Tumgik
#we had hope we'd get a second season
hangesextra · 1 year
Text
Hey, a good girls guide to murder fans. Let's hope the show won't be on Netflix.
29 notes · View notes
cluelessrebel1988 · 5 months
Text
If I Ran The Zoo (or how I would plot out an Animorphs TV/streaming series if I had the time/ability/resources)
So this is something I've been kicking around in my head on-again, off-again for a couple years now, and I thought I'd put it out there, just for the lols (do people still say that?)
My thought process is for a 5 season arc, with each season being somewhere in the neighborhood of 13-15 episodes long, give or take. There would be a few changes with the order of things, and a few minor characters would play a bigger role. I'm not going to go episode by episode, but just sort of outline the big arcs for each season. I'm not in any way suggesting that this is the best way to do it, just that this is how I would do it.
Season 1
This season obviously would start the events of The Invasion and would primarily incorporate events/plot points from the first 10 books, including finding Ax in his crashed ship (though I would move that to either take place in the first episode, or in the second half of the two-part premiere), Tobais getting stuck in his hawk form (and getting an episode or two dedicated to him coming to terms with that), and introducing Erik and the Chee (Erik would be introduced as a friend of Marco's early in the season, with his identity as a Chee being revealed in the second half of the season).
The only major plot point from that run of the series I wouldn't put into play just yet is the reveal of Marco's mother as Visser One (although I would be very much establishing her through flashbacks, dreams, etc., so people will recognize her when Visser One does show up).
The main arc of the season would involve the Kandrona Ray and the events of The Stranger, with the team meeting the Ellimist and learning about the ray and its significance and plotting to take it down to try to end/expose the invasion. Erik and Ax tagteam providing info about the ray and its use, but it's the vision from the Ellimist that gives Rachel the final clue, again, as in the book, with that occuring at the end of the penultimate episode. The season finale is solely focused on devising and executing the plan to destroy the ray. The plan would succeed, which would prompt Visser One's return, revealing her host to be Marco's mother as the cliffhanger for the season.
Obviously, we would be exploring the kid's home lives more, with the relationship with their families and friends and the whole 'work-life balance' thing that comes with fighting a guerilla war against an alien invasion. Not to the point where they're having to fake illnesses to skip school every episode, but enough to show that it's putting a strain on their relationships. I would also explore Rachel's relationship with Melissa Chapman more and have Melissa be a bigger supporting character in the show. We'd also introduce Karen and Aftran in this season, revealing her to be a controller early on, but something that Cassie doesn't find out until the end of the season
Season 2
Season 2 would pick up a few weeks after season 1, as The Alien did with The Stranger. The kids learn that their hope that the invasion would reveal itself with the Kandrona ray destroyed were in vain and that Ax knew that. The premiere would largely follow the plot of that book, with the Animorphs attempting to integrate Ax into society and attempting to take the fight to Visser Three with the help of a Yeerk traitor, and Ax telling the others about the Law of Seerow's Kindness. Ax would get a lot of development this season, with the events of The Deception coming into play.
Tobias would help free the Hork-Bajir as in The Change and get his human form back as a morph, and the reveal that he is Elfangor's son would be included in this season as well (Obviously we're tapping into the Andalite Chronicles for flashbacks in at least one episode this season to help set that up).
Marco's main character arc would revolve around learning that his mother is Visser One, keeping it a secret, only to have the others find out later, thus incorporating The Predator and The Escape. Also Visser One is the big bad for the season, delving more into her conflict with Visser Three. The season would end with her supposed death following the Animorphs' thwarting of her plans
For Cassie, we cover the utilize adapted versions of The Departure and set up for The Sickness, with Karen/Aftran and Cassie perhaps getting trapped somewhere and forced to work together to get out of it, laying the groundwork for Aftran to be captured by Visser Three. The season finale would also center around the efforts to rescue Aftran.
Jake and Rachel will have arcs and roles to play in each of these stories as they each start to fall into their respective roles as leader and fighter, respectively. If they get their own arc, it would be around trying to save Tom specifically.
Additionally, Melissa is still around in her expanded role, but with a new friend: David, who would be introduced fairly early in the season in a recurring role (Melissa is also recurring at this point). She and David will have a B-plot where they become friends and are together when David finds the morphing cube, the discovery of which also occurs in the finale.
Season 3
Obviously, the primary source for the main arc of season 3 is the David Trilogy, with The Discovery in particular serving as the source for the season premiere. It plays out mostly the same, with the Animorphs learning that David and Melissa have the cube and plans to sell it online. They try to retrieve the cube before the two of them can attract the attention of the Yeerks, but ultimately fail, leading to the battle at David's house. They manage to get Melissa and David out of the house before they can be captured, and are forced to reveal themselves and tell them what's happening, essentially recruiting them into the Animorphs.
The events of the rest of the trilogy, with the threat to the UN summit or some similar event involving world leaders as a target that they have to keep the Yeerks from taking advantage of -- as well as with David and Melissa's reactions to being Animorphs -- would take up the majority of the plot this season. Obviously Melissa becoming an Animorph opens up some new potential for her arc, especially around her relationship with her dad and trying to come to terms with him being a controller (and the fact that Rachel has been keeping this a secret all along). She and David would have similar arcs around their parents being controllers, but while David ultimately turns against the Animorphs, Melissa does not (although David tries to convince her to). The season ends with the gang trapping David in a rat morph, as the books do.
One of Melissa's major character traits is her interest in technology, something she used to bond with her father over (working together to take things apart and then put them back together before be became a Controller to try to keep her safe) and I imagine her and Ax developing something of an awkward friendship as she tries to ask him about the morphing technology and other Andalite technology, with him being reluctant to share due to the Law of Seerow's Kindness. But, as he's grown closer with the Animorphs, he would eventually acquiesce and they would begin to bond. The two big relationships (Rachel and Tobias, and Cassie and Jake) also take major steps this season
The other major arc for the season involves other Andalites, incorporating The Arrival and The Other, with the reveal that other Andalites are on earth and some are there to help...or are they? The season would also end with Tobias getting captured by the Yeerks to begin the laying of the groundwork for the discovery that the Animorphs are not, in fact, Andalite bandits.
Season 4
The events of The Illusion and The Test would be adapted for the season premiere, including the introduction of the Yeerk resistance (led in this series by Karen/Aftran) and Tobias's capture and torture, with the main difference being that it is Tom (who has largely been a secondary or tertiary villain thus far) being the one who conducts the torture. During the interrogation, Tobias lets something slip that most of the controllers in the room don't pick up on, but Tom does, leading him to investigate and setting up for the finale, which would be largely and adaptation of The Diversion, with the race against time to save their families taking up the majority of the episode. Melissa is able to save her parents, her father proving to be an asset in the final season with his knowledge of how Yeerk technology works.
This season as a whole would focus on escalating the war between the Animorphs and the Yeerks. The stakes become higher, as are tensions following David's betrayal. Visser One returns, learning that Marco is one of the Animorphs and we incorporate the events of Visser, seeing the Animorphs rescue her.
Following Tobias's capture and torture, Rachel becomes more angry and vengeful, setting up for her arc over the final season (we've seen hints of her violent streak over the series up to this point, but it gets more intense this season).
Season 5
With their secret out, the Animorphs regroup in the Hork-Bajir valley and try to figure out their next move. The final arc of the series would play out largely how it does over the course of the final books, with the team recruiting more Animorphs to help them with their mission, and even trying to recruit government and military officials to aid in the fight. Tom gets the morphing cube, adding controllers with the ability to morph (other than the newly appointed Visser One) to the threat against the Animorphs. The final battle would be a multi-pronged attack, with the bombing of the Yeerk Pool being part of the final assault and not a separate battle.
Rachel gets aboard the blade ship and kills Tom before being killed herself. In an effort to make up for the harm he caused, Hedrick Chapman sacrifices himself to both ensure the Yeerk Pool bomb goes off and to save Melissa one final time (the pair of them were in charge of building/detonating it, along with Ax), and Jake orders the flushing of the Yeerk Pool on the the Pool ship, alienating Erek and the rest of the Chee going forward. All of this is in the penultimate episode.
The series finale follows the aftermath of the war in The Beginning, and, as the books did, the series would end with Jake, Tobias, and Marco (and probably Melissa) being recruited to help save Ax from an as-yet unknown threat.
And there you have it, my outline for how an Animorphs series could/should play out. As I said at the start, this is just my idea and others might have different thoughts about what order the arcs should go in and what significant changes (if any) would be made. Please be kind with any criticisms, and if you'd like to share your thoughts with me, my inbox is open. I also did a fancast for the series a few years ago if anyone's curious about who would play who
211 notes · View notes
pandorasprongs · 11 months
Text
JAMIE TARTT | if it weren't for second chances, we'd all be alone.
PAIRING: jamie tartt x fem!reader
WORD COUNT: 5.5k
SUMMARY: in order to advance her career, reader has to write a profile about her usual subject of interest: jamie tartt. if he'll let her.
WARNINGS: language
A/N: hello! this is one of my shorter one shots and not much to say about this one, but i hope you all enjoy and the title is from 'second chances' by gregory alan isakov!
Tumblr media
"There is no fucking way I'm working with her!" You hear Jamie Tartt say from a distance, as Keeley looks past his shoulder with an apologetic look. You give her a small smile, but let out a long sigh.
You knew doing this wouldn't be easy, but you didn't exactly have a choice. You left your job at the Sun after finally coming to your senses when Trent Crimm left the Independent. If the execs were willing to let go of arguably one of their best sports journalists, what would that say about your own career?
It's been half a year since then and so far, you weren't having much luck. You were doing freelance work in the meantime — to be able to afford your rent at this point, — but you couldn't just let yourself wallow in pity. 
You decided to contact a popular sports journal, asking if they had any openings for writers. Your work experience helped boost your appeal, but they said they needed a solid portfolio to consider you. Since the Sun never really let you write actual sports-related articles and few of your tabloid articles were of substance, you asked if there were any articles you could join as a freelance journalist to prove your skills.
The only one they had was one titled, "Rocky Road: Careers of the Premier League's Up and Coming" and they had a particular player you wanted to write your section on.
Contacting Keeley Jones was the easy part. You've had enough interactions with her that your name was recognizable, so you were able to organize a meeting. Your first move was apologizing for every article you've ever mentioned her in, and then quickly explaining your predicament. The KJPR owner — having been in your place of being looked down for things out of your control, — was very willing to help you get your article done.
The missing piece was just the subject of your article: Jamie Tartt. Your relationship with him was similar to the one you had with Keeley, but you doubt he'd be as forgiving.
Your suspicions were confirmed by his reaction to Keeley organizing all of this for you. You had hoped that maybe he'd forgotten all the stories you'd written about his one-night stands, scandalous statements, and failed football plays, but obviously not.
You continued to sit quietly in Keeley's office, pretending not to hear her trying to calm the football player down. After a few minutes, the pair returns and Jamie begrudgingly agrees.
For a moment there, you're ecstatic and you start organizing your schedule of events. You’ve already written a short introduction, but the rest of the article is meant to come from the player and close sources. You're also supposed to shadow him for a week to get a feel of his current state as a player in the league.
You try and explain this to Jamie, but look up to find him taking selfies on his phone. Keeley grabs his attention, but a few moments later, he's back at it, hiding his phone under the table this time.
You finally have enough. "Look Jamie, if you don't want to do this,—"
"You're right, I don't." He finally looks straight at you and you hold yourself back from smacking his smug face. You don't care how many articles say he's gotten better; you still think he's the same prick you wrote all those tabloids about.
"Jamie, we talked about this," Keeley interjects. "It'll be good for your career and Richmond's standing for next season, if you do this profile."
"Yeah, but you couldn't get any other writer?" Jamie turns to face her instead.
"Look, she really needs this article," The KJPR owner pleads with the footballer, but that only gets him more riled up.
His gaze lands on you once again, with a smug look on his face. "So her career is in my hands?" He lets out a laugh, before standing up from his seat. "Message me if you find a journalist who’s more than a mediocre tabloid writer." Jamie leaves the room without another word and you slump into your chair.
Keeley tries to get up and chase after him, but you grab her arm before she does. "It's alright, Keeley. I didn't expect him to say yes," you admit.
"Well, I can try and ask the other players if they're willing to do it. I don't suppose you've written anything for the tabloids about them, right?" She asks jokingly, but you shake your head. The journal was very specific about which player they wanted. It's Tartt or nothing.
You get up to leave, but not without thanking Keeley for trying. She says she'll send Jamie the introduction you wrote, and you appreciate the act but aren't hopeful. As you leave the office, you decide not to go back to your flat just yet and let your feet decide where you're going.
Of course, you end up at Crown & Anchor. It's nearing 6 pm by then and you decide to just have dinner there. You send a message to your roommate about it, before ordering two beers and fish & chips from Mae. You really shouldn't be eating out given how you're already scrounging for jobs, but after the second beer, it didn't seem like such a bad idea.
It's 9 pm the next time you check the clock and finally decide it's time to go home. You see Mae walking over to your booth, so you pull your wallet out of your bag. "I don't have it in me to look at the bill, just grab whatever from here and let's call it a day, yeah?"
"Someone's already paid for your meal." She responds, dropping the receipt in your palm instead. You scrunch your eyebrows before she points at someone walking towards the table. You look up and focus your eyes to find Jamie Tartt standing there. He slides into the other side and takes the receipt from you.
Before you can say anything, Jamie pulls out his phone and reads off his screen. "After aiding in AFC Richmond's promotion back to the Premier League, it's clear as day that Tartt — like his hair with the blonde highlights — is changing for the better."
You perk up when you realize what he's reciting. The football player continues, "Keeley sent the first few paragraphs you wrote. I'm not much of a reader, but this is alright."
You give him a small smile, still trying to sober yourself up for this conversation. "Thank you," is all you manage to say. “How’d you find me?”
“I didn’t. Just ended up at this pub and saw you.” You shrug at that explanation before Jamie continues, "I'll consider doing the profile," Your eyes widen, but he adds, "Only if you explain why the fuck you were so obsessed with me at the Sun?"
That's enough to shake you awake. "I was not obsessed with you!" You protest, a little louder than you intended, with Mae sending a glare in your direction.
You take a drink of water and take a deep breath before finally putting it out in the open. 
"I have a degree in Journalism from Leeds," you start, prompting a confused look on the football player's face.
"The fuck does that have to do with all this?" He asks and you hold your hand up to stop him. He rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything, so you take the chance to continue.
"I have a proper degree from a good school. I have watched and played football all my life. My dad helped me join a league as a kid because of how much we loved the sport." You lean into the table, emphasizing the last part of your statement. If Jamie had arrived five beers earlier, you doubt you'd be admitting this to him.
"I played the game up until secondary school when I started getting serious about my writing. I decided to focus on that more, but I only knew how to write about football." You look up to make sure Jamie is still paying attention and find him looking at you intently.
You take a breath and continue, "I started writing for my school's paper about our team's games and when I went to university, I did the same thing. I've practically been a sports journalist for a decade, so I can proudly say that I'm a fucking qualified writer. I initially applied to be a journalist for the Independent,"
"What, like the Trent Crimm types?" Jamie interjects and you nod.
"But they decided to refer me to the Sun instead. The only things they'd let me write about were tabloids. As in, if I wrote anything about football or sports, it'll get rejected like that," You smack the table, startling Jamie a little, and sigh.
"The closest I could get was writing about rumors about the players, but even then, I'd only really get a small part at the back of the paper. The first time I got a section on the front page though, was when I wrote that article about you. The one about you getting caught with two girls in a karaoke room?" You remind him and he flinches at the reminder but doesn't say anything.
"Well yeah, that one. Anyway, I realized that if I wanted a chance to become an actual sports journalist, I had to get my stupid articles on the front page first and my most popular ones were always about you." You try and gauge Jamie's reaction to that, but he's doing a good job at keeping a straight face now. Or maybe you're just too drunk to properly determine his features.
"So I kept writing about you, whatever bullshit rumor or story I could get my hands on. I'd usually add some things at the end about your football performance thinking that an editor would see it and say 'Oh, she knows what she's talking about,'" You drop your voice an octave to try and mimic one of the executives you knew back then.
"But after a while, you started cleaning up your image and I started to realize that no matter what I did, no one fucking cared. I'd never get a chance to write what I actually wanted there, so I left." You lean back into your seat and let out a huff. "And now you're all caught up."
It takes a minute before Jamie finally speaks up. "I'll do it." A part of you still doubted that he'd agree, but with verbal confirmation, you allow yourself to internally celebrate. "But you better make me look good, yeah?"
"Yes, I promise," you reply, nodding your head furiously. "Oh, and thanks for paying for my dinner."
"Sure. I'll ask Keeley about our schedule next week." Jamie moves to get up but pauses for a second before jerking his head towards you. "Also, my hair is walnut mist, not blonde. You better change that in the article." 
You wonder why this is what Jamie chooses to raise his voice about, but you agree nonetheless. He leaves you be and you sit there for a moment, still in shock. But once one of the servers comes to clean up your table, you finally get the sense to call your roommate to pick you up and share the news.
After a rough hangover the morning after, you check your phone to find a message from Keeley telling you Jamie changed his mind about it. You guess he decided not to tell her about what you said last night, much to your relief. You find another message from an unknown number.
I'm usually at the clubhouse by 10, so best to be there by then.
You were still too groggy to properly comprehend the message when another one pops up.
It's Jamie.
You save the contact on your phone before getting up and starting your outline. You already had a few questions lined up when you were planning the article, mainly topics that only he could comment on. One of those things is his career in the recent year.
After losing Lust Conquers All and being kicked out of Man City — arguably your biggest article, — there were fewer and fewer stories for you to write about the footballer, so your last few months at the Sun were pretty lackluster. You didn't have any reason to keep following Jamie's career, so you still had to fill that gap through your interview. But you decided to keep that till after you shadowed Jamie for the week since you also wanted to get the input of his teammates and coaches.
Over the week, you'd received mostly the same stories about the player. Massive prick, got sent back to Man City, came back and redeemed himself, and is now both a better player and teammate. It's nothing you hadn't heard before from second-hand sources, but at least you had direct quotes from his teammates for the article. 
Watching training was the more exciting part of being at the clubhouse, especially getting to watch the improvements of the Richmond team as a whole. They seemed to be more united than before, probably because of the promotion high. 
Your main focus was Jamie and you could tell that his teammates were right. Gone were the days of hogging the ball and only allowing himself to score a goal. He still had slight vibes of his old prick self, but you learned from the coaches that it was more of a tactic than anything. You even learned about their "signal," which they once did in a match a few months ago, you remember. 
For the most part, you had avoided Jamie, still sensing a sort of resentment towards you. You couldn't blame him; he was already doing you a massive favor and it would be rude to get mad at him for justifiably being pissed off at you. It was only ever slight nods and greetings in the halls, and occasionally glances during practice.
Only at the end of the week did you finally have a conversation with him again to plan your one-on-one interview. Well, more of you enumerating your ideas and him only responding in nods.
"Is Sunday okay? Keeley said we can use one of the meeting rooms in KJPR for it." You're double-checking the message from the CEO as Jamie fixes himself up in front of his locker.
"Nah, too stuffy," is the first thing the football player says during the whole conversation. "How long's it gonna take?"
You had already lessened the number of questions for him based on the information you gathered from the team so that only left a select few. You didn't want to underestimate it though, so you tell him around 1-2 hours, depending on his answers.
"Then can't you find a restaurant or something for it? So I'm not starving the whole time." He asks, and you bite back from commenting on his tone. This is for the greater good. This is for the greater good.
"Sure, I'll find a quiet cafe for it, so no one will disturb us." You already had a few in mind that you used to go to when you needed a space to write.
"Okay, sounds good," Jamie responds and there are a few quiet moments before the footballer says his goodbyes. "Have a nice night."
"You too," You move to the side and the football player leaves without another word.
You exhale deeply and wait for a beat before heading into the hallway yourself. You start walking out of the building when you hear someone call out to you.
"Hi! I didn't know you'd be here today," You greet Keeley, who's rushing down the stairs.
"Oh, I'm just visiting Rebecca." She explains, pointing upstairs. "How's the article going?"
"It's going fine." You answer.
"Just fine? If Jamie's being an arse, you can tell me." You laugh but shake your head. Keeley seems to believe you and instead tells you, "Also, I've already contacted a photographer for Jamie's shoot. I'll send you his email, so you can plan it out with him. And, if you need any additional information, I'm sure I can help fill the gaps."
"Yes, thank you," You smile at her when a question pops into your head. "Do you know if Jamie's dating anyone right now?" Your first thought is to ask his possible partner for an interview, but you instantly realize your fault. "Wait, never mind, I shouldn't ask. That's way too invasive. Old habits die hard, sorry."
"It's alright," Keeley's quick reply relaxes you. "But no, I don't think he's seen anyone in a while."
That was more or less the end of the conversation with Keeley as Rebecca finally appeared and the two ladies went back to the latter's office. 
The afternoon you're supposed to meet Jamie started rough. First, you realize you didn't charge your laptop the night before and now, it was completely dead. Next, your roommate had used up all the hot water, so you had to power through the freezing temperatures. Now, you're running late to the interview and sprinting through the street.
You finally get to the cafe and as you expected, there was only one other person there aside from the barista. You wave at the person at the counter, already familiar with them before approaching Jamie.
"12 minutes late," is all he has to say, as Jamie glances at his watch.
"Sorry, I just," you stop yourself from going on a whole monologue about how shit your day has been. "I got delayed, okay?"
Maybe he could sense you weren't in the mood to deal with his attitude, — when were you ever? — so Jamie instead informs you, "I ordered some food and the guy said he knew you, so he made whatever you usually get."
You try not to show your surprise at him paying for your lunch, but it wouldn't be the first time. "Thanks," The football player only nods, before crossing his arms. 
You open your notebook and the voice recorder on your phone, "Okay, let's start."
You didn't expect this interview with Jamie to be so... fun? 
You decided to start with the more surface-level questions like his expectations for the season, so it could break the ice a little. But after a sip of your tea ended up in the wrong pipe and launched you into a coughing fit, the tension was immediately broken.
Jamie started giving you more substantial answers and was more open about talking about his return to Richmond. How it really changed him, specifically Ted Lasso's effect on him and the club as a whole. You notice how soft his features had become talking about his coach and the team and you react with a smile.
After that and finishing your sandwiches, you shift the topic to his childhood and how it shaped him as a player now. You notice the sudden change in Jamie as if he's hesitant to start, so you reassure him, "If it's too much, we can change gears a bit. Talk about something else."
He shakes his head, "No, it's fine. There are just some things that I don't really want to share."
"That's fine. You don't have to. Just stick to the general stuff if you want." You pause the recording for a moment, trying to make Jamie more comfortable.
He pauses for a moment, before letting out a chuckle. "Do you think old you would be happy with letting me keep my secrets?" He changes his tone towards the end and you roll your eyes.
"Obviously not," you answer. "But I've been trying to bury that version of me."
"Why? You probably could've taken down the parliament with your skills." Jamie jokes and you finally break into a smile.
"Well, I never really used my skills for bigger and better things, did I? Just finding dirt on football players to make some money and build a mediocre reputation as a journalist." You answer honestly and the football player's expression changes.
"I didn't mean to be such a prick during the meeting." Jamie starts, but you shake your head.
"Nah, you had every right to. I wrote some pretty shitty things about you back then."
"Well yeah, but your life's kind of gone to shit since then, so now I feel bad." Your jaw drops and your eyes widen at his explanation and lightly punch him in the shoulder. Maybe the two of you weren't close enough for that kind of thing, but Jamie just laughed at your reaction.
"Fucking prick," you say in a joking manner. "Let's get back to the interview." You start the recording again, as Jamie recounts the first time his mum bought him a pair of boots.
He starts telling you about all the significant milestones over the years, and while you can tell he's holding back some things, — specifically about his dad, — you say nothing. It's the least you can do.
Maybe it's the fact that this has been the best part of your shitty day, but you started to see Jamie in a different light. Yes, everyone talked about how much he had changed, but this was the first time you saw it directly. You didn't even notice how late it's gotten till a brand new barista approached you about cleaning out the table.
"Shit, this is way past two hours now." You exclaim and check your notes to see that you've covered all the needed areas at this point. "But, I think we can end it now."
"Actually," you look back up at Jamie, who pauses to think. "Do you wanna get dinner? You pay this time," 
You don't have time to wonder about his reasoning for this and let your hunger take over. "Sure, but if I'm paying, I pick the place."
The two of you stand up and Jamie directs you to the door, "Lead the way," you playfully roll your eyes and start walking, with the footballer trailing behind you.
You head to a nearby Japanese restaurant, — one of the many perks of your flat's location — and settle down in a booth near the back. There were more people in this place and you weren't sure how comfortable Jamie would be being seen with you. You knew better than anyone how easily a scandal could be made from a simple picture.
The two of you pick out your meals and thank God it was an older lady taking your order who didn't recognize the footballer across you.
"Okay, why'd you want to eat dinner together?" You finally bring up.
The player just shrugs and leans on the table, "Thought I'd give you a chance to pay me back." You can't help but agree with that statement, so you let it go. Jamie continues, "Also, I'm interviewing you now."
"Oh God, don't tell me you're doing a profile on me." You joke and the player rolls his eyes.
He doesn't respond and goes back to his questions, "What got you into football?"
It was the first question you had asked him earlier. While he had given you a general answer initially, he added to it afterward, saying it was one of the few things he was sure he was good at as a kid. You decide to give him an honest answer.
"My brother and I don't have a lot in common. Didn't even feel like I had a sibling for the first part of my life. Till he realized I wasn't half bad at football. It was the only way to get a decent conversation out of the guy, and after a while, I ended up actually liking it." The moment you finish your answer, you realize you've never actually said it aloud to anyone. 
For a brief moment, you think Jamie would say something serious, much to your dismay. You hated having to be emotional in front of other people. It was your job to pry at people's thoughts and feelings, not the other way around. But after building your writing career around the guy, you should've known he doesn't fare too well with feelings either.
"Think he's a fan of me?" He asks instead.
"Fuck no, not anymore," you're quick to reply and Jamie looks offended. You elaborate, "He's a Man City supporter. Fucking hates your guts now, honestly."
Jamie lets out a small laugh. "Runs in the family." The lady comes back with your food and that puts a hold on your conversation.
After a few minutes of eating, you finally break the silence. "You know I never actually hated you, right?"
Mid-slurp, Jamie looks up with a look of disbelief. "Really? You wrote all those articles and still don't hate me?"
"Yes!" You defend yourself. "I told you before. I did it for the job, nothing more. And objectively, you were a great player. You honestly have more of a reason to hate me than I do."
Jamie scoffs. "I don't hate you either. Annoyed? Yeah. Pissed off? Most of the time, but I never hated you."
You had already gotten pretty good at hiding your surprise about these revelations. "Well, I guess that settles it. We don't hate each other." You stick out your hand and Jamie looks at you in confusion for a section, before shaking it. The two of you laugh and continue your meal.
After paying, you end the night there and wave goodbye to Jamie outside the restaurant. If you from a year ago saw you hanging out with the footballer, she would've thought you'd lost your mind.
As you head back home, you have this weird feeling in your chest. Your whole job was finding ways to express things through words, but even then, you couldn't figure this one out. It's only when you get home and re-listen to your recording filled with jokes and exchanges that you realize.
You may or may not be developing a crush on the football player.
You hadn't physically seen Jamie since the photoshoot a few days after your interview and dinner with him. 
You didn’t have a reason to anymore, since you had pretty much finished the whole article and already handed it to the editor for proofreading. They sent it back with minor notes, — just some grammar slip-ups and possible rephrasing, — which gave you hope that you might end up with a job when this is all over.
Getting the profile approved also gave you a chance to message Jamie after weeks of no contact, just to ask for his opinion on things. You didn't know if it was nerves or excitement making that pit in your stomach waiting for him to reply. All he had to say about the article was that he was glad you changed the "blonde" line in the introduction. Luckily though, it didn't end there. After that, he asked you what you thought of his new locker set-up.
That was the first of many times he would shift the conversation to random topics. You started spending your mornings and nights just messaging the football player. Sometimes he'd send pictures from training, saying it's extra material for the article and sometimes you'd send pictures from the cafe where you're writing, joking that you had new ideas for Jamie-related articles to send to the su!z
And when the rankings about the upcoming season came out and put AFC Richmond last, your first thought was to message him.
Fuck the pundits, honestly. You knew he didn't need any context, but you didn't expect Jamie to answer so quickly considering he was supposed to be at training.
I'm not worried. It's just poopy. You're not entirely sure what that meant, but at least it didn't seem to affect him so much.
I'm glad, then. You wait for a beat before sending another message. I know you'll do great this season. Why were you so nervous sending that? God, it felt like you were 15 again.
Thanks. Pretty sure 'tabloid writer you' is rolling in her grave.
You laugh to yourself as you reply. God, her head would be spinning knowing how I'm contributing to your already massive ego.
Jamie just sends a picture of him looking mad and you send one back sticking your tongue out.
A few days after, you send the published article to both Jamie and Keeley, along with a thank you for all the help. The latter answered sincerely, partnered with an invitation to the first game of the season, but of course, the footballer decided to answer jokingly. 
Over time, you'd gotten over being so worried about interacting with Jamie. He was just another guy, even if he was an incredibly fit footballer for his day job. And now, you'd get to watch him play in the first match with Chelsea.
Despite your presence being welcomed by Keeley, Rebecca, the owner of Richmond, and Higgins, the Director of Football Operations, it didn't take a genius to realize how tense the three of them were at the match. Their club was the underdog of the season, so it was understandable to be nervous about the match, but you soon pick up on a different vibe involving an ex-husband and internationally famous football player.
"What do you think, then?" Keeley asks you when Rebecca leaves to try and convince Zava to join her team instead. "Do you think Zava's worth it?"
"Yes," you answer honestly, from the perspective of a sports journalist and a football fan in general. "Zava's objectively one of the best football players in the world, and his track record of wins outweigh his track record of diva moments."
"Well said," Higgins responds and you smile at him, before turning back your attention to the game. 
When Rebecca comes back to your seats and explains the disastrous interaction, your reaction is the same as the rest of them: pure disappointment. 
But as the game ends with a draw, you can't help but celebrate along with the rest of the Richmond fans. It may not be a win, but it was more than most people expected of the club, so that was something.
You join the other three briskly leaving your seats and avoiding the press conference of Zava until you hear him utter the name 'Richmond' in his speech. 
"Holy fuck," you celebrate with Keeley and congratulate Rebecca since whatever she said to Zava seemed to work out in the end.
It was then that you felt a ping from your cell phone. You open it to find an email from the sports journal offering you a slot as a feature writer. You end up repeating, "Holy fuck," drawing the attention of the others.
Keeley glances at your screen and exclaims in happiness, "Oh my God. Congrats to you, too!" She goes in for a hug and despite still being in shock, you're quick to reciprocate it.
"Thank you, Keeley. Truly." Your face is just an expression of pure joy as you let go of her. As you continue to walk out of the stadium, you end up excusing yourself. Of course, you had to thank the main person for all this.
You find your way to the guest locker rooms and even from the hallway, you hear the cheering of the Richmond tram. They must've heard the news. You don't bother knocking and walk in to find what you expected: celebrating and rather sweaty football players. Well, there was one person who stood out.
"Jamie!" You call out to him from the door and the moment his somewhat solemn eyes landed on you, he made his way through the crowd to you.
"What're you doing here?"
"I just wanted to tell you that I got the job! I'm going to be a proper sports journalist." You inform him and his expression immediately changes to match yours. Catching you by surprise, Jamie envelopes you in a hug and you decidedly ignore his dirty kit as you reciprocate it. 
"That's great," Jamie says, as he lets go of you.
You smile, before remembering the news earlier. "Oh and congrats, too! On the draw and getting Zava." The footballer's expression noticeably drops at the mention of the other player, and you finally get it. "You're not happy about getting him, are you?"
Jamie inhales sharply. "Rather not talk about that right now."
"Okay, sure," You back off. "But if it helps in any way, you'll still be my favorite player on the team."
Your heart skips a beat when Jamie gives you a cocky smirk, one that you used to despise. "Yeah? And you'll keep writing about me too at the new job, too?"
"It is my specialty. Plus, you're infinitely more interesting than Zava and his avocado farm." The two of you let out matching chuckles.
The cheering from the locker room seems to have died down and there were fewer and fewer people in the hallway. That's when Jamie takes a step forward closer to you.
When you don't pull away, he finally staets. "I was wondering, if you weren't busy,—"
"Yes," You interrupted him and hope you didn't do so prematurely. "If what you're about to ask is what's I'm thinking, then yes."
"Oh, you're fine giving me dirt on the other teams when you start your new job?"
You stop your expression from dropping and force a smile, "Yeah, sure."
But your disappointment doesn't last because Jamie starts chuckling, "I'm joking! I wanted to ask if you wanted to go out sometime."
You're not sure if you should be annoyed or ecstatic, so your reaction is a mix of both. "Oh fuck you, Jamie!"
The footballer's prick side is practically second nature. "If the night goes well."
You lightly shove his shoulders before answering, "Sure. As long as it's a private place. Those tabloid writers can be so annoying sometimes." You flash a playful smile at Jamie, which he's quick to mirror.
495 notes · View notes
Text
Hey, lovely souls. Just here to spread a kind word for anyone who's feeling (understandably) down today🩷
So OFMD has been officially cancelled. Is this the end? Of course not. It will never be.
I mean, even if we'd got S3 there would have been an end to it too. Is it unfair that our awesome cast & producers didn't get to finish what they started in the way they envisioned it? Of course. Is the tv industry absolute shit? Hell yes! So many good shows are cancelled every day, and so many more never even get to exist. We got OFMD for two seasons, a blessing none of us ever expected, that changed our lives in so many ways, that saved so many lives. And if you think about the ending, even though the last episode was rushed and budget was cut and all, we still got such a wonderful, poetic ending, Ed and Stede are together in their inn, love in their eyes, they're safe, they're happy, honestly I couldn't have asked for anything better.
The thing is, things in life are limited (apparently), but the underlying truth to that is that things that truly matter are infinite.
How so? I'll tell you a scientific truth: time does not exist, at least not as we understand it. Because time is just like space, ever-present, every moment in time is actually forever alive. Nothing can ever truly die.
Which leads to another truth: we are infinite, just like the Universe, for we are Universe too. We are stardust and love, and Love is infinite.
We are all one, you and I and everyone out there, we're one same thing. There is no end to something that was created with love. And damn, I've never seen such an outrageous, wonderful outburst of love in my whole life! There is true magic in what we created together, fans, cast, crew, producers... we healed one another, we came together because one day someone just as crazy as us envisioned this absolutely mad world of kindness and inclusion and diversity and sheer joy and against all odds the moment we saw it we jumped on the ship without thinking twice. We made it possible for this show to get a second season, and more than anything, we built this wonderful world around it.
Stories are so much more than imagination, they're not just actors playing a role, there is a point where it stops being just a story and becomes a world on its own, and that world translates into our world, and when that magic happens, when that bridge is created, something so much bigger emerges that forever merges both worlds. It's magic and it's a blessing and I can't but be thankful for it.
My loves, I know you're sad right now. I know we all are struggling for one reason or another, we're all fighting our own battles, be it about physical or mental health, work, study, family, discrimination, or anything else. And OFMD has fought by our side and helped us win so many of those battles already. So when you're in middle of the darkness and can't imagine there could ever be light outside, remember this: we are all with you, right here, right now. Wherever you are, we are with you, and OFMD is with you. Because the things we love do never truly leave us.
We keep saying that OFMD changed us, right? That means that it's become a part of us.
OFMD is and will forever be a part of who you are—and in you, it will live on forever. Be grateful, be immensely grateful, for gratefulness is the vibration that heals the fabric of the Universe and makes miracle happens. Crew, we got something we could never have imagined to begin with!! We are so, so lucky to have had this blessing.
Take the time you need to heal, cry, let out all your pain. But then please be brave and choose kindness, just like OFMD has taught us to. Choose to raise your vibration to that of love and gentleness and dare to believe that life has wonderful things waiting for you. There is hope, there is light, there is magic in your future, a whole life just waiting for you to have the courage to take the next step.
What do you think the crew of the Revenge would have done if they had been told their ship was going to forever stop sailing? They would have thrown another Calypso's birthday party just to celebrate the chance they had to spend so much time there together, and they would have looked forward, found new reasons to be happy, and a new life. Open an inn, for instance!
They would not want us to cry, they would like us to smile and be happy because of the journey we've shared. Or at least, smile through our tears!
You are loved, you are important, your very existence is an absolute blessing to this world. Please never stop being your awesome, beautiful, magical self, because the world needs you exactly as you are- that is why you are here!
Cheer up Crew - we have been so immensely blessed. Can only be thankful 🙏💜🏴‍☠️🖤
90 notes · View notes
uptoolateart · 10 months
Text
The Miraculous Child
So, in 'Representation', Felix talks refers to ‘the miraculous boy’ a couple times. He also calls Adrien’s conception ‘a miracle’, meaning Adrien too is ‘miraculous’.
The second I heard this, it hit me that the title of the show has had this extra meaning from day one. If we look right back to the start of the series, it has been a story about children and adults, especially parents, some a little overbearing (like Tom) and some neglectful or downright abusive.
The message I take away is - life, bringing a child into the world, is a miracle. Science tells us how it works, but the fact that it works is almost like magic. Yet, there are people out there who fail to see this and don't value the gift they've been granted.
Tumblr media
There will be people reading this and thinking, ‘Yeah? So what about Chloe?’
I hear you.
Audrey is a terrible person, and Andre is no better. When he hauls her off at the end of ‘Revolution’ and says he needs to correct his mistakes, he just sends her away with her mother. He’s washing his hands of ‘a problem’, just like he’s done with everything else, e.g. when he resigned as mayor. He walked away from responsibilities, after creating a mess for the people who voted him into office. Likewise, he walked away from his responsibilities as a father.
Does that excuse Chloe's behaviour towards others, especially Marinette? No. Does it explain it? Yes.
So, let's talk about choice, which has been mentioned several times in the series. Chloe has a choice to become just like one of her parents...or to become something better.
Because, if you think about it, at some point in time, Audrey and Andre and even Gabriel were all children. And children aren't just born nasty. They learn nastiness as they grow up. To become who they are today, they had to have started out in a similar position to Chloe, for example. They represent the potential future for their children.
If we saw them as kids, we'd probably see them being mistreated by the adults in their lives and we'd all sympathise with them and hope for their redemption. But we're seeing them as adults and our instinct is to say oh well, too late, they're just awful people. In fact, they could redeem themselves at any point, as demonstrated by Nathalie's turnaround in Season 5. It's just that, the more awful things you've done, the more you have to atone for. Gabriel would have to do a lot - maybe even have a brain change - to be redeemed. But you see my point.
So, at the end of 'Revolution', we see Chloe at a crossroads. She's on that plane, annihilated by her mother, and hiding by herself in a corner. She browses her contacts and hovers over Sabrina's entry...and her face crumples like her heart is breaking with regrets. Oh, it’s sad.
But she passes over Sabrina and moves onto Marinette. She makes one last attempt to bring her down. It’s an act of desperation – redirecting her own suffering onto another, trying to keep control over things when she’s completely out of control of her own life.
Marinette finally puts her in her place, and we see Chloe fall apart in a real way - for the first time ever. I don't know about you, but I found that very uncomfortable viewing. It was a relief to see Marinette stand up for herself, and it needed to happen...but Chloe's despair was also painful. I think all of those were emotions were intended.
Let’s set Thomas aside here. I don't want to get into debates about what was said on Twitter. He’s not the only writer for the show, anyway. I am just speaking about my personal perception of that scene. Chloe gained heaps of sympathy, after she’d been appalling all season, which was pretty powerful.
The fact is…Chloe needed to be put in her place. But that doesn’t mean she deserved everything she went through. Even so...sometimes these moments are necessary and revelatory. They can be the catalyst for great change.
What I mean is – if you're in denial about your position, redirecting your pain onto others, sometimes you need that wakeup call. You need to hit rock bottom in order to start climbing back up into the light. So, when Chloe fell apart, it was painful...but I also saw it as her potential turning point. As long as she maintained her delusions to escape into at school, it was impossible for her to transform - because she refused to see that there was any change needed. But when you have nothing left…that’s when you might begin rebuilding yourself.
Every episode in Season 5 has had multiple meanings. Looking at 'Revolution', when Chloe was akumatised, she trapped her victims in a maze, going round in endless circles (revolutions). Notably a lot of them were adults.
I think if this had happened early on in Season 4, Adrien would have been trapped morosely in that loop with the others. We saw this kind of thing in 'Guiltrip'. So, it spoke volumes about his growth as a character when he was the first one to seek a way out of Chloe's maze. He immediately used his cataclysm and broke a hole, escaping and letting everyone else out. Metaphorically, what he did was break the cycle. If we think about cycles of abuse, this is what the next generation always has the chance to do - to revolt against the past.
it's interesting, then, that when we got to 'Representation', we saw Cat Noir completely lose it with his father. He needed to let it all out...but he was in danger of going too far...and deep down, he knew it. His worst nightmare was of losing all control, to the point of letting his rage destroy everything he loved. Unconsciously, he's well aware that he runs the risk of becoming like his father. However, his complete breakdown, begging his father to take his miraculous to make it all stop, tells us he won't become like his father - because his conscience is too strong. He wants to break that cycle.
Tumblr media
Felix has also done some bad things - but he's begun the journey of redeeming himself and changing. He too is trying to break out of that cycle so he doesn't become like his father.
Kagami is embracing her passionate side, rejecting the coldness and isolation her mother has attempted to breed into her, no doubt due to her own upbringing once upon a time.
And I think there’s definite potential for Chloe to do the same. There’s no reason for anyone to remain caught in these patterns. The trick is to recognise the pattern is there in the first place - because you can’t break free of something if you don’t know you’re imprisoned. At the end of Revolution, I think Chloe finally saw her prison, saw that she was already trapped in her own maze, going round in circles. Now it’s up to her to pull an Adrien and cataclysm the bars that hold her in.
Because like Felix said, over and over – each child is miraculous simply for existing. And miracles should be cherished.
PLEASE NO POST-REPRESENTATION SPOILERS IN COMMENTS :)
264 notes · View notes
captainsophiestark · 2 months
Text
For The Team
Ithan Holstrom x Reader
Tumblr media
Masterlist - Join My Taglist!
Fandom: Crescent City
Summary: Ithan's new girlfriend is about to experience her first sunball game since she started dating one of the players, but they might have to establish some new traditions first
Word Count: 1,533
Category: Fluff, Humor
A/N: Requested by anon! Functionally a sequel to Presentation Problems and Nosy Best Friends, but it can also be read independently! Also this is just vaguely set in Crescent City, it doesn't fit very well at any specific point in the timeline lol
Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.
I scanned the crowd anxiously, looking for any sign of my boyfriend. I was hoping to catch him before he went into the locker room, but there were so many people here for the first sunball game of the season that it was impossible to pick him out in the crowd, despite his height.
Something needed to be done about that.
I hopped up on the first rock I found, going onto my tiptoes for the best possible view. I could see better, but there were still so many people I couldn't pick out my boyfriend. I huffed, then decided to change tactics.
I weaved through the crowd of people until I got to the slightly less crowded tunnel to the locker room. Technically, nobody but players were allowed to come down this way, but right now I didn't care.
"Hey!"
I turned, a little worried I'd have to defend my presence to somebody, only to find my beaming boyfriend Ithan Holstrom heading my way.
"You're not allowed to be back here," he teased. I beamed back at him, rushing to close the short distance between us. Ithan wrapped his arms around my waist as soon as I was close enough, pulling me to him and kissing me deeply. I ran my hands through his hair as he moved me back until I gently hit the wall. I could've stayed like that forever, but after a few long moments, he pulled back.
"Sorry. I hate to cut this short, but I kinda need to go get ready for my game."
"I get it," I said, leaning up to kiss him again all the same. I pulled away more quickly than the first time, giving him a bright smile as I did. "For luck."
Ithan laughed, leaning in to rest his forehead against mine. He had an absolutely beaming smile on his face, which made my heart race.
"Are you excited?" I asked. "First game of the season and all?"
"Of course. I always am. But I'm even more excited that you're at this one."
I smiled. Ithan and I had just started dating a few months ago, and we'd met not long before that. This would be my first sunball game as his girlfriend, and I couldn't wait to cheer him on louder than anyone else in the crowd.
"Me too. You're gonna crush the other team."
"Thanks."
We shared a smile, and I let my hand come up to cup his jaw, lightly stroking my thumb across his cheek. He leaned into the touch, but after a few moments, he sighed.
"I need to go." I frowned, and he gave me a forehead kiss before taking a step away. "I do have a little surprise for you though. Stay here, I'll be right back."
I leaned against the wall as he turned and ducked into the locker room, biting my lip and trying not to give in to how giddy Ithan made me feel. As promised, he was back a second later with a bundle of red fabric in one hand. He grinned my favorite million-watt smile as he held it out to me.
"What's this?" I asked, laughing a little as I took it from him. I held it out in front of me and found myself holding Ithan's jersey, the color he wouldn't be wearing today.
"I thought you could wear it," he explained, rubbing at the back of his neck. "For luck."
"Of course I'll wear it! I love it." I beamed at him, then glanced quickly up and down the hallway. We were alone, at least for now, so I wasted no time whipping off my shirt and putting the jersey on in its place. When I looked at my boyfriend again, I saw him staring at me in awe, his mouth hanging slightly open. "You might wanna close your mouth, babe."
Ithan huffed a laugh, meeting my eyes with clear, shining love in his.
"Have I mentioned lately how much I absolutely love you?"
"Actually, yes," I laughed. "But I can always stand to hear it again."
"Well, I absolutely love you. And I'm so sorry, but I really do have to go now. My teammates are already giving me shit for being late when I left the first time."
"I know." I leaned in to give him one last kiss, my chest practically exploding with love for the male in front of me. I pulled back, beaming at him as I started backing down the hallway, towards the stands where our friends would be saving a seat for me. "I'll meet you on the field after your win!"
Ithan huffed a laugh. "I can't wait!"
I winked and blew him a kiss, then turned to finally head off to my seat. I was practically floating on cloud nine as I made my way through my fellow students to a spot in the front row.
"Finally!" My friends laughed as I squeezed in next to them. "What took you so long?"
"I know what took her so long. She was wishing Ithan good luck!"
Heat rose to my face and I looked down, fighting a smile, which was more than enough to confirm my friends' suspicions. They started laughing, teasing me good-naturedly, but thankfully the players took the field before they could really dig in.
The first sunball game of the season had officially begun.
I was fairly new to sunball in general, but that didn't stop me from screaming and cheering like a maniac for every second of the game. Ithan had given me a crash course on the rules when we watched a pro game a few weeks ago, and I picked up more and more as the game went on. I screamed every time we scored, every time we needed to disrupt the focus of the other team, and every time the refs made a bad call (or at least, one we didn't like). By the end of the game, my voice was almost gone, but it had been worth it.
We'd won.
As the last seconds ticked off the clock, I screamed with everything I had left, my voice breaking as I roared with the rest of the crowd. I wasted no time running down out of the bleachers with the rest of my friends in celebration, a whirlwind of people and emotions crashing like a wave onto the grass. The other team sulked off, giving us space to spread out and lose our minds.
I immediately started scanning for Ithan, trying to find him like I had before the game began amidst a now even rowdier crowd. And like last time, he found me, wrapping his arms around me tightly from behind and burying his face in my neck.
I laughed, not needing to turn around to know it was him. He kissed my cheek, then gave me enough space to face him, both of us beaming like fools.
"You won!" I cried, deliriously happy with him. His answering smile was as bright as the sun as he leaned in and kissed me for all he was worth.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, tangling them in his hair and deepening the kiss like we'd done outside the locker room. I heard some wolf whistles and shouts from our friends, but Ithan and I ignored them both. When we finally pulled apart, our eyes never left each other's, bright smiles still on both our faces.
"You're my good luck charm," Ithan declared. I laughed again and shook my head a little.
"What are you talking about?"
"All our scouting reports said we had no shot at winning this game. They destroyed us last season. The only difference today was I had you in the stands."
Warmth bloomed in my chest as I beamed up at my boyfriend.
"Well, I'm happy I could help." I paused, thinking for a minute, then fixed Ithan with a wicked grin. "...Does that mean we have to keep our pre-game ritual the same every time now?"
He matched my grin with one of his own. "Actually yeah, I'm pretty sure it does. It'd be bad luck to change things now, and I don't want to sacrifice the team's season."
"Oh, of course not. I need to make out with you in the locker room tunnel before every game from now on. For the sake of the team."
"For the sake of the team."
Ithan and I shared a smirk before his teammates and the rest of our friends got sick of letting us have our moment, instead pounding Ithan on the back in congratulations and shouting with the rest of us. My boyfriend just wrapped an arm around my waist and held me close as we let ourselves get swept up in the excitement of the rest of the crowd.
As we finally headed off the field together almost half an hour later, most of us headed for an immediate celebration party, Ithan leaned in and whispered just loud enough for me to hear, and no one else.
"So what's the final verdict on your first real sunball game?"
"I loved it. I'm now fully obsessed." I paused, turning to meet his eyes and give him a mischievous grin. "And I can't wait for the next game."
****************
Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989
46 notes · View notes
mrsmarlasinger · 10 months
Text
The surreal thing about the Titan submersible: unless someone pulls off a miraculous last-minute rescue, when we all wake up tomorrow, those five men will be dead.
I mean, assuming they haven't already hyperventilated the last of their oxygen or imploded in a hull failure event.
It's currently June 22nd, 1:48 AM, MDT. If they're still alive, they will not be within the next...what, three hours? Give or take. And it would take hours to get the sub to the surface if it were found miles underwater, so if it's at the bottom of the sea, that really gives the rescuers...I don't know, like, maybe an hour to pull off the impossible?
These men are about to cross the event horizon.
When the banging sounds were first reported, it blew my fucking mind. I'd been certain that they were dead already, or that if they weren't, they would be soon. Without question. Then came this bizarre, impossible glimmer of hope. And I thought, if those sounds really were occurring at thirty-minute intervals, if it really was the Titan passengers, then maybe—maybe—they had a chance.
But they just...don't. Let's be realistic: they're about to die. We know this. We know for a fact that their time is about to run out.
And I know people are angry about the Missing White Woman Syndrome feel of it all. It would make for such on-the-nose satire. Five wealthy men have the world on pins and needles; where was that energy when hundreds of refugees drowned off the coast of Greece a week ago?
It frustrates me that I'm so invested in the Titan sub. It's like the entire incident was orchestrated for the sole purpose of grabbing attention (of course I don't believe that's the case). The very premise of the sub is tauntingly ridiculous—so very blatantly an expensive suicide. I saw someone compare it to an Onion article, and it IS.
The shitty video game controller, the ominous waiver, Stockton Rush's portentous comments (hell, even his name), the toilet sat right in front of that tiny dollhouse window. The absurd price tag paired with a history of failed dives and an OceanGate employee fired and sued years ago for raising safety concerns.
God, it's so dumb. It's so so fucking dumb. In real life, what we'd call "foreshadowing" is really just actions→consequences. But still. Still. It reads like sitcom writers setting the dominos for a season finale, tirelessly working to maximize memeability so we can all point and laugh with our popcorn.
The sheer pointless, brainless, wasteful extravagance of it all makes it easy to forget how horrific and tragic the ordeal really is. It grants us some strange permission to rubberneck.
And, well, who wouldn't want to rubberneck? The drama. Horror movie levels of repulsion. Any fear you can imagine—the dark, the cold, the ocean, suffocation, confined spaces, death—all wrapped into one perfect, cinematic nightmare. It's a black comedy: dumbassery punished by a fate we don't, shouldn't, wish even on billionaires.
Then, of course, there is the deadline. Pun not intended.
That, I think, is what's really gripped us. The limited oxygen supply is a countdown, a ticking time bomb. Ten minutes left in the movie—can the protagonist pull off a daring escape in time?
God, I know I sound like one of those crisis actor conspiracy theorists, but you couldn't manufacture a more gripping story if you tried. That hard figure we've seen in every news article: 96 hours. Ninety-six hours to save the day.
Can you see the Netflix docudrama now? The cuts to a black screen with the remaining number of hours emblazoned in the center? "If we don't find that sub tonight, those men are dead," some intrepid rescuer says...a split second of grave silence...then the scene goes black, except for a line of heavyweight white text that reads, in all caps, "SIX HOURS REMAINING." Next we'll see a heart-wrenchingly candid conversation between the passengers, for character development.
You know Channel 5 is airing a documentary about the Titan in the UK tomorrow. Tonight, actually, since I guess it's technically Thursday morning. The countdown was so hard-set, ITN calculated the exact hour at which they could broadcast their production. The perfect moment for them to capitalize on that post-curtains melancholy we all get at the end of a movie.
It's crass, but fascinating, too. Is ITN going to acknowledge their production timeline by leaving the documentary's ending ambiguous, a choice which will ring bittersweet when aired in the aftermath of the inevitable deaths? Will they scramble to concoct an ending in those mere hours after the passengers asphyxiate? Have they already made two endings: one in case of a miracle, and one in case of a tragedy? Any answer is soulless.
But all of this is soulless. The Titan is our gladiator fight, our bread and circuses. Still, I can't stop staring, because I cannot wrap my head around it. It's 3:30 AM now. Within hours, they will be dead, sure as an execution.
Few news stories come with such a grim deadline. Almost always it's a nail-biting rescue whose twists and turns we follow until some hitherto-unpredictable endpoint; or a sprawling clusterfuck of tragedy trailed by aftermath upon aftermath; or a search for a missing person that eventually meanders into a quiet presumption of death.
The certainty blows my mind—the finality of it, the tragedy of it, is incomprehensible. It doesn't feel real. Why do I care so much? Those men were dead from the start (if not literally, then certainly figuratively). Why do I keep reading about it, posting about it? Why can't I stop watching the car wreck smolder? What am I doing still standing in the street?
I hate that I fell prey to the submarine story like everyone else with an internet connection. But whatever deity may or may not exist got bored, I guess, and crafted the dramedy-action-horror hybrid of the year. Even wove in little cliffhangers (the banging! On the sonobuoys! There's still time!) to string us along like a damn HBO producer.
It gets me, man.
It's 4:00 AM, MDT. I guess it's really over, huh? I know 96 hours was never an exact deadline, but let's not be idealistic here.
I hope it was quick. I hope they imploded in a single terrible instant.
I hope the next sunken boat of six hundred refugees wins as much attention as the Titan did.
I hope Netflix doesn't make that docudrama with the black screen and the all-caps line of heavyweight white text.
I hope we sleep. I hope I sleep. I hope we all can sleep.
Tumblr media
185 notes · View notes
zeep-xanflorp · 6 months
Text
ok i'm just gonna ramble ab unmortricken bc i have exactly ZERO COHERENT THOUGHTS AB IT
evil morty backstory - i rlly like that they just made him some random morty who rose above everything after getting sick of rick's abuse. it makes what he did feel even more earned and weighty. i think his motivation is a bit extreme still but i can't rlly blame him.
it's cool seeing infinity beyond the central finite curve. the jetsons inspired bit was v amusing bc i forgot about them lmao. but otherwise it seems absolutely wild west beyond the curve and i LIVE for that.
i also didnt imagine that we'd be seeing him again. i thought the way he left the show was perfect and if they brought him back it would just feel cheap but it DOESNT in this episode i love his appearance.
i rlly like seeing our morty be supportive of rick. he's literally trying everything to cheer him up and it's very important to me.
the prime decoys confuse me. like do they all share a consciousness? is prime just very very good at fucking with ppl that he's made all the decoys communicate w each other?
evil morty outsmarting rick is a great recurring theme in the episode. "filter for probability stasis" YEAH U TELL HIM LITTLE DUDE. we've never seen a morty like that EXCEPT for him and i think it's wonderful.
the exchange between rick and evil morty. "you're such a narcissist" / "literal glass house" / "you think you're better than me?" / "jesus i HOPE SO" SHITTING
i didnt initially like the decoy trap thing being full of loads of other ricks. it made me feel like our rick wasn't very important to this dude and rick just made an enemy of a guy who didn't know he existed. BUT i don't stand by that anymore. the rest of the episode made me change my mind very quickly with.
the omega device. holy fuck this is the worst reveal to come out of this episode. she wasn't just killed, she was ERASED by prime in every reality. like she is GONE gone. that's why we've never seen her, save in flashbacks and memories. she's gone.
and i'm pretty sure it's our rick's fault that he did that. we see his beth and his diane be killed by a bomb, not wiped from reality like slo mobius is later in the episode. so his family was killed BEFORE all the shit with the omega device. ik correlation ≠ causation, but it rlly explains why our rick in particular is so hungry for revenge. if he was the one that made prime kill diane everywhere then he had to be the one to make prime pay for it.
i like how the multiple monitors seems to be prime's signature move. it happens here and in the s6 premiere.
and oh fuck the parallels. "when i invent something it works, it's called being talented" in story train vs "when i make a weapon in works."
oh man the diane head weapon thing. it's interesting that it was programmed to mock rick sexually, but even on our rick who knows it's a trap, it still affects him seeing her face again. "god i missed that face." and then the blank stare when she asks for a kiss. pretty sweet and fucked up.
rick and evil morty having to work together to get their portals working. the contrast between our morty freaking out and evil morty blank staring.
the bit with the portal closing too soon. i know it happened earlier this season and i think it's so funny lmao.
I CANNOT STRESS TO YOU ENOUGH THAT I WAS SO MADE WHEN I WORKED OUT THAT INSTEAD OF YELLING WHILE GOING THROUGH THE CURVE THING IN THE MIDFLE OF THE EP HE WAS SCREAMING "PRIME" THOSE DIABOLICAL LITTLE BASTARDS AT ADULT SWIM.
prime calling rick the Wife Guy. hilarious. raises questions. makes me gnaw on my cell bars.
AND THEN the second incredible reveal of the episode: "Honestly, Wife Guy, I do miss when it was just us. The only two Ricks who actually invented portal travel." WHAT bestie prime bby girl u need to say that again. you guys were the ONLY ones who invented interdimensional travel, every rick's claim to fame. but no they just got the technology from prime who started a boys club of ricks who wanted to leave their lives behind that our rick refused.
but the reference to a time when they were closer, when it was only them - HELLO?? maybe i'm grasping at straws bc i want them to bang but holy shit.
the confirmation of the fan theory that rick based his AI voice on his wife. 10/10.
and then the fight scene. oh gods the fight scene. rick just screaming that he'll kill prime. prime regenerating constantly, looking unscathed as our rick becomes more and more dishevelled. it's too perfect i CANT. but otherwise they both seem pretty evenly matched w all the implants and stuff so without the regeneration i think rick would've had him. oh well.
rick like literally died during the fight.
the cool grandson/shitty grandpa exchange gives me breath. i LOVE how it's a morty that outsmarts prime. it's what he deserves.
prime still trying to be a smartass to evil morty, growing more and more panicked as it goes on bc he doesn't know what to do with the situation and control for once is not in his hands.
"what are u gonna 'aw geez' me to death?"
evil morty not even explaining his plan, just silently dragging in our rick and reviving him. saying "knock yourself out" with the intended double meaning. prime's almost scared expression as rick gets dragged in.
and then our rick has a choice. he can stop evil morty from keeping the weapon plans or he can kill prime. but that's a choice he made already. it's not even a decision. so his other enemy gets away.
the brutal brutal scene at the end when rick is just hitting prime. no tech, no implants, no gadgets. just fists. and rick beats him literally to a pulp as prime screams and laughs at him and taunts him further. it's meant to be sickening. it's meant to be personal. and it accomplishes that perfectly.
they don't even show prime's body in great detail. it's RIGHT in the background but we heard the sounds of the punches, we saw his nose break and his bloody teeth and haemorrhaging eyes and his brains coming out the side of it head and all we can make out is his fucked up swollen and broken face in the background as he sits still attached to the chair, a river of his blood pouring from the room.
but its not triumphant. they made rick's revenge hollow and bittersweet. its over but it destroyed rick in the process. who is he now that he isn't hunting prime? fucking no one.
then "look on down from the bridge" starts playing. we heard this in season 1 in rick potion #9 after morty had to bury a version of himself. he was struggling with the purpose of his life after switching universes. but he deals with it and overcomes it.
i think that scene is rick, for the first time in the entire show, struggling with his nihilistic philosophy. bc yes, he's shown to be an existentialist in the show (the difference being existentialists are "nothing matters but this matters to me" instead of "nothing matters so i don't have to do anything"). he had a drive. he had ppl he cared about. but now he's reached his goal he just feels empty and hollow. everything's meaningless and he's NOT okay with that. he never has been, but he has to grapple with that finally now he doesn't have a distraction. i don't think he can just bounce back and move past what happened.
ppl are saying this episode felt overstuffed and maybe it was but i'm very pleased with it and want to know where it's going.
i feel we still don't know the full story with prime. i'm predicting a flash back episode in the future explaining what the nature of their relationship was like before the bomb incident.
we also know that evil morty has this weapon that could destroy all ricks. so that is just a ticking bomb.
anyway i can't wait for angsty rick.
i actually watched unforgiven for this episode bc i'm a big fan of westerns anyway. the only real parallels i can see is they both have a group of three (two are already partners and the other one is the call to adventure) and an unsatisfying ending. bc that's the nature of westerns. they should NEVER end happily, and if u think so then ur wrong (/nsrs enjoy media how u want).
some things i haven't mentioned but enjoyed nonetheless
the schematics for the omega device is titled <SCHEMATICS BOOGER-AIDS-V2>
the arm/leg swap best in the fight
the comparison between the song at the end playing here and in season one shows with just visuals how the dynamic of beth and jerry's (and beth's) marriage has evolved since then.
everyone freaking out when indiana jones rick shoots and it ricochets off the wall and evil morty just stands expressionless until it hits his forcefield.
morty going to hug rick covered in blood, realising, hesitating, and then doing it later anyway to try and make rick feel better.
evil morty making a point to say that he doesn't want vengeful summers coming after him for omega devicing rick. not vengeful mortys, vengeful SUMMERS.
just evil morty in this whole episode was an absolute delight i need to see him more.
THE TEAR MARKS AFTER RICK EMERGES FROM BEATING PRIME TO DEATH
slo mobius' wife almost going down the same path our rick did only to find someone she loves and focus on that, saving her. makes me wonder if they're gonna try putting rick in a relationship.
this ended up being way longer than it should have. anyway. very pleased. this season is hitting all the marks for me overall.
also don't be too hard on me i didnt edit this 😭
130 notes · View notes
stalltherain · 11 months
Text
Manifest finale spoilers. I'm about to rant.
What the f-ck was that ending?
It might as well have all been a dream. Other than Mick meeting Zeke, a few people disappearing, and Saanvi's cancer treatment coming out soon enough to treat Cal, nothing is different than if the show had never happened.
I'd have preferred the characters find happiness in their shitty world. Or heck, even all of them dying in their shitty world to sacrifice themselves for people they love (that would have required a different setup from the beginning of s4 so that we saw the people that the passengers loved).
This ending reminds me of the dilemma in scifi where a character has to chose to live in a happy fake world or a tough & gritty real world. The show writers chose the happy fake. I'd have preferred to see the real world.
I was optimistic for this season and really had hope this show was going to be better than previous shows about explaining the mystery. Of all the theories of how it would go, resetting back to the plane not crashing was the most boring one & what I really hoped wouldn't happen. I guess it's a satisfying-ish ending if you had low expectations.
I just thought we'd actually get some answers, and was also disappointed by all but one of the character's endings. Since the show chose to ignore the mystery and focus on character stories, I'm going to address my issues with those.
TJ lost Olive, but immediately seems to forget her because another cute girl shows up.
Mick ends her relationship with Jared, because he wants kids and she doesn't, but how did that never come up for them in conversation before. Took my opinion of both of them down a bit. Then, 5 seconds after Jared got dumped by the woman he wanted to marry, he's already flirting with another woman. Took my opinion of Jarod about as low as it can get. Shame because I had actually liked him.
The Cal, Olive, and Grace we knew are all gone. Never going to even exist. They're basically fake versions of themselves now. Grace is reset back to season 1, which means she's the annoying version I wanted Ben to dump. Also, how is Ben going to explain that he had sex with someone on the plane? Season 1 Grace would not be open to the whole "hey, we went to another world or whatever" story. She didn't believe anything Ben said about it until she saw it affecting Cal. There's no way she believes his story if she hears it led to him sleeping with someone else. Unless Ben plans to lie to his wife, she's leaving him soon. If he does keep it a secret that he slept with Cal's doctor, that just means she'll leave a little later. Keeping that secret will destroy their relationship. It was a really terrible writing choice to have Ben and Saanvi hook up and then just go back to their previous partners like nothing changed. I think they're great together, but I'd have preferred nothing happen if that was how it ended.
The one thing I really wanted was for Saanvi to realize that she deserves better than the person who kept rejecting her over and over, but nope. Zero growth. I felt so bad for her and feel like from what we know of Alex, she'll go right back to her family soon. Or maybe Saanvi will get enough self esteem to get angry at how Alex treated her (both by not taking the flight and by how she repeatedly rejected her in the real world).
Vance is back to being kind of a jerk who knows none of them. I suppose I'm glad he has his family back, but his character development was meaningless. I'd rather have seem him get his family back in the real world.
The only ending that didn't suck was Mick found Zeke based on what he told her in the real world. I personally wasn't attached to Mick with either guy, so I wasn't expecting her ending to be the most satisfying. At least one story we watched ended up having meaning.
After so many shows have ended disappointingly, I just really wanted one to stick the landing. (pun not intended, but I'm keeping it) This ending was a major (pun also not intended, but I'm also keeping it) bummer.
I don't know how go wrap this up, so I'm just going to drop this. In five years or less, Ben and Grace are definitely split. So are Saanvi and Alex. Hey, maybe Benvi will get back together then. Lol.
122 notes · View notes
queseraone · 3 months
Note
Because I'm a rascal, but also because I really enjoyed the last round of questions: your favorite Chenford *scene* from each season. Only one scene (plus one honorable mention) allowed per season!
Rascal seems like a bit of an understatement!!! The way my brain broke reading this...
This was an interesting exercise. Some were super easy to answer, and some I stewed over for a long time... and I surprised myself with some of my picks actually!
Season 1 This was tricky, but I have to give it to the between-the-wall heart-to-heart in 1x20. The vulnerability is just next level, and this scene is iconic for a reason. I'd argue that this is the first time we can say with absolute certainty that their relationship is more than just TO and rookie.
Tumblr media
Season 1 Honorable Mention: The scene in the shop outside Isabel's apartment in 1x03. It's the first time we see Lucy breaking down Tim's walls. She really shows her empathy here, and he responds with a vulnerability he hasn't allowed with anyone else. They've only been riding together for a few weeks (?) and somehow Lucy knows what he needs, gives him that safe space and a compassion he clearly hasn't seen in a long. time. It's a beautiful showcase of their dynamic together, but also reveals so much about them as individuals.
Season 2 Oh god, oh god, oh god. This is hands-down the hardest season to choose in, because it's my favourite one, and it's home to some of the most iconic scenes. In the end, I had to go with their exchange in the gym at the end of 2x12. In general this episode is one of my favourites, but this scene is so powerful. We see Lucy working through things, taking out her frustration, trying to channel her strength, to get back to herself. And somehow in that moment, Tim manages to make her smile. He opens up to her in a way we've never seen him do before, and most of all, he reminds her how strong she is. UGH, this scene makes me scream in the best possible way.
Tumblr media
Season 2 Honorable Mention: Now that I've picked a favourite, second place is easy—their conversation in 2x17. I've always loved it so much, because between the teasing and the banter, we see this beautiful vulnerability as they talk about the Caleb of it all. It's truly a perfect showcase of their dynamic and everything I love about them. Shit, maybe this is my favourite season 2 scene? AHHHHH IDK
Season 3 I have to go with this scene from the end of 3x09. Hello, excuse me Timothy do you see how you're looking at her????? Also the fact that he dismissed Lucy's comments about missing riding with her earlier in their shift, meanwhile he had already specifically written just that??? AGJLAERGJALGJRLA It's becoming quite clear that my favourite scenes are the ones that I feel most embody their dynamic, and this is no exception—the perfect mix of playful and soft.
Tumblr media
Season 3 Honorable Mention: At the wedding venue in 3x14, duh. THE TUX. THE GREEN DRESS. "Save me a dance." HELP HELP HELP *faints*
Season 4 This was was actually pretty easy for me, it's 4x01, the scene at Tim's house. The fact that Tim not only invited her into his space, he practically insisted. Seeing Lucy wearing his clothes, seeing them together, not just outside of work, but in a very intimate space (at a very vulnerable time)???? That hug?? (That look??!?!) THAT HUG?!?!?!! The way Lucy just melts into him is the visualization of what we'd known for so long—that he's her safe space. (And she's his.) UGH, my heart. The entire exchange just felt so damn hopeful, like one of the first real hints that there was something more bubbling under the surface.
Tumblr media
Season 4 Honorable Mention: While that kiss in 4x22 was so exciting, I have to give it to the scene outside the hospice. The vulnerability we see between them here, seeing Lucy be Tim's safe space—it's such an incredible parallel to 4x01.
Season 5 HANDS HANDS HANDS. This one was also an easy pick, because I think this is my favourite moment EVERRRRRRRRRRR. The way any trace of Jake/Dim vanishes in that moment, and all we're left with is Tim and his visceral need to check in with Lucy, to be that grounding force for her, to remind her that she's here, she's safe, and she's strong. It's just everything.
Tumblr media
Season 5 Honorable Mention: While my #1 scene in this season is easy, it's incredibly hard to pick just one honorable mention. I waffled between the super hot kiss on the plane in 5x01, and the vulnerability in their exchanges in 5x21, and so many other great options... But I think I'd have to say that cold open in 5x10 when we see them getting ready for their date—that whole thing just perfectly embodies everything I love about them. The teasing, the banter, the comfort level between them, the best friend energy, how damn happy they are. It's just so fun and so them and makes me giddy every time I watch it.
I can't wait to see which scene will top my list for season 6... as of now it's obviously this one (I just want to watch this again, so here you go!)
Tumblr media
30 notes · View notes
mylittleredgirl · 1 year
Text
favorite and least favorite parts of each trek, with absolutely no thought put into it before making this list:
🚀 classic trek favorite: the ~aesthetic~. fuckin LOVE big chunky plastic buttons and beepy things, the mini-skirts, the sparkly metallic fabric, the whole deal. least favorite: janice rand leaves forever :( :( every single appearance she had was BONKERS how am i supposed to experience that and then ever hope to fill that void 🪐 tng favorite: soooooo soothing to know that our guys will always be both kind and correct and at the end of the episode i will learn something about how to be a better person. also romulans are there. least favorite: shit fuck i shouldn't have started this post because i'm already drawing a blank. ok ok i hate that the ship's counselor role got nerfed into a "therapist on the bridge" when it's actually so so important!! that needed to be explored so explicitly that dudebros on the internet have to shut up about it forever ⚾️ deep space nine favorite: THE CHARACTERS MY FRIENDS. the cast of dozens where every single character right down to the randos on the promenade are great. headed up by benjamin lafayette sisko and kira nerys, truly characters of all time least favorite: dukat's insanity/pah-wraith arc. like i do get why this narrative parallel makes sense against sisko as the prophets' emissary but also, it's bad. 🥔 voyager (that's a leola root by the way) favorite: i LOVE the early seasons where everyone is so adorable and spunky and they're just tooling around the delta quadrant being terrible at making friends. also tuvok is there. least favorite: kes leaves forever :( :( i hear you out there saying "fury" but come here. look at me. look at me. kes leaves forever. 🛰 enterprise favorite: controversial actually but i love t'pol's arc. i DID NOT love it as it was airing because watching poor jolene blalock having to act her way through ever more demeaning episodes is painful and terrible, but t'pol is magnificent actually? the fish out of water vulcan finding herself in foreign waters?? self-destruction on the way to rediscovering her own personal relationship to logic??? imagine if we'd got three more seasons of her with manny coto in charge it would've been glorious. least favorite: can we PLEASE do something with hoshi and travis i am BEGGING. also physically painful what american jingoism did to captain archer but i might have emotionally coped with it better if travis got lines. 🍄 discovery favorite: michael burnham is the light of my life she makes me cry out emotions that have been buried since i was in utero i don't even know. also the changing opening sequence my beloved least favorite: need one of those serial killer string boards to figure out what's going on sometimes??? can't say that too loudly tho because the discovery haters can smell blood in the water 💃 short treks favorite: THE CONCEPT I LOVE THIS least favorite: more??????? :( 🥷 star trek picard favorite: seven of nine in comfy sweaters kissing a girl filled holes in my life i didn't know were there!!!?!?!?? least favorite: don't like when picard is a jerk :( don't like when no soji and elnor :( :( :( 🤪 lower decks favorite: every second is a relentless outpouring of love for star trek, it's like a sleepover where all your friends are sitting around talking about how much they love tng except your friends are 900% funnier. least favorite: i have a hard time with cartoon violence sometimes so i get TENSE and also badgey haunts my nightmares for real for real 👨‍🍳 strange new worlds - actually i have only seen the first episode despite posting about it as if i have seen all of it haha my bad SO favorite: new star trek to watch!!!!! least favorite: now everyone knows i haven't watched it yet and i am losing trekkie credibility babes 😬 👩‍👧‍👦 prodigy favorite: rok-tak my DAUGHTER least favorite: that feeling of being in a warner brothers cartoon and there's an anvil above all our heads with J/C DISCOURSE painted on it just waiting for the show to make a wrong move
i swear i must have forgotten at least one series there is so much star trek now??? anyway feel free to make your own post about this, i am curious!! if you absolutely MUST i suppose it's ok to think about your answers for more than 30 seconds.
219 notes · View notes
ae-neon · 6 months
Note
Still interested in writing something for Eris/Cresseida? What about a scene when they decide to get married? Or just anything with them
💚
"You're serious?" Cresseida cocked a white haired brow, bangled arms crossed as she angled slightly towards Eris.
He leaned against a marble pillar, tall, pale skinned, bright haired, tightly wrapped in burgundy clothing. A contrast to her own dark skin, white hair and vibrant cerulean slip of a silk dress.
She half expected him to shrug, he always played close enough to the edge to back out of the game. But he turned to her, golden eyed and...earnest.
Cresseida shifted on her feet, "You really are serious." The repercussions were immense, both in their appeal and in their risk.
A marriage between them would cross a line drawn as much in blood as it was on a map. Amarantha had forbade inter-court marriages for just this reason. And before her, the families had found themselves too much at odds, locked in unending power struggles.
But now Rhysand, with three Made Fae at his back, moved to impose his will over all of Prythian. And Lucien wrestled with Day and Autumn in his blood.
Everything had changed, an alliance between the seasonal courts might save them but Winter-
"Don't."
Cresseida pulled herself from the board in her mind and met the Autumn Prince's golden gaze, finding again that strange sincerity. "This isn't something to be taken lightly, Eris."
"No, it's not." He agreed, taking his hand from his pocket and closed the gap between them; reaching for her, the calloused pad of this thumb ghosted over the wrinkled space between her brows. "Marriage is more than an alliance. I already know what the Princess of Adriata thinks, I want to know what you think."
Her walls were a second skin, existing without thought. They protected her heart as much as they did her people. Cresseida had been untrusting of even Tarquin at first. And then when her brother had left, abandoned his duty...and her, for them...
So how now had she come to trust Eris Vanserra, to let her muscles ease and her eyes reflect the uncertainty and hope she felt inside?
"Where would we even live?" Her own words surprised her and she saw his face quirk, an almost laugh.
"I'd build you a palace on the border if you like. A west wing in Summer and east in Autumn."
"Realistically, we'd need to establish an integrated household for that, including an army and while I trust your experience-"
The brush of his lips against hers stole the breath from her lungs, killed the words on her lips and ignited a fire in her gut.
They'd tiptoed around this. Flirted and fought with their words, danced so close they shared breath but never...
She tilted her face, angled for another kiss and almost moaned when he pulled her close and gave her everything she'd wanted and so much more.
She pulled back with a grin tugging at her lips as he chased her mouth, "I thought you wanted to know what I think."
"I do," his eyes still lingered on her mouth for a second before they met hers. She fought a smirk and signalled for him to continue.
"You think a palace on the border is perfect for centralising power and that consolidating our armies will help to secure Spring's border too." A frown tugged at her lips and his gaze dipped to them once more before he continued, "You think that because you can't help it. You're the Princess. You can't escape that part of yourself anymore than I can. Which is why you trust me to think the same. To work with you for the benefits. And you're right... But you also know that's not the only reason I asked."
She did know. She felt it as well as he did. Saw her chance at something more with him. Cresseida once again put away the armour of the Princess, let her heart be vulnerable and trusted Eris Vanserra, "Then you already know my answer."
Eris smiled and kissed her again.
*
CRESSERIS!!!!!
Thank you for this ask ☺️
31 notes · View notes
mahou-furbies · 3 months
Text
Closing thoughts on Hirogaru Sky! Precure
This has a really strong beginning and ending and a super likable cast (sans Ellee) so I really would like to put this to my top tier, but there is just the unfortunate unavoidable fact that the middle kinda sucks.
(spoilers)
Tumblr media
Sora might be my favourite Precure lead so far, fresh colour scheme and excellent design aside she also has this wonderful earnest dumbass energy about her. Tsubasa is my second fave of the season for being serious and dutiful. Meanwhile Ellee was pretty much dead on arrival because mascot babies never work for me; she's not as bad as some of the early franchise ones since they focus more on the cute aspects of babies instead of temper tantrums, but even the "aww look the baby said a cute thing!" content really doesn't interest me either. I also liked the villains as characters, even if on the story front they were pretty lacking.
The story really is the biggest issue here, like with DeliParty and TropiRouge we spent a lot of time in the middle getting nowhere and then got all the lore at the very end. And I didn't really like DeliParty that much to begin with and TropiRouge had a very different vibe so doing nothing important at least fit it better, but with the hero theme I would expect more plot. And in other seasons there's at least a new character added in the middle so there's some new group dynamics, but here they do absolutely nothing with Majesty. So when there's no interpersonal conflict in the group and everyone gets along perfectly (admittedly an issue in the other seasons as well) and everyone goes everywhere together and even lives in the same house, and doesn't interact much with anyone else, things just got really dull.
And in the interest of fairness since I bitched about this with Otona and take any opportunity to complain about Mana being the only one to get a powerup, I must say that it is kind of a bummer that there isn't a super form for everyone. I said that it's gotten pretty stale how in the past years the Cures only get one powerup for the mid-season group attack and nothing after that, and I do still agree with that, but holding onto the hope that we'd get a late-season powerup instead didn't pay off this time. But Mana is still not off the hook though because at least this time the other cast still got plenty of time in the limelight.
The super form we did get was really cool though, I would have preferred if it wasn't so much of a palette swap but at least there's some other differences. And story-wise it's a fresh thing for the protagonist to do. But man imagine if the hero/strength theme was better developed with Sora, like at times I had trouble figuring out what the theme of the season was supposed to be in the first place when we spent so much time doing nothing.
Overall I did like the season, but that's mostly because I like Sora so much and without her this would probably fall a rank or two in my listing.
19 notes · View notes
canonicallysoulmates · 6 months
Text
Some highlights from an interview Jacob recently did:
When asked what fans can expect from s2: "If you can believe it, it's a lot darker than the book" x
Darker than the book?! We're not surviving s2.
"Rolin [Jones], very gracefully let me and Sam have meetings with the writers room in between seasons and they asked a few questions about what we thought" x
I absolutely love that they got to speak with the writers and share their input on some things because both Jacob and Sam have shown not only how much they love and care about their characters but also how well they understand them, and how much thought they put into how they portray them.
"On season one and season two we always refer back to the books." x
About portraying Louis and people's reaction to the first season: "I'm just really glad that people accepted me. I'm sure everybody didn't but the people that did I feel really grateful, and I'm glad that I did the character justice. But also that like I really love Louis. I really love this character. I would be dissapointed if he wasn't executed with justice. That sounds like he was going to be sentenced to death that's not what I mean, but particularly our version of Louis I really care about him. I really care about getting it as right as I possibly can." x
He also says he's a very offline person but I hope he knows how much we love him and his amazing portrayal of Louis ❣️
On working with Sam on s2: "Yeah, I have to be careful about how I answer this question. All I'll say is that after we finished shooting me and Sam have been in constant contact anyway, and we did all the press together as well. We're just friends so like we're chatting anyway. So whenever we're working together on s2- if we're working together on s2."
I don't believe that "if" for a second 😂
"Me and Sam had a bit of rehearsal at the beginning, we'd go for walks around New Orleans. We'd walk for hours just around the city and we'd just chat and get to know each other."
For hours?! That's so cute.
Full interview
32 notes · View notes
Text
I've been thinking about Izzy's death today-
(Thank you hyperfixation for THAT)
And I don't think it's his death that's really bothering the fandom. But rather the grieving process that is.
See, this season the writers worked incredibly hard to show us how important Izzy Hands is to the crew. Izzy Hands became arguably the most important character both to the crew and to us.
And had he been given a proper death and burial. (Say, 5-15 minutes of screentime dedicating to losing Izzy, and his crewmates and friends mourning him), I think we'd all be fine with it.
Sad, sure. Heartbroken? DEFINITELY. But ultimately fine with it.
But because the finale is so rushed, we only got like 90 seconds to say goodbye. After a whole season of them carefully showing us how much we should love Izzy and how much potential he has, they ripped it away.
And it feels manipulative. Because not the death, but the grieving is so short, it feels like the writers have been taunting us from day one, just for this emotional betrayal.
The Fandom agrees that the finale in general feels rushed. (Stede and Ed don't even get a moment to say goodbye to the crew they created for fuck's sake-) But I think Izzy's death is the place where we really feel that.
Granted, that's likely more HBO's fault than the writers, but one could make the argument, if you can't do it right, don't do it at all.
I LOVE our flag means death. OFMD means a lot to me, especially as a newly out queer person. Izzy hands in particular means a lot to me. And this ending disappointed me. But it didn't make me love the show any less. I still love David Jenkins, and all the writers, and all the actors, and everyone who made this show possible. I'm just . . . dissatisfied.
And I think a lot of us are feeling like that. We'll still come back for Season 3 (if there is one, I think there is one? Please tell me in the comments-) with open arms. But we're still a little displeased at the moment.
Please don't confuse our criticisms for hatred, because a lot of us do still LOVE the show, even if we're not content with the ending.
Now, a side note, to give all us Izzy's fans a little hope-
Do you guys remember the scene where Buttons turned into a bird? And the overall theme of that scene was that Edward needed to have a little faith?
Maybe that's the message David's trying to get across with this scene:
Tumblr media
Maybe we need to have a little faith right now.
33 notes · View notes
mobius-m-mobius · 4 months
Note
Thinking back to the Loki finding Sylvie at McDonalds for the first time in s2 … I was SO curious how Mobius would react after his jealous fit over Sylvie in s1, and tbh on a first watch I was a bit disappointed, despite a proper double-take over the opposites attract line. I suppose I was primed for disappointment anyway, having assumed that for all the first ep was so much more than I’d hoped for, it would from here on invariably be pure Loki and Sylvie romance.
But now. The season having been That. Oh boy does the scene hit different!! Sure it’s not the blowout that is Mobius’ jealousy in s1; rather it’s transformed by now into a far more tragic resignation. He seems to have decided that if this is what will make Loki happy, he won’t stand in his way, but oh boy did I miss all the tells of how *hard* he is shoving all his emotions away to get there. The way he attaches himself to *Brad* rather than have anything to do with the reunion. The way he keeps yanking himself from his general air of grave heartbreak via strange outbursts at Brad, from going off at him before there’s any shred of evidence of double-dealing, to strangely enthusiastic assertions of how strange and cool life is. The way he tries to muster a grin when they see Sylvie really is there, and he, god of folksy cheer for all—can’t. The way he tries so hard not to watch Loki and Sylvie and to steer the conversation away from them, but his eyes get sort of stuck on them every time he glances their way.
And just. Above all. The way the season drives home over and again and again that the way Mobius deals with discomfort and emotions he doesn’t want to face is a). Comfort food, and b). Distract himself by talking to whoever is handy, even if the only folks available for talking are people he isn’t especially close to or friendly with. And going back to the scene with that in mind, well whaddya know, guess what our boy is up to !!!!!!
Yes yes YES to every word of this anon!!
As a lover of how pettily obvious Mobius was in S1 with his jealousy I was also looking forward to seeing what his reaction to Loki and Sylvie meeting again would be, and like you had expected something almost equally as brash as the interrogation scene but it turned out what we got was as good if not better in so many ways 👀👀
The way he hangs back as Loki approaches her, trying to look as casually friendly and nonthreatening as possible before IMMEDIATELY bee lining to get some apple pie when we'd only just established the key lime been a major comfort of his at the TVA?? Babe we see you and we're here for you 😭
That alone already had me waiting to see what extremes he was about to go to but I wasn't prepared at all for how the forced cheer from eating his meal fell aside the second Brad brought up not understanding what was going on with Loki and Sylvie outside, then that hint of bitterness we rarely see in "they say opposites attract? No." What a line, and he's so clearly thinking of how easily he and Loki fit together in comparison that as he continues hearing about how weird Loki and Sylvie are you practically see the thoughts racing through his mind range from agreement to a momentary embarrassment he thought that at all, then resignation and finally defeat because if this is what Loki wants he'll support and be there for him just like always.
Cue his default reaction to push his own feelings out of existence in favor of everyone else's (especially Loki's) as he plasters his usual positivity and charm back on, taking Brad's attention away from the window and towards a change of subject he knows is guaranteed to work without coming across as suspicious because there's nothing Brad would enjoy talking about more than himself and of course Mobius is such a great analyst that it worked a bit too perfectly 😅
18 notes · View notes