#like he knows he enjoys it so he's deliberately not saying it. withholding it. like a treat.

[corallapis]

hello. did you know these are the only times the doctor ever called him “master” to his face without prompting. in the whole entire show

#and even if you add prompting its only 2 more scenes! #(technically there's one more line from five in the same scene as above but he's off-screen so. you get the gist.) #the fact that three never did is soooooo. i mean it makes sense. but it's also crazy. #the closest three got was introducing him to sarah jane in the five doctors #“he likes to be called the master. don’t you?” #like he knows he enjoys it so he's deliberately not saying it. withholding it. like a treat. #doctor x master #dw

[lemonhemlock]

Hello! Hope u are doing well.

I wanted to ask u what you think of viserys and the prophecy. The dude was king for quite a long time and in peace time as well, and he invited the northern lords to pledge allegiance to his heir. Why didn't he or his ancestors put any plans in place, like the starks with their wall to defend against the ice zombie threat? He could have even talked to the stark patriarch who was there for rhaenyra at that time and made some plans. (I guess if they show cregan in season 2 saying like "Hey Jace your grandpa talked about this with my dad...it would be interesting).

I mean the show made it seem like the triarchy is the only problem and Viserys enjoys the success from Jaehaerys' reign so if this prophecy is the most important thing to him why didn't he focus on that too and make some plans?

Also any thoughts on what was Rhaenyras big plan on this threat, coz other than increasing the number of possible promised princes and increasing confusion on who it actually be, I don't actually think she would have done anything either?

Why did aegon i not just tell everyone and let everyone prepare? I hated they made it even seem like his invasion actually had any moral basis in the show because i definitely think he just invaded because he wanted to and not for some altruistic reasons.

Is it needed for rhaenyra to be even queen for the prophecy? It seems like anyone from aegon i's line would be enough and the best course of action I think was for viserys to give a class to all his family members atleast on this "big threat".

(sorry for the long question 💚)

Hey, starstruck. 💚

I have a little bit (or more lol) of a different opinion on this topic than I've seen so far in the fandom. I think it's very likely the prophecy was one of GRRM's add-ons. Or at the very least something that he wasn't particularly bothered by, bc it... fits? I'm not very pressed by it; it doesn't really contradict the canon we have so far in any significant way? We already know Jon and/or Dany are the prime candidates for TPTWP and both of them come from Aegon's line.

I feel like GRRM is deliberately withholding information about the conquering trio for some reason. The Targaryens lived on Dragonstone for the whole Century of Blood without bothering Westeros in any particular way, content to grow their coffers on trade, even though they were the only dragonlords left in the world. Even Aegon I got himself involved with Pentos and Tyrosh against Volantis, so he seemed to have totally different preoccupations before something happened and he set his sights on Westeros. We already know some Targaryens have dragondreams so him being influenced by a prophecy doesn't strike me as outrageous. Bloodraven himself could retroactively send him those dreams to get him to move his arse over to Westeros, like a kind of medieval version of Netflix's DARK.

As far as the Conquest being morally justified because of a prophecy, IDK... does Rhaegar's abduction of Lyanna become morally justified because of the prophecies Rhaegar was studying? I'm inclined to say no, but people are still (hotly) debating that in fandom to this day. I also think sometimes fans tend to overanalyze the author's intentions and also perceive them through more of a modern (or even Americanized) lens. I know we say within fandom that Westeros was colonised (as a shorthand), but that's not exactly the definition, because what the Targaryens did in Westeros was devoid of the large-scale population movements, assimilation and deep cultural exchanges that characterised this phenomenon - as well as the nefarious elements that the colonisation of the Americas is well-remembered for, like genocide and cultural erasure or the criminal-level exploitation that the Europeans enabled in Africa.

When we are taught about the Roman Empire's expansionism and other such historical wars of conquest, it's more to press the issue of ethnogenesis and discuss diplomatic history, not to philosophically ponder whether it was "good" or "bad". "Was Roman Emperor X morally justified in annexing territory A or B?" is not really the type of question that is very prevalent when parsing through the historiography of the real world.* At some point in history, any kind of existing polity was formed as a result of some war of conquest and some bloodshed. Even each individual component kingdom of Westeros was made up by uniting several other petty kingdoms in the area. Was that morally impeachable? If not, then what should we do - go back and disintegrate that unified political structure into its component bits until we get back to tribe-level? Where does it stop? Who is to pinpoint where exactly the line in the sand is? And why are we focusing specifically on the size of this country/nation/community instead of focusing on the overall population's well-being?

This is a very rambling parenthesis, but, ultimately, I don't think the author necessarily intended for the particular act of conquest by the Targaryens to be viewed as 100% BAD or 100% GOOD. What marks the difference for me personally is the asymmetry of power between the Targaryens and the rest of Westeros, that is not borne out of any technological prowess, but out of a kind of pact-with-the-devil, selling-your-soul-to-obtain-access-to-magic type of thing. It's the Field of Fire and reigning down fire over Dorne as combat engagement. It's not something anyone else has any shot at replicating. To me, the story of the Targaryens is about gaining access to absolute power and allowing it to corrupt you, disregarding good governance and terrorizing those who oppose you in favour of keeping that power at all costs. They have these supernatural fetters around them and place themselves at the top of the hierarchical pyramid, but they have little to show for it when it comes to actually ruling the realms they wanted to conquer so much.

Perhaps their lack of planning against the ice zombie threat plays right into this dynamic and entitlement. It is notable, though, that the Starks in the main series are none-the-wiser about the ice threat as well. Nor does Ned seem to have any idea about it. Or the Night's Watch. So if information got lost along history, there is either a good in-universe explanation for it that George hasn't revealed yet or it's not the fault of one individual person who wanted to gatekeep. I get the feeling that neither Viserys, nor Rhaenyra thought that this apocalyptic threat was going to pester them specifically - more like it was more a problem for future generations than it was for them. Perhaps bolstered by the knowledge that no particularly suspicious activity had been reported north of the Wall.

As for the question - why didn't Aegon I simply dissimulate his knowledge of the prophecy and let the Westerosi decide on their own what to do about it? Well, the realistic answer is that they would have laughed and carried on. Who would entertain such a wacky notion? Who would even care about a problem that could/maybe/probably-not-though happen eons into the future, when they'd all be dead anyway? We have a hard time getting people to care about climate change right now and we have scientific evidence at our disposal, not an unprovable prophecy. My guess would be that Aegon maybe thought that, by bestowing kinghood to TPTWP, he was giving him/her the necessary tools to defeat this threat - money, resources, armies and the legal authority to make everyone else obey them, thus simplifying the process.

RE: the book endgame, coming back to the famous Robert Frost poem, my interpretation of that is that both ice and fire have the potential to be incredibly destructive and could reasonably cause the end of the world. But the idea is for them to neutralize each other out - not that fire power is the moral choice here as opposed to ice or vice-versa. IMO both of them have no place in the world and have to be snuffed out if Westeros is ever to escape this weird climate limbo it's stuck in.

Of course, the problem with meta-analyses like this is that we still have 2 full books to go until the end, so it's kind of early to be making grand, sweeping ideological commentaries like this, when we're still missing vital information. So whenever something else gets revealed, there is a real risk of us looking a little foolish in hindsight.

*not to say that you can't study history using by resorting to that paradigm, but you won't find answers that are immediate or plain, a neat little box in which to stuff this conundrum, with a neat little sticker labelled GOOD or EVIL. Similarly, I don't think the author intends to solve that moral dilemma either - making us question it is the entire point.

#ask #starstrucksnowing #the prince that was promised #aegon the conqueror #i really don't think arya is going to kill the night king lol that's a show invention #also who is to say what the targaryens or anyone else in-universe specifically knew about the others #i think grrm is gatekeeping that information bc he would reveal future plot points

[fouralignments]

This was supposed to be an author's note for Chapter 5: I’ve Opened by Mind, Yet I am Blind for Blessed by Khonshu, My Son Comes Back to Me to explain my reasoning behind Sabah Nur's why he acts the way that he does.

I have a pet peeve in writing is the idiot plot.

Don't get me wrong there is a time and place for it. I love me some Bride Wars or your Flash Gordon's Emperor Ming who revival in the camp and who doesn't skim through the Evil overlord list. But you knows its comedy and we can laugh at the absurdity and the larger than life antics and emotions. Or even your Dr. Doofenshmirtz, his entire schtick is this. But I don't mind it! I enjoy Back to the Future II because you know the story and characters are great and I can overlook it.

Sometimes characters do not have all the information or their egos into the way or they do not listen and they make the wrong decisions or a stupid decision; which for me is perfectly alright.

My beef with the idiot plot is when there are instances of the idiocy of the characters drives the plot forward in order to work. Theses are your Prometheus. I enjoy this despite its flaws and also Michael Fassbender performance saved this movie; the forced conflict of a character withholding information and not just sitting down and talking about in romantic movies that could have been so easily solved in the first act.

Its the writing equivalent of twisting your characters into pretzel in order, and deliberately writing them out of character for convivence and not really putting in the effort and thinking through would X character response to this situation and/or crisis. For me this bad writing.

Now, its one thing for your Emperor Ming or Dr. Doofenshmirtz to be idiotic in their villainy. But, we're talking about one of the X-Men's biggest big bad: Apocalypse. He's one of the most powerful villains that they ever faced during their runs.

There is a saying: That your hero is only as good as your villain.

The writers XM:A kneecapped Apocalypse for our heroes in order for them to win. It takes away from Sabah Nur menace. Apocalypse holds that villain ball hard with Charles delivering his speech to the world and giving Jean his location to save him. It sabotages the characters, so it requires less of them in order to defeat Apocalypse or the situation that they are in. Things happen to the characters like Wolverine making mincemeat at Akali lake that require very little of our characters to escape.

So the defeat feels less earned; its cheating in order for the writer to get the results that they wants. Its like technobabble, it isn't your characters thinking their way out of problem, its magic and no more explanation is needed. If your characters are pressed against wall and they can either fight, think or talk to get themselves out.

I get the feeling this why the Jean unleashing the phoenix felt so underwhelming because It isn't our heroes exhausting all possibilities of defeating Apocalypse, where he outsmarted them, out fought them and won at every front and the X-Men can just barely defeat him with all their powers combined, but it isn't enough. Therefore, they do need the Deus ex Machina of the Phoenix in order to defeat him.

The other X-Men movies didn't require the villains: Trask, Stryker (both young and old), Shaw, Senator Kelly or Magneto to be stupid in order for the heroes to defeat them; quite the opposite, their intelligence made more scary and adding to the challenge for our heroes to overcome.

The sentinel are the X-Men cinematic universe equivalent of the fucking Borg; if you had an ad agency advertising futility the DOFP future! sentinels would be it.

XM:A needed to go through several more drafts because this is just sloppy writing and nowhere the caliber of DOFP and FC.

Also you have Oscar God-damn Isaac How could not make this work???

There are parts of this movie that work really damn well for En Sabah Nur because he can be damn scary if the writers allow him to be.

#X-Men Apocalypse

[ncfan-1]

Today in writing...

Wrote 1.8k for Chapter Fourteen of An Arrow Piercing the Heart’s Eye, bringing the chapter word count to 2.8k.

Linhardt was most accustomed to Flayn staring up at him with a face pinched hard in a glare of annoyance. He would admit that after a certain point, it was something he did deliberately. She was quite fond of saying things that made no sense, was Flayn, and if she was going to keep making such assertions about their shared ancestor, things that made absolutely no sense, with such absolute conviction, he was after a while have to come to the conclusion either that she was in a position to know more than him and was withholding the source of her information out of small-mindedness, or that she absolutely did not know anything more than him and was simply making the information up to confound him. In circumstances like that, he rather had to start firing back after a while, and if that involved making wild, unsupported suppositions, so be it.

…And he didn’t enjoy it in the least. Not one little bit. Not even the way her face would screw up and she’d start huffing and puffing when he brushed off one of her prim remarks that his suppositions were insulting to the memory of Saint Cethleann. Not in the slightest.

#Today in writing #ncfan's writing process #An Arrow Piercing the Heart's Eye

[bronzewool]

SPEED RUN OF ALL THE DETECTIVE POIROT BOOKS I READ THIS MONTH

ABC Murders is about a series of mass murders taking place in the UK with the only clue being that each victim was found with a copy of the ABC rail guide on their person and that their names follow the theme of A-Z. Poirot has to find the murderer before the next victim turns up but nothing seems to connect the seemingly random murder victims.

On the surface, this feels outside the norm for Agatha Christie, who doesn't really dive into flashy high stakes murder investigations (there is an anonymous writer deliberately calling out Poirot to try and stop him, leaves ambiguous clues for the police to find, and wants all of Britain to know his movements), but it all makes sense once you find out why these murders are happening in the first place and what the murderer is trying to accomplish.

And like most of Agatha Christie’s work, you can pretty much figure out the murderer almost instantly once you ask yourself, “Who in this room financially benefits from the murder?"

Rating: 4/5

Death on the Nile is insane, and I love it. A rich socialite is killed on her honeymoon and the obvious suspect seems to be her ex-best friend who felt betrayed after she "stole" her boyfriend, followed them abroad, was in possession of a gun (and shot the husband in the leg), but has a solid alibi for her whereabouts during the murder. Poirot is the only one who can solve this mystery, and naturally, none of the passangers are being very helpful as they all seem to be acting supscious and withholding vital information.

This book is bonkers because stalking apparantly wasn't considered a crime back in the 1920s; so when Linnet goes the Hercule, asking for advice about how to deal with Jacqueline, Hercule just shrugs and says, there's nothing the police can do because Jacqueline isn't doing anything illegal, despite being in posession of a gun and verbally threatening them. (WTF?!)

It also does a really good job of portraying Linnet as a complex character instead of going for either a "good" or "bad" rich white woman. She is very generous with money and looks out for her employees' wellbeing, but she is used to getting her own way and responds poorly to being denied what she wants. Everyone has a different opinion on her character and they’re not wrong.

But the book does lose points for the horrendous racist descriptors about the Egyptian locals. Not cool.

Rating: 3/5

Murder on the Orient Express made me want to go on an actual sleeper train, but the price for a single night stamped out any future holiday plan I may of had touring Europe on a fancy hotel on wheels.

Once again, poor Poirot is just trying to enjoy his holiday in peace but ends up trapped on another form of public transportation where he has to solve yet another murder. This mystery is set up really well, with each key player being slowly introduced as the journey goes on, until a snow drift stops the train in its tracks and everyone is stranded in the middle of nowhere with one of the passangers killed in a seemingly locked cabin.

Everything about the premise feels like a coincedence after coindence, but everything has been set up to the last detail, to the point it is beyond impressive how good it is. This is perfect writing and trying to figure out who is lying and who isn't is very enjoyable if you are also taking notes along side Poirot during each of his interviews.

Rating: 5/5

#there is a lot of murder in these titles #charl's book journey

[writingtoforgetreality]

Sleep Paralysis (Helmut Zemo x Reader)

[Marvel-Masterlist]

Summary: You hated sharing a room with another person. Especially when it came to sleeping. Which usually resulted into you staying awake for the night if you were teamed up with someone. Sometimes you could not escape exhaustion, though.

Words: 2,381

Warnings: language, angst, fluff, insomnia, experiencing sleep paralysis, anxiety, TFATWS spoilers (I don’t think there are any but just to be sure I guess), Zemo awakens the poet in me idk, REQUESTS ARE OPEN!

If you like my work & wanna support me: a coffee would be highly appreciated ❤

The people you found yourself teamed up with gave you safety. Sam, Bucky & even Zemo. With the three of them on your side, you had nothing to fear. Missions with these guys were easy. If the two grown ass men children were not occupied with killing the other grown ass man child. Names were not needed here, that was explanation enough. You were surprised yourself when you started enjoying Zemo’s company. He was a criminal. He was supposed to be the bad guy. So why could you not view him as such? Was it the way he moved his body? Was it his hair which fell in place just perfectly imperfect? Was it his coat that accentuated the weight of the world he carried on his shoulders alone? Was it his smile that was just the tiniest bit bigger whenever he glanced at you? Was it that stupid head tilt thing that was everything but stupid to you? What the hell was it? And why the hell was resisting your urges so damn hard?

Maybe it was your mind playing tricks on you but you could have sworn that his eyes fell on you, no matter how big the crowd. You could have sworn that his body searched out your presence wherever you went. There was this unspoken thing between you guys. As much as you wanted to address the tension building up, you were apprehensive what your best friends would say about it. You were doubtful how he would receive the news. Your ever growing friendship was at risk. The mere thought of having to live your life without him was inconceivable. How did it work before he came along? It was like your brain erased those memories altogether. Truthfully, he changed your life around without having an idea of the effect he had on you. Or he did know but enjoyed messing with your feelings. Though he did not strike you as that type of man.

Countless nights were spent with you having deep, meaningful conversations. Thanks to those times, you perceived his side of the story. His motives & what drove him to the actions that brought him behind bars in the end. By no means were you trying to justify his crimes. There would have been multiple different ways. Back then, the only purpose for him was revenge. Apologies that came too late were given. Zemo truly was sorry. And while words & emotions could be faked easily, it was impossible to hide the deeper meaning that his eyes held. The softness, the wariness, he could not simulate this. Those beautiful brown orbs were withholding years worth of tears. It was not your position to force him to display his weakness in front of you. Sometimes, simply knowing that another person was available if needed, that was enough.

The same feeling of secureness was provided by him. Your past was not necessarily pleasant either. Innumerable regrets labeled your existence. You were not a good example of a hero. Every day, you contemplated the what-if’s. Overthinking was part of your diurnal routine. All the pondering was needless. The switch only shifted after the beginnings of Zemo’s nocturnal reassurances. Without him, you would still be stuck in that gloomy pit your body had constructed on its own. You two were reliant on each other. Not physically but mentally. Unpretentiously, small touches followed. Brushing his thumbs over your smooth skin on the back of your hand. Squeezing your shoulders gingerly. Goosebumps erupted each time his body warmth was transferred to yours. Whether he wore his leather gloves or not, your body responded with endless fireworks that launched from deep inside.

The hotel you entered radiated wealth. Zemo negotiated the reservations. Which was obvious by the mere impression of the lofty ceilings that were embellished with immense sparkling chandeliers. Your eyes overstrained from the extravagance, switching from one highlight to the next. As a regular citizen, your income denied you such a lifestyle. Avengers did not earn a fortune, this trait came with the job description. Meaning that you would savor every little ticking of your stay. The marvelous high of contentment ceased when the receptionist informed you of an immutable adjustment concerning your room situation. The only two vacant premises were a king size in one & two singles in the other. Apparently, the decision was resolved without you having a say in it. Your questions were answered with a definite proclamation. You were the only soul unable to kill the Baron. Your attempts to conceal your embarrassment were unsuccessful. The smirk adorning Zemo’s features was unhelpful in your current position. Sam & Bucky abandoned you in the entrance, heading off to their room to rest after a tiring mission.

Zemo demanded your luggage to be brought up to your chambers. One of his hands rested on your lower back. This motion warmed your body. It was so simple yet filled with extensive care. It should have been wrong but you have never felt more protected in your entire life. One thing worried you. Sharing a room with the man who brought out your true happiness. It was no secret that you suffered from insomnia. Usually, it vanished after indefinite missions. The interminable flight in Zemo’s private jet added up to your exhaustion. Under no circumstances would you sleep in a room with the Baron. The trust existed, that was not the issue. What happened during your slumber could not be controlled. The tossing, turning, screaming. Nightmares invaded your dreams every time you closed your eyes. Therefore, you obviated sleep as long as possible. Multiple cups of coffee, the heavy does of caffeine every day, aided your wish to stay up. If you narrated a good enough excuse, he would not inquire. At least, that was what you hoped.

Stepping through the tall door into the spacious room, you stopped dead in your tracks. You needed a second to take everything in. Never before had you occupied such a luxurious chamber. It resembled a suite. Different shades of warm colors complemented each other. The vast windows enabled your view of the city beneath. Colorful lights brought the dead of the dim night to life. Facing the stars aligning the somber night sky, Zemo arranged himself next to you. Minutes of silence enveloped you, filling the room to the brink. The man next to you fractured the quietness with whispers. He pointed out various constellations. Observantly, you absorbed his words. He was cultured but never bragged about it. His sentiment of deliberate timing was unique. One of his characteristics was fathoming when to quit talking. Or when it was suitable to speak. Zemo constantly knew how to ease the tension with his thoughtful comments.

“You take the bed. I am content with resting on the couch.” he proposed. As much as you appreciated his deliberation, you pronounced the contrary.

“No, Helmut. I won’t sleep anyway, you can have the bed.” your gentle smile underlined the tiredness emanating from your eyes. He tilted his head to one side, observing your body language.

“You have not rested after our mission yet. Not even during the flight where Sam, James & I slept.” he annotated, worry audible in his voice. Your shoulders lifted in a short shrug. Alleging that you were fine. Spending hours with you concluded to him comprehending your lies. Your features were different whenever you attempted feigning him. Approaching your figure in the barely illuminated room, he halted a few steps away from you. Movements of his hands caught your attention. The gloves were peeled off. Lifting one of his arms, you shivered when his skin touched your cheek affectionately. His fingers caressed your face so lovingly, your eyes closed instinctively. “You are exhausted, darling.” his words were soft, soothing your ears by the fragility of them. The space between you two was narrow. You breathed the same air. His body heat passed onto you. Your heart sped up, almost as if it could break out any second. Nobody had ever made you feel that way. Nodding obediently, Zemo dragged you closer to the soft mattress covered with silk sheets. It was a desired invitation. It did not last long before you gave in. The smooth material welcomed you. Realizing Zemo’s retreating steps, your hand reached for his wrist, freezing his tries. He glanced over his shoulder bewildered.

“Stay.” it was music to his ears, hearing your quiet proposition. Holding himself back, he shook his head briefly. A signal that he did not want to disturb you. “Please.” his face softened at your plea. How could he resist your sweet voice? How could he resist you when it was obvious that you wished for him to stay with you?

“Okay.” pulling back the blankets, he lied right behind you. Your back was facing him. The shock was only brief when your hand searched for his arm. Draping it over your waist, you sighed contently when he embraced you tighter. It was not just what you needed. This, it was required by him as well.

Peaceful hours of cuddling went by without disruption. The calm was interrupted by your eyes snapping open in fear. Your back was against the mattress. Staring at the tall ceiling, your breath quickened when you could not move. Could not talk. Could not scream. There was not a single thing that could be done but you awaited the bad that would arrive soon. It was not the first time you experienced such a situation. The pressure in your chest grew steadily, obstructing your breathing. Your muscles ached, your head pounded. Someone would murder you. If you did not rise soon, death would come knocking on your door. Your attempts to push away the sheets & your labored breath stirred the man next to you awake. His confusion ended when he noticed your struggles. Propping his head onto one of his arms, he scooted closer to your body. Zemo knew what you were going through at the moment. While he had never suffered from such a period himself, he had read about it. Your eyes widened when his locked onto yours. The fear was visible even without a light illuminating the room. His free hand moved to your cheek. In the process, he whispered sweet nothings to you in hopes that they would reach you. Irregular breaths were still very much present. Though you had him with you, your anxiety was acting up still. Your mind was determined that you would die in a few minutes.

“Hey, hey, hey. Darling, look at me.” your eyes slowly shifted from the ceiling to his dark, almost black ones. They were a beautiful shade of brown but it was too sinister to detect the different hues. “There you go.” his voice was steady, controlled. “What you are experiencing is called sleep paralysis. It means that you are awake but your body is asleep still. It will be over soon, I promise. This might feel life threatening to you but I’m here, okay? I am here with you & I will not let anything happen to you.” his eyebrows raised expectantly. The most you could give him was a useless attempt of a nod. His fingers stroked over your skin, bringing you comfort. You were not on your own. Zemo held you close to his body. Still unable to move, the one thing you could feel was his body heat. Minutes without change went by. Affirmations were whispered into the quiet of the ample room. Your leg shuffled the blankets. A small smile crept onto your face. Finally, you had control again. Your muscles were no longer frozen in place. Overwhelmed by the sudden liberty, you embraced Zemo into a tight hug. Reciprocating immediately, he held your head in place in the crook of his neck. His other arm raked around your waist, keeping you as close as possible. He assured you that you were alright. That nobody & nothing could hurt you. Not when he was around. The silent tears rolling down your cheeks were inevitable. They stained his shirt but he could not care less. All that mattered was you overcoming the feeling of uncontrollability. Maybe it was his explanation. Or his proximity. Or his sweet words calming you down. In the end, the cause was insignificant. Zemo helped you through this & there were no words to express your gratitude to him.

Pulling away slightly, he rested his forehead against yours. You mimicked his deep breaths, disposing of the last bits of worry. When you were in his presence, it was gratuitous to be fearful. Demons had no chance. Not when it came to Zemo. The next reaction came naturally. This time, you did not fight the urge to press your lips onto his. You took his breath away by the unexpected action. There were no complaints from his side. Both hands rested on your face, bringing you closer if it was even feasible. In your imagination, you recalled kissing Zemo to be heated. This right now was the exact opposite. No words could depict what emotions were rushing through your entire body. Descriptions were useless if you could demonstrate it with a simple kiss. After it ended, silence sheathed you two once again. It was everything but unpleasant. He kept holding onto you. Zemo would never judge you because of nightmares or similar occurrences. Your head rested on his chest, above his heart. The beat calming your nerves even further. Explaining that you had always suffered from the monsters of the night, he did not interrupt. You needed to confide & he was more than happy to be available. Another soft kiss was pressed on top of your head. A content sigh left your lips. Zemo assured you that he would stay, no matter what. He was in this for good. Whatever this was. Time would clarify the relationship between you two. All you knew was that it felt right. Having him close to you. Having him as your protector. Having him to brighten up your days. Simply having him. That was adequate. That was your unspoken wish. You expected a lot but you did not expect the fulfillment of a previous unknown dream. You were home.

Published (04/21/2021) by Cathy

Tags: @eristudytime, @hiraethmaximoff, @incansas, @fionanovasleftnut, @mundaytuesday, @ashamed23, @pedropascallovebot, @kpoptrash2000, @lulu-yuming, @bibliophilewednesday, @arctic--ash, @mischiefmanaged71, @yallgotkik, @noavengers, @lieutenantn, @birdieofloxley, @aisling1985, @tatooineisdry, @obsidian-queen, @h0ly-fire, @dxnxdjarxn (thanks for your support <3)

#helmut zemo #helmut zemo x reader #zemo #zemo x reader #baron zemo #baron zemo x reader #daniel brühl #tfatws #the falcon and the winter solider spoilers #the falcon and the winter soldier #disney #disney original series #disney+ #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #mcu #marvel x reader #marvel imagine #avengers #avengers imagine #avengers x reader #imagine #reader insert #reader imagine #one shot #oneshot #fanfiction #fanfic #sam wilson #bucky barnes

[ruby-whistler]

There are three types of misinterpretation of c!Dream in my opinion; and by that I mean anyone's take ever, whether it's a c!Dream anti or a c!Dream apologist or a c!Dream enthusiast. That's right, I'm making an essay about how in my mind everyone is wrong. This is how I lead debates please don't unfollow me-

1. misunderstanding or overdramatizing evidence

c!Dream apologists; g-guys. I'm not saying he isn't traumatized, but look. I really used to believe he was just everyone's victim and hurt and mentally unstable, and I'm not saying he isn't at all, but I changed my mind because I feel like the evidence doesn't,, point that way at all. Your emotions are valid, but your takes are very removed from what the rest of the fandom thinks because you take little hints and try to make them into some big angsty point within canon.

The evidence we have proves he is more ruthless than anything; even the content creator says that. He doesn't say why he does progressively more ruthless things, and he does say it's for his ideals and out of good intentions, but he doesn't say anything about him being hurt into doing it.

I'm not saying he isn't hurt. But making analysis of an entire character based on something that is barely supported by canon isn't the way I roll and I feel like it's one of the reason why people assume all c!Dream apologist are going to woobify the character,, because some of them really do that.

I don't mind portraying him as hurt by what's happened in canon, because that is a completely safe conclusion, but jumping to the victim side of the scale seems a little bit like painting a completely different picture than what actual canon says. (Note: talking about pre-Pandora c!Dream here.)

There is tragedy in someone being driven by the environment, circumstances and themselves deeper and deeper into corruption, but it feels like by only considering that the entire character is limited to one side of the argument.

I like to also see the side of him that will hurt people because he thinks he has to, because he wants to succeed above all, the side that will ruthlessly murder and manipulate and be calculative and clever and even self-destructive about it because he believes that'll get him towards his ultimately selfless goal.

That's my morally complex bastard.

A lot of people seem to be mistaking or ignoring that for the sake of saying he is just... hurt and that that is an explanation of his actions, and even though they don't use it as an excuse, it feels a little cheap.

And here we come to the core of the problem: an emotional vs. rational explanation for the character's actions.

Because the thing is, with enough evidence, you will see that nearly (we'll get to that in a bit) everything he does can be explained rationally. Everything is connected, everything is the most logical and efficient and merciless route straight from point A to point B, because c!Dream is fascinatingly smart when you look deeper into it.

He knows what he's doing. He knows his actions are awful, and he doesn't care - not because he would be some evil person, but because his mindsets cause him to justify such things, and mindsets are more complicated than feelings.

There is a lot to explore in that direction of the character, but that is material for another essay.

In short, people seem to enjoy removing all of his agency in favor of explaining his actions emotionally rather than from a rational standpoint which results in inaccurate analysis.

Do I think it is completely understandable he attacked L'Manberg?

Absolutely.

Do I think c!Wilbur painted him as a villain to benefit his own power?

Yes.

Do I think he utilized the villain persona as an intimidation tactic and often went overkill with no regard for anything but accomplishing his goals and that he slowly became more and more willing to do bad things of his own accord because he became determined and distrusting of the world to the point of committing horrible actions?

100%.

Analysing that part of the character is the most interesting part, when you consider it - and an important one as well.

2. ignoring evidence

c!Dream antis; please. Stop saying he doesn't care or explaining his actions with obsession or assigning him personality traits or motives that he literally doesn't have in order to demonize him I beg of you.

It's so many basic and easily debunkable assumptions that can be explained with what we actually know of his motives. People will ignore both canon and the authors' words to paint him as some monster with no nuance, which he is not.

We only know so much about him, but people will ignore and deny even the little bit we have for the sake of making him the literal personification of evil and erasing the fact that he is a complex and human character. Just accept he can be accurately analysed beyond hate and let people do it if you don't want to do so yourself.

3. assuming the evidence we have is everything you need to determine a final approach and that nothing outside of the presented evidence exists when certain details prove otherwise

c!Dream enthusiasts; this was the only and biggest problem I've had since being introduced to much more rational interpretations of the character - which is emotions, and one of the biggest reasons why c!Dream gets dehumanized in the first place; the fact that we have little to no showcase or explanation of them in canon.

You see, c!Dream is a reserved character. He likes withholding his plans, withholding his feelings and information from the world.

However, since all we can really get out of watching his actions alone is the rational side (and that is deliberate by both the writer and the character, narratively and personality-wise) people slowly begin to assume there is no emotional side to his actions at all.

Which I find,, untrue. Between the people who erase the rational side of the character and those who erase the emotional side, there is little middle ground, but I don't really find either of them right either.

Because neither would be an accurate representation; just because he doesn't actively showcase his feelings doesn't mean he doesn't have them, and the few inconsistencies that are too small a detail for us to put everything together show that he does have an inner emotional world beyond what we see.

The character does work beyond what we know, and expecting that everything can be explained purely by rationality because that's all we see of him seems a little bit jumping the gun.

It leads to a less person-like view of a character who in reality simply doesn't like showing people the way he feels, and I don't really find that fair to him. It is best to accept there are things we can't say for sure, or to say an emotional interpretation can also be valid at times.

It is both important not to deny him agency and not to deny him the ability to be genuinely hurt by others or changed by his environment.

Both of these can coexist, especially in

the correct interpretation

Ok this is a joke.

I have literally no idea. I'm just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks - he confuses me beyond belief. The only person who knows about both the emotional and rational side of the character enough to have their interpretation unquestioned is cc!Dream - but when we do try to find answers, it is important for us as well that we do not ignore any aspects or possible aspects of the character, because that is the only way to get useful results out of our analysis.

Sorry this was crit of basically every take about the character I have ever seen but I needed to get my thoughts out.

#dream smp #c!dream #ask to tag as crit #long post #idk i'm big on the c!dream pos #but woobification & dehumanization & demonization are #all equally a problem in the fandom #with the character

[inspiteallthedanger]

Hi, I'm quite new to Beatles fandom and I've been really enjoying reading your thoughts on things. I've been reading The Beatles and the Historians and was surprised to learn that no-one knew (until the 80s i think) just how depressed Paul had been after the split. I was wondering if you thought if people HAD somehow known, it might have affected how he was viewed by the public and by the other band members at the time?

Hello, welcome and thank you so much! And also thank you for the question. I do love a hypothetical. Under the cut, because I took this too seriously.

In summation, it seems fairly intractable. But I’d love to hear from others!

Yeah, Paul’s been working pretty hard to get that message out. He absolutely hates being labelled as the one who broke up The Beatles (something he and John very much agreed on). Interesting to see a lot of his fans actively disagreeing with Paul about his own telling of the story, too. I wonder how it’ll end up being told.

First, a note on timing:

Sep 1969: John asks for a divorce at the meeting to sign a new contract with EMI

Nov-Dec 1969: Paul’s depressive episode (hard to tell how long this lasted but probably not longer than a few weeks and he wasn’t in Scotland the whole time, from what I remember)

Dec 1969 -April 1970: Lots of business arguments. It’s hard to tell what everyone’s thinking, but George is giving interviews saying it’s all fine and given John hasn’t announced his departure, it’s possible he’s thinking something might be worked out

April 1970: Paul announces the split and his album (sort of)

Carnage

Dec 1970: Paul sues The Beatles to be released from the contract he signed the year before

Jan and Feb 1970: Lennon Remembers comes out and sort of sets the tone for the narrative

This is all important, because you note Paul’s depression happens before the split is made official by publicly announcing it. He’s “over it” before the others know it’s even happened (both the split and his depression).

But to your question, weirdly, I was wondering about a similar thing recently. If John had been the one to break the news and if he’d got the blame, how would things have changed?

The thing is… I don’t know that it would have changed things all that much. John was telling people he was the one who left, that it was his fault the Beatles were over, even if he was saying it was in part because Paul was annoying. So, the issue wasn’t a straight “Meanie Paul ended our favourite band”. It’s more about, “We’re angry the band’s over and we need to blame someone and pick a side in this fight and we all think John is cooler than Paul”. Some of that might have been softened if Paul hadn’t been the one to break the news, although I think John would still have won the subsequent fall out.

Ultimately, I think the music media liked John’s persona more than Paul’s. John was extremely good with the press and was brilliant in an interview (and had a lot of them). Paul refused access to almost everyone, which didn’t win him any friends in press rooms. Yoko and John’s peace-loving, macho, rock god, who tells it like it is, was way more interesting to them than farmer Paul and his doting wife in their domestic idle in Scotland.

Also, John was just uniquely charismatic and people loved listening to him. Paul has always struggled on a more interpersonal level, despite being more outwardly polite and accommodating. John made people feel like they really knew him (they didn’t) and that he cared about them (he often didn’t). Paul didn’t have that skill set, often people were left feeling he was deliberately withholding. So John got a lot of journalists on side in a way Paul didn’t.

I have to say, I’m never clear on if this is entirely a media issue. As in Paul pretty much always did okay in the charts and kept a pretty loyal fanbase. But, I don’t know if it’s even possible to really see what general public opinion was and therefore how much this all impacted him. I mean. I’m sure it wasn’t pleasant at all, but materially, he just kept on trucking.

But, let’s assume that we can somehow even up the persona issues. What if Paul had created a brilliant persona and done loads of interviews. Well, you bump up against the reason he probably wasn’t doing those things and why there are people still not convinced by his story…

It just didn’t appear that Paul wanted to be in the band anymore. He’d made his peace with it in Scotland and was ready to move on. So it seems, but I suppose we don’t know for sure there’s nothing the others couldn’t have offered to make him change his mind. Paul was the one stopping them getting back together by being the only one not to agree with Klein, now history is on his side there, but that’s not going to help for a few years. It’s hard to know how set John was in not continuing because I suspect he went back and forth on it. But I do believe there was a scenario that would have meant he agreed to a formal break rather than a break up. Paul just seems against it.

So, Paul saying, “I’m suing the most popular band in the world and refusing to work with them… but I’m super sad about it!” probably wouldn’t have won him much support.

Even that aside, I think Paul showing weakness would not have been met with sympathy by the general public or the media. There wasn’t much support for that sort of thing then, also Paul doesn’t do emotions and vulnerability like John. But that’s another issue.

So. It probably wouldn’t have saved him from the court of public opinion. On a personal level, I suspect that if John, George and Ringo really, really believed it, they’d back off a little (at least in public). But again, they weren’t really slagging him off until later, at which point he’s chucking Ringo out of his house and screaming that he’ll end him... So I don’t think they would have believed it, because of the way Paul was in general and because he still wasn’t budging. Ultimately the only thing that would have helped was him backing down on a business front - they were all too entrenched by then for anything else. And Paul simply wasn’t going to do that.

Now. This has all been assuming things played out the same and we’re talking post-break up. But, if Paul had gone to John’s and laid out how devastated he was and said he really didn’t want things to end during his depression? This is the question. I don’t know. All the same problems still exist, but perhaps John softens on the Klein thing and they find a third route.

But that just didn’t seem possible, really. They’d been trying that and none of them could agree on a way forward. Plus the whole weirdness of the  Lennon/McCartney element - I really think by the time they both got married it was too late (probably before that to be honest). I guess the best case scenario is they still break up but it’s all less traumatic and they all reconcile by 75. I just don’t know. I suspect they were really built to fall apart. And fall apart they did.

Side note, I’m not really an expert on the business stuff (I mean not at all). The new contract meant that they’d have to either record two albums a year or dissolve the partnership (the legal side of the Beatles). This is what Paul sued them to achieve - so he wouldn’t be held by the contract he’d signed. Anyway, it’s all very messy and complicated - lots of arguments about tax and shares and things. But, the point is, that doesn’t go away unless they all agree to carry on as a band or all agree to dissolve it (which clearly the other three didn’t want to do for... tax reasons?).

So to sum up. The band would always have split. People being people they’d pick a side. They didn’t pick John just because Paul seemed strong and silent, they did it because he was more compelling (and not suing the Beatles). John and the others might have softened but not much if Paul didn’t also back down on business stuff. But, they might have avoided the all out war if Paul had been more vulnerable.

#beth rambles

[thewuzzy]

charles on power

Charles' relationship with his mutation in 9 11 10 is so fascinating. 

9 11 10 Charles is a man who’s spent his life suppressing his mutation to keep himself safe. Due to his financial and social privilege has never been forced to exercise or practice his powers. So before he’s kidnapped by the EBS, it’s not just that he’s unskilled in the use of his powers, it’s that he actually doesn’t know what his powers can do.

Charles figures out pretty immediately, however, that his powers can do a lot. He veils his entire body from Erik’s sight. He senses Syracuse at a distance. He gathers a aviary of birds that seem capable of completing any number of wee tasks for him...almost all undetected by Emma... and all within the first handful of chapters...

Charles is not an idiot. He’s a professor with a brigh and curious mind; he was going to be a scientist before he moved to classics. He knows that this is a Big Deal. So from this moment on -- why doesn't he spend every waking moment practising the use of his power? Why doesn’t he read the minds of people who could lead him to supplies or an escape route?! Why doesn’t he send thoughts flying over the Atlantic to contact Raven, for goodness sake?!!!

Instead, for literally months, Charles continues to only expand the capacity of his powers either when explicitly needed in the immediate (such as to send images of Sabretooth to warn Moira), or to fulfil random whims (such as his desire to spy on Erik at the bonfire party...) 

Are you fucking telling me Charles that those are the only places you’ve been? After all these months you’ve still only tested the boundaries of your awareness three times????!!!

Quite frankly, despite the months Charles spends with the EBS and how much he is *apparently* keen to escape, the amount of time that he spends exercising and honing his mutation is, I would say, shockingly little. It doesn't seem like Charles it biding his time, withholding his trump card. It seems like Charles isn’t even interested in finding out what his trump card is.

Which leads me on to my next question...

Why doesn’t Charles try to defeat Emma?

#UnreliableNarratorCharlesStrikesAgain 

It’s early days in the story when Charles starts to believe that his power might be far greater than he’s realised... perhaps great enough to rival Emma. 

This isn’t just an arbitrary thought. Charles is arrogant, yes, but he’s also pretty fucking astute. So does he do anything with this new knowledge? Fuck no!

And then we have it explicitly confirmed by Logan that Charles is more powerful than Frost.

Once again, does Charles take this knowledge further and incorporate it into his “plans”? Nah.

As another example, he later finds out his natural defences are so powerful he stopped Frost from assaulting him whilst completely drugged and unconscious... is he curious to find out why and investigate this? Nu-uh!

At this point what the hell stops Charles from attempting immediate escape? From throwing everything he's got at Emma's defenses and seeing if he can overwhelm her? Why doesn’t he? Why in the gluten free justin bieber universe doesn't he?!

Is Charles afraid? Is he practising behind the scenes, and not using those skills or informing the reade? Is his strange leadenfootedness in there for the purpose of lengthening the story? Is his reluctance to confront the reality of his powers a cultivated faux-naivety, a semi-deliberate act of denial, to maintain his own illusions of his normal, human, Oxford professoring self? 

Or is it that deep down.... he doesn't want to leave? That more of him is invested in the little position he's built within the EBS than he'd like to admit? That perhaps Oxford was getting a little bit too small? That part of him actually enjoys playing power politics and violent sexual tango between the White Queen and her Prince...? 

Gee folks, I wonder what it could possibly be....

#maddy liveblogs 9 11 10 #9 11 10 #here I go again on a massive rant about charles because i just love this character so much ygm #charles xavier #Cherik #xmfc #subtilior

[aka-indulgence]

Stealing You for a Moment

Commissioned by @yeosin-n​ !!

Thanks for commissioning me you cutie ;>

Ao3 link

(US!Sans/Reader ... and UT!Sans/Reader)

(There’s polyamory in this, only reader and Sans and not between hims!)

Blue is tired of not having enough private time with you.

So he kidnaps you for a date (again?!).

(like said, there’s Fake kidnapping in this! He just steals you for a date really. Also suggestive themes! Fluffy, but also Blue gets pretty hot and smooch-y!)

“I’VE GOT YOU NOW, MY DEAR...” A voice says in your ear.

You’re pulled flush against your captor’s chest, and you’re squirming a little against the arms that were holding you.

Request* by yeo_sin! She wanted fluff with US!Sans while also throwing in a bit of "chill" kidnapping because hey, I can't complain about a bit of fictional kidnapping uwu

It had been any other day. You were at home, walking through a hallway when your skin pricked from the sudden presence you felt behind you. Gloved hands had come over your face before you tried to turn to look at your sudden visitor. It covered your face and mouth, stopping any scream you’d thought to let out.

You’d be panicking, screaming and hitting at the man who held you if you didn’t know there were only 4 skeletons in this world... even if his hands were gloved, you could feel the bone over his clothes.

Oh... what is he up to this time? You thought, withholding a sigh.

“IT’S BEEN ENTIRELY TOO LONG SINCE I’VE HAD THE CHANCE TO JUST BE... ALONE WITH YOU, AND I’M TIRED OF IT.” the ‘mysterious skeleton’ spoke against your ear, his teeth brushing your skin and making you tingle.

“IT’S TIME I TAKE MATTERS INTO MY OWN HANDS.” you felt his smile against your cheek, and he pulled you as he took a step back. You feel the air shift around you, the still air of your home suddenly replaced with light wind brushing your skin.

He must be in one of those moods if Blue was actually using his often-neglected ability to teleport. Blue slides his hands off your face, trailing over your back and brushing your arms before one of

them settles on your shoulder, pulling you close.

You open your eyes to see that he’s brought you to a pond park, sunlight glimmering on quiet, calm waters in the middle, pond reeds sticking out of with lots of grass surrounding it. You hear the sound of nature, chirping birds and buzzing bugs around you.

You’re too busy looking at the pretty scenery and the breath of fresh air to realize that Blue’s hands are on your wrist, with you pulling them away when you felt something hard and cool on them- followed by a click.

“Blue, what-” you exclaim, feeling a tug on your hand when you try to yank your hand away from him. You look down to see there’s a hand-cuff on your wrist(???), connecting your right hand to Blue’s left.

You give him a puzzling look, and Blue only chuckles in response. He brings his free hand to your face, ever so gently cupping your cheek to tilt your face up, and kisses you. You close your eyes and melt into it (it’d take a lot to make you reject a kiss from him ), enjoying the way his teeth shifts against your lips.

“LIKE I SAID BEFORE, MY DEAR...” he murmurs heatedly against your lips, “I’VE MISSED YOU.”

Blue pulls away from you, to look at how red your face had become, practically having swirly eyes from the kiss.

“I GROW TIRED OF ALWAYS BEING INTERRUPTED BY OTHERS WHEN I’M TRYING TO JUST BE ALONE WITH YOU, ALWAYS HAVING SOMEONE ELSE AROUND, GETTING IN THE WAY...” he holds your chin with his fingers, brushing your jaw.

There’s an ominous glow in his eyelights “I CAN BE PATIENT WHEN I NEED TO BE. But,” he lowers his voice, “When It Comes To You, My Beloved (Y/n), I Find My Patience To Be Lacking.”

He smirks, brushing your hair behind your ears, and it takes everything in you not to squeak, bringing your free hand to cover your practically-tomato face. Your heart was going badonkers in your chest, and you bite your lip to make a restrained ‘Mmmf!!’ sound.

You try and fail to ignore the shivers going through you from how intensely Blue seems to be staring at you, and cool your face down. You give him a glance and lid your eyelids at your kidnapping skeleton.

“Oh yeah? What’re you gonna do?” ‘This time?’ you leave the addition in your mind, unsaid. You blink prettily at him, looking from under your lashes, trying to look coy. It apparently works, because when Blue looks at you, his grin twitches dangerously upwards.

“ARE YOU CHALLENGING ME? YOU KNOW THAT’S NOT A GOOD IDEA.” He grabs ahold of your hands and leans in closer to your face. “I’M GOING TO GIVE US A

GOOD TIME...” He tugs you along, being all mysterious and sinister, and shows you exactly what he has in store

for you, which... Is this a picnic?

A classic picnic setup was in front of you. A red and white plaid blanket spread open neatly over the grass, a wicker basket on its corner with one of the lids opened, with some of its contents already on display in the middle. They looked delicious too, with colorful fruits, bread and jam on the side.

You wanted to take a picture- it just looked like the perfect picnic in a scenic park!- but you didn’t have your phone with you when Blue abducted you, which you realize was probably part of his scheme.

You doubt Blue would appreciate you being on your phone when he was trying to have some quality “kidnapping” time with you.

“Oh no, Blue!” you pretend to sound appalled, holding back a snicker, “you’re stealing me and someone else’s picnic? You scoundrel.”

Your comment catches Blue off guard as he breaks character, his menacing face falling into laughter.

“WHAT? I’M NOT SOME, PETTY LITTLE THIEF! HAHAHAH!” you admire how handsome he looked when he smiled like that, “YOU MUST KNOW THAT I’M A MUCH CLASSIER SKELETON THAN THAT, SUNSHINE, UNLESS THIS REALLY MEANS YOU NEED TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH ME. ONLY THE BEST IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU, FROM THE VERY BEST.”

You giggle, knowing that this skeleton was well backed with evidence to attest to that. After the culinary-enthusiast skeleton’s lessons a while back his cooking has been nothing short of amazing,

and you feel lucky to be able to eat his cooking regularly; especially since he loves cooking for you.

Blue leads you to the blanket and brings you to sit down on it- and by that, it means that he sits down suddenly, bringing you down with him- ending up with you caught in his crossed legs.

You look up at him. “Ah... heheh... I should...” you push lightly against his chest, pursing your lips; knowing your cheeks must be pink. You practically crawl out from between his legs, but before you can make any space between him and you, Blue holds your arm and pulls you against his side.

“WHY ARE YOU MOVING AWAY, (Y/N)? COME ON, YOU KNOW THERE’S NO NEED TO BE SHY WITH ME,” his cuffed hand holds yours, “GET COMFORTABLE. I CAN’T STAND BEING APART FROM YOU, EVEN IF IT’S A LITTLE BIT.”

Your heart flutters a little from how affectionate he’s being; though he isn’t bigger than you, somehow you feel like you’ve shrunk next to him. You try to laugh it off, “Hah, well, I mean I don’t mind but, don’t you think people are going to- mrrf!”

Blue had put a strawberry against your lips, holding onto its leaves. He’s giving you that smug look again- that expression when he knows you like what he’s doing. You tentatively take a bite of it, chewing slowly and tasting the juice as it breaks down in your mouth.

“You Know I Don’t Care About Anyone Seeing This, My Loved,” he winks at you, his voice slow and deliberate.

You swallow your strawberry hard and laugh nervously. “Oh... please don’t kill me like this,” you sigh, covering your face, “I can only handle so much.”

Blue chuckles, pulling the plate with the bread on it and the jar next to it. He leans in closer to you, “Cute.” and gives you a peck on the head.

You make a little squeak and slap his femur, which makes him laugh even harder.

“I’m gonna die, Blue,” you say dramatically, taking another strawberry to gnaw on. “Goodbye... this is the end for me,”

Blue snickers, and you miss him rolling his eyelights a little when you’re slouched against him, pretending to pass out. He jostles you a little and says “HEY, YOU CAN’T DIE NOW. DON’T YOU WANT TO SEE THE TEA SET I’VE BROUGHT FOR US?”

That wakes you up pretty much instantly, eyes sparkling at your boyfriend. “You brought a tea set!?”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Teacups and saucers were set in front of you, the porcelain pot in the middle, still steaming from its airhole and its spout. Next to it was a fancy three-tier cake stand, with an assortment of baked goods. A plate with half eaten bread was in front of you, and Blue was pouring himself a glass of fizzy cider.

You were both quiet, looking at the people, monsters, animals that were around the park.

A squirrel skittered across the grass to another tree with another following suit. Ducks were waddling into the pond while dragonflies were flying above it. You saw couples walking hand in hand near the reeds, a pair of friends eating on some sort of blue ice cream ( Oh, was there nice cream around here? ). A bird lands near your blanket, curiously hopping towards you and pecking on some invisible crumbs before flying away.

The tea was delightfully fragrant as you took a sip, watching a bee buzzing around some small flowers, taking some nectar and pollen before flying away.

Your eyes were drawn away when you felt your left hand get picked up by the handcuff. Blue brought his hand over to your shoulder and looked like he wanted to sling it around your neck, but you saw the look on his face when he noticed that your hand was being brought along with his. With his brows furrowed and staring at the cuffs as if it had just offended him made you imagine what kind of thoughts he must be having.

‘CURSE THESE CHAINS! I’VE BEEN BETRAYED BY MY OWN GENIUS PLAN!’

Blue’s eyelights glanced over to you when you giggle, his brows relaxing.

“WHAT?”

You wave your hand though you were still smiling, putting your teacup back down. “No no, it’s just...” you gather your breath, “It seems your plans aren’t so foolproof. You must be swearing yourself that you can’t hold me the way you wanted to, huh?”

“NO, OF COURSE I EXPECTED THIS. I LIKE THESE HANDCUFFS,” Blue insists, “I HAD ONLY FORGOTTEN ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR SETBACK BECAUSE I WAS DISTRACTED BY THIS PLEASANT PICNIC!”

“Aww Blue, don’t be... Blue!” you giggle, missing his sudden change in expression when you made that, “You know you could always just take off the handcuffs.”

Blue raises a brow bone at you. “OH, MY SWEET, WERE YOU ATTEMPTING TO TRICK ME INTO TAKING THE HANDCUFFS OFF FOR YOU?”

“Wh-what? No! I mean, it’s not like I’m going to try to run away from you.” Blue doesn’t seem convinced. “YES, OF COURSE YOU WOULDN’T...” You level him with a slightly peeved look and pout. “Yes, I’m sure I w-”

“YOU KNOW, IF YOU DID TRY, I WOULDN’T MIND. I WOULD LOVE TO PLAY A GAME OF TAG WITH YOU... I KNOW IT WOULD BE JUST FUN TO GET TO CHASE YOU AROUND.”

There’s a look of challenge in Blue’s eyelights, the look of a skeleton who knows that if you did “play tag”, he was going to win.

“You know what! Let’s keep wearing handcuffs.” you turn away, suddenly finding the tea leaves

at the bottom of your teacup very interesting. “I’m having a nice picnic, I don’t really want to get chased around by a spooky scary skeleton.”

Blue chuckles and gives your head a teeth-bonk, pouring more tea to your cup when you pick it up towards him.

You’re not sure if taking a sip of steaming tea is going to help your easily pink face.

“AH, (Y/N),” he sighs while you take a tart from the tiered stand, “ISN’T THIS NICE? GETTING TO BE ALONE TOGETHER, JUST THE TWO OF US.”

“Yeah, this was really fun Blue,” you take a bite out of your tart, “I’m sure you’re enjoying kidnapping a girl just to take me out for a picnic...”

You shrug at him. “You know, you could’ve just asked.”

“THAT’S TRUE. BUT,” Blue tilts his skull at you, “YOU KNOW YOU’RE LYING TO YOURSELF IF YOU SAY YOU DON’T ENJOY IT WHEN I STEAL YOU AWAY FOR THESE MOMENTS.”

You absolutely do not choke on what you’re munching on because of that, because it’s not true and Blue’s the one lying.

“Mm... hmmm.....” you opt to just making vague sounds, finishing about a quarter of your tart in a bite.

Ohhh bad idea , you thought to yourself, drinking the tea to down the snack more easily down your throat.

Peeking from behind the cup, you see Blue pointing at your face. “OH, (Y/N), YOU’VE GOT SOMETHING ON YOUR...”

“Hm?” you sound, licking behind the residue tea around your lips. “Did I get it?”

“NO NO, IT’S STILL THERE,” Blue frowns, “HERE, LET ME GET IT FOR YOU.”

He reaches for you, only to miss your face and instead of going into your hair behind your head, and leans in close.

You put your hands against his chest and squeak, “B-Blue, what are you doing!!”

“YOUR TONGUE’S NOT LONG ENOUGH,” Blue smirks as he easily pushes against you, “I’M SIMPLY TRYING TO HELP.”

You squeal as Blue topples you over and he gets on top of you (SOMEONE SAVE ME) and kisses you, feeling his tongue skirting over your lips to ‘clean you up’ before quickly slipping into your mouth and making you feel warm.

“A-aaah Blue!” you yelp as he moves to pepper kisses all over your face, on your cheek, your forehead, “S-stop aaah!”

“MMMM,” he hums in between kisses, “YOU’RE JUST TOO CUTE, (Y/N), YOU CAN’T EXPECT ME TO STOP,”

You feel him smile, holding your hands and interlocking fingers.

“Eeep!” you peep, when you feel him kissing on your neck, slow, warm breaths against your clavicle. A part of you was reeling at the fact that he was being so- so!! Like this with you, right now, where anyone could so easily see you, but another part of you...

Who cares?

He certainly won’t stop just to be decent around other people in his private time with you, and you didn’t exactly want him to stop either.

Blue kisses you until you feel like your face is on fire, finally pushing himself off of you and pulling your hand to sit you up like a proper gentleman.

“I TOLD YOU, YOU’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE,” he gives you another tug so you fall into his chest face first, hands forced to grip onto him, “NOT EVEN PULLING AWAY FROM A KISS!”

I take back ‘proper gentleman’ , you thought, pushing slightly against Blue’s shirt so your face wasn’t squished up against it.

The remainder of the picnic has you trying to peacefully eat your food while Blue keeps teasing you, though thankfully for your heart, he was merciful enough not to try to fluster you more than you already have.

(To be honest, you’re pretty sure he’s saving that for later.) When the plates have nothing but crumbs on them, the teapot no longer steams, you and Blue

decide to just bring the rest of the cider home.

You try to help out with cleaning up, but Blue had insisted on cleaning up himself. Halfway through you asking “How are you going to clean up while you’re handcuffed to me”, he had efficiently put the bigger objects back in the basket, stacking plates and putting the tea set back in its place. He simply plopped you on the grass to fold the blanket one-hand, and soon enough he had neatly put everything in the basket.

“DON’T UNDERESTIMATE ME, I AM NOT MY BROTHER!” Blue proudly said.

Now, he had taken your hand, basket in the other, and you were walking along the trail around the pond.

Both of you had simply ignored any weird looks and double-takes when people had passed by and spotted the handcuffs; even when you wanted to react, Blue had turned you to face him (“PAY ATTENTION TO ME, (Y/N),” with a meaningful smile on his face).

When he was satisfied with your attention, you looked at the pond. You had gotten slightly distracted by the quacking ducks, ducklings peeping and looking like they wiggled through the water, when you were rudely tugged by the handcuff to Blue’s side.

“Hey!” you protest as your feet caught up to you, “what was that for?”

“YOU WERE GETTING TOO FAR THERE, SUNSHINE!” Blue warns, a little too cheerful that you know he’s playing the part of ‘possessive kidnapper’ again. “BE A DUCKLING AND FOLLOW ME CLOSELY, ALRIGHT?”

You snorted a little. “It sounds less intimidating when you call me a duckling, Blue. And I wasn’t getting that far!”

“I CAN’T LOSE A SINGLE PRECIOUS MOMENT OF ALONE TIME WITH YOU, DARLING!” Blue proclaims, “AND AS I TOLD YOU, I LIKE THESE HANDCUFFS.”

He demonstrates by tugging your wrist closer to his face, then taking your hand to kiss your knuckles. It surprised a fluster laugh at you, eyes darting away for a moment to see if anyone was looking.

No one was, thank goodness.

You did however, see a Nice Cream vendor nearby, and this time you tugged on Blue to bring his attention to it.

“Nice Cream, Blue! Can we get some?” you put on your pleading face, in case Blue insisted on tugging you along this walk, but it seemed you didn’t need to.

Blue chuckled, “YES, OF COURSE! ANYTHING FOR MY SPECIAL GIRLFRIEND.”

You approach the cart and Blue gets you one Nice Cream, saying that “I DON’T NEED A NICE CREAM TO FEEL NICE, WHEN I HAVE YOU WITH ME!” that had made you both giggle and flush in the slightest. It was obvious the bunny vendor that handed you the sweet treat was eyeing the handcuffs, but to his credit he had withdrawn any weird faces he was about to make and was perfectly polite and cheerful.

“THANK YOU!” Blue waved to him as he walked with you again, then quietly, “My, I’m Still Not Used To Him Being So Cheerful...”

You laugh at the weird face Blue makes and take a bite of your bar of nice cream. You have the sudden impression that you look cute today!

Blue gives you a quizzical look when you put a hand over your face. As if he hasn’t told me that enough today!

Before Blue asks you what that was, you ask him, “How do you keep finding these places anyway, Blue?” you turn to him, sucking on your ice cream a little, “it just seems like... you have to go through so much just to find a place for a date?”

Blue sighs. “YOU KNOW VERY WELL WHY I GO THROUGH ALL THE EFFORT TO FIND THESE PLACES! OF COURSE, OTHER THAN MY DATE DESERVING THE BEST , I ALSO CAN’T LET HIM GET IN MY WAY. AS TO HOW I FIND THESE PLACES, WELL... I’D LIKE TO KEEP MY SECRETS AS SECRETS!” He gives you a wink.

“YOU JUST ENJOY IT,” Blue tells you, looking up at the sky as it starts to color with yellows. “THOUGH THE DAY IS LATE. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF CALLING IT A DATE AND GOING HOME?”

“Yeah, I think I’m good.” You nod, “Though, can you take off the ha-?”

You get cut off as your hair stands on its ends when there’s a sudden, familiar , burst of magic in front of you.

Sans stands in front of you, panting in the slightest, the line under his sockets looking especially prominent. He doesn’t look happy as he gives the both of you a once over, looking less so when he sees the handcuff that links you to Blue.

He marches over to you, and Blue raises an innocent hand. “OH HI, S-” “playtime’s over, blue.” He mutters angrily, grabbing the handcuffs and breaking the chains, just

like that.

“i’ve been looking for you all day,” he grumbles, prying open your cuffs forcefully and ignoring Blue’s pleas (“MY HANDCUFFS!”), “do you know how many shortcuts i had to take before i saw you buying nice cream just now?”

“TOO MUCH FOR YOU TO HANDLE, SANS?” Blue pokes his counterpart, met with a look that’s too tired to be a glare.

“blue,” Sans sighs and puts his phalanges against his forehead, before flicking them away and emphatically saying, “you always do this, why??”

Sans and Blue have sort of been having an ‘arm’s race’, in the way that Blue always looks for new places to take you out on dates, and Sans keeps trying to beat him to it so he wouldn’t keep abducting you. Needless to say, at the moment it seems that Sans hasn’t had much luck in ‘winning’.

“WHAT, I CAN’T STEAL OUR GIRLFRIEND FOR JUST A DAY?”

“you’ve clearly been doing this for more than ‘just a day', blue,” Sans sighs, holding onto your hand.

“YOU KNOW YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT, SANS. YOU’RE ALWAYS SO PARANOID!” Blue mentions casually, “YOU KNOW NO HARM’S GOING TO BEFALL OUR DEAR HUMAN WHEN I’M WITH HER. ARE YOU WORRIED I’M GOING TO STEAL HER ONE DAY AND NEVER RETURN HER? JEEZ, YOU WORRYWART. YOU’RE GOING TO TEMPT ME!”

“blue, no, ” Sans actually looks slightly distressed (but not too much that you get really worried), “please don’t. i love her, can you just... not kidnap her for a date? what am i supposed to do when i see her phone, unattended, and the owner nowhere to be found?”

“AW, SANS, I COULD LEAVE YOU A STICKY NOTE YOU CAN’T IGNORE NEXT TIME. IT’LL SAY, ‘I’ve Got The Girl, If You Want Her Back Give Me Money’,”

“if you do that, i swear, you won’t be having such a ‘good time’ when i steal her for a change-”

“Ok, ok, that’s enough,” you put your hands on both their chests, before they stop joking and start a fight or something. “You both know of this word called ‘sharing’? I’ve got enough time for the both of you! We’ll have our own date next time, Sans,” you reassure your tired boyfriend, “and we can have a group date too. Please don’t start murdering each other, I like it when you guys play along,”

Sans and Blue trade looks, and both agree that what you proposed sounds quite attractive. Blue reaches for your hand, but Sans pulls you away from him and to his ribcage.

“HEY! I CAN’T HOLD MY GIRLFRIEND’S HAND?” “she’s my girlfriend too, and i think i deserve some time with her after you kidnapped her. again.”

Sans looks more ‘done’ than he does actually angry at Blue that it makes you laugh, and Blue only shrugs at you.

“I SUPPOSE I’LL HAVE TO LOOK FOR A NEW PLACE SOON...”

#commission #commissions #sans x reader #us!sans x reader #i keep forgetting... how to tag on tumblr #also hi yeo ily

[shipping-receiving]

“Is there a chance you won’t be okay?”

An Analysis of Hwang Si-mok and Han Yeo-jin’s Final Scene in Stranger/Secret Forest Season 2

Alright, it’s been almost a week, I’m still crying every time I re-watch this scene, and somehow I’ve written 3,500 words about five minutes of this damn show, so here we go:

As with Stranger/Secret Forest Season 1, Si-mok and Yeo-jin’s final scene in Season 2 ended with a farewell meal, complete with soju. On a very basic level, this meal felt significant in a season where Si-mok was subject, more than ever, to interrupted meals or meals he didn’t particularly want to be present for – at least until he was able to have a drink with Yeo-jin in 2x12, and then lunch with her in 2x13.

More importantly, though, this scene is the most loaded scene we’ve ever witnessed between these two characters. That’s saying something for such a nuanced, detail-oriented show, in which two people placing their phones in a storage locker at a detention centre can possess such emotional weight, particularly when played by two actors who make very subtle and sophisticated acting choices.

I’m struck particularly by the way this scene bursts with subtext – things unsaid and unresolved – when Lee Soo-yeon could just as easily have written a neater, more light-hearted exchange that reaffirmed their connection, more along the lines of their final scene in 1x16. There are a thousand other ways their farewell could have been presented to us that would have given a greater or at least a more comfortable sense of finality, even taking into account their character development over this season. This lack of resolution is evident not just from what happened during the scene, but also when the scene happened within the episode itself. The meal occurred after Yeo-jin had been bullied by her colleagues, but before she met her new boss – at this point, it seemed to the viewer that her promotion would likely bring not the pride she experienced in S1, but more challenges and isolation.

More so than the Seo Dong-jae cliffhanger, this scene makes me think that this was written with a future Season 3 arc in mind, one in which Si-mok and Yeo-jin’s relationship will continue to evolve and deepen substantially (whether that will be ‘romantic’ remains to be seen). Considering they’re the core partnership of this series, there was a deliberate withholding of stability in their farewell, rather than an affirmation of it. I won’t go so far as to say destabilisation – because despite their separation, I think their bond is more profound than ever – but at the bare minimum an absence of certainty, when it could have been written otherwise.

Anyway, on to the breakdown:

The scene opens with Si-mok carefully folding a napkin and placing cutlery on it for Yeo-jin, a simple gesture of care that Cho Seung-woo plays with a startlingly gentle attentiveness. Immediately, it signals that there’s been a shift in Si-mok – how he’s able, at least with Yeo-jin, to do something that isn’t just polite, but also thoughtful. The director even snuck in a little clue that Si-mok is thinking of Yeo-jin as he’s doing this – Yeo-jin actually appears at the left side of the frame from the start, as the camera pans over to Si-mok: 

In this shot, Si-mok is visually separated from Yeo-jin by a pillar. This could be read on the one hand as a kind of sectioning out of his mental space – a visualisation of his thoughts of her as he prepares her cutlery – and on the other hand, as a foreshadowing of their impending separation. (I do, however, enjoy the first interpretation more. It reminds me a little bit of her sketch of the inside of his head from 1x06.)

Back to the napkin: if you look closer, Si-mok didn’t fold a napkin for himself – his spoon and chopsticks are on the table next to his bowl – so this isn’t just a matter of neatly setting the table for their meal. In a very small way, he’s anticipating her needs, just as she has done with him in much more demonstrative ways in both seasons (helping him with his headaches being the most obvious one). This isn’t something he’s necessarily actively worked on in the past two years; he’s still the person who doesn’t instinctively say ‘hello’ over the phone, or ask after someone’s kids without being reminded. Yet, it’s a capacity for care that has expanded significantly, at least where Yeo-jin is concerned.

Compare his behaviour with the equivalent scene in 1x16 – back then, he only ordered a bowl of noodles for himself and not for her. Interestingly, Yeo-jin’s comment to Si-mok during that part of the S1 scene was, “Gosh, you haven’t changed one bit,” suggesting that he was, by nature, somehow unable to be considerate to someone else. Just from the opening to the S2 scene, we see that that comment is not or no longer true, at least when it comes to the way he acts around her. In both the S1 and S2 scenes, he was the first person to arrive for their meal; in S1, the first thing he said was, “Why are you late?” and had already ordered his soju and noodles. This time, however, Yeo-jin asks him, “Why didn’t you order something first?” – implying that although she was late again, he was patiently waiting for her to arrive.

There’s also a difference in the way he responds to her appearance. Now, I personally don’t think we can frame Si-mok’s connection with and care for Yeo-jin in conventional understandings of romantic attraction (which is not to say romance isn’t possible for them canonically, I just think it will manifest differently). Nevertheless, I’d say that he responds to her haircut in a way that is probably as close to the mechanics of attraction as we could possibly expect from Si-mok – not just the shock of “oh, you cut your hair,” but lingering looks and nostalgia for when they first met; nothing at all like noticing that she’s wearing lipstick and saying, not so kindly, that it looks weird. In fact, in a direct parallel to this moment in 1x16, Yeo-jin asks him if her haircut is “weird”, and he says, “I just meant it’s different.”

(I think the way he stares at her is not wholly due to being ‘transfixed’, but also because he’s trying to figure out what such a drastic change means, and why now, and whether he has to worry. Basically, his brain is trying to compute; part of his stare is him trying to analyse her behaviour, just as part of it is him revisiting his memories of her from two years ago, and part of it might well be an attraction he doesn’t quite understand or know how to reel in. He does stare at her for an inordinately long time.)

Switching over to Yeo-jin, I really enjoy this little routine of hers when they have meals together – how she narrows down options for him to a series of questions, and even helps him decide on occasion. It never feels like she’s trying to speak for him, but rather that she knows his likes and dislikes. Her question in this scene – makgeolli or soju – is phrased like her question in 2x02, when she asks him to choose between stir-fried octopus and hot pot; when she specifically requests a lot of cabbages, she must be thinking of how he ate lots of them in 2x12. This kind of care comes naturally to Yeo-jin – we’re talking about the person who took in a murder victim’s mother in S1 – but it’s still a form of intimacy, and one that Si-mok is clearly used to as well.

Soon, though, we have our first indication that things might not be so comfortable – not in the sense that their bond has weakened, but that there are fundamental shifts occurring in both of their lives that affect this bond. Si-mok, after a lot more staring, points out that her short hair reminds him of when they first met. (He wouldn’t have needed to take that much time to come up with that simple observation, which makes me think he was trying to choose his words carefully.) With enthusiasm, Yeo-jin responds with, “I haven’t changed a bit, right?” – echoing her comment about Si-mok in 1x16.

Perhaps Yeo-jin had meant this comment sincerely in the moment, but given context, her cheerfulness feels performative. We’ve just witnessed her crying after being bullied by her colleagues, in contrast to the warmth that she enjoys with her old Yongsan team; we’ve observed her changes – a result of maturity, disillusionment, a loss of innocence – throughout the whole season. In fact, she seems to have cut her hair precisely because she feels weighed down by all that has unfolded, just as one might after a break-up or some kind of painful life event. It’s a decision that seems to say: I acknowledge that everything has changed around me, but maybe doing this will make me feel like myself again, or the ‘myself’ of two years ago.

Si-mok, of course, isn’t quite so able to agree that she hasn’t changed. Multiple times this season, he’s observed the changes in her – “You don’t draw these days?” in 2x06, “Didn’t you want to work in police administration?” in 2x08, “You weren’t the kind of person to postpone things.” in 2x12. Now, he doesn’t respond to her question, and instead looks at her in silence, smiling only ever so slightly when she shakes her head playfully (and we know that she can make him smile wider than that). Perhaps he’s even choosing to withhold any judgment of her. But this is a moment, I think, that factors into his decision to ask her that question at the end of this scene.

Next, we have confirmation that Si-mok was the one who asked Yeo-jin out for dinner, just as he had in 2x02 once he’d settled into his new posting. It isn’t clear in 1x16 if it was Yeo-jin who’d asked to meet Si-mok when she found out he was being posted to Namhae, but it’s been affirmed twice this season that he prioritises this time with her (even more so than meeting his own mother). Then, he breaks the news to her that he is leaving for Gangwon Province this weekend.

In 1x16, Yeo-jin finds out that Si-mok is leaving from the special investigation team, without Si-mok being present. At the time, they still think he’ll be sent to the US for training, and Yeo-jin is visibly disappointed. She has the same crestfallen look on her face in this scene, in front of Si-mok. She doesn’t want to be separated from him, and when she asks about his cases, it seems she’d expected him to stay for quite a while longer to see them through. Mind you, Wonju is only about 1.5 hours drive from Seoul (yes, I mapped it), but Yeo-jin still looks like she’s had the rug pulled from under her. Perhaps, in an uncertain time, she’d hoped that Si-mok would be in her life more than the few weeks he’d spent in Seoul.

Yeo-jin’s responses in both 1x16 and 2x16 are a pretty big indicator that she has feelings for Si-mok (whether she’s aware or willing to acknowledge those feelings is another matter). I suppose one could argue that her reaction is simply out of sadness at the thought of being separated from a friend, but based on certain events in S2 – for example, Choi Bit questioning Yeo-jin about her relationship with Si-mok, and Yeo-jin deflecting – I think the viewer is at the very least meant to question whether their bond is truly ‘platonic’. This isn’t the type of show to include superfluous details just to tease their viewers, and in any case, Si-mok and Yeo-jin’s connection has only deepened through the course of this season despite being on opposing sides of the council. It feels like the emotional stakes are much higher this time than back in S1.

As Yeo-jin is absorbing this news from Si-mok, there are a couple of little details here that feel significant to me, but could be nothing: first, the way Si-mok half-holds out his hand as Yeo-jin is pouring her soju, just as he’d held out his hand when she was pouring makgeolli in 2x13. Second, how she pours out a cup of soju for herself first, but not for Si-mok. In any other situation, it might seem impolite – after all, Si-mok is the one who’d chosen the drink – but here it seems that she’s pouring a drink to steady or busy herself more than anything, and she doesn’t drink from it till after their toast.

Following this, Yeo-jin confides in Si-mok that “I never thought the council would end like this. [...] Will the higher-ups be replaced with more honest people while I’m catching bad men out there?” When he replies with, “Why are you talking as if those two are the same?”, it’s yet another of his probing questions, questions she never seems to have an answer to. The Yeo-jin of old would never have assumed that all the higher-ups are dishonest – she has always seen the good in people – but she feels betrayed by Choi Bit, the one person she sincerely respected. Here, she changes the topic rather than opening up, reverting to her most comfortable mode of showing care for someone else by asking Si-mok why he looks so tired. It’s a guardedness that we’re not used to seeing from Yeo-jin; when Si-mok met with Choi Bit at the start of the episode, he describes Yeo-jin as someone who “opens up easily”, even if she doesn’t “blindly trust or respect just about anybody”.

While Yeo-jin is evasive, Si-mok is more willing to be vulnerable in comparison. His openness isn’t surprising, given that Si-mok has shared more about his life and thoughts with her than with anyone else, but it is still heartwarming to see. Instead of brushing off Yeo-jin’s comment, he tells her about his dream of the prosecutors from the Western Office. For anyone else, this might not seem like a significant conversation topic, but for someone who hardly ever dreams (which Si-mok mentioned in S1), it feels like he’s sharing something special with her. This dream, and his factual recounting of it, seems to be a means for his brain to process the traumatic events of two years ago.

Before Si-mok tells Yeo-jin about his dream, there’s a quick insertion here – a lament about seeing your boss in your dreams – that suggests that she is still troubled about Choi Bit, more than she’s letting on. Again, Si-mok doesn’t push her to elaborate, though I think he’s been absorbing all the things that seem off with Yeo-jin since she arrived. Yeo-jin proceeds to analyse his dream in her head, but doesn’t verbalise her interpretation (that Yoon Se-won might be considering suicide, since he went off in the same direction as two characters who have both passed). As she’s deep in thought, Si-mok tilts his head questioningly at her; she says that he probably won’t have time to go anywhere else this weekend, implying that she was thinking of bringing him with her to visit Yoon.

Knowing that Si-mok won’t be able to come with her, however, leaves Yeo-jin resigned. As she announces, “All right, then,” I wonder if this is the moment that she’s choosing to steel herself. The two people she treasures and respects most in her life (Si-mok and Choi Bit) are disappearing from it, and she will have to learn to move forward without them.

Now, we come to their toast. In the corresponding scene in S1, their toast is bittersweet, but has a sense of resolution; upbeat piano music plays in the background as Yeo-jin says, “Goodbye, I won’t be able to see you off,” while Si-mok echoes that with, “Good luck in your new position. Sorry I can’t attend the ceremony.” In S2, the music is quieter, and much more sombre – I’ve been describing it in my head as ‘breathy sad wooooo music’ – even as Yeo-jin laughs and says, a little helplessly: “It feels like we keep repeating this.”

Si-mok, on his part, doesn’t even echo her laugh with anything more than the barest smile. Instead, he says, with a deep sincerity: “Take care, Senior Inspector Han.” As I mentioned earlier, there are many ways that they could have written or played this scene to convey even a little more resolution – choosing different music, or having Si-mok smile along with Yeo-jin, or even giving Yeo-jin a bit more notice of his departure so that she can prepare a gift (as if to say, she doesn’t draw as much these days, but she would for his sake). But the viewer is made to feel all of their reluctance, even sadness at this separation, even if those feelings are hidden beneath pleasantries. “Well, I guess I’ll be okay,” Yeo-jin says, as if there’s a possibility that she won’t be – that this is something she has to recover from in the future.

Si-mok considers her words, her phrasing, her demeanour, tilts his head at her again and says: “Is there a chance you won’t be okay?”

This, above all other lines, shows how much Si-mok has grown in the past couple of years because of Yeo-jin’s influence. Whereas he started S1 cold, guarded, and isolated from the rest of his colleagues, he has arrived at a point where he has cultivated enough of an emotional sensitivity to ask her this question – to show her care, just as she has shown care to him and other people around her. I’d even venture to say that Si-mok feels, himself, that there’s a chance he won’t be as okay with their separation as he might have been two years ago. In 2x05, during the conversation with Seo Dong-jae outside the prison, Dong-jae asks Si-mok: “You don’t feel a tad bit sad even if you’re sent far away, do you?” Si-mok answers, “No.” That doesn’t feel so definitive anymore. There isn’t anything either Si-mok or Yeo-jin can do, given that they both prioritise their careers and understand that these careers follow a certain trajectory, but parting feels a little bit harder this time.

Yeo-jin answers Si-mok’s question as reassuringly as she can, with an adorable smile and shake of the head; she lets out an “ah” after she downs her soju, as if to reorient herself. Yet, her cheerfulness in the rest of the scene – her excitement at the food, her over-enthusiastic chewing – rings empty as the sombre music continues to play in the background. For perhaps the first time in the entire series, there is something about Yeo-jin that seems feigned. Strangely, it is Si-mok’s blank expression that represents the more authentic emotion in this scene – communicating the very resignation that Yeo-jin must be feeling inside, beneath a facade that might read as comical in any other context.

“Is there a chance you won’t be okay?” is, in fact, the last thing that Si-mok says in this whole scene, despite quite a few more lines of dialogue from Yeo-jin. The way he looks at her for the rest of the scene, though, is charged with meaning. It seems to say: ‘I don’t really believe that you’re okay, but I’m going to give you space because I can tell you don’t really want to talk right now.’ It’s not as if Yeo-jin hasn’t confided in him before – their phone call in 1x15 was especially intimate – so it’s not that Si-mok is incapable of listening to her. Still, he respects her choice to deflect, and continues to observe her closely while ignoring the pajeon, even leaning forward right at the end of the scene. This very overt concentration on her is something we’ve never really seen from Si-mok before; even in the rooftop scene in 2x06, which is probably the most loaded scene they share after this one, they’re standing beside each other and rarely make eye contact. Here, his focus on Yeo-jin is palpable.

As much as this scene felt heartbreaking to me (thanks breathy sad wooooo music), it actually left me with a lot of optimism for the development of their relationship in the future. Lee Soo-yeon has said that she has enough material for five seasons of the show, and while I’m not so sure we’ll get as many seasons as that, it feels like she’s pushed Si-mok and Yeo-jin out of their comfortable friendship – planting the question, “is there a chance we won’t be okay?” I wonder if we’ll see something quite different in the third season (which is apparently in discussion!), which surely won’t see them on opposing sides again.

I’ve been burned by enough ships that can potentially be read as ‘platonic’ to know that I shouldn’t hope for any overt romance, but Si-mok is such a unique character and has such a unique connection with Yeo-jin that I’m hopeful that their relationship could be deepened with nuance, even if it doesn’t become romantic in ‘recognisable’ ways. (I have other thoughts on his asexuality/aromanticism that I won’t get into here.) It’s precisely because their connection is built on mutual trust, respect, and understanding that it remains so compelling, and I think this scene promises growth, and some resolution, whenever we see them next.

#tvn stranger #secret forest 2 #stranger 2 #stranger #hwanghan

[voltage-vixen]

The Man in the Damn Red Suit

‘Tis the Season of Smut Challenge Day 3

Prompt: “Who needs Santa when you have me?” (NSFW)

Fandom: Love Unholyc

Pairing: Sol x MC (Female)

“The boss told me he should be out to meet you in a few minutes,” one of Ripeato’s most loyal employees informed MC as he was finishing locking up the shop. “Everything in the store should be all set for the evening, so the two of you will be able to enjoy your plans once Sol resolves everything in the back.”

“Thank you,” MC replied, slightly bowing her head and waving goodbye. “Merry Christmas to you, and a Happy New Year in case I don’t see you again before then.”

“You too, my dear,” the employee tipped the black fedora on his head in her direction before disappearing out the front door.

Tomorrow was Christmas day and she and Sol were going to spend the rest of Christmas Eve together, and lead into the next morning to celebrate their first holiday together as a couple. Walking over to gaze out the window while waiting for Sol, MC’s lips curled upwards when she noticed a man dressed up as Santa collecting last minute holiday donations.

“How thoughtful,” MC chirped to herself, her heart warming at the sigh of such thoughtfulness during such a giving time of year. “It’s so wonderful to see people volunteering their time like that. What a kind man he must be.”

“Miss me, babe?” Sol’s husky voice suddenly rang into her ear, the scent of his cologne drifting in the air since he was now settled against her. “Because I’m about to show you right now how kind of a man I can be too.”

I-Is he jealous of Santa Claus?!

MC never had an opportunity to questions his motives, since the calloused pads of the tailor’s fingers firmly gripped onto the curves of her waist, eliciting a sensual moan from his woman when he roughly pushed her up against the glass of the window. Sol’s nimble movements of his hands exaggerated hitching her dress above her waist, nudging his knee in between the silk of MC’s thighs to compel them apart. Sinking slowly to his knees, Sol’s teeth found the fabric of the lacey pair of underwear she was wearing. His heated breath trickled down the back of her thighs as he dragged them down her legs at a tantalizing pace, evoking MC to tremble in an anticipatory lust.    

The thin material soon was discarded onto the floor; Sol’s moistened lips pressed down on the lines of her calf. A jolt of pleasureful heat rippled through the veins of her body when Sol’s broad palms powerfully gripped onto MC’s ankles. His tongue deliberately ascended and traced the contours of her legs, gracefully gliding until connecting with the sensitive nub that sparked pure bliss under the duress of Sol’s touch.

“So sweet,” Sol murmured, his mouth humming along the velvet of her folds in appreciation for how divine MC tasted. “So sweet and all mine. Remember that I’m the only one that can make you melt this way. Not some random guy in a damn tacky red suit.”

She didn’t know whether to laugh at how cute he acted when he was jealous, or to mewl at the delightful way her coils tightened in her lower belly from all the things he was doing to drive her wild. However, body decided for her by quaking as her toes reacted by curling to the heavenly tremors fanning the flames of desire within her. Her knees buckled and her hips swayed from each enticing lap of tongue fervently stroking away at the swell of her womanhood. One of Sol’s long fingers reached to apply the extra caresses she needed in surplus of his tongue to finally deliver MC to experience pure euphoria.

“Come here, love,” Sol huffed, encircling MC deep into the buffed muscles of his chest. “I should be thanking you for such a delicious treat. You always taste sweeter than any cake I could eat.”

“Sol,” MC scowled, her cheeks tinted a faintish pink. Playfully swatting at him, he swiftly dodged her attack by rolling over to straddle her and allot him the advantage. Her relied had been pleasant, but it wasn’t enough to leave her satisfied. She wanted more. “That’s not fair to say when I haven’t even tasted you yet tonight.”

Temptation flooded Sol as his cock twitched uncomfortably against the constriction of the seams in his pants when her lust coated eyes flashed him an invitation to prevail on with the fun right then and there. Feelings that were inflamed by jealousy, were now being driven by a pining to consume MC with all the love he had to offer, connecting both on a physical and emotional level. God, did he want her. Having MC underneath him slick in sweat from her orgasm, as her body slightly quivered still sensitive from the spoils of his earlier affection was pure torture for him. Surely sins from his past were forcing him to repent by withholding now.

He wanted her, but Sol recalled their itinerary for this Christmas evening and that wasn’t about to be ruined because he couldn’t control the urge to keep it in his pants. Putting on his best poker face to mask his disappointment, Sol sat up and began to rise until MC promptly lifted her legs and entangled them around the cuts of his waist.

“I know, but they can wait,” MC pleaded, nodding her head to meet and reassure his concerned gaze. “I love you for making plans for us, but I also love you so much that I require having you now.”

Entwining her fingers in between Sol’s, she longingly glanced up at him. MC rested her free hand on the side of Sol’s cheek, her fingertips rubbing small circles to console him.

“Otherwise, maybe I’ll need to ask Santa-”

Smooch!

The empty threat was enough to rile up Sol into a frenzy enough where his lips collided into hers. His kisses were frantic and needy, each one more aggressive than the last. Sol’s fingers frantically raced and curled into MC’s hair before joining their bodies together as one.

Outside of Ripeato, the Christmas lights twinkled and sparkled through the window of shop onto the couple lost in their passion for each other. As far as Sol and MC were concerned, Christmas had come early this year, and both were never more grateful for that guy in the damn tacky red suit.  

#'tis the season for smut #love unholyc #love unholyc sol #love unholyc smut #love unholyc fanfic

[jaelijn]

I wrote a fic. It’s decidedly not seasonal and the fact that it was written out of Neurodivergent Frustration (TM) makes me hesitate to put it up on its own on AO3, but it is S4, so if the “season” we are talking about here is the run up to Gauda Prime Day, I suppose it fit perfectly. So I let myself by convinced to post it here, as a special (and decidedly angsty) treat. Enjoy!

Gauda Prime Day Calendar 2021 Masterpost

“Why is it,” Avon asked, with a crack in his voice, “that when I tell people to stay out of my way, ‘help’ is foisted upon me, but when I ask, plainly, for ideas, there is no response?”

“Perhaps because you tell us time and again how stupid we are?” Vila retorted while Avon took a sip from his drink, moistening his lips. Vila mirrored him, feeling careless, vindictive, ill-tempered. He hated feeling this way, but he had reason enough. He’d nearly died – again – and who’d cared? The girls had laughed at him. He wasn’t in any kind of mood to humour Avon, even if they were sharing a late-night drink.

But even so, something about what Avon had said, or perhaps the way he had said it, niggled at the back of Vila’s mind enough to make him answer.

Now, Avon was glaring at him – of course. “I have never understood,” he declared, enunciating carefully, “why so many people feel the need to pretend competence beyond their skill. In the future, if I ask for suggestions, you may take it that I’m sincere.”

“Look, Avon,” Vila responded, swinging his legs down off the table. “It’s a little difficult to suggest things with you lot. Not just you, mind. You’re the cleverest person in any room, but Tarrant’s easily to most arrogant” – the corner of Avon’s mouth twitched – “Dayna laughs at everything that isn’t killing Servalan and Soolin’s as cold and contemptuous as they come.”

“And you?” Avon prompted.

“Me? Don’t worry about me–”

“Vila–”

“All I’m saying,” Vila forged on, “if you want an academic discussion, you’ve picked the wrong company.”

“I don’t want a discussion forum,” Avon snapped, his hand tightening on his glass. “I would like to receive help when and if I ask for it, and not when I expressly reject it.”

Vila shrugged. “Maybe we’re just feeling helpful.”

“You’re being contrary.”

“Is this about Terminal? Because I said, whatever you need. I didn’t go teleporting–”

“Vila, I’m not accusing you. The fact that I’m talking to you about this should tell you something.”

“Yeah. It tells me that Cally’s gone.”

Silence.

Vila wanted to take the words back instantly, but he couldn’t bring himself to prattle over them, not the way he’d been feeling.

Avon gave an odd little smile and lifted his glass to drain it.

For the first time since they’d found themselves in the common room together while Soolin had the night shift and the others were asleep, Vila paid attention to what Avon had been drinking – from the way he grimaced as it went down, it was either medicinal or alcoholic – or both. Not the wine, though – Vila was very familiar with the wine.

It was uncharacteristic, that, whatever it was – Avon rarely drank.

“I’m sorry, Avon,” Vila forced out into the silence at last. “I didn’t mean to say that. I know you miss her, too.”

“Do you?” Avon returned with raised eyebrows. His voice had gone very flat, very empty. “Tell me, oh great interpreter of humanity, why it should be someone else who decides when help is needed and not the intended recipient?”

Vila took an uneasy swallow from his own drink. He tried for a grin, didn’t know whether he’d managed. It always paid off to be wary of Avon’s more fey moods, but this was something else, something far darker. “I s’pose some people don’t realise when they need help – or they don’t ask for it, proper. So you have t’ offer. I don’t think they mean ill by trying to help!”

Avon splayed his fingers slowly and deliberately along the surface of his empty glass. “Then I suppose they don’t mean ill when they withhold help when it is explicitly requested, either, in your view?”

Vila felt vaguely trapped by the argument. “Well, sometimes they might,” he babbled hastily. “Or sometimes they might think the request wasn’t sincere, or that help isn’t really wanted.”

“Why? If a request was made–”

“You know as well as I that a lot of distress calls are traps!”

Avon shook his head sharply once. “I’m not talking about distress calls. On the personal level, Vila.”

“Look, I’m too tired for philosophical discussions! What’s this about?!”

Avon smiled again, but there was no humour in it. “Would you say, then, that a person might conceivably – hypothetically – stop asking for help altogether, if it is never given when it is requested?”

“I suppose. This isn’t about you, is it? Just some topic?”

Avon inclined his head slightly. “As you say, Vila. Just some topic.” He put his glass aside with a decisive clunk. “Go to bed, Vila, if you’re this tired. I have the second shift.”

#blake's 7 #kerr avon #vila restal #mine #my fic #b7 gpd calendar #b7 gpdc 2021 #b7 advent calendar #b7 ac 2021

[sanktagenyas]

ok ok ok so i’m on ep 6 (about to start it) of shadow and bone and i’m not writing this ‘cause i’m full of restraint and don’t wanna keep watching all the way through far from it but i have some thoughts.

ok first things first: darklina. i love them and i think i have to attribute a lot of why i love them so much to ben barnes and jessie mei li’s portrayal and their chemistry which is just on fire. i already like book version (what i’ve read so far at least) a lot so there was a lot to live up to. that was pretty much top priority for me will they do these two justice and i have high expectations for the scenes between them now that alina’s made her turn, now that she knows who the darkling really is.

now there are a couple of changes been made from the book which was to expect but that kinda bugged me. in the book the darkling is very evasive, alina sees him very rarely which makes sense the man ought to be busy planning if they’re gonna go into the fold eventually. and so because the moments between them are rarefied there’s this anticipation to it all and i wish the show would have spaced out their scenes together more so that it would translate. i also personally thought reading the book that the darkling deliberately kept his distance from alina because she unsettles him. she makes him feel things he hasn’t felt in a long time. i always thought that if he wanted to keep her at his side and loyal he could have easily seduced her into bed a lot sooner than he tried to. after that if he’d played his cards right he could have spun her another tale to make her adhere to his plans with the fold. he could have convinced her it was the right thing to do if he really is that good of a manipulator but i always figured his feelings for her were getting in the way of him going that extra mile, hence him keeping his distance.

i got spoiled about his name and i didn’t quite get why she learns about it now. that’s gonna ruin whatever weight that moment has in the books. actually that moment won’t happen now i’m guessing.

also because since i’m being picky i might as well add that i wish this whole talk of the black heretic had gone the way it has in the books. she’s practically having to pry information out of him like his age but here he tells her about the black heretic and not just that but also how he feels about being blamed for his ancestor’s mistakes. i get it, it’s manipulation but i prefer the less open version of the darkling from the book. that version seemed more sincere, he didn’t spin a tearful tale of a boy marked unjustly and decried for his ancestor’s sins. he just said it matter of factly. he lied but at least he wasn’t being a manipulative ass about it in the book. withholding information and outright lies are bad enough but using alina’s own pain for being an outsider/undesirable against her by weaving this tale of him being one too was just a bit much.

but i think it plays a part in a bigger issue i have with the show but more on that later.

i did really really enjoy darklina so far regardless. the more open version of the darkling means that we get to see alina tease a lightness (pun intented) out of him that make him seem younger than he is, more of the innocent boy he once was maybe but then again he reverts back to that calculating cold gaze just in time. lest we forget who our villain is here. i absolutely LOVED the fact that they gave alina more agency and more of an active role in the relationship, i couldn’t be happier about the fact that we lost their original book first kiss post baghra training if it means we get to see alina kiss him first. she really blossomed once she let go of mal i don’t know if you noticed. that flashback of her hurting herself so she would fail the grisha’s test was heartbreaking to see. really hammered home for me why i can’t get behind malina.

which brings us to malina. i’ll keep it brief. i wish the show would stop shoving these two at us like you’d push a puppy onto an unwilling adopter. no matter how shiny and big those eyes are i’m not interested. the use of flashbacks to their common past and to that damn meadow was excessive to say the least and i kept waiting and waiting to feel what the showmakers were intending to invoke in their audience but i must not be the target for it because i just didn’t. there’s an appeal to the kind of ease and fondness that two best friends have between one another and in both their actions (especially mal’s actually, another change from book form) the love is apparent but that doesn’t change the conclusion i reach inevitably when it comes to these two: they are a codependant mess. they let themselves go when they’re not together as if being separated means a fate worse than death, as if they can’t function without the other. that’s especially true for alina. and they both make foolish reckless choices that hurt other people in the process of getting back to one another. but at least in mal’s case he had reason to fear for her safety and didn’t put mikhael and dubrov in harm’s way on purpose. alina’s short sightedness when burning those maps was the one moment i was genuinely fuming mad at our hero. 

and then there’s mal. a mal pov means a chance to get to know him better and go from me tolerating the guy to liking him or heck maybe even love him. if i could love mal half as much alina does it would make his scenes so much better instead of being the most boring part of any episode and i’d say natural seeing as he’s also competing with a lot of very lively and interesting characters. i mean kaz is pretty damn stoic and yet i’m never bored by him, not for one second. the issue is that mal’s scenes revolve around alina, his scenes are yet another way to shove malina down our throats and i cannot take it. i appreciate his bravery and his loyalty but his best scene to me is the one with him crying over mikhael’s dead body. a scene devoid of any callback to alina or malina. give him a story that doesn’t revolve around her, give him more to do beside being his own one man rescue team for alina. he deserves better.

now my big fear is darklina related i’m thinking because they made the darkling much more open with alina it’s all gonna seem more deliberate to her, she’s going to not just doubt and fine comb through her interactions with him to find the lie she’s going to be flat out convinced it was just an act from start to finish which means more angst. i hope they won’t go from the heat of these two together to just dead coldness and that they’d keep alina’s pull that she feels towards him. i didn’t forget how she just melted into him against herself when he kissed her again even though she was his captive then and under threat of harm. i didn’t forget how she still feels about him by that point and i hope the showrunners and writers didn’t forget. they don’t need to diminish darklina to push their malina agenda and if they do? well maybe malina isn’t as attractive of a ship as they think it is.

#shadow and bone spoilers #sab spoilers #darklina #alina starkov #aleksander morozova

[itsclydebitches]

I’m the tin foil hat anon and I wanted to thank you for the response on my bb submission, you make great points. Although I was frustrated that some of them raised even more questions I didn’t think of myself… UGH… lol the S2 wait is gonna be painful

On the point of crosshair thinking his chip was removed a looong time ago(meaning before bracca or even as early as ep1) it wouldn’t make sense bc of his response to Hunter’s “you tried to kill us, we didn’t have a choice”. He says “and I did?”. So he seems to be aware he couldn’t control himself in all their previous encounters. Does it mean he knows his actions were due to chip then?

And you say crosshair avoiding the “when” question can be due to him not caring if the horrible actions he committed are chip or himself and it’s meant to show that he truly is despicable and evil. It could be the case because he shows absolutely no remorse or regret over slaughtering civilians, never apologizes to his brothers for not only trying to kill them but almost successfully incinerating(!!!) them. On top of that (apparently) without a chip he casually murders his own squad without a blink of an eye right in front of them.

On the other hand, he shows care for Omega’s safety in that episode and wants a better place in the universe for his brothers(even if it’s obviously a mistake). He sounds hurt and betrayed by them yet he still wants what he thinks is best for them. He seemed genuine and sincere in that moment. Even after they refused to join he protected them against the droids. He had multiple opportunities to shoot Hunter or others in the back but never did(and looked like didn’t even consider it). BUT after all of that he decides to raise his gun and try to shoot hunter who already has his gun drawn?! And in front of the whole squad holding him at gun point!!! WTF was he thinking?! WHY? I know they rejected his offer but still. Did his reveal completely change his plans? I just don’t understand. I know he is meant to be “complex and nuanced character with layers” but what a mood swing lmao

As much as I loved and enjoyed the bad batch overall I’m beginning to think that all these inconsistencies aren’t meant to be a crafty set up for next season. What they most likely are is just writers being vague on purpose so they don’t write themselves into a corner.

And as to why the batch and Omega didn’t even try to rescue their brother could just be so that Hunter and Crosshair would have this drama and disagreement at the end. Despite brad rau claiming their argument was over ideological differences. And Jen Corbett saying in that same cursed interview that the batch always love and support each other no matter what because they’re family. Well, I guess not crosshair, he doesn’t count anymore lol

And I agree with you I’d rather see the batch acknowledging they could have done more to try and rescue him than go into the chip details. However, I have a suspicion the real reason or explanation on why they never went back for him isn’t going to be brought up ever. Even *in universe* it simply does not make sense. Just makes me sad seeing how many people also try to come up with explanations. That should have been the writers job to provide something besides Hunter’s “you tried to kill us” bc that’s a weak argument and a total bs since he was SHOCKED to learn crosshair doesn’t have a chip.

Btw sorry for the long posts lol I just found your takes very intriguing

The season two wait is something awful and I only just started it lol. No worries about long asks though! My blog has become quite meta heavy over the years, so this is normal for my inbox. Besides, it’s a bit of a pot and kettle situation. It's not like my answers are particularly concise :D

Okay first, I have the unpopular (?) opinion that Crosshair was never planning to shoot Hunter, partly for the reasons you lay out here. You’re right, it doesn’t make sense, and rather than just accepting that he had that kind of “mood swing" (which would be pretty bad writing based on everything else we've seen) I think it does make sense that this was never his intention at all. Rather, it’s just a setup to make the audience think he’s about to shoot Hunter—that’s the obvious goal of that moment: the shock, drama, confusion, and then relief—but that doesn’t mean that in-universe that was ever Crosshair’s goal, even for just a split second. Omega leaves the pod. Echo, crucially, says that he can’t see her, setting up that Crosshair with his enhanced sight is probably the only one who could. He grabs his rifle off screen and as he does, Hunter leans over the side of the pod as he prepares to jump in, precisely where Crosshair needs to aim to hit Omega. Hunter is in his way. He’s directly in the line of fire, not because Crosshair is aiming for him, but just because that's where Omega is and they're both aiming for her: Crosshair with his rifle, Hunter ready to dive. The little shift Crosshair makes reads to me as him ensuring he doesn’t hit Hunter, despite him being right where he needs to aim, not him full on changing targets.

Even if we choose to read it as him deliberately aiming at Hunter—because yeah, the scene is meant to be ambiguous—I don’t think he, like, meant it meant it. Crosshair, as we’ve seen throughout TBB and TCW, can be pretty antagonistic. He likes to do things to get a rise out of people, like staring at regs until they snap at him, or pushing Rex’s buttons until he swings. If he was choosing to aim at Hunter in that moment, rather than Hunter just being in the way, I think it’s only bravado. Remember the “Don’t make the same mistake twice. Don’t make me your enemy” line? Crosshair has a need to remind others of his skill and power—whether it’s playfully like in TCW, or more seriously in TBB—and that’s likely what this is here. “Hey, Hunter. Look. I got my weapon back. I’ve got you cornered. I’m about to save our sister when you can’t. Remember that I’m good and you need me.” Those feelings of abandonment are tied up in that need to be needed, so when Crosshair is seething at being left behind, brutally showing them how he can get a drop on their leader and doing the thing they can't (save Omega) is a great way to remind them of what they threw away/re-boost his own self-esteem. But none of that means shooting Hunter was ever a real possibility. Because nowhere else do we see Crosshair willingly trying to harm his team. He does while under the chip’s influence, but then he never hurts Hunter when he’s captured. He kills his new team before they can hurt the batch. He helps them fight off the droids. There’s a tussle, but it’s not choreographed like either he or Hunter truly intends harm. Crosshair demonstrates no aggression during the entire escape, willingly gives up his weapon after saving Omega, and just stands there as they leave. If this guy actually wanted to hurt them, he would. Which is more likely, that Crosshair had a split second of real murder intent across two episodes of doing everything possible to help his team, or that this was just a mean bluff?

But personally, I don’t even think it was a bluff. I think the coincidence of Crosshair needing to aim there and Hunter already being there is just meant to imply an attack for the audience, not imply that Crosshair, in-universe, ever intended to hurt him, even for just a second. If he had, he wouldn’t look so surprised and sad when he realizes the others are pointing their weapons at him. If he was out to shoot Hunter, even if only for a moment, seeing his brothers come to his defense would be expected; a given. But if he only ever intended to save Omega, then seeing their weapons trained on him would produce the emotions we saw: shock that they’d turn on him and then severe disappointment. From Crosshair’s perspective, he didn’t do anything wrong and never intended to do wrong either. Hence, looking away in disbelief that his need to aim through Hunter was taken as a serious threat. He's realizing that they honestly believe that he would hurt them. Not the chipped version of him, but just him, all on his own.

As for the rest of his characterization, I think your point that “You tried to kill us” is a weak argument is pretty important. Meaning, Crosshair knows he didn’t attack his team and nearly kill them, the Empire controlling him like a puppet did. He (arguably) doesn’t owe them an apology for something that he was as much a victim for. However, we usually expect one anyway—like Wrecker still apologizing to Omega—because that's how people who have hurt loved ones react, whether the hurt was intentional or not, but that guilt is currently overshadowed by his fury that they left him behind. For him I think it’s a bit of a circular problem. Yes, he nearly killed them… but he wouldn’t have nearly killed them if they’d come back and rescued him. With the obvious disclaimer that the Empire is the real evil here, Crosshair as a threat is a bit of a problem of the batch's own making. If they’d done the right thing and gotten him out, there wouldn’t have been these scary moments like the engine incident. If they’d at least tried, then Crosshair likely would have been more guilt-ridden because he hurt his brothers who were trying to help him. As it stands, he tried to hurt the people who claim they're his brothers, but who left him behind. That's why he presents this second chance as magnanimous: from Crosshair's perspective, they haven't done anything to earn his care, but they're getting it anyway. An apology though? That's pushing things too far. If when Wrecker turned the group had locked him somewhere in the ship and gone off planet, leaving him there under the justification “Well, he tried to kill us!" would Wrecker still return with apologies for his actions... or would he be primarily pissed at being left like that, withholding apologies because they did him harm intentionally, whereas he did harm under another's control? I mean, maybe he'd be forgiving (the huge difference between his and Crosshair’s personalities is another factor), but also maybe not. Having Crosshair apologize for the near-death experiences requires 1. For him to feel responsibility for something that was forced on him and 2. For him to not be absolutely furious at the batch for abandoning him. They've gotta work through that before Crosshair can acknowledge that guilt.

Killing his second team on the other hand… idk if the batch cares, honestly. It was the killing of civilians that they balked at, not other fighters like themselves. Even the Jedis’ execution, something they clearly didn’t like, wasn’t enough to turn them from the Empire, presumably because the Jedi are capable of defending themselves. They fell in battle. It’s only when the Empire asks them to kill kids and untrained civilians that they go, “Absolutely not. This organization is evil.” Murder of other fighters was, you know, not great, but not worth defecting over either. Crosshair’s second team is made up of fighters who have been trying to kill them, so they’re definitely fair game. If we removed Crosshair’s plan from the situation and the batch was just fighting their way off Kamino after a capture, would they have also killed the team without a blink of an eye? Probably. It's self-defense. The second they raised their blasters it became a battle and, unless you’re specifically out to stun someone for some reason, battles end bloody. The shock is which side Crosshair was on, not that one side was willing to murder the other. It’s definitely messed up from our perspective that Crosshair laid a trap to murder his team to prove a point… but from the batch’s perspective? Crosshair killed a bunch of imperial fighters who were threatening them during a battle. That’s just an average Tuesday for them, nothing much to get upset over.

And omg don’t get me started on Crosshair wanting to find Omega a family! Like yeah, it’s obviously a #mistake and his faith in the Empire is Super Messed Up but... the underlying motivation is so good. It’s another situation where there’s no easy answer. Which is more important: Omega’s emotional health where she grows up with clones like her, the people who are now 100% her family, or her physical health, where she stays some place where she’s not always getting shot at, kidnapped, at risk of going hungry, etc.? It’s easy as the audience to go, “Of course she belongs with her dads!!” but if you choose to read the story through any realistic lens, Crosshair absolutely has a point about this being terrible environment for a kid, the exact point the batch themselves were making until Omega begged to stay. I love my feral, compassionate child but let me tell you, I YELLED when she yeeted herself out of that pod. This is a traumatized, formerly isolated kid with absolutely zero self-preservation, combined with, at times, a lack of basic common sense that’s inevitable in children (like not realizing she can’t pull a very heavy droid up through the water). As emotionally gutting as the thought is and, in this particular case, a Very Bad Idea, I really can’t fault anyone for raising the possibility that she go somewhere else, somewhere she’s likely to survive into her teens 😅

#TBB #The Bad Batch #SW #Star Wars #mymetas

[thealogie]

god okay not to be crazy but like, when you say that BJ gets hawkeye riled up instead of just railing him like a normal person, like now i think it's like pretty directly the parallel that BJ's going for like, he riles hawkeye up to the point of explosion, which is his moment of satisfaction, like it's all over working hawkeye up and pushing him over a metaphorical edge/being the only one who can do that to him like it's almost erotic and hawkeye super plays into it by going absolutely bonkers

Listen like...I feel the need to constantly say I KNOW they didn’t intend any of this because I’m just about to sound so unhinged but....there are three whole episodes (Lil, No Laughing Matter, The Joker Is Wild) where an entire plotline is that BJ is deliberately withholding something from Hawkeye...ostensibly as an innocuous joke but for the deeper purpose of getting him riled up. And then it’s like...we see BJ canonically on screen ENJOYING getting Hawkeye all riled up and like Hawkeye’s enjoyment is more subtle but obviously BJ is doing it because he gets that Hawkeye likes it and in fact Hawkeye ASKS and INSISTS that they do it in “no laughing matter”....like it literally reads like they are doing foreplay and IM UP THE WALL about it....

And this is also a continuous element/dynamic they come back to...like it is (to a less clear/straightforward extent) the dynamic in “the most unforgettable characters,” which is the episode where BJ first kind of realizes Hawkeye enjoys a little tantrum, and in “dear uncle abdul” where BJ assasinates hawkeye by first not laughing at the bird joke and then stealing it and claiming he tells it better

#tallsinspace