#it may take twenty episodes but I CAN WAIT

[swan2swan]

Found out today that she and Jimmy Olsen have canonically hooked up.

Cannot wait.

#I dunno if they'l take things in this direction #but...... #it would be great #my adventures with superman #superman spoilers #silver banshee #it may take twenty episodes but I CAN WAIT

[xerith-42]

Some things we may have forgotten

I've been rewatching MCD and taking extensive notes on it in hopes that I'll never have to watch it again and this is just a list of things that I don't see mentioned or brought up very often/ever that we should talk about and think about more

In the first episode Garroth tries to attack Vylad (angst potential) and Vylad literally just combat locks him by logging out of the game. This is objectively funny and should not be rewritten in any capacity. This should be canon as it is in every universe.

Aphmau's cat Meowki gets randomly killed in Episode 12 by a skeleton while Kiki is right upstairs. Just saying, there's some angst potential there.

In episode 11 Garroth reveals that he knows some medicine. Pretty sure this is never brought up again, but we could always bring it up.

Logan is apparently good with a bow while Zenix is trash at it despite being a self proclaimed "expert archer" which I think is very funny (I know this is part of Zenix's cover but what if we took it seriously it would be so funny)

Zoey is originally from the river village, as is Donna. Pretty sure they retcon that for Zoey, but I like to think the two of them could have been friends before Phoenix Drop.

Garroth actually almost dies in episode 15. Like Dr. Doctor says he will probably die soon at the start of the episode. And he doesn't get healed until episode 20. He literally spends 5 episodes laid up in bed dying.

Brendan's at his side probably angsting the entire time I'm just saying if you want sad gay fanfics, it's sitting right there!

Azura and Garroth were friends as kids??? Hello???? I think this is just a massive plot hole considering what Garroth's actual backstory ends up being asjfgshjdfgjk

Okay but if we twist it a little bit, they were friends as kids as in like at the guard academy??? Bc they're like vaguely teenage/young adult so maybe that's what she means? In which case I wanna think about that more because childhood friends to lovers is one of my favorite romance arcs ever. But is it really childhood friends if you met when you were like... 18?? And you're in your like mid to late twenties probably, I wouldn't really classify that as childhood friends.

WAIT IT GETS WORSE!

I don't... I don't even have a joke here, this is just a massive plot hole. Like all of this is just not true to Garroth's backstory as we know it. Grew up in the same village? You mean O'Khasis?? Where Garroth also FAKED HIS DEATH????

I literally don't know what to say to this I was just trying to find silly little facts to try and incorporate into my rewrite and instead I found a massive gaping plot hole

Moving on, in episode 19 when Aphmau confronts Zenix and they fight, he actually apologizes to her. As if he regrets having to hurt her for the sake of his/the Shadow King's goals.

The Lord of Brightport says the Shadow King "used to be a lord". Which like... Okay, I can bend backwards a few ways to say that he could be referring to how Shad started Falcon Claw, but how the fuck does this dude know that??? I feel like Laurance constantly just stumbling into plot holes by complete accident

Dale is apparently a Garmau shipper, going as far as to ask Aphmau if she plans on hooking up with Garroth. I like to think that he and Molly have a bet going for how long it takes for one of the two of them to finally fess up.

Raven's mom tried to eat him??

Okay then.

#minecraft diaries #text post #aphblr #aphverse #garroth ro'meave #laurance zvahl #screenshots #silly post #I just think we need to talk about these more #aphmau #mcd zoey #mcd logan #mcd brendan #mcd kiki #my beloved #this post is a mess #most of my posts are though #it's part of the fun

[beskarandblasters]

This is the Way…. To Your Pussy

Dieter Bravo x F!Reader

Main Masterlist | Dieter Bravo Masterlist

Summary: Dieter happens to know someone in the costume department of The Mandalorian who hooks you up with a special surprise…

Word count: 1.6k

Warnings: porn with little plot, established relationship, role play, restraints, vaginal sex, unprotected sex, creampie, pet names (mesh’la, baby), no use of y/n

Fic notifs: @beskarandblastersfics Fic recs: @kelbellsficrecs

You’re sitting on the couch with your boyfriend, Dieter, watching the newest episode of The Mandalorian. The third season is close to wrapping up and you’ve come to a certain realization… You’re head over heels for Din Djarin. 

You’re pretty sure Dieter’s realized you have this little crush, too. 

“Baby, are you sure you’re not attracted to Mando?” he would ask you, at the end of every episode each week. 

“I’m sure!” you’d lie, wanting to spare his feelings. 

But in this particular episode, you can’t hide your attraction. Din’s just been captured by Moff Gideon and he’s on his knees. Your jaw is on the floor. 

Dieter looks over at you and notices the expression on your face, shouting, “I knew it! I knew you were attracted to him!”

You close your mouth and look at him, taking note of the devious expression on his face. You were worried he’d be jealous or angry even. But instead, he looks… gleeful. 

“Fine! He’s hot… Are you mad?”

“Mad?? Why would I be mad?”

“I don’t know! Maybe jealous is the right word?”

“Not jealous. Not mad, baby.”

“Then what are you?”

“Interested.”

“…Interested?”

“Mhm,” he says, returning to his comfortable position on the couch. 

He says nothing more and you’re left to wonder what he meant by that. 

-

In fact, Dieter doesn’t bring up again all week. You figured he would poke fun at your little crush but he doesn’t. You’ve even made some out-of-pocket comments about Din to bait him into saying something but he doesn’t bite. 

It isn’t until the night before the season three finale of The Mandalorian that Dieter finally says something about it. You’re about to get ready for bed, standing at the bathroom sink brushing your teeth. 

“Baby, I have a surprise for you,” Dieter says, poking his head into the bathroom through the doorway. 

“…Oh boy.”

“It’s not a bad surprise! Just stay here, okay?”

“…Okay,” you respond, watching as he reaches for the doorknob and closes the bathroom door. 

You blink a few times, staring at yourself in the mirror and wondering what he could possibly be up to now. Sounds of him struggling come from the bedroom followed by a few curse words.

“Dee? You good?”

“Just stay in there! I’m not done yet!”

“Alright, alright,” you sigh. 

After what feels like forever you hear him quietly say, “Okay, you can come out now…”

Something is making his voice sound muffled.

You slowly open the door and find Dieter, standing with his hands on his hips. Except he’s not wearing his normal pajama pants, fuzzy green robe, and Crocs combo. He’s wearing the Mandalorian suit. Your jaw falls to the floor, much like it did when you watched Din Djarin fall to his knees when he was captured. 

“Dieter… Where did you get this?” you ask, taking a step closer to him and running your hand along the breastplate. He fills out the suit so well. 

“Uhh, I called in a few favors.”

“To who??”

“I know someone in the Mandalorian costume department…”

“And they lent it to you?”

“I may have had to tell a little lie.”

“Oh God.”

“I said I needed it for my nephew’s birthday party.”

“Oh my fucking God…”

“Yeahhh, I know. But I did it for you!”

“Can we bet on how long you’ll keep the helmet on for?”

“Ooh, good idea.”

“Ten minutes.”

“Ouch. I’ll say twenty.”

“You’re on!”

“Okay cool. Now get naked.”

“Nooo, you gotta say it how he would.”

“Get undressed for me… baby?”

“Mesh’la.”

“Mesh’la?”

“It means beautiful.”

“Damn, maybe the Mandalorians do have game,” he chuckles. 

You pull off your sleep shirt and kick off your pajama bottoms, standing in front of him naked while you wait for your next command. He reaches around his belt and under the cape for something. You can only imagine what else he has planned. But you couldn’t have guessed anyway.

It’s a pair of pink, fluffy, handcuffs. 

“You’re joking,”

“Sorry, baby– Fuck I mean, mesh’la, I couldn’t get the Star Wars ones.”

“You got the suit. That’s all that matters,” you reassure him. 

“Turn around,” he commands.

You face the bed and he grabs your wrists, locking the pink handcuffs around them. He pulls you into him so your back is against his chest, and whispers in your ear.

“This is the way… to your pussy,” he says, only half-joking.

“Don’t even,” you snort.

“Okay, okay. Let me think of a scenario… Looks like I have to bring you in,” he says, tugging on the cuffs.

“Please, Mando. Don’t turn me in. I’ll do anything.”

“Anything?” he says.

“Anything.”

“Bend over.”

You do as you’re told, bending over the bed and arching your back. 

“Good girl, mesh’la,” he says, pressing his bulge against your ass. 

He steps back for a second to take his cock out of the suit, tugging off his glove before stroking himself. Pre-cum built up at his tip spreads down his shaft. But he lifts the helmet briefly to spit in his hand and slick his cock even more. 

One hand grips your shoulder and the other holds your waist, keeping you still as he thrusts himself inside you. You moan, feeling his cock stretch your walls while he buries himself in your cunt. 

“Fuck, Dee,” you moan, forgetting the roleplay for a second.

“Mando’s got ya, mesh’la,” he says, playfully correcting you. 

“You feel so good,” you breathe out.

“That’s right. Let me fuck this little pussy and I’ll let you go.”

He draws his hips back and slams into you, keeping a steady pace. Your bedroom fills with the wet sounds of Dieter’s cock sliding in and out of you. You’re so turned on and still in disbelief at his surprise. It’s hard to believe this is your Dieter fucking you like this, getting dominant for once. 

But you also wish you could look directly into the helmet's visor, too. 

“Mando…” you whine.

“What is it, mesh’la?”

“I want… I want to look at you.”

“How cute. Cum for me once and I’ll let you out of these cuffs. Can you do that for me?” he says, thrusting into you harder.

You go to respond but a whimper forces its way out instead. His pace quickens and his cock hits the most perfect angles inside you. You grow wetter and your core tightens up in anticipation of release.

“Already gonna cum for me?” he teases, squeezing your waist. 

“Fuck… Yes, Mando. I’m so close.”

“Cum all over my cock, mesh’la,” he says. You can tell by his voice he’s wearing a smug smirk under the helmet.

With one last thrust, you cum around his cock, knees buckling underneath you. He sighs as your walls clench around him, fucking you through your high. 

“Good girl,” he praises, slowing to a stop as you finish. He reaches for the cuffs and unlocks them, pulling his cock out of you and flipping you over on the bed. You inch up on the bed and spread your thighs, letting him get situated between your legs. 

He hovers above you, visor staring directly at you. Having him tower over you like this turns you on even more. He takes your hands and pins them above your head. He slides his cock inside you but this time, he takes his gloveless hand and rubs his thumb over your clit. 

“Fuck,” you moan.

“Mando’s taking care of you, baby,” he says, slowly thrusting in and out of you. He cocks his helmet to the side and watches as you writhe underneath him. He picks up his pace and swirls his thumb faster around your clit. Your orgasm is nearing again, somehow even quicker than before. 

“Already?” he teases.

“It’s so good,” you whimper, your entire body tingling at this point.

“Cum for me,” he commands again. 

Your orgasm spills over again, waves of pleasure washing over you. You were sure he would cum by now, feeling your second orgasm around his cock. But he doesn’t. Instead, he keeps thrusting in and out of you slowly, holding onto his release. 

Once your orgasm is finished, he lets go of your hands and removes his thumb from your clit. He reaches for the helmet and takes it off, setting it on the bed beside you. And this is when he pounds you like crazy. Matted curls fall onto his forehead as he rails you, hands planted by either side of your head. He’s got a wild look in his eye and his forehead is slick with sweat. 

“Fuck baby, you take my cock so good,��� he moans. His voice is higher pitched like he’s desperate for his own orgasm now. He climaxes inside you, painting your insides with his cum. His eyes are closed and his head is thrown back in pleasure. He keeps himself balls deep until he’s done, pulling out of you and collapsing on the bed inside you. He pants as he catches his breath.

“Was it hot under there?”

“A little… But anything for you.”

“Aw, you’re sweet,” you say, rolling over on your side. 

“Told ya I’d keep it on longer than ten minutes,” he teases.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever…,” you roll your eyes, “Maybe you should get the suit again sometime… Or look into getting your own.”

“Let’s get our own… And the Star Wars handcuffs.”

“Oh, for sure.”

“Maybe next time Mando isn’t gonna let you go.”

“Oh yeah? Maybe he shouldn’t.”

His mind short circuits for a second before he jumps up and says, “I’m gonna go order those cuffs.”

You can’t help but laugh. 

#dieter bravo x reader #dieter bravo x f!reader #dieter bravo fanfiction #dieter bravo #dieter bravo smut #dieter bravo x female reader #the bubble fanfiction #pedro pascal characters #pedrostories #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal fanfiction

[weebsinstash]

sorry I can't get over/keep forgetting that episode 2 outright said that Angel was either living IN V Tower with Val or living in the studio, (Val literally says "he thinks he can work and then go home somewhere else?!" while AT home) and like

Shit man if he's willing to let Angel sleep in his house and have this weird possessive sexual obsession over him when they're not even fucking dating, and considering how large V Tower looks from outside, it kinda leads me to believe Valentino would lure a potential darling into living at his home under the guise of "oh, I have plenty of room, Angel already lives there, you'd have rides to work and a little friend ;)"

and like Valentino may entirely be correct, he DOES have more space than he knows what to deal with, and there have been employers to house their employees before, but imagine him offering you shelter at his house like night ONE and Angel's head SNAPS to look between both of you because??? Huh??? Whuh??? Val isnt nice unless he WANTS something, and Angel barely knows you, but, you've been nice all night and he can tell by looking at you that maybe you shouldn't even be "down here" AT ALL. he's risking his own safety to interrupt the conversation, "Val, c'mon, don't, they're just a kid" ( 'kid' as in you're probably still in your 20s, whereas he's been dead SINCE the twenties and is technically over a hundred years old)

but Valentino just looks at him with this fake smile, "why don't you go make me a drink Angel"

"But Val-"

"WHY DON'T YOU GO MAKE ME A DRINK ANGEL :)"

And Angel is walking away... leaving you with Valentino... telling himself that he's pathetic and worthless for not being able to help more. But.... if he's going to be trapped in that awful house with that horrible man, at least, now, being there means he can help protect you. He doesn't care if Val takes it out on him at the studio the next day; Angel makes sure you're safe and you at least get to sleep during your first night in the afterlife

when Angel runs off to the Hazbin Hotel, though, of course that means he'll take you with and he'll tell you as many horrific and humiliating stories about his experiences with Val as you need to hear until you finally listen and come with him, sneaking out once Val is asleep, potentially mayhe even "assisted" into slumber by Anthony to help you two run away. You're like his lil sibling now; he couldn't POSSIBLY leave you behind! 🥺❤️

Or worse... maybe you have to run back for something, or you're a little slower than Angel, and you get caught. "What do you think you're fucking doing?", you're spinning around, Val has woken up, Anthony is waiting outside... you risk it all to text him quickly on your phone, "he's awake. RUN" and hitting the side button of your phone just before Valentino swipes it, looking at your lockscreen with FURY because now you're HIDING shit from him TO HIS FACE

Valentino grabs you HARD by your arm and is just about to start really screaming at you asking what the fuck you're doing and. Angel appears. He could've ran away but he came back for you 🥺 he tells Valentino he was just gonna take you out for some fun and, it wasn't YOUR idea, it was his, HE convinced you to try and leave the house at night without Valentino's permission, and you have to hold your tongue in horror as Val drags him away and orders you to go back to your room, "or else!!"

You're sobbing your little heart out and his entire body hurts when he practically limps (for multiple reasons) back to your room, but, at least when you hold him and hug him and promise you'll do anything to help get both of you out of here, it helps everything feel better...

#yandere hellaverse #yandere hazbin hotel #yandere x reader #hh #sinprompts

[amywritesthings]

silver underground. / chapter 15.

( Read on AO3 )

Pairing: levi ackerman x f!reader (attack on titan / shingeki no kyojin)

Word Count: 4.6K

Summary: flashback five - also known as the start of the heist that may grant you a chance at living in the sun

Warnings: verbal arguments, miscommunications, self harm language, mentions of injury, death, and illness

Previous Chapter. / Next Chapter. | Masterlist.

CHAPTER 15 - FLASHBACK: FIVE

note: the next couple of chapters will be heavily influenced by the ova 'no regrets'. they are my interpretations of the material. please watch those episode first, otherwise you will get spoiled on elements revolving around levi's backstory.

“This is suicide.”

Furlan winces at your strong reaction. Isabel pales.

They’re both sitting on the edges of the love seat couch, equal parts surprised yet expectant of your reluctance.

Of course they had Levi break the news first.

Neither of them wanted the blow back of your rage at the mere entertainment of such a problem.

Levi, however, can take your anger and neatly fold it with the rest of the clothes you’ve shared since you were kids. He knows how to dismantle your rage in ways the other two have never quite mastered.

At the kitchenette table, the raven-haired man doesn’t move from his chair. Leisurely his arm drapes along its back, legs crossed in front of him. You wait a full table-length away from him, hunched with your hands pressed into the wooden surface separating you.

A stand off.

The other two watch like hawks, awaiting a response from Levi that never arrives. You feel the worry rolling off of Furlan and Isabel in waves, a concern they can’t quite voice, but all you can do is stare at him.  

Dead eyes, unwilling to express anger or excitement, meet you.

Right now, you hate him.

You hate Levi’s neutrality.

You hate this godforsaken city. 

Most importantly, you hate how easy a few pretty words can upend your entire operation.

After a long stretch of silence Isabel clears her throat, fidgeting with her fingers. “We would be careful, sis. We’re always so careful. The old man said—”

“I know what he told you, Isa,” you snap, and Isabel whimpers with uncertainty. “I think I heard it loud and clear — unless there’s a part of the proposal I missed. Levi?”

His eyes flinch to a narrowed state.

You’re angry.

You’re angry because a devil made an offer.

Not just any devil — a devil from the surface, one that lives within the walls and takes the sunlight for granted. A demon willing to dangle the one thing everyone in the Underground City district desires most on a flimsy little stick: 

Salvation.

More specifically, documentation that’s as precious as rare rubies. Papers that bypass the thugs bleeding funds dry at the top of the stairs. A ticket to a better life, one where a person like you can walk among the living rather than fight with the dead for scraps.

The offer sounds too good to be true.

It sounds too good to be true because it is.

(We were offered a job by someone from the surface, someone with the reputable means to back up his payment, and we accepted the terms and conditions in exchange for money and a one-way ticket to the surface.)

Ever since you were seventeen, finding a way for the four of you to live on the surface is all Furlan has wanted. Now you're twenty-one with an opportunity for a way out. You cannot take an entire gang there — the transport of underlings cannot work like that, the logistics are not feasible, but this?

For the people he’s grown up with, laughed with, cried with?

(His family — Furlan has said the doomed word more than once to your face, to Isabel’s, to Levi’s. None of you have ever corrected him.)

What was once a fruitless idea has been fertilized and harvested, corrupted by grubby hands who can make a pipe dream happen.

It’s poisonous to a dreamer like him — like Isabel, who has never lost her knack for dreaming no matter how dire things get, so you focus your efforts on the only other person in this apartment who may see the reality for what it is.

A lost cause.

(A trap.)

“Doesn’t it seem wildly convenient,” you begin with a bite, “that some rich asshole found the three of you wandering the streets with little to no trouble? We’re supposed to have eyes everywhere. We’re virtually untouchable, even on the main roads.”

“The Military Police have been after us for years, James,” Furlan argues, but his words falter closer to a plea. “Pretty sure everyone down here knows our names. And it’s not like the Military Police have no idea where we live, so it stands to reason this guy—”

“That isn’t the point, Furlan,” you tell him. “You’re talking about the MPs. This guy is not an MP. He’s an outsider.”

Furlan’s frown deepens. “So?”

“So?" you repeat. "So you don’t think it’s suspicious, at all, that this shithead is offering us a job—” The humorless laugh bubbling on your lips stops your train of thought. “Actually, calling this a job is an insult to what we’ve built.”

“James—”

“Blackmail, Furlan. It’s fucking blackmail.” You pause, allowing the word to permeate through the room. “He is blackmailing us with the promise of money and the one thing everyone down here wants.”

A right to the surface.

A chance to live a life in the sun.

“Because we’re the only ones who can pull off a heist like this!”

Isabel urges with a naivety you typically adore. Right now? You loathe it. 

“How many other people, what other gangs, have what we have? The numbers. The ODM stuff. The old man believes in us.”

On instinct, you sneer.

Belief, like it’s stronger than money.

Instead of taking your anger out on her — she doesn’t deserve it, not when you know her bleeding heart would pour itself dry without hesitation for a chance to bring this found family to surface safely — you snap your attention back to the quiet, contemplative man across from you.

He’s too calm about this; Levi trusts people from the surface as far as he can throw them.

Granted, it’s probably further than the distance you can toss, but still — it isn't far.

So you ask.

“Why?”

Levi's eyes narrow further, thinning to a sliver.

You lean in closer, gritting your teeth. Your necklace dangles off of your neck like a noose.

“Why are you okay with this?”

Curving your steps around the table, you walk towards him. Levi stays seated, eyes stalking your movements with practiced memorization.

“Why aren’t you telling them this is a terrible idea?”

Furlan holds out a noncommittal hand to stop you. “James—”

“Because we don’t have a choice,” Levi interrupts, finally standing from his chair. He doesn’t sound angry, but you know Levi sometimes better than you know yourself. Something is there, just under the layer of nonchalance. “It’s complicated.”

A storm flickers in his eyes when they meet yours.

“There’s nothing complicated about it,” you tell him, your words rushed under your breath. “We make the rules. From the very beginning until now, we make the rules. We don’t let surface scum tell us how to live our lives. We always have a choice.”

His chin tilts to the left. “Not this time.”

“Why?”

“We just don’t.”

“We do, Levi.”

“No, James, we don’t.”

He firmly emphasizes each syllable. 

Then, finally, he places the caveat on the table: 

“They have Yan.”

The warmth in your body pools at your feet, like the blood has seeped through the soles of your shoes and into the wooden blanks beneath.

It’s no secret that Yan, one of the long-time underlings of the gang, hasn’t been doing well.

Over the last few months, his legs have gone from bad to catastrophically worse. He’s barely managed on jobs, causing him to fall behind on earnings.

From the corner of your eye, you see it: Furlan’s head tilts back, eyes closed. He deflates, shoulders first, until his whole body shrinks.

It reeks of guilt.

(Why the hell would Furlan be guilty?)

Isabel is the opposite; her body tenses as her wild ginger hair flings side-to-side to look at Furlan, then Levi, then back to Furlan, waiting for an explanation.

Then you realize: she isn’t waiting for anything, not like you.

Because Isabel already knows that Yan’s being held hostage; she’s just waiting to see who will say it first — or if she’ll be forced to be the one to bring you into the loop.

Suddenly the world feels smaller, like you’re back in that little makeshift ring by an abandoned street stop.

Alone and fending for yourself.

“The hell do you mean, they have Yan?” You hate how shaken your voice sounds.

“Saw it with my own two eyes,” Levi tells you in a monotone manner. “There wasn’t anything we could do. So, no, we don’t have a choice — unless we want him to die.”

“Which means you all saw it.”

The words of doubt tumble from your tongue. Levi’s eyes tick in a squint to decipher what you mean, but you create physical space with a step backwards.

“All of you knew this wasn’t just about the money from some rich fuck, but you didn’t tell me the second you came back. Why didn’t—”

“I didn’t tell you right away because Furlan has been skimming money for Yan under the table,” Levi blurts, effectively stopping you from crawling into yourself. 

The ball of yarn halts in its unravel. An uncomfortable silence fogs the room.

“...what?”

But that isn’t your voice.

Isabel speaks now with the same confusion in your gut. Her fiery hair whips to Furlan for an explanation.

Furlan doesn’t move a muscle.

You blink back into your body, and soon you find Levi standing right in front of you. He urges you with just a look, a nonverbal reassurance:

Breathe.

You’re not alone.

(You aren’t fighting three against one again.)

“It’s no secret that his legs went to shit,” Levi explains, level yet earnest. “First it was his ankle. Then it was his knee. Then it became both knees. Whatever disease he has, it’s spreading and it’s spreading fast. All of us have seen it coming: he can barely keep up with his team. No jobs means no earnings. Those are our rules. Furlan chose to skim off the top to help with treatments.”

Levi tenses under your widening stare. 

“I knew," he finishes. "Furlan didn’t know I knew, but I did. Not Isabel, not anyone else — just me.”

Blame me, he’s telling you without saying so. Don’t punish everyone else for this.

(Levi Ackerman, always ready to shoulder your burdens without hesitation.)

Only one question numbly exits your lips: “For how long?” 

Levi studies your eyes.

“Since the Nightshade job.”

Piece by piece, the gravity of your situation comes together.

You can feel it weighing down your shoulders when your attention flickers to Furlan.

Furlan trembles as he continues to stare at the ceiling. His complexion is tinged with a mortified, red-handed glaze.

The corner of your lips pull to a sympathetic frown. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“It wasn’t anyone else’s business but Yan’s and Furlan’s,” Levi answers for the other man.

“But we could have helped,” you protest, turning your attention back to Levi. "Me, Isabel, all four of us — we could have helped."

“It’s a gang, James, not a church,” Levi bitterly argues. “If we help one person’s problems, then everyone looks for handouts. That isn’t how we operate.”

A hefty glare settles on your brow. “And now these people have Yan, who — by all intents and purposes — we could leave to die. Right?”

A squeak bubbles in Isabel's throat.

Levi tilts his chin with a knowing sharpness.

“Sure, if we want those bastards to torture him for information about us.”

There: the spark, the swift kick in your ass, to ignite the fire in your belly once again.

You’re mad, you’re furious — but not at any of them.

“So I was right,” you chide, chin dropping to your chest. “This is just blackmail—”

“His legs are shit out of luck if he doesn’t receive treatment at a surface clinic.”

A fingertip lifts the tip of your chin back up.

It’s enough of a shock to your system to get you to listen — Levi rarely, if ever, shows blatant affection in front of the other two, yet here he is: blurring the lines for the sake of keeping your focus.

“Bottom line is that I want to work with these pieces of shit just as much as you do, but without the proper medical treatment, Yan’s as good as dead," Levi explains. "Even if we left him to fend for himself, it could still destroy not only our reputation, but he could give them access to everything we have. Bringing Yan back is the best option for business. Furlan, Isabel, and I will do the job—”

Furlan, Isabel, and I?

“Wait.”

“—get him what he needs, bring him home—”

“Wait, what do you mean by—”

“—and we’ll figure it out from there.”

“—just the three of you?” you finally finish, voice smaller with each word. “But what about…”

“The bastard didn’t intercept you,” Levi says, and you push his hand from your chin.

“We need someone to take care of everyone else,” Isabel chimes in softly, shrugging a noncommittal shoulder.

You blink towards the younger girl with her shining eyes, seeking your approval; a cease fire to an awkward evening.

“If it’s a trap created by MPs, then at least we know our gang can get away if they come knocking on our door, right?” she adds. “James is fast. She’s a fighter. She can take them on, no problem.”

“No, Isabel,” you start, “what you need is a B-Team.”

“Hate to say it, but Isabel is right.” Furlan finally speaks, exhaling in a short huff. “He didn’t see your face or ask for you by name, so you’re kind of off the hook.”

In a shocking turn of events, Levi agrees in a matter-of-fact finality. “The less people involved, the better.”

That overwhelming sense of dread rears its ugly head once again, creeping up the veins of your neck.

“Don’t be stupid. Every job needs a B-Team,” you argue right back. “The three of you cannot just go on this job without eyes on—”

“Maybe not this one,” Levi shuts down your offer with little remorse. “This shit’s already two people too many.”

Your eyes grow, appalled.

“You’re serious?”

He doesn’t budge.

“I’m sorry, but are you fucking insane? What the hell happens, then, if any of you get caught?”

“James,” Furlan begins, holding both palms up. Your hair falls into your line of deadly sight when your attention whips to the lanky man with shaggy, ash-blonde hair. “We were doing this way before you came into the picture, okay? Levi and me, I mean."

You scowl. “You two were beating people up for money in fucking alleyways before me, not taking sacrificial bribes from surface pigs.”

Furlan frowns deeply, and you decide you hate him just as much as you hate Levi right now — because Furlan responds quietly and full of respect. Adoration.

“We’ll come home. We’ll make it to the surface, together. Please, you have to trust us.”

Your nostrils flare and the fire in your belly quells as you lock eyes with your friend.

“It isn’t you I don’t trust.”

Never. 

You trust the people in this little apartment more than anyone in the Underground City.

You would go to war with them, die for them, if it meant they could be happy.

Surely by now, after all these years, the three of them knew implicitly where you stood.

The problem, however, no longer lies below: it’s the people above you in more ways than one.

(What lies on the surface is the enemy.)

One false move and the four of you stand a chance to lose everything —

Including each other.

Sickened by the absolutes you face, your hands push off the table.

"Fuck this. If you want to kill yourselves, then be my guest. Throw it all away. We’re not making it to the surface.”

Isabel stands from the couch as you turn on a heel, spinning towards the front door. “Wait!”

“I’m not sticking around to watch you die, Isa,” you bite at the young girl. She flinches from your venom. “Same goes for you, Church, and Ackerman.”

You don’t wait any longer.

Can’t; you feel sick to your stomach and don’t want to make a mess of the apartment.

Without another word, you step past the threshold of the apartment and into the damp outdoor air. Your boots shuffle down the narrow staircase, quick and panicked.

Isabel calls out your name — your first name, a cheap trick that usually gets you to listen.

You don’t.

Passing the corner is as far as you get when you hear a second set of shoes following in tandem, hitting solid ground and turning a similar edge.

Let them.

You’re too upset to confront, to ward them off, especially when you have a pretty good feeling as to who may have run after you.

You continue your trek, head bowed to avoid the watchful eye of your gang runts guarding the apartment premises. Through a main street and into an alleyway you’ve grown so familiar with.

Twenty-one; it only took a few years to finally get here, where the dream dries to a mirage.

A warm hand grabs your bicep, anchoring you in place. “Hey.”

You stop.

You don’t fight.

“Hey,” you greet in return without turning, allowing your arm to float in the finite space between bodies.

“Want me to let you go so you can continue your dramatic nature walk?”

Lessening his grip for emphasis, Levi waits.

(I won't keep you prisoner.)

The baritone of his voice, neutral with an edge of care, vibrates through your body like a soothing aloe. 

“Depends,” you answer, craning your chin to watch him over your shoulder. “Are you going to run after me?”

“Kind of already did.”

The anger evaporates from the crown of your head to your toes with each passing second. Eventually you drop the heel of your boot to the ground, lessening the strain on your raised arm.

Then the tension between his brows dissolves, too, when it’s only the two of you here.

“Talk to me.” The request is barely above a whisper. “Don’t shut me out.”

His choice of words — your words, thrown back at your face — almost steals your breath.

“You shut me out about Yan,” you argue childishly. “About Furlan.”

“Like I told you, it wasn’t any of our business.”

“And you’re shutting me out of the job.”

“I’m not trying to—”

“It’s our home, Levi.”

You blink away, embarrassed by your sentiment. His hand flexes to let go of your arm. It unceremoniously drops to your side.

“We’re supposed to be… We’re supposed to watch out for each other. All four of us. That’s what we do. We don’t leave each other behind.”

“I know,” he says, somber, as if to apologize in his own way.

“If this is your half-baked attempt to protect me…”

You trail off when something flickers in his eyes. His expression shifts, and your shoulders drop.

“I could be a part of the heist,” you surmise, “but you’re leaving me out on purpose.”

His jaw clenches. “If I could leave Isabel out, too, then I would. Same with Furlan.”

“So it—”

“You’re the only one.”

Levi pauses, fighting to find the right words.

“You were the only one who wasn’t forced into that carriage. Chances are we’ll be flanked on all sides by Military Police. If things go to shit, then I know you’ll be safe back here.”

“Who can really guarantee that I’ll be safe?” You shake your head. “Isabel said it herself: it could be a trap. They could be trying to attack the rest of the gang while the three of you aren’t here.”

“Yeah, and there’s no one I trust more to make sure we’re still in operation. No one.”

He speaks with such conviction that you almost believe him.

(It’s not about trust in protecting assets, but something more basic than that.)

“And if you get arrested, then you don’t want me there,” you finally say what he won’t, and Levi’s eyes dart to the left to avoid yours. “You want me to be the last person standing.”

“We won’t get arrested.” His wispy black hair jostles when he shakes his head. “We’re too fast on ODM gear. The MPs won’t stand a chance.”

Silence engulfs the space. Your brain continues to run the numbers, the logistics, of the proposed heist plan given by this mysterious buyer. 

Every scenario, every issue, every failsafe — you can’t shake the foreboding chill in your blood.

“And who’s to say they haven’t already killed Yan?” you decide to ask, running through your list of concerns.

“Yan contacted Furlan two hours ago,” he answers. “He’s already at a first-rate clinic.”

“What if it’s bullshit? A set up, where they’re pretending to be Yan?”

“Do you think I’d fall for a fake report?” Levi scowls, insulted.

“No, but Furlan would.”

“I checked, twice.”

Which means it’s true.

Your doubt never creeps up to Levi, not once. 

Dejected in what little choice remains on the table, your attention subconsciously lands on his parted lips.

“...how do we receive the surface papers?”

“He already paid half of what he’s promised. I checked: it’s not bullshit. The money’s real,” Levi explains slowly. “Furlan, Isabel, and I will take the ODM gear and finish the job. Then we’ll get Yan back safely, give the money to the gang, and take you with us.”

“So I just… sit around like an old maid and hope everyone makes it back in one piece? Then we all get to hold hands, walk up the staircase, and strut straight through Wall Sina like we belong there?” You sigh heavily. “It sounds too good to be real.”

“I know,” he murmurs. “But Isabel’s right: we have to make sure our people don’t get stuck in the crossfires with the MPs.”

“Then agree to a B-Team.”

You slide a boot forward, lifting your attention to his eyes. His attention, however, slides opposite of yours — further south, staring at your lips as you propose.

“Let me lead a small group of us to watch your back.”

“James.”

“Levi,” you murmur his name, “look at me.” Surprisingly, he obeys. “You’re out of your fucking mind if you think I’m going to butt out of the one job that might change our lives. You protect me, sure, but I protect you, too. We’ll maintain our distance and have units set up to guard the apartment, but I want to be on the streets making sure you’re clear.”

His brows knit together briefly. “...I need you to be safe.”

“I will.”

“Because if I’m out there thinking for one second that you’re not—”

Reaching for the collar of his shirt, you pull him in to press a chaste yet firm kiss to his lips.

He tenses, seemingly expecting a wild punch, but he melts on contact and wraps his arms around you with a fierceness only a dead man can possess.

Because that’s all anyone can be down here: dead lives, dead faces, waiting for the final nail in the coffin. The world doesn’t scare people like Levi.

(What he’s terrified of, however, is trapped against his chest. Two hearts wildly beating in tandem. Unspoken confessions. The light.)

You nip at his lower lip, causing a tiny, needy noise to exit his throat. His arms tighten, and his feet drag the two of you towards a nearby wall.

Out of view.

His tongue searches for yours and you relent, pressing your hips into his. He makes another short, broken noise, and bunches your shirt into his fist.

Running your fingers through his hair, you drag your nails against his scalp and try to convey your urgency: please don’t leave me behind, please don’t get caught, please don’t disappear.

After a minute he rips his lips away, face tinged with a pink, bashful hue. 

You open your eyes, drunk on the sight of his blush.

“...dirty trick,” he huffs without an ounce of anger in his voice.

“I got a couple of those up my sleeve,” you murmur in jest, smiling despite yourself.

He exhales again, sounding close to a laugh, and drops his forehead to yours. You press back, closing your eyes and allowing the moment to pass.

Peace.

(How much time do either of you have left?)

“Take a B-Team to the streets,” he finally relents. “Monitor our movements. Follow any MPs that might turn their attention to our employees. The client stated our target objectives will be making contact regardless of our consent, so as far as I’m concerned, the job’s already started.”

“I’ll keep our people safe, I promise.”

“I know you will,” he reassures, taking a rare moment of affection to lift his chin. His lips kiss the tip of your nose, warming your once frozen insides. “I trust you.”

You nod. “And when you finish the job, I’ll go where you go.”

He hums. “Is that right?”

“I made a promise, didn’t I?”

“Like a dumbass,” he jokes in that deadpan humor of his, and you can’t help but finally smile.

“But I’m your dumbass.”

“What an aspiration,” he groans, feigning annoyance. “My very own dumbass who’s gonna spend too much of her fucking time decorating our very dumbass house—”

“A house?”

Not just a house — our.

You abruptly pull your forehead from his to look him in the eye. Levi mentally backtracks, realizing his grave mistake from the way the whites of his eyes grow, but you press your hands into either side of his face to trap him in.

“Levi Ackerman, are you gonna get us a house?”

He sneers. “Where else are we going to fucking live?” 

“Are you kicking out Furlan and Isabel?” you ask, unable to stop the grin from growing on your face.

Levi, knowing damn well he’s been caught red handed, groans and drops his head back.

“With the amount of money we’re making from this heist, Furlan damn well better be able to afford his own house. I’m sick of cleaning up after his shit. Isabel can go with him.”

You bite your lower lip. “They could always be our neighbors.”

“Took the words right out of my mouth.”

The sarcasm bleeds right through, and you can’t help it: the giggle bursts from your throat, and Levi leans in to pepper gentle kisses against the base of your throat.

“Can I get a pet?” you ask, lifting your chin to the sky.

“A furball?” His teeth nip playfully at your skin. You jolt. “The little shit’s hair will get everywhere.”

“It’s your consolation prize for demoting me to B-Team.”

He tsk’s under his breath, allowing a beat to pass.

“Maybe one.”

“A cat?”

“Yeah.”

“Or two.”

“You’re pushing it.”

“I’m negotiating, Ackerman.”

“You can negotiate once we have a key, alright?”

You giggle in response, tugging his chin up to stare into his eyes. Levi settles against you, arms still looped around your waist, and sighs through his nose.

He admires the view, clearly taking the moment to memorize every inch of your face.

It feels too final.

“Come back to me, Levi,” you murmur, pouring all of your emotions into five small words.

At first he nods, small and earnest, before sealing your words with a gentle kiss.

“I won't go far from you."

.

author's note: I'm glad we collectively giggled and screamed and kicked our feet in the last few chapters. It was a marvelous time. Now I'm out here ruining everything.

Thank you to all of your wonderful feedback, asks, reblogs, etc. I can't believe my draft doc is over 60K words! I want to say we're about halfway through the story I want to tell, if not further in. We're definitely halfway through the flashbacks, so I promise those who have been asking about the CH10 cliffhanger… just hang tight (like James - ha.)

Please note that there will not be an update on August 11, as I have a bachelorette weekend to attend for a friend, so I'm hoping to write through the week and maybe post the next update on August 18.

tag list: @lazylizzy3 @notgoodforlife @sad-darksoul @dailydoseof-love @maliakealoha @nube55 @kateastrophies @blinkingsuns @gomigami @voidszoro @tanyeonn @chishiyasan @im-just-a-simp-le-whore @vigilancio @nomi98 @urfavcelestialangel @milkersonmac

#aot #snk #levi ackerman #levi ackerman x female reader #levi ackerman x you #levi ackerman x reader #aot fanfic #aot fanfiction #attack on titan #attack on titan fanfiction #attack on titan fanfic #shingeki no kyoujin #shingeki no kyoujin fanfiction #shingeki no kyojin fanfic #levi x reader #levi aot #aot x reader #wip fanfic #silver underground #fic: silver underground #amywritesthings #levi fic

[anthurak]

Loona and Octavia: It’s not ALWAYS about the Found Family trope...

I’ve never really talked about Helluva Boss here before, but it’s actually one of my favorite shows at the moment and this latest episode had some interactions between two characters that I’ve been waiting a long time for, and the results have set up a very interesting potential relationship dynamic and I really want to discuss it.

So let’s talk about Loona and Octavia. And a take that I imagine might get me a bit of flak: I don’t think the relationship between these two is the ‘wholesome sisterly dynamic’ that much of the fandom seems to have latched onto. However, I also don’t really see this pair’s dynamic as necessarily being romantic either. Rather, I think there is something else quite a bit more interesting going on here.

I think the main the reason why the idea of the story treating Loona and Octavia as some explicitly ‘sisterly’ relationship hasn’t really felt right to me, particularly after this latest episode, is the fact that Loona and Octavia simply aren’t kids.

Loona is just entering her twenties, and Octavia is just about out of her teens. One detail about the whole ‘Octavia is 17!’ thing that I think most people have overlooked is when we actually learned this information. Specifically, the info about Octavia being 17 was released around the same time or even before her first proper appearance in the show in S1E2. Now consider the fact that Season 1 of Helluva Boss seems to take place over the better part of a year at least, with just the stretch between episodes three (Spring Break=March) and five (Harvest Moon=September) alone being six-to-seven months. So if Octavia is 17 in ‘Loo-Loo Land’, then by now she is almost certainly 18, or at least very close to her birthday.

My point to all this is that I think the entire ‘wholesome sisterly dynamic’ interpretation of Loona’s and Octavia’s relationship is actually quite a bit off-base. A lot of the fandom seems to view the dynamic between these two as two kids or a younger kid and an older teen brought together as part of a family because their dads became a couple.

But particularly after this latest episode, I think it’s clear that the narrative of Helluva Boss is NOT treating either Loona or Octavia as ‘kids’ but rather as two young adults figuring out their place in the world and working through and coming to grips with some very complicated issues relating to their dads and families. So instead of their relationship being some ‘adoptive step-sisters’ dynamic that is simply some byproduct of the relationship between their dads, I think Loona’s and Octavia’s bond is going to be much more of a close, intimate friendship that exists largely independently of whatever their dads may have going on.

And I think we can already get a pretty good guess as to what this friendship is going to represent for the story.

During Loona’s and Octavia’s scene together, there’s this really interesting bit of duel symbolism going on that I haven’t seen anyone bring up.

Remember Loona’s finicky I.M.P. lighter? Now a lot of people have already pointed out the symbolism of the lighter representing Blitzo and Loona’s relationship with her father: The lighter doesn’t always work, and even rarely works, but it is trying. And eventually it does work, just like Blitzo’s efforts to be a good father.

However, now let’s keep this symbolism in mind and dial the scene back to the start when Loona is trying to light her cigarette. She tries to use the lighter, but can’t get it to work. But then Octavia lights Loona’s cigarette. Think about the symbolism there for a moment.

If the lighter in this scene represents Blitzo’s genuine and earnest but still very flawed and unreliable relationship with Loona, then I think this could very well symbolize that a friendship with Octavia is something much more stable and trusting for Loona.

And the same is true the other way around. At the end of the scene when the smog clears just a bit to give Octavia and Loona a view of the night sky, Octavia does get a view of the stars, which symbolize her father, but else what is shining down on her even brighter? The moon. Which is the point where Loona offers her a hand and the moment where they share a hug before returning to Blizo and Stolas. All under the light of the full moon.

Again, the symbolism here isn’t particularly subtle. While the stars are something Octavia struggles to find, just like her relationship with her father, it is the moon which shines down on her even brighter. Again symbolizing that Loona is someone Octavia can trust and rely on far more than her father.

It really feels like this scene is showing us Loona and Octavia recognizing and coming to grips with the fact that both their fathers are colossal fuckups as parents, yet also love and care for their respective daughters dearly, while ALSO showing Loona and Octavia forming this close bond with someone who both deeply understands what they are going through, and is someone they really can trust and rely on.

One of the big recurring themes about Blitzo’s and Stolas’s arc as fathers that really gets highlighted this episode is that one can have entirely genuine, unconditional love for their child and want the absolute best for them, while ALSO being a complete and utter disaster of a parent.

Like Blitzo clearly adores Loona and wants nothing but the best for his daughter, and he also just as clearly SUCKS at being a parent. As we learn in this episode, the whole reason he even adopted Loona in the first place was because her situation hit one of his repressed trauma buttons HARD and ever since he’s been doing nothing but enabling Loona’s unhealthy coping mechanisms to her own trauma because he is clearly terrified of being ANYTHING like his own father. Again, that’s not to say Blitzo doesn’t love his daughter completely and unconditionally. It’s just that as a functioning parent, Blitzo is a complete fucking MESS.

And Stolas isn’t much better himself. Yes, he used to be a legitimately pretty good dad to Octavia, but it’s pretty clear that years of verbal/psychological abuse from Stella and a LOT of repression have seriously messed Stolas up. And he’s really only become more of a mess since he started up his affair with Blitzo. With Octavia being the one caught up in the middle of that mess.

Again, it’s clear that Octavia still means the world to Stolas and he would never knowingly do anything to hurt her. It’s just that he’s also a complete fucking WRECK of unraveling repressed trauma in the midst of an imploding marriage AND caught up in childhood-friend-romance-feelings that even he doesn’t fully understand. All of which clearly has a tendency to override/short-out any ‘good-parenting’ instincts. Just this episode shows us in several cases of Stolas either getting caught up in her divorce from Stella or getting caught up in his love for Blitzo and wanting to have fun with him that he ends up unknowingly leaving Octavia by the wayside. It’s not that Stolas doesn’t love his daughter, it’s that his mess of psychological and emotional issues have left him fairly unreliable to Octavia.

Which is precisely what makes Loona so important. Throughout the entire episode, she’s the one who puts in all the actual legwork to help Octavia. Loona is the one to figure out that Octavia went to Los Angeles while Blitzo and Stolas had no idea where she was. Loona is the one to actually track down Octavia in LA while Blitzo, Stolas and the M&Ms get caught up in various shenanigans. And it’s Loona who gives Octavia the emotional heart-to-heart and closure that she needs.

It all seems to point to Loona being exactly the kind of close, reliable friend that Octavia desperately needs in her life right now. And going by the symbolism with the lighter we covered earlier, it seems like Octavia will likewise end up being the same kind of close friend that Loona needs in her life too.

This is ultimately a big reason why I think the whole ‘adoptive sisterly’ interpretation of Loona and Octavia doesn’t really fit with what the show is actually giving us. This doesn’t feel like two kids being brought together simply because their parents have started a serious relationship. This feels like two young adults with similar interests and issues striking up a close friendship that is largely independent of their parents.

Yes, Loona and Octavia technically meet through their dads, but let’s not forget that Blitzo’s and Stolas’s relationship can still be best described as ‘an extremely vaguely-defined fling’. Yes, Blitzo and Stolas have certainly caught major feelings for each other, but they are clearly still a LONG way off from any kind of serious, committed relationship, let alone something that would end up classifying Loona and Octavia as ‘sisters’.

And any blossoming friendship between Loona and Octavia is clearly going to be their own thing, based on their shared likes and interests and what is clearly a deep, mutual understanding of their very similar problems, rather than anything tied to whatever their dads have going on. For one thing, I kinda doubt either Loona or Octavia see each other as any kind of ‘sister’ after their first meeting in Star Seekers, rather than simply a girl with a lot of similar interests who really understands what they’re going through. A friendship feels more like mutually supportive relationship that they both Loona and Octavia know they can trust and rely on more than their uncertain and tumultuous relationships with their dads.

Like I can totally imagine a situation down the line where Blitzo and Stolas have some big dramatic ‘breakup’ for a while where Stolas tries to break-off his ‘contract’ with Blitzo by giving him one of the Asmodean Crystals that the previous episode hinted that would allow Blitzo and his company to access the human world without Stolas’s Grimoire. And it’s all big and dramatic and both are going ‘Yep. It’s really over between us now.’

And then it turns out Loona and Octavia are still hanging out and having fun together because this doesn’t actually change anything for them and if either of their dads gave even the slightest insinuation that they should stop being friends, they would IMMEDIATELY go ‘Fuck you dad/Blitzo! She’s my best friend!’ And probably immediately steal the Grimoire/kick Blitzo’s ass simply out of spite.

After this episode, it really feels like whatever relationship Loona and Octavia are going to have is something largely independent of what their dads have going on, just as Loona and Octavia will likely be growing more independent of their fathers as individuals as they grow up. So whenever Blitzo and Stolas finally figure their shit out and commit to a real relationship, I think Loona and Octavia will very much have their own separate thing going on. They’ll certainly still be a ‘family’, but I seriously doubt it will be the kind of straightforward, homogenous ‘two fathers raising two daughters’ type of thing that a lot of the fandom seems to be expecting.

#helluva boss #helluva boss analysis #helluva boss theory #loona #helluva loona #octavia goetia #helluva octavia #blitzo #stolas goetia #when fandom gets a little TOO into the found family trope... #first big helluva boss post #more to come #i think there is some REALLY interesting stuff going on with these two...

[fluffypotatey]

*smashes in like the Kool-Aid man*

PENDRAGON SIBLINGS YOU SAY????

I have. So many Feels. About Themst™

The complexity?? The layers?? The angst?? Hello??????

Their relationship is just So Much, because you are right, it's all tangled up in miscommunication and missed opportunities, and so many problems that can be sourced back to Uther "War Crimes" Pendragon, who wouldn't know a healthy relationship if it bit him on the ass.

If Merlin and Arthur are two sides of the same coin, then Arthur and Morgana are edges of the same blade.

Because it's the lonely childhoods, the shared grief, the friendship, the vulnerability, the fondness, the teasing, the envy, the jealousy, the almost romance, the protectiveness, the betrayal, the loss, the hurt, the refusal to let go and the desperate hanging on, and the love, the love, the love.

Indifference is the true opposite of love.

Hate is love that's gone rotten.

“If Merlin and Arthur are two sides of the same coin, then Arthur and Morgana are edges of the same blade.” oh fuck….

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FUCK

WAIT HOLD ON WAIT LEMME PIGGYBACK ON THAT BESTIE @0hheytherebigbadwolf (tagging you bc it will be a couple days after you sent this ask)

(Also, for anyone wanting background context on what me and bestie are bouncing off on: voilà)

OK OK SO

we are all familiar with King Uther being the greatest (worst) dad of all time, correct? places such high expectations on his “only son and heir” whilst never officially acknowledging Morgana as his daughter until the very end?

F+ father of the year :)

he is not above sending his children into the dungeon if they disobey him as seen here:

(Jfc he even put Morgana in chains like wtf)

also, he is not above using emotional guilt towards them when he deems it necessary (aka one of the only times he actually acknowledges them as his children)

UTHER (1x02 Valiant) I trust you will make me proud.

UTHER (1x08 The Beginning of the End) I’ve treated you like a daughter. Is this how you repay me?

UTHER (1x12 To Kill the King) You are the daughter I never had.

UTHER (2x08 Sins of the Father) You would believe a sorcerer’s lies over the word of your father?

not to mention that when Arthur or Morgana try to reason with him or argue with him since they are the only ones with the status to do so, he pulls rank

UTHER (1x12 To Kill the King) May I remind you that you are speaking to your King [...] Take care, child, or I’ll have you restrained.

UTHER (2x08 Sins of the Father) I am your king and your father. You will show me some respect!

UTHER (2x06 Beauty and the Beast) We live in dangerous times, I cannot allow you to undermine my authority.

UTHER (3x10 Queen of Hearts) You have caused this to happen, Arthur. My decision is final.

ngl i could include more but i have already spent hours searching for shit (YOUTUBE WILL DIE BY MY HAND THAT STINGY BITC—) but y’all get what i mean: Uther is an abusive fucker and it has messed up the conditions of Arthur and Morgana

now, about the double edged blade…..

as previously established, Uther is a fucking dick and wants his children to obey him but also adore him. with this behavior, the Pendragon siblings react in two ways: with anger & contempt or submission and remorse

way #1

i’m gonna start with Morgana because anger is the easiest to pick out throughout the show. in the first episode of the first season, our introduction to Morgana’s character is her lecturing Uther about executing the man Merlin witnessed upon entering Camelot (such a warm welcome for Emrys, mh?)

MORGANA I just don't think chopping someone's head off is cause for a celebration. That poor mother. UTHER It was simple justice for what he'd done. MORGANA To whom? He practiced some magic, he didn't hurt anyone. UTHER You were not around twenty years ago, you have no idea what it was like. MORGANA How long are you going to keep punishing people for what happened then?

early on, it is easy to pick up on Morgana’s resentment and anger at Uther, who she believes is blinded by his fear of magic and his need for control (which she isn’t wrong about). also, we find that she isn’t one to back off when poking the bear (Uther). she does it constantly in seasons 1 & 2

MORGANA (1x03 Mark of Nimueh) Why would she kneel on a cold stone floor morning after morning when she could make these things happen with a snap of her fingers? Like an idle king!

MORGANA (1x08 The Beginning of the End) How can this child be your enemy? He's just a boy. UTHER He is a Druid. MORGANA Is that such a crime?…What have these people done to you? Why are you so full of hate?

UTHER (2x04 Lancelot and Guinevere) How many men would you have me sacrifice to save a servant? MORGANA  As many as it takes!

to be honest, i wouldn’t be surprised if screaming, arguing and berating Uther about his morals and ethics is her way of proving that she is not weak or submissive to his actions. i mean, Morgana grew up in a household the complete opposite from her time in Camelot. Gorlois, the man whom Morgana considers to be her father and one and only family member, was said to be “just” and “kind” and someone that Uther even considered a good friend who openly kept him in check. Morgana, until the age of ten, understood parental love and empathy unlike Arthur, who spent his whole life without any good or healthy substance of it.

the culture of Camelot and Uther’s wrath is not something Morgana was ever able to fully acclimate to as Uther himself pointed out in 1x12. She “was at odds with [him] since the beginning” and could never picture herself as a Pendragon (point further proven in 4x05: she looked revolted when Queen Annis compared her to Uther) because she didn’t share in their idea of magic = evil and a king = absolute control.

ironic in terms of future plot events, isn’t it :’)

way #2

compare that to Arthur: man’s respressed af. keeps all his emotions under lock and key if they are anything but haughty and serious. y’all, Arthur even says it himself how he “[can't] disagree with Father [Uther] in public.” whenever Arthur finds himself at odds with Uther, he holds his tongue and waits until he can disobey secretly (2x05 when he leaves to rescue Gwen, 1x08 when he helps Morgana sneak out Mordred in the dark of the night, 2x08 when he sneaks out to meet Morgause for more info about his mom, etc). it is only the rare moments when Arthur feels impassioned enough to speak up without fearing any retribution does Arthur talk back at him (so satisfying 👌)

ARTHUR (1x03 Mark of Nimueh) [Morgana’s] right, Father. You hear the word magic, you no longer listen.

ARTHUR (2x08 Sins of the Father) This is what fuels your hatred for those who practice magic. Rather than blame yourself for what you did, you blame them….You hunted her kind like animals! How many hundreds have you condemned to death to ease your guilt?!….You speak of honour and nobility! You're nothing but a hypocrite and a liar!

ARTHUR (3x10 Queen of Hearts) You can't forbid my feelings any more than I can. I won't deny them any longer, I love her. I love Guinevere.

we can even compare how the two react to Uther’s violence towards them

(ahahahahahaaaaa what a wonderful dad)

on the left, you see Arthur’s face right when Uther crushes the morteus flower needed to heal Merlin (his manservant/friend/????) and on the right, is Morgana after Uther discovers she was harboring a Druid child in her chambers and she refuses to listen to his reason.

notice how both faces are remarkably similar 👀

however, Arthur’s look of shock and dismay come from his hope that Uther would do the right thing. that he would help save Merlin’s life from dying of poison. that he wouldn’t use this as a method to teach Arthur “what it means to disobey and cross the king.” he truly did hope, just like he always does with the people he holds close. Arthur cannot help but hope and trust that those close to him will not betray him and yet so many do. hence the remorse

looking at Morgana, her shock comes from the fact that this might be the first time Uther reacted to her words and actions in a physical manner. my suspicion is that most of the time, all Morgana previously got was Uther reprimanding her and yelling at her to stop questioning his methods (bc, let’s be real, she was the favorite child.) never has he lifted a finder on her like Arthur and i have proof (cue transcript!)

AND! and, Arthur is constantly warning Morgana about not angering Uther any further because of the consequences she might face (consequences this boy is very familiar with) when Uther deems it necessary to “teach” his children obedience.

UTHER (1x04 The Poisoned Chalice) You have to learn there's a right and a wrong way of doing things. I'll see you're let out in a week. Then you can find yourself another servant.

UTHER (3x10 Queen of Hearts) You have caused this to happen, Arthur. My decision is final [...] This is for your own good. - UTHER She will die. The enchantment will be broken. You'll see I was right.

UTHER (2x08 Sins of the Father) I am protecting you from your own foolishness!

so educational 🥰 but see, because Uther presents his punishments as lessons, Arthur himself views them as just a fucked up but meaningful way of his father’s concern because “yeah, I am the first born son and only heir to the throne. of course I need to learn not to do silly things like disobey, talk back to him, be my own person.” <- I’m paraphrasing here

Arthur does and has never seen a way out of the life thrust upon him by Uther (see 3x06). succeeding Uther as king, marrying a noblewoman of high standing for heirs and alliance strength was always expected of him. Arthur never saw a way out of this. even when he and Gwen were in their secret relationship phase, Arthur had to remind himself that this would never last. he loved her and knew she loved him, but there was always that reminder (that sounded a lot like Uther) in the back of his head telling him that it would never last so long as he was prince. he had a duty (constructed by Uther) to serve Camelot and going against his father would mean (in his eyes) that he is going against Camelot (as Uther always presented it to be).

so unlike Morgana, he did not kick and scream but stood firm because that was what he believed was stronger. if he stayed in his lane and did his part, then he would be a good king, maybe even a better one than his father, for Camelot. however, the show proves that differentiating himself from Uther actually made him the better king and more respected, but this is not the meta for that. I am getting side tracked.

OK: so we’ve established parental issues between the two siblings. now onto their very complex, complicated yet beloved dynamic

sO, as i mentioned in this post (because i am lazy and too tired to copy/paste the evidence from there), these siblings do care for one another. they just go about it in the most hilarious and repressed and in-denial way (hilarious to me 😤)

when we meet them, it’s established that these two have known each other for some time. enough for them to bicker and have banter, you know, as you do with a Pendragon. also, should add, neither character are ever aware they are blood-related until s3 (because of some weak-ass bitch named Uther), so you have that very, uh, interesting subplot in s1 that everybody forgets about until you rewatch it. (honestly, I have so many questions. number 1: why???? number 2: it’s only in s1—was it scrapped??? is it like it never existed???? what was its purpose to the plot??? bbc explain yourself—)

however, despite how much it is shown that they do care for one another, they’re relationship in s1 is still undefined and vague as if they also don’t know how to accurately define what the other means to them. it’s very similar to the whole “i really love this person so much but is what i’m feeling platonic, familial, or romantic?” because….you know, guy and girl besties who are close are typically expected to grow romantic feelings for each other, so tbh i would not be surprised if both mistook their love as romantically inclined in the beginning bc, reminder, neither of them were aware they were siblings until much later.

[and this is ALL i am saying on this subplot. i do not want to cause any negative discourse, so if anyone has a few choice words about it, either keep it to yourself or feel free to talk about it with people you know. personally? not a fan of the ship and never will be, but i am not here to post about that.]

anyway, have some featured receipts showing Arthur and Morgana slipping up and showing how much they care for each other.

SEE!!!! LOOK AT HOW THE CARE!!!! SEE HOW THEY WORRY FOR THE OTHER AND WISH TO PROTECT THEM FROM HARM!!! (and see how even when they’re on opposite sides there is still that same love. just more warped and corrupted T^T)

^worried/protective Morgana

^Arthur’s face after Merlin informs him that there’s an intruder heading to Morgana’s chambers

Morgana is very aware of Arthur’s trusting nature. Arthur is very aware of Morgana’s empathy and righteous nature. they understand each other so well which is why Morgana knew just how to harm Arthur in later seasons and why Morgana’s betrayal hit Arthur so hard. it’s also why he never stopped trying to reach out to her in s4 & s5. as @merlinemrys said in this lovely post, the show’s driving force is love. love of all kinds. whatever conflict it is, love is there at the center of it all and, in Arthur and Morgana’s case, it does not save them (just like how love does not save Merlin or Arthur from what lies ahead, as the op of the post pointed out).

that is what makes their relationship/love be like a double edged sword!! that is why they are edges of the same blade!!! they protect and fight for what they believe in and for the people they love, but the same blades cut deep and twist their wounds into a lasting scar.

it is because of Arthur’s love for Morgana that he cannot help but hope and mourn the woman he once knew. it is because of Morgana’s love for Arthur that her feelings of hatred are so strong and ugly.

like honestly,

look at them T^T compared to before

their relationship is so tragic T^T because we knew them before it all went wrong. we knew they cared and understood each other. we knew that for some time, they only had each other to rely on for a friend, a crutch, a breather for when the royal life was too much. both of them were fighters and strive to honor their values. both of them had once leaned on the other for support, had wanted nothing but happiness for each other.

fuck, they didn’t even get the chance to really be siblings because they found out too late, and by then Morgana was on a war path and Arthur only found out at the last minute.

like fuck, man

two sides of the same blade: forged with love, yet used for blood

screencaps brought to you by me, @sourdough-morbread, and farfarawaysite

#i will spare you the gorey details of me trying to fine decent screencaps & screenshots for this fucking post or else i’ll get pissed again #(i am considering whether it is worth it to go to war with youtube) #special thanks to my bestie mor for being there for me at the gorey times and helping me find more screenshots #fucking love you bestie 💕💕💕💕 #also only including s1-2 bc i am tired and they are the ones where we get pendragon siblings not trying to kill each other #forgive me for always bringing up uther and the pendragon sibs’ upbringing with him it will happen again #also after hours of rereading transcripts and rewatching clips of bbc merlin: it is so obvious that uther cared and treated Morgana like hi #own child more than Arthur. like jfc he let’s her get away with so much stuff he is way for gentle with his words towards her #when he realizes that he was too cruel or rude like bro…..where tf was that for arthur #it just adds to the complicated sibling dynamic because there is the added jealousy and resentment of knowing a parent loved another more #literally most of Morgana’s time with Uther was her at odds with him and yet he views her as his child more #well no ducking dur that Arthur ‘i-would-do-anything-to-receive-my-father’s-love-attention-and-pride’ Pendragon resents Morgana for #always being the one Uther goes easier on and finds ways to turn a blind eye for like wtf #also during my research i was reminded of how done dirty Gwen’s story was by bbc #loses her father to a king fearful of magic barely gets to mourn him bc she now has to keep up the smithy and her maid job; reunites #with her brother who’s been AWOL for some years and still they don’t get a moment to talk about their dad and mourn TOGETHER #her storyline is pushed aside by s4 bc now she’s fulfilling the role of Arthur’s love interest and oh yeah they still need to incorporate #the lanceot/guinevere scandal and then banish her for some episodes without even letting her brother be mad about it like ????? #anyway #continued saga of fluffy rereading transcripts -> uther: ‘it’s been a long time since Ygraine…since anyone’ me: ducking liar >:( #[sir leon begins the slow clap] king you dropped this 👑IT IS 1AM HELP 😂 #place your bets on where my laziness for evidence came in! (I honestly don’t know lol scavenging evidence is all a blur) #spent 2 days on this post lol #me: ok i think that’s enough evidence for this argument…………ok maybe ONE more won’t hur— #me after day 2: ….am i done???? am i free???? #pendragon siblings coming behind me with a steel chair: nah mate! #me: FUCK THERE’S MORE #bbc merlin #merlin meta #pendragon sibs

[loupy-mongoose]

Aside from the kiddos, I don’t remember if the character ages were mentioned. It’s obvious that Randy is well established as an adult (you don’t exactly get to working with important biological research until you’ve got those Big Degrees), and the stress of Akoya’s postpartum coma pre-Mewification probably visibly aged his human self a bit, but I’m not fully sure how old his is at present or how old he was when he was Mewified. And the Mews operate at a different “clock” than humans since they rapidly mature to adulthood in only a few years but stay in their prime for a long duration of time, so maybe chronologic (exact time) vs physical (as in health, mentality, etc.) ages would make more sense for them? (If the ages to be revealed later in the story tho it’s okay I’ll be patient).

No, I haven't mentioned the adults ages publicly yet. I was waiting 'til someone asked, mostly because It doesn't really matter to the story aside from viewer curiosity. Or maybe it does, I don't know. Either way, buckle up! Time for a big ol' dump of character lore~. XD

Randy is 37, and was 29 (creepin' on 30) when he became a Mew. His birthday is August 11th. He was taken on as a sort of intern somewhere in his twenties, well known for his obsession with Mews. (I know that I've told at least one person privately that he's 38, but I'm backpedaling on that. He's 37 now.)

Akoya and Persim are a little harder to place because they were born in the wild with no calendar dates, so they have no noted birthdays. They are both in their early twenties, with Perzi being about half a year younger than Akoya. (Semi-related, when Randy first went to Akoya's island, he was 15 and she was about 1-and-a-half. Perzi was about 1 and was hiding from the humans, so he didn't meet Randy back then.)

And just because I like rounding it out; Lav is currently eight; her birthday is May 6th. The twins are three-and-a-half weeks as of this post; their birthday is February 28th.

Aaand, because I'm me and have WAY too much fun with this kind of stuff, I made a (probably unnecessary but still fun to make) chart.

EDIT: I made a boo-boo with the chart before. While mentally Lav is child-going-on-teen, physically she is actually barely an adult.

As a side note, I imagine it's possible for Mews to somewhat manipulate their age appearance, kinda like how Steven can in that one early episode of Steven Universe. Like, as a sub-skill of Transform. Generally though, their appearance takes the form of what they believe or feel they are.

There is an age-related thing that'll be expanded on later, but for now this is what we'll know.

#puzzled-zebra #ask #art #Babbies #This ended up being another rambler #I'm on a feel-good high after being sick! #Hopefully it's interesting to y'all #character lore #lore

[tvitr]

Sob Story

Part One

Words: 3,258

Synopsis: Iono invites Grusha onto Iono Zone to talk about his accident. Things do not go according to plan.

AO3 Version

Nobody really knew how it had ended.

It had been sudden, she knew that much. The press had only been able to report on “an accident”, one out on the slopes, which he’d been involved in somehow. Iono had attempted to follow the story to the best of her ability back when it happened, most girls her age had, but despite their efforts they'd been unable to find anything outside of what was being relayed to the press. Even now, years later, even after his failed return and subsequent retirement, he and his family still refused to talk about it.

Until now.

It had taken months of pleading, begging, Hell she’d even offered to pay him for an appearance, an interview, anything, until he finally agreed to do it. And he'd dismissed her, ignored her, told her his Galaric wasn't good enough for an interview on her channel, at one point he'd just straight up told her to fuck off and leave him alone, but she'd persisted. And her persistence had finally paid off.

"You ready to go live?" Her phone buzzed to life, hovering eagerly in front of the couch they were sitting on. The set was decorated in blue today, or as blue as her lights would allow. She'd been hoping to display photos documenting Grusha's career on her screens as well but… he hadn’t exactly been forthcoming with any preparations. At all. Honestly she was surprised he’d even shown up, he’d been that uncooperative. He’d even gone to the trouble of finding a shirt with the words “Under Duress” blazed across the front; according to him, it was the name of a heavy metal group he liked. Sure.

Grusha glared at her, not saying anything and just blinking in obvious annoyance, his face fixed in a hard, glowering scowl. She offered him a beam in return, tossing a cushion over his shirt (which he promptly tossed on the floor), and pressed record. "I'll take that as a yes."

The stream began.

"Ello, ’ello, hola! Ciao and bonjour!"

“Has anyone ever told you how annoying that is?”

She ignored him. “-And welcome back to Iono Zone, guys, you have no idea how happy I am for today’s episode, because today, we’ll be interviewing the one! The only!”

“Just introduce me already.”

“You can probably hear him already, it’s Grusha Ibáñez! Say hi!” The camera rotated to face him.

"Mhm."

Iono hastily directed the camera back to herself before it caught Grusha flipping it off. “And as you all know- why who could forget!- he’s on here to talk about the drama! The tragedy! The heartache!”

She posed dramatically with each beat, trying to ignore Grusha’s unamused glare as best she could.

“You saw his rise to fame, you saw his career unfold, but you’ve never quite heard how it all ended.” The camera dipped in close to her face. “Until today!”

“Your movements are gonna give me a migraine and I’m not even watching the stream.”

Iono not-so-subtly hit him with her elbow going into her next pose, resulting in an annoyed grunt. “It took a lot of pleading and begging and may have offered to pay him at one point, but he’s finally here, in the flesh-”

“God you’re loud.”

"-And he's here to tell us all about that mysterious accident of his-"

“Wait." He held his hand up in front of her face, practically forcing the camera to pan over and include him in the frame. "Which accident did you want me to talk about again? You never said.”

Iono giggled, turning her head to one side. "What do you-"

He continued, cutting her off again. “Because like, I’ve been snowboarding for over twenty years now you know, I’ve had more than a few accidents in that time.”

Iono blinked. This was… weird. "Yeah but, you said you were-"

He kicked back fully, splaying himself ungracefully over the couch. "I mean, my first accident was when I was about… I dunno, eight maybe. Saw someone do this really sick grind- you know what a grind is, right?- and thought to myself, 'hey I could do that'. Well I couldn't, and fell off and smashed two of my front teeth out. Never tried it again after that, which sucks because it's a pretty cool discipline. Probably could’ve gotten good at it if I actually tried harder, but I think my parents would’ve killed me after the first time. You should've seen the amount of blood there was."

"You know, that’s a really cool story, but-"

“Oh, and this other time I was out with Vish- you know Vishnya right? Yeah she's my sister- anyways, she challenged me to a race once, we must’ve been about… ten, maybe. I was winning the whole way down, suddenly something hits me up the back of the head and I fall down. Breaks my wrist. Turns out Vish had stopped to throw a snowball at me, well joke's on her because I still won. And she got grounded for a week too."

Iono faked a laugh. "That’s funny! But-"

"And then there was this other time-"

It was clear he wasn't going to be shutting up any time soon.

Guests going off script was one thing, but this was another beast entirely. Granted, it was nice seeing Grusha actually chatty and animated for once; when he'd arrived here earlier today, she'd resigned herself to having to deal with monosyllabic grunting and a face like thunder. Or as she called it, his default setting.

But still, chatty or not, this wasn’t what he was meant to be talking about. Or rather, not what he'd agreed to talk about anyway. She'd put in a lot of effort for today’s episode, last thing she needed was for him to not deliver.

Iono nudged his shoulder impatiently, smiling nervously at the camera. "I thought you were going to talk about your-"

"Yeah yeah, I'll get there in a minute." He waved his hand at her nonchalantly. "Oh! Okay so this one is a bit technical. So you have this ligament- you know what a ligament is? Well it's important, put it that way- so I really badly damaged this ligament in my right knee, like I absolutely fucked it up-"

"Hey! Don't swear!"

"-and had to get surgery on it, right before the Triple X Games too, honestly it was pretty terrifying looking back, I thought my career was done for-"

Iono perked up. Finally. "Is that why you had to retire? Because of your knee?"

"Hm? Oh fuck no, I still competed on it. Had to wear a brace, and took a pretty long break from training afterwards to let it heal properly, but I still competed. Came first too, hold on I have a picture somewhere-"

He rooted around in the envelope of photographs he'd brought, some spilling out onto the couch. "Ah, here it is."

As he flashed the photo of a much younger him posing with a huge snowflake-shaped gold medal and a revoltingly smug grin across his face, Iono turned her attention to her monitor. Chat was buzzing as usual, with messages barely on screen for a few seconds before being buried under the deluge. However, some messages jumped out at her before they flashed on.

“He’s just talking about a load of shite…” “Has she clickbaited us again?” “God, was Ibanex always this much of an asshole? The way he keeps interrupting her is so rude.” "*Ibanez" “Yeah he’s always been like this.” "LMAO he swears so much lol poor iono." “F this I’m leaving lol.”

Iono noted, with some alarm, that the viewer count was decreasing much faster than it was increasing. Hell, she was haemorrhaging views right now. She could already see the articles in front of her face, all the reaction channels accusing her of clickbaiting her audience again, as if getting an uncooperative guest was somehow her fault.

She turned back to Grusha.

"... So the thing is, when you hit a Greavard, they kind of just… explode into a pile of bones that scatter everywhere, but after a while they just fly back together again and it goes on about its day. Not saying you should deliberately try to hit them because it's kinda cruel and also you'll also fuck yourself up, like I broke my… think it was my left shoulder in this one, but I'm just saying that the Greavard will be fine eventu-"

"Okay, and that was Grusha everyone! Thanks for coming on the show, really means a lot to me, okay bye!"

She turned off the camera, drawing a deep breath before facing the offending ex-professional-snowboarder, who wore a knowing smirk on his face. This was deliberate. She could tell.

Asshole.

Perhaps she should have controlled her temper, but at this point she really didn't care. The camera was off now anyway, she didn't need to act cute any more. "What the Hell was that about?"

He smiled innocently. "What the Hell was what about?"

"Don't be dumb, you know exactly what I wanted you to talk about."

He held his damn hand up again. "No, you said 'talk about your accident', you never said which accident. I told you, I've had a few."

"You know exactly what accident I meant, stop being stupid." She gestured to her monitor with such flamboyancy her large sleeve almost knocked it over. "I promised them a bare-all interview about your snowboarding accident, and what do you give them? 'Oh this one time I hurt my knee but it's okay because it's fine now', and 'oh I ran over a Greavard once'. And now look what's happened."

That damned smirk. "What's happened?"

“They’re mad at me! They’re saying I clickbaited them, oh wait, do you know what clickbaited means?” She mocked his previous tone.

“Yeah, it’s what you do on a daily basis.”

"I do not!"

“Look," He held both hands up this time. That made a change. "I’ll confess and say I don’t exactly watch your channel like, at all. But I did check out your recent videos last night, I'm fairly certain you didn't actually manage to call-"

She huffed. "That was a joke!"

"Okay, maybe it was." His tone dropped somewhat. Iono wasn't sure she liked where this was going. "But do you really think my accident would look…, you know, appropriate alongside you pretending to phone cartoon characters as a 'joke'? Or what was yesterday's video about? You and Tulip eating a McMime's and talking about lipstick?”

Her face scrunched up. "What's that got to do with any of this?"

He looked directly at her, his eyes staring deep into hers with an uncomfortable intensity. Iono really didn't like where this was going now. “This just isn’t something I feel is suitable for your tone of videos, like this isn't something I joke about or take lightly, like this was…" His piercing gaze finally dropped, and his voice fell to barely above a whisper. "This was serious."

She waved her hand at him with a dismissive tut and a snort. "Oh come on, I've covered plenty of other people's sob stories on this channel and none of them cared about my other stuff. I'm sure yours would be fine."

***

Sob story.

Sob story.

Grusha had always assumed Iono was somewhat out of touch; the kind of terminally online womanchild unable to parse the difference between her social-media-addled bubble and reality, but part of him had been praying it was just an act. Just something she did in front of the cameras to seem "cute" (see: annoying), or "innocent" (see: stupid).

But apparently not. She really was that disconnected.

He reached into the envelope of photos he'd brought. He hadn't intended on bringing some of these photos along, Hell, he’d prefer it if he never had to look at them again. But he had a point to prove here. One he certainly cared more about than feeling a bit uncomfortable.

She wanted a sob story? Oh, he'd give her a damn sob story.

He found what he was searching for, facing it down so he at least didn't have to look at it himself, and thrust it at the still-jabbering streamer. The abrupt movement caught her off-guard, and she stopped talking instantly.

“What’s-” Iono's eyes narrowed.

He jostles it, turning his head away from her. “Just take it.”

There's a pause, before the photograph is snatched away. He hears her turn it over, her breath catching. Good.

“That’s me. The day after the accident.”

***

Iono knew the accident had been bad. That was one of the few things she'd been able to deduce from the sparse news articles back when it happened. They'd been vague, intentionally so she’d suspected, but there’d still been a graveness to them that she’d noticed even as a young teen.

Still, nothing would have prepared her for the photo she was currently staring at. The wires, the tubes, the oxygen mask, that terrifying looking cage around his head, if it wasn’t for his distinctive yellow-streaked hair then she wouldn’t have recognised him at all.

"I mean, I think it was taken the day after, I'm really not sure if I'm honest.” His voice caught her off guard almost, and she tore her eyes away from the photograph to look at him. His posture has changed drastically; earlier he was ungracefully splayed across the couch, his arms along the top and legs wide apart, but now he was… smaller. His arms were folded tightly to his chest, his foot bouncing rhythmically against the floor, and his eyes were locked straight ahead with a cold, hardened expression. A far cry from that smug asshole who’d screwed her over only a few minutes ago.

“What do you mean?”

He shifted. “I wasn't exactly… conscious for those first few days afterwards. I wasn’t in a coma or anything, I was just completely knocked out on painkillers and the like. I don't know what they had me on, but, well whatever it was, it was strong."

Iono looked back at the photo again, noticing that his eyes were indeed open, but they were sunken, dull, surrounded by huge grey rings, and his eyelids hanging heavy. Barely open. Barely awake.

Barely alive, even.

She shooed that thought away. He was fine. He was right beside her, after all. He was fine.

“You know, you’re probably the first person outside of my family who’s seen that photo.”

Iono furrowed her brows. “How?”

He inhaled deeply. "Well, it was intended to be a press photo. I'm not sure who took it, probably one of my parents since they didn’t allow any journos in. But they never released it, they said it felt… I can't remember the word they used, but they said it wouldn't be fair publishing it or something. So they wanted to wait until I was able to decide on what I wanted to publish."

"Did you publish anything?” Iono had a vague memory of seeing photos of someone famous in hospital back then. Maybe it had been Grusha. Maybe it had been someone else. She couldn’t remember the details now.

“Oh yeah, but like… way later. I wanted to at least be off the oxygen, which meant having to wait for my lungs to heal, and I also wanted to be out of the halo and back brace so I could sit up, and that took ages. Think I'd already started physio by the time those were removed."

Iono didn't know what "the halo" was, and something told her she was better off not knowing. Though looking back at the photo, she could maybe hazard a guess.

"There were some other ones too." He pulled a small deck of photos from the envelope, unceremoniously tossing them towards her. None of them were as harrowing as the first one, though some came pretty close. “Bet those would’ve been good for your stream, eh? Show them off for all your fans to gawk at.”

Iono flinched at his tone. He’s mad at her, he’s really mad at her, probably madder than everyone who’ll be accusing her of clickbait tomorrow combined, but there’s something else in his voice. Something that’s almost tempering the mad. Something…

Oh.

It sounded like somebody else talking when she finally spoke.“… I’m sorry.”

He didn’t react, his posture remained tense, his foot still bouncing against the floor.

“Like, really, I’m… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have made you do this.”

Still nothing.

“I-I can tell that this is like, really uncomfortable for you to talk about and I know why you didn’t want to do this, I shouldn’t have forced you into this, I’m so… so…”

Nothing.

“Please say something.”

***

Oh, how he wanted to say something.

He had a lot to say after all. Perhaps saying it out loud would finally bring him some closure, or acceptance over what happened. Perhaps it would just be nice to finally air his troubles, get it all out of his system, to just vent and rant and let everything out. His emotions had lay dormant for some time. Perhaps it was time for an eruption.

But, try as he might, he couldn’t. Even with his thoughts and temper racing, the words refused to come out, and his body refused to move. He didn’t know why. He certainly felt like letting loose, like venting all those years of frustration, taking Iono by her shoulders or the collar of that hideous coat she always wore and looking her dead in the eyes, and telling her everything.

The pain never really went away, you know. My back still aches from it, even all these years later. I sometimes struggle to bend over too. That's what forced me out of the pro scene, really. I couldn't make turns like I used to without throwing my back out. I also sometimes feel like I'm developing arthritis in my spine. My doctors warned me of that ages ago. Did I mention I'm not even thirty yet?

Do you know what else they told me? I had to get an operation to insert a rod into my back to keep my spine straight whilst it healed. They told me that when they cut me open, a piece of my spine just fell out. Right onto the floor. Apparently one of the younger ones cried when it happened. I don’t know how I wasn’t left paralysed, and I don’t think they do either. They called me a “walking miracle”. I'm not sure how I feel about that sometimes.

And remember Vishnya? You've never met her before, I know, but she uses a walker now. Used to use a wheelchair, actually. Because of the accident, of course. A lot of people forget she was there too, maybe because she wasn't as well-known as I was. Or maybe our parents wanted to shield her more than me, who knows. But she can't walk properly any more. She used to be so talented too, almost as good as me even, now she refuses to go near the mountains. I’ve tried telling her she can go para, but she wouldn’t listen. I guess it hit her harder than it ever hit me.

So that made two lives ruined that day. Hers and mine. How’s that for a “sob story”, eh?

Maybe it was for the best that he couldn't speak right now. Iono seemed to have learnt her lesson; she’d gone awfully quiet, aside from a few muffled gasps here and-

Wait.

“Iono…?”

#so. i made it into a full fledged fanfic lmao #pokemon scarlet and violet #gym leader grusha #grusha #gym leader iono #iono #pokemon fanfiction #my writing #i'm so down bad for that career ending injury trope you have no idea #pokémon #gym leaders #It was only a matter of time before this happened lmao #Grusha pokemon #Pokemon grusha

[be-netz]

a quick recap of the previous episode opens up this week’s show, reminding the audience of the twenty-odd idol hopefuls who have joined this year’s competition. it’s certainly a colorful bunch this time around with a few familiar faces peppered in among the crowd; do better plays in the background as the screen focuses on STEVEN and the winners of last season, now coaches for the new contestants, before bursting into the title screen and logo.

the scene shifts abruptly to the three judges, ceos YOON JIHUN and SEO RAN of studio delta and sr media respectively and YUNA, the face of lime entertainment. the trio sit at a shared table draped in a thick black cloth, elevated just slightly to give them a good view of a stage specially set up for this week’s evaluation, decorated in purple, teal, and pink like the show’s logo.

“who are you most looking forward to seeing?” yuna asks her fellow evaluators, hands clasped as she leans forward to glance over at both ran and jihun. 

“personally, i can’t wait to see more of HANGYEOL,” ran admits. a short clip of the contestant’s audition from last week and his subsequent first-place rank at the end of the episode plays across the screen. “he’s a talented young man and i have a feeling he’ll do well with this challenge.”

“actually, i think i’m looking forward to STEVEN,” jihun considers his words for a moment before continuing, “he’s already familiar with this type of mission, even though it’s a different song and dance from last year. i’m hopeful that he’ll show us a new side of himself this season.”

“since i asked, i should answer as well,” yuna smiles, “while i agree with both of you, i’m personally looking forward to seeing AHYOUNG’s performance. she has a strong personality and a lot of energy, so it’ll be interesting to see how that fits into the group.”

it’s no wonder that the judges are looking forward to the top three from last episode. they chatter for a few moments more before the talented emcee RHEE JIAN takes her position in center stage, ready to announce the first contestant.

ASAKURA TOUMA is the first contestant up, taking the stage shortly after a brief introduction from jian. the camera focuses in on his silhouette, silent except for the exaggerated sound of his breathing, as he waits for the music to start. just as it looks like the performance is about to begin, the scene abruptly changes to the very same contestant in the practice rooms provided for the NEXT GEN participants.

it seems that touma is quite the practice-bug, staying late hours in the practice rooms with KAITO and separately with HYUNKI, and stretching with JIHYUN. “i understand that i was doing more than i can chew, back then.” touma’s voice plays across a scene of him helping jihyun lean further into his stretch. “i’d like to think that i was able to balance things a bit more clean this time, focus on what i can do first.”

the scene fades back to the judges, their sharp eyes digging into the contestant even as the song has yet to start. “this will be… interesting,” jihun remarks. the two women remain quiet.

do better starts playing and the very first performance begins. touma is clearly enjoying the stage and while he starts strong with the rapping and his dancing isn’t bad, it’s singing where his performance begins to fall apart. the edit seems to highlight this, featuring every shaky note or slightly missed beat and making the boy’s performance out to be much worse than it may have been without the repeated cuts, replays of imperfect moments, or quick zooms into the slightest shake or wobble. 

even touma admits that he struggled; “it’s different from training,” he tells the camera, the scene suddenly cutting to the young man seated in a simple room. “i had to keep in mind the pitch and everything. i had to keep it stable while dancing too, somehow it’s easier with rapping.”

the performance comes to a close with an uncomfortable silence hanging in the air as the judges seem to collect their thoughts.

“i suppose i’ll start,” ran picks up her microphone and begins to address the contestant directly. “touma, i can tell that you took our advice to heart from last episode. we appreciate a trainee who’s coachable and applies feedback to their efforts, however…”

while ran seems at a loss for words, perhaps looking for a softer way to say what’s on her mind, jihun has no such delicacy. he takes over immediately: “just because we thought you were doing too much last time doesn’t mean you should have neglected your vocal training now.” he sighs, perhaps regretting that they were not more clear with their expectations, or that the contestants understood the assignment so poorly. 

“it’s a good thing that you can rap and dance,” yuna takes a more balanced approach to her critique, the carrot and stick method in a sense. “but for your sake, you should focus on learning to sing better. no matter how good of a dancer or rapper you are, the public will always perceive you as untalented if you can’t sing.” she speaks from a place of experience, her advice genuine.

there’s one last scene of touma in the interview room. “i’m happy i did it. i’m confident that i did my best, and i’m sure all my hard work will shine through somehow.” his optimism despite the rough critique is admirable. perhaps he’ll become a contestant to watch closely as the competition goes on.

“ah, well,” jihun sighs, “hopefully the next will be better.”

perhaps disappointed that the first performance was not a show-stopper, the judges moods brighten anyway as jian announces that CHOI HANGYEOL will be the next contestant on stage.

“mr. first-place,” yuna smiles warmly as the young man takes his place on stage. he bows politely and greets each of the judges.

“i’m sorry,” hangyeol announces, “i’m a little starstruck at the moment. thank you for this opportunity, and for your kind words of support from before. i’ll do my best to make sure you won’t regret them.”

“he speaks well,” jihun remarks, low enough that the contestant on stage can’t hear her just yet.

“he was working with my NAYOUNG this week,” ran informs the other judges, the scene shifting for a moment to show hangyeol and the trainee-coach in a practice room.

“how does it feel to have them say they want to sign you on day one? i'm pretty sure they didn't say that about anyone last season," nayoung asks her question of her student for the day, her competitive spirit obviously not at all dampened since her last appearance on television. 

humble as always, hangyeol’s response is as perfect as if written in a storybook: “it’s an honor, but one that i still feel like i need to earn.”

the scene shifts again, this time to just backstage as the young man stretches in preparation for his performance for the judges. a paper armband displaying his number one position wraps snugly around his upper arm, lest anyone forgets who wears the crown this week. suddenly, his arm flops down. “tsk…it’s heavy isn’t it? nobody tells you that part.” his tone is light, as if joking, but the viewer can read into the meaning behind it. first place is a heavy burden for a contestant to bear. will he live up to last week’s performance that earned him the title?

hangyeol once again seems to be a professional on stage. his mistakes are overlooked by the camera and the editors, zooming into his flawless expressions and sharp-yet-fluid movements which suit the heavy beat of the song well. it’s like it’s his personal music show… the captions praise him, the cuts suddenly looking very reminiscent of an idol performance as it cuts between different angles of the same performance. he’s stable, if a bit imperfect, but it’s clear that the powers that be behind the scenes are much more forgiving of their first number-one than they had been of the previous contestant.

all three judges clap their approval in a tiny applause as hangyeol finishes his performance.

“i’ll be honest,” jihun doesn’t smile, but he doesn’t look displeased either, “i didn’t expect you to be able to sing. you were surprisingly stable for someone who hasn’t done this before… have you?” he suddenly questions; it’s not out of the question that there may be small idols that disbanded or retired without the general public’s notice. 

“there were mistakes, but you never let them slow you down,” yuna nods her appreciation of the performance. “that’s hard to do, even for seasoned performers. it’s easy to get caught up on a mistake and make more because of it. your resilience makes you a stronger performer.”

“if i had one bit of advice to give, it would be to practice your enunciation more,” ran suggests, not unkindly. “your details with dancing are top notch, so i’d love to see the same attention given to your voice, whether you decide to pursue rapping or singing going forward.”

“good job, hangyeol,” yuna congratulates him, smiling warmly.

“if i can get yoon jihun himself to smile, i’ll consider it an accomplishment,” hangyeol’s voice is heard momentarily as he leaves the stage. for a moment, it seems as if his mission has failed. but after he’s gone, the tiniest upward curve is revealed on jihun’s lips.

“this is the part where i have to give you some not-so-good news,” jian announces to the judges, who frown as they listen to the emcee. “HAN YURA and MOON SOOYOUNG have both withdrawn from the competition for personal reasons. we wish the both of them the best of luck in their future endeavors and hope to see them on stage again soon.”

while the expressions of the judges don’t brighten they do give the two withdrawn contestants a round of applause to send them off of the show.

“with that, we’ll move on to our next contestant,” jian announces, “please welcome HAN JUEUN to the stage!”

the young woman walks out with a confidence rather uncommon among the contestants, which the judges pick up on immediately.

“she hardly looks nervous at all,” ran remarks.

“she doesn’t look nervous at all,” jihun corrects his fellow judge as all three stare down at the girl on stage.

“i’m pretty confident,” jueun herself confirms her aptitude for the stage, smiling at the cameras as she sits in the interview room. “with how hard i’ve been working, i don’t think i’m going to slip tremendously with this next ranking, at least.”

and she has been working hard; the scene cuts to the practice rooms, a montage of her sessions with various fellow contestants displayed. in each clip, she’s seen practicing a different skill, seeking advice from more experienced participants, and even giving advice of her own.

the scene settles on a moment shared between jueun and JIAYI, the two women talking together during a short break. “this whole thing is being televised,” jiayi reminds the other, followed by a confession, “i'm worried about that too, but i try to ignore all the cameras.”

“they’re kind of hard to ignore though, aren’t they? i mean, they are literally everywhere,” jueun laughs, perhaps betraying the slightest sense of nervousness with the sound. “but i’m trying my best as well.”

back to the present, to the woman standing confidently before the judges, and the music begins playing yet again. 

jihun notices something, though.

“she’s staring at me a lot, isn’t she?” he remarks. the women to his left and right have to stifle their laughter.

the performance wraps up and yuna is the first to speak this time. “you’re comfortable on stage, aren’t you? your expressions are good, and you didn’t look even a little bit nervous. do you have any acting experience?” she questions appreciatively, curious more than anything.

“like yuna said, it’s clear that you have experience on stage. i just can’t help but wonder why you seemed to only perform for ceo yoon?” ran’s tone is light enough, though her words more biting than typical of the soft spoken ceo. perhaps this is a sensitive spot for her. “yuna and i are also here, and also judges. picking one place to look is good for ballerinas who need to keep their balance while spinning, but performing to one person alone in the audience can make the rest feel a bit uncomfortable.”

“it’s clear that you practiced hard and put a lot of effort into this performance,” jihun shuffles the papers in front of him as he speaks. “your expressions are good and make for an engaging performance, but your skills could use a little more work. keep practicing, you’re doing well.” small words are a large compliment from the pickiest judge.

jueun is seen in the interview room one last time as her portion comes to an end. “i would love to see how much i grow skill-wise. i came onto this show like a blank canvas, and it’d be nice to see how colorful i become at the end!”

“HAN YUWOL,” jihun realizes who the next contestant is, echoing jian as she announces the next name. “he’s one of the odd ones, isn’t he?”

“this should be interesting,” ran agrees, though she appears to be more looking forward to this than jihun is.

the scene cuts abruptly to yuwol in the practice room, coach SEOJUN talking him through his session and addressing the contestant’s weaknesses as he approaches this challenge.

“i’ve never actually done any dancing before, much less performing dance,” yuwol admits. no dancing at all? certainly he has a daunting task ahead of him.

“i can help with that,” seojun assures his student, “i’ll do my best to having you knowing the whole routine in no time.”

the scene changes in such a way that it’s hard to notice that it’s a different time, a different person in yuwol’s company. it’s AHYOUNG now, abruptly pausing the music during their dance practice session. “enough!” ahyoung shouts, seemingly frustrated with the lack of progress either from herself or her companion. “i’m putting a random song on and dancing to that,” she proclaims. the camera focuses on yuwol’s face, taking in his reaction. 

“like we’re supposed to… freestyle it?” yuwol asks, as if it’s an entirely foreign concept to him. and, based on his discussion with seojun, maybe it really is.

how is he going to pull himself together for the judges? the captions drag out the tension, setting the contestant up for a disappointing performance if some miracle isn’t pulled off. the scene shows a few more seconds of awkward, stiff dance movements before fading to black. yuwol reappears on stage in front of the judges not a moment later. the young man takes a deep breath– is he also afraid of the results of his practice?

the poor thing. the cameras pan to the judges’ pained expressions as yuwol opens with an awkward rap, only made better by how the dance is somehow even worse. if ran and yuna try to mask their expressions, or at least soften them slightly, jihun does nothing of the sort. he frowns openly, disappointed with the performance before them.

an uncomfortable silence hangs in the air as the music concludes, the judges seemingly at a loss for words for a moment.

“yuwol,” jihun finally breaks the silence, “i think you know what we’re going to say. that just… wasn’t good. we thought you were a good singer in your audition, but we didn’t see any of that talent tonight. frankly, you have a lot of work to put in if you’re going to make it in this competition.”

“learning to dance is hard,” yuna tries to smooth over the harsh words of her fellow judge, giving the poor young man the benefit of the doubt. “it’s not something that can be done in a few days. i think you did your best to learn as much as you can in a short time. i can congratulate you on that.” somehow, even as she tries to find something nice to say, it falls flat.

“there’s nowhere to go but up from here, yuwol,” ran smiles, the kindest of the three despite the pity in her eyes.

the interview room makes another appearance, yuwol now seated in the center of it. “i looked… rather stiff, i’d be the first to admit that,” he confesses to the camera, “i’m new to all this, though that’s not an excuse… of course, it’s far from a perfect performance… there’s a lot to learn from it.”

“next,” jian’s lovely, smiling face takes over the screen after a brief pause in the wake of yuwol’s poor performance, “we’d like to welcome HWANG JINGREN to the stage!”

there’s not much preamble to jingren’s entrance to the stage. there’s only a short clip of him in the practice room, chatting with JAEYOUNG. “i don’t know if i’m any good. especially, considering how i ranked near the bottom,” jingren confesses, “i don’t have the natural beat at all.”

“everyone loves an underdog story,” jaeyoung offers encouragingly, “someone rising from the very bottom to the top. you have a whole arc ahead of you.”

will jingren rise or fall? 

as the music starts and the young contestant begins his solo performance, smiles are seen across the judges’ faces. the audio finally kicks in so the audience can hear what the judges do; a surprisingly stable voice, despite shakiness during the rap and imperfections in his dancing abilities. it’s not a winning performance, but it’s solid.

the judges applaud him regardless when he’s finished.

“to be honest, i wasn’t sure how this would go,” jihun confesses. “i was ready for another trainwreck on stage. you pleasantly surprised us, thank you for that. it wasn’t a perfect performance, but we can see your improvement already.”

“like jihun said, it wasn’t perfect. but we don’t expect perfection at this point. you’re all looking to become trainees, not to debut tomorrow. so i wouldn’t worry too much about being the best right now and just focus on continuing to improve your skills. you’re doing well, jingren,” yuna smiles through her feedback, encouraging the young hopeful before her.

ran is the last judge to speak, a little slow as she tries to find something to say that hasn’t already been shared by her peers. “it might be nice to see you enjoy the stage a little more,” she comments, “you looked a bit scared up there. i know this is all new and nerve-wracking but i’d love to see what you’re capable of if you can become a little more comfortable.”

“thank you, jingren,” jian congratulates the man on his performance as he’s ushered off the stage. “next, we’re excited to welcome HWANG YEJUN!”

“i like the way you dance,” it’s actually INHO’s voice that’s heard, the scene cutting to a practice room where the two young men rehearse together. yejun, the one on the receiving end of the compliment, looks flabbergasted more than anything. 

“thank you,” he sputters out.

the editors do him small favors to be a little more interesting, peppering the scene with rosy pink hearts and painting a picture of a practice room crush, at least on one another’s skills if not literally in a romantic sense. clips of yejun in practice, both in the main group classes, alone, and with inho and other contestants play in a short montage. and then, a clip of his singing voice, without dancing. he has skill, to be sure. will he be able to show it to the judges?

the camera catches his deep breath, the tremble of his hands as he stands before the judges.

“are you nervous, yejun?” ran smiles into her microphone. “it’s alright, we just want to see what you’ve learned.”

kind words can only do so much for the poor man’s nerves. but like it or not, the music begins regardless.

his nerves don’t completely disappear even as his performance starts, a shake in his voice and a wobble in his step even as he does his best to project confidence during his song and dance. that voice that was heard in the practice rooms lacks some of its power now, yejun’s energy split between singing and dancing. had inho been right to compliment the other contestant? yejun’s not terrible, but he may be his own worst enemy.

at least he hits the final note and pose, ending the song on a high.

the judges applaud for a moment before yuna is the first to pick up her microphone. “yejun, do you have stage fright?” she asks suddenly, “we could all tell you lacked confidence in this performance. you shouldn’t, you sing well and your dancing isn’t bad either. but when you make yourself seem so small, how are we supposed to react?”

“my trainees like you,” jihun adds. 

his commentary is interrupted by a clip of RENYI and DOHYUN discussing the contestants they’re supposed to be coaching. the camera shows yejun’s profile photo in renyi’s hand. “i think he’d be really good at a company that encourages his creativity, and we already know we get along well with him,” the trainee reveals the friendship he’s already fostered with yejun, though it’s yet to be caught on camera.

“i agree,” is all that’s heard from dohyun, though the cut is awkward as if he had more to say.

the scene returns to jihun, who has more to say: “but i don’t see why just yet. keep practicing and show us a better version of yourself next time. whatever it is your friends see in you, i’d like to see that too.”

“you’re here because we saw star potential in your audition, yejun,” ran cleans up the conversation kindly, unwilling to beat down a nervous contestant more than he’s already been beaten by himself. “i hope you’re able to show us that side again.”

yejun bows, utters his thanks, and leaves the stage. a gloomy atmosphere seems to hang in the air.

“well then,” jihun claps his hands together and leans back in his seat. “what do we have next?”

ITO SEIRA is the next contestant to showcase her skills, but before showing her on stage the screen cuts to the girl working in the practice room with HYUNKI. and then the screen splits to show her with JAEYOUNG. it splits again, now in quarters, to reveal her practice sessions with JIAYI and EUNWOL, and then into eight pieces with TOUMA, INHO, JIHYUN, and YUWOL, with the coaches CHAERIN, NAYOUNG, and SEOJUN, with JUEUN, STEVEN, and JORDAN.

the audio is filled with each time seira introduced herself to her fellow contestants, the voices multiplying clip over clip until it’s a whole chorus of introductions.

is there anyone who seira isn’t friends with? the captions suddenly question. it’s clear that the girl is quite the social butterfly, already befriending most of the contestants and half of the judges in the first week of practice alone.

“almost everyone was willing to help me,” seira appears in the interview room in the next shot, telling her story with a fond smile. “i was so surprised, nobody turned me away when i asked for help… we’re all in this together, we help each other. i don’t think there’s a single person i’m thankful for, i’m thankful for everyone, i hope people keep being willing to help, after all, this is a competition”.

and then, finally, seira appears on stage. the camera captures her bright personality, making it easy for the viewer to understand just how she was able to befriend the majority of the competition so quickly. “hello i am ito seira, my korean name is sunah, i am twenty-one years old, i’m thankful you’re willing to watch my performance, i hope you enjoy it!” the girl introduces herself, seemingly without so much as stopping for a breath.

“she must be a rapper,” the cameras catch jihun making the remark quietly to his fellow judges, who smile and suppress their giggles at the man’s rare attempt at humor.

the music plays again and very little is shown of seira’s performance, perhaps neither so good nor so bad that the editors felt the need to draw any special attention to any point of it. they are sure to capture the ending though, zooming in on the woman’s face as if an ending fairy in a music show. the camera catches the way she breathes heavily, despite trying to hide it.

“you’re a hard worker, aren’t you, seira?” yuna is the first to address the girl on stage, a fond smile on her lips. “we have staff report to us on your activities throughout practice as well watching your final performances, to see if you’ll be a good fit in any of our companies. i have to commend you for your collaborative efforts, even on a solo evaluation like this. it’s easy to get caught up in the competition but it seems that you have a knack for bringing people together.”

“you have some skill,” the ever-unimpressed jihun rubs his chin as he considers seira’s performance, seemingly undecided about his feelings on the matter. “you’re not perfect, obviously. you’re not debuting tomorrow. but there’s promise. and, as yuna so aptly put it, you have other talents that are just as important to have in an idol group. i think we’ll have to watch you more closely.”

“i heard you had a fall in practice, are you alright?” ran is the first to show concern for the contestant.

the scene suddenly cuts back to the practice room and seira’s practice session with JAEYOUNG. as they begin the dance, the girl somehow loses her balance and ends up flat on her back in the middle of practice.

silence fills the room for a moment, uncomfortable as if about to welcome in bad news to the wannabes working so hard.

jaeyoung breaks that heavy quiet; he laughs aloud. “how did you get on the floor like that?”

it turns out seira isn’t hurt, she’s smiling in return. “who knows? maybe i was adding breakdance into the dance.”

the screen returns to the evaluation stage and ran smiling warmly at the young woman before her. “i’m glad to hear you’re alright. please be careful when you practice, we’d hate to have to send you home due to any injuries. i’m excited to see what you’ll be able to show us next time.”

with those kind words, seira is dismissed from the stage.

"it wasn't exactly pleasant to see my name so close to the bottom," the scene fades into the next contestant, JANG HYUNKI, sitting in the interview room. clips from the previous episode play, the judges’ harsh words echoing over a clip of hyunki sitting quietly, as if haunting him like menacing ghosts. “it did make me want to work ten times harder to show everyone here and at home that i'm much more than what i showed in the audition."

will hyunki be able to show a better side of himself this time?

the scene cuts to the practice room, of hyunki and JUEUN standing in front of the mirror. "look,” jueun instructs him, “everybody knows you're a skilled dancer, but you've got to convince people that you're really feeling the music, and that involves using your face!"

hyunki, responding to her advice, straightens his posture and adjusts his face. “believable?” he asks.

“it looks like a customer service smile, if you know what i mean. your eyes are pretty much empty." jueun is honest with him, even if it’s not the results he probably wants to hear. 

as the pair continues to rehearse, hyunki’s voice is heard over the scene: "i worked exceptionally hard, and felt more confident this time around. i had the critiques to work off of and those all gave me a good starting point."

the scene changes again, this time to just backstage. SARANG is seeing the contestant off, playfully slapping his backside as hyunki steps up to take his turn on stage. "go kill it! one slip up isn't gonna kill you. you're gonna dominate this whole thing!" the trainee assures his student.

"all the coaches were super helpful," hyunki is shown in the interview room once more before his performance begins. "if i had to pick one, sarang's advice was probably most helpful for me this time around."

clips of sarang’s time on last season flash across the screen in a quick montage. if anyone could teach hyunki to be more expressive on stage, it would be mr. charisma sarang himself.

the camera pauses on hyunki as he stands on stage, building tension in the silence as he waits for the music to start. when do better finally starts playing, the young man begins moving, rapping, singing. it’s immediately clear that he took the criticism to heart; this performance blows his audition away entirely.

the song comes to a close and the young man bows, awaiting the judges’ response. all three are smiling, a much better sign than the last time they evaluated this contestant.

“well, hyunki, i feel like we owe you an apology,” ran begins, her smile wider than all the rest. “what you were able to accomplish in such a short time is a testament to your skill. we recognized your good foundation, but your ability to apply critique is unmatched so far. you worked closely with sarang? that was a good choice. he won last season for his charisma and stage presence, which was exactly what you lacked in your audition. excellent job.”

“i never regret my words,” jihun leans back in his seat, showing he’s impressed in his subtle mannerisms. “but you did make me eat them this time. you overdanced a little to the point your vocals suffered, but i can’t say you weren’t engaging to watch this time. good job.” rare praise from the strictest judge.

yuna pauses, smiling at hyunki before she speaks. “well done,” she congratulates him. “the audition was a bad time to have an off-day. i’m so glad to see we were right to bring you on the show, and that one off-day is not indicative of your abilities. i’m excited to see if you can continue to improve at this rate throughout the show.”

“great job, hyunki,” ran praises the young man again as jian gestures him off stage.

“he really did a one-eighty,” jihun murmurs aloud.

“did he actually impress you?” ran teases.

jihun shrugs. “maybe. maybe not.”

“i feel for whoever has to follow up that performance,” yuna remarks.

the lucky contestant is KIM ARA. a short clip of the girl stretching with KAITO in the practice rooms floods the screen. “next time, i’m going to bring my foam roller here too,” she announces, seemingly dissatisfied with the quality of her stretch without it. still, she bends in half easily, still having the breath and strength to chat with the other contestant even as she stretches. it’s clear that she’s flexible and a skilled dancer.

“i won’t be defeated by my placing,” ara tells the cameras in the interview room, suddenly reminding her that she’s fourteenth, rather low in the ranks. “but i will use it as fuel to further my ambition. there is room for me to improve and hopefully rise up.”

the girl is seen climbing up the stairs to the stage next, ready to show the judges what she’s prepared. 

the music starts and her flexibility in the practice room pays off as she reaches out to each movement in its fullest completion, never skimping or leaving a step incomplete even if the choreography is easy.

“i really did try my best to give a balanced performance and work on my singing,” ara’s voice is heard over the music just before the singing portion starts. and in the next moment, it’s her singing voice that’s heard through the speakers, surprisingly stable despite the dancing. her performance passes by quickly, the camera continuing to highlight the best parts of her dance ability, until the final pose is struck and she’s being greeted by the judges.

“ara, you did well,” yuna praises her immediately. “i wasn’t sure if you were going to sing well or not, but you even did well with rapping. i don’t think any of us expected that from you, so i want to congratulate you if you learned that well in such a short time or apologize if we overlooked your skill during your audition.”

“i do wish we saw a little more of your personality come through,” ran adds to yuna’s thoughts, “but honestly, it’s such a minor critique in the grand scheme of things. this was a solo performance but it felt like you were holding back a bit. it’s alright to be a little greedy in this stage. this is a competition, after all.”

jihun is quiet for a moment, collecting his thoughts. finally, he picks up his microphone. “i don’t think i have anything more to add,” he admits. “ran and yuna have more or less said it all. you’re very talented and we’d like to see what you’re able to do with this talent going forward. thank you.”

“we’re excited to welcome the next contestant to the stage, MOON JORDAN,” jian announces as the camera shows a brief clip of the contestant climbing up to the stage to take his position in the center. 

the scene cuts to jordan in the practice rooms, rehearsing choreography that’s distinctly unfamiliar. what is he doing? the captions question as the young man runs through movements that the other contestants certainly had not been doing. was he given a different assignment than the rest?

“i attempt to turn things into my own to make it fun and enjoyable for those watching me,” jordan tells the camera in the interview room, a sort of confidence in his demeanor even as he’s sitting there. some might find it attractive; others might find it cocky.

back to the present—or at least back to the stage and the performance in front of the judges. jordan’s performance begins the same as every other contestant, dancing, rapping and singing do better in front of the three people who will decide his fate in this competition. but, as he nears the end, something is different. it appears that jordan has added his own dance break, something that no one else has dared to do before. it’s a risky move; just how will the judges respond?

silence falls on the room as the performance comes to a close. the cameras pan across the judges who scribble notes down on the papers in front of them before they give their verdict to the young man before them.

it’s yuna who speaks up first.

“moon jordan,” she reads his full name off the paper in front of her. “do you have a problem with following directions?”

a hush falls over the room again. yuna has been kind, if a bit strict with the other contestants so far. her voice nearly shakes, as if she’s holding in her anger for the sake of all the people watching her through the camera right now. a veteran idol knows how to take care of her image, after all.

“this was a test of your performance skills so we could better evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. this was not a test of your creativity or an invitation to modify the song given to you. this song may not have been performed by anyone else before this group of contestants, but that doesn’t give you the right to change it on a whim.” she sighs, trying to relieve some tension. “you know you’re all expected to perform this together on mcountdown later this week, right? how do you expect to do that when you’re incapable of following simple directions?”

even ran looks rather displeased, though she lets yuna do the bulk of the scolding. this was a mission right up lime entertainment’s alley anyway.

“you should keep in mind that we’re looking to sign trainees from this competition,” ran’s words are phrased more as suggestions for improvement than yuna’s had been. “your performance skills are important of course, but we’ll also be teaching you to improve your natural talents throughout this competition and if you’re signed to one of our companies. your intangible skills are just as important to us. that includes things like teamwork and listening skills and your ability to take critique and direction.”

jihun, the scariest of the judges, is the last to speak. he’s silent for a moment, scowling at the young man in front of them. “i can’t say anything,” he finally raises his microphone to his lips. “you did not complete the mission assigned to you, you just made up your own. i can’t critique a performance that doesn’t even remotely fit the rubric that was given to you.”

perhaps the lack of comment is the greatest insult of all.

jordan is dismissed from the stage. the scene changes to a staff member approaching the contestant backstage, pulling him aside from the other contestants as they deliver a message from the judges.

“i’m sorry, but it’s been decided that you will not be performing with the rest of the next gen contestants on mcountdown this week. the judges’ decision is final on this.”

a camera hangs onto jordan’s face for a moment longer, displaying his reaction for the world to see.

a moment later the scene shifts to PARK AHYOUNG backstage, chatting with various contestants as she awaits her turn. a staff member taps her on the shoulder and lets her know that it’s her turn on stage. jian’s voice can be heard announcing the girl to the stage, but just after the camera watches ahyoung hurry off to her position it shifts to her in the interview room, speaking her mind.

"i guess i've never really danced before outside of like, the club,” the young woman shares, her words met with an uncomfortable silence after she speaks them. “i'm a great dancer in the club, don't get me wrong, but it's not really the same thing.”

the scene cuts to her practice session with YUWOL, the same that had been shown earlier in the episode. now, however, the camera focuses on ahyoung’s dance moves as the pair shake off their nerves with random dancing. how did you learn these moves…? the captions question, though no outright accusations are made.

finally, the camera cuts to ahyoung on stage before the judges. as the music begins, so does her performance, and the judges’ sharp eyes watch her every movement, their ears listening to every word, as they assess her performance.

she starts strong, as many of the contestants do, but as do better goes on, she seems to be losing steam. her voice becomes more strained and breathless, her dance lacks some of the energy it had in the beginning. the camera flashes to jihun for a moment, his stern glance as ahyoung’s heavy breathing is exaggerated on the audio.

as the song wraps up, the judges scribble down some final notes on the papers in front of them.

it’s jihun to speak first this time. “i think we may have rated you too highly based on your audition,” he admits a mistake, though only to point out the failures of the contestant in front of him. “let’s just say what you and i both already know; you lack endurance. if you smoke, quit now. work on cardio at the gym. you won’t survive this competition with your current condition. i’m saying this for your health.” he seems to attempt to extend some kindness, even if it’s still tough love.

“i’m more concerned with your work ethic, to be honest,” yuna frowns at the wannabe before her. “plenty of your competitors came in with little experience in dancing. they’ve improved their endurance a lot in the short time they’ve been with us. i think you’re taking practice too lightly. do you want to be here? or would you rather be at the club?” yuna becomes vaguely accusatory, perhaps a bit sensitive as an idol herself who has heard all of these criticisms before. maybe it’s better for ahyoung to hear them now from someone who genuinely wants to see her improvement instead of blasted a thousand times at her online by anonymous netizens who have nothing better to do but complain.

“you’re a naturally gifted performer,” ran starts with compliments, perhaps trying to soften the blow of her fellow judges before her. “you definitely shine and capture attention easily on stage. but that’s not enough past this point. please continue to improve your skills, you’re here because we saw your potential and we want to see how great you can become. thank you, ahyoung.”

the contestant is dismissed from the stage.

"i'm not gonna pretend i'm an expert, but i had fun.” ahyoung tells the camera in the interview room. it almost seems like she didn’t take the judges’ criticism to heart at all…

“up next, we’ll be watching the performance of RYEO JIHYUN!” as jian announces the next contestant up to the stage, the camera cuts to jihyun climbing the steps and waving to the judges with a smile, a confidence in his movements even as he approaches what’s likely the most nerve-wracking part of this competition so far.

“why are you even here?" the scene cuts suddenly, TOUMA and jihyun in a practice room stretching together as they prepare to run through the dance again. the camera seems particularly interested in touma’s question, however. it seems a bit inflammatory, bordering on accusatory. is this a rivalry budding already? touma sighs. "is this a side gig to you? are you here to feel something again?" neither is a very charitable interpretation of jihyun’s participation in the show.

“can you guess which is right then?” jihyun retorts, seemingly not giving an answer to the other contestant. at least he can handle himself well without starting a true altercation, verbal or otherwise.

“there was some fear and guilt that was lingering at the back of my head.” the scene cuts to jihyun in the interview room quickly. is touma bullying other contestants? the accusation is never verbalized or written anywhere on screen, but the viewer may start to get a sense of the story that’s being told here.

regardless of backstage practice drama, jihyun takes the stage anyway. his performance begins and jihyun seems to capture the spirit of the song well; tough, fighting for glory and recognition, and unafraid of anyone in the room, yet still having fun with every step. maybe his supposed spat with touma had helped him find his attitude for the performance. he’s captivating on stage regardless, almost sensual in the way he moves.

but the illusion of the competitor is shattered at the very end when jihyun sends a heart to the camera instead of maintaining the same persona he had for the entire duration of do better.

a laugh bubbles up from the judges without their permission, both jihun and ran having to cover their mouths to try to stifle the giggles. yuna just smiles, though it’s obvious she’s also amused.

“what happened at the end?” jihun questions immediately, too amused to think about anything else. “you spent the last three minutes convincing us that you were really here to ‘do better’ than all the rest of the contestants… and then ending with aegyo?” it appears that jihyun has not yet earned his way out of the ‘strange crowd’ among the contestants. “i’ll be honest with you, it ruined the performance. it doesn’t matter how well you sang and danced, all i’ll remember is feeling like you played a joke on us at the end. staying strong and following the mood for the entire song can make a performance. in this case, it broke.”

“aside from the heart,” yuna picks up her microphone next, “your rap skills are… well, they’re lacking. while not every idol needs to be an all-rounder, it is important to have some foundations in all skills. if you debut as a soloist, it allows you to release a more diverse portfolio of music. in a group, it allows you to fill in for a member if a situation should occur that demands it. you may not enjoy it, but i still recommend developing your basics better in the future.”

ran smiles warmly at the contestant before speaking. “first, i’d like to apologize for laughing. that was unprofessional of us, but you did take us by surprise. i didn’t think i could still be surprised like that,” she admits. “you’re already showing signs of improvement, but i think we would have liked to see a bit more from you this week. i don’t think we saw anything surprising, like your skills didn’t improve so much from the last time we saw your perform that there’s much to talk about. please continue to practice and improve. you’re here because we want to see everything that you’re capable of.”

“thank you, jihyun,” jian announces his departure from the stage.

“it was something relatively new to me,” jihyun admits to the interview camera, “i think i did quite well for my first time, and i’m satisfied with it. but of course, i’m not stopping at just being satisfied. i’m going to be even better the next time and come back with an improved version of myself.”

the camera flashes to touma’s face for a moment once more, gauging his reaction to his supposed rival’s critique and response.

“RYU INHO?” the scene cuts to the next contestant quickly, CHAERIN calling out a contestant’s name from a clipboard in front of her as she meets some of the participants she’s in charge of. "is this your first time singing and dancing at the same time?"

"ya, noona, so formal," inho starts joking with her immediately, obviously comfortable with the coach far more quickly than his fellow participants had been. is his familiarity disrespect to the young woman in charge of helping him grow?

he does admit it, though: "i'm not much of a dancer at all, let alone singing and dancing at the same time."

cutting to the interview room, inho addresses the camera. "i wasn't expecting such a high ranking," he admits, but then after a short cut to remind the viewer of inho’s fourth-place ranking, he issues a promising statement: "i plan on continuing to do what got me there in the first place. that is giving everything i do my absolute best effort, and then some. alongside ensuring i use my resources, such as the coaches.”

oh, so is the young man trying to schmooze with the coaches? the editing certainly seems to imply such.

chaerin, seemingly only slightly ruffled by his overfamiliar greeting, clears her throat and looks down at her clipboard again. "have you memorized the choreography, at least?" she steps toward inho, not backing down in the slightest, her brow knit together in concern. chaerin, at least, is all business.

the scene cuts to a different time and place, now with inho and SEOJUN. again, inho greets the coach with unprecedented familiarity: "didn't expect to see you here. how have you been? it's been a while."

seojun makes no attempt to hide the friendly relationship he apparently has with inho. "didn't expect to see you here either," he responds amicably, “i've been good. busy since i've been training a lot. glad i get to see you again."

the scene cuts abruptly again to seojun in the interview room this time. “would it be biased if i mentioned inho?” he asks.

yes, it most certainly would be.

at least the cameras don’t do anything further to damage inho’s reputation on the show, cutting away again to the young man taking the stage in front of the judges. his smile is confident, cocky, as if already in character for the performance he’s about to give.

the music starts; inho dances, raps, and sings. there’s moments when the camera catches that confident smirk fading from his face, unable to remember to hold it throughout the performance. it catches the moments where he pauses and catches his breath; while it’s in the choreography, the heaviness of his breathing almost becomes distracting. his voice stays stable for the most part, and the raps are decent from a contestant who doesn’t have a ton of experience in this area.

inho is gasping for breath as he holds the final pose. the judges furiously scribble notes down in front of them, capturing their last thoughts for when they have to rank all of the contestants later.

“inho, i think you also need to work on your cardio,” yuna half-teases the contestant with a smile on her lips. “i was disappointed in your performance not because of your skills, but because i felt that your breathing distracted me from your abilities. ‘ah, if only he had the strength…’ that sort of feeling.”

“you sing well and your rap and dance wasn’t bad,” ran compliments the contestant, “especially for your first time attempting these things. but you’ll have to work harder to maintain your position in this competition. there are so many talented participants this season… it’s not enough to only be a good singer anymore. i hope you can improve quickly.”

jihun is the last to leave his remarks: “taking advantage of the resources offered to you is good. however, i’d be more careful to watch your image,” he advises on the content the coaches have seen of the practice sessions rather than the performance in front of him, which the other judges had already covered well. “please be sure to mind your manners with our trainee coaches. even if you’re friends outside of work, it’s important to give them the proper respect in our buildings and in front of your fellow contestants. they’re trying to help all of you improve, so they need to be taken seriously.”

“otherwise, your performance was mediocre. i expected better.” jihun shrugs.

inho is dismissed from the stage just after, the cameras following him to capture the initial reaction on his face to the judges’ critiques.

“RYU SIWOO is next,” ran reads from a cue card in front of her. “wasn’t he the one with all of the luxury brand clothes?”

the camera cuts to siwoo in the practice room, somehow still wearing luxury clothing items as the camera identifies the sweat-soaked t-shirt he’s wearing as ralph lauren. 

a disembodied staff member’s voice is heard behind the camera in the interview room, the cut trained on siwoo and his reactions as they ask the question: “you were introduced as someone who comes from money and luxury brands. how do you feel about that?”

siwoo pauses uncomfortably, seemingly put on the spot. “i’m…thankful for the interest,” he words his response carefully, “i’m really interested in fashion and i like to dress up a little. so i guess they aren’t completely wrong.”

he seems to address the camera a little more directly in his next statement: “i’m a lot more than just that though. i hope it shines through on the show.”

and just what does he show? the scene cuts to he and NAYOUNG in a practice room, the trainee coach trying to help him learn do better and perfect his performance.

“fix your posture,” nayoung barks orders like a drill sergeant. “stand up straight and keep your head straight as you sing. it'll support your diaphragm and make this easier." she seemingly has an endless tirade of critique for his performance. the editors animate a hammer dropping on siwoo’s head. this is almost as tough as the military… the captions read.

but nayoung wouldn’t say such things unless the critique was warranted. the next several seconds play several of siwoo’s failures and shortcomings and nayoung’s quick corrections, her words as sharp as a whip as they lash out at every little mistake that her student makes. is siwoo really more than the money and luxury he comes from? at least he seems to take the critique well.

the scene cuts to the stage, siwoo already introduced by jian and ready to begin his performance. while he may seem a bit nervous in the beginning, he’s smiling by the end. there’s mistakes in his performance and he’s breathing heavily like many of the previous contestants; maybe nayoung wasn’t harsh enough on him.

“siwoo, do you think you can get by on looks alone?” jihun rips into the contestant early, not pausing for more than a moment before tearing into his performance. “i heard that you worked closely with the coaches, but i doubt that any of them would have let you come on stage with a performance like this. please take advice from the song next time; do better.”

“ah,” ran seems a bit taken aback by jihun’s harsh words. he’s not incorrect though. “this is still a bit unfamiliar, isn’t it?” she tries to sympathize, “you don’t look like you’re enjoying being on stage. when you smile, it looks like it’s just something you think should be done rather than something you’re actually feeling. even if you don’t like the song, you should be trying to make your audience fall in love with it. convince us that it’s the best thing ever, even if you secretly don’t agree. it’ll make you a better performer.”

yuna frowns into her microphone. “this choreography was rather simple, but you still struggled to execute it. i understand we’re trying to move quickly through this competition, but please do not neglect your basics. strong fundamentals will help you move farther down this competition than quickly learning one dance and forgetting about it immediately afterwards. this goes for your singing too.”

just as it seems that the judges are about to dismiss siwoo, jihun suddenly adds one more complaint: “also, what’s wrong with the name NEXT GEN?” he accuses the contestant.

the scene changes, giving context to jihun’s words, as it brings up a practice room with JAEYOUNG. “i was just thinking about the name next gen,” siwoo complains, “an idol survival show called next gen. who comes up with these names?”

the cameras cut back to siwoo before the judges, jihun’s arms folded crossly in front of his chest. “i thought we made it clear that we’re looking for the talent to lead the next generation of kpop. you might want to decide if you really want to be a part of that.” there’s a subtle threat to jihun’s words; disrespect the judges and face the consequences.

siwoo is finally allowed to exit the stage.

the scene cuts to the next contestant and, coincidentally, the very same as the young man siwoo had been complaining about the name of the show to: SONG JAEYOUNG. jaeyoung starts in the interview room, a disembodied voice questioning him from behind the camera. “you didn’t seem very happy with your current placement,” a soft feminine voice remarks.

“yeah, i’m not,” jaeyoung scoffs, “but that’s not surprising, is it? it’s not a very good ranking, all things considered.”

a quick reminder that jaeyoung placed sixteenth out of twenty-one total contestants last week plays across the screen.

“what did you find challenging during training?” the same voice asks him.

jaeyoung’s answer is unhelpful. “a bunch of things,” is all he says.

to try to shed some light on his practice experience, the camera cuts to jaeyoung and JUEUN practicing together. during a quiet moment, jueun strikes up conversation.

“i heard you’re good at spinning things,” jueun asks, “can you spin this?” she hands him a water bottle.

“i swear, people will only remember me for that now,” jaeyoung appears in the interview room once again, clearly annoyed with the question his fellow contestant had asked him.

"it's funny that that's what's making rounds and not the performance itself,” he responds just as wryly in person as well, though he ultimately takes the bottle to demonstrate his unique ability. “jueun. this is for you…” he somehow still sounds sarcastic.

and, frankly, the cameras focus more on jueun’s reaction than they do on jaeyoung.

little else is shown of his practice sessions before jian is announcing jaeyoung’s name on stage, inviting the competitor to begin his performance for the judges. his introduction is short, though maybe that’s for the best considering how hostile all of his moments in the interview room have been thus so far. instead, he wastes no time showing his performance.

jaeyoung is a little different from the other contestants. while there’s others also proficient in rap, he spits the words out with a particular kind of venom. the words seem like a challenge, like an attack on anyone who dares to critique him.

the performance is cut midway to the interview room again. “do you think you did better with this performance?” the same disembodied voice asks.

“i put my all into it, that’s what i can say,” jaeyoung responds, “i danced, i sang, i rapped. it’s not easy, anyone here can tell you. but i wanted to make sure people hear; that i’m not just yelling.”

it cuts back to his performance, where it does very much seem like he’s yelling as he sings and dances, his perceived anger boiling over in the face of the judges. jaeyoung bows at the end of his performance, punctuating it with a polite gesture at least.

“you certainly have spirit,” ran decides to speak first, cutting off jihun who was reaching for his microphone first. “and passion is so necessary in this industry, it’s good to see. i do think your performance was a little… intense for this song. we want you to do better like the song says, but it shouldn’t sound like you’re declaring war either. if you could work on your balance in your performance the same way you’re able to balance things on your fingers to spin them, you’ll be able to really shine in front of us.” ran, as always, advises kindly.

jihun is never nearly as kind. he’s ready to jump in and say his piece before yuna can also stop him. “you need an attitude check,” he condemns the contestant in front of the panel immediately. “you’re not the best contestant here. you’re just not. so instead of complaining about your rank, do something about it. being angry at us and our staff will not change your performance. if anything, it’ll make your life harder here. i’ll tell you the same thing i tell dissatisfied trainees: you can get with the program or get out.”

an uncomfortable pause falls over the room as yuna attempts to pick up her microphone and say her own advice and critique. that is, assuming jaeyoung and his supposed hot temper will still listen to anything after being scolded by jihun.

“one of the most important traits a trainee can have is their ability to accept critique,” yuna tries to explain. “it feels like you lack that ability right now. until you’re able to hear us with an open mind, there’s nothing we can do to help you improve.” she keeps her feedback short, turning her mic off and placing it on the desk in front of her as soon as she’s done.

jaeyoung marches off stage as soon as he’s dismissed. the judges don’t look worried about whether they’ve offended him or not, though the atmosphere still seems tense even in his wake.

“i don’t know about you, but i could use a break,” ran suggests to her fellow judges.

jihun shakes his head. “we’re almost done here. let’s just hope our next performer is a breath of fresh air.”

they watch as jian introduces SONG JIAYI and welcomes the young lady to the stage. jiayi smiles brightly to the judges as she takes her spot on stage. but the performances never start so quickly. instead, the viewer is taken back to jiayi’s time in the practice room, working with JINGREN. the pair are talking in a different language, mandarin based on the chinese flags that suddenly appear on screen around them. are they keeping secrets? are they gossipping about their fellow contestants?

after a few comments back and forth, the broadcast finally replays them with subtitles in korean.

“you seem to be a natural at catching on to the choreography compared to me,” jingren compliments the woman.

“i’ve always been a dancer,” jiayi explains with a rather vain flip of her hair. “i’m confident i’d do it perfectly.”

the cameras show jiayi in the interview room, now speaking korean with the staff asking questions from behind the cameras. “i have to rank myself number one until proven otherwise,” she tells the staff confidently. 

she seems to have a bit of an ego… the captions spare no moment to criticize the woman’s confidence. however, it’s only empty boasting if she’s unable to back it up with her actual abilities. the scene shifts back to the stage in front of the judges and jiayi’s confident smile. "i practiced long and hard to show the judges something i'm proud of.” her voice echoes over the image of her meeting the judges’ eyes.

the music begins and it’s clear immediately that jiayi’s confidence in her dancing is not completely unfounded. she’s sharp, precise, and fluid when the movements call for it. where it begins to lack refinement is in her voice. yuna had called her voice weak in the previous episode, and it seems that that critique comes back to haunt jiayi even now.

at least her breath control is decent. by the time she’s wrapping up the song, she’s not half as gassed as some of the previous contestants had been.

the cameras cut to the judges, who don’t look nearly as frustrated or upset as they had been when giving feedback to the previous contestant. jihun may not be smiling and ran may smile even when she’s upset, but the smile on yuna’s lips tells the viewers all they need to know about the atmosphere at the judges’ table.

“jiayi, you’re right to be confident in your dancing,” yuna begins, addressing the girl rather frankly. “you clearly have a strong foundation there and there’s not much for me to say. but your voice is still lacking. work closely with your vocal instructor for the next challenge. just like your body, your voice is a muscle that needs to be trained and exercised. since you haven’t done that much before, it’s not going to develop overnight. but keep working at it diligently to improve.”

“just because you’re a good dancer doesn’t mean you’ll make a good trainee or idol,” jihun gives his critique much more harshly, as per usual. “do you want to be a backup dancer or an idol? listen to yuna and follow her advice, or else your future will be at the back of the stage supporting the main show.”

“be nice,” ran chides jihun gently, seeming to think he crossed a line with his latest criticism. “jiayi, you’re a beautiful girl and an excellent dancer. as yuna and jihun have said, that’s only half of what you need to be an idol. the good news is that there’s still time to work on the other half. we enjoyed your performance and i can’t wait to see you continue to grow.”

ran leads all three judges in a round of applause as they release the girl from the stage.

“up next we’d like to welcome back a familiar face,” jian announces from her spot in the center of the stage. “back again to chase down his dreams of being an idol, please welcome STEVEN PARK!”

a shaky smile from the young man floods the screen before fading away to a short recap from last season’s appearances. steven had been a little… unrefined at that point, to put it lightly. he joked around in practice, he never took anything too seriously. ultimately, it had been his downfall and the reason he was removed from the show before the finale. and despite the humiliation, the harsh words from the judges, and not even making it to the end let alone earning a chance at a contract, he’s back. not only is he back, but he took third place in the last episode. has steven park turned over a new leaf after all?

“i kinda missed the grind,” steven’s voice is heard as clips of him practicing with the new group of contestants flicker across the screen.

a voice is heard from behind the camera as steven sits in the interview room. “compared to last season, do you think you’ve improved enough?”

“i’d like to say that i have,” steven smiles.

the scene cuts to the judges briefly as they wait for the young man’s performance. they had already mentioned looking forward to him once; will he surprise them? or will it be the same old steven park who they had to eliminate last year?

“ah, finally,” yuna smiles as she watches steven take the stage. “he looks a bit nervous… good.” one might think that she wants to terrify the young wannabes if they didn’t know better.

“be on your best behavior in front of the cameras,” another flashback to the practice rooms shows steven with JUEUN, the latter receiving advice from the more experienced contestant on this show. he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “i’m not sure how great of tips i can give you… i didn’t last a long time here.”

steven’s performance finally is set to begin. the camera focuses in on him, capturing the slightest twitches in his expression that betray his anxiety. he’s taking this more seriously than he had last season, that’s immediately apparent. the music starts, and steven begins.

“he dances well,” ran murmurs to her fellow judges midway through the performance, the cameras suddenly picking up on her instead of focused on steven. “but he’s not making eye contact with any of us, is he?”

the other two judges shake their heads to confirm ran’s assumption.

steven is a talented dancer, that’s for certain. he controls his movements well, leaving himself with enough energy to breathe (and therefore sing and rap). “i think i could have probably worked a little more on the vocals,” his voice is heard over the dimmed sounds of his do better performance for a moment, before the original audio turns up again and the shakes and instability in steven’s voice can be heard more clearly by the audience now that they’ve been pointed out. he succeeds in finishing  the performance though, and the judges remain quiet as they wait to dole out judgement.

“steven,” jihun begins, the slightest smile tugging at his lips, “are you afraid of us?”

a chorus of giggles goes up from the judges. of course steven is nervous around them, who wouldn’t be? perhaps steven doubly so after his previous experiences. 

“you should know that we’re only hard on your when we think you’re not living up to your abilities or when you need a little tough love to reach your potential. there’s nothing for us to scold you about right now.” the man smiles a little more openly, suddenly softened in front of this contestant. “in fact, you did really well. it would have been nice if your voice had improved more since last season, but we can work with that.”

“congratulations on getting a compliment out of jihun!” ran exclaims, acknowledging that this is a major accomplishment for the man on stage. “those were probably the best words we could have told you, weren’t they? it’s true, we can tell already that you’ve matured a lot since we last saw you. however… i wish you weren’t so afraid of us.”

a short clip replays of every time steven had looked toward the judges but never quite at them, always above, below, or to the side of where they were actually sitting. the avoidance seems painfully obvious in the compilation.

“remember that until we invite others to sit in, we are your audience. you’re performing for us, so you should try to connect with us or… at least have the confidence to look at us. you’re a good performers when you’re focused, steven. i’d like to see you shine.” ran smiles warmly, hoping her advice is taken to heart.

yuna is the third and final judge to speak. “as a final word of advice, i’d try to keep in mind that you are the single most experienced contestant on this season. the others may start looking to you for leadership and guidance. try not to shy away from this opportunity; you’ll have more chances to shine by helping the people around you grow quickly as well. and it’s good to see you again, steven,” yuna smiles herself. 

it seems the judges have laid aside their past perceptions of steven and are looking forward to what he can show on this season. the three whisper and nod approvingly among themselves as they prepare for the next contestant. 

“up next is YAMAMOTO KAITO,” jian announces, but rather than show the contestant on stage the scene shifts instead to kaito in the interview room.

"what was the greatest challenge during this mission?" a voice from behind the camera asks him.

"i think that the greatest challenge was probably pushing myself too hard,” it may sound like a humble brag from kaito, but clips of him practicing until the wee hours in the morning, only to return nearly at the crack of dawn the next day fade into the screen, still overlaid with his own voice. he’s seen at different times with TOUMA, INHO, and ARA. “i tend to overwork myself when it comes to various things, in this case practicing and not being completely satisfied with my personal results."

the scene is overtaken by a particular practice session with TOUMA. it’s late, based on the quick cut to the clock on the wall, but things seem to running well as the two young men run through their rehearsal of do better again. it all comes to a halt as kaito makes a mistake, cutting himself off with a loud groan and kicking the air in frustration. “seriously!” he shouts out his frustration before turning to touma apologetically. “one more time…. just…. one more…”

kaito’s exhaustion is clear. from the way his shirt is soaked with his own sweat to the dark circles under his eyes, it’s hard to miss. touma picks up on it too, if the short temper tantrum hadn’t been enough to signal something was wrong. 

“this is a pretty good place to stop, i think,” touma suggests, laying a hand on kaito’s shoulder gently, “you did a lot already, you can pick it back up another day?”

“touma actually I've known for a while now.” the scene cuts back to kaito’s interview. “he's one that really helped when i was pushing myself too hard, again, and helped me realize that i needed a break before i ended up probably passing out, or worse." 

back in the practice room, kaito has to acknowledge touma’s suggestion. “maybe you’re right…” he admits.

“you’re already doing great. you’re getting fluid!” touma encourages his friend. “take a deep breath.” 

you’re already doing great, kaito! even the captions cheer him on with soft sound effects, trying to ease the young man’s pressure on himself.

“i just feel like i could be better. you know?” kaito confesses aloud and surely the other contestants can relate. so many of them must feel the pressure as the competition is kicking off with such a difficult challenge, and the looming threat of a live performance.

"i'm actually really confident,” kaito tells the camera once more, “with the amount of practice that [i] put in i'd like to say that i did the very best that i could.”

the scene cuts to kaito standing on stage before the judges. the camera catches his deep breath, perhaps the only thing betraying his nerves, as he waits for the music to start. and kaito’s practice does pay off; he dances well, though his singing and rapping struggles some with the sheer amount of effort he puts into his movements. he’s breathing heavily by the end of the performance, not unexpectedly, and the judges give him a short round of applause as he’s finally able to relax and prepare himself for their feedback.

“you’re really fun to watch perform, kaito,” ran begins with a smile. “you look like you’re genuinely enjoying every minute on stage and that’s always a pleasure for the audience to watch you do what you love. i do think your singing needs some attention. we can tell you worked hard, but i’d like to see you improve further moving forward.”

“we heard that you’re quite the practice bug,” yuna takes over next, “and it’s great to hear that you’re taking this competition seriously. it’s what we want to see from our contestants. but we don’t want to see you get hurt. things will only get more challenging from this point onward so please be sure to keep yourself healthy even as you’re rehearsing. we would hate for you to have to exit the show early due to injury or illness.” the judges seem genuinely concerned for the participants’ health.

jihun is the final judge to speak, his words never overly kind or as soft as those that came before him. “ran saying you need to work on your singing was an understatement,” he’s as harsh as always. “even rappers need to be able to understand how to carry a tune. while the future will allow you to play to your strengths more, please do not disregard practicing your vocal fundamentals. they’ll only help you as a rapper as well.”

“great job, kaito,” ran congratulates him once more before he’s dismissed from the stage. “i like him,” she tells her fellow judges once he’s out of sight. yuna smiles her approval, though jihun only frowns.

“our final contestant performing today is YOON EUNWOL,” jian announces from the stage, drawing the judges’ attention back to the next contestant up.

the scene shifts to a practice room, eunwol sitting by himself as other contestants practice nearby. is he hurt? he seems to be fine, physically. but a rather forlorn expression on his face seems to betray that there’s more going on in his head that meets the eye. 

“my greatest challenge?” eunwol is seen in the interview room. “working with others, acquaintances and strangers. well not strangers, fellow contestants, challengers. i’m not sure what we are called.”

is it awkwardness that keeps him from interacting with others? thankfully, there’s a social butterfly ready to help everyone out at next gen. SEIRA approaches eunwol with a smile. “wanna go over the moves with me? i keep forgetting them,” she offers.

"are you sure you want my help? i didn't place high and blanked," eunwol’s self-deprecation doesn’t cease even in the face of next gen’s friendliest participant. “i am currently debating with myself about walking out that door. i don't belong here." 

the editors leave an awkward pause between eunwol’s confession, before seira has a chance to respond. she’s determined not to be rejected, though. “last year’s season, the person who originally placed last made it all the way to the final,” she smiles warmly again, “who says you don’t belong here? do you know how many people auditioned for the show, and only twenty-one made it, you passed the auditions, you deserve to be here”.

it seems to convince eunwol enough and the two begin to work together, seira helping him to feel more comfortable in this competition through being the one to ask him for help.

eunwol survives, despite the hardships, and finds himself standing in front of the judges for his performance. the three wait patiently for the music to begin again; they may very well be sick of hearing do better after about twenty times today.

the music begins, and it’s clear very quickly that eunwol has taken a different approach than many of the others. a cut back to the interview room, and the young man explains himself: “well i’m not sure if it will work, but i did try and be cute,” he tells the cameras. the scene cuts back to his performance and the movements he modified to fit his vibe better. the performance plays in its entirety uninterrupted, not once betraying the judges’ reactions to the rather bold choice until it comes to a close, eunwol smiling brightly as he holds the final pose.

a pause takes over the room as the judges frown into their notes.

“eunwol, what about do better made you think that it was a cute song?” jihun wastes no time with his criticism. “this is a solo performance, but keep in mind that you’ll be performing this with a group very soon. we’re here to evaluate your performance skills but you covered them up with your cutesy act, so i’m forced to believe that you’re actually quite lacking. is that the message you meant to send us?”

jihun doesn’t stop laying into the contestant with his harsh words. “if you don’t want to be here, you’re welcome to leave. there’s thousands of children and young adults around the world who want to be exactly in the spot you’re in right now. if you’re not grateful for this opportunity, you may as well do them a favor and drop out now.”

quiet uneasiness lingers in the few seconds after jihun finishes his tirade. it’s ran who’s bold enough to break the silence. “eunwol, even if you don’t trust yourself, you need to trust us as professionals who have been discovering and refining talent for years now. if we didn’t want to see more from you, you would not be here right now. i hope to see better effort from you in the next challenge, but i do hope to see you still with us for that.”

yuna sighs, the tension in the room still hanging vaguely in the air around them. she’s not so much of a fan of when jihun gets heated. “you’ll need to re-learn do better to do it properly for the mcountdown performance with the other contestants. in a team, you can’t just do your own thing. that’s going to be more important going forward, so please try to make an effort to be more of a team player. working with others is how you’ll succeed.”

eunwol all but sprints off the stage as soon as he’s dismissed. he’s looking a bit green, so the judges make no further comment.

with all performances complete, it’s time to gather the contestants to the stage as one big group. jian smiles at them as they take their places, the judges’ deliberation finishing up in the background behind them.

“contestants, you’ve been re-ranked based on your performances today. we’ll be revealing your positions from last place to first.”

one by one, the numbers are revealed. it shouldn’t be a surprise that moon jordan takes last place, his punishment for going rogue still weighing heavily on his shoulders. things start to get exciting with the top five, however. stevie, hangyeol, hyunki, and ara all have a shot at being the centers of their respective genders.

“in fifth place is… one of the girls,” jian announces. “so we’ll know who our female center is once this rank is announced. who do you think it will be?” she asks a few of the contestants, most declining to give an answer. jueun and ara’s faces are watched closely by the cameras.

“our fifth place contestant for episode two is… han jueun,” jian finally announces. the participants congratulate ara and applaud jueun, now that the battle has been decided. stevie, hangyeol, and hyunki are all still in the running.

it’s revealed, however, that stevie took fourth place for this particular episode. it’s still a great rank, but it brings hyunki and hangyeol, rivals set up by the judges since the first episode, into the final competition.

“in third place…” jian draws out the tension, the camera zooming in on each potential center’s face as they try to guess whose name will be on her lips in mere seconds. “please congratulate… choi hangyeol!” the top three ranks are revealed at once, hangyeol in third, just below ara, and hyunki taking first place for episode two. “congratulations hyunki, ara, you’ll be our male and female center for your performance of do better on mcountdown next week. everyone, please give yourselves a round of applause!”

a roar from the contestants goes up, though some may be lamenting their ranks.

“i have good news for all of you; there will be no eliminations this episode. however, next episode they will begin. those of you in lower ranks should do everything you can to rise quickly. those in higher ranks, don’t get too comfortable! you’ve seen how high hyunki jumped up, the same thing could happen in the wrong direction to any of you,” she warns the idol wannabes carefully, hoping they know how serious the next challenge will be.

“your next mission is the PERFORMANCE EVALUATION,” she announces. “this will be a head-to-head teamwork mission lead by our trainee coaches,” the camera pans to SARANG, RENYI, SEOJUN, NAYOUNG, DOHYUN, and CHAERIN briefly. “each of our trainees will be overseeing their own team. coaches, your responsibility is to be a guide and resource for your team, but not a leader. the contestants are being challenged to come up with their own unique performance of a senior’s song from each company.”

“this is your chance to show your creativity and how you can transform an existing song to be your own,” jian instructs the contestants. “but here’s the twist: two teams will have the same song. you’ll be battling head to head for who was able to create the better performance. the winning team will be entirely safe from eliminations. the losing team… not so much.” a hush falls over the crowd as the stakes are finally revealed.

“take a look at your team assignments,” she gestures up at the massive screen, which already shows six teams, their assigned coaches, and what song they’re tasked with making their own. “we can’t wait to see what you’ll show us next week.”

do better plays one more time as the title card takes over the screen, episode two finally complete.

#be:ngs2p2 #be:ngs2

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

So I was in the Jonsa tag because I'm slowly getting back onto my Jonsa bullshit and this popped up as one of the latest posts:

And then I see the ever-so smart tags of someone else when reblogging said post:

To be fair, this op and reblogger didn't tag this post as Jonsa and obviously Tumblr is at it again with their algorithm but I found the content of said post and the assertion that Jonsas are "idiots" and "delusional" to be utterly fascinating.

For one, when the show was airing its final season, I never ever saw any Jonsas claim that it was Emilia's fault that Jonsa didn't get an HEA together at the end. Not in the circles I traveled. That's a ludicrous claim. Emilia had no investment on what Jon's or Sansa's endings would be, together or not.

What Emilia did change however that many have been (correctly) critical of was the dialogue in the throne room scene before Jon 🗡️ Dany. Rather than let everyone see exactly who Dany was, who she had become, she asked D&D to add in the lines of the whole "I couldn't count to twenty" bit. She admitted as much in an interview, stating that she wanted fans to remember who Dany was in the beginning of the show, and D&D obliged. That's a major problem, whether you're a fan of Dany or not, especially if you're a fan. That negated Dany's dark turn completely and her entire arc as a character. It negated why she chose to take such actions and the true ending that she deserved. While I respect Emilia as an actress and as a human being, she was wrong to ask D&D to do that. She's not a writer and/or showrunner. She should never have had that part added in because season 1 and season 2 Dany even was not who season 8 Dany was (or even season 7 or season 6 or season 5). That is the only thing I've seen Jonsas (and other sections of the fandom) be rightly critical of.

The "delusions" and "idiocy" I see coming from some of the Dany stans, though, is truly confounding to the rest of us. "Dany was never supposed to go dark!" "It was bad writing!" "Even Emilia knows!" "That's not how it goes in the books!"

Dany was always supposed to go dark. That's the entire point of her story. Go back and watch the show again. It's always been there. They have always framed her actions as just when really they were anything but. They've always shown the darkness waiting inside her to be unleashed. She was always going to be the final boss in the end.

While the last season was not most people's favorites and things were rushed & mistakes were made, Dany going dark in general is not bad writing. It's actually good writing because it closes up what they've been setting up for her since season 1 (mind you GRRM was involved in writing episodes of the show from seasons 1-4 so even if his books end differently, that part of Dany's darkness is still in there, just saying).

Emilia has self-admittedly blurred the line between herself and her character for some time now. And it's understandable. She played the character for 10 years (another example of an actor I can think of sharing this sort of blurring approach is Jensen Ackles with Dean Winchester after 15 years of him playing that character) and she underwent some intense and dangerous health issues during that time that thankfully she survived and was able to heal from. She has talked about drawing strength from the character during these times and she naturally is protective of the character for all of those reasons. But even she has stated that now when she looks back, she sees where the show was leading Dany all alone. She may have her own thoughts on why the dark turn happened when it did but again, she is not a writer, producer, or director. She also defers to the work D&D did despite being honest about her emotional reactions to Dany's ending when she first read it and afterwards.

"That's now how it goes in the books!" This is probably the most common argument point many Dany stans make that just causes me to repeatedly roll my eyes. This is the show, not the books. Two different universes essentially. Did you not realize the show was adapted from the books? Do you know what adapted means? Do you know that adaptations happen because a story is being transferred from one medium to another? Did the Twilight, Harry Potter, and Hunger Games films all follow the books to the last letter? No. Why? Because they were adapted from a written medium to a visual medium. This has been happening since your parents were toddlers. And did you not notice how there was no Lady Stoneheart or Val or Dacey Mormont or Harry Hardyng or Young Griff? Did you notice how it was Sansa that married Ramsay and not Jeyne? At what point were you going to realize that the show was going to go its own route? Should they have changed the names to Jansa Jark, Son Show, and Myra Jark in order to get your attention? Nanerys Margaryen perhaps? Jyrion Nannister? Black Beetle? Come on now 🤡

I will never understand why people refuse to see what's right in front of them, even when their fave is saying it. And yet they call Jonsas delusional. Okay, then.

Then again:

"Sansa Stark will die screaming"...okay, then.

#i saw this a while back #its been sitting in my drafts #i just find dany stans hysterical sometimes #theyre so hard up to disprove jonsa for anyone who might dare ship it by pointing to Emilia or the books #not a reliable point in either case #because it has nothing to do with what happened in the tv show #too funny #anti dany stans #got #gotposts #fandom bullshit

[alaffy]

Riverdale, ep. 7x13 - The Crucible (spoilers)

Well, we're finally moving the story along in episode thirteen...of twenty. Sigh. I will say that I didn't dislike this episode as much as I have the past few but still....

It all starts with an accusation of Communism against the English teacher. She's fired and Penelope is put in her place (temporarily). She actually doesn't do much. Archie is bummed because she was the only teacher who understood him (seriously, this should have been a warning).

Betty, meanwhile, finds out the Blue and Gold is being shut down because, well, teenagers don't have anything to say. This is also reinforced by the fact that Alice takes Betty's typewriter and telephone. Betty decides to start an underground newsletter instead and it becomes popular. God, let this mean our Betty is coming back.

Cheryl is told by Clifford that she's been named as someone who has an unnatural relationship. Clifford is able to squash that rumor, so long as Cheryl confirms the names of others on the list. Cheryl refuses, but then Clifford threatens to take the Vixens away. Cheryl warns Toni, Clay, and Kevin about the list. She realizes that it must be Evelyn who ratted them out. Cheryl then spends most of the episode trying to figure out a way to refuse to sign the confession without loosing the Vixens. Strangely, Toni, Clay, and Kevin treat this as some sort of true moral dilemma and not point out how these accusations could, in fact, completely destroy their lives. They even decide that the best option is that Cheryl and Kevin pretend to date and Clay and Toni pretend to date so that they can say the accusations aren't true. Still, in the end, Cheryl hears a Archie speak a monologue (more on that in a minute) and decides to tell her father she won't sign the papers, even though it means loosing the Vixens. The two couples still do the pretend dating thing because they ain't stupid and their names are still on a list.

Veronica, meanwhile, is surprised to discover that Hiram has come to see her. He has, in fact, not come to see her. He's in trouble, again. He's being accused of being a Communist because of a trip he made to Cuba. And because he happened to be photographed with Castro (give him whatever fake name you want. It's Castro). He wants Veronica to lie and say it was a family trip. It was not, in fact, a family trip. He was there with his mistress. Veronica, after seeing Archie's monologue (more of that in a minute), decides to say that it was a family trip...provided that Hiram is honest to Hermione and gives Veronica the deed to the apartment. Later, Hermione comes to the apartment and lets Veronica know that she and Hiram will divorce. By the by, so much of this story is lifted from Lucille Ball's actual life that it's...just pathetic on the writers part.

Archie is bummed about his teacher, because she was the only one who supported his poetry writing (clearly she has no taste). The adults in his life are concerned that she may have tried to influence him (God, the clues were...right there about what would happen next). Well, not Frank. Frank's worried that people may feel that, if Archie writes poetry, he might be *gay.* Archie decides to visit his teacher, who gives him a copy of The Crucible (which really doesn't help her case any). Archie decides to preform a monologue from that play (and KJ is clearly trying to audition for future acting rolls). Veronica meets up with Archie and tells him how much she appreciates what he said. She gives him a kiss on the cheek. And then they kiss. Well, we figured they would bring back the old triangle. It could be worse.

And then Grundy appears.

Fuck. My. Life.

But, wait, she's married; which is hopefully the shows way of saying nothing will happen. But it's Riverdale...and they took hope out to the back and shot it a long time ago.

Finally, we have Jughead and Ethel. It turns out that no one will sell comic books anymore. So, Jughead and Ethel...steal some of the comics from Pep to run an underground side hustle? Seriously, they couldn't have stolen every single one they sold....so was Pep involved somehow? But Dilton turns Narc and they're shut down. And so, they adults decide it's time for full measures. The principal tells the students that he'll buy their old comics and then he burns them in the Riverdale High parking lot (ok, as a Library Associate who lives in a state that is very much trying to censor what people read...yeah, that was terrifying).

Anyway, next week is our final musical episode. And, as it's all about Archie, the rumors must be true and it's all original music written by Roberto. We're truly in the deepest pits of hell now!

#riverdale spoilers #riverdale #betty cooper #jughead jones #veronica lodge #archie andrews #cheryl blossom #kevin keller #toni topaz

[ruby-red-inky-blue]

random notes on naddpod c1 ep 46-69

another confused jumble of personal highlighs, shared here in lieu of chewing my very indifferent friends’ ears off irl. For whom it may concern.

spoiler warning! you will get no context but still

Okay they’re in the feywild and somehow the players manage to get even hornier. I guess I’m impressed?

That libertarian fairy tho. Why are little pixie jerks with trash politics always so funny

(Emily catches on to their opponent being a woman because Murph made a point of referring to the knight with they/them pronouns) “Interesting. My subtle sexism gave me away. I’m a bad guy.”

This lady spent a year with her frozen children in a chest in her living room?! Okay. Sure. Uh huh. Cool story bro 😬

Five Guys Burgers and... Flies

Ngl a little shocked at how decent Murph’s elf voice is

“I know a game! It’s called ‘don’t stab me!’ I give the gnome a knife.” “He magically produces some bread, spreads some butter on it, and casts produce flame. Look! Magical toast!” “NOBODY EAT THAT!!”

“You two haven’t seen each other in a while, and the kids are indisposed, so -“ “Okay. Jesus Christ. I was down for kind of a spicy joke there, but let’s not… the kids aren’t indisposed because they went bowling with their aunt, the kids are frozen with a curse.”

Murph, as a gnome, but barely keeping it together: “In actual recorded episodes, have you guys met any gnomes that are murderers? Really, did they murder someone? Like… what did they do and then what did you do to them…?”

"There's a war coming, and everyone needs to fight. Even old men who don't know how." First of all, this is a banger of a line

but also my degree has officially ruined me for stories because I was immediately and ominously reminded of the last months of WWII on the Axis side what with all the apocalypse rhetoric and poorly armed children and old men sent out to probably die in war. like this is 100 percent unintentional and I realise that but my reaction to this line was "holy shit" and then immediately "... has Alanis also gone fascist"

Murph usually: Oh you want something? You want something to help you out here? Okay how are you gonna pay for that? What are you gonna give up to get that? Murph with Emily: Oh you got attached to your purely decorative fictional earrings? … I would never take those away from you keep them :) have a magical gun on the house :)

“Cool it with the fucking drugs!” “Hardwon, you’re one to talk!!”

Love it when Murph sets up a high DC on something and they get it and all immediately vigorously come for his ass, there is truly nothing funnier than people pretending to take something so personally

Murph keeps saying “she shakes her head yes” which is either an established bit of world building or an odd Murphism they’ve all collectively decided to accept? Both are very endearing but also I was so confused the first five times he did it

Local catholic desperately trying to get his friends to have the biblically correct response to angels (fear)

“Twenty-three damage with an axe???!” in the squeakiest voice possible, and then in the same voice: “What lands first, his body or his head?” “His head!!!!”

Finally someone makes the “Janie’s got a gun” joke, I have no idea why but I’ve waited this entire fight for someone to do that! Thank you Caldwell!

“Can I do a dog whistle?” “You’re gonna say something racist and see if they follow it?”

“Brothers! The Goddess has blessed us! There is milk in this casket!”

Also somehow every joke gets 100 percent funnier once it has managed to break the DM

“I summon Pellor’s four Lieutenants, the Beach Boys.”

Pawpaw as the BOB's legal council is the gift that keeps on giving. I don't even remember how it started but every time Jake goes "a brilliant legal mind" in that reverent voice I lose my shit. Also I adore how at the beginning it was all 'oh it's funny because Hardwon thinks this possum is actually good at law stuff and meanwhile Pawpaw can't fucking read' and now Pawpaw is just. legitimately functioning as their lawyer.

“Balnor, what’s your favourite food?” *audible fuckfuckfuckfuck silence from Murph* “…Chicken.”

So anticlimactic. Holy shit. Murph literally rigging the game so none of the others would give it away only to have that immediately blow up in his face

“Oh, the Goblinity!”

Hardwon getting really into "Chasing Cars"

Murph's cultural knowledge is such a fucking enigma to me every time I'm like "oh that guy wouldn't know anything ab-" and then he just. knows the first song on Snow Patrol's "Eyes Open" off the top of his head. I spent a whole vacation listening exclusively to that CD as a teen and I had to look it up. He was right. He wasn’t even the one who started the Snow Patrol bit.

Anyway thank you everyone that song will be permanently stuck in my head for the next five to eight business days

“You deserve a little emo phase”

“Pawpaw is giving you a pedicure. Meanwhile the king is suffocating in the bag.” “Oh shit!”

“So one thing you know about me is that everything I love dies so, stay away, haha!”

“I have enough queens.”

There have been a bunch of uncomfortable descriptors in this campaign but “like an exotic sunkissed lover” is definitely the worst one so far. Murph. Sir. No.

-

Just Murph's weak "okay..." as Emily decides to sniff the two Hardwons' necks to suss out the doppelganger

The verve of Murph’s Moonshine impression compared to his barely-there attempt to do a Jake voice for Hardwon

That one incredibly dumb dude in Shadowfell. Oh my GOD. Like in so many stories there is a “dumb” character, you know, one who will be described with the one brain cell meme but this dude. This dude literally only has the one brain cell. Just enough to be standing, breathing and talking at the same time. Fucking incredible. Murph continues to be way too good at making characters so deeply pathetic

“Go drink too much cough syrup!” “I can’t!” “Why?” “‘cause it tastes bad, man!”

Brennan’s and Murph’s genuine excitement to reverse their usual dynamic veering off into “we’re 69-ing now but he’s been going at me for a long time and I haven’t given him anything.” in less than thirty seconds

Seriously tho you can hear both Brennan and Murph buzzing with delight at a frequency that could shatter glass

“Brennan, you can say ‘my’. You’re playing, dude, you can say ‘my’.” “My hand, me, I’m playing, I’m a person! I’m only one person!” “You’re playing!” “You’re doing it!”

“What about Melv? Remember Melv? He’s dead.”

Brennan has so much knowledge of like historical customs and everyday items and their names and uses but rarely uses it, and meanwhile Murph is trying his damndest to sprinkle stuff in for medieval flavour but has a shaky grasp on what these things actually ARE. Case in point, Brennan immediately knowing how to explain a wimple vs. Murph claiming the peasant was wearing “suspenders over a dirty tunic”. Suspenders?? My guy. What are they holding up? The hem of the tunic? Tunics go OVER the leg garment how would this work. Are you using this as a fancy word for shirt. Also suspenders weren’t a thing until the 19th century. Not saying you can’t mix and match cowboy and medieval peasant aesthetic but it’s gotta logistically work, Murph! It's gotta make sense!

“You hear a woman screaming-“ “No, Murph, we were going shopping 😩” “You never let us do anything fun!”

Brennan’s little love language of absorbing every last bit of his friends’ worlds’ lore like a sponge so he can weave his narrative and/or character into the world like a perfect medieval tapestry!!!!

Every time Emily goes out of her way to back up her every move with rules as written not for the DM but for some idiot in the audience, my heart breaks a bit. Back the fuck off indeed.

That said, Brennan being extra meticulous about HIS finite resources is hilarious and good

“I would say he didn’t have to worry about it but then he was doing sixty points of damage per attack so he does have to worry about it I decided”

#wherewasbalnor

"It's a... I don't want to use the word 'wimple' again"

"Deadeye and Hardwon, you guys just hear this cacophony of idiocy..."

"So my little sister in there and slim with the gift of Pellor, they good at staying on task?" "Um...."

A Kiwi dwarf, fantastic choice. No notes.

“We can crawl through the small false wall?” English is so broken

Pawpaw as Deadeye’s literal right hand! Delightful. Murph’s D20 TA energy come to life in the coolest way

“You bloodsucking bourgeoise pig, you keep your dirty fangs off my sister!”

“You’re the best part of me” Brennan 😭 Emily 😭 brb dissolving into a puddle on the floor for a second

He’s back in the Crick UGH 💔 ah fuck Brennan and Murph tag-teaming on the heartbreak never fails to get me

It's so fascinating how much they play to each other's strengths whenever they're really going for the jugular: on D20, Brennan will hit Murph with just the most quietly awful version of "here's your character's worst (perceived) failure you can never fully make right, and you're faced with an opportunity to try but we both know you won't take it" (cf. Kug's interactions with David or "you can go to the castle where the dogs are or you can go back to your frog pond"), and in return Murph took Deadeye back to the home that was forever lost to him and that he'd missed so much and let him become everything he ever wanted to be. Forgiven despite his shortcomings. They're beating each other at their own game, Murph's stories are so much about consequences and guilt and responsibility and Brennan's are so much about hope and grace and second chances, and that is so present in the stories they tell for each other?? I am upset this is beautiful

The Wimple Warriors

So Murph knew enough about Snow Patrol to not only sing the refrain of You’re All I Have but to know where it was on the album… but not enough to remember the title of Chasing Cars?? How are you the way that you are

JV!! God that *was* a beautiful scene though, such immediate quiet kindness, what a way to go <3

“I went to the Red Fenn and all I got was unceremoniously murdered.”

“He’s saying yes too much, we’re making some kind of mistake…”

Moonshine: "The rapport spores got hacked, everyone! Don't say anything you wouldn't tell the world right now!" Emily, not five minutes before this, on a very popular podcast: "Out of character, [unlike Moonshine] I got some very recently, but..."

The fact that this moment got no audible reaction and is as easily removable as an audio clip can get (no crosstalk, a brief pause before and after it, no impact on what was said afterwards) but it's still left in is so funny knowing who does the editing

Murph introducing a skeletal kitty for thinly veiled emotional manipulation purposes

*delivers upsetting news to Moonshine* "Would it make you feel better if you borrowed my cat?" "...Moonshine bursts into tears."

"Pawpaw looks hurt and betrayed for a second, like he's gonna turn away, but then he can't help it." "Should we go, too, or do you think she needs a familiar touch tonight? Something only Pawpaw can give..." I reiterate, funniest. self-insert. character. ever. Also as ever excellent punnage from Caldwell.

“You are a freak but you’re pretending not to be, which makes you the most boring kind of person.”

“Pawpaw is the only one who has complete plot armour. I will kick him from time to time, but I won’t kill him.” It's so unlike Murph to declare plot armour on anyone, and also so like him to have it be Pawpaw.

Hardwon and Moonshine's relationship, regardless of where it's going, is just lovely. Zero judgement, no expectations, just so much affection and support. They're so corny (affectionate)

#shoutout to brennan for joining in the tradition of making his character a little bit gross #petition for murph to stop making 'conventionally attractive' every npcs defining characteristic #literally my only gripe but it *bothers* me #looking at his own pcs in particular i DO NOT understand how he of all people keeps doing that! #my man you are so creative you do not need this #i promise you i will be as or actually much more invested in all of these people if they didn't come out of an underwear catalogue #carrie watches #(listen i have no tags for podcasts so) #naddpod c1 #naddpod #brian murphy #emily axford #caldwell tanner #jake hurwitz #brennan lee mulligan #long post

[dean-winchester-is-a-warrior]

Promises Made, Promises Kept

Summary: Soldier Boy knows she's coming for him one day.

Warnings/Explicit 18+: The Boys level violence (look at the gif 😬) descriptions of torture, brief mentions of drug use and sex, nothing explicit.

Pairings: None.

Word Count: 683

A/N: So, I’ve decided to do all 30 of these writing prompts. I may miss a day here and there, but I’m going to try to do one a day, and I will be completing all 30 no matter what.  They won’t always be in order.  This fic will be for the prompt: Use the title: Promises Made, Promises Kept.

A/N 2: So, in this fic, I've made Soldier Boy a fairly sympathetic character. I've already seen the odd salty comment pop up saying that Soldier Boy is a terrible character and we should stop seeing him as sympathetic. But I would argue that as of right now, the show has made him sympathetic too.

Now, of course that might change. There's a very real chance within the world of The Boys I will end up hating Soldier Boy. But the last episode made me feel very bad for him, as I can't stand the thought of ANYONE going through 30 plus years of torture. I can honestly say, no one deserves that. Not Homelander, not Stormfront, not Soldier Boy. Kill them to stop them hurting innocents? Of course, go for it. But torture, especially that incredibly brutal, extended torture is beyond horrifying to me and imo, should never be used!

This long ass ramble is just to say, please don't come at me if you already hate Soldier Boy; just know that this fic takes a sympathetic look at the character, so don't read it if you don't like that idea.

Hope you enjoy! I will be putting together a Masterlist for all 30 prompts and adding it to my main Masterlist.

Both beautiful text dividers, both below and at the bottom, were created by @firefly-graphicsphics .

For a long time he tried to keep count of the days.  They would often say the date when they started filming. So, he knew when he’d been there a month, six months, a year.

But after five years he’d stopped counting. What did it matter? But the hope was still there, still hidden behind the unceasing pain – the hope that someone would come.

No, not someone. Her.

His Countess.

Sometimes, though not often enough, his mind blacked out from the pain. When that would happen, he’d inevitably be back in New York, laying beside her, her red hair splayed out on the white pillow after an incredible round of fucking, fuelled by the coke that was smeared across the mirror on the bedside table.

That’s when they would lay there, both of them knowing that they ruled the world, both of them knowing they were the envy of the entire planet, both of them knowing they were unstoppable.

Both of them blissed out on pheromones and smooth white powder.

“You and me, Ben.” She would say as she climbed on top of him and splayed her hands against his broad chest. “No one between us. No one to stop us.”  Then she would dig her nails into his shoulders, making him grunt with pleasure. Which generally led to him flipping her onto her back and plowing into her until they broke the bed. Or a wall.

Inevitably, though, he would be yanked back from that past paradise with a searing pain in his side as they sliced into him with chainsaws and axes.

He’d endured the experiments for more than two decades, the day that he finally heard her crashing through the compound.  There was no doubt in his mind that it was her, maybe some of the rest of the team too.  But definitely her.

It was what he’d waited for for so long.  He could feel her presence, he knew she was here at last. And sure enough the doors of the examination room were blasted open with a giant ball of red light, the scientists who had tortured him for twenty long years were exploded into chunks of nothing.

And then she was there, her face hovering above him.  Her soft grey eyes were outlined by her red mask; her smile wide and teary as she pulled him free of the restraints.

“You came.” He said, sitting up, wincing from the lingering pain in his body. He cupped her cheek in one hand.  “I knew you would come.”

She leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips, before wrapping her arms around him.  He buried his face in her neck. But instead of the sweet smell she usually wore, he could smell only the acrid stench of burning flesh. As she pulled back from him, he could see that she was laughing at him now. The red light that shot from her palms was burning into his neck and he began to scream.

He woke screaming, the pain of the scientists torch carving burnt tracks into his skin.  As soon as one side of his throat was nothing but peeled, burnt flesh, they moved to the other side. And as fast as they could burn him, his powers healed him, giving them new skin to scorch.

As the Russians pulled the torch away from him, one of the doctors pointed at him, and chuckled at the tear that trickled down his temple. “Look, the Super Soldier little boy, he is crying.”

The man holding the camera laughed along, before he stopped recording and they both agreed to leave the broken hero there while they went to eat.

Before they went, they shot a powerful sedative into his veins, so he would sleep the whole time they were gone, and he silently thanked them for the oblivion. As his eyes closed, and he sank into the darkness again, he could swear he heard her, breaking her way into the compound to save him.

He knew she would come. They were a team.

And they’d promised each other, after all.

@all-alone-he-turns-to-stone

@foxyjwls007 @b3autyfuldisast3r @myloversgone @kazsrm67 @fangirlxwritesx67 @kickingitwithkirk @charred-angelwings

@hopefuldreamers-world @siospins2 @deanwanddamons @deandreamernp @my-sherlock221b @jensensgotyoudean @lyarr24 @snowlovespie @stixnstripesworld

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Masterlist

Tag Lists

#the boys s3 #the boys s3 spoilers #soldier boy #soldier boy fan fiction #the boys fan fiction #soldier boy drabble #the boys 3x05 #crimson countess

[ramblingroommate]

Part 2 of 911 episode 1x1 (part 1 here)

Okay so now that I’m sane again (lie) after finding out Ryan fucking Murphy is also behind this show and have accepted what that will probably mean for my mental state (another lie), I’m ready to get back to the episode (wariness levels are suddenly 100%)

Oh wait what? Really? I’ve been seeing this man’s face on my dashboard for the last two years and never realized he had a birthmark on his face? Well now I feel dumb lol

Wait he doesn’t run into burning buildings? Isn’t that the whole thing about being a firefighter? This might sound dumb but I’m asking because I actually found it weird when they went to save that one kid who almost drowned. Is it different in the u.s.? Because over here they would call an ambulance for strictly medical emergencies and the firefighters for fires or car crashes and things like that

I have to say the characterization that’s been established is pretty strong and interesting even from this early on! I mean… half of these characters have barely had any lines yet and I still feel like I know at least one thing about each one of them. That tracks now that I know Ryan Murphy is involved in this: his shows may have a thousand flaws but he (usually) has really strong great characters. Over the top perhaps, but great. Let’s see what we have so far:

Chimney is insecure so he lies to his girlfriend about the stuff he does at work. The fact that he met her on a dating website for people who are into people in uniforms (he’s basically her wet dream) and he still has to lie because he doesn’t feel interesting enough? That says A LOT

Hen is sassy and is always ready with a witty comeback. It may not seem like much but she has had exactly ONE line so far so… not that bad

Bobby is the easy going reliable captain who cares about the others but has a Secret Past TM. I know from the memes that the fandom calls Bobby the father of the group but twenty minutes in and he just straight up says it

Buck is the young reckless guy, he likes sleeping around and doesn’t take things as seriously as the others do. From what I’ve read over the years this apparently changes with his character development but right now that’s where we are

All of this and I’ve barely seen half the first episode! I can see why people like this show already. I’m a sucker for shows with well defined characters (and I like that a lot of their traits are coming up naturally)

A baby in a wall… is this a true story? Why does it sound familiar?

… he’s such an idiot, I love him already

I’m curious about this cop character and how they’re gonna handle her storylines. I’m saying this because I used to really really like police procedurals (castle, criminal minds, white collar, lie to me…) but then real life events turned me off them. This seems to be a show mainly about firefighters saving lives so there probably won’t be any over the top cop storylines. I’ll keep an open mind anyhow

No one kept the elevator door open, I like that sprinkle of realism.

Also I’m finding Buck’s character really interesting. First half of the first episode and he’s already been established as reckless and impulsive BUT also as responsible and careful with the baby. He is careless when he takes the fire truck out to get laid but he cares a lot when he is inside one trying to keep a newborn alive.

Yeah he definitely cares a lot but is also… naive? In a way? He got attached really quickly and needed Bobby to remind him that their job doesn’t reach beyond those doors.

I don’t know, I’ve read posts before talking about how much Buck cares about people and maybe I’m jumping ahead? It feels like that’s what they’re going for tho

Also I just realized: we’re never going to find out more about that young mother are we? We really are following the first responders point of view… after we reach the hospital it’s not our responsibility anymore.

Buck’s reaction to the mother is also really interesting because it was VERY unprofessional but also understandable in a very human way. Don’t get me wrong: he was 100% wrong and Athena was absolutely right in tearing him a new one, but he’s also young and saw something really awful. I like when characters are flawed and make bad decisions and the show can point out they are wrong while still not paint them as bad people.

Also, I like Athena. So far she’s the typical hardass cop we have seen before, but the actress portrays it really well

Well that was unexpected.

My first gay character on the gay firefighter show? Yay

Jokes aside, I didn’t expect this. The daughter reaction was pretty... unrealistic? I don't know. Going out of her way to say that she supports gay people IN GENERAL but not in this very specific case because it's their dad and there are going to be repercussions on them feels... a bit too scripted? Like... I can imagine two writers saying "make sure she says she supports gay rights and her anger has nothing to do with that or else people are gonna get mad".

She's a teenager and her parents have been fighting for days (or even weeks?) and she just found out her dad has been lying to them AND her parents are probably gonna divorce (even if they say otherwise)... it doesn't feel realistic that IN THAT MOMENT she would be going out of her way to make sure everyone knows she supports gay rights and that's not what she's angry about. That is a conversation that could have come up later on? I don't know, it also feels like I'm getting stuck on a detail that's not really important so I'll shut up now.

This feels like a more realistic reaction! She is clearly a very proud woman, so her feeling humiliated and lashing out makes sense. Also her acting is amazing.

Also this is getting wayyy too long so I'll make a third part.

#911 #911 show #911 abc #911 season 1 #911 s1e1 #ro watches 911

[bunnywritesjunk]

Ruusaan | Captain Rex x Reader

Series summary: You missed your tropical planet, but coruscant had more to offer. You are a field medic in the 501st. you work closely with the captain in hopes of not losing your job. But how close is too close.

Chapter summary: You work get ready to leave Umbara.

Pairing: Captain Rex x Reader

Warnings: Canon level violence, mean general, Blood, Head injury, T for teen (for this chapter)

Word count: 2k

Genre: Fluff and angst

A/n: Hello! Chapter 5 is out and we are officially out of the umbaran arc. Next up is gonna be some more pinning fluff with rex and the Zygerrian arc. Stay tuned!

Chapter 5

You lay in your bunk motionless. You took deep meditative breaths. In for six counts, hold for two counts, out for eight counts. This was how you always calmed yourself. You heard distant explosions outside the base. There was still a battle going on and here you were, benched. You looked at your comm, you,d been crying for twenty minutes. You decided to get up to get fresh air. As you walked out of the barrack you saw Dogma and a few other troopers lining up outside of the hangar. Their blasters were at the ready position. As you moved closer you saw Rex approach them with Fives and Jesse in tow. You sped up to meet Rex.

“What happened to the court martial?” You asked him concerned.

Rex looked dejected. “Krell said there would be no time, he ordered their execution immediately.”

Dogma walked up to Fives and Jesse. “Will the prisoners request to be blindfolded?” They didn't respond.

“I'll take that as a no.”

You turned around. You couldn't bear to watch two good men get killed like this.

“I hope you can live with yourself Dogma.” You heard Fives say.

“Ready weapons, aim.”

“Wait!” Fives exclaimed. You turned back to look at them.

“This is wrong and we all know it. The General is making a mistake, and he needs to be called on it. No clone should have to go out this way! We are loyal soldiers. We follow orders, but we are not a bunch of unthinking droids! We are men. We must be trusted to make the right decisions, especially when the orders we were given are wrong!”

“Fire!” Dogma shouted.

You flinched at the sound of blaster shots going off. When you looked up, Fives and Dogma were still standing. None of the blaster fire hit them.

“What...What happened?” Dogma faced his firing squad. They all dropped their weapons. Rex walked up behind Dogma.

“They're doing the right thing Dogma. If this is how soldiers are rewarded for heroic actions, then one day, every man on this battalion may face a similar fate. Take off their binders.” Rex walked over to both troopers.

“We have orders!” Dogma shouted.

“Good luck finding someone to do them.” Rex said over his shoulder.

You walked up to Fives and patted him on the shoulder.

“Glad you're still alive.” You said while giving him a warm smile.

Fives chuckled “I'm still a little freaked out by your teeth, but it's not as bad as Krells.” You giggled lightly.

Rex and Dogma made their way to the main tower, no doubt about to get severely scolded by Krell. The other troops chatted among themselves while you eagerly waited for Rex and Dogma to get back.

After a few minutes, the elevator doors opened and the two men walked out. They made their way toward you.

“Prepare the troops, we are assisting General Kenobi's squadron in taking the capitol.” Rex told the group.

You looked at Rex eagerly. “You are staying behind. It's too dangerous without visuals and Krell still has you benched.”

You looked down at your feet. “I understand.”

The men went their separate ways to prepare for battle. You went back to your bunk. You figured since you were probably heading off the planet soon you should pack up and get ready.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You were packed up completely. You also decided to check on any injured soldiers. Most were asleep and all were stable. You headed back to your barrack to watch another episode of your drama show. As you walked, you noticed the base seemed really quiet beside the distant explosions on the horizon. You made it back to your bunk and decided to see if Na'wi was ok. You commed her.

“Hey girl, you heading over here yet?” Her light voice rang through the comm.

“Huh? What do you mean?” You responded.

“Um, the Capitol. We took it, General Kenobi said the 501st should be on their way here.”

“That's weird. Krell said that Kenobi needs our help and sent them into battle.”

“I mean there's a few Umbaran troops left and we sent a battalion to take care of them. They are wearing our armor to try and sneak by us.”

Your eyes widened. “Na'wi...Tell Kenobi that Krell has betrayed us. I have to warn them.” You didn't give her time to respond before you ended the comm. You rushed out of the barrack door only to end up pushed backward by a hard force. You fell on your backside and looked up.

“Where are you in a rush to?” Krell stood before you, he made slow steps inside the barracks trapping you.

You scrambled to get up. “Um, I was just gonna check on the injured men.”

“Oh? But you already did that. Didn't you?” He circled around you, all two of his arms crossed in front of him and the remaining two behind his back.

You took a few steps back, and he matched your steps forward.

“Uh, I wasn't done with something. Excuse me.” You stepped to move past him. His hand wrapped around your throat tightly as he pinned you against the wall. Your vision went blurry and your head felt like it was going to explode. You gasped for air. He leaned in close to your face.

“Do you really think I'm that stupid? I'll have to dispose of you before you ruin my plans.” He said to you.

You started to see spots in your vision. You willed yourself to stay awake as you tried to pry his hand off your neck. Just before you lost consciousness you heard the blast door open and muffled voices.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rex POV

Rex and his battalion stood in line. Confused and hurt looks were written on their faces. The horrible acts they committed unknowingly against their own brothers. They won't be the same after this, and neither will he.

“We all know who's responsible for what happened out there. What we don't know, is why. Something has to be done. What I'm proposing, is highly treasonous. If, any man chooses to opt-out, do it now.” Rex said.

All of the troopers stepped forward refusing to back down.

“From this point forward, we are entering uncharted territory. My orders are, we arrest General Krell for treason against the republic.”

His troops nodded and then moved out back towards their captured airbase. Their weapons at the ready position, the troopers made their way up the control tower to confront the General. Only when they got there, it was empty. They went to the brig to free Fives and Jesse. They suited up and went with the rest of them.

“Where is he?” Kix said.

Rex wracked his brain, trying to think quickly. Would Krell have made a run for it? Or would he underestimate the troops assuming they wouldn't find out that they were killing their own men? The only other person that could figure out something was wrong was...

“Men! Follow me. Quickly!” They shuffled back into the elevator and ran towards the barracks. His heart was pounding as he approached the door, unprepared to walk into what he might find. He opened the blast door and raised his blaster. Krell was holding Ruusaan by the neck, her feet barely touching the floor. Blood dripped down near her feet.

“Drop her! Now Krell!”

“You're committing mutiny Captain.”

Krell slowly let go of her and she slid down to the ground limp. The soldiers filed into the room surrounding the General.

“Honestly, I'm surprised you were able to figure it out, for a clone.”

The battalion moved in toward Krell. “Surrender General, You're outnumbered.” Rex said.

Suddenly, a force threw the soldiers back into the walls.

“You dare to attack a Jedi?!” Krell ignited his lightsabers. The men started firing at him. He managed to deflect every shot, slashing at the soldiers left and right. Krell managed to get himself near the blast door.

“I will not be undermined by creatures bred in some laboratory!” He stabbed the Door controls with his saber. The door hissed open and he ran out. The troops followed. Krell disappeared into the thick Umbaran Jungle. Rex circled back to the room.

“Kix!” The trooper seemingly materialized next to him.

“Make sure she's ok. We're going after him.”

Kix rushed towards the unconscious woman and started treating her. Rex ran with the rest of his troops to apprehend Krell.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Your POV

Your head was pounding. You twitched your fingers, not fully regaining bodily autonomy yet. You heard voices around you but couldn't quite pick up what they were saying.

“.....right-, con..........Fine.”

You squeezed your eyes before opening them slightly. The light of the room forced them closed again. You brought your hand up to your face sluggishly to shield them. There was a scratchy fabric wrapped around your head. You heard a voice approaching.

“Hey, you're awake.” You turned to look. It was kix. You tried to sit up but the pain in your head stopped you.

“Take it easy Ruusaan. Lay back down.” Kix gently pushed you back onto the bunk. Your eyes started adjusting.

'You took quite a hit there. Here take this for the pain.” It was a liquid painkiller. Kix gently sat you up by the shoulders to take it. Someone else walked up to the bunk, it was the Captain. Rex knelt down.

“How are you feeling?”

Not able to find your voice yet you gave him a thumbs up.

“Good, good.” Kix gave Rex a look you couldn't place and left the two of you alone.

“We managed to capture Krell. Uh, Dogma actually...killed him.” Rex said.

“Oh” Your voice came out raspy. The painkillers started to kick in so you sat up and gently swung your legs over to sit on the bunk. Rex grasped your shoulder to stabilize you.

“The shuttles are coming soon, we'll get off this planet for good.” Rex said.

“Thank you Rex, for taking care of me. I'd probably be dead if it weren't for you.”

“Well, we had some...unforeseen events. I'm sure you could hold your own, but you're part of the team. I've got your back.” You smiled and went to stand. Your knees gave out a bit. Rex caught you by the arm and waist.

“Take it easy.”

“I'm fine.” You tell him a little snappy.

“Just making sure, let's get you to a shuttle.”

The Captain grabbed your pack for you. You made your way out to the hangars slowly, Rex following very closely next to you. A shuttle was waiting with a few men already on board. The shuttle took off and you were on the star cruiser in a matter of minutes. You stepped out into the hangar and turned to Rex.

“Let me grab that.” You said while reaching your arm to out get your pack.

“I got it.” Rex shook his head.

“I'm sure you have more important things to do than carry my stuff and escort me to my room.”

“At this moment, you're more important.” You swear your heart skipped a beat.

You abruptly turned around and continued walking, trying to ignore the heat your face was producing. You made it to your room in about five minutes. As the both of you drew closer you felt the exhaustion catch up to you. Your body yearned for your soft bed with all your blankets and pillows. You made it through the door and headed to your side. Rex stood at the threshold of the small quarters you and your best friend shared.

“You can come in.” You told him. He gingerly walked into your room. You plopped down on the bed.

“You could just set it down anywhere.” Rex put your pack down near the door. He looked a bit awkward.

“I guess I'll go now, get some rest.” He turned to walk out.

“Thank Rex, I really appreciate you. I'll have to get you a gift or something one day.” He looked back at you.

“That's...really not necessary.” He chuckled a bit.

“You saved my ass more than once, I think I owe you one.”

“Well, like I said. I'll always have your back.” He left you to get comfortable and sleep.

#rex x reader #clone trooper rex #captain rex #clone captain rex #rex #clone trooper x reader #clone wars 501st #clone wars fanfiction #star wars fanfiction #star wars prequels #star wars #swtcw fic #swtcw #captain rex x y/n #captain rex angst #captain rex x reader #captain rex fanfiction #ct 7567 #tcw