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hangovercurse · 3 years

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Nerd Love

After years of working together, Pete still manages to break you.

Request: “Hi! Can I get a Pete imagine where you guys work on SNL together and you have few skits together and during one of them you can’t stop laughing”

Pete Davidson x Reader

Warnings: Cursing

Word Count: 2237

“Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” You hear Kate and the host of the week announce before Lorne motions that the cameras had cut for commercial break. You and Pete had a sketch together in exactly 12 minutes and 45 seconds, and you were trying to cool your nerves.

You loved your job, writing on SNL was something you had dreamed of since you were in middle school, and now it was your reality. Of course, it was hard, the hours were long and the work was demanding. But having Pete by your side made it all bearable.

You had met on your first day, getting hired one season after him. You two were deemed the “babies” of the cast because you were the youngest, so naturally you got paired up. A lot.

At first it bothered you that you only really ever worked with one person, but after your first few episodes you grew to love Pete. Your energies matched so well, and whenever you wrote together you easily built of each other.

After 6 years of working on the show together, you had become really close friends. You were with him through all of his hard times, and you were one of the few people he let visit him in rehab. In return, he stuck by your side through everything, even when the internet tried to cancel you for an interview that was taken completely out of context.

You couldn’t pinpoint when, but at some point, you had developed real feelings for him. Obviously, you’d never tell him, not wanting to mess up your amazing friendship. But they still flourished, especially when you would be up until 6 am writing sketches and goofing around in the writer’s room. Of course, the comments from fans didn’t help your feelings either. They loved you guys. Anytime you posted Pete on your social media, they were all over it.

But you guys had denied the dating rumors countless times since they’d started 5 years ago. Even though having to hear the words “we’re just friends” over and over killed you.

You were lost in thought when Pete came up behind you, hands grabbing your shoulders and shaking you slightly. “Ready bookworm?” He asked, moving to stand next to you.

“Only if you are, Mr. jock-man.” You laughed, rolling your eyes.

The sketch you and Pete had written was a young couple on a really fancy date to celebrate their 6-month anniversary. Your character was going on the date with Kyle Mooney’s character. Both of you were the stereotypical nerd couple with glasses, suspenders, and everything else. Pete was playing your waiter, who obviously did not give a shit about his job. He was the stereotypical jock character. Your character was super attracted to him and kept paying attention to him. He loved the attention and would do things like show you his (reaaaallllyyy) lame tattoos, tell you about sports, and everything that nerds don’t like. Kyle obviously didn’t like that and kept trying to get your attention in the weirdest of ways.

It was pretty funny in rehearsals, almost too funny. Seeing Pete act so out of character was hilarious to you and having to overdramatically flirt with him felt ridiculous. You barely made it through in rehearsals without laughing, so you had to hope you could do it on stage.

“Y/N, Pete, and Kyle. You’re up.” The stagehand told you, and you grabbed Kyle’s hand, walking to the stage.

The sketch started and you were doing okay. You and Kyle had your conversation about your anniversary and your favorite Star Wars movies. But then Pete walked onto the stage in his ridiculous waiter getup. His white shirt was unbuttoned at the top and wrinkled, his black pants hanging low on his hips, and his apron only half tied. You bit your tongue to keep yourself together.

“Welcome to White Oyster, what do you want?” He said in a very bored voice. You acted interested, eyes raking up and down him. You felt ridiculous and had to swallow a laugh.

Kyle pushed his glasses up on his nose, “me and my girlfriend are here for our six-month anniversary, so we would like the couple’s special.” His nerd voice was incredible.

“Okay. Anything else?” Pete’s voice remained monotone.

You bit your lip, “do you recommend anything else?” You asked, trying to sound nerd-sexy.

You could see Pete struggling to contain a smile. “I mean, whatever. Food here is shitty anyways.”

Kyle’s mouth gaped, “can you not speak like that around my girlfriend, please?”

The sketch continued with you making flirty remarks towards Pete, him being very bored and unaware, and Kyle trying to direct your attention. After your second attempt at flirting with him, you could feel yourself breaking down.

“So, I was wondering. Do you have any tattoos?” You asked him, your elbow on the table, twirling a piece of your hair in your finger.

Pete nodded, pulling up his shirt to show the big MOM tattoo on his side that was drawn on earlier. You felt a giggle slip out, completely out of character.

You tried to cover it up and continue, “wow, you really must love your mom, huh?” Another chuckle leaving your mouth, “that’s kinda hot.”

Kyle looked at you with wide eyes, “Linda!” He screamed the name of your character

Pete shrugged, “Nah, I did it myself. It says WOW, like world of warcraft.”

You couldn’t help the laugh that fell out of your mouth, and one followed from Pete. This was a disaster. You tried to regain your composure, knowing Kyle was probably really frustrated right now. “I just think tattoos are so cool. You don’t have any, do you Darren?” You asked Kyle’s character, eyes narrowing at him. You heard a chuckle from Pete beside you and you bit your cheek.

Kyle faked looking flustered, “N-no. But I have all 7 of the Harry Potter books and 4 collectors wands.”

Pete nodded, “Oh cool, I have a Harry Potter tattoo.” He pulled up his arm to show his real tattoo.

Your eyes went wide, “Wow. That’s way cooler.” You batted your eyes up at Pete, making him break even more. Watching his face go red and his mouth lifting up with laughter made you squeeze your eyes to hide your laughter.

“But babe!” Kyle was starting to break now too. “You love my Harry Potter stuff!”

“It’s cool, I guess.”

The sketch continued with you and Pete laughing anytime you looked at each other, your energies feeding into one another. You both tried really hard to keep it together, but something about flirting with Pete made you so giddy inside that you couldn’t help it.

Eventually the scene ended and the lights went down. You knew the cameras probably caught an extra few seconds after the close of the sketch, meaning they caught you and Pete breaking down into fits of laughter.

You somehow made it offstage, faces red. “We’re so gonna get fired.” He said through giggles.

“I’m so sorry,” You started, trying to take breaths through your laughs. “I don’t know why I couldn’t hold it together.”

“You looked ridiculous.” Pete laughed, pointing at your glasses.

After the show you made your way back to your dressing room, changing into your day clothes and getting ready to leave. You finally checked your phone, which had been off the duration of the show.

Your twitter feed was filled with clips of you and Pete laughing through the sketch.

They’re so cute together #goals

Love their friendship

Get you someone who looks at you like Pete looks at Y/N

Poor Kyle ☹

The way they can’t get through a skit because they’re too in love

And they say they aren’t dating…

Can’t believe the unprofessionalism

Pete and Y/N are dating… no one can convince me otherwise

The flirting!!! The looks!!!

I would like Pete and Y/N to get married and adopt me please

Your heart melted at all the comments, a sigh leaving your mouth. You watched the video and noticed the way he looked at you anytime you broke character, it was the same way you looked at him all the time.

You shook your head, convincing yourself you were imagining it. You couldn’t afford to think like that, it would ruin your friendship.

A knock at your door pulled you out of your thoughts, “Y/N, wanna go grab a drink with me?” It was Pete.

“You can come in.” You called, and he did so. “I don’t know, I was thinking I might just go home. I’m pretty tired.” You really just wanted to go home and sort through your feelings for the umpteenth time that month.

He nodded, watching as you tossed various items in your bag, “you were great tonight.”

You giggled, “Pete I barely made it through our sketch, it was a disaster.”

He rolled his eyes, walking over to where you were at your vanity. “I messed up too, but it was fine. No one noticed.”

You leaned into the mirror, fixing your makeup slightly. Pete was very close to you, watching you through said mirror. “Trust me, Petey. Everyone noticed.” You laughed, standing up straight again.

Your back was inches from his chest, and you could suddenly feel a different sort of tension in the air. But you didn’t make any move to shift away from him. He gave you a quizzical look through the mirror and you took out your phone, turning to him.

You took in a breath at the proximity. You weren’t close enough to kiss or anything, but his chest was only a few inches away from you. You shook away the thoughts you were having and opened your twitter, letting him scroll through the tweets. He chuckled and shook his head as he read them, eventually handing you your phone back.

“People really like us together.” He said, smiling.

You rolled your eyes, “They have for the past like, 6 years, Petey. We’re funny.” You smiled moving to turn back to grab your bag, but his hand grabbed your hip and made you stay facing him.

Your mind went blank at his touch, trying to figure out if this was real or if you were just really really tired. “That’s not what I meant.” He said, quieter.

You laughed, looking away from his eyes, not really knowing what to say. “I mean, people have always thought… stuff like that.” You mumbled, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Pete’s eyes were searching your face, taking in every detail. “Have you ever thought about, like, why people think we’re…” He trailed off, but you knew what he was implying.

You blushed, looking down at your toes. “I mean, I guess we’re together a lot and we get on well. People just like to make assumptions, I guess.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure it doesn’t help that I can never keep my eyes off of you, even when the cameras are rolling.” He said, a chuckle following.

You smiled, looking back up at him, your brain trying to process what he just said. After a few moments of silence, you spit out a “why are you bringing this up?” Your voice was soft, almost a whisper.

He sighed, hand moving from your hip and rubbing his face lightly. “I don’t know, I’ve just been thinking a lot.” You gave him a look that told him to continue. “I mean, I think it’s kind of obvious that I like you.”

Your mouth dropped, “obvious? Pete Davidson you have been far from obvious about your feelings.” You really thought you were dreaming, hearing those words from him was just impossible.

“Are you kidding me? How many sketches do I have to write just so I can flirt with you? Have you not picked up on the fact that literally every sketch I write for you to be in we’re playing some sort of couple?” He laughed, stepping towards you, and grabbing your hips again. “Dude, and I thought I was oblivious to this shit.”

“In my defense I’ve spent the past like 6 years trying to convince myself you didn’t feel the same way.” You said, a smile crossing your face.

Pete rolled his eyes, leaning closer to you, “now why would you wanna do that?” There was a playful tone in his voice, but you couldn’t help your serious answer.

“Because I didn’t wanna read the signs wrong and mess up our friendship.” You sighed.

Pete’s smile softened, “Y/N I literally want to kill you right now for making me wait this long.” You giggled, leaning closer to him. “But you’re cute so I guess I can let it slide.”

“If I kiss you will it make up for it?” You asked, batting your eyelashes.

Pete pretended to think about it, “hmmm, maybe. You should definitely give it a shot to see.”

You rolled your eyes, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him into you. Your lips touched his and it was like everything in the universe suddenly aligned. His mouth moved against yours in soft, perfect motions. His hands pulled you closer into him, your bodies molding together like it was meant to be.

When you finally pulled away for breath, he pressed his forehead against yours, a wide grin on his face. “So, about those drinks?”

#pete davidson #pete davidson imagine #pete davidson x reader #pete davidson fluff

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nevergenders · 4 years

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some thoughts on mcr’s reunion

disclaimer that this is all just speculation, just my own thoughts.

we all know my chemical romance started after the events of september 11th, 2001. the band was formed out of a couple things:

the much-needed fight against the political climate at the time

the desperation for the members to make something of their lives, especially seeing as gerard was suicidal

creating art as an escape from the real world

catharsis

mcr provided this for many fans around the world, as well as for themselves. as gerard way once said, “it saved my life, and it’s there to save other people’s lives.” this is a well-known fact, as i’m sure many of us have experienced this.

mcr was also a vessel for growth, which we all witnessed. mcr was about working through trauma and mental health with many other people, all joined together by one band. mcr was about being true to yourself and finding a place of community. i liked how gerard put it: “Fiction. Friction. Creation. Destruction. Opposition. Aggression. Ambition. Heart. Hate. Courage. Spite. Beauty. Desperation. LOVE. Fear. Glamour. Weakness. Hope. Fatalism.”

when the band broke up, in gerard’s vigil on birds and glass, gerard writes about the metaphor of the bird that flew into their house, trying to escape through a window and continually hitting the glass. i think the metaphor is clear when you consider when gerard talked about writing the ever elusive mcr5, “the paper kingdom,” during which he realized he was very depressed, and the most suicidal he had felt since the band’s inception.

this mindset was captured in “fake your death.” the lyrics are extremely self-critical, and seem to convey, more clearly than mcr lyrics usually tend to be, that he felt like the whole course of the band was for absolutely nothing; people still hurt, and so did they; their career was meaningless; they never really helped anything. it’s incredibly depressing to listen to, and upsetting to think that he ever felt that way.

another thing from his essay was that he referred to the band as being a perfect machine with a fail-safe box that would detonate if certain events occurred. looking after the fact at the things that happened toward the end of the band, from an outsider’s perspective, seem to indicate that some of those “events” are things that affected mcr’s purpose that would have made it become counterproductive -- the fight against the system, the growth from trauma, the creative growth together. gerard also specifically stated that part of the reason the band ended was because of the political climate in the us, especially considering

that’s where the bird metaphor comes in. they were the bird hitting the window -- trying to take flight, seeing where they could go, but held back by something invisible. with the band ended, they could grow on their own -- create their own families, chase their own creative endeavors, take some time to do what they needed to do for themselves, away from each other. it was totally necessary.

july 20, 2016. a cryptic video is released to tease the ten-year anniversary version of the black parade. the internet explodes, and the band’s account posts “we’ve been really touched and blown away by the response to the teaser trailer.”

november 1, 2019, the day after the return is announced: “from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for the warm welcome back. we truly did not expect this.”

i really don’t think they realized that their band continued to help heal hearts even while they were gone. to quote gerard himself, “it is not a band. it is an idea.” even if the band wasn’t together to tour, create new art and messages, and spread their love, it just kept happening. i think throughout 2018 and 2019 i’ve really started to realize exactly how much of an effect my chem made on the world, and how much they influenced the scene today and all of the newer bands we love and care about. it was widespread, and couldn’t be stopped by the band’s end in 2013.

this is a stark contrast to the attitude conveyed in fake your death. i really think we proved them wrong. i also really enjoy how that turned out, because chapter two of mcr, as frank deemed it in his last instagram post, has been kicked off by blowing away that negative mindset.

not only that, but the reformation of the band seems is under completely different circumstances than how they originally formed. whereas the original formation was out of desperation, we are starting to see now that the decision to return was made much more comfortably; they tested the waters together all the way back in 2017; they have grown and healed a lot, and are generally so much happier with their lives, and as @kiraisstillhere said, the perfect example of an “it gets better” story.

i will admit, the reunion show had much less bells and whistles than i expected. mcr have always been known to be over the top and bursting with art, so i thought we might see that from them upon the first show, especially with all the witchy hints they’ve been dropping about their future concepts. but to my surprise, it was very simple. they were wearing their normal clothing, they played many fan favorites as well as personal favorites, and the show felt like it was just as much for the fans as it was for them. it was totally thrilling to see them performing together for the first time since 2012, all grown up. i think adding the bells and whistles would have been a bit too overwhelming.

in the same interview as gerard speaking about the political climate during the breakup, he also stated that if mcr ever reunited, it wouldn’t be a machine anymore, it would just be them releasing music. (he was also being a goddamn liar and said that the band had gotten together recently, and didn’t talk about releasing music or touring and he didn’t know if they would do anything in the future. mind you, this was february 2019.) that attitude is reflected in the reunion show, but not in the hints and symbols they’ve been dropping.

i think there will always be an element of art to my chemical romance, since it is part of what makes them unique. however, it’s hard to imagine mcr without the fighting energy we’ve always seen from them, but when you think about where they are in their lives now, it makes sense. they are a recovery story, and now we get to celebrate and watch them live out their best lives together as the band we all know and love.

in conclusion, my chemical romance is back and i’m ready to see them thrive. it won’t be the same as before, that’s for sure. i think they have a lot of great things and a lot of cool art to share with us. i don’t think they feel the need to fight anymore, like gerard said in a danger days interview but i can’t remember which one it was anymore. either way, we all just get to celebrate and watch this band thrive, and i’m here for it!

feel free to add on, contribute, or respond!

#my chemical romance reunion #my chemcial romance #mcr #mcr reunion #finally it’s here!#this is the exact same thing i was trying to say when i wrote that super long essay #i justwent way too into detail and focused in on every little thing haha #long post #reunion info

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lavendermenaceart · 3 years

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The ouroboros effect

Genre: Fantasy, Semi-post apocolyptic

Themes: Death, spirituality, witches, magic, reincarnation

Words: 2,379

Reincarnation is a finite resource in Vidia's world and it's running out. Children are being born without souls, and her High Priestess believes she knows what they need to do.

It started 2 years ago. The religious will tell you it was the rapture, but there was no end to it. Babies being born with some kind of defect. All the tests were clear, fine. But, something was wrong. They were empty-eyed, their voices hollow and flat, even when they cried. The religious were saying they were soulless and scientists weren’t able to explain it.

People made memes about it, made videos describing their explanations, but nothing came as close to explaining it as the idea that souls were in fact real, and these children were born without them.

The amount of infanticide rose by 46% the first year, even higher in the second. People were becoming too scared to have children, so birth rates dropped significantly. The government tried everything to get people to start reproducing again to little success. Countries that struggled with birth rates struggled even more. Everytime scientists thought they had an explanation, it vanished into thin air.

As these children grew up, they would simply sit there. They could not talk or walk or eat on their own. There were people deemed “radicals” for still caring about these children’s lives. Despite cries from more conservative groups who believed these children were sent from satan himself, the government did nothing to alleviate the situation except for dumping more and more money into research.

With all that said, the religious were almost right. They almost hit the nail on the head. They failed to take into consideration the second most widely held belief in the world: reincarnation. Yes, reincarnation was real and as the human population grew the number of souls available dwindled and dwindled.

The things that the news cycle rarely covered alongside the soulless, was the changing of the seasons. Winter didn’t last longer than 3 months anymore and most days could be described as summer weather. Southern states known for their heat were becoming uninhabitable. People moved in mass from these states, midwestern and northern states becoming so crowded that all resources were spread thin. People were dying more and more often from things like hunger and thirst. The apocalypse was upon us.

And so people began prepping, people like Vidia Knoll. Vidia was resting on her bed, the ac in her cramped apartment going full blast as well as multiple fans facing her bed. She scrolled idley through her social media apps. Doing anything that involved more movement than need be was now frowned upon. Moving meant you were losing water, and you wanted to need water as little as possible in this new world. Vidia followed a lot of preppers, they all didn’t believe the same as she did but it was enough of a shared interest for her to keep tabs on certain people.

As she scrolled through her feed, a message notification slid down from the top of her screen, a light ding sounding. It was a message to the group-chat of her coven. Vidia felt anxiety roil in her stomach as she tapped on the notification.

It simply read “Get ready, we’ll be starting within the next two hours.” It was from the high priestess.

And so Vidia prepared. She was in charge of creating the ceremonial robes and bringing candles. Other witches in the coven would be bringing herbs, lighters, food and drink, as well as chalk. This was going to be a big ceremony, a very heavy spell. Vidia and all her coven would probably be sick for a while afterwards. It is going to take an immense amount of energy to complete the spell her coven had planned

She grabbed all of the robes, made of velvet with silk detailing. The symbol of her coven, a albino raven perched on a branch, embroidered in silk on the left breast, and intricate twining lines outlined the deep purple of the robes. It was some of her best, and hardest, work to date.

Vidia felt the discomfort in her stomach grow as she mulled over the spell and her coven’s goal. To make life on earth an ouroboros. Time would begin looping, from the start of the world to the end of it, and all the life around her would be recycled over and over until something changed. Until a better solution was found. She kept telling herself a better solution would be found. A way to generate new souls would be found one day.

She took the duffle bag with the robes in it and headed out of her cramped, plain apartment. It was a hot day, like every day was. There was nothing special in the air, no odd feeling, no feeling of greatness appeared to Vidia as she pressed the down button on the elevator.

People loitered outside their apartments, wishing for open space instead of the cramped 4 walls they all lived in. No one spoke to Vidia so she spoke to no one as she entered a crowded elevator. Soon she was making her way down the 50 floors of her apartment, awkward coughs or the shifting of clothes puncturing the silence. As she stepped out of the elevator and out of the high rise apartment building, the only kind that existed anymore, she was confronted with the hot pavement, that blocky and gray highrises all around her. Some apartments had balconies, no doubt the more expensive ones, where people sat and watched the street below. Some people dried their laundry by hanging it over the railing of their balcony. Watching water drip and then dissipate in the heat, Vidia made her way towards the slowly darkening horizon. Night was a rare thing, a small blessing in a world full of heat and stench and crowded buildings.

The streets were quiet and empty as she made her way to the cafe her high priestess owned. It was a small, quaint little shop with 4 or 5 tables inside, as well as the bookshelves that held their meeting place.

Vidia was craving one of her vanilla bean frappuccinos as she walked in and the smell of cold drinks hit her. People rarely ordered hot coffee anymore.

“Merry met, High Priestess Nora.” Vidia smiled and waved as she entered the empty cafe. The walls were a warm brown, fake plant life lining where walls met in sharp corners, and more fake plants hung from the ceiling in baskets.

“Merry met, Vidia. Did you bring everything?” Nora asked, a tall and buff woman with dark tan skin and the darkest brown eyes Vidia had ever seen.

“Yes, I have all the robes and candles. Everything looks beautiful.” She smiled as she leaned against the counter and Nora flipped the open sign to closed. “All the robes took me a while but I think you’ll be really happy.” Vidia bit her lip as she patted the duffle bag she had placed in the chair next to her. She couldn’t deny she was anxious for the Priestesses’ reaction. She had worked so hard on them, and work was something you did only when you had to, not in your free time. Work meant water, body heat, sweating.

“I’m so excited!” Nora clapped her hands together, walking back to where Vidia sat and opened the duffle bag. Nora looked tough, but she really was just a big softy on the inside. The thought made Vidia smile through her anxiety.

“Oh, Vidia, they are absolutely wonderful. Where did you get this fabric?” She held up a robe, feeling the soft fabric between her fingers, tracing the embroidery with an index finger. She looked back to Vidia with curiosity in her eyes.

“Oh, my grandma had an old store of fabrics from when she was younger. Velvet and silk are too expensive but I wanted these to be special.” Vidia shrugged, trying to act nonchalant even though the praise made butterflies float around in her stomach.

As Nora placed the robe she was looking and feeling over back in the duffle bag, 5 other women walked into the cafe at once, chattering and giggling amongst themselves.

“Merry met, High Priestess, Merry met Vidia!” One of them, a blonde with green eyes, waved in greeting.

All five of the girls were carrying different things, one carrying satchels no doubt full of herbs, another carrying bundles of chalk, another carrying food, and the other was most likely carrying lighters in her purse.

“Merry met, ladies. Looks like we’re all prepared?” Nora was smiling, walking over to the bookcase and pressing on a bright green book that accepted the pressure her hand placed on it and the bookcase opened before her, leading to a dimly lit room. “I’ve got all the food, and I know Ruby and Damien have all their stuff.” A girl with bright aqua hair and brown eyes spoke up, looking to either side of her as everyone followed the High Priestess into the dim room.

“I’ve got all the lights!” A girl with brown hair and green eyes spoke up, shaking her purse.

“And i’ve obviously got all the herbs…” A woman with dark flowing hair and darker brown eyes lifted the satchels to prove her words.

As Vidia walked into the room, she took in her surroundings. It was a wide open space, with cool air blowing from an industrial AC. The walls were a dark lavender and the floors were interlocking planks of walnut. A table big enough for all seven of them sat with a black with golden trim table runner draped across it, and comfortable wooden chairs place around it to the left of the room.

“Alright, let’s light these candles and do this.” Nora said with determination shining in her brown eyes.

A trickle of anxiety filled the air as the girls set to work placing the white candles from Vidia’s bag in a circle in the middle of the room. Lighters were passed around and quickly heat filled the room as all the candles were lit one by one by the coven.

Nora turned the lights on, just the glow of the many candles filling the room and illuminating the women who gathered there.

They all came together in a circle, Nora, taking a piece of white chalk from Ruby, drew a circle around all of them, reciting what sounded like a poem in a booming voice.

“With this circle, I protect our energy. With this circle, I protect our work. With this circle, I cast out all unneeded energies. With this circle, I cast out all who wish us harm.” Nora finished the circle as she spoke the last word before walking to stand in the middle of it.

Vidia couldn’t help but think she looked beautiful in the warm candle light.

“So will it be.” The coven said all at once.

“Rose, scatter the herbs into the candles and speak what you must.” Nora nodded towards the dark haired girl.

Rose circled around the inside of the circle, throwing a mixture of petals and leaves and stalks onto the flames of the candle. An earthy, flowery scent filled the room as the candles flickered, smoke dancing up and up.

Rose returned to her space in the circle, whispering a little prayer that only Vidia barely heard. Surely, it was a prayer for protection.

“Ruby, offer The Energies food so they may be energized and see us fondly.” Nora nodded towards a girl with bright red hair and brown eyes.

Ruby made her way to the head of the circle, placing a plate of delectable meats and vegetables, saying a short prayer to the energies that made the world what it was to look on us kindly and offer help.

“Damien, offer the energies wine so they may be in a good mood, and so they know they are welcomed as family.”

Damien poured a glass of red wine at the head of the circle, next to Ruby’s food.

“And so we shall begin. Hold hands and concentrate all your energies. Follow my words.” Nora reach her hands out to either side of her, the circle slowly connecting and joining together.

Vidia could feel electricity in the air, and felt a slight wind blow through the room as they all connected hands. The Energies were pleased with the offering and with the politeness of the group. Vidia couldn’t help but smile at the magick that surrounded her. Goosebumps rose on her skin as she looked around the circle, everyone else smiling and a few giggles bubbling up from the group of women as the wind tickled their faces.

“Energies, Hear our plea.” Nora spoke loudly, not to the other women, but to the air in front of her. She looked so determined, her brows set. She was putting all of her energy into her words, so Vidia did when it was the circle’s turn to recite the words back. Energy tingled and danced in her chest, Vidia trying to manipulate it to lend power to her words.

“We….hear….your...plea.” Voices of unidentifiable gender spoke, quiet and soft. Vidia couldn’t help but jump a little. The coven had done magick together before, but never had The Energies talked back.

Nothing appeared before them, but they could all feel it. All around them, strands of energy twinkled and danced. White lines, passing through objects and through herself. Vidia watched as all the lines converged in the middle of the circle. Lines reaching from each woman, dancing and twining together. Another line, thicker than the rest, grew up into the ceiling. No, past the ceiling. Vidia watched it all happening before her eyes and couldn’t help but blink away tears. It was beautiful, and she was part of it. She helped bring such a sight into being.

Nora bowed gracefully to the energies, even though they came from everywhere.

“We are here to ask for your aid. We wish to bring an end to the soulless plaguing our reality. We ask that you do whatever is in your power to help us. We will praise you for the rest of our days in return.” Nora spoke, her eyes searching all around her as she waited for the voices to speak again.

“We...will give...what you….need...but….not...what you…..want.” The voice spoke so slowly, like syrup melting over warm pancakes. The Energies existed all around and inside of Vidia, she could almost hear what they were going to say before they spoke it.

“What is it that we need?” Nora asked hesitantly, human curiosity getting the better of her.

“New….souls.” Was all it said. Vidia couldn’t help but feel like it was spoken too simply. Were the energies that powerful that they could just make new souls? Why hadn’t they done this before? Maybe it just wasn’t brought to their attention. Vidia’s mind raced with questions and answers. She wanted to ask, to regurgitate all of the words spinning in her head, but she decided against it. Who was she to question Gods?

Nora sank to her knees, still holding onto the women at either side of her. She looked drained, her skin turning pale. She was still conscious, but worn out from the amount of energy she was expending.

“No….more...soulless...In...return...Your magick.” Slowly, one by one, the circle began collapsing. Vidia felt the world around her spin and blacken. The last thing she could remember seeing was Nora laying on the ground, peacefully sleeping.

And so the witches slept. They slept and slept, and slept. If the tenant hadn’t found them a week later, who knows if any of them would still be alive. All Vidia knew was that she was uncomfortable and cold, laying in a hospital bed hooked up to IVs to replenish her strength. Even though she was still so tired, she could at least manage to be awake for a few hours at a time. In those hours she watched the news. The news told stories of previously soulless children coming to life. No more were being born. But when Vidia closed her eyes and tried to focus her energy, she felt nothing.

Her magick in exchange for souls. She was sure it was a fair trade, but she couldn’t help but feel empty without her magick. She hadn’t fixed the world, but at least she helped fix something. She gave families closure and happiness. She gave children new lives, and ensured lives for future generations to come. Vidia let a silent prayer to The Energies fall off her lips, thanking them. In return, she felt a gentle breeze. Even if she had no magick, she had their favor.

#writeblr #writing prompt #fiction #fantasy #original story #creative writing #my writing #writers of tumblr #writers on tumblr

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subtlereferencetomyinterests · 4 years

Text

The Ballroom

Ao3, MasterPost

Relationships: Roceit

I know how to write Roman, in theory. In practice, it takes hours to get right. And yet, I love him. Oh! And I actually remembered to insert the italics this time, so, you’re welcome :3.

Warnings: Self-Doubt, Delusions/Hallucinations (they r not that bad), slight Trust Issues (Janus, obvs), Established Relationships, First ‘i love you’, Mentions of Greek Mythology, References to Musicals (Hadestown Hadestown Hadestown!! they sing Wedding Song together ok??), and I vaguely imply that Roman has ADHD because of course I do.

Word count: 2,443

Every side had a room. Duh, common knowledge. The inhabitants of the Mindscape constantly barged in and out of each other’s domains without so much as a knock, usually to no more reaction than an irritated sigh. It wasn’t like it was a big deal to anyone, much like an actual family. If a trait wanted absolute privacy, well, they always had somewhere else to retreat to.

Thus brings us to the Extensions. It was well understood that you never visited one without express permission from the side who owned it. They were entirely personal settings, specific to the ‘individual’ that used it. The Extensions shifted and changed over time, just as each side’s representation, outlook, and even definition changed, but there had been a certain consistency upheld throughout the last three or four years.

Roman’s was a theater, beautiful and ornate with a high-ceiling and perfect lighting, which of course always followed him. Logan’s was a planetarium, allowing the user to view any part of the night sky, and providing essentially all known information on astrology for those that wanted it. Patton had a garden, always filled with fresh produce and hundreds of different types of flowers; humble fountains and birdbaths were dotted along the narrow brick path that ran through the large space, at which he could often be found resting with a bunch of chrysanthemums. Remus’ was, predictably, a museum filled with almost innumerable odd and grotesque objects and devices from history- it also served as an art gallery, on occasion, offering a strange sort of beauty. Virgil’s had changed the most over the years, but it had seemed to settle on something of a vinyl record library, complete with bean bag chairs to lounge in while you listened: perfectly fitting for the hipster emo that he was at heart.

And that left Janus. Of course, no one besides the snake himself had ever seen his Extension, and for a good long time he’d intended it to stay that way. It was his business and nobody else’s- why should he want to invite someone into such a personal environment?

But then he went and made the mistake of falling for just the someone to answer that rhetorical question. Someone who would surely be overjoyed to see it, and whom Janus loved dearly enough to maybe possibly let him.

It was a ballroom. Obviously Roman would love something like that.

When Janus first began contemplating showing his boyfriend the Extension, he’d wanted to do something along the lines of a masquerade. He quickly deemed it excessive for Roman’s first visit, though. Just a standard setting, then! But, no, Janus didn’t want to have any of his prop people distracting his very easily distracted partner, so that was out of the question. So he would stay simple. Simple didn’t get a big reaction. Simple could be brushed under the rug if it went somehow awry (and was also less likely to go awry). Simple let him breathe.

Yet somehow it remained terrifying. Honestly, Deceit was second-guessing letting Roman in even as he was leading them down the lengthy hallway, feeling regret clawing at him with each muffled thump of his heeled boots on the carpet.

“I want to show you something.”

“Oh? And what would that be, Loveliest Lie of All?”

“You’ll see when we get there. Come along, before I change my mind.”

Janus extended a gloved hand, which Roman took with enthusiasm. He was raring to go without even the slightest idea what they were doing. It was a hopelessly endearing quality.

“Whatever it is, I’m sure I’ll love it but half as much as you.”

“Only half?” Janus teased, narrowly avoiding returning the ‘L’ word, yet again (he wanted to, God did he want to, but the word died on his tongue every time).

Roman didn’t bat an eye at his deflection, merely leaning forward with a sappy smile.

“Naturally; nothing can match you, my dear.”

Yeah, no, he was committed now. This was, without a doubt, happening. Janus continued to lead his boyfriend along the hall, fielding all questions until they finally came upon the door. It was far taller than the ones around it, colored a bright canary-yellow. The trait took a deep breath and turned to Roman, whose face was bright with recognition as to what kind of entryway this was.

“This is your-”

“Yes.”

“You’re really going to show me-”

“Yes.”

“Oh,” Roman traced a hand down the door frame, as if it would shatter at a firmer touch. His eyes were wide with excitement, a grin stretching across his lips.

Janus felt as though his stomach were doing cartwheels.

“Well, then, what are we waiting for?” It was a genuine question; Deceit was open to suggestions for reasons to wait. But Roman clearly hadn’t picked up on the hesitance, too caught up in his own exuberance.

Janus took a deep breath. He pulled the door open, and the two sides were immediately enveloped by brilliant golden light.

The ballroom was a showy place, which mightn’t have seemed to be the deceitful trait’s nature, at first glance- but, oh, did Janus adore just a dash of gaudiness.

Roman already knew this about him. Roman knew a lot of things that took a careful eye and a lot of trust.

Janus took the first step forward, holding Creativity’s hand in his and leading him into the baroque construct. The door snapped shut behind them, leaving them in glowing light cast down from crystalline chandeliers. Above them arched the ceiling, displaying murals of greek myths in perfect detail. The paintings danced and shifted around each other, even moving down the walls, as they played out dozens of ancient stories. It was like an animated oil painting, however impossible that would sound to a real human.

Soft music filled the ballroom, drifting around the pair. Janus usually dressed his Extension up with fake guests; people of his own design for him to talk and laugh with. It felt safe, reassuring even, to be completely in control of things, including your compatriots. But now, the room was empty, save for him and his real guest. Janus turned his gaze back to Roman, trying to disguise his nervousness.

“Well?”

Roman crosses his arms over his chest. He clicks his tongue, giving the surroundings a sweeping glance. At best, he’s unimpressed, at worst, he’s outright disdainful.

“All that buildup, really, for this? What is even the point of such an Extension, Janus?” Roman’s intricately designed shoes clack against the hardwood floor as he further examines the room. He stops in the center, whirling to face Janus. “I’d hoped that this big reveal would make up for all of your other failings as a partner, but I suppose you’re just fated to disappoint me! And it took you months to show me this waste of architecture? Now, that’s just pathetic.”

With a scoff, Roman leaves.

The scene Janus had unconsciously played came to an abrupt end. He staggered, blinking his eyes back into focus. Roman wasn’t looking down at him, gaze cold and unwavering; rather, he was spinning around the room as he drank in the decorations. He quite looked like he’d never had a malicious thought in his entire life, joyful as he was.

“Oh, Jay, this is gorgeous! Not as much as you, of course- but it is just astounding,” he beamed at Janus, who offered a smirk in return and rolled his mismatched eyes (though he could feel the human side of his face flush bright at the compliment). Before he had a proper response, however, Roman’s gaze caught on something behind him. The trait crossed the room in just a few strides.

“Is that…?”

Janus turned on his heel and followed, his eyes landing on the painting that distracted his prince. The tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, a colorful-yet-accurate depiction, ‘painted’ in a somewhat impressionist style. It was easily one of Janus’ favorite myths; evidently Roman was a fan just the same.

“I’m glad you like it,” the honesty was bitter on his tongue. It was well worth it. “I find mythology inspiring, to say the least.”

Creativity ran his hand along the mural, a giddy laugh escaping him. Without the slightest of warnings, he spun around and grabbed one of Janus’ hands in both of his.

“Lover, tell me, if you can- who’s gonna buy the wedding bands? Times being what they are. Hard and getting harder all the time,” his singing was elated and bubbly, the lilt of one well-familiar with the lyrics he recited. Janus laughed and leaned into his partner.

“You want to be Eurydice?”

“Just play along!”

Janus sighed, far too fond for the exasperation he’d been aiming for, and pulled Roman in close. He settled his hands at The Prince’s hips, leading them in a mostly formless dance.

“Lover, when I sing my song, all the rivers sing along. And they're gonna break their banks for me, to lay their gold around my feet. All a-flashing in the pan, all to fashion for your hand. The river’s gonna give us the wedding bands,” once, Roman had told him his voice was honey, slow and sweet. That conversation came back to him, bringing a lanquidity to his singing just so he could soak in the lovestruck expression it earned him.

“Lover, tell me, if you're able, who's gonna lay the wedding table? Times being what they are. Dark and getting darker all the time.”

Their simply patterned steps led them in wide circles around the room. Janus subconsciously let the jazz that usually rang across his ballroom slip away, only to be replaced with the instrumentals to their ballad.

“Lover, when I sing my song, All the trees gonna sing along, And bend their branches down to me, To lay their fruit around my feet. The almond and the apple, And the sugar from the maple. The trees gonna lay the wedding table.”

And so on they continued for the song’s duration- taking their turns with the lyrics, eyes only for each other despite the beauty of their surroundings.

When Janus reached the last line, he drew out the note until his voice faded to nothing more than a lingering hum of the tune. Softly, his standard background music returned to accompany them as the remnants of their duet slipped away.

They eased to a gentle sway. Roman dropped his head onto Janus’ shoulder with a sigh.

“Thank you.”

“What for, my dear?”

“Bringing me here. Trusting me,” Creativity mumbled into his collar.

“Of course,” Janus whispered, letting go of the side’s hips to properly wrap his arms around him.

Roman raised his head, just enough to look Deceit in the eyes.

“I love you,” he announced, open and honest and completely unexpectant- everything that Janus wasn’t. It was the same way he always said it; with a fierceness as though he was proving his point in an argument, yet somehow remaining gentle and caring. A mere statement, one that never even hinted at a need for response. It simply was, a fact thrown into the world with reckless abandon.

Nothing terrified Janus more. But, between the duet and Roman’s reaction to the Extension, Janus felt something a bit more foreign than fear welling in him.

Bravery.

“I love you, too.”

Roman pulls back from their embrace, a cruel laugh falling from his lips. He fixes Janus with a patronizing glare.

“Oh, you love me, do you? You sure know how to show it,” he taunts, backing further away from the snake. There is something dark that glints behind his eyes. “I only tell you that I love you a million times a day, to radio silence, and it’s only now you deign to reciprocate? Barely any fanfare, as though such a confession alone makes up for all the doubt you’ve brought me?”

Janus tries to speak, to make use of and flaunt his eloquence, to orchestrate those perfect sentences to craft himself some semblance of a defense. But all he can do is choke.

“I don’t know why I ever expected better from you. It’s obvious that you can’t change, Deceit.”

And Roman leaves.

Except he didn’t. It wasn’t real. Janus squeezed his eyes shut for just a second, blinking them open to see the real Roman- who, thankfully, seemed to be too preoccupied to take note of his… episode.

Roman was wide-eyed, completely still in Janus’ arms. He tilted back, and for a petrifying second the deceitful side thought he really was going to let go, but thankfully he didn’t go far. The Prince gripped tightly to Janus’ shoulders, holding on as if to keep himself steady. He let out a shaky laugh- soft and reverent and nothing like his nightmare version’s cackle. Because he wasn’t that, despite what Deceit’s mistrusting mind would try to convince him.

“You said it,” Roman said at last, his voice small but his smile wide.

“I’m aware,” finally, am I right? Janus bit his tongue on that. I’m sorry, he couldn’t find the strength to say. I mean it, I’ve meant it for so long, please believe me, also went unspoken. What he settled on was:

“This is the easiest thing in the world for me.”

“I’m so proud of you.”

“Why? You tell me-” a shiver chased down his back, “-you tell me you love me a million times a day.”

“Yes, I do that. I suppose it’s just in my nature, after all. Regardless, it would be wrong of me to expect you act like me, because you’re you. And ‘you’ happens to be someone I love very, very much.”

Janus let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.

“... I love you, too.”

Roman chuckled, bonking his nose against Janus’ affectionately.

“Two in one day? I must be the luckiest man in the world.”

“Shut up, I’m only to make up for lost time. Don’t get used to it.”

“Of course not, my love.”

Janus sighed- relief, mostly, but infatuation crept its way into the sound. He picked up humming to the light melodies that played, resuming the swaying movements that had been forgotten in the face of confessions. Roman followed his lead, his grin delightfully infectious.

“We should get back soon,” the artistic trait admitted, sounding very much like he considered it someone else’s problem- one that he did not intend on concerning himself with, at that. Janus hummed, feigning deep thought. He let his head fall against Roman’s shoulder, eyes falling closed as he responded.

“Just one more song, Darling?”

“Oh, if you insist.”

“Insist I do.”

Roman stayed.

@shrimp-crockpot

#my writing #fanfiction #fanfic #sanders sides #ts #ts fanfic #sanders sides fanfiction #roceit #ts janus #ts roman #roman #janus

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twilightofthe · 4 years

Text

Aight, one last serious post for a bit. After that I think I might back off on some rants and stuff that I’ve been doing because I created this blog to be a positive place, and tbh, discussing stuff I don’t like just makes me upset, especially since I feel like I’m just shouting into either an unhearing void or at an audience that is watching and is distinctly unimpressed

Basically though, I wanted to apologize for the slightly salty posts I’ve made recently (and one like, yesterday lol) complaining about how people portray Anakin’s intelligence. I realize I came across as critical and accusatory of people who are just having fun and likely mean no harm, and it wasn’t fair of me to be all snappy about it. So yeah, I’m extremely sorry about that. I likely hurt people and that was not my intention. Please have fun and headcanon Anakin as anything you want. I love and support you and even if we can’t agree, we can def still be friends!

But, I will take this opportunity to kinda ramble a bit about my own personal experiences with this, and why I view Anakin the way I do, what his character means to me, and why it’s kinda exhausting sometimes to engage in fandom because I have the misfortune of having the unpopular opinion regarding a character, and how hard it is to respect other people’s takes when it seems that every time I give my own takes, it’s like I’m immediately shot down for them and refuted for the popular opinions, like I’m not allowed to believe this thing myself. Why I sometimes just gotta rant a little bit, and why no one should take it personal or as a criticism of them.

This below all delves very intricately into my own personal mindset and life experiences. It’s personal. Please remember this is a very personal post.

Now, to me, I totally understand Anakin has made every mistake in the world. I know he turns into a monster and hurts/(in)directly kills everyone he’s ever loved. I know that. I’m fully aware that he makes mistake after mistake after mistake. I know he’s a flawed character. I’m not saying he’s perfect. He’s far from it.

But at the same time, I can relate to parts of his character. His anxiety, his upset at not being able to live up to the standards he feels everyone’s putting on him when really no one is but him, the feeling of being constantly on the edge because you feel like your entire life is in a spiral and you don’t know how to stop it and every choice you make out of desperation makes things worse, how everyone around you just keeps making so much better choices and it’s like, why can’t I do that? What’s wrong with me? Why are they always right???????

And I love the fact that canonically, despite his utter disaster-ness, he has the potential to be good, to rise. That he is a canonical Gifted Kid, mega-intelligent but just totally unsure how to direct that so he flounders more often than not unless it’s in relation to his few specific interests, giving the feeling like I’m a fake and really there’s only one thing I’m good for. The need to do ANYTHING for validation from others because that’s what feeds you.

I’ve suffered this same insecurity and anxiety and self-hatred I can see in him my whole life, the same inability to properly manage my life like I’m supposed to and that everyone else seems to have figured out, how I could be so much more if I actually knew how to rise to the occasion instead of constantly crash and burn

I love Anakin so much because he is enough like me that I can sympathize and feel for him, but also different enough that when I see him tear down the path of self destruction, I can feel relief that I’m never at that point, and also sympathy that he fell that far (amidst my anger at him for hurting my other faves lol)

I LOVE that he has that ability to be smart and capable but just doesn’t know how to apply himself all the time, love it so much, and that’s why it’s a struggle sometimes when I feel that every time I try and say something showing off that side of him, like comment on something smart and creative he would have done, or something he HAS done right, immediately there’s people responding to me like UH NO ACTUALLY HE IS NOTHING BUT A PURE DUMBASS :) :) :))))))))))) HE DOESN’T HAVE THAT ABILITY/WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT BECAUSE IT’S TOO SMART/SENSIBLE/GOOD FOR HIS POOR FEEBLE MIND, PERHAPS YOU MEANT SOMEONE ELSE MORE CAPABLE?

I’m not kidding about this. I said Anakin was a good cook once? I immediately got a response saying no, he can’t be, he’s a feral gremlin who eats bugs. I tried to start a convo about him having an emotional/meaningful conversation with one of his loved ones about something because he notices something wrong with them? Someone instantly refuted me because “nah he’s too clueless and oblivious to have that kind of emotional sensitivity ever”. I write something in a fic that shows Anakin doing something cool? In comes a guest commenter passive aggressively with something along the lines of “oh your Anakin is SO MUCH smarter and capable than he should be it’s almost OOC, but I’ll believe it for now haha”

I’ve got more instances I can recount, but I’m stopping here. I totally respect people’s headcanons, and right to have fun, I do. I cannot stress enough that people can and should write what the want. But to me, when it feels like people don’t always want to ever consider my takes on his character, when it’s like fandom is constantly churning out reminders of how much they believe he doesn’t have a brain, well, like

It’s like, when you relate to a character like that and keep getting your opinions and ways to relate shut down by the majority no matter what you do or say, it just feels like everyone is telling me “SMART PEOPLE don’t ever fail at things! People with REAL gifts and talents don’t ever waste them or make mistakes. If you’re struggling, if you crash and burn, if you don’t quite have your life together, it can only mean you’re just plain stupid and a failure for the rest of your life. As a Fool, you can’t ever be considered successful or do something right— because that would be doing something Smart and you have Proven Yourself Dumb. All of your accomplishments and thing you’ve done right can either be attributed to someone else deemed More Capable, or could have been done better by something else, so those good things don’t mean anything. Since you acted the fool once, a fool is all you’ll ever be.”

I’ve struggled with that kind of talk from other people and especially from my own insecurities my entire life.

And I know that’s not what people really mean, I know fans are just sharing their headcanons. I know no one wants to hurt anyone, they’re just making a joke and having fun! I call Anakin a dumbass all the time! SW fandom is 99% good people who just wanna play with their own toys and gush about things that they love! I know this is like 90% good faith!

But it gets harder to believe sometimes the Dumb Anakin headcanons are just innocent headcanons and not genuine beliefs when people Will Not let me have different ones without playfully— or not so playfully —reminding me of how wrong they think I am and what they think about his intelligence level and abilities.

And because my own personal history with anxiety and self-destruction, being overwhelmed with that talk really just hurts, and I will never be able to make that hurt response go away, no matter how irrational it is.

But yeah. That’s how I relate to Anakin. That’s why I see him this way. That’s why I cannot resist complaining sometimes. I’ve been at a very low point recently and these negative thoughts have just been worse so I’ve been more cranky about it, but I promise I won’t bring it up too much.

Thanks for listening.

I’m probs not gonna post anything “rant”-related on here for a very long time— or do my damned hardest to try not to.

#don’t worry y’all i won’t clog the tags with this #i just wanted to clarify this whole clusterfuck after a really useful conversation on discord #and i just had to get all my messy thoughts out here so ppl understand where i’m coming from #morai musings #one (1) hot mess

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the-darklings · 5 years

Text

—𝒐𝒉, 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓;

pairing: quentin beck x reader

word count: 4.8k+

summary: “The unravelling was complete.”

notes: And here...we...go!! Beware major spoilers for far from home. Enjoy!

‘unravelling’ miniseries: | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | . . | finale

gif credit (x)

The call came in the early hours of the morning.

Long after the team left for Berlin.

Long after Quentin had gone with them, gaze lingering on you like he was moments away from walking back to you.

You had refused him.

Had taken his face in your hands and kissed him softly, mouth lingering on his till all you could feel was the warmth of his laboured breaths fanning against your swollen lips.

“I know how much you want this opportunity,” you had murmured in the centimetres separating you, “I know you need it. This is your journey and you should honour your world by doing this. When it’s done, and you’re content, find me again and ask me then.”

His fingers sank into you, hard and greedy, and the inferno raging inside his eyes made you want to kiss him again, “Will you say yes then?”

Your smile was secretive, and you held back a cheeky grin, “Maybe.”

Quentin’s stared had focused on you intently, the fingers against the back of your neck tightening minutely. “Let me in,” his request was soft but the look in his eyes was all consuming, unyielding. “Tell me you will stay no matter what.”

He had leaned into you, arms tight around your body, and lips hovering over yours as he focused his attention solely on your mouth. Nerves twisted your stomach, a familiar bite of anticipation and adrenaline coursing through your body.

“Are you trying to seduce me Mr Beck?” was your strangled whisper, and Quentin’s gaze moved slowly from your mouth and up towards your face.

“Yes,” he said bluntly, making you laugh and lean into him, your nose brushing against the curve of his neck. “I thought I made that pretty clear.”

“Eh, I don’t know,” you teased, pressing a lingering kiss against his skin and felt a shallow hiss of breath escape him at the contact. “I mean you were laying it on pretty thick earlier…”

The fingers holding the back of your neck twitched, and you felt him pull you closer, his scorching breath tickling your ear, “Oh, honey, if you think that’s laying it on thick…”

You felt heat bubble up inside your stomach at the low tilt of his voice in your ear, sly and coaxing.

Trying to regain control of your emotions, you slipped your hand inside your jeans, pulling out Quentin’s ring and showing it to him.

“I’m going to keep this till you come and collect it,” you told him, leaning back and catching his gaze. He looked untamed; wild strands of hair brushing against his forehead, his lips red and parted, and whatever was blazing in his eyes made your stomach flip. “Come back for it when you’re an Avenger.”

He was silent for a long minute, expression unreadable, but something lingered across his features.

Finally, his hand had moved from your neck to lay against the side of your face, his thumb tracing your bottom lip. “I will hold you to that,” he said austere and distant. But then with a blink, his grin was back and he kissed you slowly, claiming every inch of your mouth before he pulled back, unhurried and satisfied, and slid his ring on your thumb—the only finger it fit comfortably onto.

That had been hours ago.

And the ringing kept persisting. There was only one problem. You knew the sound your alarm made, you knew the sound of your ringtone, and this was neither of those things.

Your heart leapt when the realization struck you.

Rolling from your bed, you ran for your bag, closing and opening compartments till you located the slim black device.

It was a prototype of a phone. Designed and created by Tony himself, and a phone that hadn’t rung once since his death.

The thing about Tony was that even though he shared his technology with the world, there were certain things he never allowed others to touch. His suits had been one of such things. But this—

“The most secure line on the planet, no one can trace it because I designed it. Duh.”

You could count on one hand the number of people that had one of these phones.

Tony had always placed his family above everything, no matter how much of a snarky bastard he might have been about his methods.

When he had given you the phone shock had been too light of a term to express what you felt.

“In case there’s ever a need,” he had told you with a nonchalant shrug as he placed the phone on the table in front of you. He had moved on right away, not lingering on the topic for longer than he deemed necessary.

Yes, a need. Like looking after the people he loved most after he was gone. Tony had simply given you the means to reach them without anyone knowing it or using it against you.

And now, for the first time, it was ringing.

You hesitated in answering, your breaths laboured as you stared at it, some nameless dread churning in your gut. Biting on the inside of your cheek, you finally swiped the answer button, lifting the phone to your ear.

“Hello?” you croaked out, your voice a mess of nerves and lingering exhaustion.

“Oh, thank god! (Name)! You picked up,” exclaimed a familiar boyish voice through the receiver. “Mr Stark gave this to me ages ago and told me to only use it in an emergency or he was going to tell my aunt to ground me—anyway, (Name), I need you to listen to me. Listen. He—it was a lie, all of it, he was lying to us and I gave him—”

“Peter,” you snapped into the phone, the boy on the other end immediately falling silent. “Breathe, kiddo. Back up. Now calmly tell me what’s going on. Who is he?”

“Beck,” Peter breathed shakily, hurt and anger clear in his voice, “The Elementals, his story, it was all lies. He used projection technology and I trusted him like an idiot and gave him EDITH. Please, please, (Name), I don’t know what to do and—”

“Peter, that’s—it can’t be—” you muttered weakly, ice racing through your veins and sinking straight into your heart. Your mouth stung, the lingering taste of Quentin suddenly feeling like poison. You trusted Peter, but there was still a part of you that couldn’t believe what you were hearing. “How? What proof do you have? Why would he even lie?”

“Please, (Name), I need you to believe me,” Peter pleaded hoarsely, his voice wracked with worry. “Mr Stark—I failed him—I—”

You felt like you were going to be sick. “Where are you staying? I’ll be there as soon as I can. Speak to no one till I get there. Do you understand? Good.”

. . .

You stared at the projector in front of you with a detached expression.

Facts and words Peter was rattling off were sinking into your brain, but you felt hollowed out to the very marrow of your bones.

A fraud, a liar.

It felt like someone was squeezing your heart in their fist—an aching, quivering sort of pain, you felt pathetic for feeling.

You hadn’t known him for that long, that was true, but you had felt like what you had could have, possibly, one day been something so much more—

A liar.

Everything you knew about Quentin Beck was a lie.

The silky web, the beautiful spell; they were finally gone and you could see him for what he was.

Was there anything real about him? At all?

Did he even—

Was every word, every joke, touch and kiss you shared with him been a lie too?

You rubbed the golden ring on your thumb almost frantically, staring at the projector in front of you with a glassy stare.

Why did it hurt?

“I will go to Berlin alone and find Fury—”

“No,” was your immediate and stern response to that.

Peter faltered, his expression falling, clearly mistaking your sternness for anger, “I have to fix this.”

Your eyes turned away from the projector and you moved towards the hotel window, moving one of the heavy curtains slightly to the side. It was still too early for anyone to be out and about but looks could be deceiving.

“If he has EDITH then he either already knows you know or he will soon,” you told them seriously, trying to keep the anger out of your voice and letting the curtain fall back into place. You crossed your arms over your chest, frowning in deep thought. “That means that everyone who knows about this is in danger. Which also means that we absolutely cannot go about this in a predictable way. If—since he’s done this...it means we have to plan ahead of him. We need—”

You trailed off, the finger rubbing against the ring on your hand stilling with you.

“Well?” the girl—MJ?—demanded bluntly. “What do we need?”

“He doesn’t know that I know,” you whispered, your eyes closing momentarily. Suddenly, the next course of action seemed painfully obvious. “Tony made these phones himself, they’re untraceable. We can use that. Fury may have gone under, but that the fact that I know can still be an advantage if we use it right. A distraction,” you mused pensively, your eyes fixing on Peter.

It struck you, then—once again—just how young Peter really was. How brave yet soft-hearted. And Quentin—

Your jaw tightened, your fingers closing around the ring, tightly, violently. A part of you wanted to rip it off your finger and throw it far, far away.

You remembered the taste of him against your tongue; the haunting, delicious warmth of his body sheltering yours while he consumed some part of you. You remembered the look in his eyes—the dark, ravenous glow in them as he scrutinized you with unbridled desire after. Like a vulture picking out his favourite prey.

Now, your mouth felt like a graveyard for everything you could have been.

“We will give him exactly what he wants.”

. . .

“How did he react?”

Your eyes remained fixed on the moving scenery outside your window when you answered with a plain, emotionless, “Pleased.”

Quentin wanted you in Berlin with him.

Ringing him and telling him that you have changed your mind, that you weren’t able to sleep with the thought of him being away from you for so long, was easy. You didn’t need to fake the longing in your voice—only the image of him as he was before his lies destroyed it.

Seems like your gut was right the whole time, whispering to you constantly that there was something about this man that was wrong, misleading.

The low, calm timbre of his voice had flowed in your ear just like the honey he liked comparing you to so much. Except, this time, it left a bitter aftertaste in your mouth.

A snake coiling tighter and tighter around its prey.

A monster sinking his claws and teeth deeper and deeper.

You had finished the call with a gentle, “I’ll see you soon, Q.”

His reply had been an equally delicate, “I’ve missed you, dearest.”

The tears came then, hot and heavy, and you were glad that Peter was not there to see it.

It felt embarrassing to admit just how much it hurt. How bitter this betrayal felt.

You had liked him a lot; a lot more than you should have. And it had been so easy for him too. It had bewitched you; his care and gentleness, his story and apparent connection to you.

A handsome man with silk for a voice and an ocean for eyes. A man who looked at you like it would be impossible for him to breathe if he wasn’t looking.

Lies, lies, lies.

Poisonous and ugly whispers that made you feel like an idiot. Made you feel dirty and used.

“I’m really sorry.”

Your head turned slightly, eyes locking on Peter who sat curled up on his seat in front of you. “Why are you apologizing?”

Peter swallowed audibly, not meeting your stare and your heart ached at how tiny he appeared in his seat, worn. His face was pale and eyes blown too wide. His lips trembled and he laughed weakly, something wet twisting his vocal cords. “Cause this is my fault. If only I hadn’t given him EDITH...I failed him. Mr Stark would be so disappointed in me—”

“Don’t you dare,” you practically hissed, and immediately faltered when you saw Peter’s shoulders curl inwardly further. You exhaled forcefully, trying to calm down your temper before you reached across the tiny table and gave his trembling hand a squeeze. “Peter, look at me.”

He did. Those doe-like eyes were sad, lost, and your fingers tightened around his even further. “Tony was not a perfect man. He messed up constantly, he wasn’t always nice or easy to be around. Once upon a time, he wasn’t even that good of a person. But the one thing he always was and always will be, regardless of anything, is proud of you, kiddo. So don’t do this for him, okay? Do this for the man you will become one day soon. Do it for you. The one person Tony believed could be greater than even he was.”

He nodded his head with a weak smile, staring at his lap, and you allowed him a moment to take in your words before tentatively pulling your hand away. Peter stared at his lap for a few minutes, silent, and it wasn’t until your eyes moved to stare at the scenery outside again, that he spoke.

“I know you care for him,” Peter voiced suddenly, his words sad. “I saw the way you two were always looking at each other and I’m sorry. I really thought—I mean. He told me all this stuff—at the bar, about how much he likes you—”

“Peter,” you cut him off, pained. He fell silent. “We have a plan. You go to Fury. I will keep Beck occupied. We get EDITH back. Right now, that’s all that matters.”

“Okay. Yeah, you’re right.”

Your expression softened a touch, and you gave him a slight smile. “Get some sleep, kiddo. We’ll need you sharp for the job. We’re still a few hours out.”

Peter peered at you with a silent look of understanding before resting his head against the seat and closing his eyes.

Your gaze wandered back to the window, and you touched the warm band of metal once more—unable to let go, unable to forget.

“Hey,” Peter spoke up, his voice hushed, tired, and eyes still closed. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

Your lips parted, and you smiled at him sadly, even though he couldn’t see it. Your fingers slid away from Quentin’s ring and you simply told him, “Me too, kiddo. Me too.”

. . .

You had a plan.

That much was true.

For one, you always carried cash on you as was standard for any agent working on an overseas mission. Cash couldn’t be traced. You bought one ticket for yourself—just in case Quentin was watching the camera feeds—and Peter had easily managed to sneak in later after the conductor had finished his rounds.

You couldn’t take the risk of leaving the train together, so you split up as planned.

You went first.

Quentin was expecting you, and even if he had eyes on Peter, he couldn’t avoid you without blowing his cover prematurely. As far as he knew, you had no clue about him. While you were no spy, or an Avenger, you had been friends with these people and have learned a thing or two atop of your standard training.

There was no way Quentin would have known you snuck into the hotel where Peter was staying unless he had eyes inside the hotel which seemed unlikely. As far as he knew, he had won and Peter had withdrawn.

Whatever little time you could buy Peter would be worth the danger of walking straight into the lion's den.

You had given Peter possible locations Fury and Hill might be staying at. It was unlikely they were at the HQ yet, though you had given him the address for that too.

For you, it was more straightforward.

Quentin had given you the address of the hotel he was staying at. All you needed to do was get a cab.

Keeping a keen eye on your surroundings, you scrutinized anyone and anything that might be out of the ordinary.

The station was bustling with life but there was no one that particularly caught your eye. There was a chance he wasn’t watching you at all, or had cameras doing so through EDITH, but you weren’t about to take chances.

The cab ride to the address you provided was spent gripping your fingers tightly into fists and chewing on the inside of your cheek. One way or another, after today, there would be no more illusions.

You hoped Peter was alright and on his way to Fury now. If he was successful, he would ring you once. When you felt the buzz, that would be the signal that Peter was bringing the cavalry to the address you gave him.

But first.

Holding the phone pressed to your ear, you listened to it ring without an answer. Worry started pooling in your stomach before there was a click and—

“Hi honey,” Quentin’s silky voice greeted you, and you could almost hear the smile on his face. You could certainly see it; gleaming teeth, menace and trickery. “How was the journey?”

“Fine,” you exhaled, not having to fake your exhaustion. “Long, but fine. I’m on the way now—what is that noise? Was that a train?”

A pause. “Oh? Yes, it was. Seems like you caught me,” he joked and you felt something in your stomach drop. “I got impatient waiting, so I decided to greet you at the station but your train must have come early. I know it’s stupid, don’t laugh at me,” he trailed off with a warm laugh.

“Meet you at the hotel then?” you attempted at nonchalance, careful not to show your worry. If he was at the train station—

“I’m almost there,” he countered slyly, “Bet I can beat you there? I’m eager to see you again.”

It was difficult to control your tone when you replied with a casual, “Will you be flying? Cheater.”

His rich laugh trickled across the line and you felt your heart ache at the sound of it.

“Scratch that, I can’t wait to see you.”

And then the line went dead.

. . .

“There you are.”

It was as painful as you expected it.

The impact of seeing him again hit like a physical blow, and you walked straight into his open arms, wrapping around him and burying your nose against his chest. Quentin chuckled, sounding impossibly pleased, and you felt his cheek against your head, breathing you in with arms like shackles around you.

You felt it now. You could see it now.

Like a trickster god playing at being an angel, but smiling with a smile of a devil.

You could see right into him now, and what you saw made whatever little doubt you had ebb away.

“I’m happy you came,” he breathed into your hair, his voice so earnest it almost made you want to believe him. Almost. “It wasn’t the same without you here. Fury is not that great of a conversationist, I’ve come to find. Maybe it’s the differences between our worlds. Or maybe he’s just a bit dull. The jury’s still out on that one.”

Bingo.

You were right. He was still trying to sell you his lies. He didn’t suspect anything, or if he did, he wasn’t showing his hand just yet.

“But that,” he began purposely, his voice dipping as he pulled you back, his gaze fervent as he studied you. “Doesn’t matter right now.”

“What’s with the new clothes?” you questioned before he could say anything else, taking in his unusual, dark camo getup. “New look?”

Something flickered across his face and his mouth stretched into a lazy smile. “Training,” he indulged you, his fingers featherlight against your skin as he traced them down your neck and arm.

His elegant digits locked around yours, rigid, and he lifted your hand, his expression immediately lightening at what he found.

He raised your hand to his mouth, kissing the golden ring delicately, a slight smirk dancing across his lips. The scratch of his stubble across your skin boiled your blood in that too familiar way but you didn’t react otherwise.

You wondered then—with your blood roaring in your ears—why he looked so victorious.

“Am I a replacement to you?”

Those words, you knew before he even replied, took him by surprise and it was good to see his face crease with confusion. He pulled back, still gripping your hand in his, and tilted his head with a frown.

“I don’t think I follow.”

You jerked your hand back, deciding that if he wanted to be obtuse, you were just fine with playing games too, “In your world, we were married. You must have loved me, and I died. Then you came here, and here I am. I may be different but I still look like her…”

Understanding flickered across his features and you waited with bated breath to see what he would do.

Quentin took a step back and then another. He was looking away, expression caught between sadness and hurt. “You think I’m using you?”

“I don’t know what to think anymore,” you told him honestly, and watched the way the light filtered through the hotel window, illuminating one side of his profile in light, and submerging another in the shadows of the room. “I like you, Quentin. A lot. But this—us—is a bit sudden, and I would be an idiot if I didn’t entertain the thought. Make me believe. Give me a reason to believe you, and the fact that you care for me.”

“Where did this come from, sweetheart, hm?”

And there it was. The anger, the bite of venom in his voice as he turned to slowly walk—prowl—towards the coffee table.

“What’s my father’s name, Quentin?”

He stopped dead, glancing towards the ceiling before looking back at you, expression troubled. “You never told me,” he answered coolly, his expression carefully smoothed into something blank and distant. Removed.

“Did you even know my father? Or was that a lie too?” you drilled him, every word angrier than the last. “Did you have fun? Toying with me the way you did. Are you even capable of genuine emotion or are you only good at faking them?”

Quentin turned to face you fully, his expression grave and eyebrows furrowed. A perfect example of a troubled victim, an innocent, being wrongfully accused.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” he shot back, frustrated, but there was no aggression in his tone or otherwise. He took a step towards you, reaching out. “Honey, what’s going—”

He didn’t get to finish because between one breath and another, he was looking at the barrel of your gun.

“I know, Quentin. I know.”

He shook his head in disbelief, stilling in his tracks, and an angry scoff escaped him. His burning frustration was clear to see across the planes of his handsome face, his head dipped down. He stayed like this for a moment, his features obscured from your hard gaze.

The rigid line of his shoulders suddenly loosened, and a slight chuckle echoed from him.

Your heart twisted when you saw how the slow, blooming cold smile curved his mouth into something sharp, dangerous. He extended his hands like a showman about to take a bow after a great performance, lifting his head and meeting your stare with a playful, sly grin.

“Oops,” he hummed cheerfully, his voice icy, “Seems like the cat’s out of the bag, honey.”

“You son of a bitch.”

Quentin sniggered like a kid, teeth gleaming, but this time the sharpness was on full display—like a blade being unsheathed. “Tsk, tsk, such language. Lower that thing, honey, we both know you’re not going to shoot me.”

“Oh, I won’t be so sure,” you replied, your voice full of sharp bitterness, and you hated the slight quiver of pain you heard despite it. “I’m very tempted right now.”

“No, you’re not,” he stressed, bored, and a touch annoyed. “Wanna know why? Cause I already won. See, getting inside peoples’ heads? Easy. And I mean pathetically easy. Just look at how you all lapped up that ridiculous story about different dimensions. But to get inside there,” he stressed, pointing his index finger at your chest, making your heartbeat flutter from the fervid stare he was giving you. Like he could somehow see right into the heart of you. “That, dearest, is the ultimate price. And I have it. It’s mine.”

“Go fuck yourself,” you spat back, and immediately reminded yourself that you could not lose your head. That he was doing this on purpose, and that his gloating, arrogant expression was for the sole purpose of getting you to mess up. “You don’t have anything, and you never will.”

He rolled his eyes, forcing a loud breath through his clenched teeth, “Well, I would much rather you joined in on any future, hmm, activities. But again, wrong. You know what though? You look so adorable when you’re angry, I think I’ll always forgive it. And look, I get it—I do. I lied, blah blah, that’s so mean, but we have to move past this.”

“You tricked me, you manipulated my feelings,” you hissed instead, your grip on the gun tightening, “I don’t even know you. Everything about you was a lie, and I hate you for it.”

That made his smug smile falter, the corners of his mouth turning downwards before he seemed to regain his senses. A blink and his playful expression was replaced with something serious, drilling and…

“No you don’t,” was his faint whisper. “You don’t. You’ll see.”

It was your turn to grin at him mockingly, “Yeah, I do. And soon this entire building will be swarmed by SHIELD agents and you will never see the light of day again.”

He blinked at you slowly before laughing loudly, seemingly enraptured. “Ah, yes. Almost forgot about this. You know, I’ll be honest. I was very pleasantly surprised. I decided to play along and see what you would do and you were...spectacular. I mean simply exceptional, until you got angry, that is.”

Your confidence started chipping piece by piece, raw fear filling your veins as you listened to him talk.

“It was a smart plan, I give you that. I had no idea,” Quentin explained, his tone full of delight as he started moving steadily in your direction. “That is until the kid blabbed, of course.”

You felt your heart stutter in your chest.

“Where is he?” you breathed, terrified. “Where is he, Quentin?”

He looked at you almost sadly, “I’m sorry. But you must understand—”

He didn’t get to finish.

Because the bang of the trigger being pulled sliced through the room like thunder.

Except instead of collapsing in pain from his injury, Quentin burst into too familiar green vapour.

“Aww, you aimed for the leg,” his voice echoed all around you, the sunny hotel room melting away. “See, you do care.”

“No,” you mouthed in terror, your eyes trying to locate an escape but as far as you could see there was nothing but darkness. “This isn’t real.”

“Of course not,” Quentin chided playfully, stepping out of the darkness, now clad in his Mysterio costume. “I don’t want to hurt you, (Name). And I could—it would be easy. I don’t want you to fight me either. I may have lied to you, that’s true. And I’m sorry I had to. I really am. But we both know you have a place with me. You want to be loved, that’s why you accepted me. I’m a good liar but not that good. And I can love you. Stand with me.”

You tried to grasp onto your gun again, only to find your hand empty. “What did you do to Peter?”

He approached you slowly—like one would a wounded animal—and touched your cheek tenderly. The grief already clawing up your throat stopped you from snapping his hand in half. If he was even real.

“He’s dead.”

You shook your head, tears burning in your eyes, “No, no, you’re lying. Stop it, please, he can’t—this isn’t real, he’s not—he’s not—”

“I’m sorry.”

Your lips parted to scream—

Darkness.

. . .

The spoils of war go to the victor.

And you were in his arms before you could hit the ground.

It felt good to have you back, safe and protected. Beautiful.

He wished the circumstances were better but it was always going to end like this. From an obstacle, to curiosity to…

Hmmm.

Well, you have become something important, something vital. Annoyingly, insufferably so.

The unravelling was complete.

Destruction?

Mutual.

. . .

an: WELL THEN...let me know how you guys found it :D just the finale to go ahhhhhh. Thank you so much for all the support <33

tagging: @val-kay-rie @t-swizzle-owns-me@sorryyoureoutofmyleague@songofcosplay @rooftopexy @leilei-draws @go-commander-kim @kusooi @bishop-bxrnes @donkeyshrong @antisocialshipper@whistlingwillows @dumbshittydoodles @fvckjamesbarnes @kittyv @qhbr2013@cccecilia77 @bunnie-kookie @sataninhighheelz @fandoms-pizza-wifi-ym13@tired-night-owl @crimson-knuckles @bees-are-more-important @jitsukawaa @marvel-girl-12 @ravenclawpossum @omgikwangminwoo @eveieforeve02 @belles-garden @thewinchesterchronicles @kageyamass @kellzogg @farfromshawn @starksrhodes @ifyouholdmebackimightexplode @venomavacado @off-to-elsewhere @the-abyss-of-fandoms @alainabooks143 (thank you, everyone! hope you liked it!)

#quentin beck #quentin beck x reader #mysterio x reader #marvel #marvel imagine #quentin beck imagine #marvel fic #spiderman #spider man far from home #mysterio #spffh spoilers #ffh spoilers #fic: unravelling series

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twiceblackvelvet · 4 years

Text

Blame

Pt. I, Pt. II

June 2nd, 2022. 14:32 PM. Busan.

“That’s a wrap everyone, thank you!”

The booming voice of the director echoing throughout the set. Lighting rigs are taken down by the many production staff on hand. The few extras needed to walk in the shot background shuffle out of sight without speaking a word, grateful for the opportunity to be working, and not willing to do anything to risk their position here. You can see the hunger for more in all of their eyes and the envy they feel towards those with speaking roles. None of them have caused trouble, something the former male lead should learn from.

The first few weeks here had been tortuous but finally, Joy has completed the filming of her first acting job since the split of Red Velvet, without murdering the god-awful co-star initially hired which is an accomplishment. The role of a mistress seeking revenge against the man who murdered her father just seemed too good to pass up on. However, had she known it would come with dealing with by far the most pretentious man to exist, she might have thought twice.

The first few days it was plain sailing. Everyone just got on with their jobs and kept things moving along. But then, trailers needed to be made bigger and fine foods had to be stocked inside every day. The final straw being a request for an assistant solely to hold water bottles close by the actor. To say Joy was annoyed would be an understatement. So, she confronted the man for his poor behavior and put him in his place. Respect should be earned not just given, and this man had earned zero.

After being showed up in front of everyone, things spiraled quickly into ruining scenes on purpose just to make shoots run late or purposefully blocking the camera with his body during close-ups. Eventually, the director settled on replacing him with another actor, far better both in the talent and attitude department. The firing caused a setback in the schedule, but luckily everyone worked twice as hard to finish within the allotted time-frame.

To finally be rid of this experience feels like a breath of fresh air. Not that she didn’t enjoy portraying what most would deem the “bad” character for a change, it just became difficult to do so when a real-life villain was haunting the production.

“Hey, the director has arranged a wrap party, are you going?”

Eunseo, a petite woman in charge of the third camera who everyday likes to inform Joy she owns all of Red Velvet’s albums asks. Her toothy grin is remarkably unpleasant as the question escapes her mouth. However, Joy has gotten used to her overexcitement over the small pleasures in life.

“Sure, I just need to grab my things from the trailer and I’ll get my manager to drive me straight there.” A lie. A very obvious yet unnoticed lie.

“Great, I’ll see you there.” Eunseo latches her arms firmly around Joy’s neck, although, she barely reaches because of her lack of height.

Joy quickly squirms her way out of the smaller woman’s arms and gives only a smile in response before scurrying away to her trailer, not daring to allow her a second chance at grappling her neck.

Unlocking her phone as she gets closer to the spacious trailer she’s spent the last few months getting used to, a few notifications appear about her upcoming drama, which she subscribed to the alerts for. If the former male lead tries to tarnish her name despite his own actions being the issue, she wants her team to be on the case of fixing it immediately. A few missed calls from her sister and mom, likely wondering how long they need to keep babysitting Haetnim whilst she’s out of Seoul. But finally, some texts from an unknown number that she deletes without reading. If it’s anyone or anything important, they’ll contact her manager.

Getting closer to the trailer, the door appears to be slightly ajar. Joy stops in her tracks, trying to think back to whether or not she locked it before heading to the set. She’s certain she did, however, with the excitement of the final day looming over her, she thinks it’s possible this slipped her mind.

Not willing to risk a masked assailant, however, she shouts inside first to see if anyone responds.

“Hello, is anyone there?”

Silence is all that follows. Not trusting this, she asks again in a more threatening tone.

“Hello? I’m calling the police if you don’t come out!”

A small chuckle is all that can be heard, but there’s no one in sight. Fed up with the not knowing, Joy steps inside of her trailer attempting to use her phone like some kind of weapon. The last person she ever imagined being sat inside of her trailer, however, is there in all of her glory as made-up and ready for the runway as ever, despite her “normal” life now.

“Irene?” She asks, as if unsure of whether the older woman before her is real or just a figment of her imagination.

“Joohyun. It’s Joohyun now.” Adjusting her shirt as she speaks, Joy can tell that she’s nervous to be here, with her, for the first time since the day they parted as members. “Nice trailer, I can see you… decorated.”

There’s clothing thrown on the floor with little to no care, a reminder of their days in the dorm, everyone making a mess, and no one in the mood to clean up after themselves. However, if Joy had known that Joohyun was dropping by, she’d have attempted to at least make it slightly presentable. She does still mean a lot to Joy.

“Um… What are you doing here?” The bluntness to Joy’s tone being something she didn’t mean to let out, however, her voice naturally shows that she too is on edge.

The pair look at each other for a few seconds before Joohyun stands and attempts to leave. However, Joy places her arm up onto the door frame to block her path before she can whisk back out of her life as fast as she has re-entered it.

“This was a mistake, I shouldn’t have come here. I’m sorry.” Sadness drips off every word Joohyun speaks, her eyes averting to the ground.

“Come on, sit back down. I’ll make us a drink and you can tell me all about it.”

Joohyun desperately wants to escape, but Joy has always had a way of roping her into things she’s not so sure of. So she sits. They drink, something that is far too stiff for both of them to handle, however, it helps the words flow from Joohyun’s mouth and Joy’s ears do a lot more listening than they’re used to nowadays.

She tells Joy all about the offer from Dongchul and how she’s considering stepping into the acting world, about her garden that has become a haven where she can let all of her thoughts out and about how her parents’ smiles have become the thing that makes her heart feel alive now.

Joy has always found Joohyun beautiful, so has anyone lucky enough to lay their eyes on her, however, seeing her happy like this makes her feel that her own actions regarding their group splitting are justified if Joohyun is enjoying her new life this much. Joy desperately hopes to feel the same way one day about her own.

“How about you? Do you keep up with the others?” Joohyun asks and breaks Joy from her own inner monologue of life. “How are they all?”

Joy hesitates in answering Joohyun’s innocent question. She knows that her former leader is not trying to stir up any negative feelings by asking about the others, yet, sadness is all Joy can feel when she thinks about the state the group has erupted into.

“I don’t speak to Seulgi, she stopped speaking to me that day,” A frown replaces Joohyun’s smile from seconds ago at this. “Yeri and I hang out sometimes, she’s just as busy as I am. We check in with each other when we can.”

“That’s good, you two were always close. Annoying, but close.” Joohyun adds, “What about Wendy, do you see her still?”

Confusion etches across Joy’s face. Granted Joohyun is yet to reveal whether she has kept in touch with anyone, she figured that she would have at least saw the news on the internet or television.

“Well that would be difficult, given that she’s in America now, did you not know?”

Joohyun almost chokes on her drink at Joy’s words. America? Why would she move there? Why did no one tell her?

“No, when did she move?”

“She left about two months after the split.” If Joohyun thinks this is the only bombshell awaiting her about her former members, Joy has yet another shock in store for her. “So, you don’t know about the singles clash then, I guess?”

Placing her drink down onto the table, Joohyun shifts her body closer towards Joy’s, unsure of what she’s talking about.

“Singles clash? No?”

A deep sigh leaves Joy’s body. Dealing with her awful co-worker had also been made more difficult by the decisions made by two of her former members. Interviewers desperately wanting her to comment on what ended up being a situation blown out of proportion, but a stressful one to deal with. Fake smiles were plastered on and rumors of a feud swiftly denied by both her and Yeri on behalf of Seulgi and Wendy.

“Seulgi got to debut solo two months ago, SM did their first thing right in years and went all out for her, the whole works,” Joy can see Joohyun’s mental cogs shifting trying to figure out where an issue comes into play here. “But Wendy released her first solo song in the US at midnight, an hour before Seulgi’s showcase here.”

Suddenly, everything makes sense. But surely this was all coincidental? Joohyun thinks but doesn’t verbalize as Joy is in before she can.

“Wendy insists that she had no idea Seulgi’s debut was that day but, I don’t know. It turned into a messy situation and fans didn’t know which to support. Seulgi still topped the charts, but it can’t have felt good to have her thunder stolen from someone who was once her friend. She already blames us for the disbandment, this just added fuel to the fire.”

Joy’s hand’s motion between the two of them as she speaks.

“She blames me?” Joohyun asks softly.

Joy pauses and recalls that Joohyun missed the blow-up from Seulgi in the office that day having left before it happened. She decides it’s best to stick the knife all the way in and tell Joohyun everything instead of trying to spare her with a lie.

“Except for Yeri, she blames all of us.”

pt. iv

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thefloatingstone · 5 years

Note

Hey C-Puff! So I know I keep saying that I love your taste, but I'm curious, what would you consider essential scifi movie viewing?

Oof! (and thank you! 8DD) It really depends what kind of mood you’re in. Because “sci fi” is essentially a weird genre, because it can be mushed with literally any other genre and still work without straying too far from the ‘sci fi’ concept. Sci fi is a genre the same way fantasy is a genre or horror is a genre. You can make a horror-comedy or a fantasy comedy, but you can’t make a drama-comedy (At least without some major tonal dissonance). So it REALLY depends what you feel like watching or what mood you’re in or what tolerance level you have in some aspects.

I can list a few though which I feel are super essential viewing but are vastly different from each other. I’m not gonna give a full summary break down of each one because it’ll take me like 3 hours to write (these things take a while sometimes) but I’ll give a little indication!

Edit: oops…. I ended up spending 4 hours writing this….

1: Alien (1979)(Sci-Fi horror)

These days the Alien franchise seems to automatically = Xenomorphs. So it can be hard to remember the very first movie that not only started the franchise but literally changed sci fi as a genre, you barely see the Xenomorph on screen, and when you DO the film does its best to hide what it actually looks like with lighting, camera angles and editing. Because the first movie’s Alien costume was not really good, and the movie had a VERY small budget comparatively speaking. So it literally has the opposite goal of trying to show off the xenomorph as much as possible.

Originally sold as “Jaws but in space”, the whole idea of the film was “What if you were a bunch of truckers in the middle of space and nowhere to run, and something unknown started picking you off one by one. Where can you run? Who can you contact? What can you do?”

The original’s entire focus is on fear. From long sequences of Ripley running where it’s filmed facing her so you can’t see “behind you” as the audience to instill paranoia, to hearing what sounds like extreme amounts of gore off screen where you can’t see it, the entire film is designed to be terrifying.

It’s difficult to remember that with what the franchise is known for today.

Also noteworthy is that so much of what is Alien came from Jodorowsky’s “Dune” which was never made, but nevertheless still achieved Jodorowsky’s goal of changing sci fi forever.

2: Blade Runner (1982)(Sci-Fi Noir)

in 2012, Ridley Scott said in an interview; “30 years ago, I saw the future”.

As far as I am aware, the first movie to ask the question “where exactly does ‘being human’ start or end?” regarding robots. The original Blade Runner is filmed in a way to replicate a 1940s style crime noir story, complete with brooding detective and femme fatale. However, it is set in the FAR OFF FUTURE of 2019.

The story follows our detective, known as a “Blade Runner” chasing down a specific class of robot which is illegal on Earth (but used in off-planet labour deemed too dangerous for human work) after the model number started a riot on one of these off-world labour camps. Detective Decker is tasked in finding and “retiring” a group of robots recently landed in futuristic Los Angeles, especially since the robot group is tracking down and murdering the designers in charge of creating their line.

However, the further Decker investigates things, the more uncomfortable questions he finds himself asking. How are these robots so much more different than us humans? What are their motives? Are they really just machines gone berserk? Or is there something very very human they are trying to achieve.

A film that exploded in Japan and essentially caused every anime between 1982 and 1995 to be in some way a Blade Runner fanfic, it changed the genre even more than Alien did. This time letting philosophical questions and atmosphere do most of the work, as the cyberpunk aesthetic of future Los Angeles was as important a character to the story as any of the human players. It was the first time we truly saw Cyberpunk, and literally EVERYTHING we consider “Cyberpunk” these days came from this movie’s direction and cinematography.

Watch the Director’s cut. DO NOT watch the Theatrical version. The Theatrical version was forced to add narration to the long stretches of silence as the movie distributor thought audiences would be too stupid to handle a movie with so little dialogue in it. The Director’s Cut is how the film was meant to be watched, doing away with all the needless talking and letting the film’s visuals and music speak for itself.

3: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)(Sci-Fi Mystery)

Yes yes I’m biased because it’s my favourite movie. But even if it wasn’t it’s an essential film to watch in the Sci-Fi genre.

Some people will think E.T. holds this title, but E.T. came out 5 years AFTER Close Encounters and so, Close Encounters is one of the first movies if not THE first movie that came out and asked… “What if the Aliens came and were our friends?” Because up until this point, All the “Big-Eyed Grey Aliens in Flying Saucers” movies portrayed them as invaders trying to take over the planet. And the sci fi stories and movies that DIDN’T have this narrative, the aliens were always human looking (Star Trek, The Day the Earth Stood Still etc)

And so, this is one of the first movies that suggested that maybe the weird looking space aliens from another planet who look nothing like us could be our allies. Would want to speak to us. Would want to know us.

Not that the movie is full of love and friendship. in some places it feels more like a horror movie than anything else. But that’s because the film thinks its audience is smart, and it doesn’t have to have a character EXPLAIN things to us. We can understand what’s happening by WATCHING. And if something is strange and doesn’t make sense, it either will by the end of the film thanks to context, or it was never that important to understand anyway.

Also a giant part of the film’s power and influence comes from its visuals, but even more importantly, its soundtrack which I can’t communicate in a gif. And so I am left linking a trailer.

I think it says a lot that it was THIS movie, not Star Wars, that helped the first Star Trek movie to be made a few years later, and with that, helped give us Star Trek TNG. Not bad.

(You can watch any of the 3 cuts of the film. I’m most familiar with the Director’s Cut so that’s my fave and what I would recommend but I haven’t heard of any of the 3 cuts being “the bad one”)

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4: Total Recall (1990)(Sci-Fi Action)

It was only a matter of time before Arnie showed up on this list, being in no less than 3 Sci-Fi game changers in the 80s and 90s.

What makes Total Recall Unique, however, is that we have Paul Verhoeven as director, who likes movies that have a little more to say than “Arnie shoots a bunch of bullets at things” (as great as that is, don’t get me wrong) And I think the fact that people will STILL debate this movie says a lot about it.

The story is set in the far future, where normal construction worker Arnie is bored with his normal life (which is weird considering he’s built like a truck and married to Sharon Stone but I’m not here to judge). He’s been having reoccurring dreams about going to Mars, as well as a strange woman he meets there. One day while traveling home on the subway, he sees an ad for a copany called “Rekall” who can use a sort of brain implant machine to give you instantaneous fake memories. Basically, you can take a vacation that lasts 6 months in your memories within the span of 10 minutes real time.

Arnie’s character decides to visit, and asks that his fantasy take place on Mars, and describes the woman he meets there. However, during the fake memory implant something goes wrong. VERY wrong. The machine drags up suppressed memories Arnie has of being a sleeper agent, put on Earth until needed, as well as images he’s been seeing in his dreams. The Rekall employees have to sedate him and send him home, refunding him for the poor experience.

However, Arnie can no longer just forget what the machine dragged up from his subconscious, and starts to question if his life really is his life. If his wife really IS his wife. (after all…. Someone who looks like Sharon Stone married to a construction worker who looks like Mr Universe living in a very cushy apartment? Something doesn’t add up.)

Arnie finds himself suddenly dragged into a massive conspiracy plot revolving around Mars, the corrupt governor running it, the rebellion and its mysterious revolutionary, as well as who the hell WAS he before he was who he is now?

That’s the movie’s plot at least. But as many people who watch the movie has pointed out, despite the movie itself never making a point of it, funny how all this adventure and conspiracy hits Arnie right after he’s plugged in to a fantasy machine at Rekall. Convenient.

Nobody to do with the film has given a straight answer as to how real the movie’s events are supposed to be, and film fans have been arguing to this day of it was all real as the movie shows it to be… or a meta narrative.

5: Robocop (1987)(Sci-fi Satire)

The movie that very almost got an X rating for its violence, also directed by Paul Verhoeven and even more biting in its meta-narrative than Total Recall.

The STORY of the movie is that future Detroit is a complete shithole so full of crime that the police force just can’t keep up. After a police officer named Murphy is blasted to fuck, his corpse is used by the CPO company to create a “robotic law enforcer” meant to be put on the street to handle crime. Robocop is his name, and if he proves to be effective, CPO is planning to mass produce them. During the course of the film, however, Murphy learns to regain his humanity through the help of his police partner, and uncover the scrupulous CPO company’s hand in the city’s crime wave.

So that’s the STORY of Robocop… but it’s not what Robocop is “About”.

Robocop is essentially an enormous criticism of Corporate America in a way that’s basically come true since the movie came out. Robocop is one of those rare movies that is BETTER now than it was when it came out.

OCP is essentially Apple or basically any current American company. Focused on rushing out products for the good press it’ll give them before ironing out the problems and bugs, and taking MASSIVE and inhumane shortcuts in development to meet a deadline, uncaring who gets hurt in the process.

This message is further highlighted by the fake commercials peppered into the movie, a very clear criticism of everything from America’s extreme focus on its military and racism of other countries, American manufacturer’s disregard for what is environmentally safe in favour of “Status Symbols” in its fuel guzzling cars, America’s obsession with defending people’s ownership through unethical violence, Medical and health advertised on television like a luxury product, as well as just the inane meaningless garbage that is/was American television.

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As a native of the Netherlands, Verhoeven pours so much cynicism and criticism towards American culture, both in the jokes as well as the core theme of the movie, that the film as a whole is less “Watch Robocop shoot his handcanon at bad guys” and more a dystopian nightmare, and finding humanity in it despite it all.

The only movie to top Robocop in its criticism of American culture would be “Starship Troopers” also directed by Verhoeven. But that movie is so depressing I almost can’t even reccomend it, despite it being GENIUS.

It’s the movie where the human race wins a war against giant bug aliens… and that’s the worst ending that could happen.

6: Enemy Mine (1985)(Sci-Fi drama)

*leans forward and smiles at you* hey there, friend. Do you like aliens? Do you like enemies to friends to lovers? Do you like found families? Do you like “Racism is bad” narratives? Do you like non-binary aliens who have no gender? Do you like romantic undertones between non-binary aliens played by a male actor and a cis white dude also played by a male actor?

Because BOY DO I HAVE THE MOVIE FOR YOU.

You think I’m joking with that description…. I am not. Not even a fucking little.

I very rarely see anybody talk about “Enemy Mine” and that’s a fucking crime because this movie is friggen AMAZING. The fact that it exists at all, let alone was made in the 80s is borderline absurd.

The movie takes place in the future. Humanity is in an intergallactic war with an alien race called the Dracs. Battles and skirmishes between the two races explode throughout the galaxy on various planets whenever the two species run into each other, and we follow our human main character Davidgewho, during a spaceship confrontation with the Drac, crash lands on an uninhabited planet, along with the Drac pilot named Jeriba Shigan.

The planet they crash on is a violent world battered by meteors and storms, which forces the two pilots to seek shelter in a cave near their crash site (and there was only one cave!). Despite them both needing shelter, the two absolutely despise each other, completely prepared to kill the other one the second they make a move. It’s a tense and paranoid stand off where each one waits for the other to move first. Neither of them do.

They find out that the planet is sometimes used by human miners for its rare ore (who use captured Drac as slave labour) but they only visit the planet periodically when the years- long bad weather settles. And so, Davidge decides to wait for rescue, despite knowing it may take several years before any human comes to the planet. Until then, he just has to survive and NOT get killed by the Drac he’s sharing the cave with.

So… the two wait. And a weird truce is called. And they wait… and time passes… and with literally no other life to turn to for company… well…. they start talking. First spitting and insulting each other. Then, slowly, learning more about each other. Then, slowly, sharing cultural information with each other, learning about their different species, learning about what each’s species have been telling them about the other. And well…. after several years… it becomes very hard to see the only living person you have been talking to for years as an enemy.

And then, after a while, Jeriba (nicknamed “Jerry” by Davidge) brings up a tiny problem.

He’s pregnant.

Davidge asks how the fuck that’s possible. Jerry explains his race has no gender or binary sex, and they produce asexually. So… ok…. Now you’ve got an alien you don’t FULLY trust who is pregnant and going to have a baby on this hostile planet.

…..oops.

Also, as time goes on another problem arises. The humans who will eventually show up to mine this planet use Drac as slave labour. This wasn’t ORIGINALLY a problem…. but it’s kinda become a problem now.

This movie is fucking amazing and nobody talks about it. Go watch it. Although be prepared for tears and feelings.

7: Galaxy Quest (1999)(Sci-Fi Comedy)

In modern day America (or rather 1999 America) there use to be a show called “Galaxy Quest” which DEFINITELY WAS NOTHING LIKE STAR TREK OK???

It was a very big show, but it eventually got cancelled. However, it is still considered a massively popular and influential tv show, enough to have its own conventions and dedicated fanbase. (AGAIN. IT’S NOT STAR TREK STOP SAYING THAT!)

The actors who starred in it many years ago now struggle to get work in other roles which they all deal with in different ways. Our Kirk Character played by Tim Allan is an egocentric selfish asshole who bathes in the “glory” of his role as the captain, despite it having been years, in complete denial that he’s a has-been and the fact that none of the other cast like him. Our Spock character is played by Alan Rickman who wants to know where his life went wrong. He use to be a REAL actor. He use to star in Shakespear plays. How did it come to this? He hates all of you. As well as Sigourney Weaver who had the important role of “Sexy Girl” in the show (a fact she resents) and a handful of others.

One day at a convention, they are approached by some super awkward and weird cosplayers, who ask them in-character if they could help their alien species, the Thermians, who are getting decimated by a warrior race lead by a General Sarris. As the Thermians are peaceful and have no experience in battles, they’ve come to ask the “Crew of the Starship Protector” to aid them. Alan Rickman agrees, believing it to be a promotional gig, and signs up his co-stars (only telling them after the fact which they resent him for)

The next day they play out their roles as they did on the show rather unenthusiastically, ordering the Thermians to simply shoot at General Sarris to defeat him, and then take them home.

Things turn complicated tho when the Thermians show up again and say “uhm… it didn’t exactly work. general Sarris is still alive and killing out people.”

And then our motley crew find out… the Thermians are NOT actors. They are in fact a real alien race. An alien race who are unfamiliar with the concept of “lying”. Their species had picked up the radio waves from the Galaxy Quest TV show and, believing it to be a historical record, modeled their entire civilization after the show. And now they need the crew of the “Protector” to help them in the face of this threat that could wipe them out as a species.

So our washed-out has-been actors find themselves pretending to really be their characters in a real space mission to save an alien race. Which is kind of a problem considering they have no idea what they’re doing at any point during this adventure.

8: Terminator 2 (1991)(Sci-Fi action)

I could have put the first Terminator movie on here… but I didn’t. Beause although both are excellent I personally prefer the second one. You don’t really need to have seen the first one to understand the second one either. I saw the second one first and it’s pretty easy to follow since the first movie’s plot wasn’t that complex.

10 or so years ago, Sarah Conner was visited by a time traveler who revealed he was from the future, and that in 1997 an AI known as “Skynet” would launch all the world’s nukes, causing the human race to almost become extinct. But Sarah Conner is the mother who will one day give birth to John Connor, the human rebel leader who will one day vanquish the machines. The machines know this, and Skynet sent back a robot called a “Terminator” to kill Srah Connor before she can give birth to humanity’s last hope.

Fast forward to this movie, Sarah Connor has been put in a mental institution (for rather obvious reasons) and her son, John Connor now 10 years old, lives with his aunt and uncle and is what we call a “problem child”. With no father figure in his life and his mom “going nuts”, John is a kid who smokes, steals bikes and is constantly in trouble. Then, one day, a robot from the future shows up to kill him. An advanced NEW kind of terminator sent by the machines, made of liquid metal, it is another attempt by the machines to kill John Connor before he can grow up to be the rebel leader.

This time however, Humanity has sent someone else to protect John. The exact same model of Terminator who tried to kill his mother, repurposed and reprogrammed to protect John from this lethal machine.

John, being a child, has to cope with the fact that not only is a killer robot trying to murder him, but ALSO his “nuts” mom turned out to be right. And he also starts developing a weird relationship with the robot sent to protect him. Looking for some kind of father figure to fill that hole in his life.

Although the first Terminator might have been more impactful in terms of visuals and ideas, the second Terminator is the one people remember as a movie. This is where “Hasta La Vista Baby” come from. This is where “Made from Liquid Metal” comes from. This is where THIS comes from

and where this comes from

and this

I don’t know if I can call it a BETTER movie than the first Terminator… …except it kinda is…. And one of the very few sequels where it ended up having more of a cultural impact than its predecessor.

9: Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (1982)(True Sci-Fi)

One upon a time there was a show called “Star Trek”. It then had a movie which did kinda of ok at the box office but many thought was rather boring.

And then they made Star Trek 2.

Set several years after the original show, where all the main characters are off living different lives. Kirk is an admiral working on Earth behind a desk. Spock is a training instructor to students who will one day be pilots and crewmembers in the Federation. The rest of the Enterprise’s former crew are all scattered across the Federation, either on Earth or on other Starships.

Far off in space, a Federation ship is looking for a dead planet to test a brand new technologcal creation called the “Genesis Device”. While doing so, they find Khan and his crew, who 15 years ago were left on a lifeless planet by Kirk after they tried to take over the Enterprise for use in Khan’s mad plans revolving around Genetic engineering. Khan and his crew take over the ship and learn of this “Genesis Device” with its power to destroy all life when unleashed on a living plan. Khan only has one goal in his mind; Revenge.

While on a 3 week long training mission under Kirk and Spock, the Enterprise picks up a distress signal, and go to investigate.

This movie honestly has no right to be as good as it is. Even if you have 0 knowledge of Star Trek (as I did when I first watched it) it makes complete and perfect sense on its own, and its extremely easy to understand what’s happening and why. It helps if you’re familiar with the characters, but the film on its own portrays their friendships and relationships with each other so perfectly that you completely buy every scene with them together, and WHY they’re friends. And how LONG they’ve been friend, without having to watch seasons and seasons worth of episodes to catch up. You don’t even need to watch the first Star Trek movie.

The film is a story about revenge… but it’s main core theme is about grief. Grief in many forms. Khan’s grief over the death of his wife which he blames Kirk for and his burning fiery hatred. Kirk’s grief as an aging space captain, unable to cope with himself growing old and the fact that he never truly learned how to handle loss, as someone who ALWAYS believes there is a way to save the day. Grief over lost relationships with his ex-lover and a grown son he never knew about and lost an entire relationship with.

Despite being about spaceships in space shooting at each other and long drawn out tension filled scenes between Kirk and Khan, it’s a movie about mortality, and the need to face it.

10: The Last Starfighter (1988)(Sci-Fi Adventure)

I could have put many things down for “Sci Fi movie about having an adventure”. I could have put ET or Explorers or Flight of the Navigator, but I decided to put The Last Starfighter. Even though ET may be the better known adventure film, it’s also the movie most people will have already seen, and Flight of the Navigator might look better, but it’s story is far weaker. So Last Starfighter it is.

In backwoods tiny-ass American town there lives completely normal teenager Alex Rogan. He doesn’t have that much going for him. He lives in a trailer with his mom and younger brother and has just recently had a scholarship rejection. Frustrated with his life and with little else to do in the trailer park, Alex spends most of his time playing the only arcade machine called “The Frontier”. After a lot of play and effort, Alex manages to get the high score on the machine.

After doing so, he is approached by the creator of the machine called Centauri, who is there to offer him a ride in his fancy car as a prize for holding the grand score. Having been taunted by the other teens around the area, Alex decides to take Centauri up on his offer, only to get abducted. And not in the “Teenager kidnapped by a creep” kind of way, but the alien kind of way.

It turns out there is a very real intergalactic war going on between Rylan Star League and the Ko-Dan Empire. And the arcade machine had been placed on Earth as a sort of recruitment tool for new pilots to fly for Rylan Star League.

Given the chance to actually have something happen in his Life, Alex has to learn how to be a Starfighter with the help of Centauri who reveals himself to be an alien, and the rest is simpy fighting the Ko-Dan Empire and saving the day.

Most notably, The Last Starfighter’s space battles were all done using early CG and it has… .not exactly aged that well tbh.

But is still incredibly impressive for 1988 and helped paved the way for special effects, leading to their peak in Jurassic Park in 1993. But although the CG might be why the movie is important to the genre on a technical level, the reason most people remember this movie is nostalgia in its purist form.

Who wouldn’t want to be so good at a video game that aliens come and give you a spaceship and ask you to save the galaxy?

I personally find the scenes on Earth without the CG to be the better parts of the movie, but it does what it sets out to do. To be a sci fi adventure film for teenagers and kids to watch and enjoy and see the hero win. Uncomplicated, fun, and easy to digest as a movie.

I was gonna leave it at that but I gotta add one more

11: 2010: The Year we make Contact (1984)(pure Sci-Fi)

in 1968, a year before America landed on the moon, Stanley Kubrick made the groundbreaking movie “2001: a Space Odyssey”. The movie is a sort of horror movie in space, but also not quite. It tells the story of an enormous black rectangular monolith being found on the moon in the year 2001. Upon human astronauts touching it, it sends off a signal into space. Not long afterwards, another monolith, this one more than several kilometers in size appears orbiting Jupiter.

A crew of 5 men and an AI computer are sent to investigate. But the AI, called the HAL 9000 goes mad and kills off all the crew except for one, named David Bowman, who takes the HAL 9000 offline before leaving the spaceship and entering the Monolith.

The original movie is a masterwork of film, suggesting that the monoliths are responsible for jumpsarting human evolution. But it is also a very SLOW film. Famously taking 40 minutes before the first line of dialogue is spoken. And its horror of distrusting computers maybe be seen as rather old fashioned by today’s standards.

Then in 1984 they made a sequel. 2010 takes place 9 years after the first movie (obviously). Several American astronauts and scientists are approached and recruited for a secret mission joint sponsored by America and the Soviet Union. Their mission is to travel to the long abandoned space station, find what information was retrieved from the monolith, and try and discover what caused the HAL 9000 to malfunction. Time is of the essence as the abandoned space station will crash on Jupiter’s moon Io soon. The Soviets want to know what caused the disaster, but they need the Americans’ help to get into the space station, and an uneasy joint mission is formed, lead by Dr Floyd who was in charge of NASA when the original disaster occurred and had since been disgraced, but who would prove the best person to find out what happened to cause the disaster.

The movie, although perhaps slow by modern standards, moves at a much better pace than the original, and although you could say its plot is more basic, it’s also easier to follow and understand. There are moments of extreme tension from multiple areas. Reactivating the HAL 9000 and having to try and NOT repeat whatever it was that caused it to murder the original crew. The time limit before the space station is set to crash on Io, the mystery of what happened to David Bowman. The presence of the silent monolith orbiting Jupiter. And the seemingly unimportant political differences between the American crew and the Russian crew, despite being hundreds of thousands of miles away from Earth.

It also has some of the most incredible space cinematography I’ve seen in a film. Rather than the modern depiction of space in movies as a swirl of navy and stars and colourful nebulas, the space of 2010 is pitch black, with endless stars and enormous looming planets in the foreground, and nothing but a wall between you and the endless void.

Anyway those are my reccomendations.

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#C-Puff answers #long ass post #Sci fi #movies #film recommendations #aurora-bloorealis

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iknikblackstonevarrick · 4 years

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TYE/Descendants AU

I recently pirated Descendants three like Uma would have wanted and it very much solidified in my mind the headcanons for a Young Elites AU that i’ve had since the second movie. Now I’ll preface the rest of this with the fact that you could make a very decent Enzolina AU with Adelina as Mal and Enzo as Ben, but I ask you this: does anyone still stan Enzolina in the year 2019?

Raffaele<->Mal (stay with me)

Enzo<->Ben

Violetta<->Evie

Gemma<->Carlos

Lucent<->Jay

Maeve<->Lonnie

Michel<->Jane

Daphne<->Audrey

Dante<-> Chad Charming

You might think it’s unfair to peg Daphne as Audrey but we know literally nothing about Daphne so everything’s fair, also I like Audrey and I like Daphne(as a concept) it’s not meant as a slight

SO here’s the gist of the AU cause I always have to justify my AUs:

Giulietta caught the fever instead of Enzo and she was too old to survive, so she’s dead and Enzo isn’t an Elite

Instead Enzo’s father remained King

So this king, another character we know nothing about, decides that the Young Elites are a potential public danger and judges them based on their power. The ones he deems relatively benign (Michel, Dante) are allowed to remain unhindered while the dangerous ones (Gemma, Lucent, Adelina, Raffaele [The power to make most people fall head-over-heels in love with you is very dangerous on all levels except for physical, and even then a little bit]) and their families are moved to a Isle of the Lost-style penal colony to live in isolation

fast forward five years, Enzo comes of age and it’s time for him to become king. He was never a fan of this system and decides he’s going to bring four of these ‘dangerous’ Elites at a time to live with him in the palace so he can judge them himself

There aren’t really evil parents in this one (except for Adelina and Violetta but we’ll get there), the plan on the Dagger/VKs part was for Raffaele to spell Enzo with his powers and make him release everyone. There’s gotta be some kind of wand-object that can release all the Young Elites for plot’s sake, maybe Michel made something magic for the king?

Anyway the problem with that plan is woops Raffaele actually falls for Enzo! And starts to feel really bad about using his powers on him!

He asks Violetta to use her power on Enzo which I’m deciding once again for plot contrivance would destroy the effect of his power; this takes the place of the anti-love potion brownie

Violetta accidentally deploys her power too early (in the carriage like in the movie) but Enzo’s like lol I figured but I genuinely like you? I can say that for a fact now that the magic’s gone

Idk how we’d manage to have a dragon fight in this one I think Jane!Michel still grabs the wand because of low self-esteem and Raffaele grabs it away from him and everyone gasps in panic like they do in the movie, he ALMOST DOES IT but the other three convene together and they have a Moment like the VKs do at the end of D1 before they decide to give the wand back

And then, y’know, they have a dance party

SO that’s the first movie I know what you’re thinking “Why isn’t Adelina Mal?” Because: the Roses are the pirates

Adelina<->Uma

Magiano<->Harry Hook

Sergio<->Gil

I was really tempted to make Magiano Uma and Adelina Harry because their personalities line up so much better, but role-wise this works a lot better

Watch the boat scene at the end of Descendants 2 and tell me it could not be a g-rated version of the boat scene at the end of The Rose Society, with Adelina/Uma controlling Enzo/Ben for her own gain and Raffaele/Mal snapping him out of it

That said in It’s Goin’ Down (a different boat scene from the boat scene i just mentioned) Magiano sings Uma’s part and Adelina sing’s Harry’s part because the part where Harry goes on about how he CAN and WILL kill Ben is very Adelina and not Magiano at all. Also the rest of the song i think just fits better that way. this song was one of my biggest points of contention for almost making Magiano Uma and Adelina Harry

You KNOW pirate Adelina has a cool eyepatch too no question

Now you might be thinking ‘Raffaele is very good at fitting in and being polite in court where does the insecurity about not being right for Enzo and dragging him down politically and socially that Mal gets at the beginning of D2 come from?” Homosexuality

Raffaele thinks he’s gonna jeopardize Enzo’s claim to the throne if they stay together so he runs back to the Isle and Enzo and the gang go get him, y’know, like the plot of Descendants 2

So some Rose Pirate backstory: Adelina ran away from her father in the chaos of their relocation to the Isle. Violetta didn’t follow her in order to quell their father’s wrath and try and stop him from going after Adelina, but Adelina sees it as her choosing him over her

Adelina makes it on her own for a while until she meets Magiano, recently trapped here by the Inquisition and VERY chagrined about it

They try to use their powers to escape several times to no avail, but they bond during the experience and decide to go it together

Shortly afterward they meet Sergio, who owns the fish-and-chip shop that becomes their base of operations. at this point theyre like 14 and he’s seventeen, he grows fond of these kids who keep making a ruckus in his dumb shop and offers to let them stay there for permanents if they’ll help out around the place

Martino Amouteru locates Adelina after she sets down roots and tries to drag her ‘home’. When Sergio sees him try to lay hands on her he pins him to a wall, gives him a gash on his arm, and threatens to cut his whole hand off if he ever tries to touch her again. Martino turns and runs and Adelina never encounters him again

Magiano and Adelina do similar light teasing on Sergio to how Uma and Harry tease Gil but Sergio’s not dumb he knows theyre just like that sometimes

so the roses start gaining ‘territory’ on the Isle and eventually butt heads with Raffaele and the Daggers, especially when they see he’s recruited Violetta

she wants them all to be friends but no one else does, so the two societies become rivals instead. Violetta sticks with the Daggers, if only because Adelina doesn’t make it seem like she’s very welcome in the Roses (she’s still mad)

so flash forward back to the second movie, Sergio sees Enzo there with Violetta Gemma and Lucent and reports back to Adelina immediately

the Roses kidnap Enzo and Magiano taunts the Daggers about it. If Magiano’s a little more willing to get his hands dirty in this AU it’s because he is VERY stir crazy in here on this island for four years

Adelina strikes the deal with Raffaele that Enzo gets to live if Raffaele brings her the wand so she can get everyone off this island

Raffaele reluctantly agrees with no real choice in the matter. All the Daggers go back to Estenzia and get Michel to make them a fake wand so they can get Enzo back without handing the Roses all that power

Meanwhile the Roses expect foul play. Adelina and Enzo have the same kinda conversation Uma and Ben have in the movie, but it ends when Magiano can sense the Daggers powers in range again. He copies Raffaele's power and makes Enzo fall in love with Adelina as a contingency plan

We already discussed the it’s goin’ down scene, I love it

They basically just have to grab Enzo and run after they bring him over cause they realize the wand’s fake pretty quick. There’s no talking dog scene

When we get to the boat scene, Violetta figures out that Magiano and Adelina spelled Enzo pretty soon after Adelina comes out, and she has to hard reset Raffaele’s power to free Enzo again but they do the true love’s kiss thing too and it’s great and gay

Oh and y’know how Lumiere’s there at the end? Like just hanging out? That’s Teren. In case you were wondering about him he’s not important in this one he’s just hanging around not being awful because Giulietta doesn’t exist anymore

Adelina still gets away and teases the third movie while the Daggers have another dance party

I’ve spent far too much time on this tonight but I can and will come back with the AU summary of D3. I’ll tell you this right now Magiano and Adelina DO kiss and the D3 writers are cowards for not letting Huma do so

#the young elites #magelina #raffenzo #i've been thinking about this for days and there will be a post that recaps the third movie in this au #i recap the second movie under the cut cause this got long

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travllingbunny · 5 years

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AoS rewatch: 1x06 FZZT

And with this, we start that season 1 thing with spelling words in titles as if they were acronyms, though this one is only typed in capital letters but without the periods, unlike T.R.A.C.K.S.

This is the best episode of the first part of season 1, in spite of being one of the few that have no elements of the overall storyline. If all the early season 1 episodes were like this, no one would be saying anything against pre-Winter Soldier season 1. The standalone story is a great one, and it is full of important character moments and character development, Especially for Simmons and Fitz, and their relationship. This is where they stop being just comic relief supporting characters and become fully fledged characters.

Simmons later had a lot of inconsistent writing, but her characterization in this episode is perfect. It’s certainly one of her best episodes ever. We see everything from her rationality and scientific curiosity which can sometimes sound a bit creepy (”So sad a man died this way…and yet, so amazing.“), her determination and her courage and willingness to spare the others the responsibility to sacrifice her, by sacrificing herself to save everyone.

And it’s the first great FitzSimmons episode – where their relationship is in the focus and the heart of the story. There’s a lot of fun bickering, as there always is, but then we also get to see how much they mean to each other, how much Fitz is willing to risk for Jemma, and we get the first hints he may be feeling something romantic for her.

One of the differences between Fitz and Jemma is how much is Fitz is grossed out by things like dead bodies (or needles stuck into eyes, as in 1x04) while Simmons is cool and unaffected by them (but if she weren’t, it would be hard for her to do her job). I relate to Fitz in this case.

Simmons taunts him that he’s „afraid“ of a dead body, which angers him and he protests that he’s not afraid, just disgusted. Later, she says he was too afraid to go into the field. But when it comes to saving Simmons, Fitz is later completely unafraid to get into the lab with her and risk getting infected himself, and later wanted to jump off a plane to save her.

But before that, at the beginning of the episode, Fitz’ little crush on Skye gets its swan song as he makes a terrible attempt at hitting at her, which she doesn’t even register. She’s too busy talking about her problems with Ward – who has been ignoring her - and comparing him to her ex-boyfriend Miles, and she also has noticed the FitzSimmons chemistry before either of them have, pointing out that they are „psychically linked“. She has always been the world’s biggest FitzSimmons shipper.

Speaking of which, the ship name itself is again spoken in canon: just like the doc in the Pilot, Coulson refers to them as a single unit, „FitzSimmons“.

Fitz and Simmons’ impersonations of Ward are both terrible. Why do they make him sound like Edward James Olmos?

The only thing that feels out of place in this episode is May’s interrogation of one of the witnesses, who’s a little boy. It’s a humorous scene where she offers him a cookie, but looks completely intimidating while doing it. This doesn’t really make sense, as we know that May can be softer, and we now know that she is usually very caring with children. And scaring an already traumatized child shouldn’t be funny.

Indeed, Skye, I’m also shocked that neither Coulson nor Ward are familiar with The Big Lebowski. Well, actually, I’m not at all shocked that Ward hasn’t.

Foreshadowing: Ward: „Everyone looks clean on the first go round. Dig deeper“

At this point, I’m not sure if Ward is really still angry at Skye (I did believe he really was in 1x05, but only because he was jealous of Miles), or if he thinks that he now needs to continue his performance of being a strict, loyal SHIELD agent angered by Skye’s Rising Tide allegiance.

It’s a testament to how good this episode is, that it succeeds in making you feel for Diaz, the firefighter about to die, a minor character who’s only been on screen for a couple of minutes. The writing and the acting is really good. This episode’s plot is so sad, because the victims are people who were heroes helping and saving others, and they died as an indirect result of that. It’s also possibly the only episode where the team isn’t dealing with any villains who intentionally caused this, but a virus and an accidental infection.

This is also one of the best episodes for Coulson. The scene where he stays with the dying firefighter as long as he can, to make it easier for him, telling him about his own death experience, is really beautiful. (We never find out if what he told him was true, or just something he said to make him feel better.) He cut off the comm with May when she tried to warn him to leave. He does something similar later when he pretends that he lost communications with Blake, because he has no intention of following the order to dump Simmons into the ocean, instead of hoping and believing that she will find the antiserum. And he openly defies Blake and the superiors’ orders at the end of the episode, even replying „Let them try“ when he’s threatened with SHIELD taking the team away from him. (I don’t know how Fury felt about Coulson disobeying his orders – but maybe he liked it, because, after all, he also disobeyed orders that he deemed to be stupid ass orders, like being told to bomb New York.) In spite of the many ways in which the later seasons improved the show, one of the things I’m sad about is that this humane, always compassionate season 1 Coulson was kind of lost, as he became darker and angrier, prone to keeping secrets even from his team, and occasionally too obsessed with revenge.

When watching Ward in these early episodes, the question constantly arises, what is real and what is fake. The speech he gives to Skye, about feeling helpless that he cannot protect his team members from someone, a superpowered psychopath, it is a part of his performance, but is there maybe some grain of truth in it? The best lies are usually those that have a bit of truth in them – an actor needs to find something to relate to give a better performance. Ward was deceiving and manipulating everyone, but at the same time, we know he did develop some feelings for at least some of his teammates. Not just romantic feelings for Skye, but it’s also canon (at least since 3x09) that he projected his little brother into Fitz. The same episode hinted he may have seen Simmons as a sister figure. (I personally believe that he projected his family on the team, which also explains his later negative feelings for them.) And he definitely has a hero complex and wants people to see him as a protector (whether or not this fits with the reality), this is how he defines himself and his worth – it’s one of the constants of his characters throughout the show.

First mention and appearance of Titus Welliver as Agent Felix Blake

We find out that FitzSimmons have never even passed their field assessments.

So many defining FitzSimmons moments. FitzSimmons sitting on the different sides of the lab door, separated.

That moment. That moment when they are arguing and Fitz starts saying that she has been always by his side, that they’ve spent every moment together (“You’ve been beside me the whole damn time!”) – and his face changes. That’s when he realizes just how much Simmons means to him. And it’s the moment when so many fans started shipping FitzSimmons.

It’s right after that he went into the lab with her to do everything to help her find a way to save herself „We’re gonna fix this together“

Fitz desperately yelling: „JEMMA!“ - I’m pretty sure that’s the first time on the show he has called her by her first name.

Going by what we’ve seen so far – countries SHIELD has offices in include Morocco and China, but apparently not Peru or Belarus (and, going by 4x14, no office in Russia, either).

I love the way Simmons corrects Ward about his imitation of her bad imitation of him.

Aw, the Skye-Simmons hug was sweet. The Bus Kids friendship was one of the things that the show developed very convincingly from the start, in a relatively small number of episodes.

In the ongoing story of Coulson worrying about his earlier death and comeback, he has ordered his own physical exam. This is so far the most tender May/Coulson scene, and the tenderest May has been in the show. (And I bet the writers were being intentionally naughty and ship-teasing when they put the„Take off your shirt“ line in there.)

The last scene, where Fitz is unhappy and a bit jealous that he didn’t get to save Simmons from jumping, but Ward did instead (don’t worry, Fitz, Ward had a much better chance of succeeding there, let everyone play to their strengths), and Simmons reassures him that he was the one who did most to help and save her, being there with her in the lab, and gives him a cheek kiss… if Fitz didn’t realize before that his feelings for Jemma may be romantic, he is definitely starting to understand it here, going by that last shot of him, deep in thoughts.

#aosrewatch #aosrewatchS1 #aos rewatch #agents of shield #agents of s.h.i.e.l.d.#aos season 1 #fzzt #aos 1x06

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sometimesrosy · 5 years

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The 100 rewatch S5: Red Queen

I liked this episode. Even though I wanted to see Clarke and spacekru when it aired, it’s a good episode.

Fair warning. I always warn when I am anti someone. I am anti Kara Cooper. Honestly. That Biotch. I’ve got nothing redeemable for her except she’s fun to hate. If you’re a Kara Cooper fan be aware.

This one’s kinda long. Under the cut. I’m having problems with the tags so if these don’t notify you can you tell me? Something weird is going on with the formatting and I don’t know what is with the weird type. Funkiness. If you want me to tag you for the rest of the episodes, send me a note. :)

@captainwilldameron @kizo2703 . @levivlio . @kickthatassgirl . @jeanie205 . @starboybellamy . @ezraewrites . @alightinadarkland @emmyisgrey @irisouy @noodlesthehedgehog

46 days after praimfaya and Octavia and Miller are sparring and smiling. This always makes me feel like if things had been different in wonkru, if they hadn’t been unrepentant tribal warmongers, fighting each other, trying to take from the others, then Octavia could have healed and not become a monster. I mean she didn’t want to be the leader, but she didn’t have a choice. Indra wants to dress her up in the heda outfit though O doesn’t want to. She doesn’t look happy.

Oh hai Niylah. She found her Ovid to remind her of Bellamy reading to her. Wait. That means Niylah is literate. And Gaia. Gaia and Indra are fighting over the religious support. Indra says the real commanders would have let her burn.

Now they’re talking about killing people for stealing blankets. “What punishment does Oslea impose?”

“For stealing blankets? Give them back.” Honestly Octavia’s best line in 5 seasons.

OH they hear someone outside pounding on the door. Kane and Abby are dressed to go out. They haven’t spoken in a month. Abby knows it’s Clarke. “It’s a night blood that knows where we are. Who else could it be?”

BUT THE DOOR WON’T OPEN. “If the building’s collapsed…”

“She’s not getting in.”

“We’re not getting out.” BOOM OUT.

Kara runs the hydroponic farm like she did on the Ark. WELL SHE”S CRAP AT IT. If Monty were there none of this would have happened. He got that shit up and running in like THREE DAYS.

Jaha. Nice to see you Jaha. He looks better with the bald head. I like it. There are no vulnerabilities to the bunker they can’t dig out. And Kara is like, “oh yeah we’re going to die. We can’t feed everyone and it’s your fault Octavia for forcing your own people into that fire. YOU HAD NO RIGHT. Jaha found it. It belonged to us.” Tribalism. Don’t think the arkers aren’t just as tribalistic as the grounders. Dumbasses all. Kara’s father died in the culling on the ark and her husband didn’t make the cut in the second culling.

Indra Kane and Abby are like we have to set guards and have delegates and too many people. Octavia is like, “I’m the leader” They’ll go to half rations. At dinner, Abby is sitting with Jackson and Miller. Kane sits with Jaha and Ethan, because Abby won’t talk to him.

“We didn’t even know if it was Clarke.”

“What matters is not what we know but what we believe.” Jaha is spilling spiritual/political knowledge and Kane is like, yeah that’s not science. Lol But he’s still glad he talked him out of fighting Octavia for this place.

Oh Kara tries to keep Jaha in the cafeteria.

Jackson and Miller are being sweet. And Abby likes that. As she’s taking more pills. She says the headaches will stop but they don’t.

Oh distraction. Someone has a seizure and distracts the guards while someone locks the door and knocks out Kane. “We’re taking back what’s ours.” OH it was Kara faking the seizure. She started out a bitch and she never got better. If you’re a Kara Cooper fan, you’re not going to find a friend in me.

Kara has the plans. “We’re gonna live. And though it might be unfair, they’re not.” And she restrains Kane and Abby “because I don’t kill my own people. Even the one’s responsible for the deaths of my father and husband.” (Oh RLLY Kara Cooper? We’re gonna watch you kill your co-conspirators with a sword in a few minutes. So much for not killing your own.)

“Abby had nothing to do with that.’

“Abby opened the door. I wonder if you would have done that if he was already safe inside.” Incompetent. Bitter. And Vengeful.

Abby describes death by starvation to try and get Kara to open the door. “The first to die will be the lucky ones. They won’t have to fight the temptation to eat their friends.” Fine. Foreshadowing.

Jaha reading The Giving Tree. You know not everyone likes that story. Niylah does. Too late. Grounders attacking sky crew. Niylah hides with Ethan. Jaha fights. Octavia saves him.

Octavia didn’t want to kill them to punish them. Miller’s not in the cafeteria either. Miller takes Ethan away from Jaha . “I wantto stay with youuu.” Jeez. Tearjerker.

Octavia wants Jaha to be an engineer again. Open the door. I like Octavia here. She’s doing good. She had hope to heal and become better, but…

Niylah says hell is breaking loose. Gaia says it’s not hell it’s who we are. Octavia believes she’s wrong, they’re Wonkru. But Gaia says without a commander they are warring clans, that’s how it’s always been. Gaia you’re not helping.

Jaha though is the engineer and he does things. But he’s hurt. And ignores it. But he’s going to take the electricity and short out the lock. But he can’t get to level D because it’s no man’s land and they’ll kill him. So Jaha is going to get in in disguise. Octavia takes off the heda gear and says “on me they’re symbols not targets” and Gaia looks at her mom like I TOLD YOU SO. Octavia gets to be a hero. Like Murphy. She feels IMPORTANT as a hero. She’s not so good as a queen. She’s a knight, not a queen. Jaha won’t let her save the person being beaten. And she discovers he’s been stabbed. He’s going to sacrifice himself to open that door. Jaha ALSO likes being a hero, but he doesn’t mind being a king.

Even if you find a way to take the farm back, there’s still too many people in the bunker. Jaha says there always have been. WHY DIDN”T YOU ASSHOLES MAKE THE NUMBER SMALLER THEN?????

Abby and Kane are still chained up. No more half rations though. Jackson wants to fight back because Miller’s out there, she tells him no. “Imagine that. Wanting to save the person he loves.”

“You took away my choice.” But he says he made the right call because she was a doctor. “Really then why were you willing to float me on the ark?” Snarky.

Jaha is losing it.He’s going to give her wisdom. He’s sorry about how hard it was for her. Sure now that she’s valuable. “Like it or not, we are your people.”

He won’t connect the wires until Octavia promises to protect the sky people on the inside of the farm. When he has the word that she makes them stand down then he’ll open the door.

“I am not a leader. I’m a fighter. A warrior.

“And a warrior needs a war and an enemy. On the ark we made death the enemy. That’s how we survived. And anyone who did anything to push us closer to death was eliminated. You hate me because I floated your m other but when she broke the law she pushed us closer to death. So she made herself the enemy.”

Octavia doesn’t like that. “So now you know what it takes to lead.” THAT IS NOT WHAT IT MEANS TO LEAD. Stupid Arkers. Honestly, I know he’s generally well intentioned with his injustice, with the way he dismisses the unworthy, but I do not think that’s okay. Keeping order by oppressing those you deem inconsequential is NOT GOOD. It’s what caused the rebellion on the ark in the first place.

Someone is playing guitar as people sleep on the floor of the cafeteria. Kane, and Abby in withdrawal. Kane says,“I couldn’t bear to lose you. I’d just gotten you back. The world was ending before our very eyes and I thought I could weather any storm as long as you were by my side but you weren’t by my side because you decided you didn’t deserve what we had, you didn’t deserve to survive. How could you ever think that I would be able to carry you outside and shut the door. I’m sorry but I’m not that strong I would do the same thing a thousand times. Did you ever regret opening the door to save me.”

She can’t even speak just shakes her head.

Uh oh. Someone’s pounding on the door. Kara wants the dude to play louder and Jackson almost grabs Kara’s gun. Here’s Octavia.

“I can open the door.”

“The do it skairipa so we can rid ourselves of your honorless people once and for all.” You know. Those damn grounders have been blaming the sky people for existing since s1. They can save the grounders from destruction, defend themselves, defeat the grounders mortal enemies, prove their heroism, stop a computer from takin over their very minds, but the grounders will STILL blame them. SoMETIMES I wish Clarke had just stolen the damn thing. Look what ended up happening because the grounders AND the dumb skaikru couldn’t stop with their MY PEOPLE crap. I wish Clarke and Bellamy could just have scammed the bunker and told Niylah to find them some decent non combatants and they’d just snuck into the thing BUT NO they have to play by the stupid grounder rules which are actually BARBARIC. “Oh you think we’re savages.” YES ROAN YOU ARE SAVAGES. Trial by combat? DUMB. Children fighting to the death to become leaders? SAVAGES. Death for stealing blankets?? SAVAGES. They’re all dumb. Jasper was right. Gosh I hope Clarke and Bellamy can manage to good guys in season 6. Okay rant over.

Go kick some savage butt Octavia. Savage vs savage. You wanted savage? Get ready to bow down to your savage queen. Honestly, the sky people can beat you at that, too. Our delinquents go hard.

She’s making it wonkru, not just tribes. She starts fighting. Someone comes at her. She kills. Kills him. And him. You are WONKRU or you are the enemy of wonkru. Choose. Kill kill kill kill.

You are wonkru or you are the enemy of wonkru. CHOOSE> kill kill kill kill.

You are wonkru or you are the ENEMY OF WONKRU. Choose. Killl kill kill killl.

Heartbeat. You are wonkru. Or you are the enemy of wonkru. Choose…

They bow. Bow. Bow. Bow. Bow. Bow. All bow. Exeunt pursued by bear…. Or rather starvation, but you know. Jaha opens the door.

“Only the guilty.” Bye Kara. Oh no. She goes to shoot Kane, no she goes to shoot herself. But Octavia throws a knife into her gun hand. “It won’t be that easy.” (Hmmmm could that be foreshadowing of Octavia trying to get out of what she did by martyrdom?)

Now Jaha is dying. Abby goes to save him. Can’t. Remember the first time Abby had to save Jaha? Episode 1. Now his fight is over. He asks Octavia to take care of Ethan. “Take me home Marcus. Take me to my wife. Take me to Wells.” DAMN YOU I”VE GOT TEARS.

Travelers blessing. May we meet again.

Octavia crying, covered in blood. In comes Indra and Gaia. “Your people await justice.” Gaia doesn’t want her to be cleaned up. She doesn’t think Octavia is the commander, but she delivered them from praimfaya and from starvations, and she will deliver them back to the ground. (But who really does? I think it’s Bellamy. And delivered them to the ship. I’m still waiting for his mythic name to appear. We have Wanheda. Blodreina. What’s his?) The blood of our enemies IS her armor.

The first gladiator battle.

Jackson and Miller. “Nate I tried to stop it—“ “Shh. You’re a healer not a fighter. That’s why I love you.” So sweet.

Octavia commanding. Too many people in this bunker. “Each of you have committed crimes against wonkru and the punishment for this is death.” The boy is going to die for blankets after all. “This isn’t the ark and this isn’t the ground. There is no blood must have blood. In Rome the gladiators had the opportunity to fight for their freedom. So will you.

Who goes first? Kara. Farmer my ass. She kills everyone. Those are her people that she fought with, too.

Cut to a gladiator 6 years later. Kara is by Octavia’s side. Ethan is grown up. Gaia is blonde. Octavia is blodreina.

But if they fight and win the battle, why does Octavia get to say they are saved or not? Drama.

Oh here’s Kane. The combatant. Indra not happy.

#the 100 #rewatch #the 100 liveblog #liveblog #red queen #the 100 rewatch

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thestoryofme13 · 6 years

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The Spiral

Prequel to Saving Me: The Spiral

A/N: This is still the same story but it needed a different name since it isn’t a prologue and it really isn’t the plot point of Saving Me but for the sake of everyone’ sanity both will be labeled Saving me. I just didn’t realize it was going to take on a life of its own. Also Roman will appear later but not in the prequel.

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

A/N: This is my attempt at an AU, but please look out for the warnings before each chapter, this is going to be triggering and I am going to do my best to tag all of them but I will need your help to make sure I don’t miss anything. I want you as readers to be safe. This was inspired by @ilovemygaydad and their fic Friends in Dark Places, which I highly recommend, you can see the all the chapter links and my thoughts of the story as a whole here.

This chapter and the next couple will be the backstory to give you all some background. It was going to be all one chapter but I hadn’t hit the plot point I wanted and the word count was already over 2,000.

Warnings: Swearing, intrusive thoughts, unworthy, wanting death, insecurities, anxiety,

Summary: Someone saves Virgil when he needed it most and now he dedicates his life to trying to help others not feel alone

Pairings: Analogical later

(Flashback) Logan wasn’t a huge fan of extracurricular activities because, they could be disruptive and take away from his school work but, quiz bowl was the exception. Quiz bowl tested his knowledge on a vast majority of subjects and helped him learn new facts. It also fulfilled his parents need for him to have “social interactions.” Two birds with one stone, what Logan hadn’t factored in was that there were some very attractive guys on his quiz bowl team, not that any of them would ever express any interest in Logan. His intellect was probably the only attention-grabbing aspect of himself, his looks were mediocre and average at best, not that he was complaining he was content with the way he looked, most days that is.

One day the impossible happened, at least Logan had deemed it impossible or possible with a very low probability. Garret one of the most attractive guys on the quiz bowl team had asked Logan out, Logan just had to tell someone! Virgil would be happy for him, right? That’s what friends were for.

The day after Garret asked Logan out, Logan searched for Virgil in the lunch room, going to their usual spot. Virgil was already sitting staring at the unappetizing food before him, when he felt a pair of eyes on him, sure enough, his instinct was right Logan was approaching their table and he was practically vibrating with excitement, it was a nice change of pace to see Logan look so happy. Virgil thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice if I was the reason….fuck V, stop thinking like that!” after sorting out his own thoughts he returned back to the world and waited anxiously for his best friend to approach the table.

Logan was so excited that he could barely contain himself, no sooner than he sat down at the table did his mouth open to spill the news, “Garretaskedmeout!!!” Virgil chuckled, when Logan got excited he had a tendency to run his words together and forget to breathe between sentences, it was incredibly adorable, “Lo, if you could stop speaking cursive that would be helpful.” Logan blushed, he knew this was a habit of his, and he hated it, he took a deep breath in and decided to repeat himself, “Garret asked me out!” Virgil’s face fell ever so slightly, enough for an observant person to notice, but he quickly masked his pain behind a fake smile, “I’m happy for you, Logan.” It was rare that Virgil used Logan’s full name, but the nerd was too excited to connect the dots, but who could blame him. They talked for the rest of the lunch period although Virgil was hardly participating, he wanted to leave this room and hide, but he didn’t want Logan to worry; so he faked being okay and put on a happy face.

Virgil couldn’t believe it, his best friend the guy he had come to develop feelings for had been asked out by arguably one of the most attractive guys in their grade. While Virgil, didn’t want to like Logan romantically, it somehow wasn’t a choice, so upon hearing the news, it broke his heart, in a way that your first real crush could only accomplish. He wanted to be happy for his friend, but he also wanted to cry and scream that the universe was unfair. The universe had given Virgil this amazing friend and then had him develop feelings for said friend only for a cruel twist of fate to have Logan asked out by a different amazing guy, if this didn’t sum up Virgil’s life then nothing else would.

Virgil couldn’t help but worry about the idea that Garret being in Logan’s life, would mean that Logan and he would have less time to spend together, and that was a saddening thought. Unfortunately for Virgil, his worry was not unfounded. It was very little things at first and Virgil expected that; the relationship was new and exciting and desperately needed time to grow and flourish. The little things like Garret coming to sit at their table weren’t so bad, he was a great guy, Logan was truly lucky. Although Virgil could live without being the third wheel, the two boys were always so engrossed in each other that Virgil rarely spoke or was spoken to, he didn’t expect much else from two people in the “honeymoon” phase. It was still irritating.

What finally broke Virgil’s heart was that Logan and he had planned to have a movie night and Logan had canceled at the last-minute citing that Garret needed his immediate attention. Virgil wouldn’t usually be phased, sure he’d be disappointed, but it would be easily forgotten after all people forgetting or canceling plans on him was something he had become accustomed to, why should this be any different. Virgil knew better than to get excited over things, because once he was excited it would always blow up in his face, so he would always set up things with people thinking they will cancel or he’d act very indifferent to the activity in hopes that his real excitement doesn’t show through his façade.

The difference this time was that Logan hated canceling plans, once something was planned it was his obligation to follow through, it was something Virgil admired about his nerd. This cancellation hit hard because it was not the first time Logan had canceled, but the second time! Virgil was angry, hurt, and scared of losing his best friend to this new relationship, but he would never tell Logan.

Logan hated discussing feelings, he hated feelings in general but realized how important they were, but that didn’t mean he’d like to acknowledge them in a conversation. So, for now, Virgil just keeps all his insecurities to himself, why bother someone else with his useless thoughts.

Logan hated canceling plans and distancing himself from Virgil, it wasn’t on purpose but Garret needed him, and Logan had trouble saying no to those green eyes when they looked at him. He felt bad for canceling plans and leaving Virgil by himself at lunch some days but Garret turned Logan to mush. All logical thinking and self-control went out the window.

The canceling of plans and distance continued for about two months when Virgil had finally given up and reached his limit. He was emotionally drained, he could barely take it anymore, his best friend was barely speaking to him at this point and it was killing him.

One day in chemistry they were performing an experiment that used Hydrochloric acid when the teacher saw that Virgil was leaning in a bit too close to the beaker, “Virgil, please use the necessary precautions when dealing with this acid! If not, it may damage your skin, lungs, or if you’re really unlucky it’ll kill you.” Virgil chuckled, “My dude, death would be nice right about now.” His classmates looked horrified, all the students were at least one grade above Virgil, so they tended to avoid him. Who would want to be paired with the wicked smart underclassman? Virgil just shrugged, his sense of humor had always been dark, but there was no denying the slight truth to his remark.

One of the students looked particularly panicked, he knew that Virgil was a little odd, but he couldn’t help but feel like something was bothering the little one. Patton Jacobs was a junior and knew how scary high school could be, so he made it his mission to look out for the underclassmen. Patton had seen how Virgil usually kept to himself and he wanted to make sure that the kiddo knew that he had a support system, but he didn’t want to overwhelm him. It only took a few minutes before he had a brilliant idea, he’d leave little notes in Virgil’s locker. The only problem was that he had no clue what locker was his, so he would have to follower Virgil out of chemistry and hope he stops by his locker on his way to his next class.

Once class was out, Patton was rushing to keep pace with Virgil, “Gee, this freshman sure could run out of a room quickly! He should think about doing cross-country.” But Patton was up for the challenge, he lucked out and Virgil did happen to stop by his locker between classes, Patton made note of which locker was his, 413. Then took out a pad of electric blue post-it notes and wrote the first note, “Reason to live no. 1: PUPPIES!” Once Virgil had retrieved his books for his next class, Patton ran in and slid the note through the locker, praying to any being out there that would listen, that Virgil would find the note.

Virgil hated honors English but the good thing about it was that he could mostly zone out and Logan was in his class, while Garret was not. Obviously, they couldn’t talk in class because Virgil was pretty sure that would give Logan an aneurysm, but ever since he started dating Garret, Logan had stopped paying attention apparently his lap was more interesting than the lecture, not that Virgil was the entranced by it either, but he at least had the common decency to doodle, not text.

Virgil hated what this relationship was doing to Logan, he seemed like a totally different person, canceling plans, texting in class, ignoring friends. Virgil would take a guess that his grades might be suffering a bit as well, but Logan was head over heels, there was very little that could free him from his enchantment.

Eventually honors English ended and Virgil was able to leave, not only this class but the entire building, school was over….well for today that is. He raced out of that classroom, not bothering to acknowledge Logan trying to get his attention, he was hurt and when that happens Virgil tended to be petty. He reached his locker and slid his headphones on from his locker, hoping that anyone who might try to talk to him would see them and think differently.

He was gathering his books for the night when a brightly colored blue piece of paper caught his eye, he reached down, this wasn’t supposed to be here. Virgil held it in his hand and read the writing, he smiled to himself for a split second then panic arose, ��Who thought he needed reasons to live? Was this a joke?” He looked around for anyone who could have put the note in his locker but saw no one, he would keep this to himself, but this note would be going on the inside of his closet at home, so he could look at it when he needed it and without others judging him.

Tag list: @fandomsandanythingelse @nyxwordsmith @michealawithana @fanfictionsideaccount @bubblycricket

#myfics #sanders sides #au #prequel #analogical #tw swearing #tw intrusive thoughts #tw unworthy #tw anxiety #tw insecurity #tw wanting death #The Spiral

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sweetnestor · 6 years

Text

12 Days | Chapter 8.2

Two guys that lowkey hate each other are forced to walk in each other’s shoes in order to learn a lesson.

***in collaboration with @themarkiplierexperience

lmao soz its not actually x reader we’re just desperate for attention haaaa

“I want to ask what the origin story behind this is, but I think I’m better off not knowing,” Tom typed. He attached a “selfie” wearing a bright blue shirt with the word “Wowie” printed on it in a strange fashion. Then, he sent the whole thing to Ethan.

He did see the other texts from the boy that he received the evening before, but Tom was dying to show this to him now. He finally had a look at what Ethan’s “merch” was like. To say he was not expecting “wowie” on a t-shirt was an understatement. Why “wowie”?

Halfway through editing this video, Tom kind of despised Ethan… and he definitely hated the word “Wowie” with a burning passion. It wasn’t all bad, though. Tom had spent the day with a funny pair of people: Parker and Andrew. He didn’t have to consciously act like Ethan to get along with the pair. They were so graciously weird that seeing their friend act out of character was considered normal for them… if that made any sense. The three of them, along with Amy, made a video together that was about this awful blue t-shirt. A promotional video, and instead of having a whole filming crew complete with camera men and editors, it was all self made. It was impressive, don’t get him wrong, but Tom only thrived when he was on camera, not behind the scenes.

It was a minute and a half long video, yet it was taking ages for him to put it all together. Not to mention, Tom was awaiting an update from Ethan about Zendaya. Earlier, he had said that she wanted to talk, and god knows what that was supposed to mean. On top of that, Bella was getting a little harder to handle.

Tom had invited her to come along to shoot the video, but she had gotten immensely sheepish and timid when she heard about the people who would be joining them. She made an excuse about having emails to answer and business Skype meetings to have. She only returned to his apartment after hearing that Parker, Andrew, and Amy had left for the day, and even then she just stayed in the living room while Tom finished the video. Weird, but whatever.

A few hours later, Tom could say he was proud of what he had created. The video was very sarcastic, and kind of funny, but it got the message across: “Buy this ugly ass shirt.” Really, he didn’t see the appeal, but Ethan’s fans sure did. The shirt had been on sale on Ethan’s merch store all month, and as of today, there were only ten days left to buy it. Tom learned all of this through Parker, who had a hand in running the store. Thank god he wasn’t left in completely in the dark.

Thing is, Tom easily learned about different aspects of this kid’s life. He knew the girlfriend, a good amount of the friends, and just enough about his personality to get by. The hard part was the YouTube stuff, because everyone around him assumed that he knew what he was doing. They all assumed he was Ethan. How bizarre would it be if Ethan just suddenly asked for help on the basics of editing a simple video? How long would it be for someone to figure that this wasn’t Ethan, that it was somebody else? What would they do, besides throw him in an asylum?

A knock on the bedroom door snapped Tom out of his thoughts. He pulled off his headphones and granted access.

Bella came in, an unreadable expression on her face. “Hey…”

“Hi, love,” Tom greeted, turning in his chair to face her.

She stepped in, looking around the room as she tangled her fingers together. “I don’t mean to interrupt you, I’m just…” She sighed. “This is really stupid, like really stupid…”

“Oh, how bad could it be?” he asked, putting on a kind smile, despite how nervous the sudden tension made him.

Bella picked at her nails to fill the silence. But she finally asked in a soft voice, “why didn’t you ask me to be in your video?”

Honestly, Tom had been hoping she had that conversation with her real boyfriend. Even he found it weird that the “talking to women” bit from the video starred Amy. Why not Bella? It probably wasn’t something to fuss about, but the girl’s nerves radiated for miles, it made Tom himself feel like he had done something wrong. He didn’t even know how to respond.

“I mean, you and Parker came up with the video idea like what? Two weeks ago,” she rambled, “and you guys came up with the ‘talking to girls’ thing and your first thought was Amy? Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I-I mean she did come up with the shirt design…”

Ah, so that was the culprit.

“I-It’s not that I wanted to slap you - uh, fake slap you for a video,” Bella went on, her voice getting shaky, “i-it’s just you didn’t think to ask me, I don’t know. Am I freaking out over nothing?”

“You freak out over everything,” Tom said without thinking. There was a small pause before he turned back to the computer.

“I know, it’s what I do,” Bella said, not seeming offended by that statement. “It probably wasn’t a big deal. I shouldn’t have bothered you, sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Any other thoughts, concerns?” It was half sarcastic, but she took the bait.

“I’ve been… having dreams…”

Ethan was supposed to know that tone, what that particular phrase meant. Tom, on the other hand, was clueless.

“Naughty dreams?”

“No.” Bella’s tone was serious now. She paced around the small recording space, still picking at her nails. “Bad dreams. I’ve had dreams like this before… Ethan, please don’t make me say it.”

It had been five days since the switch, five days of being this girl’s boyfriend, and Tom was getting more and more impatient.

“Don’t talk about it then,” he said with a shrug. “If it’s really that scary, or disturbing, or whatever it is... then you don’t need to speak of it.”

Again, it was silent. Tom definitely said the wrong thing, but he didn’t know how to handle a girl with anxiety. He could barely handle Zendaya, even though he hoped to fix things with her.

“You’re probably right,” Bella spoke at last. She turned on her heel towards the door. “No one wants to remember that time, especially me.” She stopped at the doorway and looked back at him. “Oh, and I just figured out why I was freaking out over Amy. It’s been almost a year since Mark left me for her.”

Whoa. What would Ethan say to that? What would Ethan think about his girlfriend mentioning her ex?

Speaking of the ex, Tom’s phone dinged on his desk. Mark had texted him. Admittedly, Tom wasn’t really texting anyone consistently apart from Ethan. He had also ignored Mark’s texts from the other day, so there was a chance he wasn’t on good terms with the boss.

“Hey look man, I don’t know what’s going on with you lately, but I need an answer. Are you going to be returning to work anytime soon? Or do we need to make a public statement that you don’t work for me anymore? I’m not trying to put pressure on you, or anything with malice. I just need to know what’s going on business wise.”

Public statement? So the fans knew Mark had editors? And there had to be something said publicly when something changed behind the scenes? Is that how YouTube works?

“I think my girlfriend is hung up on you, you’re the last person I need to see right now,” Tom typed for literally no other reason except to see if it sounded like something his other half would say. He chuckled to himself after deeming that it was too ridiculous and out of line and went to delete it…

You know when you mean to do one thing but instead do another? Yeah, Tom somehow mixed up the ‘send’ key and the ‘backspace’ key, and well…

“Fuck!” he snapped, sitting up in his chair, watching as the angry text sent. “No, no, no, no! Shit!”

Oh god, Ethan was so fired.

Tom didn’t have the heart to tell Ethan about the wonderful conversation he had with Mark following that text. He read through the messages he received while he was editing over and over again just to avoid telling him what went down. Ethan seemed excited to be in Montreal.

“So guess I have a workout tomorrow morning? Wish me luck bc I’ll actually die.” That’ll be fun to hear about, but it didn’t settle the knot in Tom’s stomach.

“I’m almost ok with the switch if it means getting to stay in this house dude it’s so nice?? I’m never leaving.” Tom was not okay with the switch. He wanted to be in that house right now, leave Ethan with the mess that he made.

“I finished the wowie video. I hate the word wowie. Please never say it again,” he typed and sent before reading the rest of the texts. He noticed that Ethan will either be completely silent, or send multiple texts at once. No in between.

“Also,,,,, fuck kinda friendship you got with Harrison? You give each other lap dances???” Ethan asked. Oh no. Oh god. “Not judging, just wish I’d known you were rejecting zendaya for ur best m8 lolol.”

Tom literally groaned out loud and palmed his forehead. Then, he frantically sent, “IT WASNOTHING WE DONT SPEAK OF IT SHUT UP.” No way he was getting into that with this guy. He wouldn’t understand.

The next message didn’t help very much. “Speaking of Daya, we talked today. She asked abot how you feel and what you thought you 2 had going on. Made it clear it was her choice what happened, but that you’re just friends? Idk man how DO you feel?”

“Anyway, the videos were good. Much better than Tyler’s first edits for sure. Good job, I’m impressed.”

“Shooting starts tomorrow so I’m off to learn everything there is to know about acting…….. By watching some movie wiht the guys, gn.”

Tom sat there for a few minutes, trying to word any of the thoughts in his head. Why couldn’t have Ethan made the Zendaya decision for him? He seems like a nice guy, he’s had a girlfriend for six months, and she didn’t seem tired of him!

“I’ll deal with her when we switch back… by the way when are we gonna switch back??? Anyway, have a good night mate, have a pint for me!”

_____

tag list: @beardedsteveslut @marie-is-in-the-dark @ohsnapitzmoony

_____

#crankgameplays x oc #ethan nestor x reader #tom holland x oc #tom holland x reader #sweetheart writes #sweetheart collabs #twelve days #drama? drama #it aint a fanfic without some petty ass drama #bella was patient with tom but will mark be??#tbh idek yet idek what imma do for the next chapter #these are all made at the last minute guys pls give us attention #also the tom/harrison/we dont speak of it thing #was from a text post i saw on here one time #so i slid it to sam's dm's and was like dude #we gotta #tbh idk what they did that night #we may never know #hehehehehehehe

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5hfanfiction · 7 years

Text

Hard Feelings/Loveless

“When you’ve outgrown a lover, the whole world knows but you.”

* * *

One week has passed, and Camila doesn’t feel any less nauseous than before.

Though, this time, the sickness/nervousness/gross-feeling-ness is more from the fact that Camila is being ushered into some small, vacant coffee shop.

At least, vacant save for Dinah Jane Hansen.

The blonde is sitting at a table in the far back (not like it matters though, since the coffee shop has exactly one light on and a sign is hanging on the front door clearly stating, CLOSED). She’s tapping away at her phone, her fake nails noticeable even from this distance. To top it all off, she has a venti iced coffee from Starbucks sitting on the table.

Typical Dinah.

Everything about this feels so familiar, so normal. It’s just Camila and Dinah hanging out. It’s just two friends hanging out. It’s totally normal.

And yet, with each step Camila takes towards Dinah, her heartbeat grows louder and louder in her ears. It’s pounding so hard that by the time she reaches the table, Camila barely hears Dinah’s greeting. Her hands shake as she slips into the seat across from the girl.

Dinah is staring at her.

Shit. Camila clears her throat. Dinah said something, right?

“Sorry,” Camila mumbles. “I-“

“You weren’t listening because your anxiety is ‘bubbling up inside you and clogging your ears’?”

Another inside joke the two girls used to share. Camila always used to get massive anxiety on tour, and every time Dinah would ask her if she’s okay she wouldn’t hear her, simply shaking her head and then apologizing, explaining that her anxiety was indeed bubbling up inside her and clogging her ears.

Camila smiles, but her mouth definitely runs dry at the memory.

“Relax, Mila,” Dinah reaches a hand out, and Camila takes it gratefully. “The shop is closed, the lights are dim. No one’s going to see us, and even if someone does peep in through the window it’s not like they can get a photo of us or even sneak inside.” She nods to the suited man behind Camila, standing by the door. “You’re not gonna get shot, either. California is pretty safe these days.”

Instantly, Camila is hit with another wave of guilt. She retracts her hand from Dinah’s and looks over her shoulder. “I’m sorry about him-…I-…my manager-“

“Camila!” Dinah chuckles, then-seeing the solemn look on Camila’s face-smiles sadly. “I’m joking. Seriously. You’re fine.”

But she isn’t fine. Camila’s mouth twitches. The last person in the world who should be giving Camila the time of day is sitting across from her, paying off the owner of some cheap coffee shop for a day just to have a real, genuine conversation.

Camila whistles at her so-called security guard and tells him to take a walk around the block. When the suited man begins to argue, she digs into her purse and waves a Benjamin. The suited man sighs, shakes his head and walks out, making sure to slam the door behind him.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know.” Dinah rolls her eyes.

Camila gives her a look, raises a brow. “Sure.”

And for the first time in what genuinely feels like forever, the two girls smile at each other- not forced, not awkward. Real smiles. Real happiness. Camila hasn’t felt that in a while.

Of course, all that comes crashing down once Dinah reminds her why she even set this meeting up in the first place.

Before Camila can say anything, Dinah puts a hand up.

“Look, you have to promise me something.” She sighs. “This is obviously about Lauren- we’ve already established that. But you have to promise that you don’t have feelings for her still. Nothing romantic between you two can come out of this, okay? The band won’t survive it. Your career won’t survive it. I won’t survive it.”

All color drains from Camila’s face. This entire situation has never been about Lauren solely, but rather it was her actions that amplified the edges to Fifth Harmony’s strikes at Camila. Camila has always cared, but Lauren just…made everything even more painful, if that makes sense.

She’ll be honest. She misses the girl’s presence. But feelings for her? That’s something that really hasn’t crossed her mind…

“No,” Camila clears her throat, trying to not remember all the times Camila and Lauren’s ‘relationship’ got in the way of Fifth Harmony’s career. The echoes of slammed hotel-room doors and exchanged shouting send a chill down her back.

Dinah raises a brow. “It’s okay if you do, you know, have feelings for her. You two were as on and off as a light. I just have to make sure you two sort everything out before getting Ally and Mani involved.”

“We weren’t ‘on and off’.” Camila says it unexpectedly, both to Dinah and herself. “We never even…dated.”

“Bullshit.”

“Things were complicated! That doesn’t mean we were actually a thing.”

Dinah raises her brow higher. In all honesty, Camila isn’t totally stretching the truth. She still remembers the first time Lauren told her she had feelings for the girl, back in 2013 when Fifth Harmony was just taking off. Camila didn’t respond for a minute, and Lauren took that as a cue to move in on her. But Camila pulled away from the kiss. Her eyes were wide. She was only sixteen, barely seventeen? She didn’t know what team she played for, not even then. It comes down to this: Camila was scared, because she liked the kiss, but not what it meant for her identity. Not what it meant for a teenager who’d always thought they were purely straight.

That was the first time Lauren pulled away. Between 2013 and late 2014, the two girls were as distant as friends who moved away to different colleges, always texting each other that they should catch up soon, but never actually setting a date. Camila hated it, grew to hate herself. This process would repeat itself in 2015, when now it was Camila demonstrating feelings for Lauren. But now there was the added pressure from fans, deeming the girls’ relationship more real than Lauren and Camila could actually fathom. Camila still remembers how Lauren would kiss her one night, then tell her the next that she wants things to work out, wants a relationship, but that she’s still scared of how fans might react. “If things were different…”

And 2016? God, Camila isn’t even ready to approach that year yet.

“Okay,” Camila sighs. “So there were times we got together, yeah. But it was never anything concrete. You know that from all the times I cried to you on tour.”

“Mhmm, there it is,” Dinah chuckles. She then grows serious for a second, still with a lingering smile on her face. “Look, you just have to be straight with me. Do you still have feelings for her? Are you still…in love with her?”

Her last question makes Camila want to throw up. Defiant, she shakes her head.

“No, there’s nothing there for us anymore.”

“Good!” Dinah claps her hands, smiling widely. “Cause’ Lauren should be here in about five-“ She checks her phone. “Oh, actually, about two minutes.”

Camila blinks.

“The two of you need to work things out, okay? This is the first step. I’ll make sure to lock the doors and shit so she can’t run away as per usual.”

Camila blinks again.

“It’ll be okay, Mila.”

Camila blinks so many times at least three eyelashes falls out.

“Why-“ She struggles to form words without screaming, sweat suddenly forming above her brow. “Why would you- even-“

“Go to the bathroom, alright? Calm yourself down, drink some water. This was the only way to get the two of you together.” Dinah helps Camila out of her seat, ushering her down the coffee shop’s back hall and into the bathroom. “You got this. I’ll be here the whole time moderating.”

Camila leans her weight on the bathroom sink, only breathing once Dinah leaves.

This isn’t actually happening, right? She looks at herself in the mirror, and after seeing her pale face up close she has to wipe the mirror with her sleeve, her breath fogging up the glass.

She goes over her options.

1.) Call the random security guard her manager hired for help.

2.) Jump out the bathroom window.

3.) Tweet her location and get fans to rush the shop, forcing Dinah and Lauren to leave through the back.

4.) Go out and face Lauren like a damn adult.

Options 1 through 4 are the most desirable, and if circumstances were different, perhaps Camila would choose them. But as much as she’s terrified of Lauren, this entire situation began because Lauren was acting immature. Acting like a child.

Camila refuses to be a hypocrite (again). She has to do this, for better or for worse.

As she’s walking back down the hall, she hears Lauren’s voice, practically screaming at Dinah. Camila leans against the wall, making sure to not be seen.

“I’m not fucking doing this. And you know what? You of all fucking people have a lot of nerve agreeing to meet with her in the first place-!”

“Just chill, okay? It’s not that big of a deal-“

“Not that big of a deal?! Jesus, how fucking stupid can you-“

Silence. Lauren sighs, her voice lower. “I’m sorry. I’m not doing this. I want nothing to do with her-“

“And she wants nothing to do with you either, Laur. But she’s tired of being treated like shit for things that happened nearly a year ago. And honestly? I’m tired of it too. You’ve been acting like a child and while Ally and Mani won’t tell you to your face, it’s exhausting. It’s a bad look. Just fucking fix things, please?”

“I’m not the one who broke them.“

Camila takes that as her cue to appear. She feels incredibly small as she inches around the wall, like a child intruding on their parents arguing. Her hands wring each other as she takes in Lauren.

Camila should be hit with that wave of what used to be. Of this is what I’ve been missing my entire life. Of this is the person who I used to love. Who I still might love.

But all Camila gets from this version of Lauren are feelings of worry, concern. For one thing, Lauren’s bags beneath her eyes are so dark, not even the $100 concealer (Camila would know, since Lauren constantly raved about this specific concealer and how it worked wonders despite it’s price) covers them up. Her hair is brushed and knot-free, but it’s lackluster, and definitely thinner than Camila’s last seen. Finally, Lauren’s skin is paler than usual- which should be a warning, since Lauren is normally pale…Camila thought it was impossible for the girl to get even paler.

Honestly, Lauren looks sick; like she’s been in bed for weeks, surviving on nothing but soup and crackers. And yet once she opens her mouth to speak, Camila feels that spark of warmth. Even in her worst moments, Lauren is still so beautiful.

It’s unsettling.

“Are you going to sit or did Dinah set this up just so you could stare at me for twenty minutes?”

Camila blinks, opens her mouth to say something, but closes it and clumsily slides into the chair across from Lauren. She can barely look at the girl, now that her staring has been pointed out, so she focuses on her hands below the table, wringing and wringing-

“So this is productive,” Lauren sighs and begins tapping her nails (unpainted) against the table. “Nothing’s going to get solved unless you talk. I don’t know why I’m here.” Camila looks up at Lauren, instantly pierced by the girl’s pale green eyes. “But you do, apparently,” Lauren finishes.

Camila sighs a shaky breath. She can do this, right? It’s just Lauren. I mean, yeah, Lauren’s intimidating, but like. It’s Lauren. The same Lauren Camila’s had dance parties to the Camp Rock album with. The same Lauren Camila’s slept with-

Okay. Bad thought. Camila clears her throat.

“I-“ Shit. This is harder than Camila thought it would be. She purses her lips, then tries again. “I wanted to settle things like adults.”

It’s not exactly what Camila wanted to say, but it’ll do. At least, that’s what she hopes until Lauren chuckles dryly.

“Right,” She raises a brow. “We settled things ages ago, Camila. This isn’t about settling past issues, and you know it. You just want to stop being called out on your shit.” She leans forward. “Well, guess what? Maybe you should have thought about the repercussions of your actions before-“

“Lauren.” Dinah says in a low voice, eyes flickering from Lauren, all highbrowed and defiant, to Camila, holding back tears. “This isn’t some opportunity to attack Camila. You’re supposed to be resolving things.”

“And what is there to resolve, Dinah?” Lauren hunches her shoulders, smiling in amusement at her words. But Camila is beginning to see through it. Lauren’s voice is thinner, for one. All fake words and fake confidence. No substance. Lauren continues, “You know all she wants is to feel better about herself since that’s all she ever thinks about-“

“Lauren!”

“-She’s a fucking snake!” Lauren gestures a hand at Camila, eyes focused on Dinah. “All she’s ever cared about since the beginning is bettering her image, her solo career. She never gave a damn about you, and she sure as hell never cared about me-“

“Enough!” Camila shouts, slamming her hands down on the table. Oxygen barely gives her enough strength to spit out words. “You and I both know I’m not the fucking villain here. You messed up too. You fucking made mistakes too. Let’s not act like the main reason this group fell apart wasn’t because you couldn’t fucking get over me.”

She doesn’t mean to say it, if she’s being honest. But she does, and her words are quickly becoming gasoline, her mouth a furnace. All blazing flames and nothing else.

“You turned everyone against me because I wasn’t ready for a relationship with you. You’re masking your missing me with hate and shame, like what I did was that fucking bad. It’s all petty bullshit. Cut the fucking act and face the truth: you’re still not over me. That’s really why you’re so fucking livid all the time when it comes to me.”

For the first time, Lauren is completely stumped for words. She blinks a few times, her lips shrinking to a tight line. Her jaw clenches, and when she finally speaks a few minutes later, her eyes stay on Camila the entire time.

“Dinah,” She says, her voice suddenly hoarse. “Give us some alone time. We need to talk about something.”

“Um,” Dinah raises a brow. “Yeah, no. You’re crazy if you think I’m leaving you two alone.”

“I’m done attacking her, okay?” She finally glances at Dinah, eyes suddenly a brighter green. “I just want to talk to her. Alone.”

“I’m more worried about you giving her a black eye than anything else.”

“Please,” Lauren sighs. She locks her eyes back on Camila. “I would never hit her.”

Camila almost feels touched-

“A black eye would be hard to explain to her fans. And besides, there’s a suited man standing outside the shop who only let me in once I told him I was here to meet you and showed him my ID. I think she’ll survive.”

Camila feels another wave of guilt slip down her throat.

Dinah agrees to leave, squeezing Camila’s shoulder and saying she’ll just be around the block. She tells her to call or text if anything goes wrong. Camila nods, still unable to rid herself of that about-to-cry feeling.

Dinah leaves.

Lauren stares at Camila.

Camila stares back.

“So,” Lauren finally says after a while. “Let’s talk, then.”

* * *

I remember the rush, when forever was us. Before all of the winds of regret and mistrust.

* * *

“I’m sorry.”

The words come easily, without any prompt. Yet when they do come, Camila is still left with that feeling of roughness in her throat, like she’s swallowed sandpaper. She looks at Lauren for a response, feeling more vulnerable than ever, but all she’s met with is a stony face, unmoving eyes and lips.

“I’m sorry for how everything ended…both with the group and us. I made mistakes, and I’m not going to sit here and pretend like I didn’t.” Camila shrugs. “There are so many things I regret, Lauren. So many things I wish I could go back in time and fix. But we both know I can’t, and that’s why I’m telling you now: I know I’ve made mistakes. I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t own up to them.”

She waits for a response, her eyes never fraying once from Lauren’s own. For a good five minutes, Lauren merely purses her lips, tapping her nails against the table.

And then finally: “I don’t know what you want me to say, okay? You’re the one who chose to leave the group. You’re the one who decided to attend one therapy session before abandoning us. You’re the one who was always too scared to-“ Lauren stops herself, sighing.

“No, say it,” Camila urges. She knows exactly what the girl wants to say.

“You were always too scared to actually face your feelings for me.”

Okay. Not totally a lie. Not totally a huge blow. Camila breathes, nods, says Lauren is right, says she’s sorry.

Then Lauren chuckles. “Is that all you’re going to say? You’re sorry?”

“What else do you want me to say? It’s not like I can take it all back-“

“But you wouldn’t, would you?” Lauren crosses her arms, still smiling in disbelief. “You wouldn’t change your leaving the group. You wouldn’t have stayed.”

“I left because we all had differences and you turned everyone against me-“

“You turned everyone against yourself. Stop playing the victim!”

That’s Camila’s breaking point, and it’s obvious as to why. At least twice a day Camila thinks about the tweets she’d received from fans the week following her departure from the group. Stop playing the victim. Stop making this about you. Again and again-

But you know what? Maybe she has the fucking right to act like the victim.

“Are you seriously going to act like you didn’t treat me like shit every time I didn’t reciprocate your feelings?” Camila gestures with her hands. “Like you didn’t go crying to Ally or Mani or even Dinah every time we had a fallout? Like you didn’t rant to them about how terrible I was for breaking your heart?”

Lauren seems to shrink into herself. “That’s irrelevant.”

“Bullshit! Jesus, and you tell me I have to deal with the repercussions of my actions? You’re a hypocrite. You just want to blame everything on me so you can forget the fact that you were ever in love with me.”

Camila is heaving by the time she’s done, her words having taken all of her oxygen. There’s a brief silence where Lauren looks away from Camila, her eyes nearly closed.

“You left.” She mumbles, so quietly that Camila has to ask the girl to repeat herself.

“You left!” Lauren meets Camila’s eyes, allowing the girl across from her to see her holding back tears. “You fucking messed everything up and you just- you just left us! You left me, Camila, after you swore you’d never do such a thing without at least fucking talking to me!”

Shit. Camila catches her breath. She’s not gonna lie, she really wants to refute an argument. She did, in her defense, try to talk to Lauren about leaving, but the girl refused to talk to her. Camila truly felt like her time with Fifth Harmony, and with Lauren, was over. They all hated her, didn’t they? She thought everyone’s lives would be easier if Fifth Harmony became a quartet.

But maybe, to some extent, Lauren is right. Camila could’ve texted Lauren. Could’ve left her a note before breaking her contract. Could’ve tried harder to get through to the girl. Shit.

“Laur-“

“Forget it.” Lauren runs a hand over her face, and makes a move to gather her purse and her phone. “You’re right, I did some shitty stuff too. But so did you. So I guess we’re even.”

“Lauren-“

Lauren’s out of her seat now. “I’ll keep your name out of my mouth.” Her voice is trembling. “Definitely over you now.”

“Lauren, wait!” Camila starts after the girl, but Lauren is already running like a marathoner, several feet away by the time Camila makes it out the coffee shop.

But of course, Camila hasn’t made it this far only to lose Lauren. Again.

“Lauren!” Camila runs so fast her heart feels like it’s literally going to jump out of her chest, her lungs collapsing before it. “Please don’t do this, come on-“

Lauren yells something about leaving her alone, but Camila’s too far to make it out exactly. To make matters worse, rain begins pouring from the sunlit sky.

Fucking typical. Camila sighs, forcing herself to run even faster. Finally, the rain disrupts Lauren enough to make her stop and pull over the hood of her jacket, thinking that Camila’s too far to catch up now.

But jokes on her, cause Camila is right there behind her. She latches onto Lauren’s arm, yelling, “You know you can’t run away from this again. I won’t let you-“

Camila doesn’t have enough time to study Lauren’s face in-depth when she turns around. She remembers seeing the brunette’s shoulders shaking, maybe a pink nose. But, honestly, what can you really take in before being punched square in the face?

On being punched by the girl you used to love:

1.) Punch back.

2.) Cry.

3.) Curse her out.

4.) Cry AND curse her out.

5.) Walk away.

6.) ????? Um?????

Camila chooses a variation of option 5. She holds the edge of her palm up to her right eye, looking at Lauren through the left one. She curses. She already knew Lauren didn’t mean to do it, that it was just a fight-or-flight reaction, but that doesn’t stop Lauren from completely freaking out. The girl looks down at her knuckles, shaking, and she looks back up at Camila with wide eyes and a dropped jaw.

“I didn’t- I didn’t- Camila- I-“

But there’s no time for Lauren to apologize. The two girls hear it perfectly loud and clear: “YO HOLY SHIT! Lauren just popped Camila in the face! Did you get that on camera?”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Camila instantly latches back onto Lauren’s arm, ushering the girl to walk with her back to their hotel not too far away. They can’t really run anymore, their lungs sore and legs weak, but they at least keep up a gentle speed-walk. When Camila and Lauren hear the sound of camera’s clicking get closer, Lauren doesn’t miss a beat. She unzips her jacket, sliding out of one half of it so that she can pull the other half onto Camila, covering the two girls successfully.

Neither of them say a word until they reach the hotel. In fact, once they reach the hotel Lauren still refuses to speak a word, simply dragging Camila along with her into what Camila assumes to be Lauren’s hotel room. She sits the girl down on one of the beds in the room, then walks over to the kitchen area and digs a carton of ice cream out of the freezer. She brings it to Camila, then returns to the kitchen area and begins boiling some coffee.

Lauren refuses to make eye contact, but Camila, again, refuses to allow it.

“I meant what I said out there, Lauren.” It’s hard to talk with a carton of ice cream in front of your face, so Camila briefly sets it down on her leg, wincing at it’s coldness. “You can’t run from this.”

Lauren keeps her eyes on the coffee machine, placing careful attention on filling a mug.

“If you’re not gonna talk to me, I’m just gonna leave.” Camila makes a move to get up from the bed, but Lauren instantly slams her coffee mug down and runs over to the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Nonononono,” She eases Camila back onto the bed. “Your right eye is bruised shut. How can you expect to make it to your hotel room alone?”

“So now you care about me?” Camila says it without looking at Lauren, her voice as weak as the sun-shower still raging outside.

Lauren sighs, then takes a seat on the bed across from Camila. She toys with her hands, wringing them out and- and Camila feels her heart drop. It’s the same exact nervous twitch Camila has, and she wonders now if that’s where Lauren got it from.

(She hopes that’s where she got it from.)

“I-“ Lauren begins, but her eyes get red and watery and she tilts her head down so Camila can’t see her cry. She buries her face in her hands, desperately trying to stop her tears. At this moment, Camila wants to hold Lauren, wants to reach out and rub her back or squeeze her hand or something. But she gets the feeling that Lauren needs to cry this out, needs to get her emotions out first, alone, before being able to actually hold a genuine conversation with Camila.

So Camila waits.

And waits.

And god, it’s so painful watching someone you used to care about for so much- someone you still care about for so much- in this kind of state. But after a few moments, Lauren regains her voice, wiping her face clear of any tear tracks.

“I’m sorry,” Lauren sighs, almost relieved, staring at Camila. “Everything you said back there-god-everything-“ She tears up again and her voice cracks. “I still can’t even own up to my own shit-!”

Here is where she begins crying again, though this time the breakdown is more venting, less emotion. More exhaustion, less pain. And so Camila feels comfortable reaching over and squeezing Lauren’s hand.

But right when Camila does, Lauren merely pulls the girl over into a hug, the two of them now on their feet. Camila doesn’t even blink. Her arms instinctively wrap around the taller girl’s waist, head fitting perfectly in the crook of her neck.

No one thinks a single important thought. Right now, in this moment, every little thing is physical. The hug means more to them than either one will ever admit.

And they are both okay with that.

That is, until Dinah barges into the room, slamming the door behind her to make her entrance known. She leans back against the door, arms crossed and mouth fuming with too many words to say at once. She’s shaking her head, brow furrowed like a mother who’s about to lecture her kids.

And yet, all the while, Camila and Lauren don’t disconnect. They stay hugging, interlocked by one another’s arms, simply staring back at Dinah.

And, honestly: they are both okay with that.

#UPDATE #series #non AU #camren #based on song #angst drama #romance fluff #submission #Hard Feelings Loveless

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eenefangirlanalysis · 7 years

Text

Jimmy is accidentally found out as May complains how her sisters are such fashion hogs.

“PLEASE! DON”T HURT ME!” Jimmy pleads upon being found out.

“Looks like someone left something in their pocket!”

It’s strange to see May act this way.

I honestly thought she changed and was going to explore more of her independent side.

Some fans wouldn’t consider Hanky Panky Hullabaloo canon. With Sarah and Jimmy being fairies, and the events from the episode are never brought up again. The only reason we know that it was a canon episode is Edd’s Valentine to Eddy is seen in May I Have This Ed.

May has always stalked the Ed’s. I feel this is rather out of character for her. She’s the funny, dim-witted and kind one of her trio. Like Ed.

Since the Kanker’s have agreed to back off the Ed’s letting the boys come to them that doesn’t mean they give other characters a free card. The Ed’s have made an impact on their life. Their message doesn’t register fully in their heads. If they want to show the Ed’s they have changed and have become more mature and trust worthy then they should treat the world differently.

The world hasn’t treated the Kanker’s right. The kids are the world. That’s why they capture them.

Marie points out that its ‘what’s his face’.

The Kanker’s have never made an effort to learn the names of the neighborhood kids. They even refer to Jonny as this in one episode.

What point would it have made? The girls don’t like the kids. They lead a different life from them. Since the kids aren’t accepting towards different lifestyles the Kanker’s find it pointless to even make a friendship with them.

How often were/are the girls bullied? It must have affected them to the point where they only want to hang out with each other. They’ve moved multiple times never having a chance to get to know anybody. And their mother never encouraged making friendships. I think she’s scared to let her daughters out into the world because the biological fathers may have abused them. The Kanker’s Mom never had a positive impact on the world.

The Kanker’s Mother is one of my favorite of the parents in the eene world. She is a hard working strong willed woman trying to keep a roof over her three daughters. She has made mistakes but learned to overcome them instead of living in the past. The may not have steered her daughters in the right direction but she always taught them to stand up for themselves.

The girls surround Jimmy as if they’re predators lurking over the kill.

This use of POV shots, or above shots as I call them, really sells that unsettling feeling. You’re trapped with three girls who have had quite a history in your neighborhood. And now you have no idea what they’re going to do to you.

May decides that they should call Jimmy, ‘Dutch’.

The name Dutch mainly abbreviates to a dutch man. According to TheNameMeaning.com Dutch has become a popular baby boy name as of recently. Around 2010. When Big Picture Show was released.

“A little far from home aren’t you, dutch?”

May believes ‘Dutch’ could use a diaper change as she forced him to lie down on the ground.

TW: Kanker’s Raping the Ed’s Theories [Can Skip if you Want]

Oh, this is so unsettling. I know there have been multiple fan theories which have stated that the Kanker’s may have raped the Ed’s. No matter how unsettling they are such as Lee trapping Eddy in the shower while both are fully clothed, trapping them in a shed, and locking them in the girls bathroom I have never been given the feeling that they have ever raped them.

I can easily see these scenarios as something their mother would have done at their age. Their mother raised them better then that. She has learned from her own mistakes. And I also think the girls are not who they show themselves to the world as. They have only kissed the Ed’s several times on their face.

The girls don’t care about their image. They must know what rumors fly around about them. I think they’d rather remain anonymous to the world with little social contact. It’s a tough argument to consider but the Kanker’s have never raped the Ed’s.

Each Kanker has a different intention on their use with Jimmy.

May pretends that Jimmy is a baby. She puts him in a diaper gently rocks him.

I get a more motherly vibe off May. She wants to one day get married and have children. This scene still inspects how May is trying to express her independent side. Although I theorized before they she may have been making new friends I think it’s been for her socially. She’s still been trying.

Lee’s intention is to date Jimmy.

I’ve noticed that Lee’s views on man aren’t the healthiest.

Remember in Nagged to Ed where each Kanker drew a picture on their depiction of what their relationship would look like with each Ed? Lee’s automatically skips the first date, dating, and goes right to a wedding.

Lee was the first born. I believe that the Kanker’s Mother was seventeen or close to it when she had Lee. And then in only two years Marie and May are born. Lee had to witness her mother trying to get her life together as she moved from house to house, boyfriend to boyfriend, and multiple fights. Out of the sisters Lee knows how to stand up for herself. She’s practically the mother. And she plays the leader.

Lee and Eddy have more in common then they think. May and Marie look up to Lee. They hardly think for themselves. Similar to Eddy wants Ed and Edd to take the leadership roles May and Marie have a heroic moment where they hold their sister back. You’ll know this moment when we get to it.

I never noticed how Jimmy disgustingly sticks out his tongue upon being so close to Lee.

Like Edd, Jimmy also has germaphobic tendencies. He likes everything organized and clean. Look at his room. It would be similar to Edd’s without all the labels glued everywhere.

She cutely sticks her foot up believe Jimmy wants a date.

Lee wants to date a nine years old?

I remember a theory in which stating they head canoned Lee to be sixteen. They deemed the head canon too unsettling because Lee has a crush on a boy who is subsequently four years younger then her. That theory is proved here. Maybe she’s teasing but this moment gives off the aspect that she would date someone much younger then her.

Which brings us to the topic of how Lee would never have a healthy relationship.

Yes, we get that Lee is disgusting.

I could have gone without seeing this very close shot of Lee with... leftovers in her teeth. The storyboard artists do a lot of close ups in this movie.

Close up - An intimate view or examination of something.

This definition goes along very well with how we’re examining the characters action in Big Picture Show. They’re all wearing masks. As time goes along they’re starting to open up their true selves to the world.

As I was saying Lee will never be in a healthy relationship. She doesn’t want to be the one who is taking orders. She’d rather be in charge. Lee is a very intimidating person to begin with. She’s secretive.

One of the reasons why fans have not been able to get to know Lee very well is because she hides her eyes. Eyes are the most important aspect about a person. They tell all. I think Lee may feel uncomfortable about herself or the way she has to live her life. So, she hides. We’ll also come to another theory later on.

As for Marie she doesn’t see Jimmy as a baby. And she states that her man doesn’t need to give her flowers.

He just needs to do her chores.

Marie is the most under written out of the character sisters. Fans like her because of her punk chick look. Don’t let that look fool you because she is a much different person on the inside.

She wants to date Edd, a gentle, book nerd.

I actually like the ship EddMarie. I could see a relationship working out between them some day. I think Marie is hiding many hidden talents and interests about herself. I think one of her favorite past times is reading as seen in the background of one of the school episodes.And one of my favorite head canons that has become popular over time as that Marie loves music.

Marie wanting the guy to do her chores suggests that she wants to have a job while having a stay at home husband.

She wants to explore herself.

I have made a connection to the movie Inside Out in the past.

Remember ‘The Cool Girl’? Fear runs her console. She’s constantly on edge believe that people are going catch on to her act and see that she is only faking. Marie’s punk look is her way of being intimidating and make the world back off. The girls don’t want anybody to find out about how they live their life. The last thing they want is for people to feel bad for them.

The girls act as if there nothing wrong with their life. And there isn’t. We can live our lives however way we want. We have to be happy. The girls have one another, their mother, a roof over their heads, and they’re at least trying to explore the world. A they experience change.

I love this about the girls. They may not be people who we can look up to but viewers can learn.

The girls fight over Jimmy stretching him out.

Jimmy’s lucky this is a cartoon world.

As Jimmy cries out that he getting stretch marks his pants rip revealing his underwear.

Another unsettling aspect of the girls nature.

“I JUST WANTED TO SEE ED, EDD, n EDDY GET CLOBBERED!”

Fun Fact: Only mention of Edd’s real name in the movie. Honestly, I really wish they could have used his real name more. Like whenever Eddy was along with Edd. In the first episode it looked as if they were setting it up that Eddy only called Edd by his real name when Ed wasn’t around. It would have been a perfect reminded that this is Edd’s name as fans forget about that.

The girls let go trapping Jimmy’s whole body in his retainer.

Positioning themselves in the same way the Ed’s do that in their opening theme song the Kanker’s question on what Jimmy refers to with their boyfriends.

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