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plus-size-reader · 3 years

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The Right Time

Newt x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 2423 words

Warnings: none

Summary: The reader wants to be a runner but the boys decide she won’t be able to, and Newt doesn’t understand why.

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You couldn’t help but sigh as you watched Minho, heading into the maze for a full day of running and memorizing the ever changing labyrinth that surrounded you all.

More than anything in the world, you wanted to do that.

While most of the gladers were content to stay where they were most comfortable, you didn’t worry about the secrets or dangers that may lay beyond the threshold of the fields you had grown so familiar with.

You wanted to see

From the moment you found out what it was, you wanted to experience what those stone walls kept hidden from you. It seemed like the most exciting job the glade had to offer, and frankly, you were desperate to experience it.

There had to be something there.

Whatever it was, you were sure that it would be more exciting than working in the kitchen, where you currently spent most of your time.

If only it was that easy.

The glade had rules, rules that you couldn’t just go around breaking willy-nilly if you didn’t want to face the consequences. One of those rules was that you had to get permission from the group before doing almost anything.

If you wanted a new job, especially, the rest of the group had to agree to it.

While it may have seemed ridiculous most of the time, that was how you all managed to maintain any semblance of order in this place. If you all just did what you wanted all the time, you wouldn’t have made it this three years.

You wouldn’t have made it a week.

As much as you wanted to just waltz right through those walls when the maze opened up, you couldn’t do it without permission, which you were having quite a hard time getting.

It seemed like it should have been easy.

Everyone here had a job to do and as long as you did the job you were assigned, it would all work out just fine. If you wanted to work somewhere else, you didn't see what the problem was, but clearly you were the only one who was blind to it.

As soon as you mentioned your intentions to Gally over serving breakfast, he’d all but laughed in your face.

“There’s no way that’s gonna happen” he scoffed, making it abundantly clear to you that he thought what you were suggesting was a bad idea. After all, there was a reason you were a cook. Frypan needed help, and you were pretty good at it.

There was no reason to mess with a system that already worked as it was supposed to. You all had your parts to play in this place surviving, and just because you were a little bored over the stove didn’t mean you could just stop playing that part.

...And, evidently, he wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

At first, you decided not to give up hope.

There were plenty of people who got a say in this and just because Gally, the eternal pessimist, didn’t believe in you, that didn’t mean the decision was made. The chances that everyone in the glade felt the same way he did were slim.

Right?

You wanted to believe that but as soon as you brought it up with the others, you realized just how wrong you had been. To the best you could tell, not one of them was willing to take a chance on you.

As far as your dreams were concerned, the meeting they held was more or less a massacre.

The general consensus was that you didn’t have what it took to be a runner and they were very clear about that. Not one of the men present even attempted to spare your feelings, because they had no reason to.

To them, the reason for the refusal was clear as day.

You just weren’t runner material.

“Hey, you get why it isn’t a good idea, don’t you?” Alby hummed, his tone as gentle as it could have been given the circumstances as he did his best to bring the conversation to a close. The best place for you was the kitchen, and as much as he didn’t want to upset you, that was just what it was.

He, and all the others, had to look out for this place and they had to do what was best for it.

You nodded, turning to leave the hut as quickly as you could before anyone actually got a chance to see how upset you were. Rightfully, your feelings were hurt but letting them see how badly was only going to solidify what they were all thinking.

...and it wouldn't change anything.

As much as you appreciated Alby trying to be kind to you over it, his kind smile was hardly enough to actually make you feel better. At the end of the day, you understood exactly what they were trying to say in not so many words.

You weren’t good enough.

You couldn’t do this.

Ideally, you would have stayed until the end of the meeting, to save face if for nothing else but you just couldn’t. The whole room was poison for you now, full to the brim with how little faith they had in you.

That was just what it was.

No matter what you did, you knew that they were all thinking the same thing deep down and didn’t want to admit it.

You weren’t thin, you weren’t overly athletic, and you were a girl.

The only girl.

In that regard, at least Gally’d had the guts to just say what he was thinking to your face without patronizing you. He may have been an asshold about it but he didn’t mince his words in a desperate attempt to pretend like he cared about you.

He just said what he wanted to say.

Though, as you walked into the glade, the sun creeping down behind the walls, you knew that it was partially your fault. All they could do was look at you from the outside, and if that was all they saw, of course it was easy for them to come to the conclusion they had.

You knew better than anyone what you looked like but you also knew that you could do this. All they had to do was give you a chance, and you would be able to prove it. You knew that you could do something to make a difference in this place, all they had to do was let you.

Though, had you been in their position, you weren’t sure you would have stuck your neck out for someone like you either.

The risk was just too great.

If they were right about you, but chose to send you out into the maze anyway, you would have gotten yourself killed, or even worse, you could get Minho killed.

That was hardly a risk you could ask them to take.

They didn’t trust you, and because of that doubt, you weren’t sure you trusted yourself either. At least in the kitchen, you couldn’t get anyone else hurt. It would just be easier for all of them if you kept your mouth shut and did as you were told.

They all seemed to think so.

Well, all but one.

“Where are you going?” he called, his heavy british accent meeting your ears from outside the hut, because of course he would be the one to chase after you.

You had been so focused on getting out of there that you didn’t even realize Newt was standing from the crowd. You were so in your own head, walking with your mind clouded in thought that you hadn't noticed him following you.

Unfortunately for you.

As much as you were sure he wanted to help, to soften the blow just as Alby had, there was nothing he could say that would make it any better.

He had always been kind to you, and if there was one among them who would feel bad for how things had gone down, it was Newt. However, you weren’t sure that even he would be able to do anything that would lift your spirits.

It was what it was.

...But Newt didn’t believe that.

As best you were doing to keep the truth from him, he could tell that you were upset. Though, you were really trying to hide it, a small smile on your face as he approached that was nearly good enough to convince him.

“Just walking, what’s up?” you asked, trying to be as casual as possible, though this was the farthest from casual you’d ever felt.

This morning, you’d had so much hope for this conversation, and now that it was over, you felt like an idiot. How could you have actually believed that they would let you out in the maze? You had no business being there.

All this time you’d spent thinking this was going to work out, days wasted planning just how you would ask, it was all for nothing. Not to mention that every guy in the glade thought you were a joke.

Normally, it wouldn’t have mattered but how were you not supposed to be taken seriously after that? Gally basically said all you were good for was serving dinner.

“I know you better than that” the blonde countered, a small smile on his face as he watched you, followed by a tiny nudge of his elbow.

You clearly weren’t just walking.

There was something going on, and the fact that you would even trying to hide the state you were in from him was enough to upset him. Newt thought you were closer than that, that you could be honest with him.

You sighed, turning to look at him, really look at him for the first time in this whole conversation. He couldn’t understand it, what it was like to have to fight just to have everyone else see you as their equal, which wasn’t even the worst part.

The worst part was that they had never seen you on their level, and what little progress you had made in that regard was all gone now.

You wanted something and it was just out of reach, no one understood that better than he did.

This was hard for you, and even if you were lying about it to him, that wasn’t going to change how much it hurt.

You didn’t have to lie to him.

“I’m sorry, I really am” he started, after a few moments of silence. The sun was going down, meaning as the minutes ticked by, he could see less and less of your face, but that didn’t matter. The moon gave enough of a glow for him to see what all he needed to.

Newt could see the way you tightened your jaw to keep the tears from coming, and how your eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

More than anything though, he could see the way you fiddled with your fingers to busy yourself. You had always done that, even when you first came up in the box.

It was easier than looking him in the eye.

You didn’t want his pity, or his sympathy for what you had done. You just wanted to be alone, or at least, you thought you did.

When you really stopped to consider what that would mean, you knew it was a lie.

As much as you thought crawling into a hole and never leaving would make you feel better, it wouldn’t change anything. It wouldn’t change you, or what you’d done, or what they thought about you. Hiding from it wasn’t going to do anything.

All you could do was keep going, like you’d been doing all this time.

“I voted yes, if that helps” Newt tried, reaching out to take your right hand. Not only did it stop you from fidgeting, but it also startled you just enough. The last thing you’d been expecting was for him to do something like that.

...But it wasn’t as if he had much of a choice. What he was about to say was important, and he didn’t want you to miss it.

“I’ll talk to Minho, maybe you can start training with him and then we can ask again” he offered, giving your hand a small squeeze. It was far from what he wanted to do but it was a start.

Really, he was just shocked that they had all said no to begin with. From where he was sitting, you were just as capable of doing it as any of them, but he’d been voted out. That was just how things worked around here, but it wasn't the end.

Not if he had anything to say about it anyway.

At the very least, you could get a taste of what it would be like. Not to mention that would give him some time to wear down the others toward your cause.

“You don’t have to do that. I get it” you shrugged, sure that even if you were to let him do as he’d offered to, it wouldn't change anything. Still, it did force you to consider something you hadn’t thought about before.

No one had ever done anything like that for you, and you couldn’t help but wonder why he was being so kind. You knew he cared about you but to go that far? It just seemed like a little much. “I want’ to” he smiled again, bumping you with his shoulder in the most endearing way he could, which was really his only way of communicating his fondness to you. It was something you both knew about, but chose to ignore.

It was complicated.

“Thank you-” you hummed, gingerly throwing your arms around his neck without even thinking about it. All things considered, it wasn’t that big of a deal, but it was the closest you two had ever been.

The way you felt for Newt seemed simple enough and as best you could tell, he felt the same way but you weren’t in a position to explore that with him now.

“Don’t mention it” Newt replied, his words nothing more than a small whisper in your ear, before you backed away.

Then, in the most awkward fashion of your life, you said goodbye.

It was the last thing you wanted to do, but this just didn’t seem like the right time for this. Just like maybe this wasn’t the right time for you to go into the maze.

#tmr #the maze runner #newt #tmr newt #tmr x reader #tmr x ps reader #tmr x plus size reader #tmr imagine #the maze runner x reader #the maze runner x ps reader #the maze runner x plus size reader #the maze runner imagine #newt x reader #newt x ps reader #newt x plus size reader #newt imagine

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underatedcharactersunite · 4 years

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A Tale Of Two Souls; A Tale Of A Life Before

Summary; As Geralt and Y/N get accustomed to being a trio, Jaskier proves to be more observant than they originally considered as Jaskier asks Y/N a question that will take her back to a time she would have preferred to forget. Pairing; Jaskier X Female Reader WordCount; 3350 Warnings; Angst, Mentions of death, torture, past abuse, Strong Language Read Part 1 here

Series Masterlist

"Credit where credit is due. That whole reverse psychology thing you did on them was brilliant by the way. Kill me. I'm ready." Geralt turned back glaring at Jaskier's impersonation of him.

"That's the conclusion. They just let us go, and you give all of Nettly's coin to the Elves."

"We were lucky. Filavandrel chose to spare our lives. Despite everything, he chose the right path. The coin should help them survive for a little while at least." You felt for Filavandrel truly. Elven history's battle to live equally among humans had been arduous and troublesome. Geralt was right, the humans were better at adapting to chaos. You wished that the Elves would find a way to survive, and one day perhaps humans would one day learn to accept the Elves.

"Filavandrel's lute not gift enough for you."

"Yeah she is a bit sexy, isn't she?" Over many travels and many miles across a variety of different lands, not once had you heard a man speak so lovely about an instrument before. Jaskier was as passionate about music as he was embracing other people. While others could dispute that the man currently wandering beside you was as a total fool? Was he? In the tavern, he had already proven his musical ability. So the monster's in Jaskier's had never existed before, that could not take Jaskier's talent away from him.

"I do have respect for Filvandrel they survived the great cleansing once you know this. Maybe he could do it again. Be reborn." The thought of a war breaking out due to people's inability to be accepting one another made you think about your situation. Being outraged at Geralt for volunteering to die so immediately, had broken your heart to smithereens. Fighting monsters alongside Geralt had always been a deadly path, and you had accepted that long ago. Geralt voicing his willingness to die only confirmed that it could happen to all three of you at any given moment.

"Will the Elf King heed, what the Witcher entreats. Is history a wheel doomed to repeat" Jaskier's voice broke out into a beautiful melody, one filled with truth and sincerity. Bringing peacefulness like a warm bath after a long day, you listened as he played every note flawlessly.

"No, that's...that's shit."

"This is where we part ways, Bard, for good."

“Look, I promised to change the public's tune about you. At least allow me to try. Furthermore, I think Y/N would miss me too much if we were to part ways so early."

"Is that so Jaskier? We only met a matter of hours ago. How can you know what I am thinking? Unless you're telepathic, that is."

"I know you've been looking at me, all doe-eyed." You stopped Tarot halting to look at the Bard who had been so courageous to challenge what he believed to have witnessed in your eyes. Releasing the Tarot's reigns, you advanced forwards towards Jaskier, his eyes being unable to pick a viewing point on your body. One moment, he was focused on your eyes then on your shoulder, then your lips.

"Doe-eyed? At least I can make eye contact with you Jaskier. Perhaps it's you who becomes nervous around me. Tell me Jaskier, do I have that effect on, you all ready? If that's the case than travelling with us could be found tricky. Last chance to back out."

"Not a chance. I like the challenge I see set out in front of me." Sauntering backwards towards Tarot, you mounted her, giving her a gentle pet as you did so. The day had been long you anxiously anticipated the three of you finding a camp for the night. Hearing Geralt grunt, you knew he was conscious of the game that Jaskier had chosen to play.

"You'll lose Bard."

"Not a chance."

"We'll see Jaskier we'll see."With a gentle strum of his lute, Jaskier began to play a new song. Jaskier's nimble fingers worked effortlessly, as the song wrote itself. You wouldn't deny that the song was beautifully sung, however, the historical accuracy of the song appeared lacking.

‘When a humble bard, graced the ride along with Geralt of Rivia and Y/N the enchanting Shieldmaiden Y/N. Along came this...song. From when the white wolf fought a silver-tongued devil, his army of elves at his hooves did they travel.

They came after me, with masterful deceit. Brooke down my lute and they kicked in my teeth. While the Devil's horns, minced our tender meat and so cried the witcher he can't be bleat.’

"That's not how it happened. Where's your new-found respect?"

"Respect doesn't make history."

The three of you continued to ride onwards with no location in mind. The time in Posada had unquestionably been eventful. Never in your wildest dreams could you had fantasised of any of today's events. Especially Jaskier's introduction into your journey, previously you had been content with you and Geralt travelling the world alone.

However, in a few short hours, Jaskier had successfully fought his way into our lives. Despite the punch to his abdomen and Geralt and yourself warning Jaskier that the travelling life was not glamorous or simple. He preserved and never succumbed to persuasion. You and Geralt were officially stuck with the Bard.

"I'm sorry." Your face creased as you Geralt apologise. In the past, whenever the two of you disputed, the two of you would give each other time until the other had calmed down and the two of you were able to discuss it calmly. Geralt approaching you first was unfamiliar.

"You have nothing to apologise for Geralt. I was overreacting, that's all."

"Y/N, I've never seen you overreact. Your thought process is always valid. I know I am not the best when it comes to emotions Witchers do not feel."

"Bullshit, I know you better than that. Besides, we both know you don't enjoy others knowing that you feel. I just did not appreciate how prepared and waiting you were to die. You are aware of how much I lost before I discovered you and Roach. While I've learnt how Witchers are, it does not mean I do not fear for your life every time we're in danger."

Geralt inclined his head to look at you, riding side by side as Jaskier proceeded to play his new song ahead of you. Geralt appreciated your ability in reading his body language and mind. Many occasions, people had expected some variety of reasoning behind his actions, apart from you. You backed his decisions, and when you believed the situation ahead of you could be dealt with differently, you voiced those opinions. You didn't yell, or attempt to start an argument, you spoke gently and with conviction.

"You know me too thoroughly. I didn't tell Filavandrel to kill me to harm you. If he was going to kill anyone, I would have rather it had been me. You and Jaskier have lives to live."

"As you do dear friend, fancy placing a friendly bet?"

"Go on?" Your eyes twinkled in mischief, you adjusted your gaze to look over at Jaskier.

"How long do you think it's going to be before he grows tired and asks one of us if he can ride on either Tarot or Roach? I say to the end of the dirt road when the path will become even more treacherous."

"Three Silver pieces says he cannot get to that large tree just in the distance." Shaking hands with Geralt, the three of you continue your journey as a brand new triage.

***

"I believe you owe me three silver pieces." Geralt's voice grumbled behind you. That was the last time you ever get Jaskier the benefit of the doubt. You had considered Jaskier would have been so immersed in his song that he would forget about his aching feet. Oh, how wrong you had been. The moment the luscious green tree had come into view, Jaskier had redirected back to you both.

"Would any of you fancy allowing me to ride along with you...it's just my feet are extremely tired?"

"Don't touch Roach!"

"Okay, we're still overly possessive. What about you, my beautiful enchantress? You'll let me ride with you, will you not?" Sighing you looked down at Jaskier. You couldn't understand what was happening. You had precisely lost a bet to Geralt of Rivia. A bet that you had produced. The slight tug on Geralt's face knew that he was never going to let this go.

"I don't know Jaskier. I'm sure we'll stop for camp soon. Perhaps you could walk for a little longer." Jaskier placed his hand over his heart, acting to be wounded while he paced backwards. In the few hours you had known Jaskier, you come to realise a lot about him. While he was confident and flirtatious, brilliant and creative, Jaskier could also be a total idiot. With his attention solely on you, Jaskier had forgotten on the rugged road that he currently stepped on. Unbeknownst to Jaskier in his path was a large and rough rock. Stepping onto the rock, Jaskier slipped onto the rock, tumbling over.

"Shit, Ow!"

"Jaskier!" Jumping down from Tarot, you ran to his aid crouching beside him. Meanwhile, Geralt halted Roach remaining where he was. This was the second time in a matter of hours that Jaskier had injured himself. You were beginning to contemplate covering him up in some variety of guarding material.

"What is it with you and rocks? Earlier, you had one thrown at your head, and now you've landed on one."

"It's not my fault. If you would stop being so mesmerizing, then I would not keep distracted so easily. You smell good by the way. What is that?-Shit Y/N!" While Jaskier had been entirely oblivious to the situation before him, it had given you the perfect time to check him for any injuries. Unfortunately, the rock's edge was pretty sharp and sliced through Jaskier's overcoat and his undershirt. The wound appeared pretty deep. It wasn't something you could attend to on the side of the road.

"How bad is it?" Geralt questioned, looking up at him, you slightly shook your head side to side, proving Geralt with all the information he needed to know.

"What's going on? What's wrong with my back? Am I going to die? Dying in your arms Y/N, would not be the worst way to die, I suppose."

"Jaskier, you are not going to die. Lesson two of being a Witcher's companion; you will, unfortunately, get the occasional injuries. We're going to get you on Tarot, and we will find a place to camp for the night."

***

That is how you ended up with a smug Witcher and an injured Bard. Withdrawing the money from the pouch, you placed the three silver pieces in his hand. Standing in front of him, you smirked.

"The next time you will not be so lucky Geralt. Jaskier overcoat and undershirt off."

"Well, that didn't take as long as I thought it would."

"Really? Do you want me to make this hurt way more than it has too." Jaskier suddenly became quiet as you approached him with the salve and the all of the bandages you currently had in your disposal.

"Y/N, who are you?" Jaskier questioned, leaving you puzzled? It had been very apparent early on that Jaskier had heard of your adventures early on with Geralt. So why was he asking about your identity?

"You know who I am, the enchanting Shieldmaiden Y/N." As Jaskier hunched over sitting on a tree stump, you lightly cleaned the wound with some freshly boiled water off of the fire. Trying to clean the wound as painlessly as possible, Jaskier did not deserve to feel pain.

"I heard what Geralt said to Filavandrel earlier, one human, the other's complicated. What did he mean by that?"

"Enough Bard!" You stopped cleansing Jaskier's wound pulling away from him entirely. Your history before Geralt had been one you had desired to forget. While you knew it allowed you to become the person you aspired to become in the end, it was far from pleasant.

"Geralt, he has a right to know. You desired to get rid of him, understanding who I am is enough to make him run a mile."

"The Bard is not my concern right now you are."

"Geralt, it's better if he knows-"

"As much as I enjoy the little back and forth you have going on right now. Am I not allowed to come up with my own judgement?"

"This is going to hurt a little. If it gets too much, tell me to stop okay?" Dipping your fingertip into the salve that you made whenever you could find the right ingredients. Slowly, you began to spread the salve over Jaskier's wound, simultaneously hearing Jaskier wither in pain, your spare hand laid tenderly on his shoulder.

"So before Geralt, so rudely interrupted, who are you exactly?" Gently rubbing the salve over the wound, you halted briefly. Repeating your history for Geralt had been challenging enough. He had understood the difficulties that the world often brought. Jaskier witnessed the world being light and merry the darkness happened elsewhere.

"My name is Y/N, however before I encountered Geralt and Roach, my name was Princess Y/N of Autumndale. My Father had just learnt that he was about to become King when he met my Mother. You see my Mother was an intimidating, and powerful Sorceress. Everywhere she went, she frightened people to achieve her goals. There was no limit to my Mother's powers.

Upon hearing my Father being an eligible bachelor, my Mother conducted a love potion, so there's no way she would lose the other potential candidates. As she expected the moment my Father laid eyes on her, he was put into a trance. No one could compare to her. Not long after that, they were married, and my Mother's plan began to unfold.

My Mother wanted to create an unstoppable creature. She had been using various creatures' blood and combining it with her own. However, what she didn't know was she was already pregnant with me. So instead of the spell serving on her. It was myself the spell worked on.” Finishing applying the salve onto Jaskier's back, you began to slowly wrap the bandage around his torso, when you wandered around him, Jaskier took ahold of your hand, running his thumb over your knuckles softly.

"What happened when she found out?"

“She wanted me to become like her. Cold and calculated. Heartless. She placed a mirage for the people they were never able to witness the reality of the situation they were in.

From an early age, it was clear I was unlike my Mother in any way. I was always too kind, too diplomatic. Rather than destroying people, I used my powers for good. There was a farmer's boy whose shoes were rotten, without even realising what I was doing a new pair appeared in front of him. For punishment, I was locked away for a month.

For years she attempted to turn me into her. I was forced to watch her experiments. I watched her kill people in front of me. She endeavoured to get me to kill people and conduct her tests. Time and time again I refused, getting thrown back into the same cell, left alone for months on end. She knew then she could not break me.”

"So, what happened?"

"She exploited the situation to her advantage, or so she thought. She told everyone it had been me who was conducting the experiments, that I was a fraud. The person I allowed them to see was not my true self. The people believed her every word of course; however, my Mother had forgotten the only way a love potion could be broken."

"How?"

"If the drinker of the love potion had fallen in love absolutely with someone. My Mother assumed that meant romantic love between two lovers. What she failed to release, it meant any form of true love. From the moment I was born, my Father had gradually begun to break a hold from her grasp. When he heard what she had done, he began to plan my escape.

That night, my Father sent me off on foot, afraid the galloping of hooves would alert the town. I've never run so hard. Nowhere was safe.However, the people were not foolish and were on high alert. They came at me with stones and rocks, throwing anything they could at me. I continued to run as painful as it was. Every time something hit my body, it was more than a physical injury. It impacted me mentally. I failed them. Despite my powers, I didn't attempt to stop my Mother. I fled from them. I wasn't the enemy, I wanted to help them and did so as frequently as I could. No matter the consequences.

In a state of desperation, I stole a horse and rode as hard as fast as I could. As soon as I got further away, I allowed the horse to go free. He was not mine, someone loved him, you could tell by the condition he was in.”

"How did you meet Geralt?"

"Now that's the lighter side of the story. I had been on my own for a little over a year, teaching myself to hunt and which plants and mushrooms were good to eat. I had been accustomed to being alone, in fact I quite enjoyed it.

One day I was staggering through the forest when I came across a horse. She was sweet and didn't mind me talking to her. Being alone for a long time you don't get to be sociable. I stood with her for a while until I felt someone's blade on my neck. Geralt thought I was trying to steal Roach, which was far from the truth. However, back then, Geralt was encountering the same problem I was. We both were dealing with trust issues humans hated us because they are unable to deal with uniqueness.

After everything that I'd been through, I was not willing to die. I and Geralt fought, at the time he was better at combat. He won easily. However, I pleaded to him for my life. I told him who I was, albeit with a blade on my throat. I never expected Geralt to offer me to become his companion. I never expected Geralt to teach me everything about surviving on my own. Geralt saved my life." Sending Geralt a tender smile, you witnessed his lips tug up ever so slightly. You owed him everything, and nothing nor anybody would ever stop you from protecting him as he had done you. Jaskier's reaction was peculiar he was dead silent. Fearing the worst, you attempted to remove your hand out of his grasp however, his only tightened.

"Why did you think I would believe you're a monster? Do I come across like some variety of a judgemental Prick?"

"Of course not Jaskier. I dreaded deeper than anything that you would fear me. That is the last thing I've wanted. It's not even been a day, and yet you've already grown on me. If you decide to stay-"

"I promised Geralt that I would change the public's tune about him, and now it appears that I've got to prove to you that I'm not like those people who threw stones and rocks at you. Frankly, I do not mind in the slightest whether your entire human or a mixture of whatever creatures your mother was cruel enough to experiment on."

"I was not implying that you were like my previous subjects, but we have only known each other for a day, and you deserve to know who your travelling with."

"I do not care if that's not what you were implying. I am going to prove to you that I am not like them, my enchanting beauty. I will prove it to you."

#A Tale Of Two Souls #Jaskier imagines #Jaskier imagine #The Witcher imagine #The Witcher imagines #Jaskier one shot #Jaskier oneshot #The Witcher one shot #The Witcher oneshot

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theliterarywolf · 5 years

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So, Let’s Talk ‘Love Death and Robots (Episodes 10-18)

Hey guys, I finally decided to finish off my write-up on Netflix's Love Death and Robots, even though I hope that anyone who wanted to give the show a chance has by now. If you need a bit more coaxing, I covered the first 9 episodes here (you can also find my rating system explained there) and I go over the last 9 episodes here.

Oh, also... I know that there's the whole 'Netflix arranges to episode order based on your sexual orientation' thing going on. Even though I think that's kind of bunk because I don't recall Netflix sending me an email to ask 'Hey, so... can we know if you're straight or not?'

I’m going by the episodic order on my first and second viewings.

Let's get started.

Episode 10 – Shape-Shifters

I know people have been making the jokes of 'Lol, who was the closeted gay Republican furry who wrote this short~?” But, God, can... Can we please get more domestic supernatural pieces like this?

Homoerotic subtext or not, watching this story reminded me of one of my grievances whenever I try to wade through the muck and the mire that is the Kindle Store: that being, in regards to MLM writing, you're either a cowboy or a werewolf.

And no one does anything unique with writing gay cowboys or gay werewolves. It's always 'I'm a closeted, homophobic son of a bitch who needs my heart melted by the northern newcomer and their high-falutin' ways' or 'we're werewolves so we have to live by A/B/O-Omegaverse rules, I guess???'

The execution of this story, the melding of fantasy and the real world is something that I like to see in media but, more than often, is shat out into a mess of awkward writing and characters. I'm looking at you, Bright.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

No, this is more of a fantasy, horror, military-drama combo that does wonders.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

I mean, with Teen Wolf gone and Supernatural on its way out, I think a fully-developed series leading up to the short that we get here, talking about the main two characters growing up as werewolves and how the world treats them would have a great place in prime-time.

Episode 11 – Helping Hand

127 Hours, eat your fucking heart out! I felt more from this one short about suffering and sacrificing for the sheer essence of surviving the insurmountable than I did with the whole of 127 Hours. Which is kind of bad considering how the latter is based on an actual true story.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

The main reason the main character has to do what she does is because she's doing maintenance on a space-station.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

I think this stands better on its own as is.

Episode 12 – Fish Night

(No Gif for this one. Pity...)

Allow me a second.

…

Okay.

If you've ever watched something like Disney's Fantasia or James Cameron's Avatar (Disclaimer – If anyone tries to insinuate that I would ever put Avatar on the same level as any Disney film in terms of quality/re-watchability, I will slap you), you get the sentiments of: 'this exists to be a very, fancy, elegant tech-demo. I know I shouldn't think about story, but I am, and all I see is a very fancy tech-demo'.

That's the notion one gets with Fish Night. Another 2D addition to LDaR, the story of two business men stranded in a desert and the beauty of the natural world of past and present is visually stunning but, as soon as that night falls, you're going to know exactly what is happening for the rest of the story.

But it sure is pretty, though!

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Nope. It was just really pretty.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Nope. It's just really pretty.

Episode 13 – Lucky 13

The second of the stories in LDaR that has a 'last-stand' tilt, even though it doesn't kick in until the end. However, before that, I really enjoy what is another story with a legitimately strong female character, who also happens to be a woman of color, who comes up from the adversity of being a novice pilot and being given an airship with the most unfortunate of reputations to manage.

The relationship between the main character and the ship 'Lucky 13' is really what makes this story stand out.

Which... is ultimately bad for the story that rounds out the collection. But, that will come later.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

The characters are essentially space-marines and they drive around in airships, what more do you need?

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Maybe a feature film. But it would have to devote every minute of a film's run-time to developing the universe and personalities of the human characters.

Episode 14 – Zima Blue

Admittedly, this one managed to keep me in suspense until the focus of the story first made himself visible. After that, we're taken on a minute trip through the phenomena of true talent, existentialism, and the concept of joy and self.

And... that's all I will say on that one.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Ooh, does this one have a robot...

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

You know, this one is a bit tricky. Maybe not a feature-length film but not pulled out into a TV series either. A thirty-minute short film, perhaps, would let the setting and artwork shine more.

Episode 15 – Blindspot

(No Gif again...)

You know, I keep forgetting that this one exists. It's not even that it was bad, it just...

Okay, so I watch a review channel on YouTube from time to time called “Double Toasted” and, even though I don't agree with about 75% of their stance on LDaR, what they said about this one was pretty spot on.

It's reminiscent of the classic Saturday Morning Cartoons of the 80s... Just with more swearing and death.

Because, yeah, this story follows a team of multi-colored androids driving EXTREME! vehicles while trying to steal a secret computer-chip from a carrier convoy. And all of the androids represent a common character trope seen in those sorts of cartoons: the Cool Dude leader, the brawny idiot, the smart-talking girl, and the green-behind-the-ears junior character.

I actually liked the animation to this one but story-wise it really is just your EXTREME! Saturday Morning cartoon with cursing and violence.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Yeah, the entire cast.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Maybe a TV series... Ooh, especially if it was done by someone like Christy Karacas (Superjail! and BallMasterz: 9009)

Episode 16 – Ice Age

(I should probably come to the conclusion that no one on this site cared enough about these last few shorts...)

Okay, this one I feel cheated in order to be included in here because it honestly feels so out of place. You get to follow a new, quirky couple moving into their first place together and, whoa-oh! They find an old freezer and decide to look inside to decide whether or not they should keep it!

… And, inside, is a micro-ecosystem that shows the entire past, present, and future of the human-race before blazing out in a fluorescent heat-death in front of their eyes.

All while said quirky couple makes commentary on what they're seeing.

I still don't know what animation was used for a good portion of the freezer-scenes. Was it CG combined with scaled-down camera or what?

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Tech... nically...

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Oh, honey, no... A feature-length film of this would be on the same level of all of those ironic romcoms we got in that painful period of the early 2000s and a TV series of this would be canceled after three episodes.

Episode 17 – Alternate Histories

Look, I get where people come from with Alternate Histories: 'this one was goofy', 'it ran a bit too long', 'fake news'. And, honestly, when the title first showed up on my screen, I was cringing because I was sure they were going to spend 8 or 10 minutes of talking about a certain annoying pumpkin man.

However, I actually had fun with this one. Yeah, it seems like the flow and writing seems more like it would be at home on something like Robot Chicken at times, but I still liked it.

Besides, we get to watch a little Cartoon Hitler being killed over and over and over. What's not to like?

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

The Alternate History software in of itself is reminiscent to your 'what-if' tropes in science fiction. Just condensed and split apart into a few different scenarios.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

I couldn't see a full film or series of this working but maybe, like I said, if an entire episode of something like Robot Chicken was just dedicated to making up a dozen different ways to kill Hitler, that would be pretty interesting to watch.

Episode 18 – The Secret War

This, I feel, is the true casualty of LDaR. Not because it's bad on a technical level, it's actually visually stunning. Not because it's bad on a story-telling level, the writing is actually solid.

No, the main fault of The Secret War... Is that it is the last story in LDaR.

That it's the THIRD 'Last-Stand' story we've seen in an anthology of 18 different stories. I can understand the team behind LDaR wanting to have something like this be its finisher because, as I said, the art direction and writing behind it are really worthy of some fine cinema.

But it would have been better for everyone involved if they had swapped this one's position with something like Zima Blue or Lucky 13. By this point in watching the series, you're kind of reflecting on the darker stories but appreciating the lighter ones as well. So you'd want something with a little bit of hope to finish things off with.

And, trust me: those who know me know that I'm a proponent of 'more dark stories in media/not everything needs a happy ending'. This one just needed to be earlier in the anthology because, oof, I just was not able to get invested in the characters and their struggle. You know that it's not going to end well, you're just watching characters march towards their deaths.

And, again, this would have been fine... Had it been episode 6 or 8. But, no, this is how we decide to end off this cavalcade of high-concept art.

Think back to Night on Bald Mountain from the Original Fantasia. Yes, the initial orgy of horror and fright from Chernabog and his minions is a decadent display but a lot of its weight and impact would have been lost if the film just ended with that. That's why having the brief ending of the Ave Maria segment works: to keep things balanced so that everything in Fantasia can be appreciated in checks and balances.

LDaR unfortunately didn't have that foresight. So, what should have been a feast feels more like a push to get through.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

No, this was one of the fantasy/horror pieces.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe a feature-length film just so that the universe and characters can present themselves on their own, rather than having to bear the weight of being the big finisher to the impact of 17 other stories. But it would still be a risk.

So, those are my thoughts on Love Death and Robots. Personally, I would LOVE for there to be a season 2 of this with more writers involved so we can get an overall more distinct portfolio of writing approaches (as well as maybe serve as a springboard for up-and-coming writers, hm..?)

I do acknowledge the risk of making something like this a yearly thing (many critics of Black Mirror insist that the series' recent low-points are due to the writers having to constantly come back and try to one-up their poignancy), but I think the risks would be dealt with if, again, more writers were allow to join in.

Oh well, feel free to tell me how you felt and what your personal favorites were. Thanks for reading and have a good one!

#Wolf Watches #love death and robots

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littleweeghost · 7 years

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Say it Ain’t So! ZoSan is Unhealthy?

I know, how awful of me to say...Am I asking to be killed?!

Welp, let’s jump right into it; I’ve been thinking about this for a bit, not sure why, but it has been plaguing me. This is my One Piece OTP so how can I even think that they couldn’t be together. Truth is, the thought came to me after an argument about Zoro and the person kept pointing out how purely awesome Zoro naturally was. He isn’t the only one to think this. Even in this current arc--the YEAR OF SANJI--Zoro has been mentioned and hyped! Meanwhile, Sanji is taking L’s enough to last a lifetime.

So it got me thinking and I came to the conclusion that although I still vote for a relationship (OTP level) between them, in reality, they wouldn't work. Why?

Because first off, neither are currently mature enough to tolerate a relationship. Yes, in comparison to most their age, Sanji and Zoro seem to be much more mature than most, but at the end of the say, they are pretty child-like still in many ways, from their constant bickering to their behaviors outside of combat. The fact that Zoro can never actually compliment Sanji's cooking--in front of him--implies that Zoro doesn't want to give Sanji that satisfaction. He's not ready to deal with the vulnerabilities that may come with something as simple as that. Another big sign is how Zoro has never called Sanji by name. One could argue that he does that on purpose to raise Sanji's hackles (out of fun) but it can also be interpreted that again, Zoro doesn't want to face the vulnerabilities that come with befriending Sanji, so he resorts to labeling Sanji by numerous adjectives followed by his "job title" (i.e. Love cook, idiot cook). What this could imply (to someone like Sanji or any other outsider) is that Zoro refers to Sanji by title because that's all he's acknowledging Sanji for; a cook. Sanji's major usefulness--prime value--is cooking. Now, is Zoro really thinking like this? I don't think so but again, it could be interpreted as such. On the other hand, there's Sanji and he is just as guilty of not trusting Zoro enough with his vulnerabilities. He consistently jumps at the chance to belittle Zoro's intelligence and out of anyone else on the ship, Zoro is the only one Sanji displays a large amount of aggression against. And for someone like Zoro or someone else, it can be interpreted as dislike, maybe even hatred.

Another reason is Sanji's past. Despite it being no fault of Sanji, unfortunately, there are too many unfinished chapters in his past. Sanji was abused and neglected by his family, suffered and survived a traumatic experience--starvation, and then grew up for the following decade with an ex-pirate that--although was a MUCH better parental figure than Judge--still resorted to physical means in educating Sanji. And now, he's a pirate himself, getting involved in adventures, but also situations that can result in just as many traumatizing or triggering events as his other troubles (i.e. Thriller Bark). But my main focus is Sanji's family--brothers in particular. It doesn't help that to some extent, Zoro seems to encompass a piece of all of Sanji's brothers in him. There's Ichiji, apparently the coldest of them all and the most emotionaless; Zoro usually exhibits a cold exterior or stoic face on a regular basis. We know Zoro isn't cold and he's smiled plenty of times, coddled Chopper plenty of times to indicate he's a softie, but usually, Zoro is pretty cold, stoic. That could be a constatnt reminder for Sanji.

Then there's Niji, arguably the most sadistic one; Niji looks like the type of guy that'd enjoy torturing animals and women. I don't know if it's just me, but in the flashbacks, it looks like the one who enjoys hurting Sanji the most is Niji and later, when Cosette was hurt, he was all sadist smiles and such. Now, I don't think Zoro "likes" hurting others, but there are plenty of examples of Zoro smiling (pretty sadistically I'd argue) whenever he's owning an opponent(s). He doesn't enjoy hurting others, but again, Zoro has exhibited a cruel persona during combat that I'm sure Sanji has been privy to. It may not affect him in the moment but it certainly places more distance between them.

Finally there's Yonji. Now personally, as much as Yonji tries to follow alongside his older brothers, he's the only one that seems to be his own person(?). What I mean is, with the exception of Sanji, he's the only one that exhibits a talent in something (mechanics/technology) and he's the only one that Judge (twice I believe)--outloud--praised Yonji and said that he was strong. Yes, Judge has boasted about his kids, but he specifically called Yonji out, especially when Sanji first returned. As for paralles however, there aren't any between him and Zoro except their hair color. Is that far-fetched? I don't think so because what's important to keep in mind is that Sanji has some extent of PTSD; for those that suffer from this, almost anything can be a trigger (i.e. any of the 5 senses or a combo of it can set someone off). People with green hair aren't common; off the top of my head, there's Caime (a female), Bartholomeo (a guy he rarely interacted with if at all), Yonji, and Zoro. Long story short, the fact that (surprisingly) Yonji and Zoro not only look similar but have green hair, it just doesn't settle well for Sanji's psychie.

And that's just the brothers. Earlier I mentioned Zeff. Again, let me preface that I LOVE ZEFF and he was the best thing to happen to Sanji, but for real life equilvalence sake, I think it's important to mention that Zeff couldn't meld all of the "voids" in Sanji's heart. For one thing, it's still a mystery if Zeff even knew or had an indication about Sanji's earlier upbrining. Still, that doesn't matter because whether Zeff knew or didn't, it doesn't change the fact that Sanji had very limited sensitivity in his life. The entirety of it was seems to consist of aggresison, violence, and roughness due to Zeff himself and all of the crazy staff of the Baratie and/or customers. The bond with his mother was very short-lived and Reiju was too inconsistent. Other than that, no other woman or non-aggressive person entered his life and it doesn't appear as if Zeff ever dated anyone. It's no wonder Sanji WORSHIPS women, not just because Zeff indicated that women aren't to be hit, but because he's an outsider to their influence. Whenever he sees them, all he sees are prettied-up ladies with grace and gentleness that he doesn't experience on a regualr basis.

So with all of that, it makes sense. It's not just a matter that they are young and petty, immature, because those things can improve with time. But unfortunately, Sanji has too much mental baggage and Zoro is just the wrong person to carry that with him. Still, I'm no expert, maybe you guys think differently? At the most, Zoro and Sanji could sustain a short-term lustful relationship but considering how much a romantic Sanji is, even that wouldn't last too long. But yeah, something to keep in mind...

P.S. I’ll be posting something soon on WHO Sanji can actually have a healthy relationship...

#one piece #sanji #black leg sanji #poor sanji #vinsmoke family #sanji vinsmoke #ichiji vinsmoke #reiju vinsmoke #yonji vinsmoke #vinsmoke judge #judge #vinsmoke niji #zoro #roronoa zoro #zosan #sanzo #notp #my otp #unhealthy

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aileen-hollingsworth · 7 years

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Dignitaries and a punching bag~#6

Right, left, right, left, elbow, switch

Each hit landed on the punching bag at sync with the beat blaring in my ears. When the beat sped up so did my punches.

Talking with Haiden the night before had been a good start to rant and also a great distraction from Sam, but the moment I woke up I knew I wasn’t done. Even though I’d gone to bed late I’d gotten up as soon as possible only to try and figure out the reason of his return. It felt like a strange coincidence that he appeared at this particular moment of my life. My mind just kept asking itself what he could get out of it all, but I came out with nothing. There was no way he could take advantage of this.

I received a letter from David that same morning before breakfast. He tried to explain what he knew—even though it wasn’t much—and also attached a small note from Sam himself. David explained that Sam was kind of there the moment he got home and his mother (Aunt Cassie) insisted on not letting him sleep on some random place, convincing my uncle as well. “Unfortunately” according to David.

He hadn’t explained much besides that, but by the end I knew Sam had been roaming Illéa before settling on Whites. Apparently once there, there was a point where he decided to stop sulking about not being able to become an actor and become a paralegal, managing to survive by himself. Besides that there was just mention of how he wanted to talk with me, but I could tell David was as skeptical about it as me. As for Sam’s note...it didn’t give many more explanations, just his admittance of being wrong in leaving and wanting to talk to me—but either through a call or in person, not through a letter.

In the end I burned Sam’s note as part of my fire therapy with Naomi. I felt comfortable enough to explain to her the situation and after hearing it out she came to the same conclusion: maybe Sam did just want to apologize and fix things. I’d lost the hope of that happening years ago, but I knew in due time I would let myself fall for it again, hopefully it would end well.

That time hadn’t come yet however, and that’s how I found myself in the gym punching a bag of sand hanging from a ceiling. Whenever I needed to completely get over something this was the best thing to do.

I was so into the music and my own pace I practically zoned everything else out. It was just me, the music, my fists, the bag and the swirling thoughts of how I would deal talking with Sam.

You were such and idiot Sam, but I’m willing to give you a chance. Don’t screw it up.

When something touched my elbow I immediately swirled around, my fist flying in the direction of whoever stood behind me in reflex.

Thankfully, before my fist collided with him, Cole blocked the hit with his arm. He stared at it for a few seconds with startled eyes before looking down at me with his unreadable expression. I was still breathing heavily from the exercise. If I wasn’t reading him wrong, he was questioning my sanity with his eyes.

I cleared my throat, lowering my hand. “You scared me.”

“You were going to punch me.” It wasn’t really a question.

“Reflexes.”

“You’re crazy.” Definitely too matter-of-factly to be a question.

I clenched my jaw. “Is there any particular reason you almost gave me a heart attack or were you just trying to be annoying?”

“What if I was trying to be annoying? What would you do then?” He inquired after eyeing me a few seconds.

“Maybe I’d reconsider accidentally punching you.”

The corner of his mouth inched upward for a moment with his snort. “Obviously.”

“So?” I waited for him to explain his reasons for interrupting me, taking deep breaths to even out my breathing.

“You seem mad.”

“I am mad.”

“Hmm.”

Hmm? That’s his response.

He looked at the punching bag behind me. “Your punches are not that bad...”

“Um, thank—”

“But you’re doing it wrong.”

I scowled. “Excuse me?”

He looked back down at me as if considering something. His hair was all over the place and he was just wearing a t-shirt with sweatpants for once. It was also the first time I saw him wearing his glasses in person. I’d seen it in magazines a lot, but so far he’d just been wearing contacts around the palace.

I raised both my eyebrows in annoyance at his silent staring and he finally reacted, offering me a water bottle I hadn’t noticed he was holding. I blinked at it before looking back at him.

He gestured back at it with raised eyebrows as if saying “what are you waiting for?”

I frowned but took it anyway. Once I did he walked past me to face the punching bag. I opened the water bottle as he raised his hand to where the bag hung from the ceiling. The sound of something unclicking followed and I realized it was a sliding punching bag.

“Your stance is off. You’re using strength, and punching correctly, but your hits don't have full force.” He explained.

I looked at him with narrowed eyes, not really getting why he was saying all of it. I wasn’t even sure of why he’d decided to approach me. Actually, I wasn’t even sure why he was in the gym. “I’m keeping my shoulders between the outlines of my feet” I countered in an attempt to defend my own footing as I brought the water bottle’s nozzle to my mouth. Before I could take a zip however, he snatched it away to drink himself.

“Hey!” I protested and he only looked at me from the corner of his eye as he continued drinking, as if daring me to stop him. Oh, okay then.

I wasn’t sure why I did it, but I tipped the bottom of the bottle forward as he gulped, squeezing for good measure. The water blurted into his face and dripped all over his shirt. I smiled in victory and he glared at me wide eyed, his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk, filled with the water he had been able to retain.

I raised my hands with an over exaggerated shrug. “My hands slipped.”

He forced all the water down his throat and took a deep breath. I could tell he wanted to smile even though he refrained from doing so. I could see the amusement crossing his eyes and the slight twitch near the comissure of his lips. It was subtle, but it was there.

“When you're using your elbows as well as your fists it’s better for one of your legs to be slightly behind the other.” He said, before wiping his face with the short sleeve of his t-shirt as best he could. “Keep the heel of your rear leg a bit higher off the ground. It will give you good mobility, for both offensive and defensive movements.” He took said position.

“I’m not really planning on fighting actual people” I assured him

He looked over his shoulder with a smirk, “somehow I don’t believe that, firework.”

“Stop making up nicknames or I’m going to start calling you things too.”

“Really? What could you ever come up with?”

I blinked. “Did you know cabbages in Spanish are called coles? That’s spelled Cole but with an ‘s’ at the end by the way.”

He laughed at this and I couldn’t stop myself from grinning. “Wow, I made you laugh? Should I be concerned about reality meeting it’s end?”

He scoffed, but the smile on his face was still there. “Shut up.”

I stared at him in awe as he delivered four consecutive punches to the bag, then adding an elbow jab, and lastly one more punch with enough force to send the punching bag sliding a couple of feet away.

His feet moved across the floor gracefully as he followed the bag when it slid with each hit—sometimes spinning around to land a particularly strong punch. His stance kept changing, but he always kept one foot in front of the other, his knees slightly bent to keep him grounded.

He was practically across the room when he turned around to look at me, his hand coming up to move his messy black hair from his face. He was taking been breaths but he seemed ready to keep going at it for a while. “Your turn.”

Let’s hope I don’t die.

I practically gulped my water bottle in one go.

“You should strike a bit lower.” Cole made one last correction. He rested his elbows on his knees while I hugged one of my legs to my chest, leaving the other one hanging as we sat on a bench.

“I’ll keep that in mind next time.” Then staring at his back I added, “What are you doing here?”

“Here at the gym?” He didn’t glance at me, but pointed behind us and I finally saw his backpack. “I practice fencing with Elaine.”

Fencing, interesting. “No, I mean here with me, helping me punch a freaking bag.”

“Well, you were doing it wrong.”

I tsked and he shrugged, staring at some random point ahead.

“You were mad.”

“So?”

“I’ve been mad before.”

“Gasp, you are indeed a human, Cole.”

He shot me a deadly glare, but giving me a crooked smile. I smirked in return.

“You were trying to blow off some steam,” he decided to look back ahead “I know the feeling. I thought maybe I could help.”

His confession surprised me. With the last hour I had started to believe he was actually decent, but before I could reply he stood up. “Where are you going?”

He reached for his things and stared at me with his usual uninterested look. “Well, I have things to do believe it or not. Can’t be wasting my time with you all day.”

“Wasting, huh?” I repeated with both eyebrows raised--a smile trying to fight it’s way through.

“Yes, I got better things to do now.”

“Hmm, have fun then.”

He adjusted the frame of his glasses. “I will.” There, the hint of a smile.

Two days later it was time to talk to the dignitaries.

“Ambassador E-jun,” I did a small bow as I sign of respect before offering my hand. I knew New Asia had kept the custom from before the world wars. “It's a pleasure to finally meet you. All the best wishes to your stay here in Illéa.”

She bowed back and shook my hand. “Hello, the pleasure is mine, I was excited to meet you all, I'm happy that I'm finally able to talk to you.” She smiled. “Thank you for you wishes I'm currently living here in Illéa because of my job, but since I moved I'm enjoying it, this country is beautiful! Can you remind me your name? I'm sorry I have a terrible memory.”

“Oh! I was not aware you were living here in Illéa” my mistake “but it's great to hear that you like it. The name's Aileen. Aileen Hollingsworth.”

“Nice to meet you Lady Aileen. Yes, I represent New Asia here in Illéa, so that's why I moved.” She explained. “How are you? How are you feeling now that you have come so far in this competition?”

“Very good actually” I finally smiled, thinking of my last conversations with Haiden and the other Selected. Heck, even Cole. “It's been quite the experience, I'm glad I've made it this far. Hopefully I'll get to stay longer.”

“I can't even imagine how you feel! Aren't you nervous for the possibility to become the future queen?”

“Well...I don't think so? I don't even know if I'll win for one,” actually I am very sure I won’t “and I can't say if I'll be the best Queen or not...but I like to think I'd do my best to help in all the ways possible. There are so many things we could improve, both culturally and system wise.” I admitted. The thought of Ezra and his passion for art crossed my head--great actor or not there was no denying how much he loved it-and it was a shame he could rarely share it with others because of what other people could think. “People shouldn't hide something they are passionate about just because their caste will frown upon it.”

“I agree with you, Illéa is a really strong and beautiful country, but there are always ways to improve and New Asia is willing to continue working side by side with this government to benefit both our countries.”

“Oh, of course! Keeping good relations with other countries such as New Asia is something very important as well!” As an afterthought I added, “They should teach us in school more about the culture in other places, I feel like if not for being in a family that travels a lot one can miss a lot. It shouldn't matter that civilians wouldn't normally encounter people from other places, they should know about it. It would be a fascinating study for many, I am sure of it.” I analyzed my own words. “Now that I think of it, tourism to Illéa does seem scarce when we consider people from other countries...that should probably be improved as well.”

“I was about to say that, it would be amazing for everyone to have the resources to travel and meet other countries as well.”

I nodded. “Not only would it be a bigger source of income for the country, but a great way to strengthen international relations.” I could only imagine how great it would be if Illéa were more of a touristic country. All the jobs it could create, all the new people. Why do we pay so little attention to this?

“Between you and me we are slowly working on that, these days. The thing about politics is that you have to be very patience, because results can take a while, but little changes at the end bring big accomplishments.”

“Really? Well, that's great then! The thought of more cultural diversity does sound exciting. And I understand that the process must be slow. That does not diminish the importance of every step however. It was something I actually talked about with Miss Britain--who sadly isn't on the competition anymore--when we had to debate about the castes. Changes can't always be abrupt.”

“I have to say I'm really happy that you have all that in mind, cause no matter who wins this competition, I'm sure you still will find the way to make changes for your country.”

I felt my cheeks turn red, but because I felt flattered. To think that someone like her believed I could amount to something as important. “Thank you Ambassador E-Jun, I am honored to have caused such an impression. I do assure you that if it ever is possible for me to help in any way, I will, be it as a Queen or as something else.” Knowing very well Queen wasn’t on my list, I wondered what that ‘something else’ could be. After all of this ended, and I was inevitably sent home, what path would my life take? Becoming a music producer was still on my books...but what else? How would I try and make Illéa a better place?

“That's what I wanted to hear! I know that royals and diplomats seem to be the ones that can really make changes for their countries, but that's not true, every individual person can make something for it and actually that would be more effective to make a strong country.”

“A country is only as strong as its people.” A common problem in the world was people only blamed their government, waited for them to fix their problems, and though it was true that in our current state big changes needed to be done, I couldn’t help but think the people also had to pitch in-no matter what changed in the future, it wouldn't work without the support of everyone else.

“I couldn't have said it better” she replied with a wink and I laughed. Then she reached for a nearby case. “Oh, before I forget, I have a little present for you”

That caught me off guard. I could only guess she had one for all the girls. “Just a little detail from New Asia.” She added for explanation, and I inspected the box for a few seconds before opening it. The wood case was relatively small--enough to be held in only one hand—but it had the detailed carving of a cherry blossom tree all around it.

When I opened it a beautiful hairpin was revealed. “Oh my, it's lovely.” Wait…a new Honor. I took it out and examined it, trying not to laugh at my own thoughts. The golden metal rods ended with an intricate pair of cherry blossoms made of a pinkish clear material and a pink pearl as their center, fragile golden chains coming out of it to end in various blue beads. “Does it have any particular meaning? I've heard that ornaments for you sometimes have a reason for use.”

“Yes, you are right, most of them bring good luck or fortune, but I'm afraid this one doesn't, sorry” she chuckled “but I bet it would look beautiful in you and that can bring you some good luck with Prince Haiden.” She winked this time laughing.

“Ah, yes, that would be helpful.” I laughed too, hoping it wasn’t a nervous-awkward laugh. I looked back at the pin, touching the beads. “Hmm, could you maybe teach me how to put it on?”

“I know that you usually use your hair tied up in a fancy way, so you just have to carefully bury the sticks on it. Speaking about the Prince, it must be kind of weird to have dates here surrounded by guards, maids and cameras all the time, right?”

I started putting the pin on as I talked. “Well kind of, though I've been lucky enough to have dates without anyone nearby following us...but that might be because we rarely plan anything for our meet ups.”

The ambassador laughed with me before pointing at the pin and offering her help to place it on my hair. “...unplanned things turn out to be so much better than the planned ones, aren't they?”

“Yes, they usually are. So far they've turned out pretty great.”

After she placed the pin on my hair she asked how it was we all managed to get along considering the circumstances we were under. It was rather odd in a competition, so I could only say that we’d managed to understand we were all here for the ride and the outcome for each of us would be different. I was just glad to finally be getting closer to some of the remaining girls.

Then we talked a bit about Haiden himself. I learned from E-Jun that she had been working in Illéa for four years, and even though she didn’t know him entirely as a person she believed him to have everything needed to be a great king. I could only agree.

All in all it was a pleasant conversation, and even though it didn’t really matter anymore I was glad it had turned out so well from beginning to end. I could not say the same however about my next encounter with a dignitary.

I bumped into her and accidentally dropped my glass of cider. It shattered as soon as it hit the ground.

“Oh my!” I quickly reached for a napkin to clean the cider from her shoes. “I'm so sorry, Duchess Vladmska!”

She took a step back sharply, clearly offended. “It's Grand Duchess Vladmska. Not whatever gibberish you said.” Dang it...I thought I had it.

I clenched my jaw nervously. This only happens to me. “Sorry, Grand Duchess...Vladmska. It was not my intention. I apologize.” I gave her the best curtsy I could manage.

“Yes well, since you're here anyways we might as well have a quick chat.”

I was surprised she actually suggested it after her initial reaction. “Yes... absolutely, Grand Duchess. It would be an honor.” I paused for a second. “So, how are you liking Illéa so far?”

“It's alright, I suppose. Not quite to my level of expectation.”

I tried to be as polite as possible. “Well, I am sorry we haven't met your expectations... are you at least being treated respectfully in the palace?”

“A few, though you aren't included in the pool.” She said with clear exclusion of me. “Apparently you need to talk politics, yes?”

I cleared my throat in an attempt to make sure my voice didn’t crack from the nerves. “It was an accident...But yes, they have asked us to indulge in conversations of the like.”

“Well let's begin, shall we? What do you think of the threat of rebels in Illèa?”

“I think their methods to look for change are too radical...I understand their desperation for change but where do we draw the line? I would like to think killing innocents is a line not to be crossed.” The second Azalea’s name crossed my mind. No matter how many problems the castes caused, killing people that had no way of defending themselves was something I could never agree with. One could argue revolutions sometimes were needed—and I would agree—but the rebels weren’t starting a revolution, they were rioting with violence even against the very people they were supposed to be trying to help. Azalea had been barely sixteen if I remembered correctly. “That is not the way to get heard.”

“Hm, an interesting view. How do you think you could change that?”

“Their attacks or the problem?”

“Both.”

“Well, being honest, considering the violent record the rebels seem to be trying to uphold, it does seem hard to think of a way to reach an agreement with them…” without getting killed “but I guess if the main problem they are ‘fighting for’ was fixed they would see that even though their means were wrong the message got through and probably stop.

“As for the problem itself,” I continued “you must know that Illéa has had a caste system for decades now, and therefore it's not something we can simply change entirely in one swoop without any major consequences, but with the right plan and time we could make it.”

I remembered again my conversation with Britain. “That was something we debated on our last challenge actually. What we could do to get rid of something that's practically the core of our society. I can't say we came out with a solid plan on our short time...but I figured if it ever happened it could start with slowly uniting the lower castes. This way we would let them have more possibilities of what to do with their lives, making it a normal thing to choose what you want to be—like on other countries—and also avoid protest from the higher castes as long as possible.”

“Have you thought of abolishing the caste system?”

“Well, yes. Through a slow process like I mentioned before, but eventually yes.”

Hopefully one day it would happen.

I sighed, spinning on my heel ready to get as far away as possible, but found myself almost bumping into someone else entirely.

I rolled my eyes when I noticed it was Cole. “You scared me, again.”

He looked down at me unimpressed. “You need to pay more attention of where you're going.”

“Yeah, well you need to be nicer to people.”

He rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” Then looking past me he added, “nice impression you made there, matchstick.”

“It was an accident, cabbage man” I said, glaring at him.

He was bewildered by the name and almost lost it, his lip twitching uncontrollably as he tried not to burst out laughing. In the end he managed to contain the laughter but not the smile. The corner of his eyes wrinkled and all of his teeth showed. Once he had it under control he cleared his throat. “So far you’ve almost bumped into me twice, actually bumped into me once and almost punched me too. I’m beginning to think we can’t meet under normal circumstances.”

“That does seem like a problem.”

A/N: I couldn’t post this yesterday, but asked bertha to give me time till today, thanks for the patience, forgive typos! Also thanks to @e--jun and @mikavladmska for the rp (*cough* @ladyanj smh). In case you are interested, Cole has a blog @prince-cole-schreave

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#cole #aileen #e-jun #mika #fic

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recentanimenews · 5 years

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CR Features Argues About Best Girl of 2018

*Anime Awards voting starts this Friday and WE'RE SUPER EXCITED! However we have gotten so loud with our individual opinions on who we think should win that we’ve been told to duke it out via written words instead of continually disrupting our coworkers (sorry fam).

We’ll hit each category by the time we hit the evening of Anime Awards! Today’s piece gets down to the nitty gritty of Best Protagonist, Best Antagonist, Best Boy, and Best Girl. *Let’s down to business!

Best Protagonist

Retsuko of Aggretsuko

The lady red panda’s life is starkly relatable in some way to everyone. She stresses the necessity of staying true to oneself and taking care of said self by any means necessary. Whether it’s with death metal in a karaoke bar or yoga with the girls despite being an awkward human, decompressing is highly important and she shows that through example.

-Ricky Soberano

Sakata Gintoki of Gintama

Who better to lead the charge than everyone’s favorite lazy-ass, strawberry-milk-loving samurai? Even with war tearing Edo apart, Gintoki has stayed the same lovable jerk--he may have to grit his teeth a little more, he may have to take a harsher beating, but he’s still the same idiot we all cheer for, even when he’s being total slothful garbage.

-Nate Ming

Saichi Sugimoto of Golden Kamuy

Sugimoto is a breath of fresh air for protagonists; he’s vulnerable, but strong, determined, funny, and absolutely devoted to helping other people. I thought he would be a ruthless killer at first, and while he can be, Sugimoto’s relationship with Asirpa has really changed him as their journey went on. Watching Sugimoto change from the somewhat lost and aimless “I just need money” to “I am going to help you, Asirpa” has been amazing, and Sugimoto’s strong personality that grows and develops over time is one of the reasons that hooked me into Golden Kamuy, so him being my pick is a no-brainer!

-Nicole Mejias

Chise Hatori of The Ancient Magus’ Bride

In a year full of super powered heroes with abilities that could level mountains, my favorite protagonist is a bit more modest in her abilities. Chise Hatori does possess powerful magical abilities, but it’s something else that sets her apart--her empathy. All of the outlandish abilities in the world wouldn’t have helped her in her journey if she wasn’t able to feel the experiences of those around her so deeply. The Ancient Magus’ Bride told the story of Chise slowly learning to love herself, and it was only through her ability to love others that this was made possible. And that, for my money, is the most heroic character arc of 2018.

-Cayla Coats

Shirase Kobuchizawa of A Place Further Than The Universe

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Although starring an ensemble cast, it’s hard for me to think of any of the girls in A Place Further than the Universe as a lead besides Shirase. She’s the reason the girls end up on the expedition and, although they all tag along to experience their own self discoveries, it’s Shirase’s story about getting closure. Her shy personality that gets subsumed by stubborn determination in the face of doubters is extremely relatable.

-Peter Fobian

Best Antagonist

Vetto of Black Clover

Vetto was the most infuriating opponent that came out of the Eye of the Midnight Sun. He was a monstrously murderous sadist that made every person surpass their limits but not before making sure everyone experienced a personalized version of despair. The slam to Kahono’s throat was what solidified the anger that still makes my blood boil.

-Ricky Soberano

Lt. Tokushirou Tsurumi of Golden Kamuy

Tsurumi’s not someone you love to hate, which is strange for someone who is arguably Golden Kamuy’s deadliest and most important antagonist. In fact, we all kinda like him, warts and all, which makes him that much more memorable… and that much scarier when he shows us what he’s capable of.

-Nate Ming

Viruses, Parasites, Bacteria and Cancer Cells of Cells At Work

Cells at Work was a charming and amazing show that I really learned a lot from in terms of how the body works in terms of fighting off disease and infection, but a large part of that was the unique ways that the show depicted all of those threats. Each one felt wholly unique and easily identifiable, given traits that fit their natural actions and behaviors, and it made me realize that there are some amazing battles going on inside of my body every day!

-Nicole Mejias

Joseph Cartaphilus of The Ancient Magus’ Bride

My protagonist and antagonist picks are sort of a 2-for-1 deal. Joseph is by far the scariest, most cruel presence in his series, but he is also the most tragic. Condemned to an eternity of suffering because of some misplaced kindness, simply existing for Joseph is unimaginably painful. He exists as a darker version of the traumatized Chise, someone who was transformed into a monster through immense suffering. The conclusion of the series resolves not in a fight to the death, but a surprising moment of tender kindness from Chise--making Joseph the perfect counterpoint to our heroine.

-Cayla Coats

Ladros of Black Clover

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The best villains are always the ones with personality and Ladros has an excess. The magically deranged general of the Diamond kingdom made a huge impact in just a few episodes with his unexpected reactions and schoolyard bullying tactics with a huge voice performance from Takeshi Kusao. Within half an episode I went from thinking he was a jobber to falling in love when he screamed “MILLION LASER!”

-Peter Fobian

Best Boy

Goblin Slayer of Goblin Slayer

Say whatever you want about the single tracked mind of the slayer of goblins: He’s motivated, supremely focused, and skilled. His mission in life to kill beings that not only rape and murder women but utilize women as playthings is admirable and justified. He provides comfort to goblin survivors and we may not know what his face looks like but we know what practically everything else looks like and I’ll take that.

-Ricky Soberano

Honda-san of Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san

Retail is a special kind of hell, staffed by a special, hard-as-nails kind of people. Honda-san is a refreshing retail lead in that he doesn’t hate his job--in fact, he loves it! By loving his customers and wanting to help them find the same joy in books that he does, Honda reminds me of the best parts of working in a bookstore… and a handful of the worst when everything’s on fire.

-Nate Ming

Gobta of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Okay, so hear me out here. Despite his appearance that didn’t even change when he was given his name, this little goblin seems to be indestructible! Strung up upside down and forgotten in prison? No problem, just summon a tempest wolf and rejoin your party. Be subjected to poisonous cooking? Dude gained the Poison Resist skill to survive, which earns the envy of Rimuru! To add to this, Ranga has unending faith in Gobta due to his quick-witted battling abilities. Gobta is certainly an irreplaceable asset to Rimuru’s group, so don’t make the mistake of underestimating him!

-Nicole Mejias

All Might of My Hero Academia

Deku’s great, but the end of the first cour of My Hero Academia Season 3, All Might absolutely stole the Best Boy throne from him. All Might threw himself into danger in order to protect the world and his body was left permanently stuck in his withered form. This was powerful stuff, but what sealed the deal for me was the beach scene pictured above--All Might punches Deku for his recklessness and then embraces him, dedicating himself to training and raising the young hero into someone truly amazing. He’s just SO GOOD.

-Cayla Coats

Rei Kiriyama of March comes in like a lion

I’ll say it again. Every year we get a March comes in like a lion, Rei Kiriyama is automatically best boy. He’s just a nice kid trying to get by despite some pretty unfortunate circumstances. He’s kind, thoughtful, and the way he experiences the world around him hints at an artistic mind that might never get the chance to express itself. He’s compassionate even to those who are cruel and preoccupies himself with finding ways to pay back the generosity he’s been offered. Rei Kiriyama for president.

-Peter Fobian

Best Girl

Mai Sakurajima of Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

Mai-san isn’t just a gorgeous, intelligent bunny girl senpai that works as a beloved actress. She also keeps her rascal, Sakuta, in check. Not only that, she’s incredibly mature, understanding, and trusting despite Sakuta’s life being constantly thrown in a loop by cute girls to the point that she didn’t object to Sakuta dating another girl. She makes Sakuta work for it but she can also be shy under that poker face.

-Ricky Soberano

Hina Kawamoto of March comes in like a lion

Probably the most criminally underwatched show this year, March comes in like a lion went right for the throat with an intense story arc dealing with bullying at Hina’s middle school. The complicit cowardice of Hina’s teacher and the professional frustration of her substitute teacher play against the casual callousness of the bully and Hina’s undying fire. She did absolutely nothing wrong--and if she just makes it to graduation, she wins.

-Nate Ming

Asirpa of Golden Kamuy

For me, there’s no argument that Asirpa is the best girl of 2018. She’s equal share protagonist with Sugimoto, but more importantly she’s a BADASS! Hungry? No problem, Asirpa knows how to hunt everything and cook it up. In danger? Her accuracy with a bow knows no equal. Need to track someone? She’s got it covered. There’s always talk about ‘strong female characters,’ and honestly I can’t think of many as good as Asirpa when it comes to anime. Asirpa holds her head tall and stands shoulders above the rest!

-Nicole Mejias

Lily Hoshikawa of ZOMBIE LAND SAGA

Lily is a spot of sunshine in Franchouchou, always beaming with a positive and infectious energy! The zombie idol group is comprised of plenty of eccentric and lovable personas, but Lily struck a rather personal chord with me--we’re both girls that used to be boys. It’s rare to find a trans character in any sort of media, rarer still to find one created with the amount of respect and love that was put into Lily. She’s the shining star of 2018.

-Cayla Coats

Nagisa Aragaki of HANEBADO!

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Nagisa literally stole the show in HANEBADO! Despite the subtitle of “Hanesaki’s play” and the focus on the forlorn badminton player, Nagisa got some great moments as she quietly worked on her own game in the background. The result was a redemption story surpassing that of the main character. Nagisa rose up to defeat the opponent who had previously shut her out so completely she’d almost quit the game. Seeing her triumph was a series-making moment for me.

-Peter Fobian

Anddd that's all folks! Check back in to see us argue about who else we think should win the rest of the Anime Awards categories. Don’t forget to vote for your favorites starting on 1/11!

Do you have a super intense devotion to a 2018 show or character or want your opinions shared to the world about Anime Awards? Send us an op-ed in written or video form. The nitty gritty details are in here and you may get published in a future article!

Who do you think should win: Best Protagonist, Best Antagonist, Best Boy, and Best Girl? Tell us in the comments below!

-----

Ricky Soberano is a Features Editor, Script Writer, and Editorial Programming Coordinator for Crunchyroll. She’s the former Managing Editor of Brooklyn Magazine. You can follow her on Twitter @ramenslayricky.

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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dingoes8myrp · 6 years

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We Take, We Don’t Bother - TWD

I have some theories on The Walking Dead. There will be some loose recapping of this week’s episode, but it’s mostly me babbling about theories and things. Spoilers ahead, probably.

“The King, the Widow, and Rick” made me angry, furious, frustrated - lots of not so nice feelings. This was mostly because I didn’t understand why anyone was doing anything, and I don’t like that. It feels a little like I’m on the outs with the Saviors, and I don’t want to be anywhere near the Saviors (except Dwight. He’s alright).

I have a list of things making me squirm right now, in order of intensity.

:1: Rick going to Jadis the Trash Godess... alone.

I don’t understand why he would even think to do this. He’d be better off going to Oceanside. That’s still around, right? I found this very out of character for him, so I didn’t get it at all. I’ve seen a theory floating around that this is part of a plan of some kind - a long con on Rick’s and possibly Jadis’s end - but since this situation ended with Rick naked in a box, I don’t see how this plan would have benefited him and his group at all. Is he forming a second front with the Trashies in case the Saviors take the Hilltop? If that’s the case, I could see the point of hiding Rick as a sort of ace in the hole... but that doesn’t explain why Jadis took all his stuff (including his clothes). While the long con theory would be a relief, I don’t see it, nor do I understand the point.

:2: Carl going off alone to find a rando he decided to recruit.

Okay, going off alone is just a bad idea, and people shouldn’t be doing it. But, this isn’t anything new for Carl, so I suppose he’s one of the few characters who can wander off alone and be fine (along with Carol, Michonne, and Daryl). I understand the spirit behind Carl’s decision to go find Sidiq. However, considering the situation Alexandria is in right now, it’s the worst time to be bringing in a newcomer (particularly one Rick is wary of). This goes along the same lines as Jesus bringing the Savior prisoners back to the Hilltop to build a community with them in the future. Sure, it’s a good idea in theory, but the timing is just idiotically horrific, and if these two don’t know that they shouldn’t have survived this long in the first place. Read a room, gentlemen. Or, you know, a post-apocalyptic survival compound/safehouse. Even if these people are cool YOUR people are not cool with them right now.

:3: Michonne and Rosita hobbling off out of boredom.

This was another one that struck me as very out of character, at least for Michonne. She’s injured. She’s BADLY injured. I mean, this isn’t a papercut we’re talking about here. She’s also one of the few capable strong combatants at Alexandria, because they are at war and there is a chance things could go sour. Still, she decides to take off alone just to see what’s going on over at the Sanctuary. She’s going to unnecessarily risk her life when she knows she’s needed to go check out the Sanctuary. Maybe she plans to fight, but, again, she’s not really in fighting shape, and even if she was, she’s needed as back-up in Alexandria. Rosita, also badly injured, goes along with Michonne. Now, this doesn’t strike me at all as out of character for her, mind you. Of course, they stumble upon some Saviors up to no good, clumsily get caught (unlike either of them to do at this point in the game), and have to fight. They still manage to be badass, but the fact that they’re out there in the first place was odd and clunky. They didn’t even try to make it feel organic. It’s just shoehorned into the story.

:4: Tara and Daryl going rogue because… stupidity?

These two are just… dumb right now. I know that’s mean, but neither of them are using their heads. This is very in character for Daryl. We’ve seen him go all Wild West, guns-blazing before when he’s lost people. The tough asshole shooting or swinging at anything he can is his coping mechanism... which is ANNOYING as hell in the middle of a very delicate mission that requires all the people involved to work together. As far as Tara goes, unfortunately, I don’t know her well enough to understand where her stupidity is coming from. I relate her actions more to Andrea’s way back after she lost Amy. She was kind of lost, depressed in a reckless, self-destructive way, but also felt the need to DO… anything, always. We never really got to understand Andrea either, and she wound up unceremoniously written out. I’m seeing a similar thing happening with Tara, where they’re just not spending enough time on her character storyline to make her worth watching. We don’t understand her, so when she acts out it just seems like a lazy way to throw a wrench in the works. She’s just not coming together for me, and I’ve given her a lot of time before deciding she’s just not somebody I’m rooting for. Anyway, her and Daryl as a team are just barreling forward focused on selfish, stupid revenge. They’re not thinking of anyone else, or how their actions are going to affect anything. All they care about is what they want right now, and it’s super irritating. I honestly wouldn’t mind if they both got taken out this season. I’ve hade enough of the repetitive Daryl storylines, and I could do without Tara altogether at this point.

:5: Enid and Aaron doing I don’t even know what.

I don’t even know Enid exists 90% of the time, to be honest. She’s pretty much set décor at this point. Here we have Aaron taking off sort of like Michonne did, but the why is less clear, other than maybe he feels the need to DO. Enid, inexplicably, decides to go with him. No idea what’s going on here other than “Let’s see, who else is left in Alexandria who could defend it? Ah! Aaron and Enid. Let’s get them out of there so we can do some awful shit to a defenseless Alexandria.”

This leads me to my first theory: we’re about to lose Alexandria. Here’s why I came to this conclusion.

:1: The seasonal formula.

Generally speaking, we get about one season in each major location we settle in (give or take). We’ve had Alexandria for a WHILE, so it’s about time for it to go away to unsettle our characters.

:2: The helicopter.

Rick saw a helicopter flying overhead. Meanwhile, we saw the Saviors discussing sending in a flyer to either the Hilltop or Alexandria (I forget the exact quote, so if someone remembers and wants to enlighten me, go for it). Point: the Saviors probably have fucking helicopters, who are probably about to swoop into Alexandria.

:3: No one’s there.

The show just literally went to bizarre, ridiculous lengths to get EVERYONE useful out of Alexandria. Rick’s in Jadis’s box. Daryl, Tara, Michonne, and Rosita are staking out the Sanctuary. Gabriel’s in Negan jail (and also very sick). Aaron and Enid just left. Carl’s off bonding with strange men in the woods. Carol, Jerry, and Ezekiel are at the Kingdom. Maggie and Jesus are at the Hilltop. There is NOBODY minding Alexandria. Like, it’s Judith and some redshirts. The only wildcard is Morgan because I don’t know where he ended up.

Now, let’s talk about the Trashies. I’ve seen a few theories floating around about these weirdos. I have my own that’s kind of underwhelming by comparison, but remember back in the early days of Alexandria when Deanna explained there were some people they had to put outside the walls because they weren’t working out? I remember because they never mentioned that again. What happened to those people? Are some of them Trashies? I wonder. My working theory is that the Trashies have beef with Alexandria because they used to live there, sheltered like the rest of them. And then they were exiled, so now they scavenge and they don’t trust outsiders. It would also explain why they flipped so hard on the Alexandria group after making a shaky alliance with them: because fuck Alexandria, that’s why. I don’t have much evidence to base this on, so if you have theories please share. I’m not familiar with the comics, so I’d love some insight there (I don’t mind spoilers). I also feel like all the Trashies are using aliases. Jadis was a character in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Tamiel is the name of an angel. Other names we’ve heard are Brion, Farron, and Winslow. None of these are run-of-the-mill names. I’m wondering if these guys took on new names at some point.

All that being said, here’s the stuff I love.

:1: Maggie.

I love, love, love everything about Maggie this season. She’s proving to be a strong leader, and she’s having a hard time making the tough decisions. It’s doing wonderful things for both the story and her arc.

:2: Jesus.

He did another annoying thing in bringing the Savior prisoners to the Hilltop. However, I understand why he did it and I don’t think it was a rash decision on his part. I think he always assumed their group would absorb the Saviors after the battle. He’s genuinely shocked at the idea of mowing all of them down - even horrified. He’s trying to bring reason to a lot of grief and pain everyone else is working off of, and people aren’t digging it. Well, I am. I may not agree, but I like this story and it makes total sense.

:3: Awkward team-ups.

While I may not like some of the clunky, plot-device-ish actions of some of these teams, I’m always a fan of an awkward team-up between characters who don’t normally interact. And that’s been a staple of the show since it started. We had Negan and Gabriel last week. We have Dwight and Eugene with this shaky alliance in the belly of the beast. Michonne and Rosita are such a badass team. I hope we get to see them fight together when they’re not beat to hell. That would be awesome. I like that Daryl and Rick are at odds, but still respect one another. The same goes for Maggie and Jesus.

:4: Carol.

I always love Carol, and her time with the Kingdom and Ezekiel is bringing out some great emotional stuff we haven’t seen in a while.

:5: Ezekiel.

I love what’s happening with Ezekiel right now. He’s been faking it for so long, it’s nice to see what was under there the whole time.

That’s all I got for now. Just a brain dump before bed.

#The Walking Dead #twd

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