further emphasised when the tot raised his right hand and held his forefinger and middle finger to his eyes, moving them towards his dad.

“Yeah, I am watching you, pal.” Steve arched an eyebrow at him, mentally cursing Tony once again for teaching his son ridiculous habits. “You done?”

Jamie nodded. “More?” “Not a chance.” Steve snorted, lifting him down off the counter and herding him into the living room where he distracted his boy successfully for an hour and a half or so watching Frozen, his current favourite Disney film whilst he checked over his notes for the support groups he was holding later on that afternoon. Then he gave Jamie his lunch, meals being the most painless part of his routine as the kid ate anything you put in front of him, and they set off to meet Katie at the tower.

“Hi Mr Rogers, Hi Jamie!” Soraya, Katie’s PA, greeted them holding up her hand. Jamie leant over the desk in his father’s arms and gave her a hi-five.

“Hi, Sowaya!” He beamed and she smiled back before she turned to Steve. “She’s in the office but you might wanna wait a few seconds before you go in.” Steve was about to ask why, when he heard his wife’s angry voice through the closed door and he grimaced. Someone was getting an absolute earful and he didn’t envy them one bit.

That someone, was Jack Thompson, Katie’s Finance Manager. As part of Stark Industries programme to help orphaned older teenagers post the snap, Katie had given the go head for each major department to recruit interns to give them a spring start and a means to fund themselves. Only for the third day in a row now she had caught Jack ordering his intern to make coffees for the entire office. Not that it wasn’t part of an intern’s initiation, she understood that, but when she had drilled the girl a little more, it seems that was all she was doing, along with photocopying.

“That is not what the programme is about!” She blazed as she leant forward over her desk, Jack lounging in the chair at the other side. He raised an eyebrow at her and that made her bristle even more. “Sorry, I’m not sure what is amusing you about this situation.”

“Nothing, Mrs Rogers.” He shrugged back. “I just think you’re overacting slightly.” “Oh do you?” She asked, her voice raising further. “Well here’s an overreaction for you, you get that girl some proper jobs and activities to work on or you’ll be out of here faster than my two year old can scale the fridge.” Jack frowned

“Which is fast” Katie clarified, realising that there were all sorts of things wrong with that analogy.

“Things were a lot different with your brother at the helm.” Jack looked at her. Katie crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him.

“Well I’m not my brother. If you don’t like it, feel free to leave your resignation letter on my desk.”

Jack eyeballed her for a moment before he nodded. “Understood, loud and clear.” “Good.” She stood up whilst he did the same and she smoothed down her white A-lined high wasted skirt and white blouse. Her black stilettoes clicked on the wooden flooring of her office and she opened the door, nodding out of it. Jack left, not even glancing around until a small voice rang out across the room.

“Momma shouted!” Jamie giggled gleefully. Jack stopped, looked at the boy, then to Steve who simply smiled at the man before he stalked away.

“Jerk.” Katie mumbled under her breath before she beamed at her boys. “Hi!”

“HI Momma!” Jamie grinned, wriggling until Steve popped him down and he ran to his mom to give her a hug. Steve had a split second to perve on his wife, because damned she looked good in that office outfit, before Jamie was in her arms, his mom not caring if his shoes or hands were going to dirty her clothes. She placed a kiss to his cheek as Steve walked towards her dropping one of his own onto her lips.

“Yuk!” Jamie pulled a face.

“So what had he done to earn himself the full wrath of my baby momma?” Steve jerked his head towards the door and Katie groaned.

“Just being awkward when it comes to the interns. I don’t think he’s going to last much longer.” “Good.” Soraya shot. “He’s a creep.”

Katie grinned. “So you tell me.”

Soraya shrugged. “I’m not the only one who thinks so.”

“Hmm.” Katie pondered, before she shrugged. “What’s my diary like for the rest of the day?”

“You’re clear now until four and then you have a conference call with a couple of potential authors for SIP.”

“Why don’t you do it from home?” Steve looked at her. “You were here at seven this morning.” Katie pondered before nodding. Placing Jamie on the floor she headed back into her office and grabbed her jacket and her bag, before linking her hand round her son’s.

“If anyone needs me, can you tell them to email or call my mobile, please?”

Soraya nodded “See you tomorrow, Mrs Rogers. Bye Captain, bye Jamie!”

“Bye bye!” Jamie waved as Katie led him to the elevator, Steve holding his other hand.

“You had lunch?” Steve looked over at her and she shook her head.

“It’s been manic.”

“Good, because neither have I. Thought we could grab something before I head off to the group.”

Katie grinned and leaned up to give him a kiss. “Perfect.” “Lunch?” Jamie piped up and Steve looked down at him.

“Buddy, you ate an entire bowl of spaghetti at home.” “But, I’m hungry.” He pouted and Katie looked at Steve.

“He gets that off you.” She smirked and Steve rolled his eyes.

“Who does he get climbing the fridge off?” He asked.

“Again?”

“Yeah, had to bribe him down with a cookie.”

Katie snorted. “Well I don’t know about the climbing bit but he definitely gets the negotiation skills from me”

“It wasn’t a negotiation.” Steve scoffed, as the doors opened on the ground floor “It was out and out extortion.”

Katie laughed as they stepped out into the reception, heading to the front doors which opened automatically.

“Let’s go to the deli round the corner.” She suggested and Steve nodded, positioning himself on the outside of the sidewalk as always, Jamie on the inside of his two parents as they slowed their pace to allow their son to walk the block or so round the corner.

“Momma?” He asked tugging on hand. “Yes baby?” “I haff tuna?”

“If you want tuna, yeah.”

At that point Steve, who had been watching the two of them, turned and almost walked straight into another pedestrian.

“Oh, sorry Ma’am.” He nodded to her at the same time Jamie uttered.

“Fuck.” Katie stopped dead and turned to look down at him, her voice growing stern. “James Anthony Samuel Rogers, what did you just say?”

He blinked up at her as Steve groaned, crouching down in front of his son. “I told you that was a bad word.” He softly chastised the two year old.

“Sowee Momma,Sowee daddy.” Jamie’s eyes looking down at his feet as he toed the sidewalk slightly with his little sneakers.

“Thank you for apologising.” Steve ruffled his hair as he stood up. “Don’t say it again.” “Okay.” “Where did he hear that?” Katie looked accusingly at Steve and he hesitated for a moment.

“Tony?” He shrugged, a sheepish smile crossing his face as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

Katie narrowed her eyes. “You’re still a terrible liar.”

******

June 2022

“Now don’t go mad Spangles.” Tony immediately greeted Steve as he shut the car door and headed across the lawn area to the side of the lake house. Instantly Steve narrowed his eyes.

“What have you done?” He asked, following Tony down a well-trodden path to the back of the house where a small play tent was erected.

“Nothing.” Tony shrugged, as Steve followed him round to the back of the house. “Well, nothing bad, just…”

“Stop, or I’ll shoot!” Steve heard Morgan speak before she popped her head out of the tent, and held her left hand out in front of her. She was wearing a red glove with some form of battery powered light strapped to the palm. Before Steve could comment, Jamie followed, the same item on his right.

“Pew pew!” He grinned, making the noise at his dad. Steve took a deep breath and scowled at Tony.

“Really?”

“Hey look, it was this or the actual gauntlets so,” he shrugged and then Steve really did give him a glare. Tony held his hands up. “I was in the garage tinkering and they saw them and wanted one of their own so…”

“Iron Man!” Jamie grinned up at his dad “Look Daddy, like Unca Nee!”

“And I suppose those just have to come back to my house with the pair of them tonight?” Steve narrowed his eyes at Tony. “You know, I can always refuse to babysit.”

“Err, no you can’t.” Tony smirked. “First off we had Jamie last night so you and Katie could have a night alone, and second off…” “Uncle Pangles!” Morgan threw herself at him, her arms wrapping around his legs. “We can play tonight, I stay at yours!”

“…you can’t resist her Stark charm.” Tony smirked as Steve sighed, bending down to give his niece a kiss on the head.

Katie tried not to laugh at the look on Steve’s face as he recounted the incident later that evening as they sat out in the back round the fire pit torching S’mores with Emmy. Jamie and Morgan were fast asleep in Jamie’s room.

“Well Dad,” Emmy sat back and looked at him, her brown eyes flashing with mischief, “sometimes you gotta fight fire with fire…”

“What you got in mind?” He looked at her.

“We’re pretty good at art, right?” She shrugged and Steve nodded. “Let’s put it to use.”

So the next morning, as soon as the hardware shop opened, Emmy and Steve were in there gathering supplies for the Great Rogers Revenge plan, sharing a victorious hi-five whilst they loaded the trunk of the car up with their ammo. Katie told them she didn’t want to know what they were planning and she meant it, steering clear of Steve’s man-cave for the rest of the morning, calling them back to the house at eleven ish for a coffee and a slice of banana bread when Natasha dropped in. The two women could hear Steve and Emmy sniggering as they approached and when they walked into the kitchen, Katie was greeted by the pair of them holding up their finished items.

“Oh my God!” Natasha spluttered. There was a slight pause, before Katie cracked up laughing as Steve and Emmy held up their masterpieces. They had painted the insides of two small metal trash can lids to look like replicas of Steve’s shield.

“I got the idea from a picture in my history books.” Emmy said, grinning “Some young kids in a Brooklyn street after the war, playing with the lids like they were shields…” “Perfect handles to hold them with, look.” Steve grinned, flipping his round “And they’re spray varnished too so the paint won’t rub off.”

“Cap!” Jamie shrieked as the sight of the items Steve and Emmy were holding.

“Wow!” Morgan looked up in awe “Is one for me?” “Sure is, Moo.” Steve bent down and showed the two children how to grab the shield with their hands on the handles and, once he was confident they had got it, they shot out of the back door and down onto the grass, Lucky leaping up from where he had been snoozing under a tree and heading inside out of the way.

“Just do me a favour and don’t show teach ‘em to throw them.” Katie sighed, watching as Jamie was busy holding his shield in front of him as Morgan aimed her faker repulsor beam clad hand at him.

Steve shook his head, grabbing a piece of cake. “No point, we tried and it doesn’t work. They don’t have the same weight or trajectory.”

“Yeah, they just kinda hover for a bit and then fall down.” Emmy shrugged, her mouth full of banana bread. “This is good, mom.”

“Thanks.” Katie smiled “Nat you want another piece?”

“No thanks.” she shook her head, “don’t wanna ruin our lunch.” “Lunch?” Steve paused, the slice of cake halfway to his mouth.

“I told you last night,” Katie rolled her eyes, “me and Nat are off for lunch and shopping.”

“You wanna come Em?” Nat asked.

“Nope.” She shook her head. “I wanna be here when Uncle Tony picks these two up.”

She fist bumped Steve and Katie shook her head at the pair of them.

“Well, I do not. Gimme two mins Nat and I’ll grab my shoes.”

**** “So, Steve and I are taking the kids away in a month or so, why don’t you come with us?” Katie asked as they sat in a small tapas bar, just off Times Square. Nat pondered for a while before she shook her head.

“I can’t leave the compound.”

“Why not?” “If something goes wrong, I need to be there.” “Nat,” Katie sighed, “it isn’t your responsibility. The Avengers, we’re not…” Natasha cut her off, “Don’t, please,” she shook her head, “it’s my job. If I can help in even the smallest of ways then I should.” Katie bit her lip before she reached over for her glass of water. She understood that in all fairness, Steve had gone through his own phase of feeling useless not long after the snap but had found his niche for sure with the support groups. If this was how Nat was dealing with it then…

“Anyway, enough about that.” Nat changed the subject. “Tell me more about the delightful language my God-Son has been learning.” Katie groaned. “Did I tell you about the whole, oh Fuck thing a few months back?” “Yeah.”

“Well a few nights ago we’re sat at the table and he suddenly shouts ‘Daddy, fuck.’ So, of course Steve tells him off. But he doesn’t stop. ‘Momma, fuck, Emmy, fuck…’ and Steve’s getting more and more exasperated, trying to tell him to stop, and wasn’t until Jamie pointed to the table and shouts ‘need fuck’ we realised he wanted a fork for his pasta and not the spoon we had given him.” Katie grinned as Natasha laughed. “Honestly Nat, I thought Steve was gonna have a heart attack.”

“Yeah he doesn’t like that kinda language.” Natasha grinned biting into a breadstick.

“I wouldn’t mind but he taught Jamie that word, not intentionally of course. And then there was the jackass incident.”

“What?”

“Someone pulled out in front of me at a junction. I forgot he was in the car so I slammed on the horn and flipped him off shouting ‘jackass’ out the window.” Katie took another drink of her water “Didn’t think anything of it until we were leaving Tony’s later that afternoon. I wound the back windows down in the car so Jamie could wave. Only he doesn’t wave, he raises his middle finger and calls Tony a jackass”

Natasha laughed. “Well, he’s not wrong.”

“Funnily enough that’s what Steve said.” Katie grinned. “Mind you, what he did at the supermarket the other day tops it all.” She took a bite of her garlic mushrooms. “He’s sat in the trolley and loud as you like shouts ‘I got a woody in my pants’. The woman in the aisle next to us just looks at us and Steve starts trying to explain that he was wearing Toy Story underpants, I mean…”

Natasha spluttered out her calamari, choking slightly as she started to laugh, Katie grinned before she too chuckled. It was funny now she thought about it. Tto be honest Katie had found it funny at the time, Steve was the one that had flushed bright red. At that point her phone began to ring and she fished it out of her bag.

“Uh oh.” She winced and looked at Nat

“Stark?”

She nodded “Hi Tone…” “Oh don’t hi Tone me,” his voice hit her ears, “your husband is a grade A…”

“I hope you don’t have Morgan in the car whilst you’re being so angry.” Katie jokingly chastised her brother

“A trash can lid. A god-damned trashcan lid.” “Yeah well you send our kid home with some of your shit, we’re gonna repay the favour, now if you don’t mind…”

She cut the call and saw that she had a message from Steve.

Game, set and match to Spangles ;-)

She snorted.

“Are they ever gonna stop this tit for tat with the kids?” Natasha asked.

Katie shook her head, smiling. In all honesty she kind of liked the friendly little feud they had going. It was all good natured, and she enjoyed the closeness of her family. “Nope. Sometimes I forget exactly who the kids are. The pair of them act worse than two year olds.”

******

August 2022

“Did Em tell you about the bloke at the harbour?” Steve asked, looking at Katie. The two of them were sat on the veranda of the villa on Tony’s Island. It was the last night of their two week vacation and the family had spent the time playing in the pool, on the beach- Emmy and Jamie scouring the sand for shells and other mementoes to bring home. Jamie had been particularly taken with watching the fishing boats as they left and returned from the small harbour, Steve often taking him and Emmy down to watch when they brought back their catches of the day, the small boy engaging as enthusiastically and as well he could with his two-year-old vocabulary and the locals had been nothing but gracious and kind back to him and his older sibling.

Katie suspected it was for that reason that they had returned earlier that night with a selection of seafood which Katie had enjoyed preparing for them, along with numerous salads, potatoes and some local fruits for afters. The four had gorged themselves and the kids, after no protest at all due to them being exhausted, were now tucked up in bed leaving the married couple to take in their last night alone.

“No?” Katie looked at Steve.

“He kept asking me how much I wanted for her.” Steve smirked and Katie laughed. “She thought it was hilarious too, until I offered to sell her for three lobsters and a couple mahi-mahi.”

“Oh I bet she loved that.” Katie looked at him, as he shrugged, drinking from his beer bottle. “Mind you, it is kinda freaky, just how much she’s grown. I mean she’s fifteen this October.” “Tell me about it.” Steve grumbled “We got all that stuff to come yet.” “What stuff?” Katie asked, eyeing him over her wine glass.

“You know,” he waved the hand that was clutching his beer, “boys and…whatever.” Katie snorted. “What you gonna do when she does finally bring a boy back to meet us?” She asked, swinging her bare legs up and placing her feet in his lap.

“Be waiting with a shot gun.” Steve grumbled, his spare hand dropping to her smooth skin, fingers gently tracing up and down her calf.

“That’s a dramatic shovel talk.” Katie raised an eyebrow at him.

“Oh I won’t talk. Just hold it across my lap and look at him.” “You’re terrible.” Katie sniggered as his hand gently continued its ministrations on her leg.

Steve chuckled and Katie glanced out over the bay, sighing slightly It had been a great few weeks, just one person really missing.

“I wish Nat would have come.”

“She’s worrying me,” Steve sighed. “It’s not healthy, being cooped up in that place, alone.”

“I know.” Katie nodded. “But there’s not much we can do other than be there for her.”

Steve took a breath, laying his head back against his chair as the warm sea breeze hit them. Katie glanced over at where he was sat, his skin slightly more tanned, the freckles that sprang over his nose during the summer were now even more pronounced although they couldn’t rival hers. His hair had been cropped short again, and he’d even sprouted the thin smattering of a beard over the last two weeks, although he’d told Katie sternly he wasn’t growing it out again.

“I’m Captain America at those support groups, and he doesn’t have a beard.”

As Katie drank him in she noticed that over the years, whilst he had aged slightly, he hadn’t changed nearly as much as she had. All the studies, backed up by Banner’s research, estimated that Steve would age at a rate approximately fifteen to twenty years younger than the average person. At some points this worried her, as she knew that in fifteen years or so he would only look to be in his late thirties when they would both be realistically, going off the years spent living and not buried in ice, midway through their fifties, but that was something she’d known before she had married him.

And she supposed that as long as he didn’t care how old she looked it didn’t matter.

“Want a photo or summi’k” Steve asked, his eyes on his wife, as she was simply looking at him, clearly contemplating something. She smiled at the way his Brooklyn drawl dripped off his voice as it always did when he was relaxed. He cocked his head slightly to one side, smiling gently at her as his beer bottle rest against his leg. Deciding she wanted distracting from the ridiculous worry that had sprung up on her, she grinned and moved her feet before she stood up. Taking the bottle off him she placed it on the table and settled on his lap, her knees either side of his thighs, as he smirked up at her.

“Summik sounds good.” She muttered kissing him hard. Their tongues began their usual dance until he pulled back and looked at her, sweeping her hair off her face. Simply put, in his eyes, his wife was stunning. Her freckles which always became more pronounced in the sun spread across her nose and her cheeks, giving her an even more youthful look than normal. Her hair was now a few inches above her waist, having grown down from the shoulder length cut she had sported whilst they’d been on the run and was falling over her face in a mass of beach tangled curls, which Steve adored. Her figure, Jesus, he could look at her all day, curves across her hips, breasts…he’d been exceptionally pleased that, despite her confidence issues over her body not being what it used to be, she’d been wearing a two-piece swimsuit, even if it was one that covered her midriff. He knew better now that to try and argue that he didn’t give a damned about the fact her stomach was slightly less flat than it used to be, or her hips were wider, Steve simply let her get on with dressing how she felt comfortable and lavished affection and praise on her every chance he got, because frankly, there wasn’t a think about his wife he didn’t adore.

He questioned every, single day how he had gotten so goddamned lucky and it had been him she’d chosen to spend the rest of her life with.

“What’s wrong?” She frowned, noticing the contemplative look in his eyes.

“Nothing at all, Baby.” He shook his head, reaching down and pulling off the crochet dress she was wearing over her swim suit top and denim shorts. “Just thinking about how I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you look so beautiful.” She grinned as his fingers moved to undo the string that held her top around her neck, causing it to fall forward leading her bare from the waist up. He simply admired her for a moment as her hands wound into his hair and she gave a soft tug, causing his head to tilt upwards to look at her. “Not even when we got married?”

“Hmmm.” He contemplated, her lips hovering near his as she leant down, his hands creeping up her sides. “Maybe, but you weren’t my baby momma then.”

Katie grinned, she loved it when he called her that. Gently kissing him she pulled back and looked at him. “I’ve not changed that much have I?” She teased as she pushed down on his crotch and he groaned.

“Nope,” he muttered before kissing her hard, grinding his hips up against hers.

“Take me to bed Captain.” She murmured into his mouth, at him with suggestive eyes which peered from underneath heavy lids.

“Yes ma’am” he grinned, and in a swoop he’d picked her up and carried her inside.

**** Chapter 48 Part 2

#stark spangled banner #steve rogers #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers fic #steve rogers x original female character #Katie Stark #mcu #mcu fanfic #chris evans #chris evans characters

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punchdrunkdoc · 4 years

Text

Updated K-Drama list (8)

After almost a year of watching KDramas, I’ve finally found a show that has knocked CLOY off the top spot!

The GREAT:

1. Its Ok To Not Be Okay - NEW ENTRY

A children’s author with antisocial personality disorder becomes obsessed with a handsome (but closed-off) carer in a mental health hospital.

I could (and already have) written loads about this show - it became my all-encompassing obsession for the 8 weeks it was on telly. I LOVE IT SO MUCH!! I had a feeling only 1 episode in that it might become my all-time favourite K-drama, and I was right. The quality never dropped for a moment, and it absolutely nailed the ending.

I pretty much love everything about it - the whimsical, fairytale-esque tone, the music, the costumes, the supporting characters, the side plots exploring different mental health issues, the humour, the set design, even the opening credits!

The two leads are so beautiful with SO MUCH chemistry that you could watch them read a phone book and it would be hot. But it became a real three-hander of a show, with the male lead’s autistic brother forming an integral part of the relationship dynamic.

Honestly, I can’t do this show justice with such a short review - just WATCH IT!!

Male lead: Soooo handsome, quiet and compassionate but with a steel core; it’s so fun watching him come out of his shell. Actor also seen in (AASI): My Love from a Star (honestly, he didn’t make much of an impression in that show, but he was amazing in this - he conveys so much emotion with the most subtle facial movements)

Female lead: Absolutely fascinating; so wounded and vulnerable, but projecting this awesome, no-fucks-given, blunt-as-hell exterior. Actress also seen in (AASI): Lawless Lawyer, Hwarang (minor character)

2. Crash Landing on You

He’s from North Korea. She’s from South Korea. They never should have met, but they’ll change each other’s lives.

This was my first K-drama, and although it’s been knocked off the top spot, it’s still fantastic. Its the full package - the entire cast of characters is great, the lead romance is ANGSTALICIOUS and its genuinely, laugh out loud funny (when its not making you cry or swoon). I’ve since discovered that they had a North Korean defector as a consultant working on the show, so apparently the NK scenes are fairly accurate which is SUPER interesting.

Male lead: Officially the best boyfriend ever - absolutely nails the small, romantic gestures. AASI: Hyde, Jekyll & Me.

Female lead: Smart, sassy, and funny. I love her.

3. Healer

The lives, and pasts, of a hot shot reporter, a spunky young tabloid journalist and a mysterious thief-for-hire intersect.

I ADORE this show and its so rewatchable. The plot was tight and engaging, and this is one of the few shows I’ve watched where there didn’t seem to be a lot of filler. The central 3 characters are great, and the romance was amazing. I especially loved that the male lead started off such a brooding loner, but he became super-affectionate as soon as he admitted his feelings. So many good hugs and lots of face-cradling in this one. There’s also a great riff on the Superman/Clark Kent dynamic which was fun!

Male lead: Effortlessly beats up 2 henchmen while comforting his girl over the phone. What more do you need? AASI: The K2, Suspicious Partner, Melting me softly, Backstreet Rookie

Female lead: She doesn’t let her vulnerabilities stop her from getting the story or being with the man she loves. AASI: What’s wrong with secretary Kim, I’ll go to you when the weather is nice, Her private life

4. Itaewon Class

A young man’s life is forever altered when he runs afoul of a powerful family.

This felt like a big step up in quality from everything else in this list, in terms of the production, soundtrack (which was brilliant), the lack of annoying sound effects, and just the overall ‘real world’ feel of the show. All of the characters were fleshed out and 3-dimensional, and they all had their ‘moment’ to shine. The story itself was gripping and so well done - some of the twists and reveals had me gasping! And what can I say about the 2 leads? I love them, both separately, and together. He is so wise beyond his years, and his journey will break your heart and inspire you. She is borderline sociopathic, but I adore her.

Male lead: Tenacious, principled, kind, innocent, caring, driven, loyal…and he can cook! AASI: What’s wrong with secretary Kim, Fight for my way, Hwarang

Female lead: One of the most original Kdrama female characters I’ve seen. Plus she retains her agency all the way through, which is (unfortunately) not always the case with these shows.

5. W - Two worlds

A surgeon gets sucked into the world of her father’s webtoon when the main character’s life is threatened.

This was a WILD ride! The first 4 episodes barrelled through plot at an amazing rate and certain events happen in episode 5 that had me wondering how the show could even continue! But it did…and the plot just got more insane! I loved this show SO much. It kept me guessing, had me on the edge of my seat, and even had room for some of my favourite romance tropes. The central relationship was great, and (because of the insane plot) you basically get 2 love stories for the price of 1. I’ve already watched this whole show again, which is why I’ve bumped it up the ratings a bit!

Male lead: Just a really, really cool guy. Can’t think of how else to describe him! Always in control, calm, unflappable, analysing the situation….but he can break out the cocky charm when needed. AASI: While you were sleeping, Doctor Stranger

Female lead: I really liked her - she had more agency than a lot of other female heroines and I really related to her freaked-out panic in the beginning when she didn’t feel like she was a capable enough doctor to save a life.

6. While you were sleeping

Not to be confused with the Sandra Bullock rom-com from the 90s. Instead, this is about a young woman who can dream the future who has her fate changed by a young prosecutor who suddenly develops the same ability

I was thoroughly and utterly charmed by this show. Everything was so beautifully done - from the cinematography, to the music (OMG the music!), even the title cards were interesting and quirky. The characters were all great - the main leads are so sweet and relatable, the second lead is cute-as-a-button, the villain is properly hissable, and none of the supporting characters/extras annoyed me! The storyline itself was brilliant, with so many great set-ups, pay-offs and twists, and the romance was lovely.

Male lead: A bit of a hot mess of a human being (basically, the polar opposite of his character in W!)…but all the more loveable for it. AASI: W: 2 worlds, Doctor stranger.

Female lead: Smart, sweet, loyal (I really loved her relationship with her mum) and quietly brave.

7. Descendants of the Sun

A special forces Captain meets a capable and beautiful trauma surgeon. They feel an instant bond, but their jobs and philosophy on life get in the way, threatening to tear them apart.

I absolutely LOVE the male lead character, and the romance in this was beautiful. Plus its chock-full of CompetencePorn, with lots of scenes of people being really, really good at their jobs (this is one of my favourite things!). However, it didn’t quite nail the angst, and the last minute was a bit twee which dropped it down the rankings a bit.

Male lead: A cocky, charming, absolute BADASS with the most adorable, cheeky smile.

Female lead: Sweet and a bit out of her depth in the dangerous situations…but put her in charge of a patient and watch her go!

8. Love in the Moonlight / Moonlight Drawn by Clouds

A young woman poses as a eunuch in the Royal Palace and falls in love with the Crown Prince

This was the first period piece I watched and it’s still my favourite - almost entirely because of the male lead and his beautiful face! The start had a really light, comedic tone (and a lot of modern anachronisms - high fives everywhere!) and I loved all the identity-concealing hi-jinks. But then the romance kicked into gear and the DELICIOUS angst started flowing, and I became obsessed with it. It’s like loads of bits of my favourite regency historical romances were mashed up and transported to the Joseon Dynasty. I loved it so much!

Male lead: Manages to look amazingly handsome despite all the period headgear, kicks ass with a sword, and doesn’t allow himself to be manipulated by the corrupt officials surrounding him. Also acts like an adorable goofball when he’s in love.

Female lead: Loved her at the start - she’s scrappy and independent and capable. Unfortunately, becomes too much of a plot device by the end. AASI: Backstreet Rookie

9. I’ll Go to You When the Weather is Nice / I’ll Find You on a Beautiful Day

A cellist disillusioned with life in Seoul returns to her small home town for the winter.

This was achingly sweet and wonderful. The slow unfolding of the story, the beautiful scenery, and the simple yet moving score all combine to make this feel like the type of small town contemporary romance novel I love to read on a rainy day in front of a fire. Whilst long-held, painful secrets are eventually revealed, there is no massive conflict involved, with no antagonist or over-wrought external drama. Its just the tale of two sad, lonely people who have withdrawn from the world forming a connection with each other and trying to overcome their issues (she has a fear of abandonment; he’s a loner who has a tendency to disappear). As a bonus, there’s a bookclub with a wonderful cast of secondary characters - I wanted to spend more time with all of them.

Male Lead: Precious Cinnamon Roll, to be protected at all costs. AASI: Are you human too

Female lead: Wears her heart on her sleeve. Refreshingly, she’s the instigator of the relationship and isn’t the usual passive, coy female. AASI: What’s wrong with secretary Kim, Healer, Her private life

10. Goblin

A 900yr old immortal guardian finally meets the ‘bride’ who will end his existence

Once I got over the slight ick-factor of the age difference between the two characters at the beginning, I really fell for this show and it’s world. It had me in floods of tears at some points, and it was laugh out loud funny at others. I especially loved the secondary character of the Grim Reaper and his reluctant bromance with the Goblin.

Male lead: Surprising innocent and funny for a 900 year old

Female lead: Also innocent, but in some ways wise beyond her years. Her tears will make you cry (the actress is very good at sobbing her heart out!). AASI: The King, eternal monarch

11. What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim

An personal assistant decides to quits her job in order to get a life. Her boss has other ideas.

This was my first Park Seo Joon drama, and he’s great in it. He somehow turns a self-centred, entitled and vain boss into an endearing character! The central romance is amazing - I can rewatch their scenes again and again - and its a bit more mature than some of the others on this list (be sure to check out the extended scene!!). It has some of the best kisses in Kdrama.

Male lead: Like I said, somehow makes vanity and narcissism endearing. Also not afraid to get his shirt off and flash his 6-pack. Bonus. AASI: Itaewon Class, Fight for my way, Hwarang

Female lead: I’m a sucker for uber-competent people so I loved this character. Park Min Young has become one of my favourites, and she is STUNNING in this. AASI: I’ll go to you when the weather is nice, Healer, Her private life

12. Legend of the Blue Sea

A mermaid comes onto land to find the man she loves

The (literal) fish-out-of-water scenes in the first half of this show were hilarious - the actress is a comic genius! The romance was nicely done, and there wasn’t a lot of extraneous plot or too many characters. It also nicely incorporates scenes from the Joseon era, so you get a partial historical romance thrown in for free!

I couldn’t stop watching this one and I’ve since rewatched it too! Definitely one to check out.

Male lead: Cocky, arrogant conman with a soft mushy centre. AASI: The King, Eternal monarch, Heirs.

Female lead: Steals the show - funny, smart and beautiful. AASI: My love from the Star.

13. Into the Ring/The Ballot - NEW ENTRY

An out-of-work young woman decides to run for office and faces all sorts of challenges in her quest to right some wrongs and earn a living.

This show has one of my favourite ever female characters - she’s headstrong, hard working, and quick to violence but so cute and charming with the most adorable laugh! She tries to act all cynical (that she’s only in it for the money) but she is actually really caring and kind. I sooo wanted her to succeed against the establishment of corrupt assholes that she worked with. Seeing her become disillusioned with politics and her colleagues was heartbreaking, and watching her fight back was great.

Her dynamic with the male lead was also great - he’s quietly in awe of her even when he’s exasperated and borderline scared of her. And he’s super supportive. It was so much fun watching her drag him out of his monotonous, dull life. They also weren’t stingy with the PDA which was so refreshing.

On a superficial level, the show was also visually interesting, with loads of cool angles and blue lens flare. And the overall light, funny tone made it so watchable.

Male lead: Adorkable

Female lead: The literal embodiment of sunshine and determination. I have a bit of a crush on her!

14. The King: Eternal Monarch

The reigning King of the Kingdom of Corea discovers a gateway to a parallel world - the Republic of Korea

This is the first drama I’ve watched in ‘real time’ but I think it would work better as a binge - there are a LOT of characters, and many have dopplegangers (because of the parallel world thing) so it became hard to keep track of who was who. I also think the progression of the romance is better appreciated in a binge (I wrote about it here - ignore the speculation; i got it so wrong LOL!). Unfortunately, the plot also had major holes in it (the ‘rules’ for the gateway/magical flute didn’t make sense) and It was difficult at times to differentiate Corea from Korea - a major failing of the editing.

Buuuuuut, it still made my ‘Great’ list because all of those issues were outweighed by the sheer epicness of this show. The gorgeous sets, the dramatic scenery, the ANGST-filled, beautiful romance…at one point the King rides a majestic white horse into battle with a sword on a neon-lit highway to save the woman he loves. I mean, come on! Plus, its really funny - the ‘fish out of water’ scenes when the King first arrives in Korea, the chalk and cheese dopplegangers Yeong and Eun-Seob, the King’s constant threats of beheading…I loved those elements so much!

Male lead: Gives Ri Jeong-Hyeok from CHOY a run for his money in the ‘Best Boyfriend’ competition. AASI: Legend of the blue sea, Heirs.

Female lead: A bad-ass cop. Takes a while to believe Lee Gon’s story, but once she decides to go all in…she goes all in, and loves unreservedly with her whole heart. AASI: Goblin

15. Tomorrow with you

A time-traveller struggling to live in the present meets a woman trying to let go of her past.

This reminded me a bit of ‘I’ll go to you when the weather is nice’ in terms of the melancholic tone, the simple but effective music, and the beautiful lighting etc. There were also some really interesting, innovative shots which I appreciated.

It took a few episodes to get into and it was a bit frustrating in the middle - so much could have been solved if people just TALKED to each other!! Plus the rules for this version of time travel weren’t really clear…But the last few episodes were brilliant; the way the story came together, and all the little bits of set up were paid off was really well done. These episodes alone were enough to bump this up to the ‘Great’ category (especially, given there was a bit of a Lake House vive at one point - I’m a sucker for that movie. The romance was also beautifully portrayed; I could endlessly watch their domestic scenes - they had such good chemistry and banter.

Male lead: Absolutely, but endearingly, terrible at relationships. He ends up falling in love against his will and largely without realising it.

Female lead: A bit of a mess and a borderline alcoholic, but so cute and innocent. I love the way she talks to herself, she’s so funny! AASI: Oh My Venus

16. Fight for my Way

Two life-long friends decide to go after their dreams

I fast-forwarded large chunks of this (I wasn’t interested in the secondary couple at all), but it still made my ‘Great’ list because this is one of the best friends-to-lovers stories I’ve seen. You truly buy that these 2 have known each other their entire lives (their bickering and teasing feels so natural). And then when they take the next step, they’re so affectionate and refreshingly open with their feelings. Speaking of which, this also has some great kissing scenes (Park Seo Joon is the master!)

Male lead: I love his contradictions. He’s goofy and childish…but can really turn on the sexy charm; he’s a badass MMA fighter…who loves when his girlfriend sticks up for him and protects him. AASI: What’s wrong with secretary Kim, Itaewon class, Hwarang

Female lead: Takes no shit from anyone and will fight for her man! AASI: Descendants of the sun (secondary character)

17. Suspicious Partner

A young, hardworking lawyer has her life turned upside down when she is put on trial for murder.

This was officially bumped up the list a while ago, and I stand by the decision. Its still overly long, but the serial killer plot had some nice twists and it was central to the story, so it didn’t feel extraneous like some of these types of plots do. Mainly, I just loved the central romance - the 2 characters sparked off each other so well and I loved their evolution from sort-of enemies to lovers. This is another show where I can endlessly rewatch their scenes together.

Male lead: Its Ji Chang Wook! He’s so good at playing serious guys who are secretly big dorks. AASI: Healer, The K2, Melting me softly, Backstreet Rookie

Female lead: Fate deals her a shitty hand, but she perseveres with grace and determination. She’s great. AASI: Shopaholic Louis, 100 days my prince.

The GOOD:

1. I Am Not a Robot

A man who is allergic to human contact finds companionship with a robot…or does he?

I honestly thought I wouldn’t make it passed a couple of episodes of this - the concept was just too ridiculous. But I’m glad I persevered, because it developed some real depth and some proper good angst towards the end and I LOVED the central relationship. I’ve rewatched loads of this one.

Actress ASI: Piece of Your Mind; Love in the moonlight (secondary character)

2. I Remember You - NEW ENTRY

A famous criminal profiler gatecrashes the investigation of a serial killer, hoping it will restore the missing memories of his childhood trauma

I really liked the set up of this - the lead character is introduced like a young Sherlock Holmes (the music even reminded me of the score for the BBC Sherlock series). The super-observant, socially awkward thing kind of dropped off as the series progressed, but I still enjoyed how the plot developed, especially with Park Bo-Gum’s character; I’ve only ever seen him play innocent cutie-pies, so this role was a bit of a surprise!

The female lead was like an anime character come to life (she was petite and cute with enormous eyes), but I also loved her personality; she was tenacious, and dogged and took no shit from anyone. She had a cute, antagonistic relationship with the profiler at the start (which I loved) which eventually led to some really sweet, touching moments.

Actor ASI: Shopping King Louis

3. Hotel del Luna

A hotel for wandering spirits gets a new human manager - and he forms a surprising connection to the enigmatic 1300 year old owner

If I had to describe this show in one word it would be ’lavish’. It’s a feast for the eyes - from the set design, to the costumes, to the CGI views of the hotel towering over the moon-lit Seoul cityscape, its stunning. It also plays with aspect ratios in a cool way (watch for the shots where the action spills over into the black bars top and bottom of the screen).

In terms of the characters, I really liked IU in this; her character may be uncaring, world-weary, and money-hungry, but she’s also immensely charming. I admit I got more platonic vibes with her and the male lead, but I still liked their relationship. I also really liked the stories of the ghosts passing through (some reduced me to tears with very little screen time) and there were a couple of GREAT cameos. Especially the one at the very end - I want more of him, please!!

Actress ASI: Scarlet heart

4. My Holo Love

A lonely woman falls for a holographic AI and then meets his creator…

I love the concept of this show (I’m a big sci-fi nerd), and I think this stayed in my ‘favourite’ list for so long because it was the first Kdrama of this genre that I saw. I still love it - especially because of how beautifully it’s shot, and how well the story comes together - but I’m not dying to rewatch any of it, unlike all the others shows that are now on the ‘great’ list.

5. Extraordinary You

A high school student discovers she’s a supporting character in a comic book

The plot of this was so cool, and the way the comic story played out interspersed with the characters ‘real lives’ was really well done. Plus the central couple were so adorable. It dragged in the middle section (several versions of the same conversations were had, and the same exposition was spelled out multiple ways for no apparent reason) which kept it out of my favourite list, but it redeemed itself with some good angst at the end, and it had a really lovely ‘epilogue’.

AASI: A couple of the secondary male leads have a mini-reunion in ‘I’ll go to you when the weather is nice’!

6. Just Between Lovers - NEW ENTRY

Three people impacted by a tragic shopping mall collapse start working on a building project together, unaware of their shared past.

I absolutely adore the male lead in this - he is the archetypal tortured hero (I constantly wanted to give him a hug and a warm meal). He’s also wonderfully romantic in his own, straightfoward, no-nonsense way. The female lead was really likeable - l love capable women and she is the definition of that (she even drives a lorry at one point!). There’s a lot of pain and angst in this show, with very little levity, but it strangely never felt heavy. I really liked it.

Actress ASI: Melting me Softly

7. Strong Girl Bong-Soon

A woman with inherited super-strength gets a job as a bodyguard for an eccentric young CEO

The lead couple in this are AD-OR-ABLE and I loved their relationship. But there was a weird tone issue in this show. The romance is super cute…but there’s a whole dark sub plot involving multiple women being held captive by a psychopath, and a really grating cast of ‘bad guy’ extras. I ended up fast forwarding most of that, and just concentrated on the romance - If someone could do a supercut of all their scenes, I would watch it on a loop.

Actor ASI: Hwarang, Heirs (minor character)

8. 30 but 17/Still 17 - NEW ENTRY

A 17 year old girl gets into an accident and wakes from a coma 13 years later.

I was worried going into this that the romance (between a 30 year old man and (essentially) a 17 year old girl) would feel icky and uncomfortable. But the writers made the wise choice of creating a 30 year old man with the emotional maturity of a 17 year old. He is so awkward and unworldly, that they actually work really well together. In fact, I loved their relationship. The secrets in this show took faaaar too long to be revealed, which made me worried that the eding would be too rushed, but there was actually time for a nice ‘epilogue’. Plus, all the supporting characters were great (including the wonderfully weird housekeeper Jennifer) and the cutest dog in the world was in this. So I definitely recommend it.

9. Mystic Pop-up Bar - NEW ENTRY

As punishment for past sins, a woman must solve the grudges of 100,000 people by entering their dreams

This was an unexpected delight. I started watching it after spotting a cute gifset on tumblr (which I didn’t realise contained huge spoilers!). The story and tone is (mostly) light and quirky, and I particularly enjoyed the worldbuilding - the banal bureaucracy of the afterlife in this even reminds me a bit of The Good Place. I’m a sucker for a ‘found family’ theme and this one was done really nicely. It also had 2 main ships - one really cute and innocent, the other took me by surprise with how moving it was. Similarly, some of the episode-specific stories and characters (i.e. the individual grudges) made me tear up.

10. 100 days my prince

A Prince loses his memory during an assassination attempt and ends up living as a peasant for 100 days.

Another period piece; the plots of these seem a little repetitive (Crown prince’s life is threatened by scheming Minister) but the central cast and the romance usually makes up for it. Same for this show - I really enjoyed watching the spoiled, grumpy puppy of a Prince try to cope with manual labour, and the female lead was capable, and endearing.

Actress ASI: Suspicious partner, Shopaholic Louis

11. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo

A young talented weightlifter experiences first love

Honestly, I wasn’t sold on this at first; the female lead was a bit much (lot of gurning and over-acting) and there was a weird disconnect between how she was described (big, overweight, manly, unfeminine) and how she actually looked (thin and beautiful!). But the back half of this show saved it; her relationship with Joon-Hyung was sooooo cute. He is adorable, and they were both so supportive of each other’s dreams. I finished this with a big smile on my face.

Actor ASI: Bride of the Water God, Scarlet heart (tertiary character)

12. Are You Human Too

A mother separated from her son builds a robotic replacement. Decades later, he has to take the place of the ‘real’ son.

I loved the evolution of the robot in this - it never went the way of a full Pinnochio story, but it was fun to see him learning about the real world and how humans interact. It also posed some interesting questions - what does it mean to be human? And how would you react if you were ‘replaced’ by an artificial version?

The actor in this was fantastic. The way he could change from the real Nam Shin to Nam Shin III with the most subtle shifts in posture and facial expression was really impressive. It took me longer to warm to the female lead, and by the end she was given very little to do…but her unflinching support and unconditional love for Nam Shin III won me over. Some of the supporting characters didn’t work for me, and it was far too long…but worth a watch for the lead actor’s performance. Plus, Nam Shin III is an absolute cutie-pie.

Actor ASI: I’ll go to you when the weather is nice

13. Shopaholic Louis/ Shopping King Louis

The young, shopaholic heir to a large department store empire loses his memory and has to live as a poor man

The male lead in this is an absolute puppy dog and I ADORE him. He squeals when he sees bugs, he can’t run to save his life, and he’s the type of guy who will punch someone and immediately apologise and ask if they’re ok. He’s spoilt, entitled, demanding and has no concept of the value of money…but thanks to the actor portraying him, he just comes across as innocent, sweet and lonely (he spends all his time shopping and accumulating stuff because they fills up his empty life). The female lead is just a really nice, kind person; at first Louis seems like he’ll be just one more burden she needs to take care of, but he makes it clear from the start that she can count on him to help her too - something she’s never had before. Their relationship develops so naturally and thoroughly that you cant help but feel they are perfect for each other. I watched this with a big smile on my face.

Actor ASI: I Remember You

Actress ASI: Suspicious partner, 100 days my prince

14. Oh My Venus

The previously much-lusted after ‘Venus of Daegu’ fulfilled her dream of becoming a lawyer - but she gained weight and lost her self esteem in the process.

I adored the female lead - she was so relentlessly bright and optimistic that you couldn’t help but love her and root for her. I was a bit worried going in that there was going to be a lot of fat-shaming, but the male lead made it clear that he was more interested in her internal health than her external appearance (and you could tell he started to fall for her when she was chubby, so it wasn’t superficial in that way). I wasn’t expecting for him to become so much of the focus in the second half of the show (I thought he was just going to be a hunky trainer; I should have known better - in a Kdrama there is always a Tragic Backstory looming!). Their relationship was so natural and cute - the bit with the dimples never got old - and overall, this was a fun, easy watch.

Actress ASI: Tomorrow with you.

Actor ASI: My secret Terrius, Master’s sun.

15. A Piece of your Mind - NEW ENTRY

A classical music recording engineer meets an AI designer.

I struggled to sum-up the concept of this in one sentence, because the ‘plot’ is so arbitrary (and the AI stuff makes no sense whatsoever!). It’s really more of a mood piece - the lighting, the music and the performance combine to make this a strangely ethereal show, dealing with unrequited love, grief and the importance of human connection. It’s slow and contemplative and a little odd in its structure (there’s very little set-up, so you feel like you’ve been dropped into episode 3 of an established show). This may put some people off, but I really liked it.

I started watching it because of the leads (who I’ve loved in other shows) and they didn’t disappoint. She is so kind and lovely; he’s a little odd - like a robot learning about life. But their relationship is so beautiful (it even included one of my favourite niche tropes: insomniacs who can only sleep around each other).

Apparently the episode run was cut down from 16 to 12 because of poor ratings, which is a real shame because i think a bit more time was needed to really sell the female lead’s emotional arc. It all felt a little rushed at the end, but I still enjoyed it, and admired that it tried something a little unconventional.

Actor ASI: While you were sleeping (secondary lead).

Actress ASI: I am Not a Robot; Love in the moonlight (secondary character)

16. Rookie Historian - NEW ENTRY

An independent, educated woman choses to become one of the first female court historians, rather than get married.

This show had a really interesting premise and I enjoyed watching the rookie female historians navigate court-life (battling workplace harassment, misogyny and patriarchal values) and developing a real friendship with each other.

The female lead was fantastic - she was headstrong, pragmatic, unapologetically intelligent, a lover of books and a hater of injustice. She shared that love of books with the male lead, who was sensitive, soft-spoken, and innocent. The ultimate beta hero, who’s romantic fantasies involved him feeding her cookies and fanning her while she sleeps!

Their romance took a backseat for a lot of the show, but I didn’t mind as the plot was exploring interesting topics such as intruders from the West, catholicism, and censorship, etc.

Actor ASI: My ID is Gangnam Beauty

Actress ASI: Bride of Habaek

17. Tempted/The Great Seducer - NEW ENTRY

In an act of revenge, a wealthy heir makes a bet with his friends to seduce a hardworking female college student

10 minutes into this I started to get major Cruel Intentions vibes…which made sense when I found out it was also an adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons! It doesn’t have the dark edge or overt sexuality of Cruel Intentions (which is one of my favs) but its still good - mainly due to the male lead. I ADORED him in TKEM and he’s really good here. I’m a sucker for the ‘bad boy falls in love for the first time’ trope and he played it so well. The female lead was also good - she was self-aware, strong, intelligent and took no shit. I was less interested by the love affairs of the adults around them, but overall it was a good show.

Actor ASI: TKEM (secondary character)

18. My Love from the Star

Alien stranded on earth meets an actress soon before he’s due to be rescued.

It took a couple of goes to get into this one, but I’m glad I finally watched the whole thing (the female lead was initially very irritating, but she improved a lot). I enjoyed the present-day romance and all the flashes back to the past. However, the ending was really abrupt and disappointing (which kept it out of my favourite list). There should have been 1 less filler episode in the middle, and a decent, fleshed out finale instead.

Actor ASI: Its ok to not be ok.

Actress ASI: Legend of the blue sea

19. Because this is my First Life

A rational-to-a-fault software designer and an aspiring screenwriter come up with an unconventional way to solve their housing problem

When I started this, I thought it was going to be all light and fluffy (the main character’s job in the beginning was to insert the product placement in Korean dramas - hello, Red Ginseng! - which I found hilarious and meta) but it had a surprisingly melancholic tone throughout and touched on issues of workplace harassment and gender roles. I didn’t warm to the male lead until right at the end (which was probably partly intentional - he’s very remote and closed off) but overall I found the story quite lovely. Plus it had a really great central female friendship and their conversations actually passed the Bechdel test!

20. My shy boss / Introverted boss

An extroverted actress takes a job at a PR company working for a man with crippling shyness

This was another deceptive show; I thought from the title and the synopsis that it would just be a light opposites attract comedy about an introverted man and an extroverted woman. But I was almost in tears by the second episode when the Tragic Backstory came to light, and we saw the full extent of the Boss’ struggles to communicate with other human beings. He has such a rich, funny, and smart inner monologue, and the way he overthinks every interaction is really endearing…which makes the contrast with his silent and withdrawn external persona all the more stark and heartbreaking. You really root for him to find happiness. This was overly long (a common pitfall with these shows) and there was some distracting shaky camera work in some of the close ups. There were also implications early on about workplace sexual harassment and possibly dubious consent in a one night stand which were dropped, leaving a bit of a sour note. Despite that, it was overall fairly enjoyable and has one of the cutest confession scenes!

The OK

1. The K2

An ex-mercenary takes a job as a bodyguard protecting the illegitimate daughter of a politician. A sort-of Snow White retelling.

This started off really well; there are some amazing fight sequences (hello, shower room scene!) and JCW has never been hotter - its worth watching for him alone. However, the back half became really bogged down in double crosses and manipulations, and it focussed too much on the politicians. The writers did well to give these characters some layers, but they were all essentially doing bad things for the wrong reasons, and I just didn’t care about them. The show was much better when it was following K2’s journey. The romance also started off well, but was a bit underdeveloped (mainly because they barely interacted).

Actor ASI: Healer, suspicious partner, Backstreet rookie, Melting me softly

2.Bride of Habaek / Bride of the Water God

A God of the Land of Water visits the human realm to fulfil a task before ascending to his throne. He enlists the help of a ‘divine servant’, a down-on-her-luck psychiatrist.

I started this because I liked the lead actor. His baby-face can’t quite pull off the intensity needed for this role, but he was still cute as the arrogant, imperious God brought low by his circumstances - no money, house, powers or (most importantly to him) driving license. I also liked the female lead - she so desperately wanted to hide her kind, compassionate heart from a world that had battered and bruised her. There were some good individual scenes (especially the 'confession’ moment, which was just lovely), but the show ran out of steam towards the end, and ultimately felt like a waste of potential.

Actor ASI: Weightlifting fairy Kim Bok-joo

Actress ASI: Rookie Historian

3. Her Private Life

A talented art curator tries to keep her professional persona separate from her fangirl obsession with a pop idol.

This was cute and I loved the central relationship - he was so supportive of her, and their interactions were refreshingly mature and their banter felt really natural. Ultimately, it was a bit forgettable (I’m not dying to rewatch any of it), and the last minute tacked-on childhood trauma subplot was really unnecessary.

Actress ASI: Healer, Whats wrong with secretary kim, I’ll go to you when the weather is nice.

4. Touch Your Heart

Star actress rocked by scandal works at a law firm to prepare for her comeback role

This starred the secondary couple from Goblin and I really like them, even though they are playing very different characters in this (more opposites attract, than doomed lovers). It’s a bit too ‘cutesy’ and I had to fast forward a lot of the secondary romances which I wasn’t invested in.

5. My Secret Terrius

A secret agent on the run gets embroiled in the life of his next door neighbour - a mum of young twins.

The romance in this was underwhelming; the two characters ended in a really cute place, but it felt like set up for a story I probably would have liked more than this one. In saying that, this was still a relatively enjoyable watch; the female lead was great - she was constantly underestimated as ‘just a housewife’ but she was smarter, and more determined and resourceful than the spies around her. The male lead’s interactions with the twins were adorable, and there was a good cast of supporting characters. However, I’ve already pretty much forgotten the main espionage plot!

Actor ASI: Oh My Venus

6. Lawless Lawyer

A gangster-turned-lawyer moves to Gisung to take on corruption with the help of a suspended female attorney

I liked this more at the beginning; it reminded me a bit of Itaewon Class, with a charismatic lead, an intricately plotted revenge scheme that the audience only becomes aware of as the series progresses, and a take-no-shit female lead who was introduced hitting an authority figure! However, it never really gripped me (it took me weeks to finish) and a couple of the villains were overacting and hamming it up all over the place. But I loved the two leads, and their relationship was good, despite feeling a bit rushed.

Actor ASI: Scarlet Heart

Actress ASI: Its ok to not be ok, Hwarang (tertiary character)

7. 1% of Something - NEW ENTRY

To gain his inheritance, an arrogant, aloof CEO has to enter into a marriage contract with a sweet primary school teacher.

I liked how streamlined this was: it was just a show about two people who fall in love despite their best intentions. There was no overly complicated plot, and even the conflict that keeps them apart towards the end felt very organic and unforced.

She is a delightful ball of sunshine. He is a little overbearing but has his own charm. And bear with the bad haircut and appalling fashion sense - he improves at the end!

8. Melting Me Softly

Two people are accidentally cryogenically frozen for 20 years. They have to navigate the modern world and their new lives together.

Another good concept, but it ultimately descended into little more than a light work-place romance. Had a couple of good kissing scenes, but it was overall a bit forgettable.

Actor ASI: The K2, healer, suspicious partner, backstreet rookie

Actress ASI: Just Between Lovers

9. My Sassy Girl

A 'sassy’ princess meets an ambitious scholar in less than ideal circumstances…

I enjoyed the fact that this Joseon period drama focused on a Princess for a change, and not a prince. She came across as more 'obnoxious and immature’ than 'sassy’ in the beginning, but once it was made clear that she was actually a decent, kind person underneath, I soon warmed to her. I also liked the relationship with the male lead, which amounted to a pretty good enemies-to-lovers story. It took a bit of an unexpected turn right at the end, but my independent, feminine self was good with it. Overall, this was a pretty easy watch, but nothing special.

10. Hwarang

Follows a peasant who joins the newly-created Hwarang (Poet Warrior Youths in ancient Korea) to enact revenge for the death of his best friend

I enjoyed the scenes of the Hwarang hanging out and bonding - so many cute bromances in this! But I couldn’t really connect with the central story and romance, due to a major case of SLS (Second Lead Syndrome) - as much as I’m a fan of Park Seo-joon, I adore Park Hyung-sik, and I found his character, journey and relationship with the female lead much more compelling. The ending still managed to feel somewhat satisfying, but I won’t be rewatching any of it.

Actor ASI: Itaewon class, What’s wrong with secretary kim, Fight for my way

The BAD

1. Hyde, Jekyll and Me

A woman becomes involved in the lives of 2 men, who share one body

Hyun Bin is sooo watchable in this, especially as the slick-haired, glasses-wearing, uptight Seo-Jin. And the show started well…but quickly went off the rails into a convoluted, dragged-out revenge plot. It was a bit of a slog to get through, to be honest.

Actor ASI: CLOY

2. Queen: Love and War

The long lost twin of a recently assassinated Queen assumes her identity to enter the Bridal selection to wed the resurrected King and seek revenge.

This was a bit of a mess (as you can tell from that synopsis!); it felt like the first few episodes were rushed through as a sort of ‘prologue’ before the main thrust of the story…but that prologue contained A LOT of plot with some major character revelations that were rapidly skimmed over (e.g. the female lead was introduced as having complete amnesia; but almost out of nowhere she casually mentions that she got all her memories back and now knows who she is). Because of this, it took me a while to get a sense of who the characters really were. A lot of the usual Joseon plot points played out (scheming ministers and untrustworthy queens) but it had some unique features - I especially enjoyed the bridal selection scenes and seeing the lead female outwitting her rivals in the various challenges. But ultimately, I fast forwarded a lot of this and it was pretty forgettable.

Actress ASI: Doctor Stranger.

Actor ASI: Backstreet Rookie (secondary character)

3. Backstreet Rookie

A struggling young woman takes a part-time job at the convenience store run by her high school crush.

I was really not a fan of this show, and probably would have stopped watching if it wasn’t for Kim Yoo-jung. Her character was really likeable - kickass, but vulnerable, and so loving and kind. You were really rooting for her throughout. The show also had some interesting things to say about inequality (there was a lovely scene between the male leads’s parents in episode 10 touching on this theme)…but that’s about it for the positives.

Overall, it was just too OTT and manic and most of the characters were barely more than cartoonish caricatures. One character was actually repulsive, and the fact that he got his own romantic subplot was just gross. I’m a big fan of Ji Chang-wook, but I didn’t like some of his acting choices in this, and his character spent far too long in a relationship with another woman, which meant the main romance felt underdeveloped.

And…it ended without a kiss. I was so pissed off! I put up with 16 episodes of crap, expecting a decent pay-off at the end…but no. I wouldn’t recommend this one.

Actress ASI: Love in the Moonlight

Actor ASI: Suspicious Partner, Healer, K2, Melting me Softly

The UNCLASSIFIABLE

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

A modern girl is transported 1000 years into the past where she becomes embroiled in the lives of the Royal Princes.

I honestly don’t know where I stand with this one! Did I love it? Did I hate it? I seriously don’t know!

I was reluctant to start this (I knew it didn’t have a happy ending) but I was told its a rite of passage for KDrama newbies to watch this show. And there were some great things about it - the male lead was amazing! So intense and tragic, with the most arresting face. The music was also GORGEOUS, as was the scenery - the whole production felt very sumptuous. The palace intrigue stuff was also more compelling than most of the other historic dramas I’ve seen. I recognised several of the Princes from other shows, and I became really invested in 3 of them…which made the constant threat of them betraying each other/killing each other AGONISING. This show was heavy on the Emotional Torture Porn, and some of it felt gratuitous, because I just didn’t understand the motivations behind some of the plot points/character’s actions.

I also wasn’t a big fan of the female lead; partly because the actress only seemed to have 2 facial expressions to work with, but partly because and any hints that she was a modern girl with modern sensibilities quickly disappeared. It was this independence and spunk that made all the princes fall for her (to varying degrees) but she lost all of that and it left me wondering why they bothered with the time travel aspect at all.

I finished the show feeling wrung out and with the overwhelming sense of “Why? What was the point of that?”

Buuuuuut…it has lingered with me - as @talenevertold said when we were discussing the show, “Nobody enjoys it in the process… but it leaves this unique bittersweet aftertaste…” and that’s absolutely true; and it probably true that this show IS a rite of passage that everyone should watch. But don’t say I didn’t warn you!

and...The MEH (i.e. DNF):

This list is getting long! I have a bit less patience with shows than I did in the beginning - there are so many to get through, so I’m not willing to waste my time on anything that either doesn’t grip me from a story perspective, is far too slow, has mediocre acting and/or is too soapy.

Master’s sun

Tale of Nokdu

The Heirs

Meow, the Secret Boy

Love Alarm

One Spring Night

Suits

Chocolate

Doctor Stranger

The scholar who walks the night

If I’ve made a heinous mistake by dropping any of these - get in touch and plead the case for why i should give them another chance!

#kdrama #kdrama recommendations

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alannah-digitalcommunities · 3 years

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Week 6: Digital Citizenship and Health Education - Body modification on Visual Social Media

This week we reviewed the topic of ‘Digital Citizenship and Health Education, specifically body modification and Aesthetic Templates on Social Media. Body modification is a form of 'Aesthetic Templates' on Instagram and was a term I discovered in one of the readings. This particular reading exemplifies the idea that people interested in body modification are "shopping" for aesthetic templates. Aesthetic templates were essentially created by microcelebrities and are universally popular throughout social media, especially Instagram. You may know microcelebrities as social media influencers and/or models who promote products to their followers and fans for commercial gain.

What is visual social media?

Visual social media is a form of marketing and is the practice of using video, images and other visual content (like infographics) to help your messages stand out from the noise and clutter to more effectively reach your audience. It's a system that's worth adopting. ("What Is Visual Social Media Marketing (And How Does It Raise Engagement)? [INFOGRAPHIC]", 2021)

What is public health?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines public health as “the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts of society.” ("Public health services", n.d.)

How social media affects public health:

Social media has become a cost-effective way for the public health practice to inform audiences of health issues, enhance communication during public health emergencies or outbreaks, and respond to public reporting of a particular public health issue. ("Social Media in Public Health: Strategies to Distill, Package, and Disseminate Public Health Research", 2020).

Public Health’s role in the pandemic:

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, public health organisations have made good use of social media to inform the public about the disease and help individuals globally control the spread of the virus. With technology always evolving, digital technologies such as IOS apps have become more advanced and influential in the past decade, but more so since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since week one of this Digital Communities unit, I have concluded that Social Media is influential in many ways; from being a tool for political communication and engagement, to spreading awareness and promoting activism, evolving social movements in our society, and now in week 6, a device to inform the public about health.

I use social media every day, for fun and to socialise but also for educational purposes. Something I appreciate a lot about engaging with social media is interacting with news and information concerning public health and health in general. There are a few apps I use but the one that comes to mind that has been especially useful is the COVIDSafe app. This app was mainly helpful last year during the pandemic's peak and I don't use it anymore as there hasn't been any active covid cases where I live. "The COVIDSafe app is a tool that helps identify people exposed to coronavirus (COVID-19). This helps us support and protect you, your friends and family." Without the help of technology, finding close contacts relies on people: being able to recall everyone they have been in close contact with and knowing their contact details. ("COVIDSafe app", 2020)

https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covidsafe-app#

Effective Public Health Social Media Campaigns

According to current statistics, there are 2271 million people use Facebook, 326 million Twitter, 1000 million Instagram and 287 million use Snapchat. ("The World's Best Public Health Social Media Campaigns - Bang The Table", n.d.). As a result, public health campaigns increasingly compete for people’s attention and seek to influence their behaviour through these social media channels. But this requires continually adapting to trends.

#Loveyourcervix Campaign

The objective for the #loveyourcervix campaign is to make young women who may feel embarrassed about the appearance of their vulva not embarrassed as a lot of young women avoid having a cervical screening for that reason. The campaign is intended to promote body positivity and remind women “that smear takers have seen hundreds of vulvas!” Women that attend for cervical screening when they are first invited aged 25 are more likely to attend in the future, significantly reducing their risk of developing cervical cancer." (Public Health Wales).

Mental health related campaigns

Mental health has become a popular subject for social media campaigns. More and more people are willing and wanting to be open and share their personal experiences with the world on their social media pages. Individuals also want to get involved in tackling the stigma associated with talking about mental health.

#HereForYou Campaign (Instagram)

A one-minute campaign video featured three Instagram users talking about their past struggles with eating disorders, depression and suicidal thoughts.

youtube

Man Therapy Campaign

Another campaign that promotes mental health is the Man Therapy campaign. It is based in Colorado, USA and is aimed at working-aged men (24-54 years old) who account for the largest number of suicide deaths in the U.S. These men are also the least likely to receive any kind of support. They don't talk about it with their friends. They don't share with their family. And they sure as heck don't seek professional treatment. They are the victims of problematic thinking that says mental health disorders are unmanly signs of weakness. ("Man Therapy | Men's Mental Health Resources", n.d.).

The campaign features a fictional character named Rich Mahogany, who provides “manly mental health tips” in humorous videos. The Men Therapy campaign was also created to counter the myth that strong men don’t need to reach out for help.

Body modification on Visual Social Media

Aesthetic templates and Aesthetic Labour

‘Aesthetic templates’ refer to: poses, accessories, props or body work.

Aesthetic templates are linked to digital influencer brands that often promote unhealthy body image ideals.

Aesthetic Labour:

In workplace settings, workers enact aesthetic labour by embodying attributes that will resonate with customers for commercial benefit (Dean, 2005; Witz, Warhurst & Nickson, 2003)

Examples of Aesthetic Labour include:

- Smiling with sincerity

- Dressing in a suit and tie

- Using particular body language and hand gestures

As you can see in the image below of this model, she is not only using body language and hand gestures to demonstrate bodywork and aesthetic labour, but she’s also smiling with sincerity as she promotes a Bondi Boost product.

These images of these Instagram influencers/models also depict bodywork through a range of behaviours that alter their physical appearance; either online, through editing or physically in the offline world. Bodywork is evident in these influencer's photos as these women have all used body language and angles to make their bodies appear a certain way in which helps them gain attention from their viewers.

Pornification

Pornification emphasises heteronormative standards of beauty and sexuality.

It has become normalised within western societies to display sexuality that reflects the aesthetics of commercial pornography (Tyler & Quek, 2016; Lynch, 2012; Drenten & Gurrieri, 2019)

Pornification is about portraying a heteronormative display of sexuality or 'porn chic' aesthetic oriented towards a male audience (Drenten & Gurrieri, 2019)

For social media users, selfies are often the result of work understood as sexualised labour (Drenten & Gurrieri, 2019)

Imagery like these is only a few examples of what my Instagram feed is flooded with. Highly sexualised images like these are shaping 'influence' on social media platforms, especially on Instagram. The main reason that influencers are posting content like this, posed and with barely any clothes on is because these kinds of images help them gain the most amount of attention and following. The body plays a pivotal role in influencers' posts, and one of the easiest ways for women to gain attention on social media is through a highly sexualised aesthetic, which is increasingly pornified. These women tend to conform to stringent standards of attractiveness and femininity for attention gain.

Here is an example of an influencer, Tammy Hembrow who uses the ‘aesthetic template’ to promote this "aminos & energy" product to her followers for commercial benefit. This pornified image is purely to grab her viewer's attention for a brand deal.

As you can see in the image above of Tammy Hembrow, she is posing in a way that highlight her lower body through body language, to accentuate her curves.

Aesthetic Templates - Masculinity:

Despite all this focus on women being pornified, pornification is also relevant to men but the reasons differ...

Whilst women tend to focus on accentuating their curves through body language, men are also exposed for provocative poses, but this is mainly enacted by gay men. The underlying difference is that men aren’t nearly as popular as women when it comes to gaining attention on social media for their pornified poses.

Implications for Public Health:

Some public health campaigns promote aesthetic templates to promote body image ideals. This advertisement by Protein World presents a female model in her bikini, accompanying writing that states, “Are you beach body ready?” The ad implies that women have to have that body type, a body that society depicts as "perfect", then you're not "beach ready". This ad is not only offensive and promotes body-shaming, but it’s also encouraging poor self-esteem and body image, especially for younger women who are most likely already feeling too insecure to go to the beach.

The original – Protein World’s body-shaming advia aol.com

This ad is another dangerous example that can have serious effects on the self-esteem of women and girls worldwide.

Victoria’s Secret: ‘Perfect’ via theodysseyonline.com

These advertisements and public ‘health campaigns’ are also linked to Body Dysmorphia (BDD) and Identity Dissonance due to individuals comparing themselves to “the perfect body” online, leading them to feel “distressed about a particular body part to the point where it interferes with daily life (Phillips, 2009).

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)

Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental health disorder in which you can't stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance — a flaw that appears minor or can't be seen by others. ("Body dysmorphic disorder - Symptoms and causes", n.d.)

TW: Suicide

.......................

Suicidal thoughts and behavior are common with body dysmorphic disorder. If you think you may hurt yourself or attempt suicide, get help right away:

Call 000

Call a suicide hotline number - Lifeline: 13 11 14

Call your mental health professional.

Seek help from your primary care provider.

Reach out to a close friend or loved one.

Contact a minister, spiritual leader or someone else in your faith community.

References:

Public health services. Retrieved 23 May 2021, from https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/Health-systems/public-health-services/public-health-services

COVIDSafe app. (2020). Retrieved 23 May 2021, from https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covidsafe-app

The World's Best Public Health Social Media Campaigns - Bang The Table. Retrieved 23 May 2021, from https://www.bangthetable.com/blog/public-health-social-media-campaigns/

Retrieved 23 May 2021, from https://twitter.com/PublicHealthW/status/1105362789067968513

Man Therapy | Men's Mental Health Resources. Retrieved 23 May 2021, from https://mantherapy.org/

#HereForYou. (2021). [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h-s9xUPvGA

Social Media in Public Health: Strategies to Distill, Package, and Disseminate Public Health Research. (2020). Retrieved 23 May 2021, from https://journals.lww.com/jphmp/Fulltext/2020/09000/Social_Media_in_Public_Health__Strategies_to.14.aspx

How highly sexualised imagery is shaping ‘influence’ on Instagram - and harassment is rife. Retrieved 24 May 2021, from https://mumbrella.com.au/how-highly-sexualised-imagery-is-shaping-influence-on-instagram-and-harassment-is-rife-578396

Five ads that took body-shaming to a whole new level. (2016). Retrieved 24 May 2021, from https://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/31606/1/the-five-worst-examples-of-body-shaming-ads

Body dysmorphic disorder - Symptoms and causes. Retrieved 24 May 2021, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/body-dysmorphic-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353938#:~:text=Body%20dysmorphic%20disorder%20is%20a,may%20avoid%20many%20social%20situations.

What Is Visual Social Media Marketing (And How Does It Raise Engagement)? [INFOGRAPHIC]. Adweek.com. (2021). Retrieved 27 May 2021, from https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/visual-social-marketing/#:~:text=Visual%20social%20media%20marketing%20is,a%20system%20that's%20worth%20adopting.

#publichealth #health #socialmedia #COVID #COVID19 #pandemic #bodyimage #aesthetic #masculinity #femininity #pornification

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morganaofcamelot · 4 years

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Robin Hood BBC Commentary/Rant - Season 1, Episode 1 - “Will You Tolerate This?”

‘Tis the second time I’m watching the series. During my initial viewing, there were a lot of things I’ve missed, and frankly, I ignored. So I will take it step-by-step, focusing on the four main characters of the show - Robin, Marian, Guy & the Sheriff - as well as their interactions with the others. You must forgive my english, I am afraid, as it is not my first language and some things may get lost in the translation. I won’t go into much of a technical issues (camera angles, unneeded slow-mo’s, not period appropriate costumes etc, but I will mention some that caught my eye. And, expect memes and references thrown in there, cause if my life is a joke, then I will make jokes of others’ lives, too.

Fair warning: some slight cussing, I guess. Thirst over Guy of Gisborne, some distain for Marian. The usual. Enjoy, under the cut!

Oh, almost forgot! @maxkiki @antigonemorris

1. Robin makes his heroic entrace, saving Allan A Dale. This first scene sets the tone of the series - Allan is poaching, the guardsmen are relentless and want to punish him, clever Robin has conjured a plan of smoke and mirrors. The guards actually believe that there are more than two people surrounding them. A plan that goes well, until Much opens his mouth. (I loved Much btw, but I think they sidelined him later on).

2. Their escape and the business at the barn(?). Here, we get a better glimpse of the kind of man Robin is, the irresistible womanizer that he is, the dashing rogue! What we learn for Much is that he likes food. The daughter of the man that offered them food for labor, is taken straight out of a dance-pop music video (again, I will not go into detail, but I just had to say it, because it almost made me stop watching the first time). As Robin snogs the girl, Sarah, her father explains to Much (and us) that there’s a new sheriff in town and he is BAD. The father sees them, and goes to fight for his daughter’s honor, and Robin showcases his agility and finesse (the sword fight is silly, to say the least) and his love for flair and flirt.

3. Locksley, at last. Sentimental Robin walks around the village, sees that the villagers are frightened. Dan Scarlett is the only one who isn’t afraid. He explains the situation even more – that Guy of Gisborne runs Robin’s estates, that he works for the sheriff, and that the punishments have been harsh for anyone stepping out of line.

4. Fabulous Gisborne enters the scene. Nothing short of a diva, Guy of Gisborne rides into the village, inquiring about stolen flour. Now, this is where it gets interesting. Gisborne is “quiet menace” incarnate. He talks quietly, but threateningly all the same. He asks for the perpetrators, and when no one comes forth, he gives the order to take the one he had already caught back to Nottingham. This is where Robin steps in, there’s a hint that he and Gisborne know each other, but nothing more. When Robin reveals his identity, Gisborne takes it like a champ, even though he is humiliated in front of the peasants.

5. The manor. Robin tells us that Much is a free man now. Gisborne enters the manor and welcomes Robin, saying that he ran the estate at the behest of the sheriff. Robin, for reasons unbeknownst to us, acts like a prick. Then Guy asks him about the Holy Land, and Robin replies the good old “oh, show me an argument that was ever settled with blood” and Gisborne calls him out on his bullshit, as he should. But Gisborne isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, and lets slip that he has seen Robin fight, and Robin wonders ‘where?’ Where, indeed, sir Guy? Don’t stress over it, we will learn about it somewhere further down the line. Gisborne informs Robin of the sheriff’s feast, and Robin decides to lord it over Guy, saying that he will demand the prisoners to be released. Guy says, ‘I don’t get paid enough to deal with your bullshit, take it to the sheriff’ and thus ends the confrontation.

6. ‘She’s still unmarried’. So. Robin tells Much that he will pay a visit to the old sheriff, Much wants to get some rest, although out of obligation and love towards Robin, he concedes. Robin offers the food of the feast his servants were preparing to the villagers of Locksley, to Much’s dismay. Now, Edward of Knighton, seems like a man that has lost his mind, he doesn’t recognize Robin and behold! Marian, with a bow and arrow and ringless fingers (as Robin will comment later), telling them to go to hell. Robin tries to work his charm on her – seemingly it doesn’t work. Then it’s the ‘bless you Robin for feeding us’ scene, which is kind of wholesome and cute and I don’t mind it.

7. They’re taking the hobbits to Isengard They’re taking the sons to Nottingham.: Sorry, I couldn’t resist the joke. Remember Dan Scarlett? His sons have been arrested for stealing that flour Gisborne made a fuss about, and so they were taken to Nottingham, to await the sheriff’s judgement. Nottingham is a shitty place, by the looks of it. Robin promises he will plead their case.

8. The BIG BAD. My boy Gisborne is pacing around the room, frustrated. The sheriff pulls a Shredder on us for a little while (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reference, because I got range) and laughs in his face because Gisborne didn’t force his claim on the manor, besides having 24 men and Robin only had Much. It’s safe to assume most of the peasants wouldn’t get involved in the fight. See, Guy is taking the high ground here. The sheriff assures him that the manor will be Gisborne’s by the end of the month. (Keith Allen is a scene stealer and he is phenomenal in this role, I love him.) The way he plays the next scene, which is the meeting of the lords of Nottinghamshire, is marvelous. He mocks them in their faces, and nobody bats an eye. Robin makes his entrance, Marian and her father are present, they exchange some ‘pleasantries’, and then Robin throws shade at the Pope (not present), and asks to abolish the taxation policies in favor of free market capitalist schemes (yes, I went there). The sheriff, being an old-fashioned chap, is pro-feudalism, and I imagine him that in modern-day, he would be a Brexit enthusiast/Trump supporter.

9. The birds. The sheriff is upset and goes to his birds to find some peace. Oh, I thought, he loves animals, there’s a redeeming quality! Oops, he accidentally crushed a bird. Nevermind

10. Marian & Robin creep me out, part I: Marian asks Robin to drop by her house after midnight, because the house is being ‘watched’. Robin goes into insta-flirting mode, hitting on her, which she likes, despite what she says. (and question: Robin was gone for five years (Marian tells us), the betrothal happened when Marian was sixteen, but people say she is supposed to be nineteen at the start of the series(!) Was Marian fourteen when she got betrothed to Robin, and Robin was like, twenty-five, I guess? Not creepy at all.)

11. Honey, you’ve got a big storm coming: Robin interviews the flour thieves. We learn that the punishment is for them to hang. Allan A Dale lied to get an audience with Robin, only to learn that his lies would lead him to the hangman’s noose.

12. The Sheriff owns Robin. Oh, the shade! The sheriff is a straight up savage, one of the original gangsta’s of medieval England. My boy Gisborne is in the back, doing what Gisborne does best; looking hot in leather. Marian walks in and smirking, my boy Gisborne steals her away.

13. Grow up, Robin. Alright, next scene. (Obviously one of those shot into broad daylight, but made it look like nighttime) Robin and Much visit Knighton and Marian tells them to step in, because they will be seen. Robin decides to be a snarky, jealous bitch. Edward of Knighton explains how the new sheriff got in power, and begs him to play the long game, which we know that Robin won’t do, because Robin is, as Robin does. But he thinks on it.

14. The hanging #1. Robin walks amongst the peasants, inconsolable. The sheriff and Gisborne come to the courtyard, and commence with the hanging. The sheriff has Much, to prevent Robin interfering with the punishment. A “clergyman” asks for the prisoners to be released and let join the Church. Robin smirks, which means it is his plan. The sheriff’s not buying it. The drum rolls…and the stools gets kicked. Robin goes into Avatar state and starts kicking butt, freeing the prisoners, whilst the whole castle watches and does nothing, before the prisoners are free. Silly battle ensues, Robin saves Much by throwing his sword. A bowman is aiming at Robin, but doesn’t fire. Marian does her ninja trick, saving Robin’s life. My boy Gisborne relishes the fact that the manor will now belong to him.

15. The gang escapes and makes it into Sherwood where they are ambushed by Little John and his twenty men, who in later episodes disappear.

#robin hood bbc #s01 #e01 #robin hood #guy of gisborne #marian of knighton #the sheriff #*mine #kat does robin hood but she would prefer doing guy

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where-theres-smoak-2 · 3 years

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Riverdale 5x06 Thoughts.

So I did a part one of a review when the episode first aired focusing on the Barchie elements of the episode and I said I was going to post a second half to the review covering the rest of the episode the next and well I didn’t. Truth is my mental health has taken a bit of a dip, lets say, the last couple of weeks so I wasn’t as active on here. I’m still not feeling 100% so I’m not really up to a whole ass review but I figured I could manage some general thoughts to share with you whilst waiting for the next episode as I can’t watch until tomorrow. Obviously there are spoilers and as always these are just my own opinions.

1) Jughead, Tabitha and The Mothmen.

I am still loving the dynamic between Tabitha and Jughead and I love that she is being supportive of his writing. Like when she said to him that as the diner was empty he could work on his writing, how she tracked down Old Man Dreyfuss and talked him into telling Jug about the Mothmen, She let him interview her for the book too. I said before that one of my issues with Jughead was that he often used other peoples stories for his novels without their permission but he seems to have learnt from this as here he is getting permission from the people that he is talking to and they know that he is going to be writing a book about them. I think its ok for Jughead to draw inspiration from others stories so long as he those he is writing about are in the know and are ok with it.

Another thing that I am really happy about but which might be an unpopular opinion to some but I am so glad they didn’t go the same route they did as Lucas in OTH where Jughead can finally write again because he’s around Betty. As much as I loved Leyton in OTH I did think that was a very unhealthy representation/ aspect of a relationship. A person should have to depend on another person to be able to do the thing they love. Like I get that it’s suppose to be romantic but its a bit too co-dependant in my opinion and don’t think that’s healthy, you should be able to be your own person, with your own talents and skills that aren’t going to be taken away from you just because you are no longer with that other person. What I do love is that it was coming back to Pop’s, to his roots essentially and writing about something that means something to him (Pop Tate) that helps him get back into writing as oppose to a love interest.

Speaking of love interests though I do think that Jughead and Tabitha’s relationship will likely develop into a romantic relationship. To me I did get very flirty vibes coming from her. He also seemed very impressed with her when he found out she left a six figure job to take over Pop’s I think Jughead appreciates the passion that Tabitha clearly has for the business which we know that Jughead himself has a special bond with Pop’s so I think that gives them a bit of a connection that they both love this diner. I do hope though that if they do take it to the romantic level that they take their time with it and not rush into it too quickly. I also hope we don’t end up in the same pattern as before either where Jug is only interacting with his love interest. So far Jug hasn’t really had many other scenes with characters other than Tabitha so I am hoping we will see him interacting with others soon.

As far as the Mothmen mystery goes I am actually intrigued by it. It is really bizarre that all of Dreyfuss’ friends died from cancer and how he was talking about how his friend would be taken up on the ship. I am curious if they are actually going to go the whole alien route and introduce supernatural elements into the show or whether it’ll turn out to have a wacky human explanation. But so far I am enjoying that mystery.

2) Veronica and Chad.

Ok this really is probably an unpopular opinion and I do want to just say that I am not hating on Veronica here I do still love her as a character but there are some things she does that I just don’t understand/agree with. Like this whole jewellery shop idea. I mean the main plot of the time jump so far has been about how Riverdale is dying and how nobody in Riverdale has any money, that they are all poor and suffering and Veronica gets the wonderful idea of opening a high end jewellery store. Who exactly does she think is going to be buying this high end jewellery exactly? The residents of Riverdale very obviously can’t afford to shop there. So the only other place she could get patrons from is SoDale who we know are rich and are near enough to give her a steady stream of business. Here’s my issue with that, it would once again mean that Veronica is saying she doesn’t support her Father’s schemes whilst also profiting/ benefitting from them. I do think this issue is covered a bit in this episode when she says she needs to decide if she’s more of a Pop’s girl or a Mia’s girl, or a bit of both. Well I can tell you right now the answer to that at this moment in time is a bit of both. Veronica has always had one foot on either side of the fence when it comes to her Father’s schemes and the family business. To be honest this has always bothered me a bit and I do hope one day she just picks a side instead of balancing between the two. I mean I could be totally wrong and the writers could have Veronica reveal an elaborate business plans for the jewellery shop that is going to bring in a ridiculous amount of revenue for Riverdale without including SoDale, I mean I don’t know much about how business works.

I did feel like Veronica was a little bit all over the place this episode and to be honest pretty much all post time jump episodes so far. I do want to make it clear that this isn’t a criticism I do think this was intentional by the writers to show how confused and undecisive Veronica is feeling at the moment. I mean she clearly wasn’t happy when Chad first showed up in her class, which by the way was so inappropriate. Like I understand how it might be sweet to surprise your wife at work with flowers and cupcakes but wait in the staff room until she goes on break and surprise her there not when she’s trying to work. It was very obvious that Veronica did not feel comfortable with him sitting at the back of her class. Especially as we see him there again later in the episode so this seems to be a recurring thing. It’s very worrying behaviour. However she is then very warm with him and is making plans with him after they sing Shallow together. You know this scene was lowkey really cute until you remember that Chad is controlling and possessive and then I was kind of mad at myself for being tricked even for only a blip into thinking he was a sweet guy. He and Veronica actually seemed to have it together for a moment there were they had worked out a plan for when they were going to spend time in Riverdale and when they would be in New York and they both seemed happy with the compromise. However Veronica then found out that Chad had spoken to her Dad and was upset by this. Now I’ll be honest this part annoyed me a little. Not because I don’t think she was right to ask for space, I think she was 100% correct in asking for that if space is what she felt like she needed I just don’t think it was that well written. It was painted like Chad had betrayed Veronica and talked to her Dad behind her back when it seemed to me more like it was Hiram going behind Veronica’s back and approaching her husband with the job offer. I mean if Chad was intentionally talking and making plans behind V’s back with Hiram then I don’t think he would have mentioned it so casually to her. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to find out that Hiram either approached Chad because he wanted to control Chad or he was aware that finding out he had been talking to Hiram would upset and Veronica and so Hiram did it deliberately to drive a wedge between Veronica and Chad. I do wish we could have actually seen the conversation between Chad and Hiram I don’t know that scene just seemed a bit off to me it didn’t seem as dramatic as it was probably intended to be. I just didn’t get the sense that on that occasion Chad had really done anything wrong. I mean her Dad offered him a job and then he brought up in conversation with her to see if it was something she would be ok with/ get her thoughts on. To me it seemed much more like Hiram was the one being sneaky as oppose to Chad. Also more of a side point here but I do find it ironic that las episode she was practically begging her Dad to talk to her husband and this episode it’s the fact the her Dad spoke to her husband that makes her decide to send him away again, I just found that kind of funny though I know they are very different situations but still. But like I said I do completely support Veronica’s decision to say that she needs space from him so that she can figure out what she wants and who she is without the pressure of him hanging over her shoulder. Sometimes the best thing for a relationship is some space. I just hope that she maintains a steady conversation with him during this time if her marriage is still something she wants. I mean she didn’t technically break up with him, or at least it didn’t seem that way. She hasn’t ended their marriage. If its a case of she knows she doesn’t want to make the marriage work then I think she does need to end it completely and be clear that its over as at the moment it does seem a bit like they are in limbo.

Also again this is another thing where I am in complete support of Veronica deciding she wants to change her name back to her maiden name but I again think it kind of came out of nowhere. Like I understood her not being happy about where her relationship was at and that she was confused and trying to figure out what she wanted and so needed some space from her husband but she hadn’t really made any indication that she wanted to change her name back before then. I again I just think it could have been slightly better written. Like even something as little as her having a conversation with a friend about how she wasn’t sure she liked being called Gekko. Instead it just seemed a bit random. Also again she didn’t have a conversation about this with Chad her husband. Now I’m not saying she needed permission from Chad to change her name back but I do think it is something that warrants a conversation with them even if its a ‘I’m changing my name back to my maiden name and this is why.’ It’s not about a woman asking a man for the right to do something its about a married couple having open and honest communication between them and that is something that Chad and Veronica very clearly struggle with. Again just to reiterate I am in full support of Veronica changing her name if she wants I just feel like whilst the writing this season has been heaps better I still think they are struggling to write Veronica’s storylines well. It doesn’t help that I don’t have a whole lot of interest in her storylines. I don’t like her husband so naturally I don’t enjoy that storyline. I’ve seen her go up against her Father and yet still want in on the family business more times than I can count so any disagreements she has with her father don’t really interest me either and I also don’t particularly care about this whole Jewellery store plotline either but who knows maybe it will surprise me. I think my main gripe is that I feel like they either have Veronica’s storyline’s this season revolve around the men in her life or they use her as a plot device in the shape of a financial aide to move the plot along when they need it, like her funding the football team or funding the fire station and personally I think Veronica deserves better than that. I just wish they would give her a meaningful plotline about what a strong independent business savvy woman she is. Like I said I am hoping this Jewellery store plotline might have some intrigue to it so fingers crossed.

3) Back To School

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this storyline. I honestly thought I would hate it but it makes sense to the story as far as Riverdale logic goes anyway. I also think each subject the characters teach fit them perfectly, English for Jughead yup perfect makes sense, Shop for Betty again I can see that we’ve seen her work on cars in the past so we know she has that knowledge, economics for Veronica again makes sense she’s a business woman and then Archie running the RROTC which was what he was assigned to Riverdale to do it also looks like he’s going to become a coach to the football team which again makes sense for his character. Also I loved how relatable the students were. Like the one who asked Betty if her dad was the Black Hood. Typical and accurate teen behaviour there. Also the students who were trolling Jughead for being a waiter was very accurate to me but more than that I loved Jug’s reaction them he just was so over it. I especially liked how he was just like not going to co operate fine pop quiz, this was very in line with his character in my opinion.

One thing that did bother me a little was, well it wasn’t Toni bringing back the Vixen’s I loved that she did that but more that she didn’t tell Archie that’s what she was doing. Like I get it was so they could have that big entrance but I felt bad for the students who wanted to be on the football team and had just been told there was no funding for sports teams and then they see that the Vixens are back. This is as much Archie’s fault as well because he should not have approached the students before securing the funding but again that is in line with his character I love Archie with all my heart but sometimes he is definitely more heart and less brains when it comes to the things he’s passionate about and he does get a little carried away sometimes without thinking things all the way through. But I do feel like Toni could have said something to Archie when she realised he was looking for funding for the football team and that there were students who were looking forward to being apart of the football team, not for Archie’s sake but for the students so that they weren’t blindsided. I mean they are both teachers at the school so I feel like they both should have looked out for those students instead of letting them get let down. It wasn’t a big deal but I do feel like it could have been avoided. I just don’t get what the secrecy was about like why couldn’t Toni say when Archie came to her about the funding that there wasn’t enough for the football team because she had set the money aside for the cheerleading team. I mean that conversation that happened in the hall in front of the students should have happened in that office when Archie came asking for funding and then the whole situation of Archie telling those kids that there was no funding for any sports teams or clubs only for them seconds later to find out that the Vixens were back could have been avoided. I don’t know it just seemed like unnecessary drama. Also it meant that whilst I wanted to celebrate the return of the Vixens I just felt bad for the other students who were clearly feeling let down. Like I said I don’t think it was all Toni or all Archie’s fault but I do think they both made mistakes that could have been avoided though I also appreciate it’s not as dramatic that way.

Speaking of the football team I love Britta. Like we don’t know much about her but I already love her so much and I love how accepting it was that she was part of the Football team like yes break down those gender barriers, girls can play football too. I just love how it was a non issue there was no but you’re a girl you can’t play football. I am looking forward to seeing more of Britta and watching her hold her own against all the boys because you just know she’s going to slay.

Also going back to the Vixens I love that Toni just knew that bringing back the Vixens or ‘stealing’ the Vixens as Cheryl put it was going to bring Cheryl out of Thorn Hill and bring back her fire so to speak. I was so happy to see that red lipstick back. I mean Toni knew exactly what she was doing and I loved her little smirk at the end of that scene. I am hoping that this is the beginning of their reconciliation and I am looking forward to seeing where their story goes. I just hope that Cheryl’s side project of Art fraud isn’t going to cause too much trouble.

4) Polly and the Trucker Mystery.

Well things aren’t looking good for Polly right now. What I will say though is I don’t think that the body they found in the bog is Polly’s I reckon it is Squeaky. Mostly because I saw some audition tapes showing a woman whose daughter had gone missing and who she said was hanging out with the truckers and Betty reveals to her that they have found her daughter’s body. I don’t know for sure if it is in reference to Squeaky/ Lynette but I feel like it probably is. I also feel like its too early for them to be finding Polly I think it’ll be another few episodes before that happens. It might not even be until the mid season finale that we find out what happened to Polly. But Betty is on the case and she tracks down that truckerboy69 dude and flashes her FBI badge at him. I have no idea how the FBI works but do trainee’s really have that much power, like she behaves like a full agent. Can they arrest people and what not or are they suppose to be like supervised on the job at all times because it seems like Betty works her own cases but that doesn’t seem like that would be an accurate representation of an FBI trainee. Also I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t be allowed to work a case that involved her own family member but like I said I don’t know anything about the FBI’s workings so who knows.

What Betty does find out is that apparently Polly suddenly and inexplicably freaked out jumped out the cab and took off running and so the guy after failing to get her back in the truck just left her there. Here’s where I am a little confused was the truck with the skeleton on it the same truck that truckerboy69 was driving because they looked different to me? And if no then who was driving the skeleton one and did he kill Polly? I must admit I am intrigued by this mystery. I do think that at some point the Mothmen and the trucker storylines are going to converge and are related in someway. I also wonder what Polly’s freak out was about, did she see the Mothmen, was she on drugs at the time was it a combination of both? I am also curious to know if TBK is involved in this at all or if they are two different serial killers. I saw some theories that Glen is TBK and all I can say to that one is god I hope not just because we’ve already had one FBI agent turn out to be a serial killer we don’t need another and I am still so annoyed about that whole Charles is a serial killer storyline.

I am really happy that Betty and Kevin are having scenes together I have missed their friendship and so its nice to have them interacting. I also like the investigative team of Betty, Kevin and Alice. But I also feel so bad for Alice life sure does like to throw a heck of a lot of lemons at her.

5) Random Points.

So just some random things I liked/ thought here.

The Kevin and Fangs scene in the beginning was super adorable and I really can’t wait to see more of them, I also liked the dynamic between them and Toni living together from that little bit that we saw. Absolute yes to Kevin referring to Toni as Queen T.

I still hate Hiram no surprise there but I am so disappointed in Reggie. I mean setting fire to Archie’s house is one thing but doing it by blocking both exits that’s just straight up attempted murder like he legit planned on burning down the house with both Jughead and Archie inside. It’s something I expect from Hiram I mean lets be real this isn’t the first time he’s tried to kill them both but from Reggie nope not ok with that. I was hoping he was going to have a redemption arc but it looks like they might take him full villain instead because that was dark.

Now that his house is even more damaged than before where are Jughead and Archie going to stay? Or will they get the fire under control before it burns the place down completely? I mean at the moment its contained to outside the house on the porch but we also know there’s no fire department and that looked like a pretty big fire so I can’t even see how they are going to get out of the house let alone how they will put the fire out.

Anyway I can’t think of anything else right now so I am going to leave it there. Looking forward to seeing episode 7 specially as we were left on a bit of a heated cliff hanger.

#riverdale #riverdale review

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doof-doofblog · 4 years

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"You Want A War?! You Got One!"

Tuesday 20th October 2020

Hello again folks! Hope you're having a good day so far! I really enjoyed writing about Monday's episode, I'm really hoping Tuesday's will be just as good. My plan was going to attempt two blog posts today but I've decided it will be a lot easier for me to do one post a night. Seeing as I'm not working on Saturday, I can write up about Friday's episode then and follow tonight's episode tomorrow. That will leave me with next week not being behind, I hope I've not annoyed any of you with this, and I apologise in advance if I have. But I just want to do the best I can with this blog and I just want let to you guys know that I am still committed to do this 100% ... life just seems to get in the way sometimes. Anyway, let's jump right into Tuesday's episode and see what's going on in Walford!

The episode starts with Phil still reeling from the recent news he's learned about Ellie. Ben is adamant that his Dad shouldn't be going in with all guns blazing, he even asks his Dad if he wants him to go along. But Phil instructs his son to get things in the house ready for a 3 year old, as not matter what, he'll be bringing Raymond home! But something tells me, it's not going to be as simple as that! Is going to be walking into a war or a trap? We already know the Ellie was to blame for Raymond's parents passing away, what is she going to do next?

At the Beale household, Ian finds Peter and informs him that he has transferred some money into his account, not just his allowance but a little extra. Is he literally buying his son's silence?! I'd like to think Peter is smarter than that, maybe in time he'll come to realise that his Dad is lying to them all. As Ian leaves, Kathy can be seen doing her make-up, getting herself ready for her date with Iain. She confides in her Grandson that she's feeling nervous, more to the fact that the fella doesn't even know her real age. Peter tells his Gran not to worry and that the date will go smoothly. Just as Peter happens to mention the word "Date" - Bobby appears and is shocked to hear that his Gran is going out to meet some stranger, but I think the main issue is that he's upset she's going outside during a pandemic and after taking precautions during lockdown, she should be careful as she's vulnerable. Something tells me that this has something to do with Bobby's OCD storyline, recently he's been constantly reminding everybody to wash their hands and be careful, I might be jumping the gun here, but are EastEnders going to make Coronavirus a storyline? Meaning, is Kathy going to catch it while going on her date and become really unwell, or will Bobby end up getting it after being incredibly careful. Who knows? I could be completely wrong, but it would be an interesting outcome, don't you guys think?!

Meanwhile, in the Vic Stacey and Kat are cleaning whilst Lily sits and watches as she's playing on her tablet. This was a very interesting conversation between Stacey and Kat. Kat just happens to mention that she saw Ruby with a designer handbag that Martin has supposedly bought her for her birthday. Stacey seems a little upset by this news and she appears jealous as she mentions that the best presents that Martin ever bought her were a CD and paint! It's the next part which Lily seems to listen really closely too, she's obviously aware that her Mum is feeling sad about Martin and Ruby being together, but to let off some steam, Stacey will shout and probably say things that she doesn't mean, it's then she mentions Ruby having "Daddy issues" and she's had them ever since her Dad saved the wrong daughter in a house fire. Lily picks up on what her Mother has said, what is she going to do with this new information?!

At the Cafe, Habiba is eager to get Ash and Iqra on side to go to court with her to support Jags. Ash reveals that Suki and Kheerat are going and everyone thought it was best if no else went. Habiba is saddened to hear that Ash isn't doing anything to save her brother. Everyone knows that Jags is innocent, but no one is willing to tell the truth. Iqra offers to go with her sister for support, Habiba accepts and they both leave to head off to court.

In the Arches, Phil is looking that he's waiting for someone, checking his watch and the clock on the wall. Suddenly, Ellie walks in, personally, I feel there's going to be some kind of row going on, but Phil plays the sympathy/guilty card. Explaining that he knows everything regarding the car crash that Raymond's parents were in. He tries to convince her that Raymond would be better off with him and his family, he'll be safer - seeing as Ellie has put her Grandson's life in danger and what's going to stop her from doing it again?! Ellie then plays dirty, she scoffs at Phil's words, informing him that she has also done her homework and found out everything about Ben, Louise and even Dennis. Phil looks a little bit defeated that he's been caught out, but then Ellie changes her tune, she admits that she can see how much Raymond means to him, and she even goes on to say that she'll let Phil have him. Phil, however, does look a bit suspicious, what's the catch?! Oh - only £150,000! Ellie announces she'll let him have Raymond for 150 grand!!! How the hell is Phil going to find that kind of money?!

Meanwhile at the restaurant, Kathy is preparing herself for her date, she takes a deep breath and turns the corner to find a - dare I say - dashing gentleman waiting at a table. He spots her and he seems really happy to see her, clearly a little nervous but ever more happy to see her turn up. As Kathy takes a seat you can see she is also nervous, mainly due to the fact that the poor man isn't aware of her real age. He makes a point about going on dates and ending up being catfished, meaning that the person who turns up doesn't turn out to be who they make out they are online. Kathy can only give a small smile, she must be feeling a little guilty, perhaps feeling that she's leading the poor guy on. Something tells me she might come clean by the end of her date, but who knows? Will it be a success?!

At the Prince Albert, Ash and Peter - surprisingly two other characters I never thought we'd see share a scene. But from what I can make out, they both have a little bit in common, Ash is wallowing her thoughts and fears about her brother going to prison for something he didn't do. Peter is also battling demons about his own Dad, wondering whether to trust him or not. They're both dealing with deep family issues right now, and it looks as if as they continue their conversation, they have some mutual understanding of each other and what the other is going through. I could be looking into something that isn't there, but do I sense a bit of flirtation as Peter offers to buy her a drink? I mean, sure, anyone can offer someone a drink without it be flirtatious, but I don't know - something told me that maybe there might've been something there. But who knows, Ash I believe is happy with Iqra, so who knows what could happen? This is EastEnders after all!

Back at the restaurant, it looks as if Kathy's date with Iain is going brilliantly! They're both giggling and enjoying each other's company. But it looks as if Iain is asking Kathy really awkward questions, questions which are having to make her lie about her family, such as Peter being her son instead of Grandson. Is she going to keep up the pretence that she's younger than what she actually is?! I mean, I said it last night, Kathy is looking fabulous at 70 and she shouldn't be afraid to be proud of her age! I think Kathy is a stunning looking woman, gorgeous hair with a beautiful dress sense, with a gorgeous smile - what's not to like? Who cares if she's 70? I hope eventually Kathy will admit the truth and hopefully Iain won't find the age-gap a big deal! Kathy deserves some happiness! Later on as they leave the restaurant together, Kathy invites Iain to the Prince Albert, things are looking great when suddenly Kathy takes a nasty tumble as she twists her ankle and falls to the floor. Ash, Peter and Bobby rush to Kathy's aid insisting that she needs to go the hospital to get herself looked at. Iain is a bit blaséabout it, saying she "Just tripped" - something you do never say when a woman falls over! In my opinion, if a woman ever falls over, people should do the decent thing and make sure she's okay - no matter what her age may be! As Peter and Ash plead Kathy to go the hospital, it's then that Peter slips up and calls her "Gran" - much to Iain's surprise, it's then that Kathy admits her real age and admits she's feeling incredibly foolish. I feel sad for Kathy at this point, everything was going so well before her nasty fall - I hope Iain will maybe look past it, but who knows? Did any of you also notice that when Bobby saw his Nan fall, he started counting, clearly to cope and calm his breathing after what he's just witnessed.

At the club, Stacey is looking for Martin, but Ruby appears to be in the middle of something with a supplier, she's refusing to sign for items she didn't order. Stacey watches on as she's being hounded by the delivery driver, surprisingly she stands up for her ex-friend and basically tells the delivery guy to do one! Ruby seems surprised that she's stood up for her, in an attempt to rekindle their friendship, she asks her friend to stay for a drink. As Stacey and Ruby are drinking, it looks as if things aren't going to be as easy as saying "Sorry!" - they are both really strong feisty females and to be fair, they have both done wrong to each other in recent months. Stacey makes the valid point that any man in Stacey's life, Ruby also seems to get her hands on - Sean, Max, Martin, but then again Ruby comes back with another valid point, that she didn't pretend to be her! It's true that they are both best friends and they're the only friend's each of them has got right now, will they be able to look past everything that's happened and move on?

Meanwhile, in the Vic, Habiba is looking absolutely heartbroken, it looks as if Jags has been sentenced to four years in prison for his attack on Martin Fowler. Habiba is devastated that her boyfriend has gone down for something he didn't do, she announces to her sister how much she hates the Panesar family for watching and doing nothing to save Jags. It's then she informs Iqra that she no longer wants Ash living with them. Is Iqra going to be forced to make a huge decision, whether to ask her girlfriend to leave or whether to move out with her girlfriend and leave Habiba alone. Back at the club, Suki and Vinny are also discussing Jags, Vinny is still adamant that he should've taken Jag's place, but Suki shrugs it off and tells him to man up, prison will be the making of Jags - apparently.

As soon as Suki leaves the club, the camera spans across and we find Stacey and Ruby again. Stacey is quick to say that she needs to get off to find Lily. But suddenly, Lily walks in admitting that she's been in the club office the whole time, both Ruby and Stacey are shocked to find her. Stacey is quick to ger home but Lily - oooh she's become such a little madam hasn't she - She's can't understand why her Mum and Ruby are now socialising? She opens her mouth and puts her Mum right in it, revealing what Stacey had said about her previously to their meeting. Stacey is horrified with her daughter, Ruby is just as shocked. It's then that Ruby begins to play the evil stepmum, she promises Lily can have a takeaway with herself and Martin whenever she likes, much to Stacey's annoyance. Stacey gives Ruby a warning, she is nothing to Lily and never will be and she warns her to stay away! Something tells me it's going to be a long time until Ruby and Stacey are friends again, something is also telling me that somehow it'll affect the children. Also I'm thinking that Lily is going to become a very twisted little girl, causing so much trouble and causing havoc in her family, ruining relationships and perhaps spreading lies about everyone. What do you guys think of the new Lily?! It's going to be quite a while to get used to, Lily was such a lovely little girl and now she's turned into such a spoilt brat!

Back at Beale household, Bobby can be seen once again cleaning extravagantly. Wearing gloves and counting the amount of times he's wiping the picture frame. Peter comes in and calls out to him, informing that their Gran has been in agony since her fall. He walks in to find vases and picture frames placed on dining room table, Bobby is breathless as he violently wipes clean every inch of the vase, counting to five as he does so. I've never been one to understand OCD, but it must be hell to live with, but then again I guess I kind of have the understanding that the people feel the need to do things until they feel completely safe. Peter looked concerned for his brother, will he confide in his Dad or Nan about what he's witnessed?!

The final scene of this episode, Phil has gotten the money together to give to Ellie. He walks in the Arches to find Ellie waiting for him, without Raymond! Ben quickly follows his Dad to see what's going on. Phil throws the duffle bag with 80 grand inside, insisting that he needs more time to get the rest. Ellie seems very unimpressed but it's only when Ben begins to plead to his Dad to not give Ellie more money that she starts to squirm. Ben makes a very good point that she could bleed Phil dry for years at the promise of getting Raymond eventually. Part of me is hoping that Phil will listen to his son, as much as Phil is desperate to be reunited with his son, he can't afford to lose all his money. He can't risk giving the money to Ellie, to then have her do a runner and not keep her word. Phil agrees with Ben and informs Ellie that she's not going to receive another penny from him! If Phil wants Raymond, he's going to do things properly with solicitors and possibly even take Ellie to court - it looks as if we've got a custody battle on our hands!!! Ooooh I am so looking forward to seeing the outcome of this! What do you guys think? Will Phil eventually be able to welcome Raymond back into his life? Or is there going to be many dark twists and turns along the way?!

Thank you guys for reading! I hope you're enjoying my blog. I'll be back tomorrow following tonight's episode! Thank you for your continued support! Enjoy the rest of your week! Love you all xXx

#eastenders #philmitchell #benmitchell #ellienixon #kathybeale #peterbeale #bobbybeale #ianbeale #ashpanesar #habibaahmed #iqraahmed #jags panesar #vinnypanesar #suki panesar #staceyslater #rubyallen #lilyslater #martinfowler #katslater

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raikoren · 4 years

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some onions bout the bnha manga since im reading it in jp nao

the more i read of bnha the more i realise. i kind of fucking hate this series. it’s got all the ingredients of the classic old big 3. brilliant art, a cool character here or there (sometimes), bursts of muddled clunky progression but a cool fight to soothe the pacing and the mostly frustrating boring uninteresting pussy story choices! the sloppy sort of toothless writing only shounen jump editors can give me. it really truly reminds me of how i felt reading bleach .. but it hasnt got the same charm to make me forgive it. the artist is really really talented though absolutely adore some layouts especially when handguy is included and we get some cool reaching illustrations. he and his team are commendable for making such polished work week in week out and its genuinely so fun to read from an art perspective and i really like the fact he leans very heavily into a much looser style that makes everything stretch in a satisfying way as if its designed for animation despite being so complex in its illustration.

its one of those series that is painfully mediocre shounen and you can immediately tell that by the fact that even in this hammy nonserious plot, somehow, the female characters still get completely fucking shafted as excpected. they literally do almost fuck all and the big three characters that get the most development and are considered in-universe ‘main characters’ all happen to be male despite the entire main cast supposedly being the absolute best of the best at the best of this top superhero school.

yaomomo is probably one of the most egregious examples. a character whos top of the class, who got in on recommendations (just like the other deuteragonist) with only three other students making the cut and her big character conflict was that she for some reason, felt inferior to todoroki shouto, whose initial character arc revolves around the fact that ‘he’s not trying his best’. it’s notable that todoroki is never considered to be some freak of nature genius in the same way other characters, he’s impressive but there are stronger. but for some reason, his superiority over yaomomo is pivotal to her character. she doubts her own decision making skills compared to his due to losing so badly at the sports festival against fumikage.

now lets see here: this fucking emotionally constipated idiot who is noted in writing to not using his full potential since he has no motivation to actually win, handicapping his own abilities for most of the time due to crippling personal issues, who ALSO completely jobbed at the festival and gave up at the last match against bakugou and suffered a humiliating defeat because he lacks shame and conviction and who ALSO got in on recommendations? todoroki is an interesting character in his own right, hes strong but his flaws are glaringly evident and interesting. but for some reason he gets elevated to this position of being yaomomo’s ‘wall’.

hes not a team player, yes hes notably perceptive but to position the realtionship between momo and him like this it feels like such a pointless angle to work in cause its so antithetical to yaomomos whole characterisation and contradicts her entire background for .. what? shes got such a strong natural-leader type personality or she is attempting to have one despite the author somehow forgetting. yes she’s nervous and panics sometimes, but i think her entire character arc is intended for her to overcome this as the main crux. there is no doubt that yaomomo is strong. she is excellent as a leader, works extremely well in a team, has a level head and every single time we see her the author always brings it back round to the fact she is an excellent strategist and everyone looks to her to make a tactical decision. almost like her entire character revolves around leadership and self-confidence.

but compared to how shes portrayed against a ‘tactician’ like midoriya for example you would literally never guess that about her unless they didnt spoonfeed it to you that yes, this character is supposed to be smart sorry we keep making her look inept despite her entire character skill and ability being completely and utterly centred around this main concept teehee.

even compared to yoarashi (who i love), who also got in on recommendations, she doesnt get the same level of merit in the fiction. shes never truly made out to be a big deal in the same way the others are which not only fucking blows but makes the story more and more of a grating power up treadmill like a classic shounen jump manga without any of the charm or love. interesting characters like yaomomo who have clear visions are easily pushed aside and their traits sidelined to put more emphasis on other characters.

plus when she does get to make a big decision the narrrative acts like ‘oh was it even the right choice?! did we even make it worse!???’ which would be an interesting introspection for the headstrong characters who jump straight into shit, a reprieve from the individual bullshittery they can pull off without consequence but even though we set this character up specifically to make the right tactical decision in a pinch were not even gonna give her that satisfaction of being a HERO in this situation in this hammy feel-good plot cause thats reserved for the cool main character. its truly fucking unbearable. in the next few panels the main big trio of strong characters are making thoughtless decisions left right and centre with no hesitation or comment from the narrative with no internal struggle but here we are .. at what should be the culmination of a character arc that just .. falls fucking flat. for one of the bigger characters in the supporting cast of the series.... man the writing is just so poor.

you could say that trying to set up some linear character development where ‘girl is strong > gets confidence shaken > confidence comes back’ struggle contrasting against her ojou-sama calm and secretly playful demeanour is meant to be interesting and give her depth but honestly its just played straight in the most truly boring way but its ok! todoroki said keep your chin up queen and shes fine now. hes gonna go save aizawa-sensei with no input, no plan and be a hero because being hero is just about being the main character! everyone else can fuck off. she really needed that validation since she most likely will not have her own achievements, being recognised by this moron is her progression as a character despite her own character arc being infinitely more interesting and nuanced.

i do not expect a lot from a shounen manga sir, i came in with middling expectations and to look at some cool art whilst i awkwardly practice my japanese and yet. here we fucking are. i keep reading this hoping we get some comeuppance or some result but man. i feel like bnha is actually one of the series i wont bother keeping up with at all. the practice was really good! dont get me wrong its a great light read but im honestly surprised at how skewed the actual story is compared to fanworks. i just wanted some easy jp practice but i became weirdly invested in this probably cause i have a huge bias with cool character designs and the anime production was so ambitious.

o yea and one other thing. with tsu, ochako and nejire being introduced as going on the hassaikai raid but then completely sidelined at the first boss, essentially being relegated to being the mob charas that fits the thematic needs of that one random villain character it was sooo fucking lame. it really felt like the midboss had more thematic weight than these three girls first big fight. they were truly only there to fit the ‘lust’ theme they couldve been replaced by anyone else with tits.

in that arc too, midoriya definitely stepped on my toes the most since he took up moments that i thought would be more meaningful and appropriate with the other dot-eye dude that fell compleltey flat with him, got to use possibly the coolest fucking villain as a beatstick meter to show idk he had even more of a god mode i guess sometimes thanks to taking eri into battle instead of ykno relying on the other UA students and also giving them time to shine rather than interspersing flashbacks and shit before every meaningful fight to show ‘hey look how much this character has grown’ in the most cop out sort of storytelling. jirou i think at least gets some life written into her with meeting her parents and the ua school festival arc showing her talents and passion but shes barely utilised too and hagakure is a literal noncharacter her gag is barely even included half the time. mina gets some characterisation but even then its in the form of through another male character, kirishima, and in both instances its like the two are fighting for the spotlight of relavance which is a shame cause theyre both cooooooooooooool aaaaaaaa. every single girl character just feels like an ‘add-on’ or an afterthought, even moreso than the already forgotten secondary cast of which the most interesting dynamics and characters libe (denki and fumikage are cool!).

plus one gripe is that literally 5 separate girl characters have the same “oho they have to take their clothes off for their quirk to work ohooohgoho! so nautghty guess it cant be helped” and that just makes me like. you fucking suck at this bro just be horny with your whole chest making them have a flimsy embarassed half-excuse to be horny is lame. if you wanna make horny characters just fucking do it! enough of this stupid preamble you have to shoehorn in to every character every fucking time. just make it slutty and move on. there’s no need to be so annoyingly coy about it. also UA is the best most prestigious hero course and the girls who are going to become the top pro heroes go to their internship and its a fkn beauty commercial and its like. if they were at least building towards some commentary that female pro heroes are treated less seriously than their male counterparts like with mt.ladys flirting and her immediate paparazzi who takes pics of her ass, or to show that to become popular it means some level of corporate gameplaying and fanservice, it could be something but theres literally zero effort to comment or build on it at all its literally just presented as is and played straight. this is what it means to be a girl hero. that’s all. no comment.

i feel like miruko was a half-hearted attempt to remedy the lack of girl heroes that are actually strong and not bg props but its like it just feels like its been written as they go along with no overarching theme, nothing being built on or anything to say and it just feels so unsatisfying to read. characters that are introduced regularly get used at beatsticks to show how strong they are and get obliterated soon after to serve to show how cool and totally serious this new villain is ykno??? its so fucking tired a really classically shit kind of pointless circling narrative, like nothing truly has any weight to it and everything is meaningless before one for alls almighty relevance and power and whatever the plot needs has suddenly always existed lol dont worry bout it bro it was totally always there heres a star wars reference!

imo outside of the mangas art, the best thing about bnha is the anime adaptation with the exception of season4. the concept of having a long running shounen but giving it ample time, and a higher ambition in terms of production value and having a just absolutely fucking solid staff really make the first three seasons of bnha anime. naturally the voice acting and sound is anime standard gold but the production cant be understated it pulls so much of the slack. the direction and pacing of the first three seasons is honestly really well done, it feels like stuff builds up with ample time and we get much more focus on the background characters even in simple ways like introducing new group shots etc that give them much needed characterisation. one of my fave episodes is s3e3 which gives us a feeling of actual life and interaction as the kids train hard and get to spend an evening together having a bbq and its honestly full of just like group shots, framing in a way that really truly makes it a believable group of good kids trying their best at summer camp and gives almost everyone some much needed screentime.

one thing i noted as well is that the anime really likes to drive home important emotional points for certain characters through some great character acting - like yaoyorozus pivotal fight with fumikage is barely a passing glance in the manga whereas the anime really captures her desperation and panic as she tries her absolute best to react to the situation, not giving up even as shes overpowered only to realise in horror shes already lost. theres so much more weight and time given to this match and tbh its annoying that something that is meant to be so pivotal is barely glossed over in the manga since its so important to her future character motivations. it feels like when these moments and the strength of the supporting characters is lacking, the main story beats become more and more blatantly repetitive. some of the best parts of the arc are the bakugo rescue plan but were always served a fresh bland helping of izuku midoriya being the main character over utilising the strengths of other characters in this pivotal situation. it’s not like theres any fear of giving other characters ‘origin’ chapters and handing over the reigns away from midoriya it just for some reason, the author chooses not to really bother fleshing out characters who dont have immediate plot relavance or not the main three which makes the whole cast weaker.

imo even the anime is suffering from the source materials holes and its own slightly shoddy choices in direction with season 4 for some reason deciding to faithfully adapt the awful pacing of the overhaul arc and faithfully make it as dry as possible and devoting a solid 6 episodes to the frankly lame school festival arc despite it clearly suffering for time in the first half. it also includes my new least favourite trope of cutting the sound design completely to a slow vocal track along with the most eye wateringly boring fight pacing it was literally like. sir i want to skip this. you are going to make me watch this stupid fight with the dude whos character motivations got explained to me three seconds ago? with a new power up for green boy? with no sound design so theres even less weight to this whole fucking fight? and youre not even going to let me listen to you say run? how fucking dare you do this to me. the anime adaptation cannot stand on its own two legs with the source material alone. it needs strong direction to patch up the holes or stellar animation to distract me since without either its truly a weak weak show.

i know i already talked about it but really wish overhaul and his whole arc was handled better since i felt like it had promise. the wild shift in tone as i was reading was actually pretty surprising and the whole premise reminds me of how fucking nutty and exciting the yorknew city arc in hxh was for that series. the possibility of building how the actual underworld functions, which is tantalisingly never truly talked about in a world of cartoony heroes and villains was interesting and i was ready to see what organised crime with fucking superpowers could bring to the table plus all the new characters really looked damn cool. but overhaul himself, despite his fucking amazing intro and his title of no.2 in the underworld after all for one was in like 12 chapters and the arc literally served to introduce a plot device then fuck off with all its characters immediately having no impact at all and not even utilising the introduced concepts of the yakuza, organised crime and drugs in the age of quirks in any fuckin way. the majority of development came from fucking flashbacks literally seconds before a fight and they were scarce with anything interesting. like SIR WHAT A WASTE I HAD FINALLY FOUND MY GRIMMJOW AGAINST THESE UNSEXY LoV LOSERS WITH NO CHARISMA AND YET everyone keeps telling me that it was just a weak arc and the others are better. but having read them i think its just emblematic of the sort of writing style which prioritises having cool ‘moments’ for its beloved main character over a a cool interesting solid story that produces amazing moments and has the insane shounen payoff that you expect.

my closing thoughts are that its at least a solid manga to read whilst eating breakfast a solid 3/10 and probably higher if you like little broccoli boy and for some reason want him to win. which i dont. he has a terminal case of unlikable bland shounen mc syndrome and the worst thing is that he didnt used to be like that, he grew into it. his whole character is such a waste to me, turning him into the chosen special one with the greatest quirk is the most boring path possible for someone who had such a strong desire and conviction to be a hero. that we see building themselves up out of their own merit for most of the series and then suddenly giving him the power of more quirks fucking sucks. having such a ridiculous power and such a devastating payoff kept his fights interesting and i think the fight where eri allowed him to use it at full power with no drawbacks was such a fucking let down. there were better ways for him to grow other than idk more quirks cause hes special. and truly outside of attaining more power to become no.1 he has very little conflict in his character after someone else goes out of the way to instill confidence in him its also very annoying that repeatedly were shown how hard everyone works to get into ua, to become the heroes they want to be but its always dwarfed in comparison to izuku and the whole fucking scene with allmight at the end of the kamino incident being specifically for izuku, instead of a rallying cry that you are next, every one of you must struggle to become the hero that you want to be - to bear the weight of the symbol of peace is not for one persons shoulders alone like its a shame cause the series spends so much time hammering home how these kids are the best of the best, the ones who really truly want it but theyre not really treated with the same regard at all and their struggles and improvement are nowhere near on the monumental level of midoriya.

i feel like the narrative has all the makings of something interesting, but somehow fucking hilariously misses its own point. truly ripping apart the idea of becoming the greatest hero, the ‘symbol of peace’, that becoming a pillar isnt any way for a human to live and glorifying one persons sacrifice for all our sakes isnt right and that the true insiduous evil of hero society is that it makes us truly believe that people are painted in black and white rather than many shades of grey and forces people to take on things they shouldnt, allows certain powerful individuals to enforce their own wills on the world and robs everyday people, the powerless and weak of any agency of how their society works. it acts like heroism is an inherent trait only afforded by the strong and that being anything less than the ultimate hero is a failure even if it means doing awful tings, like throwing away your children giving them mental scars, leaving behind whole families in the name of heroism falling in the line of duty being seen as some great honour, leaving kids to wander the streets since doing necessary but painful things are for better equipped people, right? wash your hands of it and let a hero deal with it. honestly i just want to see a weak supporting characters heroism. that was the charm of early bnha. ive had enough of this blind thoughtless heroism thats presented as the correct one, for the chosen few. i want to see the struggle for it, insatiable longing that you cant help pushing you on, but most of all i want to see the hero you can be in ways that are meaningful but yours alone and taking back the world inch by inch from the common villainy of our society with one person at a time, reaching out to your hand no matter how scarred. to look your dreams in the face and turn your back on them. tearing down the sun, shattering it into a million pieces, but the small shards shine brighter and can be held in mortal hands. but nah izuku is going to be all might super cop 2 dont worry bout it guys. dw he’ll also choose some poor fucking kid to bear this burden after he becomes useless in battle and we can discard him as a person and simply keep him as an icon since the narrative keeps allowing the villains to have valid criticisms against society but always dismiss them since theyre villains you know and youre not meant to actually think about changing society despite your position of power, just enjoy being no.1 whilst your alive and rinse and repeat pog.

i think thats why i can easily see why bakugo and todoroki are so popular through the series as they do take a long time to get through their extremely shitty issues and they are genuinely shitty little teen psychopaths who are horrible fucking bastards. but they grow up and in really tangible gratifying ways. they seem to have as many setbacks as they do wins, constantly fucked over by their own hubris but still finding a way to power through despite it all trying to awkwardly form connections and become better people as well as better heroes and they can not do so on their own. their struggles are treated with gravity and they always acquire some kind of new strength in return but at a pace that doesnt put them miles ahead of their other classmates but definitely feels weighted and substantial to their development. todoroki gritting his teeth but slowly realising that he has a fucking ridiculous opportunity in his hands with endeavours agency and even inviting his friends is monumental in its own way, endeavour texting his son and his son texting back is like. it really does feel like something. its also interesting that as broccoli boy gets stronger he gets subsequently less and less likeable imo like ... sir you are NO shirou emiya. you do not have the range or the sheer trauma to be so dogged and blind in your ideals despite the world you occupy and everyone else around you. i was sold shirou emiya superhero manga with sexy juwabe sunichi teacher and only one of those thigns is true!!!

#damn you ren #yea i just finished now and my head is busting open with thoughts #probably an awful word vomit of opinions but like. i just finished reading it and im like sir why do i do this #i have this awful illness its called being a shounen manga fan

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hellzyeahwebwieldingreviews · 4 years

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Untold Tales of Spider-Man 02: After the First Death… – by Tom DeFalco

A story that has me debating the nature of these stories.

A soggy Spidey swings through rainy Manhattan looking for crime shots for the Daily Bugle. He comes upon Kent and Wayne Weisinger on the roof of Stockbridge Jewelers, planning to rob it. Confident that he can end the fight anytime he wants to, Spidey stretches it out so that his automatic camera can take as many photos as possible. Kent and Wayne have a longstanding sibling rivalry marked by Kent's resentment of being the "muscle" to Wayne's "brains" along with feeling that his brother always cheats him. During the fight, Kent appears to charge at Spidey but when the web-slinger leaps out of the way, Kent doesn't stop, charging into Wayne and knocking him off the roof. Wayne falls five stories to his death and all the by-standers think Spidey did it. Guiltily, Spidey flees, forgetting about Kent altogether.

So, Kent goes to Wayne's estranged wife Jeannette to tell her the news. "Solid ice," Jeannette could care less about Wayne's death except that she's lost her meal ticket. When Kent blames the death on Spider-Man, Jeannette gets an idea on how to cash in.

In fact, Peter Parker seems to be the only one emotionally affected by Wayne's death. He has a sleepless night, trying to cope with the situation. Unguarded, he admits to J. Jonah Jameson that he has photos of the incident. His resolve to not sell the photos is beaten down by Jameson's arm-twisting and his own need for money. He sells the pictures and is then introduced to Jeannette, now the grieving widow of Wayne, who has come to JJJ for help in instituting a civil suit against Spider-Man. At school, Peter's conscience makes him counter Flash Thompson's avowal that "Spidey's no murderer" with "Maybe the wall-crawler didn't actually kill the man... but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be held accountable for what happened." Back in action, Spidey hesitates over stopping a purse-snatcher, fearful that he may cause another tragedy. Back home, Peter doesn't know what to do. He recalls that Uncle Ben's death made him swear, "that no innocent person would ever again be made to suffer because Spider-Man had failed to act. It had never occurred to him that anyone would suffer because of Spider-Man's acts." And while Wayne wasn't exactly innocent, "he had suffered because Peter had acted irresponsibly." He ends up having one of those vague discussions with Aunt May where he can't tell her any details because she doesn't know he's Spider-Man, yet she manages to hit the nail on the head, telling him in this case, "Everybody makes mistakes, Peter. You just try to learn from your failures as best you can, and you move on. You'll always get another chance to do better as long as you keep at it."

Meanwhile, Jeannette decides to kick Kent out of the deal and keep any anticipated profits for herself. So even as Spidey sucks it up and gets back into action, proving himself a hero, Kent decides he's not going to be kicked around anymore, buttonholes a TV reporter and gives an interview in which he reveals "that he deliberately pushed his elder brother off the roof of Stockbridge Jewelers because of numerous past frustrations." At Midtown High, Flash crows over Spidey's exoneration but Peter won't let the web-slinger off so easily. "A real hero would have found a way to save Wayne Weisinger" he says, "He would have acted smarter, reacted quicker, or behaved more responsibly... And that's something Spider-Man will have to live with for the rest of his life."

Because these are untold tales, prose stories and utilize the comic book continuity you can analyse them from several different angles and their worth changes depending upon those angles.

Chiefly this boils down to whether I judge this as a story unto itself or within the context of comic book continuity as it existed back then? What about the fact that I’m here in 2020 evaluating a prose book written in 1990 that’s trying to synch up with comic book stories written in the 1960.

It boggles the mind. All I can do is write about how I feel.

I liked this story unto itself and within the context of this book. I think, kind of like the last story, that it doesn’t really integrate into Spider-Man’s comic book history.

The emotional journey of Peter in this story involves learning that he needs to be careful about how he acts. In this regard it’s rather similar to his lesson from Gwen’s death, which is kind of my problem. This story’s title implies this is in fact the very first time Spider-Man has experienced death ‘on the job’ as it were.

Surely such a thing would weigh on his mind more, surely it’d crop up when he dwells on the list of people he’s seen die or feels guilty about dying. Or at least he’d be reminded of Wayne’s death when Gwen dies.

In the comics of course Wayne has never ever been mentioned. Duh, because he didn’t exist until DeFalco invented him for this story. Of course we could draw comparisons with Sally Avril, a character from AF #15 who died in the comic book version of Untold Tales but whose death went unacknowledged in stories from the 60s-90s.

I think the critical difference there is that (IIRC) Peter wasn’t particularly responsible for her death whereas in the case of Wayne, whilst he didn’t push him off the building, his arrogance really did directly contribute to his death. Plus seeing a man die in such a horrible way, especially if it is the first time he’s ever seen a dead body, would likely leave a bigger impression upon Peter than the nature of Sally’s death, although I must admit it’s been a long time since I read that issue so perhaps I am wrong.

From a continuity stand point this is the minefield you always walk, but at the same time it’d be difficult to generate drama if you didn’t step on those mines occasionally.

I feel DeFalco here wanted to tell a dramatic story that had Peter grapple with a genuinely emotional situation and also took advantage of the nature of this story as a flashback tale.

And frankly he succeeded. If you view this either out of continuity or essentially within an incredibly generalized canon of Spider-Man (i.e. Gwen Stacy died, whether Peter did or didn’t think about Wayne is ambiguous though) the story very much works. I doubt DeFalco or anyone else was honestly feeling any of these stories were going to strictly be canon anyway. However for the record this story happens at some point after ASM #9 because when we get a list of Spider-Man’s opponents they all appeared up to that issue.

Looking at the story itself its flaws are incredibly minor.

Some of the dialogue feels old fashioned, but I argue that is likely by design since this is set in an older time period. We go over exposition related to Peter’s origin again, which is more the editor’s fault since we got those details in the first story of the anthology. In fairness revisiting it does serve a greater purpose here because the story is directly ruminating upon the nature of responsibility. In that sense it would’ve been more logical to open the book up with this than the Ant-Man story and I see little reason as to why this couldn’t have in theory happened at an earlier point chronologically. Yeah the Ant-Man story claims Spider-Man’s a new figure on the scene but the passage of time in the first 10 issues of ASM is so vague it’s really not unbelievable that even by issue #9 Spidey might still be considered ‘new’.

Not only does the story explore (and successfully at that) the theme of responsibility, approaching it from the opposite direction from the lesson Ben’s death imparted, but it also features the supporting cast more. Flash, Aunt May, Jameson, the Bugle and public distrust of Spider-Man are all given notable roles to play in the story, again proving that THIS should’ve opened the book.

To go back to the theme of responsibility for a moment, perhaps the most nuanced bit of writing in the story is when Peter is on the phone to Jameson. Peter has a really great ethical dilemma. Would it be irresponsible to profit off of Wayne’s death or would it be irresponsible to not profit off of it and use the money to support his Aunt May?

DeFalco more than any other writer GETS Spider-Man and his depiction of Peter’s internal debate, whilst short, rings utterly true. What gets me is that most of the time whenever I’ve seen this sort of thing done with Peter he’s actually made a different decision, but here DeFalco recognizes that in actuality Peter WOULD consider his responsibilities as the bread winner outweigh what boils down to him merely feeling bad about profiting off a man’s death. It’s not all that different to when he faked photos of Electro to help Aunt May. Yes it’s unethical, but there was a higher responsibility, a greater good at stake.*

Kent and Jeanette’s subplot, whilst arguably wrapped up unsatisfactorily, does a neat job of evoking something of a daytime drama or even noir story, and in that light fits wonderfully into the brand of stories Lee and Ditko churned out way back at the start.

In fact of the two opening stories this one more successfully captured that era and by extension the approach of the comic book version of UToSM. Whilst the Ant-Man story was fun, it was the prose equivalent of a typical MTU super hero yarn complete with dodgy pseudo science.

This story though? Now this is a Spider-Man story. It has a singular main character (Kent is ultimately a supporting player) and whether he’s in or out of the costume the story is driven by the emotional and human problems faced by the character, not the fantastical super human issues. In classic Spidey manner those two halves of his life bleed over into one another and lack a clear cut divide.

Really in the Ant-Man story Peter’s personal life would’ve gone mostly unaffected whether he had gotten involved or not. It wasn’t about Peter Parker, it was about Spider-Man. This story is about both.

Peter needs money to look after himself, his home and Aunt May. So he looks for trouble as Spider-Man and pads out a fight. That gets someone killed which haunts Peter and makes him hesitate to BE Spider-Man, even whilst he reluctantly profits off it as Peter Parker which in turn contributes to his being falsely accused as Spider-Man and kids as school hating on him because he will not defend Spider-Man from these accusations.

Wham, Bam, DeFalco is the Man. THAT’S a fucking Spidey story right there!

The only thing for me which really and truly did let this story down wasn’t the fault of the book, but the audio production.

I’m hoping DeSantos was just off his game for this story, but between this and his prior efforts I think he’s achingly miscast as the narrator of this title. He worked better narrating Stan Lee and Busiek’s forwards than the actual stories. As Aunt May, Kent and Jeanette he wasn’t that bad (actually pretty good as Kent), but his Peter/Spider-Man fails. He can’t even sell the emotion of the non-dialogue bits. He’s not a bad narrator, but not right for this book.

Over all taken strictly within comics canon there are a lot of contradictions. But taken as it’s own thing or (I suspect) within the context of this one book, this is a knock out story.

*By the way DeFalco also seamlessly blends humour and tragedy in the scene. Peter’s internal debate and horror at the prospect of profiting off of Wayne’s death leaves him in silence which in turn is misinterpreted by Jameson causing him to raise his offer which in turn causes Peter more internal strife. Just brilliant!

#Tom DeFalco #Ron Frenz #Gwen Stacy #Spider-Man #Peter Parker #Untold Tales Of Spider-Man #Stan Lee #Kurt Busiek #Aunt May #May Parker #J. Jonah Jameson

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hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger · 4 years

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Spider-Man: Carnage in New York Thoughts

I’d actually recommend checking this out!

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect out of this novel. Carnage is such a simplistic character that a whole novel about him as the main antagonist was something I wasn’t sure could work. And yet for the most part it did.

Because this a story most people aren’t going to have easy access to I’m copying in the plot synopsis as provided by the marvel.wiki:

Dr. Eric Catrall flees carrying a briefcase containing a vial of "trigger" serum - a chemical compound that induces violent insanity in anyone exposed to even trace amounts. Pursued by a pair of FBI agents, he's cornered in an alley but is rescued by Spider-Man - who had been on his way home from attempting to spy on a local mobster.

Spider-Man returns home to his wife, Mary Jane, and tells her about his altercation with the feds. Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Aunt May, who tells Peter that she is three months behind on her payments for her house and that unless she makes the payment the following day it will be repossessed. Despite himself and MJ not being financially well-off themselves, Peter promises to help May any way he can, and agrees to accompany her to the bank.

At the supervillain prison known as the Vault, rookie Guardsman Craig Lynch taunts Cletus Kasady. The serial killer responds by unleashing his symbiote and transforming into Carnage, terrifying Lynch.

Going to the Daily Bugle Building to investigate Catrall the following day, Peter listens to J. Jonah Jameson and Robbie Robertson discuss the Bugle financing the "Feed 'Em All" event - an initiative to feed the homeless - about to take place in Central Park. On his way out, Ben Urich informs him that Cletus Kasady is being brought back to New York, where an experiment is going to be performed to separate him from his symbiote and kill it.

At a diner, Eric Catrall orders breakfast and overhears the news regarding Carnage, realizing the experiment could potentially render the trigger serum inert. He is cornered by the two FBI agents, but the owner of the diner confronts them with a shotgun and lets Eric flee.

As the Guardsmen fortify a derelict highschool in Brooklyn in order to prepare for the experiment, Spider-Man travels to the school in case Carnage manages to break free, feeling responsible for the monster's very existence due to having brought the Venom symbiote to Earth. As the experiment begins, Eric Catrall infiltrates the building by pretending to be one of the employees and then tosses the briefcase containing the trigger serum into the blast. This shorts out Carnage's containment unit and Spider-Man intervenes and fights Carnage before the Guardsmen open fire with their flamethrowers and sonic cannons. When the smoke clears, Carnage has escaped, and Eric Catrall is gone.

Catrall is eventually found by the police, having been intimidated by Carnage into revealing what the trigger serum is capable of. On the verge of a nervous breakdown, Catrall tells Spider-Man that he'd accidentally invented the trigger serum while working at the Lifestream Technologies tech firm, but after realizing the CIA intended to weaponize it he destroyed his notes and stole the only sample. Tearfully apologizes to Spider-Man, Catrall begs him to stop Carnage. Panicking about Carnage having escaped and being in possession of the trigger serum, Peter almost forgets his promise to help Aunt May, forcing Mary Jane to step in and cover for him. On the day of the Feed 'Em All, Carnage attacks a penthouse party just outside Central Park and slaughters several of the guests, declaring his intent to poison the food being served with the trigger serum. The gory aftermath is caught on one of the cameras filming the event. Seeing Carnage has Catrall's briefcase, Peter sets out to stop him.

Seeing the news coverage, Dr. Catrall - on the verge of a breakdown - attempts to escape police custody to stop Carnage and is fatally shot, dying peacefully as he decides to leave everything to Spider-Man. Spider-Man arrives in time to save one of the party guests from being thrown to his death, mocking Carnage about how poorly thought-out his plan is, since no-one would be stupid enough to eat food he'd openly tampered with. Carnage decides to massacre the assembled people the old fashioned way, attacking Spider-Man; but is defeated when Spider-Man electrocutes him, forcing the symbiote to recede into Cletus' body.

After Cletus is arrested and returned to the Vault, MJ commiserates with Peter over Dr. Catrall's death and Aunt May reveals she traded her wedding ring to pay off her debts. To prevent the trigger serum from falling into the wrong hands again, Spider-Man travels to Four Freedoms Plaza and turns it over to Mister Fantastic, who promises to find a way to safely dispose of it.

I want to first of all talk about a few of the things that don’t work about this story as there aren’t that many.

The least of these is that Spider-Man’s defeat of Carnage was somewhat underwhelming. In part this is due electrocutions at best slowing Carnage down a bit and nothing more, a fact seen in ASM #363, the culmination of his debut arc.

However more significantly its the fact that, whilst far from a dues ex machina, in a novel surely the resolution to the central conflict should come from an element pre-established earlier in the novel. Sure, access to high dosages of electricity is perfectly plausible in New York city, but it seems something more satisfying as the resolution of a comic book storyline (particularly a done-in-one) as opposed to an entire novel.

A more significant critique pertains to Mary Jane.

MJ in this novel is at an odd crossroads with the writing.

It’s not so much WHAT she does or even how the story utilizes her but rather the presentation of her in the role.

I’ve no problem with MJ and Peter being in love, talking lovingly to one another, having sex or MJ worrying about him.

It’s hard to put into words but...well actually the words are exactly the problem. The prose used to describe MJ, her and Peter’s feelings for one another, her dialogue for me at least went a step too far into overidealization. It went into ‘isn’t it awesome Spider-Man has this sexy, loyal wife whom he has regular sex with’. I mean the last few lines of the novel pretty much leave you off with the fact that Peter got laid. And I use that term particularly. It’s not ‘Peter AND MJ had sex’. It’s ‘Peter got his way’, which sounds inadvertently sinister out of context, but what I mean is that the story places the emphasis upon Peter’s gratification over the fact that he gets to have sex with MJ, rather than being more equitable I guess. I don’t even mean the story was OBLIGED to have such a final line give balance to both characters, just like...more balance maybe.

I dunno, maybe this is just a me problem as I wasn’t fond of the presentation of the romance stuff in the Darkest Hours either.

I guess what I’m after is for them to reign in prose wherein poetic praise it heaped upon MJ, either in her looks or in her personality, in the context of how that makes her such a wonderful wife. Maybe communicate those sentiments but be more subtle and restrained about it. Again, maybe that’s just a me thing and I’m using comic book Spider-Man as too much of a framework for reference.

This isn’t to say Peter Parker’s Perfect Wife is ALL MJ amounts to in this novel. They do give her flaws in regards to feeling bummed about being out of work and have her ultimately resolve the B-plot. She does this by pawning her wedding ring in order to save Aunt May’s house. On the one hand, this does rather play into MJ as the perfect idealized wife, but on the other hand she’d have gone out of her way to help Aunt May regardless.

Speaking of that B-plot, I’ve got some mixed feelings regarding it. In an ongoing kinda sorta soap opera like Spider-Man having subplots ticking along is just fine, and they do not HAVE to reconnect to the main plot necessarily. But I feel in a self-contained novel subplots should either play into the resolution of the main plot or vice versa, or at the very least a character shift should result from one or the other that then plays into the main plot/subplot.

Here though, whilst homelessness is a plot element of the story and Aunt May is literally going to lose her home, it’s presence in the novel serves to at worst pad it out, and at best feels kind of....mandatory.

Like in a Spider-Man novel set in this time period, you’d expect MJ and/or Aunt May to show up and for there to be normal life drama for Peter to deal with alongside his Spidey life, drama that is probably negatively impacted by being Spider-Man.

And if this was like an annual, a one shot, or even a 2-3 part arc of ASM, that’d be fine. Here though in a novel...ehhhhhh...The kindest interpretation is that it exists to give MJ something to do but really the story could’ve been tweaked to give her something else to do (say have May work at the shindig for the homeless people*) or you could’ve omitted MJ and May entirely and supplanted their scenes with more development for Carnage, Peter or Doctor Catrall.

It’s not BAD per se, but it is a weakness. Compare and contrast to the Darkest Hours novel wherein the subplot regarding MJ learning to drive wound up being integral to the defeat of the villains.

Now I do not want to give the impression this novel is bad. It isn’t on balance.

In the grand scheme of things it’s a fun, not too long, Spidey adventure.

I’ll not talk too much regarding the audio nature of this production beyond saying that the narrator of choice was a huge improvement over the narrator of the Darkest Hours and particularly shone in the role of Carnage.

Speaking of Carnage, I spoke up top about how it’d be tricky to make him support a whole novel to himself, even one of this size.

But the story knew what they were dealing with, likely because Carnage’s co-creator David Michelinie provided an outline for the story and thus knew with Carnage less in more.

Indeed there are a grand total of just 4 scenes featuring Carnage at all in the whole novel. His introductory scene, the scene where he escapes, the scene where he ambushes the cocktail party and the final showdown.

It’s nicely succinct. One scene to set him up. One scene to let him out. One scene of him doing what he loves and one scene where he is stopped.

By making the Doctor Catrall storyline in-essence the main story for the first half of the story and then having Carnage basically hijack it thereafter, it allows the novel to organically have a full three act story without overusing Carnage. Catrall’s trigger serum is also a thematically appropriate plot device in a Carnage storyline as it in essence is a shortcut to achieving the world of violent chaos he longs for.

Not only is Carnage used well in the plot but he’s also well characterized. Perhaps due to the narrator’s vocal performance, Carnage genuinely feels scary in this novel, no more so than in his opening scene. Whilst obviously written long before this storyline, it’s reminiscent to me of his presentation in Absolute Carnage, where he is a pure horror monster through and through.

I don’t really have much else to say about this novel.

It’s not got as much meat to it (in any sense) as Darkest Hours did, but that doesn’t make it a bad read.

If you like Carnage and want a nice simple story of him being bad and Spidey stopping him, pick this up.

*I know when this novel was published Aunt May had yet to be associated with FEAST, but the reason everyone loved that direction for her was because it made the utmost sense. Having May work at the shindig would’ve better tied the plotlines together, amped up the personal stakes and spoken to who May as a person is. This is an elderly woman who’s willing to help the homeless even as she herself is at risk of losing her own home.

#spider-man #Spider-Man: Carnage in New York #Carnage #Carnage Symbiote #Cletus Kasady #Peter Parker #Aunt May #May Parker #mjwatsonedit #Mary Jane Watson #Mary Jane Watson Parker #mj watson #david michelinie #Dean Wesley Smith #Byron Priess

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wiypt-writes · 3 years

Text

Stark Spangled Banner

Ch42: Maybe Baby Part 1- I Made That

Intro: Katie and Emmy both meet a new friend, and Tony and Pepper welcome their baby girl to the world. As the family enjoy the happiness the new addition brings, it leads Steve and Katie to a big decision of their own…

Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut! (NSFW) No under 18s. Teeth rotting fluff…

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Chapter 41 Part 2

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

May 2019

“Come on, Emmy, throw me a bone here!” Katie sighed as she sat in the chair of the coffee shop. “I can’t do anything about it if I don’t know what’s wrong.” She paused and rolled her eyes. “Jesus I sound like Steve.”

Emmy sighed and looked out of the window. “Why do I have to go back?”

“Because.” Katie said, rubbing at her temple “Look, you’ve already been out of school for like nearly a year, and it’s only for a couple of months and then it’s gonna be summer.” “So what’s the point of going then?” Emmy persisted. “Can’t I just wait and go back in September?”

Katie let out a groan, dropped her head into her hands before she heard a soft chuckle. She looked up to see the woman who was behind the counter had come across to clear away the empty mugs on the table. “She sounds just like my daughter.” The red haired lady smiled. “Nothing but back chat.” “I thought a hot chocolate and a muffin would help.” Katie side eyed her foster daughter. “Clearly I was wrong.”

Emmy scowled at her in response.

“The Decimation screwed a lot of things up” The woman sighed. “Tell me about it.” Katie breathed out. At that point the woman was joined by a girl who was the spitting image of her, Katie assuming it to be her daughter.

“Oh.Em.Gee!” The girl spluttered, looking at Katie “You’re Katie Stark, I mean Rogers!”

Katie grimaced and glanced around the shop. There were only three other people in and as they looked over she let out a relieved noise as they simply nodded to her and turned back to their drinks. “Brooke!” The woman chastised before giving Katie an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry, you’re clearly here for a quiet drink and-” “It’s fine.” Katie hastily said, glancing at Emmy who was looking at the girl, frowning.

The woman looked at her daughter before she glanced at Katie, then to Emmy. “Brooke here goes to MS in Brooklyn.” she offered suddenly.

“What’s MS?” Emmy looked at Brooke.

“The Maths and Science Exploratory School.” Brooke nodded. “It’s really cool. Before the err…well, before they used to do all sortsa stuff…” “Brooke, why don’t you take Emmy into the back and show her some of your work and the website?” the woman offered “If that’s ok with you.” She looked to Katie. “Fine by me, what do you think Em?” Katie asked.

Emmy gave a nonchalant shrug. “Whatever.” “Manners!” Katie looked at her sternly. Emmy had the good grace to look a bit abashed when she stood up and turned to Brooke.

“Sorry, yeah I’d like to see.”

Katie watched her go before she looked at the woman “Thank you.” The lady smiled and nodded to Katie’s mug “Refil?” “Please.”

“Coming right up.”

Katie leaned back on the comfy sofa and pulled out her phone. She had a message from Steve, asking her how it was going. She responded with three words ‘Fucking hard work’ before she slid her phone away as the woman came back with two mugs.

“Mind if I join you? Might as well take a break whilst we’re quiet.”

“No, of course not.” Katie gestured with her hands and the woman took a seat on the chair at the other side of the table.

“I’m Jennifer by the way.” She held out her hand “I own this place.” “Nice to meet you.” Katie smiled “I would introduce myself but…”

“My loud mouth daughter did it for you.” Jennifer rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sorry about that. I wasn’t sure she would recognise you and I didn’t want to draw attention to you by warning her not to say anything…”

“Don’t worry about it” Katie shook her head “I mean it’s not like my identity is a secret. It’s just not everyone is particularly pleased to see us now-a-days. They seem to flip from either thanking us all for our efforts or screaming at us that it’s all our fault.”

“People are idiots.” Jennifer said simply “Anyone who blames you guys for any of this needs to get a check of themselves.” Katie smiled, sipping at her coffee “You know this is a really good roast. I’ll have to tip Steve off about it, he’s a coffee fiend.”

Jennifer smiled and then she looked over to the counter before glancing back “So, sorry for being nosey but I know you didn’t have a kid before, well, you know.” “Oh, she’s fostered.” Katie smiled. “I’ve known her since she was eighteen months old and she lost her last foster carers in the snap. We took her in for a night and she never left.”

“That’s good of you.” Jennifer smiled

“Least we could do.” Katie glanced at her coffee “When I look round and see what others lost, it brings it home to me how lucky I was, you know. I mean don’t get me wrong we lost people we cared about, a great deal. But my brother, my family, my husband, all still alive.”

Katie trailed off and thought to their baby. It had struck her on the first anniversary of the snap a few weeks earlier that their baby would have been with them now. Either a boy or a girl, blue or green eyes, blonde or dark, they’d never know.

“You can’t think like that.” Jennifer shook her head. “It doesn’t matter who you didn’t lose, you still lost. Hell, everyone lost, and everyone hurts, regardless of whether it was 1 person or 10. It doesn’t feel any less shit.” “You lost someone?” Katie looked at her.

“My dad.” Jennifer looked at her hands “My mom died a few years back and my husband was killed in Afghanistan not long after Brooke was born. So now it’s just us” “Sorry.” Katie bowed her head as the woman wiped at her eyes “I didn’t mean to…” Jennifer waved away her apology and smiled “Don’t be. It is what it is.” At that point the two girls came back into the main part of the shop, and Emmy was clutching a pile of paper.

“We printed some info off, mom.” Brooke said, “So Emmy can read it later. And we exchanged numbers, so she can text me later if she has questions and stuff.” “Good thinking!” Jennifer smiled.

“Right, you ready to go?” Katie looked at Emmy. “Steve’s cooking so we should go make sure he hasn’t burnt the compound down.”

“You live in the Avengers Compound?” Brooke looked at Emmy, wide eyed “Man that’s awesome.” Emmy smiled before she looked at Katie “What’s Steve-o making?”

“I think he said he was doing carbonara.” “Oh, that was good last time he cooked it.” Katie smiled, pulling on her jacket. “Yeah, it was actually.” She stood up and smiled at Jennifer. “It was really nice to meet you.” She reached into her bag for a twenty to pay but Jennifer waved it away “On the house.” “Oh, no.” Katie protested, dropping the twenty to the table, but the woman picked it up and handed it back. Pursing her lips, Katie spotted the tip jar on the counter and quickly strode over to it, depositing the note through the slot before giving the woman a smug look. Jennifer laughed and shrugged before she reached over the counter and handed Katie a business card.

“My mobile number is on there.” She smiled, “If you ever fancy a chat or a drink some time, anything at all.” “Thanks” Katie beamed. “That’s really kind of you.”

“Bye!” Emmy waved as they exited the shop. She turned to Katie as they walked to the car. “They’re nice.” “Yeah, yeah they are.” Kate smiled “Come on, let’s get home before we’re late and we get the eyebrow of disappointment.”

****** The last week in May brought some unusually cold and wet weather for the time of year, which wasn’t surprising as the climate was still all over the place. It was normally the time of year they celebrated Tony’s birthday on the 29th with a BBQ or something, but there was none of that this time. Not least because of the weather, but more over that his birthday was overshadowed spectacularly by the arrival of his daughter, Morgan Hope Stark some four days earlier on the 25th.

“Guys.” Katie gulped, tears welling in her eyes as her baby niece gently stirred in her arms, her eyes not opening as she moved her hands gently, “She’s…” “Amazing, I know.” Pepper gushed beaming up at Katie from where she was sat, propped up in the hospital bed.

“I made that.” Tony bragged, his chest puffed out. Katie knew how genuinely proud he was simply by the affectionate gleam in his eyes. Pepper rolled her eyes playfully, sharing a look with her sister-in-law.

Steve’s arm curled round Katie’s waist as he gazed down at the baby in her arms, smiling gently as he smoothed the blanket down to get a closer look. She had a light dusting of dark hair, Tony’s cheekbones and Pepper’s nose.

“Wanna hold Uncle Steve?” Katie asked, looking at him.

“Erm, yeah, sure, that ok?” Steve looked at Pepper and Tony.

“Just don’t drop her.” Tony narrowed his eyes “Or throw her, she’s not a shield.” “Tony, you’re such a dick.” Katie sighed, passing the precious bundle to Steve who gently took her, supporting her head with his large hand.

As Steve cradled the tiny baby in his large arms, filled with wonder at the miniature human he was holding, he suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

This would have been them.

As Morgan curled her hand around his large index finger the lump grew larger and he fought to keep the tears that had sprung into his eyes from dropping down his cheeks.

Across the room, Tony curled his arm round his sister’s shoulder and dropped a kiss to her head as she wiped away the single tear that she herself had shed hastily before Steve saw.

Steve collected Emmy later that evening from Brooke’s. Emmy had decided to go to MS after all, and as such the two girls had fast become inseparable during the week and often at weekends too.

“She’s been ever so well behaved and polite.” Jennifer smiled, handing Steve Emmy’s rucksack. Steve nodded and gently placed a large hand on the back of Emmy’s head

“Good.”

“Gerroff.” she shrugged him away “I’m not six.” Steve rolled his eyes as he looked at Jennifer and raised an eyebrow “Clearly just us she gives back chat to.”

Jennifer chuckled “And they say it’s gonna get worse as they get older” “I can’t wait!” Steve replied, sarcastically. The woman laughed, Steve thanked her again and they headed to the car.

“So what’s Morgan like?” Emmy asked as Steve set off back up the main road to head out of Manhattan and towards the Compound. “Does she look like Tony?”

“A little, more like Pepper really.” Steve smiled

“Phew.” Emmy grinned and Steve gave a snort.

“Katie got some photos so she’ll show you when we get home.” Emmy glanced out of the window at the passing trees before she turned back to Steve “Do you think you and Katie will ever have a baby?” Steve’s knuckles tightened on the steering wheel as he took a deep breath, and he instantly regretted it when he felt Emmy recoil in the seat next to him.

“I’m sorry.” she began, and Steve cursed himself for being so damned easy to read. He hated it when she got scared and fearful that she’d done something wrong. Every time they tried to discipline her for misbehaviour she would end up trembling out of deep rooted fear she was going to get a beating.

“Sweetie, I’m not mad, and you have nothing to be sorry for.” Steve sighed, “It’s just, well,” he bit his lip “,in the Snap, Katie and I lost a baby. Katie, was pregnant and we didn’t know.” “Oh.” Emmy frowned, looking back at her hands “That’s sad.” “Yeah.” Steve said with a small smile. The simple words she had used were spot on, there was no other way to describe it. “Yeah it is. But, we got you to look after and you can throw some spectacular tantrums so it’s kinda like having a baby in a way.”

“Rude.” Emmy glared at him, and he couldn’t hide the smile on his face at her indignation.

The two of them arrived home to Katie declaring from her spot on the sofa that she didn’t want to cook so had ordered take-out Pizza much to Emmy’s delight, but one look at his wife told Steve she’d been crying. As soon as their foster daughter was out of earshot and had gone to her room he sat down next to her and turned to face her.

“What’s wrong, Sweetheart?”

“I’m fine.” She shrugged, and Steve quirked an eyebrow.

“You forget Mrs Rogers, I can read you like a book.” He snaked his fingers in between hers and she took a deep breath “Talk to me, honey.”

“Just seeing you there with Morgan before, I couldn’t help but feel that…” she stumbled over her words as her tears began to form again “That could have, should have been us, you know?” Steve sighed and gently reached out to her, pulling her to his chest.

“I know.” He whispered softly, dropping kiss to her head “I know.”

“They would have been coming up for six months old now, give or take.” Katie sighed gently and his arms tightened around her. Taking a deep breath he decided to voice what was on his mind and dropped his head slightly, nudging her face up with his nose.

“You know, we could always…” He trailed off, and she licked her lips as she looked at him, understanding immediately what he was suggesting.

“I dunno.” She sighed, “I mean I like the idea, but…” “But?”

“I’m scared, Steve.” “What of?” “Well, that something will go wrong.”

“Why would it go wrong?” he frowned.

“It did last time.”

He sighed. “Katie, nothing you could have done would have made a difference. Once he snapped…”

“Do you really want kids?” She cut him off, looking at him.

“Yeah, I do.” He answered honestly “I wasn’t that bothered about it before but now, well with Emmy being here and Morgan, the thought of our own child, running around, one that’s half me half you…I can’t even begin to explain how amazing that feels.” Katie looked down at her hands and Steve took a deep breath. “But if it’s not what you want then it doesn’t matter” He gently titled her face up to look at him.

She looked at him, her eyes locked onto his and her words were almost a whisper. “I do want. I want a baby with you.” His eyes flashed and he gave a grin. “Well that’s good, I’d be worried if you wanted one with someone else.” “Jerk.” She scoffed, hitting his chest as he laughed before she took a deep breath “Maybe we could like try but not try.” “I’m not following.” Steve frowned.

Katie sighed. “I don’t wanna get hung up on it.” She shrugged “No pressure. So maybe not try as such, just don’t try to stop anything.”

Steve smiled, if he was honest, a baby to him should be borne out of love and not some kind of weird planned parenting mission.

“Is that ok with you?” she looked at him. “Oh, Kitten.” Steve’s face split into a huge grin and he took her face in both his hands “It is very, very ok.”

******

August 2019

“Thor came here?” Katie asked as she looked at Tony, the two of them sat on his porch. Katie was bouncing Morgan on her knee whilst Emmy was busy helping Pepper feed Gerald, Tony’s newest addition, an Alpaca.

“Yup.” Tony nodded “He came to see Morgan. He’s errr, changed.” “Changed?”

“Yeah, erm, he’s a little bit portly.”

“Portly?” Katie stopped what she was doing until Morgan let out a screech, encouraging her to continue. “As in…” “Fat.” Tony nodded.

Katie snorted “Bullshit…” “Straight up Kiddo. Apparently he’s got his brewers working on a new beer. Clearly been sampling it a little too much.”

“Other than that how did he seem?” Katie asked. Despite herself she couldn’t help but wonder how the man she had once been good friends with was holding up. Tony took a deep breath “Ok, I think. I mean it was a surprise him showing up. I haven’t seen him since, well, that day at the compound.” “He took what happened really hard” Katie sighed. “But the rest of us had to move on, he needs to do the same. I tried to talk sense into him…” “You punched him in the face.” Tony raised an eyebrow. “He deserved it.” “I know.” Tony paused “And for what it’s worth, he hates himself for it. He told me.” “Well maybe he should apologise.” Katie shrugged, and that was the end of the conversation. They stayed for a few hours before heading back to the compound and, given that it was a nice night Katie and Natasha retired to the large garden area and the hot tub for a girl’s night in.

“You talk to Steve today?” Nat asked, pouring Katie a glass of wine from the ice bucket at the side.

“Not yet.” Katie shook her head, turning from where she had been watching Emmy playing fetch with Lucky to look at her “I’ll speak to him later. He’s ready for home though. Keeps moaning about how the chef doesn’t make Mac and Cheese as well as me.”

“He loves it really.” Nat grinned.

“Yeah, he does.” Katie smiled “It’s nice to see him so focussed, you know with something to do.”

“When’s he back? Feels like he’s been gone for ages”

“He has, it’s been almost three weeks this time” Katie smiled, “But he’s home in a couple of days and on that I got a favour to ask. Could you maybe have Emmy for us? Thought we might go out or…” “Or stay in?” Nat raised her eyebrows, smirking.

“Something like that.” Katie snorted.

“Yeah, no probs. We can have a girl’s night in my apartment.” She nodded over to the pre-teen who was running across the lawns. “She’s never any trouble.” “Thanks Nat.” Katie smiled, sipping her wine and pulling a face at the sour taste.

“How’s she been recently?” Nat nodded to Emmy.

“Good.” Katie nodded. “The nightmares have pretty much stopped. She still gets a bit reserved now and then but I think getting her back to school has helped a lot. She’s a bright kid, good at art as well as the technology and science. Should see her and Steve when they get going.”

“Yeah they seem pretty close.” Nat smiled.

“She’s like his shadow when he’s here.” Katie snorted. “I don’t get a look in.” She took another sip of her drink and shook her head. “Does that taste right to you?”

“It tastes fine, but then so did that Tuna you said was off.” “It was off.” Kate grimaced, nodding to the dog that was currently splashing in the shallows of the river, after his ball “Even Lucky wouldn’t eat it.”

“Well I ate it and I’m fine” Nat shrugged.

Katie took another sip shook her face before tipping her wine into Nat’s glass “I can’t drink that. It’s nasty.” “Errr, that is a fifteen year old vintage, stolen from Tony’s old stash in the cellar!” Natasha grinned.

“Don’t give a fuck what it is, it’s gross.” Katie shrugged, standing up and stepping out of the tub. “I’ll stick to the beer.”

She pulled a Bud out of the fridge, twisted the top off and threw it into the garbage. She took a swig as she walked back outside and, as she sank back down into the water, Nat took a deep breath and leaned forward.

“I got an email from Rhodey. More bodies have turned up, this time in Johannesburg, some drugs baron and his cronies.” “Clint?” Katie asked, pausing her beer half way to her mouth as she nodded.

“It’s his MO.”

Over the past six months more and more bodies had been turning up, along with numerous witnesses, which led them to the conclusion that Clint was acting as some kind of vigilante, hunting down Crime Lord Syndicates and taking them down one by one. Natasha at first had point blank refused that it was him, until one of Rhodey’s contacts had sent an extremely clear shot from some CCTV footage. There was no denying, it was Clint. Natasha had been heartbroken, locking herself away and refusing to speak to anyone, emerging only when Steve threatened to kick her door in. She’d opened it, red eyed but with a glimmer of a smirk on her face and called him a “bossy, interfering bastard.”

“Any leads on where he could be?” Katie asked

Nat shook her head “he doesn’t want to be found. But then, when have I ever listened?”

They drank and talked until late in the evening, probably more than they should have done which is why the next morning Katie woke up with a killer hangover and barely made it to the toilet. She threw the contents of her stomach into the bowl before standing up, splashing cold water onto her face and heading to make sure Emmy was up and getting ready. Sometimes, being a responsible adult sucked.

Once she had managed to get Emmy packed off to the summer day-camp her School was running, she grabbed a slice of toast and an orange juice and felt ready to face walking and talking at the same time. She called Steve quickly, who wasted no time in telling her that they’d drunk called him the night before. Katie groaned as he laughed down the handset, before the conversation grew slightly more serious and he said that Rhodey had filled him in on the murders in Johannesburg. They discussed it for a while when he declared he had to go and after promising to speak to him later that evening, sober, Katie cut the call.

She headed down to the common room to find Nat was already in there.

“Hangover too?” Natasha looked at Katie pulling a face. “I feel like shit. How much did we drink?”

“Enough.” Katie sighed “You sank two bottles of that wine, I went through a full crate of bud.” “And that was before the vodka.” Nat groaned, dropping her face into her hands. Katie grimaced, picking up a bottle of water and taking a long drink before they got down to business, looking over some plans for an old School they were intending to acquire to make into a half way hours for the older teenagers that had been left without homes or families in the snap. Too old to be in an orphanage or children’s home, Natasha had pointed out they probably needed somewhere they could live independently, but safely. It was a great idea and one Katie was fully behind.

“I’ll get it typed up into a formal proposal this evening,” Katie nodded to Nat “then we can start the ball rolling. All goes according to plan we can get the Real Estator on the phone tomorrow and push ahead with the purchase”

Nat nodded. “Yeah, about that.” Katie groaned “You’re going to Johannesburg aint you?” “I have to.”

“Nat…”

“He’d do the same for me.”

“When?” Katie sighed, knowing there was no point in trying to talk her out of it. “This evening. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”

“Just be careful,” Katie said, “and prepared. Chances are you won’t like what you find.”

“I know.” She said, her eyes tearing over. “But I have to try.” Katie nodded, dropping a hand to her shoulder as she picked up the files and laptop before leaving her to her thoughts.

She was sat in the office working on the proposal that evening when she heard the jet taking off. Glancing out of the window Katie watched as it shot into the grey sky and vanished behind a cloud. Emmy paused to look up from where she was outside on the lawn with Lucky before she tuned to look at Katie, mouthed the universal sign for “I’m hungry” and Katie grinned, deciding to call it quits for the night.

**** Chapter 42 Part 2

#stark spangled banner #steve rogers #Katie Stark #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character #steve rogers fic #steve rogers fanfiction #mcu #mcu fanfic #chris evans #chris evans characters

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etatmagique · 4 years

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❝ when anger turns to honey. ❞

( adelaide kane, cis woman, she/her ) · you know, the gossip in new york city is insidious and gossip about a half-blood like aliénor barbeau seems to constantly be afloat. what i know for a fact, though, is that they’re a twenty-seven year old curse-breaker who graduated from beauxbâtons. apparently that inclines them to be a bit disorganized and ardent when she rolls out of bed in the morning. as a member of the resistance (vetted member), i feel bad that they’ve resorted to taking up the moniker dahlia. ( the feeling of joy you get when you see someone you love a long time after seeing them last, hanging out at the versailles gardens when there are only a few tourists there, both the colour and the scent of lavender, the crackling sound of a campfire & doing what’s right no matter how difficult it might be / sam )

— ♡ CHARACTER PARALLELS ( MOST LIKE ) :: Anna ( Frozen ) + Lorelai Gilmore ( Gilmore Girls ) + Judy Hopps ( Zootopia ) + Sam Wilson ( Marvel ) + Fred Weasley ( Harry Potter ) + Ginny Weasley ( Harry Potter ) + Gloria Delgado Pritchett ( Modern Family ) + Jake Peralta ( Brooklyn Nine-Nine ) + Paige Halliwell ( Charmed ) + Luke Skywalker ( Star Wars ) !!

— ♡ CHARACTER PARALLELS ( LEAST LIKE ) :: Fitzwilliam Darcy ( Pride and Prejudice ) - Sadness ( Inside Out ) - Elsa ( Frozen ) - Miranda Priestly ( The Devil Wears Prada ) - Hit-Girl ( Kick-Ass ) - Fear ( Inside Out ) - Beast ( Beauty and the Beast ) - Bruce Wayne/Batman ( DC Comics ) - Rosa Diaz ( Brooklyn Nine-Nine ) - Nina Sayer ( Black Swan )

TRIGGER WARNINGS THAT CAN BE FOUND BELOW THE CUT: Alcohol (Brief mentions of the job of sommelier & of vineyards), Death & Grandparental Death.

STATS PAGE + CONNECTIONS + PINTEREST BOARD

a lil summary can be found at the end of the intro !

backstory.

Aliénor was the first and only child of a couple that broke up only a little while after she was born. Her father was a French-Canadian sommelier who had fallen in love with France and moved there after making a name for himself, and her mother worked in French haute couture. They were an odd mix, more so due to their personality than their jobs, and everyone around them expected to break up after having a kid. They were both in their late thirties, both wanted a child, and mostly used each other as an excuse to get that child. Then, when they had her, their need for each other was pretty much gone, and they broke it off.

Aliénor was born in Versailles, where her parents lived together before they broke up. Then, she spent half her time in Paris with her mother, and the other half in the Loire Valley with her father, who worked at a famous vineyard. He eventually fell in love with the man in charge of the vineyard, and were together ever since Aliénor was five years old, though they only just got married. Really, she considered her father’s husband a parent of hers just as much as her biological father and mother, and since her dads don’t have any other children, she’s pretty much the apple of their eye. Aliénor’s mother, on the other hand, only got married when Aliénor was ten years old. She married a rich man who made his fortune in real estate, and though he wasn’t a bad person or anything like that, it never really clicked between him and Aliénor. He had children of his own, and Aliénor’s mother grew quite attached to them, leading to some jealousy on Aliénor’s part. At one point, though, she just stopped caring. She loved her mom, and really appreciated the time they spent alone together, but apart from that, she had her dads, and they were more than enough for her.

What her dad never told her was that he was a wizard. He had come from a prominent wizarding family in Canada, from whom he’d distanced himself after seeing their stance on certain things that really mattered to him. After that, he used magic from time to time, but almost completely renounced it. He honestly loved living as a muggle, and only ever told his daughter about it all a little bit before she got invited to go to Beauxbâtons. She was shocked, to say the least, but having always been a wildly imaginative child, she was honestly pleasantly surprised, although a bit made about the fact that her father didn’t tell her about it beforehand.

At Beauxbâtons, she had quite a couple of friends, but didn’t exactly fit in with the vibe of the place. She was a lot more relaxed about some things than others, and yet way more intense about things most other people there didn’t seem to care about. She had inherited her father’s temperament, and though she loved it, her mother’s would have been a lot more useful for that school. Still, she LOVED learning about magic, and honestly looked forward going back there after every vacation, no matter how much she might have missed her parents.

She moved to New York City a few months after graduating from Beauxbâtons, along with a friend who has now moved back to France, whereas Aliénor remained in the United-States. There wasn’t any specific reason for the move; Aliénor felt like going outside Europe, and since she wanted to practice her English AND had a maternal grandmother who resided in upstate New York, she thought it’d be a good move.

In the first four years after she moved to NYC, she spent as much time as possible with her grandmother upstate. Though she had always assumed she’d be more like her own mother, having only met her a couple of times briefly, she was actually a very interesting person in her own right with whom Aliénor immediately clicked. They discussed art, fashion, gossip, curse-breaking, politics, muggle discoveries and tons of other things together; never getting bored of one another’s presence.

( TW: Death & Grandparental Death ) Then, Aliénor’s grandmother died, and it was the first time Aliénor ever experienced grief, and it was extremely difficult for her. Her parents all came to the States for the funeral, though, which meant that she didn’t have to go through all of it alone. Her mother even came over without her husband (he had to work) and his kids, which Aliénor thought kind of sucked for her mother, but which she lowkey appreciated because it meant they could accompany each other through what had happened. Plus, her dads were there, which meant that Aliénor had a very good support system.

She took about six months off work after that, and sublet her apartment in New York City whilst she moved back in with her dads for that time. She did see her mom a lot during that time too, but mainly stayed with her dads in the Loire Valley.

After moving back to New York, Aliénor took back to her work with a little bit of difficulty, but after settling in, found herself enjoying curse-breaking just as much as she did before. She loves the thrill of it, and always has.

A year later, she bought herself a place in Brooklyn with some of the sizeable amount of money her grandmother left her. It’s a pretty roomy place with three bedrooms, and she shares it with one roommate (who there’s maybe still a wanted connection for), as she missed living with someone when she lived on her own.

present day.

Still living with her roommate, Aliénor’s life didn’t change much when it all went down, but as someone who had always been quite passionate about social justice, and who had a no-maj parent, it was clear in her eyes that she had to do something, which was why she ended up joining The Resistance and becoming a vetted member.

She tries to do everything she can, and sometimes puts herself second or third after this and work. Thing is, she wouldn’t be happy if she didn’t do everything she could to help out right now.

personality.

Aliénor’s quite outgoing, but kind of a mess when it comes to romantic relationships, which is why her one (1) serious relationship has been on-and-off for the last two years (the other person in that relationship is on the main’s wanted connections page and this blog’s connections page for Aliénor).

Fun to be around, Aliénor will almost always find a reason to smile. She can get quite intense and passionate, yes, but that doesn’t mean that she takes everything too seriously. In fact, she could do with taking more things more seriously.

Loves work, but also loves having fun. Probably enjoys having fun and letting loose a bit more, but work is a close second, as it is fun for her.

Loves a good joke, and a good prank, and will often try to use one of these to alleviate the tension in a difficult situation.

TLDR: the french daughter of a french-canadian sommelier and a french woman who worked at a high-paying job in fashion. loves both her parents, but is closer to her dad and his husband. grew up in the loire with the two of them, at her dad’s husband’s vineyard! currently lives in nyc in a roomy three-bedroom apartment with a roommate. having always been quite passionate about social justice, it just made sense for her to join the resistance. tends to put herself second, or even third. outgoing! but messy when it comes to romantic relationships. always finds a reason to smile, and tends to find humour in most things! lets loose a lot, although she knows where to stop not to put her work and what not in danger. often tries to find a way to alleviate the tension in a situation.

#macusahqs.intro #( aliénor barbeau | introduction. )#( aliénor barbeau | character development. )#( aliénor barbeau. )

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darkdevasofdestruction · 5 years

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Chapter 1: A Little Fox

First of all, I wanted to thank @sebastianshoe for all the support on my writings and the encouragement to post a long fanfic story with multiple chapters, despite the possible negativity that could appear, but hey, I really love how this turned out, and the characters portrayed, so I thought, hey, what could hurt?

So here it is, my Gaara Love Story, because he deserves all the love and understanding in the world :)

Hope you’ll enjoy it!

Today is finally the day I get assigned a proper Team to work it and needless to say, I'm so excited! I was only 8 years old when I graduated the Ninja Academy and since then, I was allowed to be taught by a Jonin everything that I should know for my standard age and more. This, thankfully, ensured that I could accompany any team of Genins that would be assigned any kind of C-level missions (although I managed to sneak into a B-leveled one as well, thanks to Gai-sensei who fell the fastest to my 'kit eyes', much to Kakashi-senpai's amusement.)

And so, after Iruka-sensei told me about the team arrangements the Hokage did, I was to be teamed up with Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura, for Team 7. What was bizarre, however, was the fact that he wouldn't disclose the name of the Jonin attending us. I suppose it would make for a fine surprise?

Fastening my black forehead protector to my arm, I walk inside the room where all the other Genins were awaiting (not so) patiently for their sensei to arrive. Seeing my favourite person just sitting there, sleeping, I walk to sit next to him, open a bag of crisps, take one, and offer the whole bag to Choji, while I was floating the crisp in Shikamaru's face, trying to wake him up with a gentle voice.

Me: Good morning, Shika~! Guess who's back with - Choji: BRAND NEW CRISPS! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH, KITSUNE! *nom nom* Shikamaru jumped in his seat, yelping at the sudden noise done by his friend and with an annoyed expression, he turned to Choji, trying to reprimand him. Choji only laughed and pointed in my direction, which made the lazy boy turn on the other side, only to get wide-eyed realising it was me.

Shika: Yo, Kitsune, long time no see! What are you doing here, I thought you were already far ahead of us. Me: *shrugs* I've only been doing solo training for the past 5 years, but they never let me join a team until now, despite all my protests. I think they had something special in mind, after all? Shika: Keh. Wouldn't surprise me, really. These higher-ups are such a drag with their plans...

But just as he said that, Asuma-sensei came in the room and called for his team, the famous Ino-Shika-Cho, waiting to train yet another generation. Doing a mock military salute, I get up and sit between Hinata and Kiba, putting my arms around their shoulders.

Me: Did you miss me? Hinata: K-Kitsu-chan, I'm so happy t-to see you! Kiba: Yeahh, it's been a while, eh? Akamaru missed you! Me: Ah...! Poor baby! Him and Kasai should totally meet again soon. Let's set a meeting -

But before I could finish my sentence, Kurenai-sensei came in the room and called for their team, leaving only my own team to deal with. Gai, Asuma, Kurenai all have a team...So who is our Team's Jonin? Could it possibly be him...?

Naruto got his head out of the room, looking left and right for our teacher, complaining how he's extremely late and Sakura started arguing with him. Sasuke, as usual, was silent as a lake. Proving no surprise at all coming from the blond, he set the table eraser as a prank for our teacher, giggling like a school girl, whilst the pinkette was trying to act tough in front of her crush, but it was slightly obvious that she was looking forward to the prank outcome. Only Sasuke scoffed unfazed, explaining how a Jonin wouldn't ever fall for something so puerile and see-through. I could only sit on the desk with my legs crossed, smirking at them, already sensing an approaching figure. As soon as he put his hand on the sliding door to enter, the room fell deadly quiet, all eyes on the mysterious person - And the eraser fell on his silver, gravity-defying hair, making Naruto laugh like a monkey in victory, Sakura trying to apologise like a prude, clearly excited at the outcome, while Sasuke was more or less questioning Kakashi-senpai's skills. Once again, I could only grin widely at the situation at hand, evidently more than happy at the choice of teacher and once again ready to be on the field. Kakashi stared at us with his usual bored expression, holding the eraser.

Kakashi: Well, my first impression of you guys...I hate you. Me: Wouldn't blame ya~. Kakashi: Ah, and what a surprise, there's a fox sneaking around us. And I didn't mean you, Kitsune. Me: Wait wha- Kakashi: Kasai was done with her waiting outside the Academy, so I let her in.

Saying that, he left the room, allowing my lovely fox baby to jump into my arms as she started purring and rubbing her little head on my cheek, showing affection. Sakura yeeped, already seeing stars and hearts in her eyes seeing us and she approached us, looking a bit shy.

Sakura: Can I touch her? You look so adorable together-...It's like you're sister! Twins, really! Me: *laughs* Thank you, Sakura! It was a great surprise when I found her in the forest too. I think Kurenai mentioned the same thing that day. But hey, I guess I can gloat a bit and say that my bond with Kasai is much more obvious than Kiba's with Akamaru. *winks* Sakura: Ahhh, that's SO cool! Naruto: Ne! Ne! So this is your fox? It's so cool! I want a fox too! Me: Then start looking for one! They don't grow in trees, y'know? They just sleep under them. *smirks* Anyways, let's go on the rooftop, Kakashi-senpai's waiting for us there. Naruto: LET'S GO, DATTEBAYO! Sakura: Hell yes!

We all ran upstairs and sit on on the stairs as Kakashi leans on the railing. Sakura sat between me and Sasuke, with one hand scratching Kasai's ears, while the other was held tight into a fist in her lap, trying not to be so obvious in her fangirling.

Kakashi: Why don't you introduce yourselves? Sakura: But what should we say? Kakashi: Eh...What you like, hate, your dreams and hobbies...Or something like that. Naruto: Why don't you introduce yourself first, Sensei? Me: Not the worst idea today. Kakashi: Me? I'm Hatake Kakashi. I have no intentions of telling you my likes or dislikes. As for my dreams...I have a few hobbies. Me: And that was the most tear-strucking speech I've ever heard. Thank you for the insight, senpai.

I tried not to laugh at him, so done with life, just wanting to return to his perverted books, yet not being allowed to, just now. Sakura: So...All we found out was his name. Me: Honestly, that's more than I expected. Kakashi: Now it's your turn. You first. Naruto: I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like cup ramen, but I like the ramen from Ichiraku that Iruka-sensei bought me even more! I hate the 3 minutes I have to wait after I put the hot water. My hobby is to eat and compare cup ramens and my dream is to become greater than the Hokage! I'm going to make all the village recognise my existence! Me: Inspiring. Kakashi: Okay. Next. Sakura: I'm Haruno Sakura! I like...Well, the person I like is...*blushing, looking at Sasuke* And my hobby is......And my dream is...*fangirling* Me: At least they both have something in common. Compulsively obsessing over one thing. Kakashi: Seems that way. So what do you hate? Sakura: Naruto! me: *sigh* That's...Not a great start. Kakashi: Next. Me: Third time's the charm, they say, right? My name is Kitsune, I like foxes, reading and training, I dislike -...Um...*looking away* Nevermind that. My dream is...*mumbles* Peace, I guess. *shrugs* Kakashi: And it only took two words to shut you up. I should remember that. Me: Rude. Kakashi: Good. Last guy. Sasuke: My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things that I hate and there aren't a lot of things that I like. Also, I have an ambition that I have no intention to leave as just a dream. The revival of my clan and....To kill a certain man. So it is true...Sasuke loathes Itachi more than anything else in the world. It only makes me wonder if maybe there was something much greater at stake that we don't know of that had the man act the way he did. Without a few skeptics in this world, it would be positively dull.

Me: Ah, what a fascinating Team, huh? We have...Ramen, Love, Foxes, Revenges and...Reading as the five main themes. We can't get bored in a group chat, then, can we? Kakashi: *sighs* Just...Give up with that. Alright, you 4 all have different personalities. I like that. Me: Can we add that to your list of likes? Kakashi: *silence* Me: I guess not... Kakashi: We're going to begin a mission starting tomorrow. Naruto: What kind of mission is that, sir? Kakashi: First, we're going to do something that we 5 can do. Naruto: What, what, what, what is it? Me: Oh shit. Kakashi: Survival training. Naruto: Survival training? me: Fun! Sakura: Why are we going to train when we're on a mission? We had plenty of training while in the Academy. me: Nobody ever stops training, Sakura. Otherwise, you can't get stronger, right? Besides, it can't be just any ordinary Academy training, can it? Kakashi: Correct as usual, Kitsune. That is no ordinary training. Naruto: Then what kind of training is it? Kakashi:*chuckling* Me: I don't like that sound. Sakura: Hey, what's so funny, sensei? Kakashi: Well, if I say this, I'm sure you 4 are going to be surprised. Me: Try me. Kakashi: Out of all 28 graduates, only 10 are going to become Genin. The other 18 will be sent back into Academy. In other words, this is going to be a very hard test with a dropout rate of 66%. me: Ohh, that sounds sexy! Survival of the fittest! Kakashi: See! At least 3 of you are surprised! Naruto: No way! I went through all this trouble...Then what was the final exam for? me: Clearly, to pick the ones who express any ounce of potential. After all, not everyone can be a ninja. That'd just be pathetic and mundane. Kakashi: Exactly~! Naruto: WHAAAAAAAT? Kakashi: Anyways, I'm going to determine whether or not you pass at the training grounds tomorrow. Bring your ninja equipment and meet at 5 AM sharp! Now then, meeting over. Oh yeah, don't eat breakfast. You're going to throw up if you do. Me: Roger that~!

I sniggered at my teammates' reactions, a sly smirk plastered on my face as I looked deep into Kakashi's eyes. After he left, I look back at them, flipping my hair in a condescending manner, letting my fox companion down on the ground.

Me: I honestly hope you're not truly considering going at that Ungodly hour, especially without eating anything. It's clearly unhealthy and stupid. Sakura: But sensei said- Me: *shrugs* Do as you wish. Think of it this way, if you don't do what I suggested, you will be the first to arrive and see whether or not I was right. On the other hand, if I am wrong, there is one free spot for you. *winks* Laters~! Naruto: KITSUNE!! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY GOING TO DEFY SENSEI'S ORDERS? Me: See for yourself tomorrow.

For the rest of the day and all the way until midnight I continuously trained in the forest, just to make sure I'm not getting rusty. After all, it would be a real shame if I were to disappoint senpai.

After a good night's rest and an ever better breakfast, it was suddenly 10 in the morning, so I ran to the field, seeing my teammates dead tired on the ground. I guess they didn't listen to my advice.

Me: Morning, peeps! Lovely day, innit? Sakura: You were right... Me: *shrugs* I could have been wrong as well. It's always better to listen to your intuition anyways. Naruto: Did you bring any food? Me: Should I have? O-Oh...Neither of you actually ate, huh? *sighs* How pitiful.

Not long after, we see Kakashi slowly walk towards us, and with a lame excuse, he started the mission, which basically had to do with us taking the 3 bells, which were tied to his kunai holder on the back of his waist. Sakura's question of why there were only 3 bells clearly shook everyone around me, but I had to maintain my facade, otherwise he might actually suspect a true attack.

After they argue a bit about whether or not to attack him with the true intent to kill, Senpai taunted Naruto until he put him back in his place, moving faster than the speed of light, and as he yelled our start, we all spread in different directions.

First, I went to the most powerful in our team, Sasuke, trying to persuade him to work as a whole team with the rest, but he mumbled stuff about his petty revenge and jumped away, saying he had to do everything on his own, otherwise he wouldn't be able to kill Itachi. Sakura was the next obvious choice, but she refused since her crush answered the same and she tried persuading him. After Naruto lost the fight against Kakashi, as he was once again reading Icha Icha Paradise, then used the Thousand Years of Pain to make him fly into the water.

By the end of those three's petty separate attempts, I once again tried to ask them to join me, dispelling Sakura's Genjutsu, getting Sasuke out of the carrot hole and tying the rope hoisting Naruto on a tree, but to no avail. Sighing in annoyance, I jump in front of Kakashi, impaling my katana on the ground and leaning on the handle, pouting.

Me: Why did the Hokage want so badly to get me into a team that doesn't want to cooperate? It's ridiculous! Now, how am I supposed to complete a teamwork mission with the evident lack of a team? Kakashi: *chuckles* I was hoping you'd be successful in your own friendly attempt to fortify Team 7. What a pity. Me: Maybe if all 4 of us were to attack together, we could have at least touched you. Gah...But you know what? You, Senpai, are also a part of Team 7, so as long as one of us, the 5 members of Team 7 holds the bells, then the missions is a success, correct? Kakashi: Hmmm...I like how you think, Kitsune. But I clearly specified one of you must get the bells from me, otherwise the mission fails. Me: But I'm sure you care about teamwork more than a petty mission, right? Kakashi: True, but this is how you see if they deserve it. Besides, you knew my antics and you didn't sha- Me: I actually did, but they chose obvious precaution. Kakashi: That's too bad, then. Me: You don't want to accept such an obvious loophole...Clearly, you see potential in us and you want us to succeed, somehow. Well, fine, be that wa-...Wait, what? Are those 3...together? *smirks* Ah, so they finally heard you confess to the mission's true meaning! Kakashi: Ah-...They really are there? What did you do? Me: Saved them from your traps, I guess? As he turned around to dodged the 3's simultaneous attacks, I dispelled the 3 Kage Bunshins just as they got next to him, made Kasai get the bells from him, made her run back to the forest as I threw a heavy fire attack on him with my katana, which he blocked with his arm quite easily.

Kakashi: Unpredictable as a fox. Your name truly suits you in more than appearance, after all. Me: *smirks* As if you didn't know, Senpai~. But our fight was stopped by the clock, so I quickly shrugged, unfazed, sheathed my katana on my back, my hands behind my head, telling Kakashi to return to the meeting place, where he tied Naruto to a log for attempting to steal the food.

Kakashi: Oh? Your stomachs are growling, huh? Ah, by the way, about the results of this training, none of you need to return to the Ninja Academy. Sakura: Huh? But all I did was faint. Is that okay? Naruto:Does that mean we 4... Kakashi:Yeah...The 4 of you...Should quit being a ninja! Me: Ah, before you say that... Sakura: *gasps* Sensei! The bells! You don't have them anymore- Kakashi: *wide eyes* Huh? Kitsune, what did you do? Me: You said you wanted teamwork, right? I showed you teamwork. Maybe my human companions were unwilling to help, but my dear fox kin was more than happy to help.

As I whistle-called her back, she started running in our direction, handing me the 3 bells and licking my face, as I kept snuggling and playing with her with one hand, while the other was holding the bells up, victoriously.

Me: You see, Kakashi, Team 7 managed to get the bells just like you instructed. You didn't want to accept my loophole, so fine, more work for me, but in the end, the result was what was important, despite seeking the means to achieve it as far more important. Naruto yelled in shock and glee at what he just heard, taking it a sign of "YOU PASSED!", while Sakura was yeeping just as excited and Sasuke looked annoyed, since he couldn't do that himself. Kakashi: Sometimes, you truly piss me off with your antics, Kitsune, but the truth is, I cannot deny what you said was true, which makes it even worse. I can't even...*sighs* The rest of you truly don't deserve to be ninjas. You should just quit. You are still just immature kids.

Irked out of his mind, Sasuke charged at Kakashi with killing intent, but clearly, he was pinned down in the blink of an eye, the latter comfortably staying on the younger one's back.

Me: Bad move, kiddo. Sakura: Don't step on Sasuke-kun! Kakashi: Do you think being a ninja is easy? The only one who understood why we are training in teams is Kitsune, because she actually uses that brain in her head. Sakura: What do you mean? Naruto: Of course she knew the answer! She was already training higher than us! It was cheating! Kakashi: It's anything but cheating. In other words, you 3 truly don't understand the meaning of this test. Naruto: Answer? Kakashi: That's right. The answer to determinate whether you pass or fail... Sakura: We've been asking what that is... me: Honestly, what's so difficult to understand?! I've been trying to tell you the answer the whole day! Naruto: SO WHAT ABOUT 3 OR 4 PEOPLE BEING IN A GROUP? Me+Kakashi:TEAMWORK! Sakura: You mean cooperate with each other? Me: Why else would every mission involve more than two ninjas paired up together? Just for the numbers? Naruto: Uh...Safety in numbers? Me: *eye twitch* THERE'S NO SAFETY IN NUMBERS, YOU DAMN IDIOT! Kakashi: Calm down, Kitsune. Yes, Sakura, you had to cooperate, otherwise Kitsune wouldn't have gone to all of you, asking you to join the teamwork. Truth be told, I wasn't surprised that she got the bells. I knew she wouldn't listen to a word I said yesterday and would try anything she could to achieve success. But you declined the winning side and yet, there she is, sharing the completion of the mission with dunderheads like you. If all of you would have charged at me at the same time, you could have gotten at least 1 bell. But that's too bad. Sakura: But even so! Why do we need to use teamwork when there's only 3 bells? Even if all 4 of us work together, there is one who is left over! A group conflict will appear instead of teamwork! Kakashi: That's right and Kitsune answered to that question just moments ago! This test makes you go against each other. In this test we prioritise those who put teamwork before themselves. That was the purpose, but you 3 were pathetic. Me: *sighs* It all sounds fine, in the end, but you cannot deny that in a real situation, things would be much different. After all here there was no potential death or war threat, so it was not...Well... Kakashi: That's exactly so. Sakura! You cared more about Sasuke than Naruto or Kitsune, even though they were right in front of you and you didn't know where Sasuke was. Naruto! All you did was work on your own and you assumed that this 2 would only burden you and did everything yourself. Kitsune!...You did good. Your manipulation techniques are getting significantly better. I didn't realise I turned to look at the obvious fakes until I had already done so. One more step and you could have sliced me dead. Me: Now, now, Kakashi...Let's not get ahead of ourselves...You know better than anyone else that I put little to no value in today's...Everything, really. Kakashi: I noticed your mind was constantly drifting in other places, but you have to forget of what happened. It's only going to get worse. Me: I am aware. *nods* Kakashi: Back to the subject. Missions are done in groups.It's true that ninjas need well-developed abilities, but is teamwork that is much more important. An individual action that disrupts teamwork can result to danger or even the death of a comrade. For example...SAKURA! Kill Kitsune or Sasuke dies! Me: Th-That...! Kakashi! Kakashi: That will happen. Sakura: Oh...You surprised me... Kakashi: In fact, it was exactly what happened in Kitsune's last mission. Me: KAKASHI! THAT'S ENOUGH! Sakura: And...What happened...? Kakashi: How would you answer to that, Kitsune? Me: ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! *exhales* Besides, in a real situation, no idiot would kill their safe partner for the one already under serious threat, since there is no guarantee that they won't both die, and themselves next, left vulnerable. Naruto: W...Woaw... Kakashi: After getting someone hostage you will face a difficult situation and someone will die. In every mission you put your life in the line. Look at this. The numerous names carved in the stone. All those names are praised in this village. Naruto: I like that! I like that! Me: Oh, do you, really? Naruto: I've decided to have my name carved into that!! me: ...Why...Would you...? Naruto: Who wouldn't?! A hero! A hero! I'm not going to die an useless death! Kakashi: But they aren't normal heroes. Naruto: So what kind of heroes were they? Me: Naruto... Naruto: Come on! Tell me! Kakashi: Those were K.I.A. Naruto: K.I.A? me: Killed In Action... Naruto: Oh... Kakashi: It is a cenotaph. The name of my friends are carved there. Me: *sighs* Indeed... Kakashi: I will give you one more chance. However the battle for the bell will be much harsher after lunch. Eat lunch only if you're up to a challenge. But don't let Naruto eat. me:*sigh* I'm seriously debating whether or not you are bipolar. Kakashi: Who knows? Fine then. Naruto, this is punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat lunch early. Anyone who feeds him will fail immediately. I'm the rule here, got it? Me: *scoffs* Pathetic...

As I muttered that, he poofed away, leaving us in complete silence, making Naruto's stomach growl echo through the forest.

Naruto: I'm okay even if I don't eat! Don't worry! Me: *sighs* Anyone who listens to a word he says is an idiot. 'I'm the rule here!' he says. Ha! Don't make me laugh. Sakura: You were right before...I think I will trust your instincts until I develop mine, Kitsune! Here, Naruto, take my lunch. I'm on a diet, after all. Me: *smirks* How cute, do I see a kouhai here? Fine, little pink kouhai, take my lunch as well, then. You haven't eaten since...? Sakura: *mutters* Last lunch... Me: Should have known. Sasuke: Hmpf. Fine then. Take this. Sakura: S-Sasuke-kun? Sasuke: I don't sense him anyway nearby. He said teamwork. Can't let this idiot slow me down. Sakura: So cool...! Me: *amused breathe* Said the sensory type...

As the two started feeding the blond idiot, Kakashi returned in a stormy cloud, trying to appear pissed off, but instead, after the 3 of us defended the blondie, saying we were a team, he grinned and said that we all passed.

Kakashi: You 4 are the first to pass. All the others were blockheads who only listened to what I said. Ninjas have to think beyond normal. In the world of ninja those who break the rules are scum, but those who don't care of their friends are even worse scum.

I high-fived Sakura, while Naruto was on the verge of crying of how cool Kakashi is and Sasuke just smirked in pride. Kakashi: The training ends here. Everyone passes! Team 7 will start doing missions starting tomorrow! Let's go home now. Me: Well, that was entertaining. See ya next time, kids!

And with that, I saluted my team, walking home with my fox, beaming in satisfaction as what I was able to achieve today. After all...It's not every day you get to bond with your team and make new friends, right~?

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dianhq · 6 years

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hello, i’m eleanor, i’m from england and my pronouns are she/her !! this is my precious little child dian edelstein; she deserves the world but keeps getting screwed over by everyone. i’d love to plot with you all !! also, if you haven’t roleplayed with me before, this is constance zimmer, constance is precious and needs to be appreciated more !! please love her !!

[ constance zimmer, forty six, cisfemale, she/her ] ━ hey, I just saw [ dian arenson ] walking down the streets of crownsville. they’ve lived in town for [ two months ], and you can catch them around town working as an [ actress ]. I hear they’re known to be [ compassionate & genuine ] and [ impulsive & sensitive ]. if asked, they would say their aesthetic would be [ oversized jackets, cold cups of coffee & high heels]. ━ [ ooc: eleanor, 20, gmt, she/her] ▬▬

SUICIDE ATTEMPT TW, DEPRESSION TW, CHILD ABUSE TW.

dian was actually born in germany to a working class household barely holding themselves above the poverty line. she was named after her grandmother whose name was ‘diane’ but her mother wanted something different for her daughter so they both decided to drop the e.

everything that they worked for was for dian. when she was growing up, her parents started saving to make their daughter have the best start in life. they bought a television and were able to get their hands on some american tv shows on video for their daughter to learn. she was too young for her school to be teaching any english but they were determined to get her learning as quickly as possible. it was gruelling as she didn’t have much time for fun; her parents were more interested in her future than what she was feeling at that moment.

she had always been a charismatic child that loved to entertain and bring joy with her performances and that was when the penny dropped for her parents. her mother quickly started looking at agencies. this time was particularly tough because her parents were pressuring her and she didn’t see having another choice in the matter whilst her father put in so many extra hours so that they could all jet off to los angeles for an audition.

as she was only young, it didn’t take long for dian to be picked up by a tv show called “the generation house” that would run for eight seasons and it would be shot in new york city. dian was given the part of philippa ‘pippa’ williams, a main character. the money quickly came in and her parents were so proud of her. after their finances had sky-rocketed because of the girls’ success, they decided to settle in los angeles, buying a big house with some of their daughters earnings; they had worked hard and she would have been nowhere without them so it was all fair.

their was pressure on dian to keep providing for the family, they had another child and she couldn’t let her down. however, as they grew older, the responsibility was shifted on to her sister; she had it all, she was the intelligent one, she was able to attend school and she was the one that could be trusted. it was sad to thing that her first director was more of a father than her own.

it became clear to the girl throughout her teenage years that her mother and father loved her because they wanted the money and in rebellion, she tried to quit. however, her father and mother were very emotionally manipulative and decided that putting her down would be the best way forward as she always rose to the challenge. their daughter worked hard and was intelligent but there was always a lack of love from her parents as the need to impress them consumed her.

when she became eighteen, she finally got access to her money and cut her parents off completely. they have tried to contact her at various points in her life but she was never going to allow them to use her like that.

for around a year, she tried the whole rebellious child star thing but decided that it wasn’t for her; she loved her craft despite being forced into it and she wasn’t going to take that away from herself.

dian was eighteen and she was looking for something more substantial. however, the transition from child star to actress was very hard; no one could get past her previous roles, that were light-hearted and comedic. her only option was to go in to the independent film industry, to get down to the nitty-gritty, the meaningful and artistic films and some got recognition while some didn’t even make a final cut. it was deflating to be pushed in to the background after so much work in her early years. it worried her because she hadn’t had to time to get a proper education, she hadn’t gone to school and appeared to have made no actual friends; most of the cast members that she had worked with had gone their separate ways; most of the child actors were either in rehab or had quit as they decided that it wasn’t for them.

it took dian years to break back in to the blockbuster hits.

however, people did seem to walk all over her. because of her relationship with her parents, it encouraged dian to constantly overcompensate in relationships, both romantic and friendship and this never works out for her. she feels like she’s in the wrong constantly and needs to make up for everything.

dian is a serial monogamist; she’s been in relationships constantly since she was nineteen. think taylor swift but with a soul.

she is best known for her role in 2008′s ‘vices’ wherein she played harrison ford’s mistress; dian was nominated for an academy award but was beaten by kate winslet for the award. it wasn’t a secret that dian loved the limelight at times, it made her feel loved and the public seemed to adore her. she deserved the recognition she got, some even said that winslet robbed dian that year.

the woman has three children and they all have different fathers.

she has won an acamdey award and been nominated three times; a talented queen !!

she has been married four times and they’ve always ended in disaster. dian doesn’t feel like she can ever be alone and as the media began to trash her and pick apart her decisions to keep on marrying these men, she felt like she needed it more.

dian tried to be around as much as she could for her children's’ childhood but her hectic schedule seemed to get in the way. she did spoil them slightly because she overcompensates in many ways. she’s also a doormat when it comes to her kids because every time she looks at them, she feels guilty that she missed so much in their lives.

when her fourth engagement came about to a screenwriter after just four months, tensions in her family rose instantly. her children were strongly advising against it but she didn’t want to listen and went along with it anyway. after she had chosen the guy over her children, the eldest two disowned her as they weren’t going to be there to help her pick up the pieces of another broken relationship. they were done counselling her over such matters and felt no obligation to make sure things were fine for her. although she was miserable from this situation and their attitude, dian pressured herself into the marriage as she saw it as her very last shot at true love. she had been impulsive and her own desperation had pushed her into a marriage with her eyes closed, something that she’d soon discover.

nine months into the marriage, dian caught her new husband cheating with one of her younger costars on set. she was absolutely devastated when he left her to be with the younger model; as she overcompensates a lot, she was even prepared to look past it and for them to start again but he rejected her and served her with divorce papers.

then she started engaging in reckless behaviour and even more of the public were taking a dislike to her; she was once america’s sweetheart and now she had been deduced to this desperate old woman that couldn’t keep a man in her life. her youngest child became worried for her but was easily influenced by the older two that told them to ignore it.

the media continued to slam her life choices and she didn’t feel like she had support from anyone. the day that her divorce was finalised, she tried to take her own life. it was an impulsive decision but everything seemed to be destroyed and it seemed like the only way out. her manager, assistant and children are the only ones who currently know; dian has just sort of vanished...

after that, she decided that she needed to take a break so all of her projects are either on hold or she’s been replaced by another actress. she bought a home in crownsville

and has been living there with her youngest child who has assumed responsibility for her. dian feels incredibly guilty that they have to take care of her as well as the aftermath of her children feeling like they weren’t a good enough reason for her to stay.

dian is settling into crownsville but is being honest with herself and doesn’t know how long it’ll last. it creates a lot of distance between her and hollywood so it is her breathing space but knows that it can’t fix everything. she does need more professional help but is reluctant to take it as she sees herself as an inconvenience. she loves acting, or loved it but it leaked into her personal life and created this mess so she doesn’t know if she’ll ever go back into it again. it’s so soon after her ordeal that she hasn’t made much progress.

personality wise, she’s such a sweetheart and is kind to everyone but can also be extremely sensitive; if someone’s mean to her, chances are that her eyes are going to be welling up with tears. she wants to help everyone all the time but neglects herself quite a bit which isn’t what she should be doing at this difficult time in her life.

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

FRIENDS: she needs people to talk to.

LISTENERS: those people who she’s friends with but end up acting like a therapist.

FANS: it would be cool if someone constantly fangirled over her.

HOOK UPS: sometimes the loneliness gets to her once more and she’s taken to sleeping with people too often now that she knows she can’t handle relationships. (she’s bisexual so come at me!)

ENEMIES: someone who thinks she’s just a self-entitled narcissistic has been actress would be interesting.

DRINKING BUDDIES: even though she’s supposed to stay away from the stuff, she does find herself in situations where she ends up going for a drink and can’t control herself.

LIFELINE: a really close friend that she can call in the middle of the night if she’s having any difficulty.

MENTEE: she would act as a motherly figure towards them and take them under her wing as she feels like a failure to her own children and just wants to get rid of that feeling of inadequacy.

#crownsvilleintro #suicide tw #abuse tw #depression tw #COME AND LOVE HER #PLS !!

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millennialdemon · 6 years

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1995 Series: Romeo no Aoi Sora

[Re-write of a quick review from last year. Read on Wordpress]

Romeo no Aoi Sora (Romeo’s Blue Skies, also known as Romeo and The Black Brothers) is a 33 episode historical anime made by Nippon Animation and aired throughout the year of 1995 as part of the renowned World Masterpiece Theatre program. As with many World Master Piece Theatre feature anime, it is based on a classic novel – in this case the 1941 novel The Black Brothers (Die schwarzen Brüder) by Switzerland author Lisa Tetzner. The anime follows the story of Romeo, an 11-year old boy from a poor rural village in the mountains of Switzerland who sells himself to “The God Of Death”, a wicked man who bribes struggling families into giving him their children to sell as chimney sweeps in the city of Milan. Romeo meets a runaway boy named Alfredo and together they eventually form “The Black Brothers” – a group of young chimney sweeps who do anything they can to support each other in hard times and fend off attacks from a local gang.

Romeo no Aoi Sora marks the first 1995 series that I have completed, and I am pleased to say that I got such a wonderful start to this quest. Many of the early episodes had the same satisfying story beats I had hoped for since watching and enjoying the Flanders no Inu movie the previous year, and while the momentum definitely slowed in the second half, I wouldn’t say it was especially flawed or ever a drag to watch.

Back to the Flanders no Inu movie for just a moment though – it is so far the only other World Masterpiece Theatre production I have seen, so it was my point of reference when watching Romeo no Aoi Sora. I found Flanders no Inu to be a wonderfully focused, coherent movie. It may seem like a modest compliment, but the movie’s approach to structuring drama was truly fantastic and created a constantly increasing narrative momentum despite the mundane nature of the historical drama genre. A story so well crafted is a rarity when it comes to anime movies, which are almost always rushed or plainly incomplete, as if waiting for a sequel that usually never comes. This is especially true of movies that are spin-offs or summations of longer series, which Flanders no Inu was, making it even more impressive to me.

That being said though, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 52 episode Flanders no Inu anime series wasn’t as tightly put together as the movie counterpart, and had similar pacing issues as the Romeo no Aoi Sora TV anime.

The first half of the series was great and executed many dramatic set ups very well, making for an exciting, emotionally engaging watch. The second half of the series (mostly the last ~10 episodes) moved away from structured drama to focus on emotional reveals, and between or following those reveals were big action sequences (breaking into the castle) or emotionally lighter episodes (Michaelo losing his mother’s necklace after the grieving episode). This isn’t necessarily bad as it does make sense to explore the emotions and development of our main cast eventually, and I’d imagine most people would like relief after a heavy series climax like the one in Romeo no Aoi Sora – but I am not one of those people. Flanders no Inu was unbearable and I truly loved that about it. There were no loose ends and every line went somewhere meaningful that kept pushing the momentum and made each reveal and reaction just a bit more tragic than the last. So I was a bit worried when I saw that there was 4 or 5 episodes left of Romeo no Aoi Sora after the tragic series climax, and my worry wasn’t entirely unfounded because I did find that a few of the episodes were rather clunky and tonally inappropriate, particularly the one focused on Michaelo.

My only other gripe besides the change of pace was the framing of almost all of the “non-villain” adults in the series. I think it’s one thing for the children in context to like and forgive cruel adults, because they are innocent children and rely on them at the end of the day, but when Rossi becomes this somewhat fatherly figure who protects Romeo from his “even worse” wife and son, I have to object. I understand that characters can be flawed whilst still being forgivable, and I think there can be some nuance with alcoholic parents and the like, but I always remembered this throughout Romeo no Aoi Sora: he bought Romeo as a sub-human business asset, and “being nice” to your child slave can never supersede the fact that you have a child slave. Even if it could, Rossi was just as cruel as his wife and son towards Romeo until he risked his life to prove to Rossi that he, an 11-year old boy working harder than Rossi himself probably ever has to make money for his awful family, is worth treating like a human being. Another thing to keep in mind is that Rossi’s family have “hired” children before Romeo and likely weren’t nearly as kind to them, and they almost certainly hired more after Romeo left.

That is just one instance where this happens: Romeo has to convince bitter, mean adults who are either exploiting him or being otherwise cruel to be marginally kind to him, and once they “see the light” a la Romeo’s infinite kindness, are “redeemed” and become allies to Romeo or to his brotherhood.

I understand it’s a TV show for children about children, but it’s difficult to rationalize hand-waving this as a mostly harmless cliche when for the first ~5 episodes we focus on how cruel the “industry” of stealing children and ruining their families is. It may be too much for the adults to be constantly cruel and never let up, but they can let up and still be viewed in a negative light. Back to the first arc:

The “God of Death” takes Romeo to Milan and on the way, many awful things happen to Romeo and he meets other children locked up in a cellar with the same fate as him. They try to escape, realizing how dire their situation truly is, but end up almost dying in a storm-churned lake with their adult captors in the night. Romeo bravely decides to save the drowning God of Death, unable to let anyone die if he can help it. Unlike Rossi and Angeletta’s grandmother, the God of Death does not apologize or praise Romeo, and only shows that he is vaguely humbled by being a bit more passive. Nevertheless, he still takes Romeo to Milan, and still sells him. The dynamic between Romeo and the God of Death from the point where he wakes up post-drowning and the point where he sells him changes only slightly from what it was before, and the change is focused on Romeo’s impression. Romeo still dislikes him but is more inquisitive, and when they arrive in Milan there’s this wonderful, subtle moment where it is stated that “The God of Death was the only other person the children knew in Milan” – Romeo hates the God of Death, but as a child in a new place being bought by a strange new family, part of him is reluctant to leave. This moment is about Romeo’s feelings, and does not reflect a truth about the God of Death, who remains thoroughly evil up until the very end of the story where we see him bringing in a new batch of children to work as Romeo begins his journey home. So Romeo no Aoi Sora did manage to successfully soften a child’s impressions of a cruel adult, without making that adult heroic or likable eventually.

I would have liked if it took this more nuanced, Romeo-focused approach to characters like Rossi and Angeletta’s grandmother wherein his impressions could change, without a drastic shift in character from the adults towards “goodness”. Pardon another comparison, but the perhaps too simple, too optimistic view of the adults made me realize another thing I like about Flanders no Inu: the tragedy is that the adults never do the right thing, and Nello never gets a good enough opportunity to convince them to. Neglect and apathy is the enemy, and we see adults realize that they were wrong and mourn that, but it’s too late to be of any help to Nello and far too late to redeem them of their cruelty. By the time Alois’ father finally realizes he was wrong after Nello selflessly brought back his lost money despite needing it so much more badly than him, it’s too late to be of any significance to his character beyond realizing his arrogance is a part of Nello’s sad fate, and instead reflects on the tragedy of how Nello does not deserve that fate.

I have little interest in seeing Alois’ father and that nasty, nasty rent-collector realizing the errors of their ways and mourning Nello – in the same way, I have little interest in seeing Rossi and his wife realize they will miss Romeo. In one, it doesn’t happen and that’s great, and in the other it does and it feels jarring and unsavoury.

In the end, Romeo no Aoi Sora is still an anime I will hold dear and one that I would recommend to others who enjoy classic stories. I don’t necessarily think it is unethical to go along with the story-telling, even the small parts I didn’t like. The apologism of the family and a few other adult characters is still handled better than most other times I’ve seen in anime, because the changes are gradual, and the adults’ behaviours are usually familiar (not acceptable, but familiar and genuine) and are not at the front of the story. The main cast of children that we follow are charming and the themes of childhood comradery and bravery in the face of adversity are timeless. Even when Romeo no Aoi Sora is tragic, frustrating, or suspenseful – it is a joy to watch unfold.

Overall rating: Solid 8/10 from me and I feel already that it will stay one of the best titles of 1995. I am glad it’s the first birth year title that I ended up finishing.

#:romeo no aoi sora #romeo no aoi sora #romeo's blue skies #quick review

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triciya · 7 years

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An Addict’s Premonition

@blame-it-on-weed

“The addiction is each other. A sick twist in their understanding of love.”

(AKA the one where the Squip shocks Jeremy every time he speaks or touches Michael.)

Word Count: 2563

Warnings (general): Arguments, Angst, Broken Bones, Depression, Kind of suicidal thoughts, smut later on if ya’ll want. Implied past self harm. Kidnapping (not the main characters). PTSD with said character.

Chapter 1

The floor of the school hallway creaked as the mass of students hurried to their last lesson of the day. The air was humid and everyone had taken all their clothes off to the last layer, busily chatting with their peers or sauntering with their head drooped because of the heat. Sweat and skin bore down on New Jersey, saffron yellow rays of fire pounding onto the people and concrete.

Take off your jacket Jeremy.

You’re getting more built up each day, those push ups are paying off.

No.

I told you to wear a tank top for a reason, now come on. Don’t you want girls all over you? You`ll be loved.

… Fine.

The squip lounged in the back of his mind as he pulled off his black bomber jacket, a white tank top stretched over his growing muscles.

“The developers have said it should be comi- dude. What the fuck.” Michael stopped mid-sentence, eyeing Jeremy up and down, “What treadmill ran you over?”

“Oh. Squip said to exercise more, no big deal. Plus, the weather is melting my skin off.” Jeremy blushed, slightly flustered and insecure.

“Dude. That’s like… impressive.” Michael’s eyebrow was raised and ignoring the people that kept bumping into his shoulder unintentionally as they passed, he shook his head in disbelief, pouting, “My little Jere-bear becoming a big buff man! Woof!”

Jeremy scoffed, folding his arms over his chest, slouching slightly. Of course, he straightened up once the squip coughed in his head, a warning, “I mean, how can you wear that hoodie all day every day? You’re going to overheat.”

“I’m fine.” He mumbled, his tone changing instantly, pushing Jeremy slightly so he would continue walking instead of blocking the hallway, “Anyway,” He changed the subject quickly with a wave of his hand, “Like I was saying, Life is Strange has a confirmed season two and a small prologue, kind of, is available to play. You should come over to mine after school and we should try it out.”

Video games aren’t cool Jeremy, you should stop spending so much time playing them. Better yet, stop spending time with Michael.I keep telling you this every single day.

Shut up. I’ve said no. You aren’t changing my mind.

The squip stayed silent, clearly disapproving as Jeremy grinned over at the boy he’d been best friends with for twelve years, “Totally! I’d skip the last lesson but I’m kinda failing history.”

“Dude, I told you, History is cool. You can study with me!” Michael skipped a little, it was true, history was the only lesson other than music that interested that kid. It was almost like a story apparently, a novel waiting to be read. An alternate universe with elegance, religion, gender inequality and racism. Maybe a little touchy and horrible as places to live in, but interesting nevertheless.

“Yea, but you like African Tribes, pre-historic humans, world catastrophes! Not… the founding fathers.”

“It all comes together to form today, y'know, everything plays an important part. The butterfly effect or some shi-”

“Jerry! Dude!” Jake came stumbling towards the pair, arm firmly wrapped around Rich’s shoulder, a friendly gesture.

“Jeremy…” He replied awkwardly, everyone was getting his name wrong. Well, at least they knew him at all, progress is progress. Michael stayed silent, frowning slightly.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry. Uh,” Jake snorted as Rich started chortling, “I’m having a party at my place on Saturday, You should join everyone!”

This is your chance, Jeremy! Say, “Yea, I’ll see you there dude! There’ll be booze, right?” Then give him a fist bump.

Jeremy tilted his head, play rehearsal coming to his aid as he smirked (something that the squip had taught him to do correctly), “Yea, I’ll see you there, dude! There’ll be booze, right?” He lifted his fist up which Jake returned.

“Of course! We’ll get pissed! It’s Halloween!” He started to walk off and Jeremy turned as he walked by, still in awe at how people were approaching him. As though he was cool.

That’s how it’s done.

Shit, squip. You know what you’re doing. I’ve never been invited to a party before!

I know.

Jeremy turned to Michael who had slowly started walking, “Did you see that!?” He screamed, grinning. Leaning his arm on his shoulder, “I can’t believe we got invited to Jake’s party! The biggest party of the fall! Our last year and I`m finally getting somewhere!“

“Well, uh, have fun I guess?” Michael shrugged, throwing Jeremy’s arm off and pulling his sleeves back to his elbows.

Jeremy stopped and looked at him with a confused expression, shoes screeching on the floor and crossing his arms, “You aren’t coming?”

He avoided his gaze, “I wasn’t invited.” They veered left into the class, most students already there, sitting on the desks and fanning themselves with text books and make-shift origami fans.

Jeremy waved his hand dismissively, “Bro, ‘course you were. Join me, it’ll be great.”

“I won’t feel like I’m supposed to be there. Out of place.” They flopped down into their seats, the scorching rays of light from the window thankfully avoiding their desks which were opposite each other, Jeremy sat backwards on his chair so he could chat to Michael.

“I’ll be with you every step of the way, c'mon!”

“Ugh, ok. Here,” He pulled out a handful of sour candies from his hoodie pocket, Warheads, “I’ll have the green ones, you’’re the pink this time.”

Jeremy hummed, their faces scrunching up simultaneously as they swallowed them.

“But I won’t stay lon-”

“Jeremy! Why didn’t you answer my messages?” A shrill voice split Michael’s voice in half, flats slapping against the floor and a shimmer of gold hair passing everyone by as Brooke confronted Jeremy. Her eyebrows were furrowed and arms crossed, smelling of honeycomb and chocolate.

Play it off.

Jeremy grimaced, “I’m sorry, my phone was off. I was at Michael’s.” He pointed towards the guy in question, apologetically smiling to his pissed off girlfriend.

Jeremy. You’ve got to listen to me. My calculations do say that Michael is the only thing in our way.

“Oh. Hey! God, are you still wearing that old thing. You’ll overheat, Michael. Seriously, take my water.” Brooke fished out a water bottle from her Gucci bag.

“That’s what I’ve been telling him!” Jeremy took her hand and threaded their fingers together, something the Squip told him to do whenever she was upset.

“Whatever. Don’t do it again.” She stopped and pouted, looking like a kicked puppy. She was always insecure about herself and he hated making her feel bad but his Player One always came first.

Kiss her. She needs emotional support and desires physical contact when feeling negative emotions.

“C'mere.” Jeremy drawled, placing his hands on hips, one arm around her back once she started to lean down, a blush dusting over her cheeks. Their noses brushed together, eyes closed, Brooke fell into it, a soft sigh running smoothly between their joined faces. His lips were chapped from hours of biting them whilst hers were soft, clear lipgloss making them move easily against each other as it intensified.

Jeremy didn’t feel anything for her.

Don’t get him wrong, she was such, such a good friend. Always there when he felt his worst and Michael couldn’t be there. She had witnessed multiple of his mental breakdowns, much to the squip’s dismay, and still loved him to the bone. But he didn’t love her back. She was a pawn in his game. It was dumb. Hurtful. Disgusting. But the squip said it was the only way.

As long as Jeremy kept her happy, which he really did try, he didn’t feel as bad about it. He’ll let her go gracefully when the time comes. Not like those guys that break up over text, such as her last boyfriend.

The bell interrupted them and Brooke gave him a shy smile, skipping over to the front of the class where her seat was books clutched against her chest.

When Jeremy turned to ask Michael something, he was already gone, his chair still pulled out from under the table and green wrappers littering his desk.

The class finished abruptly, a technical problem with the computer caused it to cut out in the middle of class and they had to read out of a textbook for the rest of the lesson. Of course, no one did. When the bell rung, Jeremy got his things together slowly, knowing well enough that the onslaught of students would crush him against the door if he didn’t go last.

He was worried. Like, really really worried about Michael. Sure, he skips lessons constantly but not once he’s already in the class, not unless he was having a panic attack.

The school was mostly empty of people by the time Jeremy got to his and Michael’s meeting spot near the fire escape door opposite the art rooms. Thankfully, he was there, leaning against the wall browsing through Tumblr on his phone. He looked rough. Hair dishevelled, back hunched and hoodie bunched up with wrinkles in awkward places.

“Hey. Are you ok?”

“Oh, what? Uh yea, yea I’m ok.” Michael jumped up, startled.

“Dude, you left in the middle of lesson. Don’t you trust me to tell me things?” Jeremy crossed his arms, slightly disappointed and upset, @I don`t want you dealing with attacks by yourself.”

“Of course I trust you! It’s just, nothing. I felt a little queasy, not a panic attack and you were occupied so I didn’t want to disturb you.” Michael backtracked, standing up a little straighter, “Anyway, we should get onto that new lis preview. The cruiser’s parked out back.” He managed a forced smile as Jeremy sighed, letting go.

“Fine. Just, don’t do it again without telling me.”

“Yea yea, bro.”

The car journey was comfortable, if that was the right term to use, with Michael bobbing his head to some lofi ghibli mix on youtube and Jeremy sticking his hand out of the car to feel the wind on his skin. The sun was still scorching and they had all the windows rolled down, in hope of cooling down the drive. The cruiser had spent the day meeting the heat.

Jeremy hated this. This underlying sense of unease because of the squip. He knew Michael was against it and was really worried about what it would do to him. He just wanted things to be easy. He wanted to be popular. He wanted someone to love. Christine was his original goal but as much as he likes her, he knows it won’t work out. He’s still trying of course. But for now, he’s settled on Brooke, she’s kind and sweet and doesn’t hate Michael.

Take the upgrade. He doesn’t agree with us.

Oh shut up. That’s how life works.

They pulled over into Michael’s driveway, Jeremy smiling at Michael who ignored him. He frowned, shrugging it off and pulling out his phone to see some unread texts from Brooke once he got out.

Bunn-ke: Jerry!!!

The name stuck even after they established that his name was, in fact, Jeremy.

Bunn-ke: I found this black and white kitten near my house and it’s just playing and biting my fingers!!!

Bunn-ke: It’s ADORABLE!!!

Bunn-ke: You should come over and see it! I don’t wanna take it home because then its mama won’t find him so if you can come over soon we can pet it together!!!

Ben&Jeremys: I can’t come earlier than 5 sorry. But it sounds cute, send a pic!

“Jeremy, come on.” Michael shouted from the front door, getting there without him realising it.

“Oh, yea sorry! Brooke.” He shoved his phone back into his pocket and jogged to catch up, closing the door behind him. Michael didn’t respond and instead shuffled down into the basement without a word. He didn`t seem to be avoiding him, more so lost in thought.

Bunn-ke: Oh. ok. I guess.

They flopped down into the beanbags, loading up the Life is Strange Preview. The game started, music as ethereal as ever, wrapping the room in a film of calm as they opened up bags of Doritos and marshmallows, taking sips of fanta every now and again.

Jeremy. Look at him.

He did what the squip told him to. Almost automatic, used to listening and obeying.

Look at the way he’s slouched, he bites his lips when concentrating. He’s unfit, you can tell with how his hoodie bunches up in the wrong places. All those patches just make him look like a mess. He is one by the way. How do you deal with him? He’s bringing you down.

He’s my best friend. Look, I’ve told you a million times, I’m not abandoning him.

It’s taken you months to be invited to a party! Your relationship with Brooke is on the verge of falling to pieces and Christine is further away than ever!

Christine won’t work out, she’s amazing and everything but ugh, I’m not good enough. And Brooke, I should just break up with Brooke, it feels wrong to use her like that. She’s a nice person.

“You’re mumbling.” Michael sighed, running a hand through his hair and pausing the game. He turned to look at Jeremy, eyes darkening with a silent stare, almost as though he was waiting for something.

“Oh. The squip’s just being a nuisance.”

He sighed, pulling at the strings of his hoodie in frustration and bursting.

“Seriously. I can’t do this anymore. “He threw his hands up in the air, "You’ve been getting more and more cold with me every day! What is it even saying to you! It’s talking about me isn’t it?” He nodded, taking a shuddering breath, the anger sudden.

“Micha-”

“No! I’ve had enough! I can’t stand seeing you and who you’re becoming! It’s like you don’t give a shit about how other people feel and all you need in popularity and your trusty little buddy the squip! One day you’re going to be in an asylum begging for that thing to be taken out!”

You see. He doesn’t need you. You don’t need him. He thinks you don’t give a shit, let’s show him just how much we can do that.

“Michael! You’re my best friend! Of course I care!”

“Yea, well you don’t seem to care about yourself!” Michael was shaking, lips quivering and the sound of his pacing echoed around the room, “Trust me! For once! Let’s try get rid of it! You’re cool without it. You’re you. Please.”

“You don’t understand. Without the squip, I’m just a loser.”

“Ah, I bet that’s what you think I am.”

“No, God no!” Jeremy shook his head trying to reach forward but Michael flinched.

“Don’t touch me. Go spend time with your girlfriend. We’ve been tiptoeing around each other for four months. Let me do you a favour, just leave me then. Go fuck Brooke over, go get Christine who doesn’t feel comfortable about your crush on her, go fuck Chloe. Go and live a perfect life, just don’t go crying to me when some fucking video game shit happens and the Squip starts taking control of your body.”

Jeremy felt his skin boil, dread quickly bubbling up into pure anger, “Oh, I see, so you’re jealous!”

“Jealous! Don’t you dar-”

He stood up, pointing a finger into Michael’s chest,

“You’re just jealous I have a squip and you don’t!”

Michael glared back at his best friend, “Jealous of that siri reject? Fuck no!” His voice cracked as he ran a hand through his hair.

“That I have a girlfriend and you don’t! You know what, maybe you should stop being so selfish and let me be happy for once, huh!?”

“You know nothing about me.” Michael whispered this, tears gathering in his eyes, “Get out.”

“Fine!” Jeremy picked up his jacket, slamming the door behind him and not looking back as he left through the front door and called Brooke to come pick him up.

“Fine.”

Tagged: @multiotp @nyan-nyan-nii @axel-the-flower-prince @beagle-girl-36 @crazilyawesomeme @timpaxew @cannonu @oh-my-love-I-write @jealpe12 @oh-my-mettaton @crispwiz @alice4897 @scarlet-the-cat

#bmc #bmc fanfic #be more chill #be more chill fanfic #Jeremy heere #Michael mell #meremy #Meremy Hell #fanfic #fanfiction #yo dude #richjake #rich goranski #jake dillinger #brooke lohst #chloe valentine #pinkberry

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