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#which is what i expected from a show about zombies
twilightcitysky · 8 months
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Everything Is Meant (long S2 analysis, part 1)
I cannot figure out for the life of me how to make gifs so this will have to be a gif-less essay. If anyone more tech savvy than me wants to reblog with relevant media, please do!
I've seen a lot of people saying how Aziraphale's actions in the final ten minutes come out of left field and are OOC, and when I first watched the episode I felt the same, but now I think I couldn't have been more wrong. And I don't think Aziraphale is being controlled... I think the entire season showed us exactly what was going to happen.
On first watch, what struck me was the number of plot points that seemed disconnected. I couldn't figure out how Job related to the present, or the Victorian era, or the Nazi zombies (still at sea on the zombies part tbh). I didn't know where the Maggie/ Nina subplot was going, or why we were bothering with it. Then I put my "psych hat" on and it was like seeing one of those 3D pictures come into focus. It's a psychological networking rather than a plot-driven one, which is what Neil told us to expect.
Detailed analysis under the cut, with spoilers:
I went back through the season in my head and started asking myself: why is this element there? What does it contribute?
1. Start with scene one. Why include it? Does it matter for the climax that Az knew Crowley as an angel? YES. It's actually huge. Angel Crowley was joyful, he was bursting with delight at creation, he was idealistic. He wanted to be a part of everything rather than run away from it, and that's still how Aziraphale feels. He loves being a part of things. He's a joiner. He's a landlord. He dances at clubs and he makes human friends and he learns magic. Crowley the demon doesn't seem to want any of that, and I think that's hard for Az. He wants Crowley to be free of the cynicism he thinks prevents him from enjoying life now. At some level, I think he senses that Crowley is depressed (empathy's not his strong suit but I'm sure he's aware that Crowley's in a "what's the point of it all" kind of mood; see the eccles cakes scene). He wants to fix it. Aziraphale is a fixer. Metatron offers him a chance to do that.
Another thing is that Aziraphale knows Crowley ended up Falling just for asking questions that seemed innocent. That's not okay with him. He thinks that with the two of them in charge they can actually MAKE the changes that Crowley wanted to see way back at the beginning, starting with a suggestion box.
2. Okay, now Jim. Obviously Gabriel/ Jim is the central mystery, but why does he matter? First and foremost: he's there to show Aziraphale that angels can CHANGE. Gabriel terrorized and threatened Aziraphale. Az has been terrified of him. He ordered Aziraphale's execution. And now here he is, drinking hot chocolate, doing noble self-sacrificing things, with morals that suddenly align with Aziraphale's. What an absolute game-changer that must have been! He thought Heaven was unfixable, but here's Gabriel in his shop for weeks, slowly convincing him otherwise.
Then two other things happen. First, they find out that this all happened to Gabriel essentially because he fell in love. He was fired and his memories were stolen and the only reason he recovered was because Beelzebub happened to give him the one thing that could save him. That must have seemed like incredible luck. Now, how does Aziraphale feel about memories? He lives in a bookshop that is stuffed to bursting with the records of all of human history, essentially. His memories of his time with Crowley are incredibly precious. He sees, there at the end, that everything he is can be taken from him as a punishment for falling in love. Aziraphale doesn't have a magic fly container. He'd be forever robbed of Crowley, his life, himself. It's a very real threat in his mind when Metatron intervenes.
Which brings us to the second thing. Metatron saves Gabriel. Not only that, he prevents him from being punished for loving Beelzebub and lets them both go. What better way to win currency with Aziraphale? HE doesn't want to go off to Alpha Centauri, he never has, but suddenly he sees that Metatron might protect his relationship. And he's probably the only entity with the power to do so.
So we come to two conclusions: Aziraphale, when he goes off to talk with Metatron, is feeling like maybe it's not intrinsically bad to be an angel. He believed all the angels sucked, and only God was good... but now he sees that even Gabriel can change. He met Muriel, and he likes them. (He also had a huge crush on angel Crowley, which is neither here nor there but he loves Crowley in all his forms.) So if Crowley became an angel again, would that really be so bad? In his mind, it wouldn't change who Crowley is. It would just make them both safer and allow them to be together. (He's wrong! And Crowley doesn't see it that way! But this is a key miscommunication. Aziraphale doesn't really believe that becoming a demon changed Crowley. Back to the first scene, which Aziraphale references during the Job minisode. In his eyes, Crowley is the same person (just more cynical because of what's happened to him)-- so why would it matter if he's an angel again? I truly don't think he was trying to save Crowley, or saying that Crowley would be Better as an angel. To him, it doesn't matter what Crowley is. Which is reductive and harmful, but not the same as thinking Crowley needs rescuing from himself.)
Second conclusion: he sees that an angel and demon can be in love, but they have to run away to be together. Gabe and Beelz couldn't go home again. Earth is Aziraphale's home, but after the attack on the bookshop he learned that without Heaven's protection he can't really keep them safe there. Metatron says: "Come with me, do this thing, and you can have guaranteed safety AND be with the love of your life". Poor Aziraphale wants this with every fiber of his being. All he's ever wanted was for Crowley to be safe. He's never been able to offer it. Over the past four years, he thought they were safe, but he's just learned that he was wrong.
This is getting long. Continued in Part Two!
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meowsforyujin · 1 month
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Obsessed- Hyunjin x fem reader
roommates/friends to lovers
Warnings!!( fingering, drinking, riding, unprotected sex(don’t do it), pet names, hyunjins cocky and obsessive )
To say that Hyunjin was obsessed with you was an understatement.
He knew everything about you, even things you didn’t know about yourself. You two had been roommates for two years now, easily hitting it off when Hyunjin moved in. Hyunjin was nothing but a stranger at first, only moving into your small apartment from a craigslist ad. But it really didn’t take long for you two to become best friends. You literally did everything together.
But this was never enough for Hyunjin, he knew from the beginning living with you would be difficult. The moment he saw you he’d been more intrigued then he’d ever been by a woman in his life. Hyunjin wasn’t described as a gentleman, to say the least. He wasn’t a bad person, just a bit of an immature pervert. So he could never for the life of him figure out why he was so suddenly drawn to you in a way he’d never experienced the first day he saw you.
It’s not that you aren’t attractive, you definitely are. It’s that the first day he saw you, you were in the most seemingly “unattractive” outfit ever. Obviously he thought it was attractive, and that's what he found weird. The first day he saw you, you looked like you had just rolled out of bed after a 3 month hibernation. You were walking like a literal zombie, slumping around barely giving him a tour. You were wearing a big t-shirt that did your figure no justice, with the word “nope.” printed in the middle, which might have been the most stupid T-shirt he’d ever seen. When he asked you what your shirt meant you only shrugged, saying it was a dollar at the thrift store. Your Pj pants had been way too long, he’d almost missed your mis-matched spongebob socks. Your hair in the messiest bun he’d ever seen, baby hairs framing your face so well. You were wearing clear framed glasses that were way too big, you had to keep pushing them up on your nose. You wore one single ring on your thumb, in the shape of a skull. It was an odd choice, but he was so heavily intrigued by it.
Hyunjin had never met anyone as unbothered as you either. He always tried to make you jealous, but you never seemed to care. He’d talk about bringing girls home and warn that she would probably be super loud, and you’d simply shrug, “Okay have fun, just don't give her my food.” you’d say.
He’s also never seen you with a guy over, ever. You did have your cousin Changbin over quite often, but that's your cousin. Hyunjin always wondered if you’d ever even touched a man. Surely you had, but he never asked because he really, really didn’t like to think about it. He would always struggle to hide his jealousy when any guy showed you any interest. You’d always reject them though, much to Hyunjin’s relief. Anytime a girl came up to him, he’d search you for any sort of jealous reaction, and never succeeded. In fact, you’d tease him about it later without any problem.
But Hyunjin was cocky. He was sure you liked him. Did he have any proof or reason to think so? Technically no, but he was Hwang Hyunjin and that was reason enough for him.
-present-
“Hey Y/nnnnn” Hyunjin pokes at your sides, trying to get your attention.
“Whaaaat.” You sigh, rolling your eyes, turning from your computer to face him.
“Guess what”
“Chicken Butt.”
“No, seriously guess.”
“I’m busy hwang, cut to the chase.”
“Luna and I are going out again tonight, I think things are gonna get serious soon.”
“That’s great Hyunjin, can’t wait to meet her.” He searches your face for any sign of discomfort or annoyance, and only finds sincerity.
“You want to meet her?” He blinks, expecting you to get mad or something. (cocky right?)
“Why wouldn't I? Since when has the great ‘Hwang Hyunjin’ been serious about anyone?”
Since you.
“I don’t know, I’ll ask her if we can make plans for you guys to meet soon.” He hopes you don’t hear the disappointment in his voice.
“Great, well I’m gonna invite some of the guys over tonight for a horror movie and beer pong, you and Luna are welcome to join after your date, unless you guys go back to her house instead.” You wink at him and it causes a red hue to tint his face. You figure it’s caused by the comment about fucking his ‘girlfriend’, but it’s of course it isn’t.
-time skip, three hours later.-
You had seriously been having one of the best times of your life tonight, but you couldn’t help but be disappointed that Hyunjin wasn’t there.
“What’s up? Why so glum?” Jisung asks, nudging your arm with his elbow.
“Nothing.” you flash him a weak smile.
“Lemme guess, you miss Hyunjin? Where is he anyway?” Jisung asks, looking around.
“He’s out with Luna.”
“Who’s that?”
You blink at him, not knowing if he was being sarcastic or not, “The girl Hyunjin has been going out with?”
“Doesn’t ring a bell.”, you’re shocked that Hyunjins childhood best friend has never heard of his new ‘girlfriend’.
“He’s literally gone on dates her three days in a row, like literally yesterday they went to the movies.”
“No, I was with Hyunjin yesterday, unless you know that and are trying to insult me.” He grins.
“Wait What? Why would he lie then?”
“No clue, but you should know better. He’d never date anyone having you around.” You looked at him confused, causing him to sigh and roll his eyes. “Nevermind.”
“Nooo tell me.” You whined, tugging at his arms.
“How do you not see it?”
“Han Jisung can you please tell me what the fuck you’re talking about.” Your patience was wearing thin, but you still needed to know.
“How do you not notice the way Hyunjin looks at you? He always stares at you like he wants to fucking EAT you it’s gross. But then, he won't shut. up. about you. Everytime we’re together it’s ‘Y/n this, Y/n tha,’ it's sickening. Like, you both should just get married already for Christ’s sake.”
You stare at him for a bit, not knowing what to say.
“You think Hyunjin likes me?” Your voice breathier than you intend.
“Oh my god yes. Why do you think he has a pile of your clothes in his closet? Or he excuses himself everytime he sees you in his clothes to jerk off? Or when he sits next to you while you're working just to WATCH you. I’ve literally never seen him so obsessed with someone. He literally brings a tissue sprayed with your perfume when he goes out. It’s concerning honestly.”
Everything starts to dawn on you then and there, was Hyunjin trying to make you jealous with the whole Luna thing? Is THAT why he always tried to tell you gross details you didn’t want to know?
Well shit, you thought. Obviously you had to come up with some sort of plan for when he came home.
-time skip, hour and a half later-
You somehow came up with a good enough excuse to send everyone home, and now Hyunjin was expected to walk through the door any minute. You’re currently laying on his bed, in literally nothing but his T-shirt and underwear, your nipples very visible. You’re reading (not really) a book, with your legs up, resting the book on your lap. You are very aware of the almost clear view of your pink laced underwear.
You heard Hyunjin walk in, assuming you're asleep since everyone’s gone and the apartment was dead quiet. Your heart beats faster as you hear his footsteps getting nearer, until he stops in his tracks after seeing you.
“Y-Y/n?” He couldn’t help the nervousness in his voice.
“Hyunjinnn!” You smile, putting your book down and getting up to hug him. “Why were you out so late?”
“O-Oh me and Luna, went to her house after.” You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “Of course you did, you know, I don’t like her very much.”
“Why?” Hyunjin was genuinely confused by your sudden confession.
“I don’t know, it just bothers me how much time you spend with her. I bet she’s not even that pretty, definitely not as pretty as me.” Hyunjin tries to bite back a smile, but you catch him anyway.
Without warning you pulled him close, and whispered in his ear, “Bet that’s what you wanted to hear, right?” His breath hitches, not used to having you so close, especially like this.
He almost whines when you pull away, walking back towards his bed. “Sorry I borrowed one of your shirts, figured you wouldn’t mind given the fact that you take my clothes all the time.” You point to the pile of clothes you had pulled out from his closet that belong to you.
You almost laugh at Hyunjin’s shocked expression. “I can explain!” He stammered nervously, trying to find an explanation. “First you lie to me, then you steal my clothes, honestly what am I going to do with you?” You stare at him, placing your hands on your hips.
“What lie? I lied to you?”
You let out a dark chuckle, causing Hyunjin’s dick to twitch in his pants. He was so focused on the way you looked in his shirt, that he didn’t notice how painfully obvious his bulge was.
“I didn’t know Jisung was with you and Luna yesterday, and neither did he actually. In fact, he claims he’s never even heard of a Luna.” Hyunjin can’t do anything but gulp. He really didn’t know your plan here.
“Sit on the bed Hyun.” You say simply. And like a lost puppy, he mindlessly listened to you.
He’s taken aback when you straddle his lap, but couldn’t help his arms snaking around your waist. “You see Hyun, I like you very much but I didn’t think you felt the same. Especially because I don’t see myself as the type you’d like. But Jisung told me quite a few of your dirty secrets.” Your voice was laced with dominance as you brushed your fingers through his hair. “I like you alot.” He practically blurts out, like he’d die if he didn’t say it. “Hmm yeah? How much?”, you purr, dragging your thumb over his bottom lip.
“I Like you so much it hurts, no, I love you so much it hurts. To see you every day and not be able to just hold you and tell you how much I love you? Or to not just pin you to the counter and blow your back out when you wear those stupid thrift store t-shirts that are longer than your tiny shorts? To not be able to see your face when you sing those stupid songs in the shower?” You shut him up with a kiss, because you swear if he keeps going you’ll give up your dominance.
You were surprised at first, the way he kisses you. It was so gentle, so intimate, it almost makes you want to stop this all and just cuddle him for the rest of the night.
But then the kiss becomes needy and desperate. You bite his bottom lip slightly, and waste no time slipping your tongue in his mouth. You can’t lie, you’ve fantasized about his lips alone for so long. So plump, so beautiful.
Hyunjin groans when you softly grind on him, pushing your hips closer to him. He pulls away from your lips and quickly attaches them to your neck, pulling a beautiful lacy whimper from you. His teeth grazing and nipping at the sensitive skin.
You reach down to tug his shirt off, which he quickly complied. You take it upon yourself to take off your (hyunjin’s) shirt as well.
“Fuck me.” He groans, staring at your chest. You chuckle at him before bringing his right hand up to cup your breast. That was enough of a green light for him to take your left nipple into his mouth, pinching the other one.
You let out a surprised yelp at the sensation, starting to grind down on Hyunjin again, but this time much harder. He groans into your chest, egging you on further.
You bring your hand down to touch yourself lightly over your underwear, mouth falling open. “Let me help.” Hyunjin grunted, his hand moving from your breast to your underwear. He somehow manages to get your underwear off rather quickly, and begins to run his fingers up and down your folds.
“So wet, bet you’re nice and warm already.” He breaths, slicking his fingers in your arousal. Hyunjin slips a finger into you rather easily, groaning at how your insides felt. You moan rather loudly, not expecting his singular finger to feel so nice inside of you. He added another finger, pumping them both in and out.
“Fuck.” You breathed, grinding down on his fingers. He suddenly curls them, pressing up on a spot that makes you squim.
“Yes Hyune, like that baby.” You moan satisfied with the feeling.
Hyunjin is having way to much fun finger fucking you, he nearly whines when you pull off of them.
“Gonna cum on your cock hyun, can you take that?”
Usually Hyunjin wouldn’t ever have a girl talk to him that way. He wasn’t a fan of being submissive. But it’s not any girl this time. It’s you.
He desperately nods. You hum in satisfaction, pulling out his dick in awe. You grind on his member softly, spreading yourself all over it. Hyunjin whines, and you give him a pitiful look before positioning yourself over his dick.
The moment you sink down on him, he’s far gone, enveloped in your delicious heat. He looks so beautiful, eyes drooping, mouth hung open with a hint of drool slipping from the sides.
“Stay with me pretty boy, or I won’t let you cum.”
You had him at pretty boy, and he was snapped back into reality, licking and nipping at your nipples once again. Your back arched at the sensation, not really wanting to go slow anymore.
You began bouncing up and down on him, fingers tangled tightly in his hair. You both were moaning messes, thrusting up sloppily into each other, trying to meet each other’s pace.
You clench down as you felt him twitch, slightly relieved that you were both close.
“Are you close, baby?” You coo at him, never slowing your pace. Hyunjin nods timidly. “Me too baby, please cum with me.” Your voice whimpering slightly at the end.
You swear you had the best orgasm of your life, riding out your high along with him.
You both laid next to each other, panting heavily.
“So,” you spoke, breaking the silence, “..can I have my clothes back?”
“No, you only get to wear mine from now on.”
A/n: guys I’m sorry I’m so bad at ending stuff but I rlly like this one actually :) it might be my favorite but there’s still so much room for improvement
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dr3c0mix · 11 months
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◡̈⋆🄷🄴🅈(●’◡’●)ノ
I got idea from. The Yandere!Zombie Horde x Male Reader and what if the zombies trying to get the reader attention or getting jealous of each other for getting the attention 👍. Or the reader finds someone who survive and try to protect reader when they see the zombies and drag the reader around away from the zombies.
So I got others I like too talked about but idk if you like to hear it out. ヽ(^o^)丿
I've gotten another ask with our little zombos dealing with a survivor who is using darling for their resources so I'll add that in as well >:3 this was a bit rushed because of school but i hope its still good, expect another jock x reader coming soon! its gonna be a spicy one~
Jealous Zombie Horde x Gn Reader Who Meets Another Survivor
CW: a bit of gore, mention of smut at the very end
💀 The sound of clatter and screams echoed through the empty mall as you jolt awake, quickly putting on a jacket, shoes and a weapon. Bo, who was in charge of watching you woke up too after he couldn't feel your warmth next to him.
💀 You usher Bo to follow you as you both listen carefully for where the screams were coming from. Bo, stayed in front of you protectively as you both came closer and closer to the source of the commotion.
💀 It didn't sound like a zombie's scream, no, it was human, swears and threats being thrown at whatever was provoking them.
💀 You turned the corner with Bo and see another survivor, nearly your age, trying to fight off the other 3 with a chair. They had a strange jumpsuit on with an insignia you've seen before spraypainted on buildings and gates.
💀 You whistle to get the horde's attention and they turn around to look at you, all of them cooing and running over to you and Bo, the zombie scolding them for scaring a human like that. Ribs was nuzzling close to you as he missed your scent.
💀 "G-GET AWAY FROM THEM YOU MONSTERS!"
💀 The survivor starts charging to them, about to attack when you go in front of them and explaining that they're harmless. They slowly lowered their guard, albeit to a certain degree, and put down the chair.
💀 Bo scowled at them, crossing his arms while Soda hid behind him. Ribs made a gagging gesture with his finger, making fun of their Darling's new acquaintance.
💀 Screw went towards them, sniffing their clothes and trying to reach out to them but the survivor yelps and swats him away.
💀 Before Bo can start ripping them to shreds for trying to hurt Screw, you distract the both of them by taking your new friend to your bunker.
💀 You two became friends fast, they explained that they came from a community of survivors but got kicked out when they got caught stealing supplies.
💀 You could brush past the stealing as you were too thrilled with having someone to actually talk to.
💀 At one point, Soda came in and sat beside you, asking for pets as usual, cuddling next to you much to your friend's dismay and disgust.
💀 Soda stuck out his tongue and continued showing you love and you decided it was time for bed.
💀 You set up a separate part of the room for them as you crawled into your mess of cushions and pillows with Soda.
💀 "Uhm, does he have to be here?" They ask, making you think about letting Soda out for that night. "He's fine, he won't hurt you, right Soda?" But the one-eyed creature only glared at them and let out a low gurgle, turning their back to them and pulling you close.
💀 You can hear them almost sneer at you as you fall asleep in Soda's arms.
💀 The next few days were very much a rollercoaster of events with the horde fighting for your attention.
💀 You tried showing your friend around the mall, but they kept trying to distract you, Screw showing off new trinkets, Bo asking for help with getting Ribs out of the vents again, Soda asking you for reading lessons, anything they can think of they tried which was met with a gentle 'wait' and a smirk from that annoying new human.
💀 Bo hated your new friend, he was never around when you two were with each other, always stalking and glaring at you two laughing and talking from the dark corners of the mall when he can see you.
💀 Screw wanted so bad to be friends with them, but they were always disgusted and afraid, he won't bite! He promises!
💀 Soda always had a queasy feeling when around the other human, it was like the drinks he would find around the mall but in a bad way, like an ugly bubbling feeling in his throat whenever you'd smile at them, you should be smiling at him!
💀 Ribs straight up hates them, many times he would mess with them by snarling and limping like a normal zombie to get a scream or two out. He would stick his tongue out, flip them off- yes, he knows how to do that it was Bo- Sometimes he would leave small dead animals in their shoes or bed because he's petty like that.
💀 They never felt jealousy until now, they never felt it with each other as they were like brothers, nothing could make them hate one another, but an annoying little human with the audacity to take their mate away from them? That will get them really angry.
💀 You've noticed them getting more hostile lately, never towards you but to your friend, they would feign fear and ask to leave whenever they were near which made you think a bunch about what has happened to them.
💀 You managed to find Bo, Screw and Soda and asked them what was wrong.
💀 Bo gurgled and pointed at your friend's bed, Screw nodding as he did with Soda looking away.
💀 That's when you realized they were jealous and embraced them, cooing and whispering to them that you would never leave them, you're their mate, why would you? You talked them into being nicer to your friend, as much as they hated it.
💀 Meanwhile Ribs was in the vents once again when he heard clatter in the room below him.
💀 He takes out his eye and squeezes it through the grates of the vent.
💀 He looks around to see your 'oh so best friend in the whole world' stuffing your provisions and supplies in a duffle bag that he recognizes is from your closet.
💀 He chitters and giggles at when he's seeing and pulls his eye back, popping it back in before banging on the walls of the vent, breaking the opening and dropping down behind the human.
💀 They scream and draw out a puny knife as the zombie stands back up, his bones cracking and flesh squelching.
💀 They yell at him, running up to him and stabbing their knife all over his torso.
💀 Their threats and profanities soon died down as they looked up at Rib. He wipes his nose and pulls up his hole-covered shirt and shows them his very lacking body, at least they now know why they call him 'Ribs'
💀 As you're heading to the arcade with the horde, you hear your friend yelling from the other side of the corridor. "Let me go you disgusting thing get your hands off me!" You find them kicking and screaming as they're carried over Ribs' shoulder, on his other hand was your duffle bag filled with...food?
💀 He throws them in front of you along with your bag as they cling to you with very fake cries and whimpers. "Please, he's insane! Get him away from me!"
💀 You just stood there, processing what just happened as your friend's cries for help turn to yells, demanding that you help them.
💀 Bo snarls as he hears them throw insults at you. Screw and Soda run up to Ribs, who had the smuggest expression you've ever seen on a zombie and asked him what just happened.
💀 Soda tells you everything that Rib's saw and you glare at the survivor. You scoff as you take your duffle bag and throw them a can.
💀 "You get another chance, now get out of here." You say as you turn away, walking back to your storage room, giving Ribs pets as he coos happily, the others follow after not before snarling at the human.
💀 They look at the can then back at you and let out a yell, taking out their knife and charging at you in a blind rage. "You bitch!" they shout before you dodge their attack and throw them onto the ground, kicking away their weapon as they dropped it.
💀 Now you made the horde real mad, their usual glares turn into murderous looks, Soda and Screw standing in front of you as Ribs and Bo slowly go closer to them.
💀 "Hey boys? I bet you haven't had any human to eat in a while, just make sure to clean up before coming to bed alright?" You turn away from them with your bag as they charge at the survivor, you ignore the screams of terror and ripping flesh as you go to put your food back in their shelves.
💀 And let's not forget, they're very restless from having to refrain from breeding you in front of your 'guest' so expect your legs to be numb the next morning with all four of them cuddling you all at once.
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hattersarts · 8 months
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gomens s2 thoughts, all spoilers!
I spent 10 hours talking to my housemate about the season after we binged the whole thing in the morning but here are the highlights and the biggest takeaways from the season.
okay i did love the ending, i love that we get the conformation of love AND going into the divorce arc next season (if they're not properly together by the end of season 3 however, i am rioting) they're slow burn and a whole season of them getting to the final 10mins was tasty.
HOWEVER. it was an extremely clunky season when it comes to writing, lots of either set ups missed OR set ups repeated 4 times that they're drilled into out heads. there was also lots of dialogue that really needed to be tightened up. the lesbians were so poorly written i thought they might have needed to be cut BUT they just needed to have more bearing on the rest of the plot AND say things like real people would say things and LITERALLY SHOW ONE SINGLE REASON WHY THEY WOULD LIKE EACH OTHER WITHIN THE FIRST EPISODE.
gabe/bulz romance was the one that should have been cut, have them do more of a oh-my-god-my-boss-sucks kind of thing, lean into them complaining about having to avert a civil war after armageddon stopped and touch on the "structural problems" the angels mention later. Have gabe/bulz be super punished for working together which puts huge fear into az and crowley about what happens if you try to team up as an angel/demon pair (but an extra reason why az takes the job at the end so he and crowley can be the same)
imo it works more if the only mirror of their romance is the HUMANS which should lean into themes to season 3 of how they need to team up with humans (re:"us vs them" line at the end of season 1) to actually achieve their happy ending.
Nina and maggies best scene was their last one telling crowley he needed to talk to az but i think that was one that needed to be cut, it would have been far more satisfying to have crowely work out it out himself that he loves az and wants to tell him (still via maggie and nina but more subtle rather than them telling him to his face AND via spending more time with az in the season)
flashbacks were all pretty good, loved the jobe one and that final "lonely" scene. the nazi one needed some trimming the most (why did all three come back to earth, it made scenes too crowed, have them fight to be a zombie)
shax was disappointing, she was kind of just incompetent the whole way through which didnt make the stakes very exciting, (that whole scene of her talking to the legion was unfunny and pointless) i wanted crowley to mentor her more like when he gave her advice in the first few meetings we saw (kind of in a very non-demonic way, not expecting anything in return) and her to then meet him on equal footing in the finale. would have been a little accidental taste for Crowley to have his good deeds come back to haunt him while showing he's different to demons.
speaking of the finale fight, that halo had NO set up, it was sick as hell but ??? the fuck did that come from. the fight should have been won by az and crowley performing another HUGE miracle together, discorporating the demons (which then would alert heaven and hell something was up in the bookshop and the final scene can happen)
az taking the job from metatron was very good, its consistent with his character where he still hasn't let go of his faith in good/god, he's only been upset by the angels running heaven and still has faith in the system while crowley has realised none of it works and it's only them together that matters. it was nice to show he still hasn't truly accepted crowley for who he is now (tho imo he knows he loves him, he just hasn't quite unrepressed himself) and him not turning down the job after crowley confesses to him shows he still thinks he can fix it. Crowley on the other hand thinks he's now lost him, az has broken he the trust he had in him, he's going to be in big depression mode
few thoughts of good directions for S3:
finally delivering on what crowley said at the end of S1 I think is the most satisfying. the final showdown should be humans Vs heaven/hell with Crowley and az on the human side, helping them win the conflict. there would be suggestions that this is actually god's ineffable plan, this is a conflict she wants to happen and the things that Crowley and az went through are what make them perfect ambassadors to help the humans.
the set up for az in S3 to finally work out he and Crowley can't work out within the unfair rules of the system and for him to abandon heaven (tho not I think, becoming a demon) is good. a sucky ending imo for season 3 is if az somehow "fixes" heaven and via bureaucracy and not via blowing it all up.
growth moments for Crowley in S3 might be having more contact with humans since he's already abandoned hell and it would put az & crowley on similar footing (as az very much loves humans already) when they decided to side with humans for a humans Vs heaven/hell conflict.
anyway, gay people
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dailyadventureprompts · 5 months
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Tableskills: Creating Dread
I've often had a lot of problems telling scary stories at my table, whether it be in d&d or other horror focused games. I personally don't get scared easily, especially around "traditionally horrifying" things so it's hard for me to recreate that experience in others. Likewise, you can't just port horror movie iconography into tabletop and expect it to evoke genuine fear: I've already spoken of being bored out of my mind during the zombie apocalypse, and my few trips into ravenloft have all been filled with similar levels of limp and derivative grimdark.
It took me a long time (and a lot of video essays about films I'd never watched) to realize that in terms of an experience fear is a lot like a joke, in that it requires multiple steps of setup and payoff. Dread is that setup, it's the rising tension in a scene that makes the revelation worth it, the slow and literal rising of a rollercoaster before the drop. It's way easier to inspire dread in your party than it is to scare them apropos of nothing, which has the added flexibility of letting you choose just the right time to deliver the frights.
TLDR: You start with one of the basic human fears (guide to that below) to emotionally prime your players and introduce it to your party in a initially non-threataning manor. Then you introduce a more severe version of it in a way that has stakes but is not overwhelmingly scary just yet. You wait until they're neck deep in this second scenario before throwing in some kind of twist that forces them to confront their discomfort head on.
More advice (and spoilers for The Magnus Archives) below the cut.
Before we go any farther it's vitally important that you learn your party's limits and triggers before a game begins. A lot of ttrpg content can be downright horrifying without even trying to be, so it's critical you know how everyone in your party is going to react to something before you go into it. Whether or not you're running an actual horror game or just wanting to add some tension to an otherwise heroic romp, you and your group need to be on the same page about this, and discuss safety systems from session 0 onwards.
The Fundamental Fears: It may seem a bit basic but one of the greatest tools to help me understand different aspects of horror was the taxonomy invented by Jonathan Sims of The Magnus Archives podcast. He breaks down fear into different thematic and emotional through lines, each given a snappy name and iconography that's so memorable that I often joke it's the queer-horror version of pokemon types or hogwarts houses. If we start with a basic understanding of WHY people find things scary we learn just what dials we need turn in order to build dread in our players.
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Implementation: Each of these examples is like a colour we can paint a scene or encounter with, flavouring it just so to tickle a particular, primal part of our party's brains. You don't have to do much, just something along the lines of "the upcoming cave tunnel is getting a little too close for comfort" or "the all-too thin walkway creaks under your weight ", or "what you don't see is the movement at the edge of the room". Once the seed is planted your party's' minds will do most of the work: humans are social, pattern seeking creatures, and the hint of danger to one member of the group will lay the groundwork of fear in all the rest.
The trick here is not to over commit, which is the mistake most ttrpgs make with horror: actually showing the monster, putting the party into a dangerous situation, that’s the finisher, the  punchline of the joke. It’s also a release valve on all the pressure you’ve been hard at work building.
There’s nothing all that scary about fighting a level-appropriate number of skeletons, but forcing your party to creep through a series of dark, cobweb infested catacombs with the THREAT of being attacked by undead? That’s going to have them climbing the walls.
Let narration and bad dice rolls be your main tools here, driving home the discomfort, the risk, the looming threat.
Surprise: Now that you’ve got your party marinating in dread, what you want to do to really scare them is to throw a curve ball. Go back to that list and find another fear which either compliments or contrasts the original one you set up, and have it lurking juuuust out of reach ready to pop up at a moment of perfect tension like a jack in the box. The party is climbing down a slick interior of an underdark cavern, bottom nowhere in sight? They expect to to fall, but what they couldn't possibly expect is for a giant arm to reach out of the darkness and pull one of them down. Have the party figured out that there's a shapeshifter that's infiltrated the rebel meeting and is killing their allies? They suspect suspicion and lies but what they don't expect is for the rebel base to suddenly be on FIRE forcing them to run.
My expert advice is to lightly tease this second threat LONG before you introduce the initial scare. Your players will think you're a genius for doing what amounts to a little extra work, and curse themselves for not paying more attention.
Restraint: Less is more when it comes to scares, as if you do this trick too often your players are going to be inured to it. Try to do it maybe once an adventure, or dungeon level. Scares hit so much harder when the party isn't expecting them. If you're specifically playing in a "horror" game, it's a good idea to introduce a few false scares, or make multiple encounters part of the same bait and switch scare tactic: If we're going into the filthy gross sewer with mould and rot and rats and the like, you'll get more punch if the final challenge isn't corruption based, but is instead some new threat that we could have never prepared for.
Art
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thats-ill-eagle · 3 months
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HELLUVA BOSS DEVIATING FROM ITS ORIGINAL PREMISE FUNDAMENTALLY DESTROYED THE SHOW
So, it has already been discussed many times in HB critical community that HB deviated from its premise after S1 and that anyone with an once of media literacy can tell that you can't describe it in any way other than horrible writing.
Now, I'm going to ask you this for a second - imagine that you haven't seen S1, the pilot or read the premise of Helluva Boss anywhere. Imagine that you watch all (available) episodes of S2 and are asked to write a premise about it on some movie review website. How would you briefly describe what happens in S2?
Oh, you can't or are having major trouble doing it? Don't worry, you are not media illiterate, my friend. That is the case because IT'S LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL WHAT HELLUVA BOSS IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT ANYMORE.
There are many flaws that your writing could possess - inconsistent characterization, too fast/slow pacing and so on. However, they do not automatically derail your work. It is very much possible to recognize those faults, learn from them and do better in the future.
But the premise of your work is its literal BONES. You build up the plot and characters based on it. You just can't expect your show to be good, if you tear out its basis. Of course the pacing, character development and how plot points are wrapped up in HB is horrible - how can anything function without the very thing that holds it all together?
And I MEAN that the premise of HB completely disappears, not shifts or changes. Like, seriously, what the hell is HB supposed to be about now?
Stolitz?
Their interactions indicate zero meaningful development and are tediously spaced out to the point that it's hard to care about their relationship. It is made even worse by the fact that Stolas, just like in S1, still keeps pressuring Blitzo, despite him being clearly uncomfortable.
Blitzo making amends with people he hurt?
Even ignoring S1's nonexistent buildup of this plotline (Blitzo looking at photos on his phone doesn't count, since it's literally the ONLY moment that barely suggests it), there's no buildup in S2 either, when it comes to both Barbie and Fizz. It is certainly not helped by the fact that Barbie just vanishes after Unhappy Campers and Blitzo and Fizz's beef is resolved in a single episode.
Any other plotlines of S2, like Fizz's job, Crimson, Striker, or Stolas and Stella's separation are just too small or insignificant to be considered part of the supposed premise, INCLUDING the assassination business, which arguably takes up the least amount of time of aspects of the show listed.
It's no surprise that Helluva Boss is slowly crumbling. At this point, it's just a paralysed zombie who completely forgot what it once was. And it's damn sad to watch, because the show comforted me during some dark times and, despite Viv being an awful person, I truly hoped for HB to be great.
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writingseaslugs · 9 months
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Diasomnia: When They're Sick
Ahhhhhh finally! This dorm actually took the longest because I kept getting side tracked with other things. Took me two days to write it. I blame my friend, Em. We had write night and we couldn’t stop talking long enough for me to write these. I got midway through Lilia before giving up.
Disclaimer: All characters in this series are aged up. For more information about my version of this world and the type of reader you can expect, please click the “Au Information” below!
Request Information | Masterlist | Au Information
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Diasomnia: When They’re Sick
Fae sickness was something that was vastly different from the kind that humans experience. It’s normally stronger and makes the person infected feel like a zombie. Thankfully the virus doesn’t circulate too often, but when it does it comes through like a hurricane. All it takes is for one person to visit Briar Valley when it’s going around and then come back to the dorm and everyone who can get it is sick. Sadly this happened and to say that everyone was in the dorm was suffering was an understatement. Even the humans were getting sick from flu season…overall not the best time to be visiting Diasomnia.
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Malleus Draconia
Malleus hadn’t been sick in a hot minute…how long we’ll never know. It just never really happened to the Dragon Fae. So when he did come down with a surprise flu that was exclusive to Fae, it caused a bit of an uproar in Diasomnia. Most students were told to keep quiet about the situation, but it didn’t stop rumors from spreading as Malleus began missing some classes. Sebek was tense while going to school and Lilia, for the most part, also wasn’t attending classes so he could care of the prince.
Lilia is the one who actually shows up to your dorm room to inform you about Malleus’s condition. He isn’t very subtle about it either, in fact he was a bit over dramatic as to how bad off Malleus was. Now at this point, the worst of his illness is gone. Lilia wasn’t about to drag you in for that shit show that was the first few days of the fae flu, but he is dragging you in on the last few days in order to help Malleus feel better emotionally. Poor dragon boy has been stuck inside his room not being able to do much, and it caused him to be restless. The moment he sees you appear in his room his entire day has already brightened up.
Malleus has no issues taking medicine, though what he takes is certainly not something you’d be used to. The glowing liquid in the vial looks almost alien as you hand it over to him. There were several lined up, all labeled according to when he had to take them. It was odd seeing him chug the glowing liquid since it was still glowing in his neck as he took it, only to fade out when it got past the neck. Apparently it was special medicine made in Briar Valley that was specially made to help combat the flu.
Please do him a favor and make something for him to eat…please. Lilia has been in charge of bringing him his meals, so some of them have been unique. Granted, Lilia did try following the recipes this time around to make sure Malleus didn’t get worse from his cooking, but they can only help so much. Lilia can’t help but think “Maybe if I add this it’ll help him feel better faster.” which ended up in a vile concoction. So please bring him something good to eat so he can have a palate cleanser. He’ll probably be asking if you can stay until he’s better just so he doesn’t have to eat another of Lilia's specialty meals.
You’re going to be receiving random gifts at your home as soon as he’s better, along with several letters. Chivalry isn’t dead when it comes to the dragon fae, and he’s making it known that he appreciates what you’ve done. You’re never going to find out about the earlier stages of him being sick though, so don’t worry. That’s something that you probably will never see in your lifetime if he has anything to say about it.
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Lilia Vanrouge
Lilia is also someone who doesn’t get sick very often; the last time he did was before Malleus was even born. So to say he was shocked when he began feeling sickly was an understatement. He knew exactly what was going on too, he had the fae flu a few times in the past, and it’s a feeling you never forget. So he’s already getting medicine prepared and telling everyone that he’s going to be taking time away from classes for maybe a week or two.
Lilia originally wasn’t going to be dragging you into this, but when you found out from Malleus that Lilia was acting strange and isolating himself in his room, you were curious. Lilia was in his room, covered in tissues with a red nose and watery eyes, staring at the ceiling. He didn’t even notice you had come in, which says something. Of course he’s going to accept help even if it does pain him to let you see him like this, but he isn’t exactly able to do much himself at the moment.
Once he has you taking care of him, he’s going to be so happy and be far more of a big baby than he was earlier. He now has you to give him medicine and attention, and he’s living for it. He’s never actually had anyone taking care of him while he was sick, so this is new and pleasant for him. He’s going to be over the moon but also extra needy as he begs for an extra dose of medicine even though he had some like five minutes ago. You’re going to have to remind him to let it kick in, but he can’t help the whining. It’s so fun watching your facial expressions and despite being sick, he still needs to mess with you somehow.
This is the only time he might complain; and it’s not even for the reasons you think. He’ll take one bite of your food and comment he can’t taste anything, before asking for you to take him to the kitchen so he can add flavor. Don’t. Let. Him. Absolutely don’t let him even leave the room, he’s contagious and he’s aware, but he also really wants something with a strong taste so it’s a mix of emotions. Just let him know you’ll see what you can do and maybe grab something that’s…different to put into his meal next. It doesn't have to be good, it just has to be unique.
Once he’s better he is so hyped to be able to hang out with you again. He’s going to be jumping off the walls and thanking you for being such a good caretaker for the poor, old Bat. Silver, Malleus, and Sebek will also be thankful to you for helping Lilia, since he refused to let any of them see him while he was sick. He apparently didn’t even let Silver into the room, despite knowing he wouldn’t be able to catch whatever he had. Lilia didn’t want anyone to see him so weak and frail, but you guess since you came in unannounced he didn’t have much of a choice.
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Silver
Silver clearly can’t get a disease that targets fae, but that doesn't mean he can’t still get a cold. Falling asleep in random places can really ruin someone’s health, and Silver is no exception. He fell asleep outside and it got a bit too late, a little bit too cold. The next thing he knew he had a horrible cold and a raging headache that wouldn’t go away. So he did what was best and went to his room and tried to sleep it off without a second thought.
Silver in the past was always able to get over colds very fast, so Lilia never was too worried when he found out Silver was under the weather. You, on the other hand, were very concerned. If Silver just slept it off, then he might get better, but it was best to treat the cold as best you could. After all, colds could turn to pneumonia in the blink of an eye, and that can literally kill a human. Somehow this passed by Lilia’s knowledge so he never cared too much, but after you express this concern he goes full dad mode. He doesn't know much about treating humans though, so you’re the one leading the way. Thankfully Silver is too out of it to protest.
Silver will take whatever you give him judging by how he’s half asleep when you’re there. Whenever he’s sick he’s extra tired and literally can barely keep himself awake. It’s extremely concerning but Lilia swears it’s how he’s always been. Silver might be able to thank you while he’s half asleep, but that’s about it. Thankfully the taste doesn’t get to him while he’s in this state, so no worries about him spitting out the medicine or fighting due to the flavor.
This is the most challenging part about him being sick. Again…he can barely keep himself conscious. Just getting him to sit upright to have a meal is a struggle. You’re basically spoon feeding him as he begins dozing off every couple of seconds. You need to make sure he doesn’t drown in his soup. At one point, smelling salts actually do sound like a rather good idea to use on him. It’s going to take a solid hour for him to finish whatever meal you bring to him, but at least he’s eaten something. Normally when it’s just Lilia, he won’t eat until he’s all better. Small improvements are still improvements!
Silver hardly remembers being sick, but he does recall glimpses of you between his fever dreams. Once he’s back, he’ll be thanking you and asking if you’d like to go on a walk. It’s just his way of saying thanks. The walk is mainly so all the forest animals will run up and greet you guys, since they were all concerned once Silver was gone. The animals and Silver are very grateful for the efforts you put forward to assisting him in getting better. While he can’t promise he’ll be able to give the same care for you, he can at least say he’ll do his best if you ever fall ill.
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Sebek Zigvolt
Sebek, out of everyone, is the worst when it comes to denying he’s sick. He could literally pass out from exhaustion from his illness, and he’d get back up and apologize for his displays in front of Malleus. Lilia is the one telling Sebek he needs to rest, and the only way Sebek will is if Lilia reminds him that his illness is contagious and could make Malleus ill. So of course this leads Sebek to going to another extreme and barricading himself in his dorm room so that no germs can get out. This makes it hard for anyone but Lilia to get in to check on him.
He refuses to let a human help him; you have no idea what a fae illness is. How could you possibly help? Wait…Malleus personally asked you to come help nurse him back to help since you can’t catch whatever it is he has? Why of course, Lord Malleus is so generous and he needs his guard back as soon as possible, so it makes sense he’d send a servant to help him. Just remind him you aren’t a servant and you’re here because you care for him. He will get flustered but will do his best after he is finally open to you helping him out.
Medicine is something that he’s not super stoked on taking, but if Lilia bought it, then he’ll take it. He will give you the side eye if you stare at him while taking it and ask what’s so interesting about it. When he grimaces it’s a bit funny with how his face scrunches up and he quickly tries to conceal it. You caught it though, it was so obvious that he disliked the taste and it was oh so adorable.
He’s not super picky when it comes to the stuff he eats while sick, as long as Lilia hasn’t touched it. He might even comment that it tastes good for something a human managed to cook up. That’s him secretly saying that it tastes amazing and he loves it, he’s just not going to say all of that out loud. He does prefer it if the meals will help him get better faster though, so keep that in mind. He also wants a lot of protein to be in it so he doesn’t lose bulk, because he might still be trying to work out while sick. Smack him over the head and tell him to take a chill pill and relax. If need be, get Lilia to do it for you. He needs rest and it’s not something he’s good at.
Once he’s better he’ll thank you out of obligation, because Lilia literally won’t let him go without saying it. He might even be blushing but he’s going to have to add something to make it into a subtle insult. “You played a good nurse…well for a human at least.” at least it’s something. Just inform him that it wasn’t for free and the next time you’re sick, he’s the one giving you medicine and home cooked meals. He can’t even say he won’t. He can’t be indebted to a human, after all.
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luveline · 1 year
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maybe for zombie Steve au, there’s some sort of emergency at the college so there’s like a lockdown ish but Steve & reader get split up & then have an emotional reunion? 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
thank you so much for your request! I took a smide of inspo from scenes of twd (specifically when the prison fence gets it shit rocked) steve zombie!au ♥︎ fem!reader 5k words
"And you…" You pause, tongue sticking out as you struggle to tuck your shirt into your jeans. "You smoked?" 
Steve laughs where he's shrugging into his own jeans. You're both very late. 
"Everyone smoked junior year." 
"I didn't." 
"No, of course you didn't," he says, laughing more. It's a nice sound to hear so early in the morning. You can almost pretend you're well-rested. 
"I didn't," you say emphatically, leaning against the wall by the door to slip on your sneakers. 
It doesn't matter if you're telling the truth, Steve clearly doesn't believe you. He mirrors your actions and puts on his own pair of sneakers. They were white, once upon a time, but now they're a gritty grey. You stand tall in unison and pull open the door.
"Wait," Steve says. 
He brushes your hair out of your face, looking over each of your features casually before his fingers dip down to your belt. You startle on instinct, though he's only fixing the mess you'd made of your tucked shirt. His fingers push under your belt methodically, efficiently. In less than a minute he's done. 
Neither of you bother with a jacket. Steve pockets the keys and the door locks behind you, the two of you half jogging out of Little Hawkins to the front of the building. 
"I'll be at the north fence all day, okay, so if you need me, come and find me. You're–" 
"In the pantry where I always am," you say, "and I'll be fine, so you don't let anything bite you and I'll see you at dinner." 
"Wait, wait, wait," Steve says, catching your wrist before you can part ways. 
He pulls you in by the arm until he can grab your shoulders. He does altogether too much looking, eyes raking over your face, your neck. He meets your eyes, cups your cheek in both hands. 
"I love you," he says quickly, "I love you," —he kisses you wonky, lips way too close to your nose, "I love you. See you at dinner." 
He's sick in the head. He doesn't give you any time to answer or bestow the heaping of affection he deserves, simply splits and power walks away from you.
You sigh, wringing your hands together. "Steve! I– I love you too!" 
He turns around, his smile ridiculously big, and waves at you. You wave back. 
He races out of view. You try not to make eye contact with the people milling around outside of the dorm building and pick up the pace, running down the street to the cafeteria building. 
The town hall is alive in the mornings, and class is in session, more kids than you'd ever expected to see again in your lifetime all bundled up in one room. You think it's nice, the way they teach them here. They don't bother with algebra or arithmetic, though Sammy the 'teacher' offers tutoring to anybody who wants it, they just draw and play and talk about emotional wellbeing. Sometimes there are survival classes, but they don't really talk about geeks. They show the kids what wild flora is edible, or how to wrap a cut. You think it's probably more for routine than actual teaching. 
"Hi, Sammy," you say. 
She smiles, and you're horrified as she says, "Hi, baby. Class, say good morning." 
All the kids say good morning to you. You flush with heat from top to bottom. Their cute little faces beaming up at you is an instant disarming. 
"Hi, kids," you say, waving. 
Hands holding crayons and pencils wave back at you. 
You make your way into the kitchen, which is a huge industrial affair connected to an otherwise small cafeteria. Maybelle and Pauline are already inside cleaning up the leftover breakfast and preparing for community dinner. 
Breakfast is specifically for the people inside the community who can't manage to make it themselves, the disabled, the injured, the elderly, but dinner is for everybody. 
"Sorry I'm late," you say. 
"Hun, we don't care," Maybelle says. 
"Did you want breakfast?" Pauline asks. "I'm gonna wrap this up otherwise. Somebody's gonna eat it."  
It sounds like a threat. You take some of the breakfast they've set aside, which isn't a breakfast food at all, just boxed mac and cheese that tastes slightly stale. You barely notice it anymore, though the texture gives you the heebies. 
You move into the pantry and check everything still there, the easiest and most useless part of your job. Then, Maybelle and Pauline try to put together a meal that's both cost effective (the cost being the energy expended to retrieve the food, and the likelihood that this food will be seen again) and not disgusting. Oftentimes they have to make a bunch of different stuff that doesn't go together, but it's better than nothing. You like this a whole lot more than if they just gave everybody a can a day and said there's your lot. 
You mark down the things they've taken. You mark down things you might need in Hopper's next supply rub. It's a super cushy job, the kind that isn't strictly necessary, but there are a lot of people in the community and the majority are willing to do what needs to be done. They ran out of jobs quickly, and you're sure Hopper had felt a little sorry for you, so here you are. You're not like Steve. You're not a survivor. You're lucky. 
You sit down after a while, no use pretending you have anything left to do, left side pressed to the side of the industrial oven. 
"You know, we used to live in Mississippi?" Pauline asks you. 
"What?" you ask. 
"Mm-hm, we were only in Michigan for vacation, if you can believe it. We had a good time." 
"Before, the uh, the apocalypse," Maybelle says with a tittering laugh. "We were hiking in the Porcupine Mountains when some dude tried to bite me. We thought he had rabies." 
The room smells like jarred pasta bake, a rich, garlic-thick smell that threatens to make your eyes droop. In the cafeteria, through the open shutters, you can hear the kids singing. Sammy hates nursery rhymes, so they learn the words of old songs by Louis Armstrong. Today, they're a discordant, too fast chorus of What a Wonderful World. It's a racket.  
But no matter how loud the kids sings, they can't cover the reverberations of a gunshot. 
A hush falls in the kitchen.
You stand up. You aren't panicked, exactly. More like you've stepped into a heavy overcoat, trepidation a weight that settles like a second skin. You move to stand by the sink with Maybelle. She pushes it open, and the three of you stare outside. 
Trees rustle in the wind. The kids descend into giggles as Matthew, one of the rare teenagers who deigns to join in, busts out a Louis Armstrong impression, his voice deep and bending. The oven hums. 
The second gunshot sounds. After that, you can't count them. 
Maybelle slams the window closed and twists the handle down to lock it. 
Your heart beats. None of you know what to say. Your pulse bumps, and bumps, and bumps. 
"Lock the doors," Maybelle says. "Lock the windows. Just in case." 
Gunfire comes fast and ferocious as a sudden downpour, popping in the near distance. Your footsteps clip over the linoleum floor, firm rubber soles like an elastic band as you bound into the cafeteria and meet Sammy's eyes. 
The kids are perturbingly quiet. 
"I'm gonna lock the doors," you say tentatively. 
Dread fills her face. "Okay. Alright." 
You fizz around the room, locking the front and side entrances one after another. You're thinking so many things at once that you can't seem to focus on any, and instead your attention is drawn to the inconsequential. How cold the metal on the door's emergency push bars are. The colouring books on the floor. 
You're standing in front of the last door with shaking hands as it gets thrown open. You gasp and scrabble backwards, hands in front of your chest to protect yourself. 
It's Joyce. Breathless, red in the face Joyce. 
"Lock the kids in the kitchen," she says. "The north fence has a leak. They're getting in." 
Steve is not having the good day he thought he'd be getting. 
You'd been exceptionally pretty this morning, tired eyed and disorientated but adorable through and through. You and Steve have fallen into a routine, and you talk so much it's a surprise your throats aren't sore. There's so much to say and never enough time to say it; you've taken to trading stories in the morning while you get dressed. Today was Steve's turn. He'd told you all about his birthday party during junior year, how his dad had almost killed him because somebody left a hole in the wall, and how he still can't eat Dunkin' Donuts without feeling queasy. You'd asked him when the last time he actually got to eat a donut was, and it hadn't been sad, like you might expect. 
He'd said, "I don't need any extra sweetness, are you kidding? Got all my sugar right here." 
You'd laughed at him (not with him) and nearly choked on toothpaste. 
That's a perfect morning for Steve. That's as good as they get. It might be silly, but he'd felt damn good, and foolishly tricked himself into thinking the rest of the day might be similarly great. 
"You're a fool, Harrington," he mutters to himself. 
"What was that?" 
Steve looks up. Jonathan and Christopher are staring at him. 
"He's going crazy," Christopher says. "Best take him out to the back shed." 
"Funny." Steve kicks the dirt in front of him. "So bored I'm talking to myself," he admits. 
"It could be worse," Jonathan says. "We could be on latrine duty." 
Steve would rather not think about latrine duty. God bless the communal bathroom in Little Hawkins. 
The day is breezy but surprisingly warm, not a cloud in the sky. The sun bears down and heats Steve's skin in waves. He likely should've stopped for his jacket this morning, but he'd been super late. He doesn't want a citation. Another citation. 
This is the slowest day they've ever seen on fence duty. Usually the general hubbub of the community catches the attention of a handful of geeks, and fence duty stabs them through the brain with lethally modified crowbars. It's gross, but it's necessary. It keeps you safe. Yet today they haven't seen a single undead. 
"Maybe they're dying," Christopher says. 
"They're already dead," Jonathan says. 
"How do you know? You felt for a pulse?" 
"They decompose," Jonathan says, laughing softly. "They're corpses." 
"I'm just saying." Christopher shrugs. 
Steve ignores them both without malice, staring through the section of chain link fence he's standing in front of and out into the streets. The north side of The College faces the surrounding town. From here, he can see a pharmacist's building, a sandwich shop, and a small veterinary clinic. Shells of cars long dismantled line the road. Natural works to reclaim them slowly, tires threaded with long grass. A few days ago, a deer ran straight up to the fence and stared at him. He promised you he'd come and find you next time, even though you hadn't really minded. He wants you to see it. There's more out there than just geeks and bad people. 
He shivers and fiddles with the holster on his hip, checking for the tenth time in as many minutes that the gun held within has the safety mechanism on. He really doesn't wanna shoot himself in the foot. That would majorly suck, though, he thinks, you'd look after him. That might make it worth it. 
Not that he'd shoot himself in the foot for your attention, that would be totally backwards. But he thinks you'd look cute as a nurse, with the little hat— 
"Do you hear that?" Jonathan asks. 
Steve pulls away from his questionable thoughts and turns to see his kind of friend. Jonathan stands with his nose to the fence, straight brown hair curling at the bottom of his neck. He needs a trim, but who is Steve to judge? 
"Hear what?" Steve asks. 
Though you can see the town through the gaps, the fences are blanketed by trees. Old trees with thick trunks, the kind that protesters would chain themselves to if the government ever suggested cutting them down. The ground around them is more dirt than grass, like the packed earth under the fence and Steve's shoes.
He assumes Jonathan's talking about the creaking of a thousand branches in the wind. Brown and orange leaves fall in droves, crinkly and scratchy as they litter the floor. 
"I can't hear anything," Steve says. 
"It sounds like a car engine," Jonathan says. 
Steve cannot agree. Now that the world is silent, car engines sound like jet planes. They shake the ground. There are no vibrations to be felt, but… there is something. 
"I'm gonna walk the perimeter," Steve says. A creeping unease takes shape over his shoulders like the winding suffocation of a python. He can feel the pressure of it against his throat. 
It's nothing, he thinks to himself. 
Sections of street flash between the trees. Tree, empty street. Tree, empty street. Each tree blocks the sun, and goosebumps erupt over his skin, the hairs on his arms standing up with each footstep into the dimness. Steve pulls his crowbar close to his chest. 
I'm paranoid, he promises himself, even as the strange sound Jonathan had heard begins to rise. He knows what it is, he knows, but he doesn't want to know. The wet suck of meat being pulled off the bone, and the dry rattle of lungs that won't fill. He lets the sun kiss his cold face for a moment, and then he stops behind the cover of a huge sycamore tree and leans, carefully, slowly, to the left. 
The sun hasn't warmed the sparse grass. Each blade is frosted into spikes. The leaf litter has turned to mulch, disturbed and churned by the body splayed open atop it. Blood emulsifies the dirt, a black mud that covers the hands, arms, knees, and mouths of a sizable herd. 
Steve flinches backward, covers his nose to shield himself from the stink, and swiftly presses stiff fingers over his mouth to stop himself chucking up. 
There must be fifty or more geeks huddled there, fighting for scraps of ligament, falling over chunks of inedible veel.
Steve wants to retreat quietly. His hands have other ideas. 
He drops the crowbar, fumbling for it with every centimetre it falls, and ends up knocking it a couple feet away with a horrified gasp. 
The fences are hammered into the ground so they can't be moved, but there aren't many fence posts between sections. Flimsy chain link is all that separates Steve and the herd. 
They look up. They start to move. 
Hands reach for him, hands force themselves through the holes of the fence, skin peeling back over muscle like the delicate rind of a pear. He watches in horror as the herd congregates, as the herd leans its collective weight against what's basically chicken wire, as dessicated flesh shaves off of their dead bodies, as the fence begins to bend. 
The geeks use each other like ladder, pulling and climbing, heaped like jenga tiles until a gnarled hand closes over the top of the fence. 
He wants to run. He needs to stay. He needs to separate them, he needs to thin the weight. He scrambles to take up his crowbar again, taking a step forward, but the tattle tale sound of metal scratching against metal squeals in his ear, and he leaps backward as the fence tips forward.
He should scream. 
He trips as he grabs the crowbar, palm aching as it smashes into the ground. He barely touches the floor, pushing himself back up and using his momentum to sprint toward the rendezvous point. 
"Jonathan!" he shouts, his voice strained. "They're over the fence. Section twenty one is coming down!" The fence has already come down, but Steve isn't thinking straight. 
Jonathan barely looks at Steve. He only needs one glance before he's looking past him. Steve looks back, too, and then he keeps on sprinting.
Jonathan unholsters his gun. Christopher does the same. 
Behind Steve, across the stretch of the college campus, a wave of geeks snap their gored maws. Steve runs harder than he's ever ran before, faster than he's ever moved, even faster than that night in the woods with you, scroungers on your tail, laughing and cussing, their flashlights shining at your heels like the beam of a prison guardhouse. 
Steve vaults himself over an overgrown hedge and right into the centre of the campus. There aren't many people out, but any at all is too many. 
"Get inside!" he shouts without explanation, shoes sliding over stone as he leaps for the civil defence siren nestled against the gym building. "Get inside! There are geeks inside the fence!" 
Jeremy and Dustin had jerry-rigged the broken siren months ago for situations like this to only play for two seconds. Not long enough to attract anything that isn't already here. Steve slams his hand into the button and stares up at it in a petrified awe as the siren begins to cry, one long and wailing wave of sound that careers over the community. 
It might be his imagination, but he thinks that the silence after it stops is imbued with impending doom. One empty, fragile moment, before the shouting begins, and the following pop of gunfire is impossible to ignore. 
He thinks of you in the kitchen across the quad. He thinks of running to you, of hiding you somewhere nobody will ever get to you. 
He runs back the way he came. 
All these little faces in disarray. You huddle amongst the youngest ones and try your best to keep them quiet, whispering a story as the sound of gunshots cracking over asphalt rivets the quiet. 
"Me and Steve, we saw all kinds of fish. We saw carp, and salmon, and koi fish in the lake. They looked like huge, gorgeous goldfish, they had–" everyone jumps as something close by takes a hit, a fence perhaps, split apart— "these huge black eyes and these popping mouths. You know how fish pop their lips together?" 
You look around the circle and beg one of them to answer. If Sammy weren't such a wicked shot she would've stayed and handled this a hell of a lot better than you are.
"I know," says one of the youngest girls. She can't be six years olds. 
"Yeah? How do they do it?" 
She starts to pop her lips. You grin despite your welling panic and nod encouragingly. You'd clap if your hands weren't full of smaller hands. 
"Yeah, like that! They were swimming so close to us, I could see their gills." 
Your story isn't true, but it is distracting. You hold their attention for as long as you can. Pauline stands in the doorway, eyes flitting between the three entrances to the cafeteria, and Maybelle haunts the sink, hiding just behind the other overhead spray to try and find out what's going on. The storm siren hasn't sounded again, and Hopper hasn't come around to tell you it's safe. 
It might never be safe again.
You swallow down the urge to scream and squeeze the tiny fingers curled over your palm. They belong to a little boy, white and brown-haired with pretty hooded eyes. He looks like Steve. 
You could've sworn, just before the siren, that you'd heard him yelling, but you'd raced to the sink and looked out and hadn't seen him. 
You can't help thinking about it. About everything — he could die. He could already be dead. Joyce swore she hadn't seen him, and had only managed to speak to Christopher, who'd split off to alert the older group. She said Jonthan was holding off a group of geeks. She couldn't stay, determined to go help him. 
So if Christopher was looking for Hopper, and Jonathan was by himself at the north fence, where was Steve? Where exactly was the leak? 
You lean forward toward the kids and whisper, "Does anyone else have a story? From a vacation?" 
"We went to Niagara Falls, once," Becky says. 
"You did? What was it like, huh? Was the waterfall really loud?" 
Becky starts to tell her story. You try to listen. You can't think of anything at all besides Steve, though your priority is keeping everybody here safe, your brain won't stop. You can't shake the feeling that you'll lose him, and it's a bright red branding behind your eyes. You're gonna lose him.
This can't be happening. 
It's been a month since Connor, an ex-member of The College with delusions of grandeur, dragged you underdressed and freezing through miles of forest with your wrists bound, wondering if you'd ever see Steve again. A month of nightmares and hot flashes and reaching out for Steve in the dark. 
You'd thought, if you died, if Connor killed you, that it would ruin Steve's life. He'd waste it looking for you. You'd thought that was the worst feeling in the world, knowing you'd leave him behind.
You hadn't understood what this part felt like. How Steve must've felt, wondering if you were dead. How he must've argued with himself as you do now. 
Steve hadn't hesitated. Robin mentioned it once, casual but earnest. Steve tore the place apart looking for you. He assembled a search party and went looking for you on a hunch. Steve says he's lucky they chose the right direction. You know it's more than that. You know you're the lucky one. 
He knew you were in danger, and he came to get you. 
"Maybelle," you say, standing up. "I'm gonna need a knife." 
— 
Steve isn't sure what the fuck they're doing. Hopper shouts instructions but they're confusing and nobody knows what's happening. Geek gore drips down his arm and he prays he doesn't have any broken skin as he ploughs the sharp of the crowbar deep into a grey mottled eye socket. 
It shucks out, the geek's body collapsing in a heap at his feet. Tens more stagger forward.
"Everyone should be inside, but that doesn't mean everyone is inside!" Hopper shouts, his booming voice echoing over the din of shots and slick stabbing. "We need to contain them. Joyce, Jonathan, I need you back here. Bernier, Taylor, McCoy, push for the fence! We need to get it back up and standing before this gets worse. Harrington!" 
Steve pierces the skull of an approaching geek like an eggshell, springing back before a second can tear a chunk out of him. "What?" he yells. 
"You should circle back to the quad, make sure there aren't any stragglers."
"Joyce already secured–" 
"It's up to you, kid." 
Steve appreciates what Hopper's doing. Everyone knows you and Steve are unhealthily dependent on one another right now considering the circumstances, and he'll admit that his heart wants literally nothing more than to be where you are. He thinks of you locked up in the kitchen with all this happening outside and hates it, but as long as you stay where you are, that's as safe as you can be. 
He doesn't bother saying yes or no, throwing himself back into the throng. 
It's the ultimate workout. Sweat stings his eyes, his brain pounds behind them. He has to stay vigilant and he has to be fast. He cuts down geeks with a practised agility, Bernier on one side, Taylor the other. They force their way to the fence, and soon there's a small army of survivors behind them, bullets burning his eardrum to the right. 
When the fence is finally in view again, they buckle down. 
It's a huge struggle. Hopper and Livingstone front a team of five of the older guys with a replacement fence on their literal shoulders. The woods are teaming with geeks who must have heard the gunfire and the siren. They cut down the old fence behind Steve and the youngers. The new one gets thrown up just as Steve spears a geek through the ear, hammers whacking into frozen earth with a sound like a car crash.
"Harrington, inside the perimeter!" 
Steve eyes an imminent geek but does as Hopper commands, weaselling through the single gap they've left behind. They finish the inner hammering and Hopper and Livingstone set about chaining the sections back together. 
Steve backs away from the fence and tries to catch his breath. He leans back and brushes the hair out of his eyes, chest heaving, eyes shuttering closed in relied. They survived it. They did exactly what they were supposed to do in this situation and the plan worked. 
Somebody takes the crowbar from his hand and he lets them, scrubbing both hands through his hair, scalp cool with sweat as a gale of wind blows. He looks up, and the sky has darkened, that rare morning sunshine nowhere to be seen. 
He opens his eyes. Christopher is sitting a ways away looking queasy. Joyce is hugging the life out of Jonathan, kissing his cheek, hand in his hair. Bernier and Taylor are stabbing the new wave of geeks. Steve isn't worried, there aren't a quarter as many as there had been. 
The smell is barbaric. 
"Don't relax too quickly, kid," Hopper says, "we still gotta round up the bodies." 
Steve laughs morosely, secretly pleased when Hopper pats him on the shoulder. His back fucking hurts and he stinks of gore and zombie gunk. Dead material somehow slimy and dry as bark at once, Steve wants a shower, and a hug from you, in that specific order. 
"You okay?" Jonathan asks him, squinting. There's blood splattered against his forehead. 
"They had to do this today?" Steve asks. "This is my favourite shirt. I'm never gonna get the guts out–" 
A scream splits the air. 
"The quad," Hopper announces. "Taylor, Bernier, keep going. Everyone else, with me." 
His blood ice in his veins, Steve runs with the rest of the group. He realises he's left his crowbar with Taylor and grimaces, pulling the gun from his holster and knocking off the safety mechanism. Steve isn't good with a gun. He only ever used one right at the start, when he hadn't known that sound to a geek is like a porch light to moths. That, and he'd run out of ammo. 
"Oh, goddammit." 
There's a crowd of geeks they must've missed around the side of the town hall. Hopper immediately starts yelling at a young teenager screaming in front of the gym to get back inside. 
Steve's okay, his heart's fine, and then he sees you. You're wrist deep in brains, surrounded by bodies and coated in a black spray of blood. It's in your hair, your eyebrows, all over your cheek and your shoulder. 
He nearly wrenches Livingstone off of his feet as he bursts forward to help you, gun raised and poised. He shoots and drives forward. One geek, two. Three, five, he loses count. He gets so close he can hear your panting breath, not panicked but struggling to keep going. 
"Fucker," he says, one geek left between you and safety. 
You scramble to the side. Steve shoots it point black in the back of the head. It falls down slow, and then it thunks against your shoes. 
You reach for him on automatic as you pull your feet from under him, treading over the soft of the geeks shoulders and into Steve's waiting arms. He holds the gun away from you to click on the safety, shoving it back into his borrowed holster. 
"You're okay?" you ask loudly. 
"I'm fine, what are you doing out here? You should've stayed inside the pantry." 
"Says who?" you ask, squeezing him so tightly he feels his skin bruising in the shapes of your arms. 
"Says everyone!" he shouts, squeezing you back just as hard. 
You catch your breath together. His hands rove over your back, checking and rechecking that you're real and you're not hurt. He pushes you away from him to check your front properly, hand on your face, your arms. 
"I'm fine," you say, "I'm perfect." 
"You have more blood on you than the rest of us put together." 
You hum unhappily. "I think I got a fresh one in the artery. It sprayed like a fountain, it was–" You sigh, stroking a loose curl of dirtied hair from his eyes. "It was disgusting." 
He wants to kiss you, but he's normal, and you're both plastered in blood. He's less normal as he wraps his forearm behind your head and forces your face into his neck, groaning in an exhaustive relief. Your warm breath against his skin is everything he could ever ask for. 
"Stay inside, next time," he murmurs. 
"Not a chance." 
"Think I can give him a citation?" Steve hears Hopper ask. 
Joyce gasps through a laugh. "They're cute!" 
"This is a public space." 
Steve huffs a laugh against your ear. "Holy shit, you scared the fuck out of me." 
"I had to know you were okay." 
His hand slides down your shoulders, searching for something he can't explain. "I'm okay. We're okay, honey. You can relax."
The last of your resistance ebbs away. You melt into his arms, and Steve pretends for your sake that he can't feel you shaking like a leaf. You just tore your way through a herd to make sure he was okay: you're the bravest girl he's ever met.
1K notes · View notes
lilocapoca · 2 months
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part 2 of this
pairing: rockstar!Eddie Munson x fem!popstar reader
content warning(s): use of “fuck”, “shit” and “dick”. sorry but bad writing
Word count: 1536
summary: after your interview, everybody was expecting you and Eddie to be the next big Hollywood couple, but he did not make a move… so you did and invited him to your concert.
notes: the images DO NOT describe reader’s appearance! Only used for aesthetic/clothes
Yes Eddie was a coward.
Every gossip magazine and tv show was talking about your interview. It was all that people could think about. The most rockstar of all rockstars and the cutes of all the cutest pop singers having a crush on each other was so fucking cute.
Your pretty ribbons. His heavy metal chains. Your impeccable gloves. His big rings. You had flawless skin while his own was marked with ink everywhere. Your high heels were so tiny compared to his big black combat boots. You looked like a pure fairy and he looked like a sexy zombie.
Yeah. It was really fucking cute.
But even after everyone approved this possible romance, Eddie could not find himself going to talk to you. You were so perfect, your nickname was "America's Angel". If this was a fairytale, you would be the princess and Eddie surely would't be the hero... at least he thought so.
But since you confessed your feelings on national tv, the guitarrist was suffering from a big problem: he couldn't fuck or date anyone else.
Eddie was used to bring girls backstage after his shows, sometimes even boys. He enjoyed a good fuck or just someone who could blow his dick. But now? Everytime he took someone backstage he just could not do it. He kept thinking about you. Shit, he never even really talked to you. Just some head nods and smiles at award shows, but no conversations ever. 
But at the moment he was holding a note that was sent to him he couldn't belive his eyes.
Well, the thing is, Corroded Coffin was a headliner band of this really big festival, taking on the biggest rock stage of it and... you were one of the headliners of the biggest pop stage of the same festival too. And you both were playing on the same day! which made you send flowers to the band's dressing room, to him.
The boys were really having fun with this. Eddie's face was red and he just could not take his eyes of the note that was attached to the bouquet. White daisies. Just like the name of the first track on the lattest Corroded album.
"Hi honey. I would like very much if you could watch my show tonigth... i'm gonna be looking for your pretty curls in the crowd. I'll be so sad if you can't make it... and you don't wanna make me sad, right?
– your wife"
And a red mark of lipstick at the end that literally screamed you. The pretty handwritting. The hearts on the "i"s.
Oh My God. Tonigth was the nigth a Munson is going to die.
...
The day was already fading away, the stars starting to shine and you were breathing in and out trying to calm yourself. The crowd was waiting for you. Everybody screaming. And Jesus, you swore you'd never seen an crowd this big. Your manager said that were about 40 thousand people there to see your concert. You could literally feel the vomit coming down your throat, something that happens when you are anxious. But you couldn't do this rigth now. You needed to go on the stage in 1:30 minutes, there was no time for anxiety.
But what if he doesn't come?
Oh my God he is not coming, you are sure of that.
Why would he come? He probably didn't meant that he had a crush on you. Well he could have a crush on you, but that don't mean that he actully likes you...
Stop!
Breathe in. Breathe out.
You took one last look at your dress. Such a pretty baby blue mini dress. Checked out your white velvet gloves, matching your long white heel boots. Touched your blue ribbon. Okay. Everything was okay.
The next thing you knew was that you were already walking on the stage with a big and enchanting smile, hearing the most high screams ever.
...
you put his name on the list. His name was in your goddamn list.
The VIP area of the pop stage was filled with the guesses that were on your list. But it wasn't really full, just some people that were probably your friends and some daugthers of famous old singers who worshiped you. The view of the stage was really unique, everything could be seen.
All eyes were on Eddie the moment he crossed the line of the VIP area. He could not care less. Eddie just crossed the room to the front to get a better view of the stage. He smiled at the sight of the gigant crowd waiting for you. The vip area was above the ground next to the stage and the Corroded Coffin front man was so freaking pleased to be there, cause at the moment you were up the stage, he could see your pretty figure: smiling in that beautiful outfit, mic in your hand, ready to rock.
And shit you give a hell of a show. That siren voice was like heaven in Munson's ears and that pretty dances were starting to drive him crazy. You were driving him crazy. He was sure you were born to do this. The people screaming your lyrics and reactin everytime you did something cute or even when you laughed of happines. Cause, c'mon, you're so cute. Sexy and cute. How could you be both? Was what Eddie thought during the whole set.
Ok, the rockstar was falling in love with the popstar.
But when Eddie looked at his watch he realized that he was running late to his own show.
Shit he needed to actully run. But he didn't want to do it. He wanted to stay... to talk to you.
"Hey" he shouted to one of your friends: Daisy Green, the country star that was your best friend. She looked at him with a tired face "can you tell her..."
"I tell her that you came and that you are asking her to see the end of your show and go to your dressing room" she took the words out of his mouth.
"Thanks!" He smiled at her and ran off in the opposite direction.
...
When you went to your backstage, you were hoping to see that wild curls somewhere. But Eddie wasn't there. the euphoria that took over your body at the end of the show was washing away.
Of course that he would't be there. He was busy, he probably was preparing for his set, he would not even want—
Your thoughts are interrupted by Daisy.
“He is waiting for you" she said rolling her eyes seeing your growing smile.
You see her next to her Mallory Grace, the biggest disco sensation , and one of your besties along with Daisy, givin' thumbs up.
...
Ok, you never ran as much as you did to get on the rock stage before Corroded show ended. Jumped all the staff and equipment. Legs were burning. That meant you cared? Not at all. Your goal was accomplished faster than expected when you heard the sound of one of the band's biggest hit from not so far away.  And when you hit the backstage, their manager was waiting for you, he guided you to the side of the stage, where you could see Eddie closer than ever.
The way he played that guitar was doin' things to you. Legs squeezing, heart beating fast and wet thoughts. His voice loud and deep, sweaty body and tongue stretched out. God he was hot.
...
When Eddie saw that pretty little thing still dressed in her show clothes at the left side, he couldn't hide the grinn on his face. So he gave a hell of a concert that would turn out to be the most iconic rock concert in the history of the festival... all cause of you.
So when it ended and Corroded team cheer them up for the amazing work. Eddie came towards you. Well he was trying to do so since he left the stage, but everybody was holding him back, but he shut them up, coming in your direction with the biggest smile ever.
Oh god. He was so pretty like that. Shirtless, wild hair, low waist leather pants and boots. Your heart was goin' to explode. But instead of exploding, you just grinned back at him, waiting for Munson to get close.
Eddie was hypnotized by your angel looks. So delicate and beautiful. It was his mind or he was sweating more than when he was playing?
Jesus, what he was going to say? Was he smelling good? Fuck, of course not. He needed a towel to dry himself a bit? But the guitarrist wanted to talk to you... but you are so gorgeous and untouchable, looking like a fairy. Shit.
Before you both realized, he was right in front of you.
"you came" he said mesmerized by the view.
"why would't i? Needed to be good for my husband" and Eddie was dead. How can you say something like that and expect him to be alright?
"Fuck, princess, you're killing me" and you couldn't help but giggle. The most pretty in his opinion.
Princess. You like that. Could get used to it.
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amphiptere-art · 1 month
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Issues with Eclipse's treatment
What good behavior can you expect out of a character that has been dealt nothing but wrongs?
Eclipse has no reason to be kinder.
Eclipse spent a year abandoned in somebody's head watching a version of himself live a better life.
From the very moment eclipse was born he has only known that people hated him.
Eclipse has always been treated bad. So why expect anything else.
Eclipse has never treated anyone good. So no one will expect him to treat anyone good.
Eclipse will always be snarky towards moon and others because he is not expecting them to treat him any better.
Old Moon caused eclipse pain. Never once did he apologize for it.
Copy Eclipse still hasn't heard Moon's apology.
Eclipse's only goal is to figure out why he is alive. Presumably to make it so he cannot be alive ever again.
Eclipse did not want to be alive. Neither do I think the fandom did.
Eclipse is going insane due to the fact that he is essentially a zombie that keeps coming back. Each time lesser and lesser then their original self
Eclipse might be believing his insanity is normal. No one else is helping him with it. And only uses it as a slur.
Eclipse possibly has thought of reckless suicide attempts.
Eclipse is totally on board dying.
Eclipse might be angering moon to get him to lash out purposely. To trigger the bomb.
Eclipse did trigger lunar enough to kill him.
It is unsettling that the fandom does not care about this angle because it is "too violent" for the main show.
Crimes unrightfully stacking against copy eclipse who did not do them only remember.
Crimes of OG Eclipse should be there's alone.
Crimes of backup Eclipse should be there's alone.
Crimes of copy Eclipse should be there's alone.
Copy eclipses only crime is remembering the previous crimes and kidnapping ruin. The only other bad thing he does is spit threats.
Moon has essentially pinned every crime from the previous eclipses onto copy Eclipse. Putting him on a death sentence because of those crimes. And making him do manual labor or else he will expedite that death sentence.
Moon's behavior has improved very little. His behavior has best improved towards sun and closer friends. Any other behavior has stayed relatively the same.
Moon's self-improvement was cut short by his death. And unfortunately New Moon is spiraling back into the same bad habits.
New Moon's behavior has unfortunately turned very sour. He is easier to anger, and has started the verbal abuse up once again.
Moon has always wanted eclipse dead. Never once was him disappearing good enough.
Moon will continue to think he is in the right because he is "always right".
Moon continues to make decisions without considering others.
Moon and Sun have continuously laughed at the villain's faults. In eclipses case it is laughing about insanity. Something caused out of mistreatment and abandonment. Something they caused.
Moon has used eclipses insanity and madness as a slur against him.
Moons abuse is worse and has stayed longer than eclipses abuse.
Sun has spent at least 8 years being abused by old moon. Enough that it has lasted even after his death.
Moon's harassment includes putting sun in dangerous situations, pushing and shoving him, Hit him canonically once, Whatever type of fighting happened when they were in one body, and verbal abuse.
Sun is continuously scared that he will say something to upset Moon. Expecting him to revert to old habits.
Sun only thinks his and Moons relationship is "good" when everything is going ok.
Sun might not realize how much Moons abuse affected him. Given that he saw it as normal for so long.
Sun was confused as to why lunar would kill his brother. Given that he might have seen the abuse as "not as bad". Which is telling that he is desensitized to his abuse.
Eclipse's harassment towards sun was never really personal. It was personal towards moon. Sun was just the easy way to harm him.
Sun has never once had any free time to go through all these issues.
Lunar only spent a month of physical abuse under eclipse.
Eclipse harmed lunar 3 times, tried to kill him twice, gave him panic attacks a couple times, and blew him up once. Most of his abuse was verbal.
Eclipse's harassment towards lunar was only out of fear of losing his victory.
Never once did eclipse ever really try to treat lunar as a brother better than moon would. He only used it as a word to compare themselves to Sun and Moon.
Eclipse also did care for Lunar's health. The code checking was only for health concerns. Along with many other scenarios where eclipse was worried about his health.
Lunar was happy with eclipse for some time. In many videos they are very entertained and happy with each other. It is only when eclipse got the star that it started going south.
Eclipse most likely started harming lunar due to generational trauma. Basing off of moons actions.
The fandom is ignoring moons wrongs in order to support the protagonist.
The fandom is letting this mistreatment slide despite the majority of the characters encouraging it. Believing Eclipse's mistreatment is the only way for eclipse to have a redemption.
Expecting redemption is unlikely. Eclipse has no reason to change. And sun moon have no reason to not hate him because of such.
There is not many scenarios without breaking character where they want to help eclipse get better.
Eclipse has been called an evil entity by magic people. Making his fate clear on a destiny level.
Moon wants him dead. Although it's softens with every encounter.
Sun wants him dead. Although that is just a statement as he was surprised at lunar's actions against eclipse.
Lunar wants him dead. And did so to seek a peace they did not gain.
Monty wants him gone. And finds Eclipse's torment hilarious.
Solar doesn't have an opinion because he's following Moon.
Earth doesn't believe he can change because he is too stuck in anger. She currently doesn't seem to have a healthy outlook on Eclipse doing anything else but bad. She is also unfortunately grown fearful due to his death.
Ruin is scared of him due to his kidnapping. Also multiple outlash believing he is his creator. Although this might be null given new actions.
Puppet finds eclipses torment hilarious.
Freddy has called eclipse an evil entity he wants gone.
Loss of a villain. The only replacement we have been offered is Moon themselves, and this mysterious entity that we do not yet care about.
They have shelved blood moon because making him a worse villain backfired. They changed the character too much and made the protagonists too misunderstanding of them.
They are doing the opposite of blood moon with eclipse. But they are attempting to stay in character. Making a muddled directive.
They are dragging Eclipse into the sympathy card and making their own protagonist bad guys by doing so.
They are failing to make the villains sympathetic, Because Moon is just as bad. Eclipse is unable to outcompete the bad.
Eclipse might very well die or be shelved similar to Blood Moon. Just so the show writers do not have to deal with the backlash of his mistreatment.
This is a cycle of abuse. Eclipse will never forgive Moon, and at this point believes there is not going back. Moon will never forgive eclipse, and believes that eclipse will never change. Both are too prideful to let go.
And nothing will change until one of them or any of the other characters let go.
If anyone wants to ask if I could add/modify/or remove points I am open to do so. Just give me reasonable counter arguments or new points to add.
I will note, I stopped watching the show for my own health. So while I can add new or modify points to match with the new story. I will not know all the details and can only go off of what people tell me. So excuse me if some of these points are a little old or misinformed.
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fictionalmenxyn · 1 year
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What the Task Force and Los Vaqueros would be like if they were your dad!
(teenager edition)
Ghost
He’d obviously be protective of you. He loves you dearly and he didn’t expect to love someone so much all his life he thought he could never love again till you were born.
Although he may be protective he does like to teach you things like combat or anything that can help you protect yourself in certain situations. He loves seeing you feel proud of yourself for doing said task.
He actually and deeply enjoys spending time with you. Either if it’s going to a local fish shop or sitting on the sofa watching crime/ horror movies.
He knows that school doesn’t teach you the true ways of life so he decided to teach you what it’s like being an adult and the lessons of life. Although you do still go to school.
He would also spoil you as he doesn’t quite know how to be a proper father as his isn’t the greatest. But you and him know he really try’s his best to be a great father which you praise him for.
He’d bring you gifts from the places he went while he was away and you’d ask what the place looked like scenery wise.
When he’s home I feel like he’s definitely the type of dad that like to be ‘outdoors’ in certain ways like he’d ask if you’d like to go out and walk up a mountain or go on a hike.
If your not into stuff like that he’ll ask what things your into and try his best to have knowledge of what you like to do or enjoy.
If your into video games he isn’t that bad at them in all honesty. Feel like he’s more into zombie games or war games. If you offered him to play a game of Minecraft for example he’d probably make a small hut out of the trees around him then find himself a dog and name it Riley.
If your into reading or drawing he’ll ask about how you book or art piece is going and if he could buy or do anything to help.
If your into cooking then you’ve got yourself the best taste tester. Feel like he’s a dad that will want to be there as much for you as possible since he is always away. He’ll definitely like to try new foods or snacks you make then he’ll give an opinion on it.
If you get into a fight at school, he’ll looked annoyed especially if the teachers are around but as you get in the car he’ll tell you he’s proud as he taught you to fight and protect yourself.
Although he isn’t the one for feelings or emotions he’ll ask how you feel and if you want to vent. Then he’ll listen closely and ask questions then help you try to find a solution or something to help.
Soap
Feel like he’s the best friend type of dad. Like a best friend bond but he still shows his dad side when needed.
Loves to watch movies together with popcorn. He will let you pick and you’ll both watch it. If it’s a Netflix series god help you both. You’ll both binge watch the series and then anything that correlates to it like a side show or movie and binge that.
Later back type. Let’s you do whatever as long as it’s not drugs, drinking alcohol, etc. But besides that he’s pretty chill.
Definitely let’s you sleep in if your not well or for school holidays as he’s probably sleeping in himself. He loves lazy day. If you both feel like today is a lazy day, you’ll both wear your pyjamas all day relax and watch your favourite movies or play games.
Would like to have a hobby or any type of interests you both enjoy doing so you can do them together and have some quality time together.
Ghost is your godfather, even if Ghost doesn’t believe in god or he does your now his godchild and to be completely honest Ghost doesn’t mind as he prefers you over your dad.
Price
Definitely the ‘dad’ stereotype
Loves to spend quality time with you as he’s always busy and he doesn’t get to see you much.
Feel like he loves hosting bbq’s and he’ll ask you if you want to bring some friends and if their parents want to join as he says he cooks up a storm especially with stake.
Teaches you useful things and life lessons for the future. He teaches you about money management, cooking, how to clean a wound, taking care of yourself when ill or anything else that could come as handy.
You and Gaz have a sibling bond. You’ll even joke around and ask if Gaz could be adopted to your family. When he’s away you’ll take your dad to check up on him then do the same with Gaz but also send him TikToks as you know it makes his day.
Loves going out and spending the day with. Going on walks to eating some food by a nice view or climbing mountains if that’s what your into. He just wants to spend some time with his child.
If you like reading or writing, he will offer you to use his office while he does some paperwork or just sit there and maybe read his own book.
Alejandro
Definitely the ‘fun’ or ‘your friends love him’ type of dad.
Dilf (tbh all of them would be ngl😂)
Teaches you to cook like him or you show him your food tech (school taught) cooking and if he teaches you certain things you’ll make it in school and the teacher will be impressed.
If you have a dog he loves going on walks while talking to you. Anything that comes to mind you’ll both talk about. If you feel upset or anxious he’ll ask if you want to go on a walk and vent to him (if you feel comfortable) and like Ghost he’ll ask you about it and help find a solution.
Rudy is your uncle/godfather and Rudy is proud to be it!
If your not Spanish (if your mother isn’t) he’ll teach you some words that could help you and then he’ll teach you sentences and then conversations. And he’s proud when your able to speak any word especially if you can speak fluently.
Laid back but wants to know about your whereabouts and if your safe. So every few hours he’ll send a ‘are you ok?’ Text or ‘let me know if you want to be picked up’ and he will pick you up.
Rudy
Down to earth/nice and chilled type of dad.
Like to know about any new interests or hobbies you have so he can ask and maybe buy you stuff for the hobby or interest.
Like to take you out so you can have some ‘dad and daughter time’ so he will ask where you’d like to go and he’ll take you.
Brings snacks or food to your room if you feel upset or you both want to hang out sometimes even if you have friends staying the night.
Loves to have one to one conversations as he can’t always be home cause of work. Sometimes you’ll both watch a movie or go on drives and talk.
Alejandro is a proud Uncle no doubt. He spoils you when you see each other. Definitely mess around together and sometimes play pranks on your father.
Buys you trinkets or small note books to write in. He’ll try and take photos of the nicer scenery when he’s away so he can send it to you.
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emblazons · 11 months
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So I know I said I was tired (I am lmfao), but:
As I was thinking about that ask regarding Jonathan and Mike both trying to fill "fatherly" roles for Will and Eleven because they've been parentified, I realized that the fight mlvn get into and the talk JonWill have in MADMAX in S2 are reflections of each other—both proving that JonMike are trying to soothe their charges with a familial type of love (given the mlvn fight also parallels an El/Hopper argument in S2)...but also proving that the Byers Brothers love and trust each other in a way El and Mike just don't.
Let's see if I can explain.
In both of these conversations, we get a “charge" (aka the 'child' in the relationship—El and Will, in each case) who is isolating themselves after something painful/traumatic. Both of them are making art in their room as an expression relating to what's going on in their hearts/minds...which is when Jonathan and Mike come into their room, notice the art and then something is wrong, and invite Will/El to connect emotionally by talking.
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From there, we get Jonathan and Mike pushing just hard enough to get something out of Will and Eleven—getting them to get just close enough to the heart of the problem to get defensive, and admit that they feel outcasted and different (in will's case like a "freak," and in El's that she's a "monster").
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Both Jonathan and Mike try to comfort Will and El by leveling with them about the way they too feel different, trying to make them see that they are valuable in their difference and lack of normalcy as outcasts/freaks in the wake of "nobodies—"
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But, as we know from the actual fights themselves, Jonathan succeeds in soothing Will and making him feel valuable despite how others make him feel for being "Zombie Boy," while Mike pretty much (forgive the reference) rolls a one on persuasion trying to convince El that she is inherently valuable to him in her difference.
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Basically: these fights intentionally mirror each other, and through that show us that both Jonathan and Mike are trying to have a "replacement father" moment for Will and El...while also showing us that one of these parentified figures (Jonathan) is mature enough to step into an older brother/father role...whereas the other one (Mike) certainly is not.
Even just in these scenes, we can see that Jonathan and Will have a depth of bond and trust between them that Mike and El absolutely do not—down to little context clues that show us why Will is open to relating and repairing with Jonathan (because Jonathan knows Will well + Will believes he’s loved) where El is not. Ex:
Jonathan offers Will options when he comes in to talk about movie night, showing that he's open to what Will wants and desires without projection or expectation—where Mike simply assumes El is the same as she always has been (in this case food-wise), despite her not a day before saying directly to him she was open to something new and different (El Rodeo for burritos...which Mike even says aloud to her is 'weird').
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Jonathan builds an "us v the world" moment with Will by both saying they are best friends (leaning into their closeness) while showing he knows Will by making a reference to an artist he likes...where Mike, despite admitting to also being bullied, immediately alienates El by reiterating how she's different from him and everyone else.
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Jonathan even says something similar to Mike by saying it's better to be different—Jonathan just frames being different as the power (with emphasis on the humanity of the difference), whereas Mike frames the power as central to being different.
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TL;DR: this is just one of the many moments that show Jonathan and Mike have taken on similar roles in Will and El's lives (emotional father replacement), though both the maturity of the "parentified" figure and the depth of the relationship between each pair is put into stark relief when you compare them.
The effects of parentification are clear in the way both Jonathan and Mike interact with Will and El in a way similar to a fully adult male/fatherly figure (see: the Hopper/El scene parallel)—both of them are trying to comfort/console from a place of (somewhat) authority/experience over Will and El...Jonathan is just equipped to speak into Will's life in a way Mike never could be with El.
also, a bonus if you made it through this: the real kicker proving these scenes are intentionally written & edited as parallels on some level comes in the very next shots after these...when we cut to the exact same setup shot of a TV, followed by a shot of Jonathan and Will. :)
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anyway. more parentified byler in-law commentary to come lol
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spooky-luvur · 2 months
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Eyeless Jack x m!Reader Pt. 2
(A/N i didn’t reread this at all so sorry if something doesn’t make sense. that’s usually the case ha)
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Shivering even under the thick blanket, you run your fingers over the sore scar tissue. Part of you is scared if you move wrong or press too hard the skin will split open and stain your sheets. Maybe he smells blood. Like a shark.
Freak, you think to yourself.
A sudden knock at your door makes you jolt and freeze up in pain. You yell at whoever’s at the door to wait a moment as you pretty much fall off the couch to tug some clothes on.
Your hand pauses over the doorknob for a stiff moment. What if you open it and he’s there? Will he take your other kidney? Or maybe your liver this time. Forget shark, is this guy a zombie? You force yourself to open the door.
“Hello, dear. How are you?”
You relax against the frame and smile tiredly at the woman.
“Hey Miss Zhao. I should be asking you that.”
She shuffles past you to set a casserole dish on the table next to the door.
“Oh, I’m alright. Jack is good company, you know.”
“Jack?” You echo, folding your arms against your chest- subtly wincing in pain as the movement pulls on the raw skin. “Is that the new neighbor? I saw them in the lobby the other day, I think.”
Miss Zhao laughs and waves her hand.
“No, not them.”
Your brow burrows but the smile doesn’t drop from your face until a figure steps into view behind the stout woman. Your side aches at the sight.
He has the nerve to casually wave at you.
You stutter as Miss Zhao says something about feeding time and goes back to her room, leaving you with the very thing that’s been haunting you like a ghost.
“Hey,” he greets.
“Wha-“ Is all you allow yourself to say before promptly slamming the door shut. You stand there for a few moments, half expecting the man to open it and thrust a knife at you. But he never does, and the door stays firmly shut. You find yourself glaring at the poor wood before stomping away.
A nice shower, you think. Thats exactly what I need.
You strip yourself of what little clothes you were wearing. Grumbling, you pivot to the bathroom hallway and come to an abrupt halt. There he stands, hands in his pockets. How is that even fucking possible?
You stare at each other in silence before his head tilts down not-so-subtly.
“Nice,” is all he says.
It takes you a moment to realize this masked murderer that literally took one of your organs the other week is currently scrutinizing you.
“FUCK you!” You cross your arms over your chest which is about all you can do at the moment. “What the hell do you want? My other one?”
“Not today.” He frees one of his hands to point at you. “How is it? The scar.”
You subconsciously reach down to mess with the puckered skin.
“Fine, no thanks to you.”
“It is thanks to me, actually.”
“What?” You hiss.
“Well, it was me that fixed you up instead of leaving you to bleed out on the floor like a hog.” He shrugs his broad shoulders.
“Ugh, right,” you rub a hand down your face, exasperated, “the tub. The damn ice. What the hell even was that? Who does that?”
“Do you really want to know why I took it?”
“You’re a psychopath that won’t even show his face. My guess? You’ll be caught as soon as next week.”
The man does that stupid quiet laugh again and lowers himself onto your plush sofa.
“Kick up your feet why don’t you! Make yourself comfortable. Actually, get the fuck out.”
He folds his hands in his lap like he’s about to have a very nice conversation with your mother “I think I’ll stay.”
You’re about to snap at him again, start yelling, maybe throwing things, but you choke on the words as you remember exactly who you’re about to lash out at. This man who is obviously stronger, faster, and smarter than you (and has no problem proving it) is giving you little to no options. Part of you doubts he would hurt you again, but what’s stopping him? Nothing.
So you bite your tongue and simply glare. After hesitating a few moments longer you turn away to go take your well needed shower.
Jack pulls out his (untraceable, courtesy of a ffffffffriend) phone once you round the corner. His mouth twitches in annoyance at the messages on the cracked screen.
B:
wya?
B:
wyd
B:
you ar not supplied to be out today
supposed
Jack:
ben
B:
ohhhh i get it
B:
its that guy
Jack:
ben
B:
dont worry ill keep your secret
Jack feels the need to have eyes to roll as he slips the device back into his pocket. God forbid that kid keep his thoughts to himself.
“So, I should call the cops. Right? That’s what I should do.” Is what you tell the man relaxing on your couch once you face him again. He looks over at you and you almost shiver at the sight of the goo slowly sliding down the blue face.
“Sure.”
“You’re really confusing, you know?”
“Ha.”
Your eye twitches in annoyance before you give up, heaving a heavy sign and taking a seat in the recliner beside the couch. Your hand absentmindedly wanders to caress the puckered skin of the healing wound.
“Let me see.”
“Huh?”
“The stitches. I can take them out now.”
You eye the man on your couch warily. What is this guy, some kind of doctor?
“You want to…take the stitches out.” You parrot. He nods and stands from his seat and push yourself further into the chair the closer he gets, like a picky child that’s being fed peas.
“You want them out. They’re itching.”
“Are you a doctor or something?” You snap out your previous thought causing him to stop in his tracks. You spot his hands twitch before he stretches his fingers out.
“I know what to do,” Is his reply.
Really, what other choice did you have? Going to the hospital to get undocumented stitches out would raise a few questions…not to mention you’d never be able to pay for it.
“…Fine. But I’ll catch you in the nuts the second you do something funny.”
“Noted.”
You gasp as he grabs you and pulls you up and then a second later you’re laying on your stomach on the couch. You can’t even spit out a retort when he tugs your shirt up to get better access. The cold leather against your bare skin causes you to squirm for a moment before a hand is holding itself against your back.
“Stay still.”
“You-“
He must sense your coming fit and slips his hand to lay gentle but firm across the back of your neck. Words die on your tongue as you go lax like a kitten that’s just been picked up by its mum.
“Whatever…”
You feel his hands poking and prodding before the tug of stitches being cut.
“Is it even ready?” You ask the man who is currently leaning over you on his knees like you’re on an actual operating table.
“It is.”
“But are you sure? If it isn’t healed-“
“It’s healed.”
“You love cutting me off!”
“Hush.”
You resist the urge to kick him in the face.
After a few minutes of silence he leans away, running his fingers across your skin.
“Done?” You crane your neck.
“Yeah.”
“This isn’t very sanitary. I should-“
You sit up and turn to look at him but pause at the sight of his hands retracting. The color makes you gasp and almost fall off the couch to grab him.
“What the fuck?” You hold his arm and push up his sleeve to see more of the man’s skin as he simply watches you basically feel him up.
“I don’t get a lot of sun.”
You glare at him for the joke.
“This is…so weird.” You release him and scrub a hand down your face as you relax into the couch. He takes a seat next to you like you’re two friends catching up. “What’s wrong with you?”
You close your eyes and wish your mouth had been sewn shut instead of your side but he huffs out a laugh and you look at him almost timidly.
“Shit, I didn’t mean- I mean I did but like- okay, I’m done.”
“It’s a long story.”
“Oh yeah? An interesting one?” You lightly pry. Whatever happened for him to look the way he does- for him to be some kind of kidney-stealing grey skinned freak has to be more than ‘oh yeah I got the flu real bad once.’
“Hm…maybe.”
“Are you…gonna tell me? I feel like I’m entitled at this point.”
Jack folds his arms and you hear him hum in (probably fake) contemplation.
“I’ll tell you…once you trust me.”
“Trust you?” You gape at him in disbelief. “Why would I- you tried to kill me!”
“No I didn’t.”
“Then what the hell was this?!” You gesture toward your scarring angrily.
“Not enough to kill you. I could have, though.”
Your mouth clicks shut at the new tone in his voice. Dangerously territory, this conversation. So you drop it.
“Okay. Fine. So…what’s with the goo?”
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drconstellation · 3 months
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Monkey Business with Furfur
This is a 2024 Smut War meta
(NSFW? I tried to keep it reasonably clean, just filled with innuendo.)
Time to dig up some dirty dirt from before the Fall.
Memory problems? Oh, Hell no! There was no way Crowley was going admit to remembering this bit of history between him and Furfur, especially not in front of Aziraphale.
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On the surface this incident with Furfur in the dressing room at the Windmill Theater adds weight to the appearance that Crowley has holes in his memory, just like Gabriel does during S2. But a closer look at the language being used during the post-magic show scene actually reveals quite the opposite - something that is - well, I shouldn't say totally unexpected because I've written about it tangentially before - but something that I think will shake up the way we view things between the three of them.
Firstly, lets review what I call the sub-story theme running underneath this section of the episode: King Arthur and Camelot. I talked about it length in my meta Once and Future Royalty. Here's the important paragraphs from that work for this particular meta:
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Yes, poor old Furfur. Two's company, three's a crowd, as they say. Now we know we're in Camelot, we need to be reminded of the central tragedy of the Arthurian story, that ultimately led to the golden kingdom's fall. Lady Guinevere, Arthur's queen, famously loved Sir Lancelot, and the two were passionate lovers. It was essentially a love-triangle at the top, with Arthur being jilted, but he wouldn't/couldn't discard his queen. Where do we see this playing out in 1941? Furfur, pleased with himself for catching an angel and a demon in the act of consorting together (with the help of the zombies,) barges into the backstage dressing room, and confronts the lovers with their crime. But who is playing who in the Arthurian love triangle? I would say Furfur is clearly caught in the role of Arthur here. Consider the following exchange:
[See GIFs at top - I will quote relevant script shortly in detail]
Furfur claims a past intimate relationship with Crowley, which Crowley spurns offhandedly. Crowley is playing Guinevere here, jilting Furfur/Arthur, which leaves the demon-smiting Aziraphale standing in for the handsome hero Lancelot (with his French connections, no less), and doesn't he make us weak at the knees when he drops his voice an octave in dominating disgust. (Is it suddenly getting hot in here...?Phew!)
Recently someone posted more images of Furfur's costume, and the sash was shown reversed, where a red crown can clearly be seen under the stag's head, which to me just adds weight to the Furfur=Arthur role.
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Next we need to take another look at this line from Furfur:
FURFUR: I was right next to you. We did loads together. You used to jump on me back, little monkey in the waistcoat.
Everyone took this too literally.
Really.
I mean really really.
There are two things - ok, three things - this set of lines tells us.
The first is the most obvious and likely the surface impression - maybe Crowley did turn himself into a monkey. But this is a misdirection to the real information here, so forget that. Put it to one side for the moment, at least.
Secondly, Furfur had a "monkey on his back."
We see by this turn of phrase that he was burdened by a problem, or something he couldn't let go of, and in this situation it clearly looks like a long held bitter feeling towards Crowley and his apparent freedom on Earth.
CROWLEY: Oh, we shan't, this is ridiculous. [leans back and puts hat over his face] FURFUR: No, what's ridiculous is demons like you doing what they please. And somehow still getting on, while demons like me graft for hundreds and hundreds of millennia and never get a sniff of a promotion! Well, not this time. Expect a Legion to come for you first thing tomorrow. Enjoy your last night on Earth.
Thirdly, the whole thing indicates there is a past history of "monkey business" between Furfur and Crowley, before the Fall. This is further emphasized by Furfur's greeting on arrival:
FURFUR: Hmm, well, well, well... What have we here? AZIRAPHALE: Sorry, have we met? FURFUR: Oh, no, you never had the pleasure, but... we have, haven't we? CROWLEY: Have we?
Ohhhh, Crowley. o_0 No, no, no, no, nooooooo..........
Can you see it? Can you see why he would deny knowing Furfur? That they did "loads together?"
Do you know what "monkey business" is an alternative phrase for?
Remember the Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot love triangle?
Do you think Crowley is going to admit this in front of his angel?
Uh huh.
Really. Really really.
An "unreliable narrator" indeed.
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pommedepersephone · 4 months
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You Say Potato, I Say Excellent! Or blocking, dialogue and legacy of morality tales in ‘The Resurrectionists’ minisode PART I
Alternate title: how Aziraphale’s naivety in this episode was supposed to make you a bit outraged
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I have to shout out to @bowtiepastabitch for their AMAZING historical analysis of this minisode - it prompted me to finish this long ramble that has been drifting in my notes. Anyway, I have a major obsession with the ways blocking and dialogue interplay in Good Omens - you can check out my analysis of the blocking in the flashbacks in S1. But The Resurrectionists is really something special. This got so long I am splitting it into two parts. See Part II here!
I should start with three important caveats that brought me to this analysis -
If we accept that S1 is narrated by God, then I propose that S2 is being told from the viewpoint of our Ineffable Man Shaped Beings - and they are NOT reliable narrators.
All three minisodes share a feeling of being… stories. They feel like a slightly exaggerated version they might be told between two old friends sitting in the back room of a bookshop, soused off wine and whisky. Like a journal entry that you don’t actually expect outsiders to see.
All three minisodes have some relation, in style and structure, to film and literature. I'm focusing on the lit aspect here. A Companion to Owls is very illustrated bible. Nazi Zombies from Hell is a pulp fiction master class. So what is The Resurrectionists? A morality tale.
My first thought when we opened on the romantic graveyard date in Edinburgh was “OH it’s like a penny dreadful!” but it didn’t take me long to reassess. Morality tales are a genre of children’s literature that was extremely popular in the early 1800s where the minisode is taking place. But THIS morality tale itself is a more nuanced version of these stories, more along the lines of what an author important in the Good Omens universe would pen. So, first, a little bit of history behind morality tales and a very important author to know, then we get to the blocking and dialogue!
Morality Tales for Children
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There had long been differing views in European circles of thought about the nature of children - were they born innately tainted by Original Sin, or were they born as blank slates? In the late 1700s to early 1800s, the view of the blank slate was winning with the help of highly influential educators like Friedrich Froebel (who coined the term kindergarten and emphasized the importance of play in learning.) 
At this same time, there was a rise in literature produced specifically for children. One of the most popular children’s genres? The morality tale. These stories showed Good triumphing over Evil and the importance of leading a respectable, Christian life. The stories were extremely binary, black and white in their presentation of morality, something which deeply influenced many authors who were raised reading them. Authors like G.K. Chesterton.
G.K. Chesterton 
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Over his career, Chesterton wrote several plays, 80 books, 200 short stories, 4,000 essays, and several hundred poems. He’s an interesting guy, but suffice to say for our purposes - he was deeply Christian, and his work contains a lot of religious themes and symbolism which he used to write serious commentary on politics, economics and philosophy. If you haven’t read the book, you should know that it the dedication reads thus: 
The authors would like to join the demon Crowley in dedicating this book to the memory of G.K. Chesterton. 
In fact, Crowley says in the book that Chesterton was “The only poet in the twentieth century to even come close to the Truth." So it is probably relevant that Chesterton had opinions about children’s morality tales. He once wrote -
Many people have wondered why it is that children's stories are so full of moralizing. The reason is perfectly simple: it is that children like moralizing more than anything else, and eat it up as if it were so much jam. The reason why we, who are grown up, dislike moralizing is equally clear: it is that we have discovered how much perversion and hypocrisy can be mixed with it; we have grown to dislike morality not because morality is moral, but because morality is so often immoral. But the child has never seen the virtues twisted into vices; the child does not know that men are not only bad from good motives, but also often good from bad motives. The child does not know that whereas the Jesuit may do evil that good may come, the man of the world often does good that evil may come.
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In summary, we know that children’s morality tales were supposed to teach important lessons about Good and Evil. We also know that later authors like G.K. Chesterton were aware of this genre and it influenced their writing (which in turn informs the Good Omens universe). So why pick this framework for this minisode? Because it is FRUSTRATING to watch, on purpose. We are meant to be annoyed with how Good has so little relation to right, to see how complicated doing real good can be, and it lays out a strong case for the complete inadequacy of black and white world views - and not just religious ones.
So (grabs gloves and a knife) let’s dissect the blocking and dialogue, shall we?
Part II: Blocking and Dialogue
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You know before the reveal of Feast, I actually had a fanfic-ish theory on what destroyed the order, the peacock and what had Fu so Scared
I initially had this theory of the guardians not only protecting the miraculous from the world but the world from the Kwamis, since there’s so many concepts (propulsion,destruction,action,etc) I thought that some concepts would be too dangerous with the Kwamis acting according their Concept (Plagg is a trouble maker, the tiger is loud, the bee is loyal, etc) so I thought of kwamis which acted on their concept way too much (regeneration regenerating too much which caused things like painful deformations, infection basically creating monster zombies, fortification being walking fortress of destruction, manipulation causing wars out of pure pleasure, etc) and I thought the thing that destroyed the order would be like the opposite of Plagg and Tikki, the two are a eternal loop of balance, of entropy and birth, of light and darkness, creation and destruction. So the bad guy would be the End of said valance
Like a villain similar to the Lich of adventure time which wanted nothing but the destruction of everything, the end of the cycle, the end of everything that is, was and will be. A villain that would mark himself has evil and would keep doing it because that’s he’s nature and doesn’t think he should go against it
I think Fu would have accidentally freed this Kwami of the end but the guardians sacrificed themselves and thousands of miraculouses (because we already have enough heroes) to trap it once again and the reason Fu ran away is because some of the leaking power of the End miraculous freed some minions of the kwami which want the miraculous of creation and Destruction so their master can destroy EVERYTHING
In a show about the miraculous (heck they even come before of ladybug’s and cat noir’s name) I think the most fitting villain would be a miraculous
That would explain why Fu was so scared of losing the Miraculous without pulling up the stupidity of the wish in default ending the world, since losing the miraculous could mean Literally the end of everything
Heck I even made a OC (the minion of the kwami chasing down Fu) which was just “hey what if I make a villain rival for ladybug that doesn’t have disgusting implications of being a minor (a rival that is a adult) so when she’s defeated the audience will cheer instead of being disgusted or sad for seeing a (technical) child being dragged into the depths of HELL” also to explain why the peacock was broken since the miraculous of the end (which rivals the power of creation and destruction together) could 100 break the miraculous, it would make the audience know how dangerous this powers are and would make it look important since the damage he caused started the whole show
Also it would rise the stakes better than Gabriel’s personality making a 180 and the wish having the most bullshit consequences, since the wish would be used to end the world
I even wrote a fanfic of the escaped minion being the reason the Timeline changes in cat blanc to make the world end, so the audience knows how corruptive, destructive, unnatural, evil this kwami is with its first plan including manipulating the minds of kids (Rossi slightly and heavily Lila) to start all the events, manipulate Gabriel to hurt he’s son, make cat Blanc fight ladybug and destroy the world. Lila and chloe are just kids, Gabriel is a broken man, but this thing? This thing and he’s minions are what people B.C. saw that inspired the Devil, Hell and demons
Seriously when I discovered a sentimonster (one the order had designed on their book) was the one who destroyed ALL of the guardians, I felt nothing but disappointment, specially when they don’t explain how the peacock was broken by a mere sentimonster
I expected something grand, something that would make Gabriel see the error of he’s ways with how insignificant he is compared to the forces he was trying to control, but instead I just got a sentimonster…
Am I the one in the wrong? Was I expecting too much? Because even till this day I still feel disappointed, specially by how pathetic and uninteresting Feast was. seriously if you changed Feast and that dragon giant from the Shanghai special, I would be pleased since at least I can see a threatening, smart and powerful monster which scales above Hawkmoth in every way (power, evilness, design, lore) being the one at fault of the destruction of this mighty guardians, but instead they died to a frog!
That was a pretty interesting and detailed backstory, anon. Do you have a link to the fanfic you wrote involving the minion?
You're not wrong to expect more from the backstory of one of this show's characters. I don't think anyone really expected the backstory that kicked off the plot to amount to "The monks who trained me were dicks, I got hungry, so I played God and accidentally wiped out the aforementioned monks with a blue frog."
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