#those poor kids none of them deserve an unhappy ending
Note
Something with marcia + sarah being friends/Literally Just Nice To Each Other For Once (or smth angsty w marcia,, maybe both) combined
fic requests are open! send me an ask!
Sarah sat in her sitting room, her hands clenched awkwardly in her lap. She was used to having people over for tea—back when the kids were still kids, Sally Mullin would be over once a week for a cup and some gossip, and even now they kept up the tradition, moving from her cluttered room in the Ramblings to her equally cluttered sitting room in the Palace. But it wasn;t the familiar and friendly Sally sat across from Sarah now; it was none other than Madam Marcia Overstrand.
Marcia was perched on the edge of the sofa, looking every bit as uncomfortable as Sarah was. She was holding one of Sarah’s old mugs in her hands--like everything in the sitting room, the mug was something the Heaps had brought with them from their old life in the Ramblings. It was old and chipped, but Sarah was too sentimental to let it go.
Silence was thick between them, neither one of them knowing what to say. They were only here on Septimus’s request. After he’d heard about the disaster that had led to Sarah getting trapped in the Palace in the middle of the Darke Domaine, he had insisted they learn how to at least be civil to each other. He didn’t want his own family--and here he’d hurriedly added “and Marcia,” almost as if he was correcting himself--constantly at odds with each other.
Sarah had been indignant at first. The argument had had nothing to do with her. It was all Macia’s fault for barging in and barking orders without explaining anything. But Septimus quickly shot her down, telling her that Marcia had been trying to explain, and that while Marcia may have to learn how to talk to people better, Sarah had to learn how to listen. Sarah didn’t have a come back for that and she shut her mouth, listening in stunned silence as Septimus told her that Marcia would be over for tea the next afternoon and he expected them to both at least try to get along.
So here they were now, crammed into Sarah’s tiny sitting room, waiting until Marcia finished her tea so she could leave. They’d tell Septimus that the afternoon was a success and then they’d never have to do it again.
A loud quack from behind the couch shattered the silence in the room. Ethel waddled out from where she’d been napping and made a beeline for Sarah’s feet. Without a moment’s hesitation, Sarah scooped her up and pulled her into her lap, wrapping her arms around her.
“I see that duck is still as enamored with you as ever,” Marcia said. They were the first words either of them had spoken since she’d arrived.
“Her name is Ethel,” Sarah told her snappily.
“Right, Ethel. Of course,” Marcia said. “I remember that now.” The silence resumed for a few moments, and Sarah hoped that that meant it would be the end of the conversation, but Marcia continued, “Did you make that coat for her yourself?”
“Of course I did!” Sarah said, arranging Ethel to be more comfortable in her lap. “The poor dear doesn’t have any feathers, how else is she supposed to keep warm?”
Marcia nodded, taking another moment to choose her words. “It’s very… dedicated of you to take such good care of her.”
“Hmph. Well, someone has to do it. She can’t just be left to fend for herself.”
“Of course not,” Marcia agreed. Sarah suspected that she was thinking that it might have been better off for everyone if Ethel had been left to fend for herself in the Darke Domaine, but she at least had the sense not to mention it. Instead, she changed the subject. “Where’s Silas?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Sarah said. “Out somewhere looking for those silly game pieces of his.”
“Ah, yes,” Marcia said knowingly. “The Counters.”
“That game has completely taken over his life--and mine, too,” Sarah complained. “It’s all he ever talks about anymore.”
“It’s a rather childish game,” Marcia said. “Fitting, I suppose, that he likes it so much, but I can’t imagine there’s that much to talk about.”
Sarah shook her head. “You’d be wrong about that. Every conversation with him now turns into how he’s wondering where all those pieces slipped off to, how they’re doing, if they’ve gone completely feral or if he might be able to get them back. On top of that, he has all these big plans for creating a Castle Counter-Feet League and hosting all these competitions at the Palace. He’s even been writing books about the wretched thing.”
“Books?” Marcia echoed, sounding shocked.
“Well, pamphlets, I suppose. All about strategies and tips for training and how to build your set. He spends all his spare time working on them. I think he hopes to get them properly published. Even I don’t know how many he’s written.”
There were a few seconds when Marcia didn’t know how to respond. Eventually she settled on, “Well, at least he’s passionate about something.”
“Yes,” Sarah agreed reluctantly, “I suppose it’s better than him sitting around like a lump on a log, but couldn’t he have gotten passionate about something useful? If he’d had this much dedication to his studies years ago, he would have been the ExtraOrdinary Wizard.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Sarah bit her tongue. For a second she had forgotten who she was talking to. She was sure Marcia was about to blow up on her, and Septimus would be so disappointed in her for failing him on his plan. She was wondering if she should apologize just to smooth things over--and if that would even work--but Marcia was already talking.
“He didn’t give up his Apprenticeship because he didn’t care about it,” she said. “He gave it up for you. You and the boys.”
“I know he felt bad about spending so much time at work,” Sarah said, “but if he put his mind to it like he does to this game, he could have--”
“No,” Marcia cut her off, shaking her head. “It wasn’t about the time he spent away from home. At least, not entirely. Alther told me that he backed out of his Apprenticeship because he was starting his Darke Week?”
“Darke Week?”
“It’s something unique to ExtraOrdinary Apprenticeships. The ExtraOrdinary Wizard needs to have a much better knowledge of the Darke than Ordinary Wizards do, so during their Apprenticeships, they spend quite a bit of time studying the Darke. It all adds up to a big project with the Apprentice undertaking some Darke task to prove they can responsibly and safely incorporate some of the Darke into their studies. It’s a very big deal in ExtraOrdinary Apprenticeships. Anyway, Alther told me that Silas gave up his Apprenticeship when they got to the lessons about the Darke. At first I thought it was because he was too afraid of the Darke to continue, but Alther told me it was because of you and the boys at home.”
“Me?” Sarah echoed.
Marcia nodded. “He was so worried that something Darke might follow him home, and he didn’t want to risk putting you and the boys in danger.”
“Oh,” Sarah said after a few moments. She didn’t know how else to respond. She’d never held Silas giving up his ExtraOrdinary Apprenticeship against him, but she did privately think that if he had just put in a little more effort, they could have been a lot better off than they were. Not that she was ever unhappy with him in the Ramblings, but life there wasn’t exactly easy with seven kids and just one salary. But knowing that him stepping down from his Apprenticeship wasn’t him being lazy but was a move to keep his family safe…
Marcia was watching her quietly. “Did he really never tell you?”
Sarah shook her head.
“Well, I suppose that makes sense. The Darke Week isn’t really something ExtraOrdinary Apprentices are supposed to talk about.”
“Will Septimus have to do this Darke Week?” Sarah asked nervously.
“He’s already done it. And passed with flying colors, I should add. Not that I ever expected anything different.”
Sarah nodded in agreement. Septimus truly had skill like no other when it came to his Magyk.
They slipped back into silence for a minute before Marcia set her mug down on the table and stood up. “I should be going now,” she said briskly. “Thank you for the tea, Sarah, it was lovely.”
“Of course.” Sarah stood as well to show Marcia to the door. “Thank you for coming, I had a wonderful time as well.” The words were routinely polite, but Sarah was surprised to find that they weren’t entirely untrue.
Marcia carefully picked her way across the sitting room to the door Sarah was holding open for her, watching the floor to make sure she didn’t accidentally step in any of the piles of duck poo that were laying about. When she made it to the safety of the hallway she picked up her usual speed, her cloak billowing out behind her as she made her way down the hall.
Sarah stood watching her from the doorway. Before Marcia could turn the corner and disappear completely, Sarah called out to her on impulse. “Marcia?”
Marcia stopped, turning back to Sarah. The impatient expression Sarah would have expected to see on her face was nowhere to be found.
Sarah felt a little unsure about was she was about to say, but she said it anyway. “Simon’s wedding is coming up. I’m sure you already knew that because Septimus will need the day off to attend, but… It would mean a lot to us if you came as well.”
The shock that initially crossed Marcia’s features was, perhaps, deserved. She and the Heaps had never quite seen eye-to-eye, and it wasn’t a secret that any event of theirs she attended was because of how important she was to Septimus. But the wedding was Simon’s special day, and no one had discussed whether or not to invite Marcia. But Sarah knew that inviting Marcia was the right thing to do. Septimus would want her there, Simon would want her there, and surprisingly, Sarah found out that she wanted her there.
In just a second, Marcia schooled her features back into an impassive mask. “It would be my pleasure,” she said evenly, but Sarah could hear the notes of genuine happiness that were trying to sneak through into her voice.
With that, Marcia turned on her heel and strode off down the hall, fighting to keep a smile at bay. Behind her, in the sitting room, Sarah was doing the same.
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I don't know if you have rules or not. I couldn't find any. So I'll take my chances. How about some characters of your choice with a fem!reader who's being forced to play vb. And like she good at it but hates playing. She's tried quitting but her parents just guilt her into playing. So she feels like she letting her team and parents down especially since she's the captain. Maybe she brakes down after a match? Something I personally went through. Please and thank you. You don't have to though!😊
I love this concept so much, and I definitely feel you since I went through similar situations in high school. Thank you for requesting💞
I decided to go with: Sugawara, Kenma, and Bokuto
Sugawara
So for this one, we’re gonna say you go to another school cuz sadly the girls vbc in Karasuno isn’t the best
Instead you go to more of a powerhouse school
I feel that since the beginning of your relationship with him, he could tell there was some resentment when it came to talking about volleyball, but since you knew he loved the sport you never told him about your distaste for it
It wasn’t until a few months into the relationship that you finally admitted how much you hated volleyball and unfortunately the circumstances were very unpleasant
It was right after your team had lost the Interhigh tournament in the semifinals
Your team was crushed... but to your horror, you were relieved
And as the captain you had to give them words of encouragement and the whole time you felt like a fraud
You watched these poor girls cry over something they worked so hard for and as their captain you could only watch and offer a few words to make them feel better
But you did it and it wasn’t the worst speech but you just felt like you were pulling words out of your ass
Afterwards, you ran. You ran down the many hallways in the building until you came across a deserted one and just sat down and cried
You didn’t cry over the game, instead you cried for those heartbroken girls, you cried because you couldn’t be as passionate as they were, and you cried because what if you were the reason the team lost
Maybe it was because of your resentment that you hadn’t put your all into the game. You played well but you always did, so maybe you could’ve played harder just for them
That was when Suga found you
He was unsure at first about what to do because he had never seen you react so much over a volleyball game but he quickly regained himself and was at your side in seconds
He wrapped an arm around you and you buried yourself into his side
He didn’t want to push you into talking about it if you didn’t want to, so he softly asked, “Do you wanna talk about it?”
It took you a few seconds but you finally answered, and Suga couldn’t say he was exactly surprised but your words still came as a shock
”...I hate volleyball.”
From there he asked you why and you went into how your parents were volleyball players and that they pushed you ever since you were little to play and because you ended up being so good they never let you quit even though you tried multiple times
Then you explained how you felt that you let your team down and that they deserved a captain that actually cared
And Suga, although he was saddened to hear about your disinterest in the sport, understood that it was just something you never really wanted to do
He assured you that he was sure that none of your teammates saw it that way, especially after he saw how the underclassmen adored you, but he did agree that now would be the best opportunity for you to quit since the next tournament was the Spring Tournament and most third years would be quitting after this one anyway, and it would also let the team choose a second year to take over as captain
You agreed but the only thing holding you back were your parents
But Suga being the sweetheart he was promised you he would be with you when you told your parents you were quitting and he would make sure you did because seeing you so unhappy made him sad as well
And in the end you were able to quit, giving you more free time to go support Suga at his own games and seeing your change in attitude and how much happier you were, warmed his heart
Kenma
I think we all know why I chose Kenma
He just gets it
He’s also someone who was pressured to play and also someone who happens to be good at it, so that was something the two of you were able to bond over and what lead you two to eventually become friends over
He would be the person you went to vent all your frustrations to. Like how you felt the constant pressure from your parents and as your role as the captain
And he would always listen
It was a bit different for you in that the third years had just left and you ended up being appointed captain and that began a whole new spiral of emotions for you
He’s the kind of person who needs to calculate every factor into something so he may not give you much advice at first but when he finally sees you break down after your practice one day, he finally knew what to tell you
It was right after his practice as well and he had been just about to head out with Kuroo when they both heard a loud bang
Kuroo being curious, went to check it out, so Kenma followed
That was when they found you with tears running down your face, repeatedly kicking the vending machine
Kuroo notices the way Kenma perks up when he sees that it’s you and Kuroo raises an eyebrow asking if he knows you
He answers with a simple “Yes,” and that has Kuroo patting the shorter kids shoulder, telling him to go calm you down
So he does
He puts his game away and approaches you quietly, effectively startling you in the process
He asks what happened and you go into how the pressure of leading an entire team to victory when you didn’t even want to play the sport in the first place was beginning to really weigh on you
He listens quietly as you ramble on and on about the topic before he finally offers the best piece of advice he could give you
Since the Spring tournament was so close it would be way to irresponsible to quit now, so he’d encourage you to see through the rest of the season
But then he’d tell you the boy’s team was looking for a manager, so after your season ended he encouraged you to quit and come join the boy’s team as their manager
Sure it wasn’t exactly what your parents wanted you to do with volleyball, but really they had just wanted you to join a club and since you were already good at the sport and there were no alternative clubs you wanted to join they made you keep playing
So convincing them that you wanted to quit and join a different club was much easier
So you did
You saw your last season through to the end, trying your best to be the captain that your team deserved before you eventually quit and joined the boy’s team in your third year
This was also how you and Kenma grew even closer together and the two of you eventually started dating
Bokuto
Oof I love this boy and his big heart but he’d be a bit dense when it came to this particular situation
As someone who is so passionate about volleyball it would definitely break his heart to find out that his talented girlfriend hated the sport
Especially since you were the captain of your team and he was the captain of his team so the two of you were often labeled as a power couple
It would probably take a while for you to finally admit your feelings to him since he always hyped up the fact that you were both really good at volleyball and how he’d always wanted to practice with you
But after your team won the Spring Tournament finals, instead of screaming in excitement with the rest of your team, you walked off to the girls bathroom
You were happy your team won since everyone worked so hard, but there was a part of you that resented the idea of having to continue playing at a national level now, and you hated yourself for it
You knew the team deserved a captain that would put their all into the sport and cared just as much as they did
But it was hard when you never wanted to play in the first place
You’d compose yourself before meeting back up with the others
Bokuto eventually found you and stole you away from the rest of your team as he went on and on about how cool you were on the court and how happy he was that you were both going to nationals
You went to celebrate with your team, with Bokuto tagging along and it wasn’t until dinner ended and he was walking you home that you finally admitted it
”I’m quitting volleyball after high school.”
His reaction was kind of what you expected: shocked and bit overdramatic
He’d ask you why, telling you you were so good and wondering why on earth you would want to quit
Which was when you finally told him you always hated the sport, that your family forced you to participate and how you put on a mask whenever you played
You played with your all, took the responsibility as captain, but in the end it always felt like a waste of time
He’d be so crushed and possibly feel a little betrayed that you never told him about this
But the last thing he wanted was to be like your family and push you to do something you didn’t want to do and have you resent him because of it
Because contrary to popular belief, Bokuto wasn’t dating you for your status in volleyball but because he did truly love you
So in the end, although a bit sad, he’d support your decision as long as it made you happy and not hide anything like that from him again
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Trauma
This is a prequel to my story Dread, set in @gridoc ‘s pirate AU.
Be warned this is angsty. For warnings go down to the tags! And yeah, I heard you guys, so Dread will also have a sequel. I’m working on it.
~
“One day, Taurtis, I’m going to become a great pirate, just you see! Adventure is calling my name!”
Grian smiled at his friend and raised his wooden sword in front of him. Taurtis just rolled his eyes in amusement, but raised his sword as well.
“Well Captain Grian, you’d have to get past Admiral Taurtis’ fleet first! I’m going to be the star of the navy and I’m going to put an end to your evil ways.”
Their swords clashed and both of them put everything they had into the battle, both smiling excitedly. After about five minutes Grian managed to land a hit on Taurtis’ leg, making him lose balance. He used the opportunity to send the other’s weapon flying through the air, catching it with practised ease.
“Pirate Captain Grian has triumphed over Admiral Taurtis once again”, he said with a glare, but soon dissolved into a fit of giggles and dropped both of the weapons, lying down next to Taurtis in the grass. They were both out of breath, just like all the other times they had fought.
The two of them had grown up on this island together. They lived in an orphanage in a small town by the sea. Both of them had always dreamt of sailing the big blue ocean one day. They had realised early on that their plans only differed in one crucial part. While Taurtis wished to join the navy, Grian dreamt of a live filled with danger and adventures. He couldn’t see himself joining a stuffy government organisation. He wanted to be a pirate and just do whatever he pleased. And somewhere back in his mind he had that one memory. A memory of being held by somebody and looking up at a black pirate flag on top of a majestic ship and feeling absolutely safe. He had been to young to remember anything more. But that one memory was enough for him to take an interest in pirates.
But even when he and Taurtis were so different it didn’t hurt their friendship at all. And sure, they had both tried to convince the other to give up their dream, but none had succeeded and with them being 15 years old, they both were far too stubborn to change their plans.
Grian sighed and looked at the setting sun. It was so peaceful… He just wished something would finally happen. Some pirate ship coming by where he could start working and then make his way up the ladder until he had a crew himself… If he just kept saving up until he could buy his own boat he would be stuck here until his fifties… and who could become a pirate at that age?
“Grian…?”
Grian turned his head sideways to look at Taurtis.
“Yeah…”
“I got a letter.”
“Who’d write you a letter? You got fancy friends on the mainland you hid from me?”
Grian smirked at Taurtis, but his face fell, when he saw the serious expression on his friend’s face.
“I got accepted into the navy. I’m leaving next week.”
Grian sat up abruptly, staring open mouthed at Taurtis.
“I… When? I didn’t even know you applied!”
Taurtis just gave a shrug. “I applied when it was my turn to go to the mainland to buy resources. You know… Last month when you were sick and had to stay here. I didn’t want to tell you because I wasn’t sure if I’d even make it. I got the letter today…”
To say Grian was shocked was an understatement. He should have known that something like that would happen soon. With all of the pirates and bandits going around the navy was always recruiting and Taurtis would turn 16 next week… The eligible age to become a part of the navy.
He forced a grin onto his face, giving Taurtis a pat on the shoulder. He had to be supportive now. They were best friends after all.
“That’s great, man! You can finally head out to the sea! I’m really happy for you. You need to write a lot of letters and tell me how things are out there.”
“Grian… Your birthday is in a month. You could…”
But Grian shook his head. “I’m not going to join the navy. I told you Taurtis. That kind of life is just not for me… There’s no way in hell they’d take in a rebellious teen like me anyway. I’d break all of their rules during the first week.”
He saw the sadness in Taurtis’ eyes but they had both known this moment would come one day. So why did it hurt so much? Why did Grian feel the need to once again try and convince Taurtis to go and become a pirate alongside him?
“We’ll see each other again. Out on the ocean, I mean.” Taurtis smiled, staring out at the horizon. “I promise you, I won’t attack you if possible… Just… Don’t become too evil.”
“Not all pirates are evil, Taurtis”, Grian grumbled for what felt like the thousandth time. “They have adventures and look for treasure and fight magical beasts and drink together!”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever those pirate novels taught you.”
Grian gasped in mock offence. “Don’t you dare bad mouth Mr. Tinfoil’s amazing series. His books feel like the real deal! You’ll be so jealous once I’m a pirate sailing the seas and you are stuck behind a dusty desk. I can feel it. My life is going to change soon. Something exciting will happen, I just know it…”
“Yeah you always do. Just like last year and the year before that. It’s just wishful thinking. Let’s hope everything stays as boring as it is. People here are already overwhelmed with the excitement of your pranks. They wouldn’t be able to handle real excitement. Now… How about we head home?”
Grian just nodded and followed his friend. He just hoped that he’d get used to the thought of Taurtis leaving during the coming days. He just needed to keep busy and leave no room for negative thoughts. Maybe he should plan a party… Yeah that sounded good.
~
Planning out a party truly kept Grian busy. The other kids at the orphanage and even the nun in charge of them helped. Everyone was so proud of Taurtis. Grian wanted to be proud too… he just couldn’t. He’d show a brave face. Taurtis deserved all of his dreams coming true. He was the most amazing person and Grian felt so lucky to have him as a friend.
“Grian…”
Grian looked up into the face of his caretaker. “Yes, Mother?”
The old woman looked pained and Grian knew that face. He’d seen it countless of times and even more so during his teenage years. She was unhappy with him… Again.
“Taurtis is going to be part of the navy. You are also turning 16 soon.”
Grian knew where this conversation was heading. He’d heard it so many times from so many different people. Nobody around here supported his dreams. They had thought it cute when he was a child, but when he became older they’d all frowned at him. He was the rotten and rebellious boy who wanted to be a pirate.
They talked about him behind his back, thinking or pretending he couldn’t hear them. He heard the hushed whispers about him following his evil blood, whatever that was supposed to mean. About him tainting poor innocent Taurtis.
And Taurtis… Taurtis had never cared. Taurtis treated him only with kindness and respect. Even when Grian kept telling him he was going to become a pirate. Sure, he had tried to convince Grian to join the navy, but only because he wanted them to stay together. In their more serious moments he’d always tell Grian to follow his dreams and not to let anyone hold him back.
“I’ll find a job soon, don’t worry.”
“I talked to General White. You know that Taurtis will be joining his crew. He promised me that he’d put in a good word for you. You could work alongside your best friend.”, she said in a tired voice. And Grian would have just ignored it like he always did. Just nod and pretend to think about it so she’d leave him alone. But she just had to go one step further this time. “Just… be glad to get that opportunity and take it. What else could the abandoned rut of a pirate hope for?”
Grian froze.
They had never talked about his parents. Mother had forbidden him to ever ask questions about them and he had stopped wondering when he had been young. Mother had always called his one memory of being on a pirate ship just part of his childish imagination and nothing more.
“What…?”
Grian stared at her, letting go of the plate he had just been holding. It dropped to the floor shattering,
“Oh look. There you go again, messing things up. And on Taurtis’ special night none the less”, she scolded him, bending down to carefully pick up the shards. He could still just stare at her.
“What did you just say about my parents?”
She slowly raised her gaze to look at him. She had never looked at him with the same love she held for all the other children. But she had never looked at him so outright disgusted.
“The navy dropped you of here when you were still young. They wanted you to be raised off records, where nobody could ever find you. I don’t know much… Just that your father was a famous pirate. No one knows who your mother was. You were with your father when they captured him, just a small baby… I tried my best to love you like I did all the other’s, but Grian… oh Grian…” She shook her head, clicking her tongue in disapproval. “You are starting to turn out just like your father. It’s a miracle Taurtis thinks you worthy of his friendship.”
Grian turned around and ran. He didn’t know why or where he should run to, but his legs just started moving on their own. He just needed to get away. To have some space to think.
He only stopped when he arrived at a small cliff overlooking the ocean. He and Taurtis had spend hours after hours just sitting out here watching the blue waters below and fantasizing about their future out there. He sat down, legs dangling over the edge. It helped him calm down.
He had known something was wrong with him the moment he had been old enough to realise that he was being treated different. But he had never thought about it long enough. The moment dark thoughts began to cloud his mind Taurtis had always been there by his side…
Taurtis…
What was Grian supposed to do once he left?
Looking off into the distance at the endless sea, Grian made his decision. He’d leave. Once Taurtis was gone he’d take the first ship he could get on. He’d somehow make his way through the world out there. It couldn’t be worse than around here. He’d go out, find treasure and have amazing adventures and nobody would hold him back.
“Grian…?”
Grian looked over at Taurtis who stood right behind him, slightly out of breath.
“You should be at your party right now, shouldn’t you?”
“Not much of a party without my best friend, is it…?”
Taurtis took one look at him and with a sigh sat down along side Grian. And Grian leaned his head right onto his shoulder and told him about what had just happened and Taurtis kept silent and listened and just stayed there, a comforting hand on Grian’s back.
“Listen to me Grian… No matter what she or anyone else says, you follow your dreams.”
“You are always too nice to me Taurtis…”, Grian whispered, still looking at the ocean. Taurtis was rummaging around next to him and finally took off the necklace that had always been around his neck. It was a simple medallion and had always contained a picture of Taurtis as a baby. It had apparently belonged to Taurtis’ mother before she had died.
Taurtis opened the medallion and Grian couldn’t help but look over. The picture of the little baby was gone, instead there was a picture of both of them, arm in arm, swords held out in front of them and smiling brightly.
“I sold a few of my things to get this picture drawn… So I’ll have you by my side even when I’m far away. I know you better than they do. And I know you are not evil. And if your heart tells you to become a pirate, then you should. You’ll just have to prove them that you can succeed. I believe in you.”
Grian gently touched the medallion, feeling his heart beating a bit faster at Taurtis’ little speech. When he looked up their faces were so close to each other. They didn’t say anything, both moving even closer, their lips about to touch.
“TAURTIS!”
A shout rang out in the distance and Grian snapped back, looking at one of the orphans running up to them. Taurtis looked almost disappointed. He was about to say something, but Grian was faster.
“I’ll try… to believe in myself as much as you do. You should head back now. We all worked really hard on the party. I’ll… I’ just need a moment and then I’ll be there alright?”
Taurtis hesitated but finally nodded.
“And about what just almost happened… Let’s talk about that later, Grian. I need to tell you something important before I leave.”
Grian could feel heat rising to his cheeks as he heard steps slowly retreating into the distance. He wasn’t even sure himself what had just happened and he tried not to linger on those thoughts for too long, focusing instead on what Taurtis had said about following his dreams.
Taurtis was right. So what if nobody supported him? He had Taurtis who believed in him and that was all that mattered. And if they were out at sea they’d still find some way to communicate with each other.
And so what if he was the son of a pirate? That had nothing to do with him wanting to become one himself. He never knew his parents, so why should he care about them?
It took him about half an hour but he finally felt ready to face reality again. He slowly stood up and turned around only to see thick black smoke rising in the distance. No! That was right were his home town was… And by the amount of smoke it wasn’t just one building burning. What if the orphanage was on fire?
“Taurtis!” A scream tore from his throat as he jumped into action, grabbing his sword and sprinting off into the distance. He needed to hurry. If there was a fire they’d need every hand they could get.
And then Grian could hear gunshots and screams. And on the horizon he saw a huge pirate ship in the port, red flag raised. His heart was gripped in cold fear. What were pirates doing here? And more importantly, why were they attacking? There was nothing valuable in their village. Nothing to be gained.
He ran as fast as he could, his wooden sword held tightly in his hands. Buildings were on fire everywhere, but nobody was even trying to stop the flames from spreading. People he had known his whole life, lying dead in the street. He needed to hurry. He needed to get back to the orphanage. He needed to get to Taurtis. They needed to get out of here.
As he reached their street, he stopped in his tracks. There were pirates in front of the entrance way of the orphanage, weapons ready in hand as if they were guarding the door. He turned back and walked around, through a small alleyway and over a stone wall. He could get inside through the back door. Maybe he wasn’t too late. Maybe he could still save them… save him.
He crouched low, walking through a corridor until he reached a door. He could hear voices inside, one of them belonging to Taurtis He slowly turned the handle and opened the door a little. Luckily none of the occupants in the room noticed him. He could see Taurtis. He had a sword in his hand. And not one of their wooden ones but the iron sword that they had all bought him as a sent-off gift. In front of him stood an old bearded man. One look at his outfit was all it took for Grian to know he must have been one of the pirates. But why…?
“So… You are the boy we are looking for? How brave of you to step up like that.”
Taurtis nodded grimly.
“Kill him.”
A shot rang through the room and Grian could see Taurtis falling as if in slow motion.
“Let’s go. Tell the captain we got rid of the little pest, so we can get out of this poor excuse of a town.”
Grian stayed hidden until he couldn’t hear their footsteps any more and then rushed over to Taurtis. There was blood. So much blood. When he kneeled down next to his fallen friend his pants were instantly wet.
“Taurtis…?” His voice was nothing more than a broken whisper.
And then he realised that the other’s chest was still moving. Hurriedly he pulled one of the table clothes off and put it against the bleeding wound in Taurtis’ stomach, trying to stop the never ending flow of blood. The white cloth turned bright red so fast it made his blood freeze.
“Taurtis! I’m here. Hold on, okay. You can pull through!”
And finally Taurtis’ eyes opened again and he looked at Grian.
“G-grian?”
“Yeah. It’s me. I’m here. I’ll help you.”
“Glad… you’re… not dead…”, Taurtis whispered, his voice rough and he had to cough, blood splattering out of his mouth.
“Don’t… Don’t speak. Just… Someone will come. Someone will save you. You just need to hold on. Just keep breathing.”
Grian was panicking, tears running down his cheek. He just needed to keep pressure on the wound and everything would be fine. He was startled when one of Taurtis’ hands reached out and wiped a tear from his cheek, looking up at him with a pained smile.
“Grian… I’m not gonna make it… ‘m just glad… I protected…”
Grian shook his head in denial, glaring at Taurtis through his tears.
“You won’t die. I won’t let you! You are going to survive and become and Admiral! Remember? You want to become the greatest admiral the navy has ever seen. You can’t die here!”
“I always… wanted to… see our dreams come true…” Taurtis shivered under him, letting go of Grian’s cheek. Carefully he took off the necklace with the medallion hanging around his neck and put it over Grian’s head. The silver was stained red from all the blood, leaving a bloody mark on Grian’s shirt. “Take it… So you don’t… forget... You’ll be… great… Even without… me. You’ll be… the best… captain… and I’ll… be an...”
Taurtis closed his eyes and Grian waited for him to finish his sentence. His heart was beating frantically. And as the seconds past the fear gripping his heart grew bigger and bigger. It couldn’t be. There was a slight smile on Taurtis face. No… There was no way.
“Taurtis?”
There was no answer. His chest had stopped moving under Grian’s hands.
Grian didn’t know how long he had sat there after that. The screams on the streets had long since died down and he didn’t know or care whether that was a good or a bad sign. His hands were still on Taurtis’ wound. The blood on the fabric and his skin had already gone cold as had the body below him. And finally he let go. It felt like defeat. Like he had somehow been responsible for Taurtis’ death.
If he had just been faster. If he had been there with Taurtis helping him fight… If he had just never wished for pirates and adventure to come to their home. This wasn’t like in all those books he had read. There was nothing romantic and adventurous about the pain he felt.
Grian looked down at Taurtis’ sword lying on the ground in front of him, tears dripping down onto the metal. He took it, slowly standing up, his other hand tightly gripping the medallion that was now hanging from his neck.
“I promise you Taurtis… I’ll never become like them. I’ll never become a pirate… I’ll fulfil your dream for you. I’ll become an admiral in your place. And one day… One day I’ll get revenge.”
#🍉 stories#hermitshipping#hermitship#slightly taurian#angst#major angst#beware spoilers ahead in the tags#tw: blood#tw: injury#tw: major character death#I am so sorry#I just needed to make it more tragic#the reason why Grian doesn't want to join Doc#and the reason why he doesn't want to fall in love with him#He'll need to deal with all of this first#pirate au
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EastEnders Iconic Episodes:- Shirley Confesses
Tuesday 11th August 2020
Good evening folks! Hope you have all had a good week! It's been another busy week for myself working and sorting things out for future possibilities! But enough about that, i'm back tonight with the follow up of the recent iconic episode. This episode I believe is the one where Shirley reveals to Mick that Dean is in actual fact, his brother! This episode was originally aired 26th December 2014! Oooo it looks as if the Carters were at centre stage during the Christmas episodes! Let's jump straight into it!
Okay, the episodes seems to start right in the heat of it all, I'm not 100% certain if Dean has already raped Linda? Was this the episode everything came out in the open? Was Mick out for revenge and Shirley couldn't let one son destroy the other? Mick is standing above Dean and Shirley is in tears as she says "He's your brother ... and I'm your Mum!" ... this was the first Mick had any idea about Shirley being his mother, all his life he had believed she was actually his sister! Understandably this was a huge shock to the Carter family ... it seems only those who knew were Sylvie and Aunt Babe!
Ooooo remembering Aunt Babe gives me the chills! Do you guys remember how twisted and cruel she was? I'm sure she was a perfect villain during her time on the Square! And oh yes ... Stan and Sylvie, another two characters who sadly passed away on this soap! It's sad how many of the Carter family have left the soap, originally Shirley was the only one until the writers decided to bring in a family for her, she firstly had her son Deano (now known as Dean) and her daughter, Carly. Eventually they both left the square and in time along came Mick, Linda and their 3 children Lee, Nancy and Johnny, and of course Tina!
Shirley has had many gripping story-lines but I think this one has to top them all, it was such a big reveal and I think everyone didn't expect it! Shirley reveals to the family that Mick's biological father is Buster, who just so happens to be Dean's father also. Poor Shirley tells everyone the story, she was pregnant at 14, a terrified teenager who was told to keep her pregnancy a secret. How much she wanted to tell Mick everyday that she was in actual fact his Mum. Mick can't seem to believe what he's hearing, he simply says to her "I'm not your boy! - That thing is not my brother, and if he is, it changes nothing!"
Mick leaves the pub to escape the situation while Linda follows. The rest of the family are reeling from Shirley's confession, Stan recalls that it was when Sylvie and Babe took Shirley to a caravan, it was only meant to be for a week but they ended up staying longer, he can't believe himself that Sylvie and Babe made him believe that Mick was actually his! It's awful how many lives have been torn by this deep secret not just Mick's but Shirley's, Dean's and Stan's has all been a lie! I think this was the moment when the viewers came to really hate Babe, as she (if i'm not mistaken) was the one who thought of the plan in the first place, when Sylvie states she did what she had to do, Babe is throwing all sorts of insults at Stan - saying how he'd never realised they were gone in the first place and also throwing a dig in about how desperate he was to have a son.
Linda joins Shirley outside, I guess as a Mother, she sympathies with Shirley, but then Shirley decides to throw it back in her face and says she blames Linda and say to Mick that everything was a mistake and none of it would've happened. She demands Shirley to collect her things and leave. She goes back inside the Vic and heads upstairs, Nancy then whispers to Lee that she can't understand why her Dad would want to rip into Dean, and Lee replies "He obviously did something to deserve it!" ... are the kids not yet aware of what Dean has done to their Mum? Has that secret not been revealed yet?!
Meanwhile on other parts of the Square, Kat and Alfie are over at Stacey's having Christmas dinner with Tommy and Lily. Does anyone remember what is going on between Kat and Alfie during this time? There is quite a bit of tension between them at the dinner table. Where they not together at this point? Suddenly, the doorbell rings and Stacey goes to answer, it's revealed to be Linda wanting to speak to Stacey. She's actually looking for Mick but Stacey questions why Mick would be round at her house on Christmas Day, for then Linda to admit to Stacey that Mick knows about the rape. The scene then changes to Nick, Charlie and Ronnie all in Dot's kitchen ... what was the reason behind them wanting to get rid of Nick? They hand him an envelope full of cash before Dot enters the room, Nick then says that it's time for him to leave, which leaves poor Dot feeling crushed that her son has to leave so quickly on Christmas Day.
I love that during Linda's ordeal, she befriended Stacey and she can completely understand how Linda is feeling, as it also happened to her. All the emotions Linda is going through, Stacey went through the exact same thing. It seems that talking to Stacey helped Linda immensely. Linda explains that Dean seems to think that it was consensual, and Stacey also explains that Dean is actually lying to himself. Linda shouldn't have to worry about Dean anymore and just focus on herself and Mick. Rape is always such a difficult subject to portray as there are so many ways it can go, and by that I mean ... the person who did the attack may or may never get caught. The one who was the victim, is left to feel so small and abused and violated and struggles to come to terms with what has happened to them. I think there have been quite a handful of women who have been raped in EastEnders ... Stacey, Kat, Linda, Little Mo, Ruby, Ronnie to name but a few.
Dean is then seen in Denise's salon cleaning himself up, meanwhile Linda eventually catches up with Mick, she explains that Shirley has always been there for him regardless of the secrets she has kept, she tells him that perhaps in a few months time he'll be able to come to terms with Shirley being his Mum. But Mick states that Shirley hasn't even crossed his mind, the only thing that is going round and round in his head is Dean and what he did to his wife. Linda tries to persuade Mick that she can live with it, and that the only thing that worries and scares her is everyone finding out, especially their kids. As Shirley gets her bags together, Stan stops her and tells her to join him in the kitchen and he asks her if she remembers everything, he starts to reminisce and recalls when they brought baby Mick home, and how so unhappy Shirley looked as she stood by the car in the pouring rain and watched as her baby was brought into the family. I guess Stan also sympathises with Shirley as he too has been lied too, believing Mick was his. He asks as to why she never told him once her mother had left, but Shirley claims that Mick was the one thing that made him happy, how could she ruin that for her Dad? Then, Stan says how much he wishes Sylvie had never done that, Shirley reveals that she didn't want her to go through with it in the first place, then it clicks - to the both of them, Babe!!! Babe was the one behind it all and the cause of such a horrible secret!
Eventually the Vic is then opened up for the locals, Phil, Sharon, Ian and Jane and everyone make their way into the pub. Mick and Linda arrive to see everyone in their boozer, poor Linda looks at Mick with worrying eyes but he plants a kiss on her lips to put her at ease and tells her everything will be okay. Upstairs of the Vic, Stan and Shirley go into the living room where Sylvie, Tina and Babe are sitting. Stan demands Babe to leave! He's disgusted with what she has done to the family, he reveals everything to Tina. I think this is the moment we also see the fact they Babe has been twisting everybody's mind, manipulating them ... even Sylvie. She looks over at Sylvie for backup but she remains silent. Shirley is even looking at Babe with daggers, she remembers how much Babe was behind it all. Babe is acting all innocent claiming that she was the one who kept the family together and that if it wasn't for her, Mick would've been sent to an orphanage.
Mick then makes his return to the Vic, wanting to know why Shirley was still there. This is when Stan pleads to them all to try and talk it through as a family should, I don't think I liked Stan to begin with, but over time and especially during this episode - its as if he was being the rock of the family. The one who was speaking to reason, trying to make Mick understand that Shirley is also a victim in this scenario. Mick might've been given a huge blow as to who his parents are, but Shirley was also the one who had to suffer in silence for years and years. He's even trying to support his daughter, Shirley ... when he says the words to Mick, "That's your Mum standing there!" ... Mick's eyes begin to tear up, okay she's not his sister, but I don't think he loves her any less! Only thing that seems to go wrong then, is for Stan to claim to Mick that he has a brother, that minor fact makes Mick's stomach turn and he basically states he wants nothing to do with Dean! Tina begs Mick to explain what it is that Dean has done wrong so they can sort it as a family .... Oh yes, and even Shirley claims to Mick that Linda was lying ... during this heated discussion Linda is making her way up the stairs and she hears everything that is being said as she hides behind the door, then - clear as day, Mick shouts at Shirley "Your son raped her! Your son raped my wife!" - after promising he wouldn't tell the family, Linda listens and looks in horror as the secret she has kept has been revealed to other members of the family.
Mick then realises he's made a huge mistake by blurting it out to the family. He demands that Tina and Stan keep the information to themselves and don't treat Linda any differently. Meanwhile Dean goes knocking on Stacey's door asking for shelter as he has nowhere to go. It's interesting as they were once friends, years and years ago. Stacey would not want anything to do with him now, now she knows about him attacking Linda! Shirley then decides to leave the Vic quietly, without causing a scene. She bumps into Dean and they both hug in floods of tears, Dean is in despair asking his Mum what to do. Mick then finds out from Lee that Linda had been upstairs during the conversation he had with the other members of the family, it becomes clear to him that she possibly could've heard him reveal her secret, after promising to keep it to himself. He calls for her and goes in the bedroom only to find her ring on the dressing table. Where had she gone? Is her now panicking that he could've lost his wife after obeying her trust? He then makes his way downstairs and demands everyone to leave, pushing everyone out of the pub and throwing the Queen Victoria bust over the bar. He's clearly in deep distress and anger that he can't control his actions ... reeling over Dean, the news about Shirley being his mother and now Linda disappearing. He smashes everything to pieces, even throwing a stool and punching a piece of glass on the wall. Poor Lee looks on in shock as he too has no idea what has caused his Dad to lash out in such a way. Dean and Shirley watch as people flee from the Vic, Linda is then seen walking away with a suitcase in hand! Is she leaving the Square? Is she leaving Mick for good? At that point in time - we didn't know! Mick slumps onto the floor as his family watch, he holds his wife's ring in his bloodied hands.
This episode was a big Boxing Day aftermath of Shirley's reveal from the day before. Luckily Linda did return and Dean got his comeuppance. Mick accepted the fact that Shirley was his Mum and over time he understood what she went through as a young teenager and eventually it all got turned round on Babe! They blamed her for everything and eventually removed her from the family. I remember now, for a long period of time, Shirley believed Dean. She was backing Dean's story, it's true that Shirley and Linda had never seen eye-to-eye from the beginning, but I think this was the time when Shirley and Linda fell out the most. Shirley couldn't believe what Linda had said ... Shirley could not and would not believe that her son was a rapist. This did last for quite a while, a couple of months maybe? Eventually Shirley did come to realise that Mick and Linda had been telling the truth and Dean eventually paid for his crimes after getting away with it for so long! During their time on the Square, the Carters have become such an iconic family ... they've been through so much since moving to Walford, but something tells me they've got many more story-lines to come! I want to applaud Danny Dyer and Linda Henry in this episode, they were both absolutely brilliant!
I also have some news to share with you this evening, as far as i'm aware the next iconic episode to be aired next week is going to be Pat & Frank's Affair! If I remember rightly, that was the episode in which Peggy reads out Frank's letter to her to everyone in the Vic, Pat and Frank are stood next to her as she reads it out and she lays a slap on each of them! I'm looking forward to re-watching that episode! In other news, it has been revealled that finally our favourite soap has been given a date to when it'll be back on air ... Monday 7th September is when EastEnders will be back on our TV screens! Okay the episodes will only be 20 minutes long, but we will be back to 4 episodes a week! I for one am incredibly excited to see what's in store. A lot of spoilers have been revealed in recent weeks ... Is little Amy Mitchell going to be accused of lying? Is something dark going to be revealed or visited from Denise's past? Will Chantelle's abuse from Gray finally be revealed? And also - the return of Kim Fox!!!!
I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! I'll be back next week following the next iconic EastEnders episode! Thank you guys! Look after yourselves! xXx
#eastenders#spoilers#iconic#mickcarter#shirleycarter#lindacarter#deancarter#stancarter#sylviecarter#auntbabe#leecarter#nancycarter#katslater#alfiemoon#staceyslater
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RWBY V6 CH4 Review: So That’s How It Is
Already we're entering Chapter 4, and it's been one Hell of a ride so far. Even Volume 3 waited until the halfway mark to start dealing out the emotional blows. This one? It started in Chapter 2 and doesn't show any signs of holding back. At last the answers regarding Ozpin, who he is, and of his conflict with Salem have been answered. Now the question is, how will our heroes react to it? Well... only one way to find out, I supposed.
Overview
The reaction is... bad. Its... its bad. With the revelation that Salem can't be destroyed, Team RWBY is furious, Yang’s outright yelling at a tearful Ozpin for hiding this. Ruby, while clearly unhappy, keeps her composure as she asks Ozpin exactly what his plan is to defeat Salem. Ozpin, clearly broken down from both his secrets being out and having to relieve his most painful memories, finally admits that he has no plan. This is the straw that breaks the camels back for, of all people, Qrow. He outright punches Ozpin in the face. He does it so hard that he sends him flying into a nearby tree. Yeah, way to forget that it's Oscar's body buddy. Qrow starts to lament on how no one wanted him due to his bad luck, and through Ozpin it felt like he finally had a purpose and could do good. Ozpin trying to tell him that he is doing good falls on deaf ears as Qrow says that meeting him was clearly the worst luck of his like. This shocks, and even seems to hurt Ozpin, and all that he can do is say that he may be right.
In that moment, Ozpin switches back to Oscar, left to feel the sting of the hit. He confirms that Ozpin is gone and when Yang furiously tells him to tell the bastard (IDK why people make her saying that a big deal when she cursed last volume to) that they aren't done, Oscar clarifies that Ozpin has locked himself away in the depths of his mind... they're mind... yeah all of this is causing the poor kid to break down and have an existential crisis. The girls are mad that Ozpin left, wondering what to do when finally, Maria rejoins the story by yelling at them to stop. She points out that it'll be dark soon as she helps Oscar to his feet, so it's best that they follow a nearby trail and get a move on. Yang starts to turn her anger on her because how dare an old woman point out that they're spewing negativity and becoming Grimm magnets, but Maria puts her foot down and refuses to freeze to death. She even says that she understands that they're upset, but right now they aren't making it any better.
So everyone gathers whatever supplies that they can as they start to finally move. Ruby, now having the Relic, goes to give Oscar back the cane. Oscar starts to wonder if all he's going to be is another one of Ozpin's many lives. Ruby starts to assure him that no, he is his own person... only for Qrow to tell her to quit lying as they are better than that. I have... a LOOOT of not nice things to say about this moment, but I’ll save it for when we get to the review section. Oscar just starts walking, Ruby clearly uneasy at all of this before also walking. Well that was soul crushing!
Lets give the heroes a break for a bit and talk about the villains. Hazel, Emerald, and Mercury return to Salem's domain, Emerald clearly still in shock from the entire thing. They are greeted by Tyrian, who I guess was just sleeping all of last volume or something. He starts to mock the fact that it appears that Cinder is dead, provoking Emerald to draw her weapons on him. It reminds me a LOT of that moment in Bleach when Gin Ichimaru decided to go to Rukia and offer to help her avoid execution before revealing that he's joking just to watch her break down because he reignited her hopes. Tyrian's just as creepy, as displayed when he is unfazed by the threat, even cutting himself on Emerald's blade just to show how unfazed he truly is. To my shock, Mercury actually steps in and tells Tyrian to back off. Yes, Mercury. I still hate him for Volume 3, but you know what? Mercury you won a point! Good job dude! Tyrian goes on to say that hes also upset, because they have failed their goddess. He starts to laugh manically as the three just walk away, Emerald clearly unnerved. You know what Tyrian Go back to sleep. No one missed you!
A bit later, the trio is standing before a clearly unhappy Salem. At first her demeanor is clam as she asks Hazel how the mission failed before rephrasing the question into asking who it is that's responsible for the failure. Hazel accepts the blame... which may be the noble thing, but it turns out to be the wrong answer. Salem rises, outright throwing the table aside as she points out that they all know who is to blame. She then summons up some of those Grimm tentacle arms that we saw in the opening, which proceed to hold Hazel own and I assume may be suffocating him. Well if I wasn't afraid of Salem before, this chapter fixed that! Thanks a lot CRWBY!
Salem turns to Emerald for an answer and terrified out of her mind, the third admits that it was Cinder who caused the failure. This is what Salem was working for as she tells Emerald to come to understand the failure... and that it is why Cinder must be isolated until she redeems himself. Emerald and Mercury are shocked to hear that Cinder is alive with even Watts questioning how Salem would know that. But he takes it back when Tyrian points out that he's questioning their 'savior', aka the scary Grimm lay whose still potentially suffocating Hazel. Salem tells them of how they shouldn't put their desires above her own,a after all only she can lead them to those desires. Damn, and I thought her God complex in the backstory was bad...
Finally Salem frees Hazel, saying that they have to press on. She starts to make plans to get the Relic of Destruction from Vacuo... until Hazel says that he has more to report. He reveals that the heroes are on their way to Atlas with the Relic... and are being led by Ozpin. Well good thing that none of them know about the current discourse, haha. The fact that Ozpin is already back understandably concerns everyone... when the windows suddenly start to crack. We see Salem resonating dark energy as she coldly, but firmly tells everyone to leave. They all comply, Hazel even pulling away poor Emerald, as she just looks on in shock before the doors close. Salem seems to calm down at first...before letting out an angry shout, the windows shattering to pieces. Sure hope that she has an interior decorator on hand.
Back with the good guys, they're all still clearly upset and tense from everything. At this point, they just want to get the Relic mission over with. The snow is continuing to fall with no sign of stopping however when Ruby hears something. The group stumbles upon what seems to be an abandoned farm called Burkshire Farms. Since the snow isn't going to let up, they decide to take shelter there and get some rest. And the chapter ends with our heroes passing through the gate, the only background sound being that of the cold, blowing winds.
Review
Damn, for a thirteen minute episode, this episode caused a LOOOT of discourse. Not bad discourse mind you, I haven't seen anyone call this a bad episode. And it isn't. This was a very good, well-written episode showcasing our heroes emotions as all that they learned settle in. There re of course a lot of things that need to be talked about, and we're going to get there. But lets go ahead and get the villains out of the way before we dive into the deep stuff.
Now that we have the backstory, this entire moment felt a lot more unnerving than any of the villains previous scenes. First, Tyrian is just as creepy as he was in Volume 4. His blind praising of Salem comes off as even more disturbing now that we know that she HAS presented herself as a God so long ago. He's pretty much a devout cult fanatic willing to do anything for the one that he worships and is so clearly sick and twisted in how he mocks Emerald. Yeah I hate Cinder and I think that Emerald would be better without her in her life, but MAN mocking the poor girl about Cinder's apparent demise like that was just... wrong. Oh God was it wrong. But still, kudos to Mercury finally showing some decency and standing up for Emerald. Nice to see that he DOES have a soul... to a degree, but hey he's better than Tyrian.
I am also just loving Hazel more and more. He may be on the bad guys side, but he's clearly the most noble of the bunch. He was willing to take the full blame for the failures, even though Cinder 100% deserves to be blamed, and actively seemed to be looking out for Emerald as well. It shows that the villains aren't just the 'mwahaha lets do bad things cause BAD!' kinds of villains. I like those kinds of villains when done right, like The Joker and (if it pans out well in S17) Genkins in the current Red vs Blue storyline. Hell, Felix (who Miles also created) can probably count from that show also. But its also good to see when the bad guys have depth and deeper emotions to them. It makes them all the more compelling as characters. Right now Hazel, who displays many noble traits, and Emerald, a terrified girl stuck in a very bad position, are probably the most compelling and I am greatly looking forward to what the story has in store for them.
And of course there's Salem. Now that we've seen how she fell down the wrong path, it makes her all the more terrifying here. While you feel sympathy for her throughout last chapter's flashback, here? You have no idea what she's going to do, and it's unnerving. Up until last week, Salem was an intimidating but very calm figure. Her demeanor never broke, at worst she raised her voice like... once. Even when Leo told her about the plan's failure,s he looked almost bored at the news as she silently had her Grimm kill him. But now? She goes form still calm to throwing tables, nearly suffocating Hazel,a and using blatant emotional manipulation on Emerald to put all of hr minions in line. I'll give her this, she did look legit sad about having to leave Cinder behind and she is giving her a chance to redeem herself, but still. When she finally snaps, I was in the same state as Emerald: shocked and fearful. With Ozpin now back, chances are Salem is going to double down on her efforts, and the results are not going to be pretty.
Alright, with that out of the way, lets get to the heroes side of things. Now there isn't a lot to say about the ending. That's clearly setting up for next week and is just them entering an abandoned farm. So while I've got worries, especially since that one tunnel looked a LOT like the one Ruby was in during the opening, we're just going to see what happens next week. But with how this volume has been so far, be very afraid. For now though, lets talk about the aftermath of Ozpin's secrets being revealed, and the fallout that came with it.
There has been a LOT of debate about the characters actions these past three chapters. Was it right to use the Relic to find out Ozpin's secrets? I'm gonna say no, especially for what we found out, but as I said before after all this time they had the right to know. But clearly none of them were prepared for it. Now the better thing to have done was seek shelter first, clam down, talk about it, and if Ozpin kept refusing then at worst they could get the Relic when he wasn't in control or something and asked the question. But considering the circumstances, there was no way that they were going to do the sensible thing. So yeah, they just found out Ozpin's dark backstory and find out that Salem can't be defeated.
So here's the first thing that I want to address. While the way that everyone reacts was NOT the way to go about it, the emotions that they feel? Those are 100% justified. Look, I feel horrible for Ozpin and again, they could have handled how they reacted to it a LOT better. But they also just found out that it looks like Salem can't be defeated. Ozpin has no plan. He is leading them on a suicide mission. One where yeah, they can fight back and thwart Salem's plans over and over, but it will in the end mean nothing. Now I do think that Ozpin is ultimately doing the best that he can in his current situation, after all it's better to fight back than just throw your hands up and wait for death to come. But if you were in a war where in the end, the bad guy couldn't be defeated and you had to fight endlessly, knowing that you will die in vain, how would you feel? I think I'd just outright break down if I were put int hat position. Of course they're going to be angry about it. They just got all of this dumped onto them (and yeah it is kind of their own fault for not considering that, but still), we can't expect them to just be okay with it. They're reacting to their immediate emotions an hopefully, now that they have a chance to breathe, they can look at everything and calm down.
Ozpin is also justified in his reaction. Yeah locking himself away and indirectly meaning that Oscar has to feel the brunt of the aggression was shitty, but you can understand hwy. He new that if anyone knew the truth he'd get the blame and everyone would be angry at him. As hurt as he seemed by Qrow's reaction, eh didn't seem shocked about it either. Heck, eh didn't seem to blame any of them for how they reacted, even saying that maybe they were right. He's holding onto so much guilt and as he feared, with the truth out no one trusts him and blame him for it. There a LOT of morality questions about if Ozpin hiding all that he did was right or not. I think at the very least, those working for him need to know and if he' was honest about it, they'd have probably been uncertain and scared, but they may have still sided with him in hopes of one day finding a solution. Ozpin painted himself as a liar and untrustworthy and no matter how understandable it is, it was in the end the wrong thing to do. But again, it's really hard to blame him since that knowledge would likely cause panic and get them all killed sooner. He was screwed no matter what he did.
In the end, my opinion is that both sides are right and wrong. QRWBY are right to be angry and upset with all the revelations, but getting angry and outright punching poor Oscar was going too far. Ozpin's shouldn't have lied and lead people on regardless of the reasons, but he's also a clearly damaged person who has been trying to make things right despite all the hopelessness surrounding his situation. All of the reactions have been very human and emotional. This is probably why it's a good thing that we have a character like Maria in all of this. She is someone who seems wise and is uninvolved in the conflict. She can look at both sides without bias and understand why everyone feels how they feel, but can also bring attention to what their emotions are blinding them to. Seriously, with her helping Oscar, taking none of Yang's shit, and getting them all to actually focus on not dying, Maria has become an instant favorite. I love her!
So now lets talk about the part that I did not like. That is Qrow's jab at Oscar. Now the punch was harsh, put he clearly meant it for Ozpin so I can look at it as him reacting in blind anger. I still want him to apologize to Oscar later, but I can understand and forgive that. What I CANNOT forgive is how he treats Oscar like he is nothing but Ozpin's vessel. Umm... asshole, no eh isn't. Ruby was NOT lying to him when she assured him that he isn't just one of Oz's lives. Oscar is a young kid thrust into a very difficult, scary situation but he chose to do the right thing. He decided to train to defend himself and to help in whatever way that he can. He has a ton of baggage piled up on top of him, and so far he is handling better than many would if in his shoes. He is kind, heroic, and has a good heart. He is NOT just another of Ozpin's lives. He is Oscar Pine. He is his own person. And you have the gull to essentially put this kid down, while he's in the middle of a breakdown over his identity, because of how hurt yourself feel.
No
That is NOT okay.
It's not wrong toward just Oscar, but even towards Ruby. This girl is handling all of this incredibly well. She never shouts and when Oscar switched back, she was immediately concerned about him and unnerved by her team's reactions. And after all of it, because of how kind of a person she is, she tries to assure this clearly troubled kid that he is not just one of Ozpin's lives. He is his own person. And you berate her for lying. You told Ruby, your own niece, that she is a liar because she tried to comfort someone and assure them that they are more than what they think that they are. Look, I know that Qrow is upset and hurt. I do feel bad for him. But that jab was just... unnecessarily cruel towards both Oscar and Ruby. I am really hoping that Qrow will realize this later and apologize for that because Oscar has done NOTHING wrong. Hell, he's the one who told them about the Relic, so clearly he's on their side. I probably feel worst for Oscar than anyone else and I really hope that the volume cuts him a break soon. But yeah, that just... really made me uncomfortable.
So... what happens now? I think that everyone will either start to calm down or it just lingers before someone finally snaps. Regardless, clearly something is going to happen in this abandoned farm. Going off past episode, abandoned anywhere in this show is bad. Lets just hope that for our heroes sakes, they can work through this.
Final Thoughts
This was the perfect followup. The characters emotions are perfectly displayed, Salem is more horrifying than ever, and I just felt tense and on edge throughout. We all were expecting the fallout to be bad, but boy IDT we were expecting this. It's been one Hell of a ride so far, and we're not even halfway done yet. Lets hope that it doesn't run out of steam before then. As far as this chapter goes though, it was an emotional punch to what is already an emotional situation, and I'm probably going to be recovering from it until next week. Good work CRWBY!
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One Night Later
Request: I was wondering if it’s ok with you but to request something like that where tom and the reader both actors on infinity war but they don’t know each other very well due to the fact that they rarely filmed together one drunken night and the reader becomes pregnant but doesn’t bother to tell tom cause he finds out through RDJ (that’s her dad if ya don’t mind).
A/N: Sorry this took forever, but I hope y’all like it fam! I adore my sweet baby Tom so much. Taglists and requests are open! xx
Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader
Word Count: 2.4k
Warning: Some Language, Drinking, Pregnancy (not really warnings, but if you don’t like those things, you’ve been warned)
PART II
MASTERLIST
Y/N let out a long yawn as she stretched her legs and rolled over onto her side. She opened her eyes for a moment and saw that it was still dark in the room, and opted to go back to sleep - she wagered she still had a few hours before she needed to get up.
Her heart nearly stopped when she felt movement from behind her and an arm was suddenly swung over her waist. Her eyes snapped open as she tried to think who this could possibly be. Slowly, Y/N turned back over, trying with all her might to not wake the other person, only to be met with the sleeping form of Thomas Stanley Holland.
“Oh fuck, fuck, fuck,” she whispered more to herself as she tried to think back to the events leading up to this. Groaning lightly to herself, the memories slowly started flooding back to her.
She had just finished filming a scene with Tom, the only one she ever really had with him, and was getting ready to head back to her trailer when Tom had stopped her, holding lightly onto her wrist.
“Hey Y/N,” his smile was intoxicating, she thought to herself as she felt her cheeks heating up, “some of us were going to the new bar downtown tonight. I was wondering if you’d like to come?”
Y/N was taken aback for a moment, both shocked and delighted that he, the boy she had had a crush on for what seemed like ever, had even thought to ask her, “yeah, definitely! Count me in.”
And that’s how it all started. One drink led to another, and another, and another, until both of them had lost count of how many drinks they had consumed. Soon after, their thoughts and words flowed freely, all inhibitions gone out the window. One thing had led to another, stolen kisses had turned to more desperate movements, and before they were aware of it, they had ended up together in Tom’s bed.
Y/N bit her lip, before sliding out from under his grip before grabbing her clothes as quickly as she could and sneaking out of his room and slipping out into the night.
The hot sun was beating down on Y/N’s back as she laid out by the pool. One of the perks of living in Southern California was definitely the year round warm weather.
She perked up when she heard footsteps approaching her. Lifting up her head, she saw her father, Robert, walking towards her, an unhappy expression on his face. She didn’t think much of it, he always had a tendency to be dramatic after all.
“Y/N Downey,” he stated curtly as she stood up and faced him, “we need to talk.”
“Ohh you’re using the full name, how scary!” she laughed at him but quickly saw that he wasn’t in a joking mood, “what’s up, Dad?”
“Do you want to explain this to me?” he asked as he held up a bright pink box , she thought she had stashed well enough in the trash can. Her heart plummeted into her stomach as she fear overtook her - he knew.
“Uhhhh,” she sighed and scratched the back of her neck, “it’s not what it looks like?”
“Is this yours? Are you pregnant?” he asked in a low voice, sounding more concerned than anything. She met his eyes as she fought to hold back her tears. She knew there was no point in lying, he already knew.
“Yes,” she sighed as she hung her head, “yes, it’s mine and yes, I’m pregnant. I’m sorry, Dad. I-I don’t know what to say.”
“Honey, please don’t be sorry, don’t apologize,” he said quietly as he wrapped his arms around and held her tightly, “I know you’re an adult and can make your decisions, but I want you to know that I just worry about you and I want what’s best for you. I don’t want you to feel like you have to keep secrets from me. You’ll always be my baby girl and I’ll always be here for you.”
“I never thought this would happen, Dad. It was an accident,” Y/N said quietly as she wiped away the tears that had escaped her eyes and fallen down her cheeks. She thought back to those few months ago with Tom and how it had all been one big mistake, “it just...happened.”
“Do you know what you want to do?”
“This isn’t what I had planned, ever really, but I don’t think I can get rid of it,” she said softly as her hand instinctively went to her stomach, where there was just the tiniest hint of her pregnancy, “I want to keep him or her.”
“Okay,” Robert smiled at her as he reached up and touched her cheek gently, “you know that I will support you, no matter what you decide. Just, please, make sure you’re going about this right. Make a doctor’s appointment as soon as possible, yeah?”
“Thanks, Dad,” Y/N smiled lightly at him, “for everything. I don’t know what I’d do without you sometimes.”
“Can I just ask one more thing?”
“Yes?”
“Do you know...is the...father aware?” he rarely got flustered, but apparently the idea of his daughter having sex was not something he ever wanted to think about.
“I know who the father is,” she said awkwardly, “but no, he doesn’t know. It was kind of a...one time thing. I’m not so sure if I should tell him.”
“Understood,” he replied as he started heading back into the house, grabbing the pink box with him, “as long as it’s not someone I know personally. Like that Holland kid or something.”
Y/N stopped chuckling at him and froze when she realized what he had said. Her eyes widened as he turned back around to see why there was a sudden silence. He cocked his head at her, narrowing his eyes, “umm...surprise?”
“Oh my God, it’s the Holland kid,” he sighed dramatically, “you have one scene him with and now you’re carrying his child? The kids these days!”
“To be fair, Dad, it takes two to tango,” she insisted as she followed him inside, grabbing the box from his hand and jamming back into the kitchen trashcan, “he’s also guilty.”
“Y/N, you should tell him. He’s a good kid, really, and he deserves to know at least,” he shrugged his shoulders as she rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement. She would tell him...eventually. Just how she would go about that, she didn’t know. Hell, she technically didn’t even have his phone number.
“Fuckkkkkk,” she hissed as she kicked the trashcan lightly.
Y/N thought her jaw might fall off from all the smiling she had been doing. The lights of the flashing cameras was starting to get old, and she was happy to be approaching the end of the red carpet. She was excited that Infinity War was finally coming out and the fans would get what they had been waiting for, but right now all she wanted to do was be at home and curled up in bed.
She was close to six months pregnant now, and it was catching up fast with her. The morning sickness that had been almost none existent now hit her every morning, and she was tried all the time. Plus, cravings? Yeah, she had them and bad. Her heartburn usually said no, but her craving for everything and anything jalapeno usually said yes and won out.
Y/N had decided to keep things quiet and hadn’t announced her pregnancy yet, but she knew it was going to be harder to hide the more pronounced her stomach became. She had opted for a looser, fuller dress for the night’s event, hoping no one would catch on and expose her. That and the fact that she hadn’t told Tom yet. And now she would likely come face to face with him again, something she was hoping to avoid if at all possible.
So, she continued making her way down the carpet, stopping to take pictures and chat as necessary, all while trying to avoid Tom.
Robert, meanwhile, was taking his sweet time making his way around to all the interviewers and schmoozing up to everyone. And of course, they all loved it, because they all loved him.
It took him almost no time in spotting Tom and making his way over to him. Robert had always had a soft spot for him and considered him somewhat of a protege. Tom’s face lit up as he spotted Robert making his way over to him and quickly engulfing him in a massive hug.
“Hey kiddo,” Tom beamed at him, glad to see the Godfather of Marvel again.
“Robert, it’s been too long,” he said as he let go of him and they posed together for some pictures.
“I’ve been meaning to call you, kid,” Robert said through a smile as the cameras flashed like crazy at the two of them, “I wanted to officially welcome you to the family.”
“Huh?” Tom said as he continued to flash his dazzling smile to the crowd.
“Y/N told me about the baby. But don’t worry, there’s worse people it could have been,“ Robert chuckled as he clapped him on the back before spotting Chris a little ways down the carpet and heading over to him. Tom stood there dumbfounded and stunned as he tried to process what Robert had told him.
Surely he must be joking.
Y/N let out a sigh of relief as she finally sat down and got the chance to gulp down a bottle of water. She was deciding between kicking off her heels and letting her poor swollen feet get a break or just sitting for the rest of the night when she noticed a shadow looming over her.
She looked up and her eyes locked onto Tom’s bewildered and confused ones. Holy fucking shit.
“Y/N? What’s going on? Is there something you might need to tell me?” his warm voice was hard to read but she could tell there was a hint of nervousness to it. He knew.
“Tom,” she smiled at him, trying to keep her composure as she stood up, “I don’t know what you’re referring to, but it’s lovely to see you again.”
“Y/N, wait,” she stood dead in her tracks as she had tried to make a quick getaway. She squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled sharply, “your dad just mentioned something about a baby. Is there something you want to tell me?”
“I’m pregnant,” she admitted in defeat as she turned around to face him, throwing her hands up in exasperation, “it’s yours. It happened from that one damn night.”
“Y/N, that was almost six months ago. Why didn’t you tell me?” he sounded upset and hurt, she noted, but not angry in the slightest.
“I just...it was an accident, a drunken one night stand, we don’t really know each other. I don’t know, it’s a lot of things,” she admitted, although even she realized how lame it all sounded. Excuses, excuses.
“I...first of all, I never wanted it to be a one night stand,” he admitted as he took a step closer to her, making the space between them almost nonexistent, “but I woke up and you were just gone, no note, nothing. I thought you might have hated me or something, but believe you me, I wanted something more. I’ve fancied you for a long time.”
“Oh. I just...didn’t think I guess. I never thought you’d feel the same way about me,” she sighed as she realized how much she had fucked up. She should have just listened to her Dad and told Tom as soon as she had found out, “I’m sorry, Tom. I’m so sorry. There’s really not much else I can say.”
“Y/N, I-I...I just wish you would have told me earlier on, I’m sorry you had to do this on your own. I would have been there,” he reached up and gently touched her cheek, as she leaned into his soft touch.
“I should have told you. I just panicked. I knew I couldn’t get rid of her, but I didn’t want you to hate me or get angry, or I don’t know.”
“I would never have been angry, Y/N. This is my responsibility just as much as yours. I hope you’ll let me be there from now on,” he said softly as she nodded without hesitation. He paused for a moment before his eyes lit up, “wait, did you say her? We’re having a girl?!”
Y/N realized what she had said and she nodded as Tom’s features lit up with excitement. His eyes were a tad glossy and she knew he was tearing up. This definitely was not the reaction she had been expecting, “we’re having a girl!”
“Oh my God, Y/N. We’re having a baby - a girl,” his voice was filled with shock and awe as he tried to take it all in. Y/N reached for his hand, taking it and gently placing it on the swell of her stomach. His eyes widened as he touched her stomach, feeling the baby move slightly at his touch, “that’s our baby.”
“Tom, I don’t know how to even begin to apologize to you,” Y/N said quietly, “but I am sorry for not telling you right away. I hope you’ll forgive me and we can...try this whole thing again.”
“I forgive you, Y/N,” he agreed, “and I’m more than willing to try this again.”
“Yeah?”
“Absolutely,” he grinned as he tucked a lock of stray hair behind her ear, “so. Y/N, would you allow me to take you out to dinner? Think of it as a first date?”
“Yes, Tom. I’d like that very much,” she beamed up at him as he reached for her hand and they headed in he direction of the exit. This was definitely not how she expected anything in her life to turn out, but something told her that this was just right nonetheless.
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Idk if you have yet, but if you could please explain the issues regarding the brazilian election (like how bolsanaro gained so much popularity), I would really like to hear what you have to say from your perspective
@outerspace8 hey!! thanks for asking and sorry for the delay, i’ve been struggling with my english vocabulary when it comes to talking about politics! this might be a little long and very biased, i’m sorry
well, first of all, he’s an ex-soldier and has been a federal deputy for over 27 years but he wasn’t that well known outside of his state (rio de janeiro) until a couple years ago. he gained popularity from viral videos of him fighting people in congress, like the time he was having a heated discussion with another politician and told her that he “wouldn’t rape her bc she is too ugly and does not deserve it”. people found a lot of old videos of him saying similar horrible stuff on different situations, with loads of homophobia, racism, showing his support of torture and glorifying the right-wing military dictatorship of 1964. of course, many were horrified, but here’s where it gets Bad: some edgy kids turned him into a meme, praising him for his quick comebacks at ppl and adding the turn down for what meme into his videos. yes, sadly, it’s that dumb. that’s how it started.
well, many of these kids started spreading his word around over the past couple years in facebook groups, and he got advantage that a lot of people have been unhappy with the current government. all our presidents from 2002-2016 have been from the same left-wing party: PT. the presidents have been Lula (2002-2010) and Dilma (the first woman to be president, 2010-2016). they’re far from being perfect, they’ve been involved in corruption scandals, but they had a lot of social projects and did a lot for the poor. they never had the support of the media though, and have been attacked for a long time, by them and by other right-wing and centrist parties, some of whom even paid facebook pages to post anti-PT content, focusing especially on their corruption and bad management of the country, blaming them for beginning an economical crisis. in 2016, after lots of protests from part of the population, vice-president Temer set up what many understand to be a coup and after voting in congress, they impeached president Dilma. Temer is our current president, and has taken a lot of measures considered unpopular amongst the working class, with the excuse of fixing the economical crisis (mind you, politicians receive thousands and thousands of dollars per-month and are REALLY corrupt but who’s blamed for the lack of money? the population). there have been corruption scandals involving Temer too, but what did the population do? shut up about it (except for left-wing supporters), bc they understood it was “too late for another impeachment”. Lula has been arrested over corruption with little proof thanks to popular demand (aka right-wingers demands) when others just as corrupt or worse haven’t (it’s all so messy you wouldn’t believe…)
in disbelief of politicians, some people found their “savior” in Bols*naro: he says what conservative people want to hear - that politicians are all liars, that there have been too many crimes, that health sucks, education sucks, but has no decent plans to make it better. ppl who support him don’t even have to necessarily agree with the atrocities he says, but they say “it’s better than corruption” lmao. some don’t even believe he has said those things, and that’s been done with a very clever technique of manipulation that Trump has used too, from what i’ve heard. he denies literally EVERYTHING he’s been accused of, no matter how trustworthy the source is, no matter if there’s a video of him saying the thing, he will say it has been edited, and people will believe it. he will say he is not racist or homophobic, even tho we have evidence. (he does not do it alone tho, he has the support of right wing youtubers and influencers who organized those protests against Dilma, and the support of a LOT of corrupt ppl in congress, yet his followers think he is gonna end politician’s privileges when he voted for his own privileges when he was a deputy and against worker’s rights).
he repeats over and over that he is not corrupt, people buy it. his argument and the argument of his followers are weak and they avoid discussing his government plans (trust me, he has none) but instead point fingers at the other party - “what about PT? are u ok with their corruption?”. btw, he disses the still very hated party, PT, whenever he has the opportunity - and accuses them of things they did not do. and that’s where it gets REAL bad. the second ballot will be between him and Haddad, from PT. the past week, Bolson*ro has been involved in a slush fund scandal of mass-sending fake news to what’s app groups, getting paid by millionaire businessmen to spread these fake news and manipulating images, with contents such as saying that PT wants to implement communism in brazil and that the country is gonna become just like venezuela (they have been in government for over 14 years. not once they decided to implement communism), that they disrespect christianism, or that they are pedophilia and incest supporters, that Haddad, the former education minister of Lula’s government, was the author of a project that was spreading inappropriate material in schools teaching kids to be gay…. and the outcome of all of this was, bols*naro said he was never involved in the slush funding scandal, and those people who support him just bought it. with no investigation, with nothing, the same who justified voting for him bc the other party was corrupt.
so yes, he distorts the truth - real news are fake, fake news are real, he points his fingers at other governments and has no actual plans for health or education. he knows absolutely nothing about economy, mind you. oh yeah, and he got stabbed around september, and kinda turned into a martyr for some. ironically, guns are banned here, and he is the one who has a project against the banning law. this dude wants ppl to have guns. god, the more i speak, the more i realize i forgot to say a lot of things. i’ll edit this ask if i left anything out. but yes, this ask might make you think brazil is a shitshow and not a country. i wouldn’t say you’re wrong tbh
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Hey Arnold!, and why it’s still important today
Less than a year ago my fiancee and I took to rewatching Hey Arnold! for the first time in YEARS to prep for The Jungle Movie. Having been obsessed with it when I was a kid, I knew the show like the back of my hand, so I went through and made a “best of” list of episodes, and we watched those.
Aaaand immediately went back to the beginning and watched ALL of them.
AAAAND went back AGAIN because revisiting this show has been so fun for me, and it just puts me in a good, good place. Since this (eternal) marathon began, I’ve wanted to do a big ol’ overview of the show itself, and why it’s important. It’s very diverse, and from a time when that really wasn’t what kids’ shows were striving for like they are today. There are tons of characters of color, different religions, sexualities, social classes, etc, and I kind of need this show to get the love and attention it so deserves. It’s really kinda gone unloved for a long while now (which is understandable, it’s been off the air since 2002), and I just know it’d be a huge deal if more people knew/remembered how inclusive it was. I’m kicking myself for not writing this sooner, but I’m holding out hope for Nick to greenlight a new series, and my dearest wish is that I can remind people of this wonderful, thoughtful show, and get it the attention it deserves.
Hey Arnold! is FULL of amazing characters and stories, so BUCKLE UP BUTTERCUP, THIS GON’ BE A LONG ONE.
| City life, poverty, & crime |
At it’s core, Hey Arnold! is a show about inner city kids, their school, and how they go about their daily lives. I did some research for this (believe it or not lmao), and besides Sesame Street, there is no other media geared toward kids that touch on this. That’s insane to me. And while Sesame Street is fantastic, it tends to steer on the positive side of city life. Which is great!! However, Hey Arnold!, being written for an older audience, isn’t afraid to show the not-so-pretty side of things as well. Violence, crime, theft, pollution, and poverty are ALL covered in more than just a few episodes. We saw a lot of this right off the bat in the first episode, “Downtown as Fruits”.
As for violence, in the episode “Mugged”, Arnold is jumped on his way home one evening, and takes self defense lessons from his Grandma.
And it’s not the last time Arnold, or other characters are mugged. It’s just something they deal with, something they have to learn to protect themselves from. And sometimes, they can’t.
They don’t shy away from poverty within the city, either. Multiple characters are shown to be very poor, and with the exception of two episodes in the whole series (Lila in her debut episode, “Ms. Perfect”, and Sid when he wants to impress a rich classmate and is too embarrassed to have him over at his own home, “Arnold’s Room”), it’s never really shown as a bad thing, or even as a defining character trait. It just is.
Even our title character lives in a boarding house run by his grandparents, inhabited by tenants of very little means. The building itself is always needing repairs, the tenants almost never have their rent on time, and they really don’t shy away from how dingy some of the rooms are there (pictured above, bottom left).
But again, all of this just is. It’s never portrayed as a bad thing, and none of the kids care much about it. Of course there’s Rhonda, the snooty, rich girl stereotype, but even she has a handful of episodes where she grows as a character and is repeatedly called out for having a classist attitude. In the end, all of these kids care about each other and never give a second’s thought to each others’ social class.
| Diversity & inclusiveness |
I’m putting the rest under a read more cut so no one murders me for clogging up their dashboards :’)
One of the most wonderful things about this show is how diverse the cast of characters is. Especially being that in the 90′s, it wasn’t something shows were expected to have, but they did it here anyway.
Our primary character of color is, of course, Gerald Johanssen, Arnold’s best friend and all-around cool dude. He’s the star of a good amount of episodes, and even when one focuses on Arnold, he’s almost always right there next to him. With Gerald comes his family as well, consisting of a little sister, older brother, his mom who cashiers at a corner store, and his father who’s a businessman and Vietnam veteran, ALL OF WHOM have distinct personalities and stories, and the lot of them are portrayed just like any other family on tv.
Next would be Phoebe Heyerdahl, the soft-spoken smartest girl in class, and Helga’s best friend. She’s half Japanese on her father’s side, and if you pay attention, her and Gerald have a thing going on, which is sO freaking cute.
Phoebe is also super important because she’s the only person in the show who really knows and understands Helga. She’s always there to support her, listen to her, and guide her when she can. However, Phoebe does have a handful of episodes to herself, and we even touch on how being the over-achiever in class isn’t always a good thing, and can be damaging to children if they feel like they need to be the best. It’s a super important lesson for kids to learn.
If I gave a paragraph to EVERY single character of color in this show we’d literally be here all day, so I’m gonna finish off with my personal favorite, Mr. Hyunh. A middle-aged Vietnamese man who resides in Arnold’s boarding house, Mr. Hyunh is one of the best adult characters in the show. In fact, one of the. single. best. episodes of the entire show, “Arnold’s Christmas” revolves entirely around him, and how he was separated from his only daughter during the Vietnam War. Holy shit, right? I could go on and on about that episode on its own (there’s a reason why it’s one of the most well known episodes), but I’ll put a cap on it there. Mr. Hyunh has the starring role in a number of other episodes, and he’s always great. He’s funny, cares deeply about Arnold and the other boarders, and is genuinely happy where he is.
But do we stop at diversity where race is concerned? NOPE. This is a show for literally everyone. Gosh, it’s hard just to even figure out where to start.
How about Harold? He’s not only Jewish, but there’s an entire episode it, (”Harold’s Bar Mitzvah”), and he’s shown to be very close with his mentor, Rabbi Goldberg.
We have three characters with dwarfism. Ernie Potts, a boarder at the Sunset Arms, and Big Patty’s mother and father. How freaking cool, right? Patty’s parents are scarce in the show, unfortunately, but are extremely caring and supportive of their daughter. And yet again, it’s never brought up, it’s not a defining trait, it’s not a big deal. They’re just regular people.
As far as LGBTQ representation, a little while after the show was cancelled, show creator Craig Bartlett revealed that the kids’ school teacher, Mr. Simmons, is gay. In “Arnold’s Thanksgiving”, we see his partner, Peter, and we see the two of them together in “The Jungle Movie” as well. And, though not explicitly shown onscreen, Craig has said that Eugene Horowitz, an overly optimistic classmate of Arnold’s, is gay as well.
| Helga Pataki, abusive households & mental health |
You may have noticed that I’ve gone this entire thing without breaking down sobbing about Helga. Ohh, don’t you worry, we’re almost there!
I could be wrong, but I think one of the most well remembered aspects of this show, even by people who haven’t seen it in years, is that Helga’s family is really messed up. Her mother, Miriam, is always passed out drunk on the kitchen counter or behind the sofa, and her father, Big Bob, is always calling her by the wrong name and forgets she even exists most of the time. Then of course there’s Olga, her “perfect” older sister who means well, and cares about Helga more than their parents do, but ultimately cares more about her self image.
Sure, each of them get a few episodes where they get called out on their behavior and they (kinda) redeem themselves, but at the end of the day, they’re always right back at it. If I had a talent for it, I could SERIOUSLY write an entire thesis on Helga’s family’s dynamic in this show, but I’m going to (try to) keep it brief.
The Pataki household is a very real, very poignant depiction of emotional and mental abuse that we just do not see in cartoons, or anything geared towards a younger audience. Like I said, we have the odd episode or two where Helga will bond with one or both of her parents or her sister, but things never truly “get better”. Given the significant age gap between her and Olga (who’s in college while Helga is in the 4th grade), it’s suggested that Helga was probably an accident, and the catalyst of her parents’ unhappiness. In “Magic Show”, Helga goes through an “It’s A Wonderful Life”-type dream sequence, but backwards. Arnold makes her disappear forever in a magic trick, and the entire world is better off without her, including her parents, who are happy, fulfilled, and affectionate with each other. IT’S REALLY MESSED UP, GUYS.
And this, ALL of this, is one of two reasons why her crush on Arnold works. In a lesser show, Helga’s obsession with Arnold would be creepy, and her dependence on him would be a weakness to her character. However, we eventually find out that where her family failed her at every turn, Arnold was the first one to not only notice her, but show her kindness.
And in the end, no matter how much she teases him and bugs the shit out of him (which are just defense mechanisms to begin with), she always, always puts him first. Every single chance she gets, she does the right thing for him. Helga’s feelings for Arnold work so well because she truly cares for him. Of course her closet shrine and dozens of books of poetry are over the top, but so is Helga. She’s loud, abrasive, crude, but above all else, she’s fiercely loyal, passionate, and intelligent. And, more than anything, she just wants Arnold to be happy. That’s real love, folks.
My personal favorite episode of the entire show is “Helga On the Couch”, where Helga goes to see a psychologist due to her abrasive behavior. This episode is so so so important, you guys. It was really the first piece of media I saw as a kid that not only explained what therapy even was, but painted it in an extremely positive light. At first, Helga is mortified to have to go, and her parents don’t help the situation at all. Not only do they disapprove, but Big Bob is angry with her for being selected for therapy. He says that it’s embarrassing, and actually warns Helga not to tell the psychologist anything that might out them as abusive.
However, Phoebe assures Helga that therapy is not only good, but perfectly normal, even for kids their age.
And throughout the session, Helga opens up about her family, why she’s so defensive, how she feels about Arnold and why, and feels so much better at the end of the episode. I hate that the show had to end after this season because I would die for more episodes about Helga and her sessions with Dr. Bliss.
Not to mention we get one of the best bits of dialogue in the entire series omfg:
Again, this is SUPER IMPORTANT for kids to see. This episode told us that mental health is JUST as crucial as physical health, and took every bad opinion about therapy and stuck a boot in its ass. It’s GOOD, it’s NORMAL. I can’t say enough about how much this episode meant to me as a kid, and still means to me today.
I seriously have to stop myself from going on for 500 years about Helga and why she’s not only the best character on the show by a fuckin’ landslide, but one of the THE best female characters in anything. Ever. I think I’m going to put a pin in that, and hopefully get to writing a post just about her. The point is, she is an exceptionally written character, and super important for kids to see, to be able to relate to. She’s heavily flawed, but is infinitely loyal for those she cares about. She’s extremely complex, hilarious, interesting, and deeply sympathetic. I LOVE HELGA PATAKI SO MUCH DON’T TOUCH ME, GOD.
| Criticisms & wrap-up |
I’m gonna try and end this here before it turns into a novel, but there is still SO MUCH going on in this show that I could talk about. If anyone wants to add to this post, please do!! I honestly just need to end this sometime lmaoo.
Now, the show isn’t perfect. Rewatching it in our current social climate turned up a (notedly small) few problematic things. Mostly fat jokes about Harold, and some of the boys will tease the girls, saying they can’t do certain things bc they’re girls, etc. Normally these are small, throwaway lines, but they’re still there, and stand out nowadays. Just a warning!
The only other criticism I have for the show as a whole is actually the entire plot line with Arnold’s parents, “The Journal”, and most of “The Jungle Movie”. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy it, I think there’s enough heart and depth to make up for, well, how fuckin’ silly it is, but it’s still just that. Silly. This show that spent five full seasons in an urban setting, dealing with very real characters and situations, suddenly veered off into heavy fantasy. It’s jarring, and a little weird. We find out not only that Arnold’s parents were basically Indiana Jones and Lara Croft, but also Arnold was a miracle baby whos birth silenced an erupting volcano, and now he’s seen as some “chosen one” to entire tribe of people living in the jungles of South America.
LMAO WHAT.
No, it’s kind of insane. I think I personally don’t mind it so much because I have a lasting fondness for it from when I was a kid, and like I said, it does have a lot of heart behind it, but it’s very apparent as an adult how ridiculous it is. However, in the show’s defense, its always had episodes about ghosts and all matter of supernatural creatures that just exist and are real in this universe, so it’s not totally out of left field. It’s just odd to have it at the forefront, and I can understand if people don’t care for it.
BUT! The show, at its heart, has always been about kids, their families, and the city they live in. I know if the show was brought back, that’s what they’d get back to.
Also, it’s kind of hilarious if you think about it this way; Arnold is BASICALLY a magical girl who’s super power is solving everyone else’s problems. That’s the show.
And holy cow, speaking of Arnold, I haven’t talked about him at all. SHIT. UH, real quick. Arnold is a good, good, good, gOOD, GOOD BOY. To be extremely honest, Arnold would be boring as hell in a lesser show. He really doesn’t have many flaws, he’s always doing The Right Thing(TM), he’s always optimistic... you get it. But somehow, miraculously, he’s still interesting and fun to watch. He’s just so goddamn good. Like, cinnamon roll levels of good. And he does fuck up once in a great while, but of course, learns from it. He’s definitely your standard male, pre-teen, main character in a world where we have way too many of those, but he’s just so pure that you can’t help but love him.
He honestly works best as a counterpart to Helga, which we tragically get so little of in the show (and why we need a new series dear god Nickelodeon PLEASE), but that’s a whoooole other post for me to write.
Goddamn okay, I’m wrapping it up. If you haven’t noticed by now, this show means a lot to me. It really touched me as a kid, it was my first fandom before I even knew what fandom was, and revisiting it has been so fun. It’s honestly been helping me get through an extremely rough patch in my life right now. The show more holds up after all these years, and I think it’s even more important now than it ever was. We need more shows like this.
If you’re interested, the entire series is on Hulu!
#hey arnold#nickelodeon#diversity#mental health#long post#DEAR GOD THIS TOOK TWO DAYS TO PUT TOGETHER#pls read i am begging :')#also I have zero writing talent so this is just me babbling#it's not meant to be like an actual essay or anything#just me shouting with visual references#LONG POST DID I MENTION
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Do you ever feel angry at people when they choose to leave medicine? I understand they have good reasons but the country needs more doctors and nurses than we have. Its scary. The same goes for teachers (I know some that quit to do YouTube full time... Not the best decision)
No, not really. I have a lot of feelings about this topic, so this will be a long post, but I want to point out that it’s not directed at you personally. It’s an interesting question to ask, and I can completely understand why you asked it, and that’s why I think it deserves a detailed answer. I can understand what you mean, even though I view things differently. At first I was going to say that thinking like that is an outsider’s way of looking at the situation. But I don’t think that’s entirely fair to you, because some insiders also feel that way too. I can see why; if you’re struggling to get by as it is, and people bail out, it’s easy to see it as being abandoned. And some docs (particularly some of the older generation) think like that. That the newer generation are too quick to give up. That we’re not prepared to work hard. That we’re letting the side down, or not living up to some archaic ideal of what a doctor should be. But I don’t believe that wanting to be happy is ‘giving up’ or being weak. And I don’t believe that people who leave are wrong to do so. Because I don’t believe that any of us have to put our work permanently before our own happiness or wellbeing. There’s a lot we can say about how the concept of a calling has changed, but the truth is that medicine isn’t the same as it was 30 years ago. Neither are doctors. Neither is the world we live in. Neither are the patients we treat. So I personally feel that focusing on what medicine once was, rather than what it can be now, is doomed to failure. The days of the village benevolent partriarchal white male doctor working 4968 hours a week whilst his dutiful wife raises his kids but doesn’t actually see him, and whilst his grateful patients don’t complain about his mistakes and shortcomings… just don’t exist, if they ever really did. So I’m not a fan of the idea that docs should put duty above their lives, because it will never be over. Disease never ends. People will always die. And so there’s no ‘putting up with it’ for a finite time for the sake of the greater good. If you expect someone to put up with a job that makes them miserable (or worse) you’re effectively handing them a life sentence. Which is unfair, given that we don’t really expect that of other jobs. And that seems a poor way to thank people who’ve still put a lot of time and effort into helping people. If we value the contribution someone does, then we should value their happiness, too. Don’t get me wrong, i’m not thrilled at all with the fact that everyone is jumping ship, because I’m going to struggle a lot more to do my job if there’s nobody else left in the NHS. None of us can do this alone, after all! But I don’t think the fault is individual; if many people are leaving, that’s a sign of systemic problems, not individual ones. Because if it was a good place to work, and the job was manageable and in line with the pay, and if the conditions were reasonable, then surely almost everyone would stay? So more people leaving means something is worsening, things are not as they were, or could be. Our friends who are leaving are the canaries in the mine; if we don’t work out how to make things better, it’ll be worse for all of us. Perhaps it’s also because I’ve seen it from the other side. Sometimes, during a difficult shift, the thought that you can choose to leave medicine is a welcoming one. This shift won’t last forever. This rotation won’t last forever. Being in medicine, if you choose, won’t last forever. It can literally be the thing that keeps you sane when it all gets to be too much. A shred of control in a field where we often get very little. I suspect that anyone who has ever sat down and counselled a friend or colleague who is spiralling downwards into depression, usually worsened if not outright caused by our job, and who feels that they can’t take any more, I suspect they wouldn’t be able to countenance anger or judgement towards people who leave. I’m trying my hardest to keep my suicidal pals from not forming a permanent exit strategy from medicine that includes death. This is not a rare or isolated occurrence. And unfortunately, there are people, I hear of several every year, who take this path. That’s just not good enough, and each of us needs to look out for each other to make sure that nobody is left behind. So if leaving medicine means that my friends get to take some time out, stabilise their life, find something they are actually happy with, and get the chance to have a fulfilling life which they might not survive to have if they remained in medicine? Then I’m all for them leaving. Of course, I think it’s important to first focus on taking sick leave and getting treatment for depression or anxiety or whatever is causing people to feel suicidal; because some people find that if they take time out, and change speciality, then after they recover they actually still want to be in medicine. But if after time and space they decide medicine is not for them? I fully support their search for happiness elsewhere. Staying in medicine is not worth anyone’s happiness, health or life. It just isn’t. When people leave, they are leaving behind hopes and dreams. A path that they’ve literally prepared for since they were 16 or so. They’ve spent their entire life working towards this, and now they are walking away; it’s an incredibly scary, conflicting and often heartbreaking decision to make. To the system, it’s just one more doctor or nurse lost. To a politician, it’s absolutely just a number. As long as ‘Docs in’ : ‘Docs out’ isn’t too messed up and the finances check out, I doubt most people genuinely care for the wellbeing of the people doing the job. The system certainly isn’t set up to look after us, whatever country you choose to look at. Though there are some things in place to keep an eye on us, or help us in some ways, it ultimately falls to us to look after ourselves. But to us? It’s our entire life. It affects how we see ourselves. Where we live. How we live our lives. Our social and romantic lives. The lives of our children. This decision is far too personal, and far too important for us all to farm it out and let society decide if we’re allowed to change jobs, or if we’re allowed to be happy. If there’s anything medicine has taught me, through seeing the intimate workings of many patients’ lives, it’s that unhappiness echoes far further than you might think. And that it’s much harder to do anything, or even get by, if we are deeply unhappy. And that trying to be happy is a perfectly legitimate aim in itself. You probably don’t want a doctor who is burned out, hates their life, and is tired of medicine but feels forced to stay long after they stopped wanting to see patients. What kind of care would their patients receive? I doubt it would compare to having a doctor who is relatively well-rested, likes their job and generally feels life is worth living. So I don’t ever believe that people should be forced to stay in medicine. Because given our frequently having to move away from support networks, our long hours and relative social isolation, our high level of responsibility and stress, our high divorce rates, our high rates of burnout, mental illness and suicide, I think that would be an incredibly bad idea. And not only would it risk the health and potentially lives of those who are on the edge, but it would entirely demoralise people like me who are holding their own but want to work in a system that isn’t entirely morally bankrupt, and which values our wellbeing not just our ability to keep the system running. I think such a system would make us feel even less valued, and decrease our goodwill, and in the longterm force more of us out of medicine. We work so hard because we feel that what we are doing is worthwhile and valued; take that away and you have a lot less motivation for us to stick around. I agree that we’re facing serious problems with the numbers of nurses or doctors. But that is something that ultimately needs to be addressed on a much larger scale. That means taking a good long look at why there aren’t enough. Is it because we’re not training enough of them? Are we losing more than we used to? What can we do to get more people to stay and enjoy what they do? And I believe that the answer should never be to try to force people to stay, but to make conditions better so that people want to stay. That would mean things like better support, better staffing, better training, and unfortunately if you asked us all what would improve our working conditions, many of the things we would suggest might increase costs. With the NHS already being funded at less than recommended levels, it’s unlikely we’ll see more funding being made available. Ultimately, if you want more doctors you have to either train more, or work on keeping the ones you are losing. Unfortunately, the former is expensive and difficult (med schools can only expand so much, and we only have so much training space in hospitals for placements; we can’t expect drastically more doctors to be trained quickly), and we can only poach so many people from other countries. It’s not even ethically sound for us to do so; other countries need their trained staff to maintain their own healthcare systems, and poaching theirs whilst burning our own staff out is a really bad longterm plan. And the latter? well, I’ve yet to see politicians or the media suggest ANY way of getting us to stay that isn’t along the lines of “force them to not leave, even if they are utterly miserable”. The idea of addressing our concerns, giving us better training, or better working conditions, or making us feel valued? It’s like an entirely alien concept. In fact, apart from the odd article pointing out how depressed and burned out doctors are, and how under pressure we are, I’ve really never seen it suggested that improving working conditions would improve retention of highly trained and motivated staff who used to love what they do. It’s truly, truly bizarre. And the total lack of exploration of this as a viable option? I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about why politicians or the media never really focus on this as an option. Even things that might not cost more (like stop faffing around with our contracts and arguably trying to make us work mroe unsociable hours for less money) might help morale; the whole contract debacle a couple of years ago really had a huge effect on our collective goodwill, because for many it felt like our own concerns aabout our working conditions were completely ignored, even when some of those concerns involved patient care. A lot of people voiced how done they were with the system after that. Ultimately, though, I think listening would be a start. Since the contract issues, our peers have shown that they are political, passionate and able and willing to talk about what they feel could be done to make the healthcare system better for its patients and for its staff. We have collectively given many interviews, written many books and articles, blogged and tweeted and proved that we’re willing to share what it’s like from the inside, and what we feel might help. As for teachers, I understand they also have a really bad attrition rate; so, so many teachers are leaving teaching. Because of stress, pressure, increased paperwork and all sorts of other reasons. I know more than one ex-teacher and some current teachers, and it’s far from easy doing what they do. I’d suggest, likewise, that the government (and schools as employers) need to take a long hard look at what they are doing, and whether they are actively contributing to burnout and driving people out of a job they used to be passionate about. I wouldn’t personally dare to say whether leaving teaching for Youtube is a good or a bad idea; surely whether one makes it on youtube depends a lot on their skills and social media capital. Some people seem to make a decent living on social media whilst others struggle; a lot seems to depend on exactly what it is you offer your subscribers and whether anyone else is doing anything similar. It’s certainly a risky move, but then it seems to work for some people. Whatever their reasons, I hope they did the best they could, and I hope it works out for them.
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That's Life as told by Arthur
I have just finished watching the film and oh boy I did not watched it straight; I had to pause it after about an hour or so just to breathe. and breathe. and breathe. It was a wild ride, folks and it knocks in my noggin'.
So I would just blabber it out. This is a word vomit coming through.
When it comes to the editing, camera angles, lightings and the details--it's a masterpiece. It wraps up the scenes perfectly. It sets the mood, tingles your thoughts and even evokes emotions. Even just the first scene where Arthur looks in the mirror and pulls his face (literally) into a smile and frown--gives you a fucking shiver. It's disturbing and it's fantastic.
It was also really commendable how the movie dwelled on Joker and Joker alone, unlike other self-tittled films focus more on the unfolding of events and jumps focus from character to character. Other films were more of the external build up rather than the character development. Yet this movie unveils the internal conflict of the character which spiralled with the external conflicts and soon created who he became at the end of the movie. Which makes it intresting.
I took notice of how he was named Joker and the clever way how he became a character. This is just my personal opinion. I've known that a Joker card is a clean slate. An excuse to his bad deeds would be due to insanity. The Joker as a Court Jester would just be plainly for entertainment, nothing more and nothing less, as if they are mere props. The Joker as a clown will never be taken seriously. This pretty much sums up Arthur Peck.
Pardon me for I was never a fan of Batman. So I didn't have enough knowledge on their backstory. But I would like to point out some highlights that I've noticed which struck me and lead me to say that oh boy this is a masterpiece.
Finding his purpose. Arthur talked about feeling unhappy and like he was invisible, like he wasn't existing, a couple of times. There was a scene where some jerks mauled him and the next day at work, his boss was more concerned of the "sign" and never about how he was doing. Basically just throwing it out in the open that "Arthur, the sign is more important than your life stfu." He was falling deeper and deeper into feeling he's worthless. He didn't matter. No one pays attention. Even the social worker he was talking to. But when he killed the three assholes in the train, someone finally took notice of him. It didn't matter at what cost. It was shown how he trembled when he started hearing news about it. He had grown concern. He was aware of what he did. He then later on became satisfied. He was finally right in the spot where it feels like he actually existed.
Toxic Positivity. I loved how it played the song "That's Life", how in the beginning it gives off a fun and upbeat vibe but later as it goes through the movie it gave a darker sense. As if saying "oh you got fucked up? it's okay, that's life" therefore normalizing the fucked up society we live in. No, Murray. It's not okay. Issues does not get resolved by just smiling it out. It doesn't make it go away. So stop telling sad people to just smile.
Dancing and freedom. I have always been amazed how dancing is a form of self expression. No one can tell you that your "move" is bad. Because it's yours, no one can tell you it's wrong. Almost by the end of the movie, when Arthur indulged into being the Joker, he started dancing. He was started freeing himself from the cage that the society locked him in. He wrote in his journal, how people expect him to act as if he doesn't have mental illness. Therefore tearing himself apart trying to fit in. But when he finally broke free, he started showing himself as himself. And not as someone who he was expected to be.
Selfishness, insensitivity, an out of touch with reality. Before he killed those assholes, they did him dirty. He was bullied. But then it was seen plastered on the newspaper how the killing was a movement against the rich. Fucked up, yeah? No one questioned how did it happened, why did it came to a point where they had to be gunned down? They have just concluded that those men are rich assholes and they deserve to die. No. They were bullies and so they died. Throughout the film, the rich and powerful were portrayed as insensitive people. They don't know what going on down there. No one was listening. They just pretended to. The 'therapist' was asking questions because it was her job. Thomas Wayne was preaching about helping the poor because it was a reputation. Bill Murray makes audience laugh because it's his show. But none of them ever really listened to what was on the streets because they were safer inside the walls of their mansion. Each and every one of them (even the mob) were driven by selfish desires and no one thought of being on the other one's shoe. That's what made it chaotic. Everyone wanted to be heard yet no one is willing to listen.
The other side of the coin. It was an interesting story how a portrayed villain, has his own movie and he was a protagonist. It didn't even dwell on the murders and the wrong things he had done, but it gave focus on the wrong things that the society have done to him. I sound like I'm justifying murder, I'm not. murder is bad, kids. What I'm saying is, it gives a window on what's going on inside his head. I have watched a couple of murder cases and I've noticed how serial killers mostly suffer from brain trauma, head injury, and physical abuse while they were young. As well as in this movie, it shows that it came somewhere. He wasn't born like that and if it was in other circumstances maybe he wouldn't turn out the way he did. He was trying to survive. He needed help. Now if you watched this movie and thought that it's sick, it glorifies murder, it justifies the killer, he's crazy, and such--you're not listening, too.
I have a lot of thoughts in my mind, I could go scene by scene and dissect every detail and character, but these are just some of the things that really gave a highlight to the film. My main take-away though is having an awareness on the evil that lives inside our minds. They're invisible. They cannot be physically touched. You just have to listen. Closely. Listen to understand. That's how life should be.
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RWBY V6 CH4 Review: So That’s How It Is
(Old Blog Repost)
Already we're entering Chapter 4, and it's been one Hell of a ride so far. Even Volume 3 waited until the halfway mark to start dealing out the emotional blows. This one? It started in Chapter 2 and doesn't show any signs of holding back. At last the answers regarding Ozpin, who he is, and of his conflict with Salem have been answered. Now the question is, how will our heroes react to it? Well... only one way to find out, I supposed.
Overview
The reaction is... bad. Its... its bad. With the revelation that Salem can't be destroyed, Team RWBY are furious, Yang outright yelling at a tearful Ozpin for hiding this. Ruby, while clearly unhappy, keeps her composure as she asks Ozpin exactly what his plan is to defeat Salem. Ozpin, clearly broken down from both his secrets being out and having to relieve his most painful memories, finally admits that he has no plan. This is the straw that breaks the camels back for, of all people, Qrow. He outright punches Ozpin. He doe sit so hard that he sends him flying into a nearby tree. Yeah, way to forget that it's Oscar's body buddy. Qrow starts to lament on how no one wanted him due to his bad luck, and through Ozpin it felt like he finally had a purpose and could do good. Ozpin trying to tell him that he is doing good falls on deaf ears as Qrow says that meeting him was clearly the worst luck of his like. This shocks, and even seems to hurt Ozpin, and all that he can do is say that he may be right.
In that moment, Ozpin switches back to Oscar, left to feel the sting of the hit. He confirms that Ozpin is gone and when Yang furiously tells him to tell the bastard (IDK why people make her saying that a big deal when she cursed last volume to) that they aren't done, Oscar clarifies that Ozpin has locked himself away in the depths of his mind... they're mind... yeah all of this is causing the poor kid to break down and have an existential crisis. The girls are mad that Ozpin left, wondering what to do when finally, Maria rejoins the story by yelling at them to stop. She points out that it'll be dark soon as she helps Oscar to his feet, so it's best that they follow a nearby trail and get a move on. Yang starts to turn her anger on her because how dare an old woman point out that they're spewing negativity and becoming Grimm magnets, but Maria puts her foot down and refuses to freeze to death. She even says that she understands that they're upset, but right now they aren't making it any better.
So everyone gathers whatever supplies that they can as they start to finally move. Ruby, now having the Relic, goes to give Oscar back the cane. Oscar starts to wonder if all he's going to be is another one of Ozpin's many lives. Ruby starts to assure him that no, he is his own person... only for Qrow to tell her to quit lying as they are better than that. I have... a LOOOT of not nice things to say about this moment, but Ill save it for when we get to the review section. Oscar just starts walking, Ruby clearly uneasy at all of this before also walking. Well that was soul crushing!
Lets give the heroes a break for a bit and talk about the villains. Hazel, Emerald, and Mercury return to Salem's domain, Emerald clearly still in shock form the entire thing. They are greeted by Tyrian, who I guess was just sleeping all of last volume or something. He starts to mock the fact that it appears that Cinder is dead, provoking Emerald to draw her weapons on him. It reminds me a LOT of that moment in Bleach when Gin Ichimaru decided to go to Rukia and offer to help her avoid execution before revealing that he's joking just to watch her break down because he reignited her hopes. Tyrian's just as creepy, as displayed when he is unfazed by the threat, even cutting himself on Emerald's blade just to show how unfazed he truly is. To my shock, Mercury actually steps in and tells Tyrian to back off. Yes, Mercury. I still hate him for Volume 3, but you know what? Mercury you won a point! Good job dude! Tyrian goes on to say that hes also upset, because they have failed their goddess. He starts to laugh manically as the three just walk away, Emerald clearly unnerved. You know what Tyrian Go back to sleep. No one missed you!
A bit later, the trio is standing before a clearly unhappy Salem. At first her demeanor is clam as she asks Hazel how the mission failed before rephrasing the question into asking who it is that's responsible for the failure. Hazel accepts the blame... which may be the noble thing, but it turns out to be the wrong answer. Salem rises, outright throwing the table aside as she points out that they all know who is to blame. She then summons up some of those Grimm tentacle arms that we saw in the opening, which proceed to hold Hazel own and I assume may be suffocating him. Well if I wasn't afraid of Salem before, this chapter fixed that! Thanks a lot CRWBY!
Salem turns to Emerald for an answer and terrified out of her mind, the third admits that it was Cinder who caused the failure. This is what Salem was working for as she tells Emerald to come to understand the failure... and that it is why Cinder must be isolated until she redeems himself. Emerald and Mercury are shocked to hear that Cinder is alive with even Watts questioning how Salem would know that. But he takes it back when Tyrian points out that he's questioning their 'savior', aka the scary Grimm lay whose still potentially suffocating Hazel. Salem tells them of how they shouldn't put their desires above her own,a after all only she can lead them to those desires. Damn, and I thought her God complex in the backstory was bad...
Salem finally frees Hazel, saying that they have to press on. She starts to make plans to get the Relic of Destruction form Vacuo... until Hazel reveals that he has more to report. He reveals that the heroes are on their way to Atlas with the Relic... and are being led by Ozpin. Well good thing that none of them know about the current discourse, haha. But the fact that Ozpin is already back understandably concerns everyone... when the windows suddenly start to crack. We see Salem resonating dark energy as she coldly, but firmly tells everyone to leave. They all comply, Hazel even pulling away poor Emerald, as she just looks on in shock before the doors close. Salem seems to calm down at first...before letting out an angry shout, the windows shattering to pieces. Sure hope that she has an interior decorator on hand.
Back with the good guys, they're all still clearly upset and tense form everything. At this point, they just want to get the Relic mission over with. The snow is continuing to fall with no sign of stopping however when Ruby hears something. The group stumbles upon what seems to be an abandoned farm called Brunswick Farms. Since the snow isn't going to let up, they decide to take shelter there and get some rest. And the chapter ends with our heroes passing through the gate, the only background sound being that of the cold, blowing winds.
Review
Damn, for a thirteen minute episode, this episode caused a LOOOT of discourse. Not bad discourse mind you, I haven't seen anyone call this a bad episode. And it isn't. This was a very good, well-written episode showcasing our heroes emotions as all that they learned settle in. There re of course a lot of things that need to be talked about, and we're going to get there. But lets go ahead and get the villains out of the way before we dive into the deep stuff.
Now that we have the backstory, this entire moment felt a lot more unnerving than any of the villains previous scenes. First, Tyrian is just as creepy as he was in Volume 4. His blind praising of Salem comes off as even more disturbing now that we know that she HAS presented herself as a God so long ago. He's pretty much a devout cult fanatic willing to do anything for the one that he worships and is so clearly sick and twisted in how he mocks Emerald. Yeah I hate Cinder and I think that Emerald would be better without her in her life, but MAN mocking the poor girl about Cinder's apparent demise like that was just... wrong. Oh God was it wrong. But still, kudos to Mercury finally showing some decency and standing up for Emerald. Nice to see that he DOES have a soul... to a degree, but hey he's better than Tyrian.
I am also jut loving Hazel more and more. He may be on the bad guys side, but he's clearly the most noble of the bunch. He was willing to take the full blame for the failures, even though Cinder 100% deserves to be blamed, and actively seemed to be looking out for Emerald as well. It shows that the villains aren't just the 'mwahaha lets do bad things cause BAD!' kinds of villains. I like those kinds of villains when done right, like The Joker and (if it pans out well in S17) Genkins in the current Red vs Blue storyline. Hell, Felix (who Miles also created) can probably count from that show also. But its also good to see when the bad guys have depth and deeper emotions to them. It makes them all the more compelling as characters. Right now Hazel, who displays many noble traits, and Emerald, a terrified girl stuck in a very bad position, are probably the most compelling and I am greatly looking forward to what the story has in store for them.
And of course there's Salem. Now that we've seen how she fell down the wrong path, it makes her all the more terrifying here. While you feel sympathy for her throughout last chapter's flashback, here? You have no idea what she's going to do, and it's unnerving. Up until last week, Salem was an intimidating but very calm figure. Her demeanor never broke, at worst she raised her voice like... once. Even when Leo told her about the plan's failure,s he looked almost bored at the news as she silently had her Grimm kill him. But now? She goes form still calm to throwing tables, nearly suffocating Hazel,a and using blatant emotional manipulation on Emerald to put all of hr minions in line. I'll give her this, she did look legit sad about having to leave Cinder behind and she is giving her a chance to redeem herself, but still. When she finally snaps, I was in the same state as Emerald: shocked and fearful. With Ozpin now back, chances are Salem is going to double down on her efforts, and the results are not going to be pretty.
Alright, with that out of the way, lets get to the heroes side of things. Now there isn't a lot to say about the ending. That's clearly setting up for next week and is just them entering an abandoned farm. So while I've got worries, especially since that one tunnel looked a LOT like the one Ruby was in during the opening, we're just going to see what happens next week. But with how this volume has been so far, be very afraid. For now though, lets talk about the aftermath of Ozpin's secrets being revealed, and the fallout that came with it.
There has been a LOT of debate about the characters actions these past three chapters. Was it right to use the Relic to find out Ozpin's secrets? I'm gonna say no, especially for what we found out, but as I said before after all this time they had the right to know. But clearly none of them were prepared for it. Now the better thing to have done was seek shelter first, clam down, talk about it, and if Ozpin kept refusing then at worst they could get the Relic when he wasn't in control or something and asked the question. But considering the circumstances, there was no way that they were going to do the sensible thing. So yeah, they just found out Ozpin's dark backstory and find out that Salem can't be defeated.
So here's the first thing that I want to address. While the way that everyone reacts was NOT the way to go about it, the emotions that they feel? Those are 100% justified. Look, I feel horrible for Ozpin and again, they could have handled how they reacted to it a LOT better. But they also just found out that it looks like Salem can't be defeated. Ozpin has no plan. He is leading them on a suicide mission. One where yeah, they can fight back and thwart Salem's plans over and over, but it will in the end mean nothing. Now I do think that Ozpin is ultimately doing the best that he can in his current situation, after all it's better to fight back than just throw your hands up and wait for death to come. But if you were in a war where in the end, the bad guy couldn't be defeated and you had to fight endlessly, knowing that you will die in vain, how would you feel? I think I'd just outright break down if I were put int hat position. Of course they're going to be angry about it. They just got all of this dumped onto them (and yeah it is kind of their own fault for not considering that, but still), we can't expect them to just be okay with it. They're reacting to their immediate emotions an hopefully, now that they have a chance to breathe, they can look at everything and calm down.
Ozpin is also justified in his reaction. Yeah locking himself away and indirectly meaning that Oscar has to feel the brunt of the aggression was shitty, but you can understand hwy. He new that if anyone knew the truth he'd get the blame and everyone would be angry at him. As hurt as he seemed by Qrow's reaction, eh didn't seem shocked about it either. Heck, eh didn't seem to blame any of them for how they reacted, even saying that maybe they were right. He's holding onto so much guilt and as he feared, with the truth out no one trusts him and blame him for it. There a LOT of morality questions about if Ozpin hiding all that he did was right or not. I think at the very least, those working for him need to know and if he' was honest about it, they'd have probably been uncertain and scared, but they may have still sided with him in hopes of one day finding a solution. Ozpin painted himself as a liar and untrustworthy and no matter how understandable it is, it was in the end the wrong thing to do. But again, it's really hard to blame him since that knowledge would likely cause panic and get them all killed sooner. He was screwed no matter what he did.
In the end, my opinion is that both sides are right and wrong. QRWBY are right to be angry and upset with all the revelations, but getting angry and outright punching poor Oscar was going too far. Ozpin's shouldn't have lied and lead people on regardless of the reasons, but he's also a clearly damaged person who has been trying to make things right despite all the hopelessness surrounding his situation. All of the reactions have been very human and emotional. This is probably why it's a good thing that we have a character like Maria in all of this. She is someone who seems wise and is uninvolved in the conflict. She can look at both sides without bias and understand why everyone feels how they feel, but can also bring attention to what their emotions are blinding them to. Seriously, with her helping Oscar, taking none of Yang's shit, and getting them all to actually focus on not dying, Maria has become an instant favorite. I love her!
So now lets talk about the part that I did not like. That is Qrow's jab at Oscar. Now the punch was harsh, put he clearly meant it for Ozpin so I can look at it as him reacting in blind anger. I still want him to apologize to Oscar later, but I can understand and forgive that. What I CANNOT forgive is how he treats Oscar like he is nothing but Ozpin's vessel. Umm... asshole, no eh isn't. Ruby was NOT lying to him when she assured him that he isn't just one of Oz's lives. Oscar is a young kid thrust into a very difficult, scary situation but he chose to do the right thing. He decided to train to defend himself and to help in whatever way that he can. He has a ton of baggage piled up on top of him, and so far he is handling better than many would if in his shoes. He is kind, heroic, and has a good heart. He is NOT just another of Ozpin's lives. He is Oscar Pine. He is his own person. And you have the gull to essentially put this kid down, while he's in the middle of a breakdown over his identity, because of how hurt yourself feel.
No
That is NOT okay.
It's not wrong toward just Oscar, but even towards Ruby. This girl is handling all of this incredibly well. She never shouts and when Oscar switched back, she was immediately concerned about him and unnerved by her team's reactions. And after all of it, because of how kind of a person she is, she tries to assure this clearly troubled kid that he is not just one of Ozpin's lives. He is his own person. And you berate her for lying. You told Ruby, your own niece, that she is a liar because she tried to comfort someone and assure them that they are more than what they think that they are. Look, I know that Qrow is upset and hurt. I do feel bad for him. But that jab was just... unnecessarily cruel towards both Oscar and Ruby. I am really hoping that Qrow will realize this later and apologize for that because Oscar has done NOTHING wrong. Hell, he's the one who told them about the Relic, so clearly he's on their side. I probably feel worst for Oscar than anyone else and I really hope that the volume cuts him a break soon. But yeah, that just... really made me uncomfortable.
So... what happens now? I think that everyone will either start to calm down or it just lingers before someone finally snaps. Regardless, clearly something is going to happen in this abandoned farm. Going off past episode, abandoned anywhere in this show is bad. Lets just hope that for our heroes sakes, they can work through this.
Final Thoughts
This was the perfect followup. The characters emotions are perfectly displayed, Salem is more horrifying than ever, and I just felt tense and on edge throughout. We all were expecting the fallout to be bad, but boy IDT we were expecting this. It's been one Hell of a ride so far, and we're not even halfway done yet. Lets hope that it doesn't run out of steam before then. As far as this chapter goes though, it was an emotional punch to what is already an emotional situation, and I'm probably going to be recovering from it until next week. Good work CRWBY!
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