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anxresi · 1 year

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GOD am I sick of this. (Watch Out, MAJOR Rant Ahead)

Why do Chloe haters (nearly) ALWAYS insist on using this tired old line to ‘win’ an argument?!

No-one (at least anyone I’M paying attention to) is saying Chloe should get away with her bullying because of her shitty parents.

We’re saying poor Chloe has been a victim of character assassination, sabotage, purposeful vandalism, ruination etc by the very person who created her! No... not her fictional dad or mom... but a certain real-life Frenchman by the name of Mr Thomas Astruc.

If you want a somewhat over-exaggerated parallel, it would be like Da Vinci painting a moustache on the Mona Lisa, Michaelangelo chopping David’s ‘bits’ off or Geppetto making Pinocchio into firewood (I say this because there’s been TWO movies about the lying puppet in the last year. Hint: don’t watch the Disney one).

It’s like... I can’t even debate these people, because they haven’t just got the wrong end of the stick, we’re not even in the same forest!

My point is to those somewhat disingenuous individuals, and let me be VERY blunt here, because I ain’t repeating myself... (clears throat):

Chloe’s Character Writing Has Been The Worst I’ve Ever Seen In A Professional Cartoon Show. The Fact They Utterly Destroyed One Of The Few People In Miraculous With Any Potential For Serious Development For Growth And Basically Replaced Her With Another Girl Who’s Just As Blandly ‘Perfect’ As Most Of The Other Females Demonstrates How Utterly Lacking In Ambition, Creativity And Talent The Makers Truly Are. (As If The Glaring Lack Of Other Positive Attributes To The Show Isn’t Evidence Enough) The Only Reason You Use A Completely Manufactured And Different Scenario Than The Case I Put Forward As Your Lone Defence Proves You KNOW I’m 100% Right. THAT’S Why So Many People Are Defending Her... Not Because They Think She Should Get Away With Her Progressively More Ridiculous Misdemeanors Inserted Into The Scripts To Convince The Audience To Hate Her More And More, But Because We Recognize The Less-Than-Subtle Route The Writers Have Taken In The Last Few Seasons To DESTROY Her Character, Her Role, Her Agency And Any Hidden Depths Or Layers She Might Have. This Is A Girl Who LOVED Her Daddy, (Occasionally) Valued Her Best Friend, Adored Adrikins, Confessed How Inadequate She Felt In Front Of Her Idol Ladybug, Made A Heartfelt Apology To Her Teacher In An Emotional Hug (It Made Me Cry :,/ ), Made REAL STRIDES With Her Behavior In terms Of Being More Independent Towards The End Of S2, Had An Intriguing Relationship With Her Favorite Stuffed Bear Which Acted As Her Conscience, Was Setting Herself Up To Be An Efficient Anti-Hero With Questionable Loyalties... And All This Fascinating Narrative Was Left To ROT In Favor Of Turning Her Into The Most Boringly Generic Baddie In The Entire History Of The Show. WELL DONE, EVERYONE. Then To Add Insult To Injury, They Claim This Was The Plan All Along And Her Rapid Deterioration Into A Teenage Psycho From A Standard School Bully Is Some Kind Of Bizarre Statement On ‘How Some People Can Never Change’ Rather Than The Obnoxiously Terrible Piece Of Hackneyed Writing It Actually Was. Damnation Arc? A Fancy Title For Utter Bullsh*t That’s An Insult To Miraculous Ladybug Fans’ Intelligence Everywhere, I Say. I Don’t Know About You Guys, But I Feel Cheated, Swindled, Bamboozled... You Name It, Or Just Thorughly P*ssed Off Should Suffice. Want Some Evidence For My Claims? Okay, Here Goes: Get Comfortable... Removing ALL Of Chloe’s Positive Traits And Redemptive Moments Overnight After S3. Pretending They Never Existed Or Happened In The First Place. Turning Her Into A Villainous One-Dimensional Sociopathic Object Of Ridicule. Giving Us Zoe Who’s Goodie-Two-Shoes Non-Personality Is No Substitute Whatsoever For The True Queen. Cynically Producing AN ENTIRE EPISODE in S5 For The Sake Of Retroactively Making CHLOE Solely Responsible For Adrinette Not Happening Sooner. (Thus Purposefully Exposing Her To More Vitriol From Obsessive Shippers) Pretending That She Had ‘Plenty Of Help’ To Change When The Truth Is No-One Seriously Attempted At All. (Even Saint Marinette ‘Encouraged’ Her And Good Ol’ Toxic Audrey To Bond By Being Awful To Each Other Instead Of Getting To The Heart Of Chloe’s REAL Issues), Breaking Up All Her Closest Relationships One By One Until The Only Person Left Is With Her Is Her Tyrannical Mother Who Promises To “Take Control’ Of Her Life Now In A Different Country That Her Father Has Disowned Her. (So I Guess Letting Chloe Get Further Traumatized By Her Main Abuser is Thomas’s Idea Of ‘Punishing’ Her... Great Message There For Children!) This Means Adrien Wants Nothing To Do With Her, Sabrina Has Been Unceremoniously Dumped And Even Butler Jean Has Been Fired With Little Fanfare. (Not That Chloe’s Had Any Interesting Interactions With Adrien Since S2... What Was The Point In Making Them Childhood Friends Again?! Her Dad Is Basically An Enabler Who Got Off Scot-Free Now He’s Resigned As Mayor And Looks To Have A Fresh Start With His ‘Perfect’ Adopted New Daughter, Sabrina Has Been MIA For YEARS And Only Gets Acknowledged This Once To Further Isolate And Damage Chloe And As For Butler Jean... Who?!) What It Boils Down To Is That Thomas Doesn’t Just Want To Strip Chloe Of The Bee Miraculous Permanently And Write Her Out Of The Show, Oh No! He Wanted To Transform Her Into The WORST Possible Version Of Herself To Try And Forcibly Extract Away The Last Few Fans She Has, And Then Give Her The WORST Possible Ending In The S5 Finale Despite Other Characters (E.g Gabriel) Doing FAR Worse And Yet Either Ending Up Getting ‘Redeemed’ Or Thought Of As Heroes(!). Oh, And Lila Has Multiple Moms Now(!), A Completely New Identity(!!) And Is The Main Antagonist From Now On(!!!)... I Think Her Superpower Is Dumbing Down Everyone Else So They’ll Believe Her Obvious Untruths. GREAT STORYTELLING, GUYS. Mr Astruc Is A Pathetic, Petty, Spiteful, Talentless Excuse For A Showrunner Who’s So Problematic To Discuss His Many And Numerous Controversies Would Take Another Post Probably Five Times As Big As This Already Overlong Wall Of Text, So We’ll Save That For Another Day. Good To See Though, That His ‘Brilliant” Scheme Appears To Be Failing And The More He Sticks Pins In Chloe’s Likeness The More Support She Gets Online And The More ‘Very Sweet’ Zoe Gets Hyped Up Into Something She’s Not, She’s Recognized As The Shallow Shill She Truly Is. I Just Hope Little Kids Aren’t Taken In By His Obvious Crusade To Make Chloe The Most Hated Teenager Since Joffrey. Why Couldn’t The Idea For Miraculous Have Fallen To A Guy Who Had Some Semblance Of Ability, Instead Of This Mediocre Hack Who’s Happy To Wallow In Stale Romantic Cliches, Underwhelming Superhero Fights, Uninteresting Lore, Non-Existent Continuity, Bbaadd Dialogue, Filler, Filler And More Filler, An Overabundance Of Characters = No Development For Them, ‘Special’ Episodes Abroad That Are Anything But, Prioritizing The Merchandise Above The Show ALWAYS, Allowing SO Many Spoilerific Leaks To Spread Under His Watch, Blocking Fans Left, Right And Center When They DARE To Question ANY Part Of His Writing (Because Apparently We’re Too Dumb To See The GENIUS)... And... rreesstt.

I am well aware that this post started out as one thing and ended up rather more convoluted than I hoped for, but Tumblr has always been a great source of therapy for me... so what better to get all my major bugbears out in one word soup of a paragraph that nobody will ever read if they know what’s good for them, before slouching back in my spinning chair with a glazed yet satisfied look on my face?

Nothing, that’s what.

#This was wwaayy longer than I intended #time to cut back on the coffee methinks #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #ladybug #ml #ml spoilers #ml leaks #chloe bourgeois #marinette dupain cheng #chat noir #ml salt

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lenny-rambles · 24 days

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About "in another life (and in this one as well)"

https://archiveofourown.org/works/39941298/chapters/100016535

Title: in another life (and in this one as well)

Author: tibuki

Relevant tags ig: zolu, timetravel, fluff

A cute time travel post-wano ZoLu fic! Real good, definitely a delectable read for any ZoLu fans. Maybe more so for main Zoro fans, because it's kinda Zoro-centric.

Let me start by saying I ADORE time travel fics. The possibilities they generate for angst are just *chef's kiss*. However, this is not an angsty fic, it's fluffy with the right dose of shenanigans for a 3.9K word work. Also, this is all my own subjective opinion, with no ill intentions to anyone, so please keep that in mind.

Now, spoilers for the fic and the Wano Arc ahead, BEWARE.

The way that old!Zoro knew from the start not to say anything because Luffy wouldn't want a boring adventure is SO on point! Robin deducing THEY got married because Nami officiated the wedding IS such a Robin thing to do, I love her so much.

AND JEALOUS YOUNG!LUFFY AAAHHH. I know we all know Zoro is DEVOTED to the man, but I really like it when people also show Luffy's possessiveness and adoration for Zoro. We do forget sometimes that Luffy WENT SEARCHING FOR HIS SWORDSMAN, ahh, I love them.

Oh! And jealous Sanji? Absolutely perfect. He CANNOT understand for the life of him why someone would choose anyone, LET ALONE ZORO, over Hancock. And to be fair, he has a point! Anyone not interested in men would absolutely pick Hancock over Zoro. Maybe even people interested in men would pick Hancock over Zoro. But this is not about any person. This is about Luffy and Zoro, and how it's always been just them!

It's just, really nice. Young!Luffy saying "ah, all right, you can keep it then!" EXCUSE ME?! This man was GOING TO TAKE OLD!ZORO'S RING?!!! What a petty thing to do, I love it. AND THE KNUCKLE KISS. THAT'S SO TERRIBLY DEVASTATING. IT'S SUPER EFFECTIVE!!!! Young!Luffy's brain just shortcircuited right then and there, beautiful.

AND THE SCAR MOMENT!!! Can I get more appreciation for scar moments in ZoLu Fics? Like, you guys, scars work so different in the OP canon. We know these people have been stabbed, punched, and went through basically every hell imaginable and the number of scars canon to them is actually really low!!! Like, Zoro's got 4 (1 each foot, the chest, and the eye) and Luffy's got 2 (under the eye and chest). I like the theory that scars only appear when it's an emotionally cathartic moment, when some BIG FEELINGS happen.

So old!Zoro having a burn scar over his heart, matching with Luffy, can only mean so many things, you know? He is, once again, willing to lay down his life in exchange for Luffy's, and looks like it could've been on instinct, not something old!Zoro actually planned for. All the same though, 'cause THE MOMENT young!Luffy sees the scar Zoro Knows he's not going to like it. And the implication of Luffy killing Akainu in the future? Incredible, great!

Also, before I forget, and it was a short scene, merely a few dialogues, but I adore when people get Zoro's Conqueror's Haki to show. Like, honestly? I think about both Luffy and Zoro being Conquerors a lot, but the fic is not about that, so I won't delve too much into it. But the reaction of crew, as if they didn't expect him to have it? It just shows how much the crew (and a lot of the fans, let's be honest here) have internalized how down-bad Zoro is for Luffy, and so don't really see him as a leader.

The off-hand comments about Law are funny! Poor Law, stuck on a friendship with the Straw Hats that will transcend all their lifetimes, sucks to be you. They truly only do what they want, and Law's gotta deal with it, oh well! I just wanna know what Law was trying there? Like, man, how do you even fuck up a shambles that badly? Hold on, now that I think about it. It could've been just Zoro getting lost in the shambles. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest. And Law has to sort it out on his own lmao.

And we'll, the end? The younger versions of them confessing and holding each other?!!! AHHHHHHH It's great, fantastic, awesome. I just really liked the way Luffy's mannerisms came through, I know it's difficult to get them right, so the author did a great job there!!! If I might say something I wasn't the biggest fan of, was young!Luffy's hesitance when talking about their feelings. I'm just nitpicking here, it just doesn't match the way I picture Luffy in my head, but Luffy IS a hard character to portray, in any media, so once again, great work author. It ended sweetly so no harm done.

Now, young!Zoro's reaction to the old!crew? Incredible! He's just SO CONFUSED, old!Luffy might be taller than him! Sanji finally let his hair grow and Usopp's got muscles!!! (let's go Sanji and Usopp's character growth being reflected in their appearance, looking like they are most comfortable with, truly loving themselves) (sorry I just love them as well). The time young!Zoro spent in the future seemed so little in comparison, but it's really entertaining nonetheless.

And finally, when both Zoros are on their respective times, the conversations they have are just- I love my dumb funny pirates. Luffy's may be a bit dumb but he's not stupid!! He knew how to get Zoro to kiss him!!! I love a sly Luffy, even if only he and I think he's being sly. In the end, they are both no-nonsense, so they share a kiss rather sooner than later. Adorable, sweet ZoLu kisses that are just perfect to tie up their side of the story.

And now, the very last scene of the fic, ANOTHER SCAR MOMENT WOOOOOOO. They wake up in their bed many years later and suddenly there's not a burn scar anymore in old!Zoro's chest, and old!Luffy's reaction is also peak Luffy reaction. The tenderness they share, almost afraid it's a dream, agh, my heart!!! The time travel is actually able to change the future so they get to prevent 1 bad thing, and get 1 good thing before. I see this as an absolute win.

All and all, it was a very good fic, would recommend if you like sweet ZoLu stuff. It is well-written and made for a good insomnia past-time.

Anyways, thanks for reading my ramblings about this. Please read the fanfic and then some more.

#zolu #zolu fanfic #one piece zolu #txt #rambles

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bkdk-art · 2 years

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Endeavor's and Katsuki's way of atoning

Smth that has been going on in my mind for a while now and I know I'm late to the party since the manga is way past the Endeavor agency- and the Izuku-left-UA-arc but I gotta get if off my chest.

I've read a lot of analysis about similarities but especially differences between Endeavor and Katsuki, so I won’t point them out here. I'd rather continue with smth I don't think anyone else has pointed out yet (?).

In Episode 18 of Season 5 or in the manga chapter 252 Natsuo was kidnapped by that arrow-quirk-villain and while trying to rescue his own damn son Endeavor just stopped in his ways, later explaining he was afraid that if he saved him, Natsuo wouldn't be able to speak his mind freely anymore. Like??? Okay then?? Just let him die, seems to be the better option for you, Todoroki Enji AKA No. 1 Hero. And I know some will say he had faith in the three musketeers to save the day but let me remind you that Endeavor was surprised by their improvement!! So I don't think he hesitated in a strategic or calculated way but rather in a self-centered, egoistic one. And I cannot even begin to explain how much this makes me despise Endeavor, risking Natsuo's life like that.

Whereas, remembering chapter 285, Katsuki's "body just moved on its own" when Izuku was about to get stabbed. “There were no thoughts" like – yes! Exactly! I mean, Katsuki also could have had a thought process like "If I risk my life for the nerd, he will have no choice but to forgive me for my bullying, even if I don't deserve it" or something like that. But he didn't! Because all of that doesn't matter if the person in question might be freaking dead at the end of the day!

Man, Endeavor’s behavior in that episode/chapter pisses me off for so many other reasons like telling Natsuo he doesn't want his forgiveness. Yeah well, you sure don't deserve it but it may be a start to freaking apologize, like truly apologizing – which Katsuki did btw. Katsuki too, said that he doesn't expect things to change between him and Izuku but he apologized nonetheless because that's what you do if you screwed up.

And at the end of the episode when Endeavor decides to separate himself from the rest of the household, saying this is his way of atoning and guys, I can't keep up with his bs! He's turning away from them without even properly facing them!!! When he damn well knows that Fuyumi e.g. wishes for them to be a family again. Yes, sir, your kids and one son in particular are hard on you, calling you out for your abuse – as they should! – so you just give up after only two shitty dinners??? Of course there won’t be any forgiveness after such a short period of time. And this pisses me off so much because Shoto told him that he’d like to see how he would perform as a father and yet? Endeavor runs away after a few ugly confrontations with Natsuo.

And again, smth Katsuki managed to do – he stayed close to Izuku, really trying to help him out. And yes, I know, Izuku never pushed him away, in fact, ever but still, Katsuki is really putting effort into their relationship, not needing other people pushing him into doing so. He is in fact atoning.

Endeavor is just running away, not really thinking about his family or taking them into account, not truly trying to change. He's not making it about making it up to them but rather making it about how he can punish himself. Self-centered as usual.

Sometimes I wonder if Hori did the Natsuo-Endeavor-scene exactly that way, with Katsuki listening, so that Katsuki would be inspired to be nothing like him. Especially with the parallel of both of them talking about their former behavior in front of others but with the HUGE difference of Katsuki putting Izuku first.

Well. Where was I going with this? Originally this was supposed to be a Katsuki-redemption-appreciation-post, showing in comparison to Endeavor how many things Katsuki has gotten right but it kinda ended up pointing out how Endeavor just keeps fucking shit up.

Hope you're fine with that and sorry for not including any screenshots.

#bnha #bkdk #bakudeku #bakugou katsuki #todoroki enji #bnha endeavor #my hero academia #bakugou x deku #katsuki x izuku #katsuizu

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yellowbluemoonshine · 11 months

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Probably rambling, but here are some more reasons why I don’t (romantically) vibe with MHA’s Shoto Todoroki/Momo Yaoyorozu. Whenever the pair are painted in such a light, Todoroki’s needs are highlighted more while Yaomomo’s are often overlooked (as if her needs aren’t as important). A more realistic/plausible take would mean that neither of them are truly happy being in a relationship with each other. Which would lead them to seek their (non-material/financial) needs elsewhere. Also, I’m not fond of the fact that both Todoroki and Yaomomo are pretty watered down when romantically paired together (character-wise). Any problems they may potentially have are often swept under the rug (notwithstanding Todoroki’s difficult past). The combo of OOC (out of character) and sheer sexism are some of the major turn offs for me.

About Ships;

You explained it well, anon. Thats also my problem too.

Actually, thats a common problem with most ships, especially canon romantic ones. There is a reason why people are interested in so called 'platonic friendship' between others than actual romance because when it comes to romance, authors dont seem to put any effort in it. Especially because of 'power of friendship' thing in shounen and mangas, besties have more chemistry than actual romance. Why? Because they are their own characters first. Because whole series is about their relationship and their center arcs connected to each others BECAUSE they care about each others a lot.

For some partners, 'friends' (or even bros/sis) have lines that used in romance movies. (I didnt realize this until others point this out).

'Its always been you and me.' , 'If only i have you'.

Difference between that scene for so called friends and romantic scene? For 'friendship' or 'brotherhood/sisterhood' scene, its earned. Its not out of nowhere. It took a lot times them to get there. Its deep. Its so beautifully written to the point that it makes many readers question that those so called friends are actually in love with each others. And honestly, in most series, it is really questionable.

Well, while platonic relationships are exist and its completely natural to explore those platonic relationships too. People can love each others without any romantic feelings but we rarely get actually well written romance without basic rules. Thats why it feels empty and superficial. And most of the times, its really toxic. It feels simple crush. It feels like it happenned because boy and girl are in same scene. It doesnt feel impactfull enough because in the end, we all know that its not true love. Because love is about getting to know each others, it happens with trust and respect. It takes time and effort. It doesnt happen out of nowhere. Especially at writing, i think it should be explored.

Like, some people already pointed it out;

Romance doesnt even need to happen but if you are gonna put it into your story but dont make any effort to write or actually explore it, then whats the point of writing it?

This is also what i think about todomomo too. I kinda explained it in here. They feel like classic shoujo manga dynamic but just like you said, anon, i think they both are/can be more than that.

Another reason why i think this happens is maybe because the idea of romance for them/media etc. Ships that naturally happen in story also works better than this. In real life, love that starts with friendship is the best, i mean if you cant even be friend with your partner, how can you even have healthy relationship with them? Let them interact first. Let it happen naturally. Let them have conflict. Let them try date. If it doesnt work, then it doesnt. Dont ruin your characters to make 'romance' work. (Because in life romance, most patners wouldnt want to date with someone who is 'in love' with their so called friends. Imagine, actually dating with brocon/siscon or some guy who would prefer their friends/or one specific friend over you, lol. Literally break up reason.)

Basically, i agree with you, anon and its fun to make discussion so dont be afraid to send more asks, if you want, lol.

This post kinda become about ship post discussion but this happens too often and some people even wonder why others dont like their ships or they get mad at people for shipping so called friendship type of relationships. Hm, i wonder why, my friends.

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bonesandthebees · 3 months

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chapter six time!

and you are excited because its not going where we would expect

im not quite sure what i expect, i dont think it will go perfectly, i think perhaps something will happen that will change force their dynamic to change in a sense theyre going to this abandoned area, lots can happen they could get stuck, they could experience something crazy, a lot could happen and any one of them should realistically either drastically change their relationship or lead to a change that will eventually force their relationship to change but yk

anyways time to read!

he left the ferro thing (i cant bother to look at how to spell it right now my bad) which is you know interesting

i like this little flashback because niki obviously realizes that wilbur will do what his dad says and its obvious his father wants him to play into tomys. and thats the game of politics niki knows there arent truly friends here, but its hard to watch someone youve trusted and had on your side for so long suddenly be pulled in a different direction due to this game and i think its also just niki’s own game in a way as she figures out what she must do and yeah its a balance

and thats another thing because they know each other the way friends do but they cannot be truly “friends” because of how this works

be careful on the mountain roads… somethings going to go wrong there and itll probably be wilbur who pays the price

i think ive seen this film before and i didnt like the ending

a bad feeling…

oh my goodness shouts!

bandits!!! this is going to go terribly!

and theyre here for tommy so of course wilbur is going to protect him (right…) yeaaaa get behind him (this is going to go terribly)

oh lord we’re going off roading i dont think this carriage has four wheel drive

and crashed

PRETEND TO BE DEAD

oh god his leg is broken isnt it

yes! play dead!

A BROTHERHWHEHEHEH

the contract? someone paid for tommy’s death and i have a sneaking suspicion its one of the potential heirs quackity would make sense with his warning and schlatt probably would i wouldnt be shocked

oh lord i got so distracted it is significantly later than when i started writing this

they lived! big shock!

but uh oh! now they have to try and survive in the winter in the wilderness alone! i wonder how that will drastically change their relationship!

anyways this chapter was great im very excited for the upcoming arcs and whatnot and im very invested in wilburs broken leg and all because ive taken one too many medical courses that have made me a tad too aware of how to properly care for a good chunk of injuries but thats besides the point! hope you have a good day and i cant wait for the next chapter :]

- 🪿

the thing with niki is that her and wilbur's friendship is very real and has existed for longer than they've been aware of the political games. it's a matter of is that friendship going to continue through all of this? how far can their relationship bend until it breaks completely? niki in no way thinks her friendship with wilbur is fake or over. but she's trying to figure out what matters more to him—is it loyalty to his father, or loyalty to her? is she ever going to be the most important person to him? or is she always going to be one step behind?

"oh lord we're going off roading I don't think this carriage has four wheel drive" this made me laugh out loud thank you for that the carriage does NOT have four wheel drive

lol knew the brother line would get you guys

hmm who paid the contract for tommy's life... so many options...

wow now they're stranded alone in the wilderness together! surely this won't have any lasting impact on their relationship!

don't hold your breath for proper medical treatment tommy and wilbur are 1) trapped in the wilderness and 2) this is technically a medieval-ish era so. medicine ain't exactly up to modern standards lmao

#ask #goose anon #rose ch 6

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asoulofatlantis · 9 months

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Because if you think Falcom forced you to watch the normal/bad ending of CS4 no matter what, was just to torture you... you are not completely wrong, but also absolutely not right XD

A destiny even worse than death itself...

You know... I've watched Rean "die" in that ending so many times that at some point it didn't feel so painful anymore. After all, that was not the true ending and that golden ending made the pain go away eventually. Howeber... after Reverie I had a hard time not being in pain when Rean left because I knew, that what awaited him wasn't a quick painless death... it was torture and fighting for the rest of eternity. Rean is my golden child, the character I love the most in all of the trails series, even a little bit more than my Olivert and just thinking about him having to be all alone in darkness, fighting a never ending cruel battle for all eternity makes me want to cry.

This chapter truly is a reunion to end all reunions. You never know how much you miss a voice until you hear it - which is funny, because this guy also voices Rufus XD

There are multiple theories out there that people like Alisa and Altina would have broken down completely after losing Rean, might have even decided at one point to give up on life. What would class7 be without Rean as their pillar of strength and support? And this time, he would have been gone for good, no matter the nonsense new class7 was talking about them seeing him again. Jusis would have lost Millium and his brother would have gotten a deathsentence if things would have turned out differently, meaning he might as well would have ended up broken too. Towa after losing Rean and Crow might just as well have been lost. They might all have moved on and lived on, but many of them would have never been the same again after losing Rean.

And here, finally, Rean gets that.

Thats my boy! And I could not be prouder of him for finally understanding this.

If you pull that thing with the hair and the eyes with me one more time I swear Rean Schwarzer, I will kick your ass so hard when the time comes for me to do so because Kuro will surely force me to play Shizuna so you better watch yourself, my boy! (Love you tho ♥)

And since we have FINALLY gotten rid of Reans tendency to sacrifice himself for the people he loves, now its Rufus turn that he learned to love people and is ready to sacrifice himself... just for us to save his damned ass from that mistake. This man, really... all but trouble through the whole of the Cold Steel Arc... and now even in Reverie.

I think after everything that happened it is only right that Lloyd is the one going for Rufus together with the few people who truly care about him. It... kinda makes his arc nice and round.

Don't pretend you mind XD

I am so sick of watching this boy vanish. He and Olivert always make me suffert... but I guess I wouldn't have it any other way...

Ah well... people like you just need a little push every now and then.

#tir mona version

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neroushalvaus · 2 years

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I've finally seen the full thing! My thoughts about Downton Abbey: The New Era under the cut!

I'm not sure if I liked it more or less than I liked the first one. With the first movie there was that sense of anticipation, when I had thought we'd never get more Downton and then we did and it was such a rush. This time I think there was less fanservice and less highly quotable scenes. There was the same fluffiness as there was the last time that keeps the movies and the tv series separate from each other in my mind. I don't mind it, though. I think the plot was better this time and the new characters were much more likable to me than in the first Downton movie. More about them later.

One of the blink-and-you-miss-it things that I loved was that Edith's and Bertie's son is called Peter after Bertie's cousin. I found that so wonderful.

Okay but Edith in general! I'm not very good at hiding the fact that she is my least favourite character in Downton, but I really liked her in this movie. I liked her interactions with Mary and was very happy to see she is writing again. Good for her!

I saw the movie with my mother and she can't stop talking about how glad she is that Mary seems so ready to have a divorce. I'm inclined to agree. I also thought Barber was nice. I'm not sure if they had undeniable chemistry or anything but he was nice.

Tom Branson has died. RIP. No but seriously, there was nothing recognizable about him, he and Lucy were this boring young couple and Maud Bagshaw (why did we need her in this movie again? I'll take this back if someone really wanted her in the movie but I just don't understand) literally congratulated him for being a leopard who has changed his spots. Sigh.

But we got some children! We were able to see them! There were some cute moments, like Sybbie still calling Robert "Donk". I still think it would have been better if they had a plot and more lines on their own, the actors are old enough to handle it. I know JF has said he can't write children, but you know, Lord Jules, it is okay to ask for help with your script. Also I'm upset my brotp Thomas+children has been forgotten, he looked at Sybbie once and that was it. Luckily I know him personally and he told me he will write to them from the States regularly and visit them when he's in England.

Speaking of Thomas, I really liked the scene between him and Mrs Hughes after Thomas had read Richard's letter, as I thought I would. At least one of my brotp's is still doing good. Mind that I wouldn't have liked this scene as much if it had happened in the context of a different story. I wouldn't have liked Thomas being told by a straight person how hard and lonely his life will be unless he gets very lucky... But the scene was truly saved by Thomas defying that expectation by finding someone in the same movie. Very good. Also I'm always here for Thomas being called brave.

Thomas and Guy Dexter had such a great chemistry, they made me so happy. I loved the way Guy flirted with Thomas, he was both kind and cheeky at the same time, just what he needs. There was no kiss or anything like that, and maybe that's okay, you really got the feeling that the job offer can truly mean as much or as little as Thomas wants. I personally choose to believe that they ran towards each other and snogged after Thomas handed in his notice, their smiles truly looked like that. And while I'm not sure the passage of time was made very clear throughout the movie, I think that with them you really got the vibe that they got more comfortable with each other during the month.

So I really liked Guy and I liked Barber, but of all the new characters Myrna Dalgleish was my baby. I think her arc was very manageable for a movie like this one, simple but nice. And I don't know, she felt like a Downton character to me, and that was very good. I also really liked how Daisy and Anna (and Albert) fangirled over her.

Speaking of Anna, I know many people didn't like how the movie separated Anna/Bates, Molesley/Baxter and Hughes/Carson to different locations but I quite liked it. Especially with Anna and Bates I think the two of them often feel more like one entity than two different people, and I liked seeing them apart as well as together.

And yes, Molesley/Baxter proposal was very cute and fitting for the two of them.

I haven't been too keen on the thought of Mrs Patmore and Mr Mason together, because back in season six it felt very pair-the-spares to me and I couldn't quite get behind the ship. However, I didn't mind them in this movie and Patmore was a delight as she usually is.

Please let Andy be a farmer, he doesn't want to be a butler.

After all the remarks Violet has made about how superior the English are to people from other countries, the two men she has apparently found attractive are French and Russian. Fancy that.

Violet and Isobel... I will never forget them... This is truly Isobel Crawley widow era...

It was very nice to see Clarkson and Rosamund. They did delight me. But guess who really, really delighted me?

I was not aware Denker was going to be in the movie and let me tell you, when I saw her, I was so so happy. She was very sad and worried about Violet through the movie, so she was not quite herself, but I was glad to see her anyway after her outrageous absence from the last movie. I hope Spratt is doing well (Hey Mary guess who would probably rather be the butler than the guy who wants to be a farmer??).

I can not believe Thomas Barrow got an honest to God marriage proposal... What a time to be alive!

#downton abbey #new era meltdown #downton abbey spoilers

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away-ward · 8 months

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I love one of your latest asks about will being weak because it's so true!!! Anon, im with you on this! Weak men and MMCs are truly a fucking disease!!!

Ok i feel like this other topic has been discussed here but maybe not, i dont remember, but its about how will always reminds emmy and himself that emmy didnt fit in with his friends, as if theres something wrong with her for not fitting into a label and box that they have for everyone else (as if these characters themselves did not spend their whole fucking books and lives fighting against people labelling them and putting them in a box, but hey everyone in DN are fucking hypocrites, we knew this already), while at the same time will himself had never made much effort to fit into emmy's life or get to know her lifestyle, to be her friend or get to know her deeper outside of what he wanted. It still doesnt make sense because i believe if will wa smore respectful and kind towards his approach with emmy, we couldve gotten a friends to best friends to lovers arc!!!! Maybe we can even get some betrayal and separation to justify will's anger, like think about it. The missed opportunity!!!

I also think there's something wrong and weird with the way will went about this "emmy not fitting in" because from the way ke kept on saying it made me believe that the horsemen were some wonderful group of people to fit in with or something, but in reality, it's just a group of super privileged MMCs and FMCs with ugly ass characters, personalities, lifestyles, with varying degree of misogyny. My first thought was, "now why the fuck would you shame a women for not fitting in with a bunch of nasty people, with nasty moral, and nasty personalities, as if EMMY was the weird guy, and not the other way around". Like theres something wrong with the way the whole crew went about it. And thats why i also believe that alex's attack of emmy in the train wasnt just out of worry for aydin's safety and jealousy for whatever bullshit manipulation of aydin made she think about aydin x emmy, but also because alex probably had at a certain point put emmy on a different pedestal than other women she met in life, be it because of will or because of the way he saw other men treat emmy as compared to alex. So when alex found out that blackchurch emmy wasnt so different than her lifestyle, i think alex trying to fight emmy in the train and later on demanding for her underwear back from emmy was not just out of petty fight, but it was to prove to everyone the things alex said to em in blackchurch "i knew you could do this too". Implying that emmy was just like the crew in thunder bay, even if emmy might never admit it out loud. Alex probably had misinterpreted emmy as being judging towards her life to just because everyone else does, and emmy never said much of anything. We dont even know how much alex knew about her. Now, on the other side though, we knew from emmy's pov that emmy never had a problem with what she wanted or even the horsemen or alex, the only problem is she thought she couldnt have them, but how was the rest supposed to know this right? And so this might also be one of the cause of misunderstanding between alex and emmy. To show that emmy was not so above everyone else, that she wa sjust "like us", and mistaking that emmy looked down on them for this particular lifestyle like aydin did to alex. Because aydin had shamed alex in many ways for her lifestyle, out of his own resentment and shortcoming, so i feel like this could also be where alex was coming from. HOWEVER, I hate alex even more for this though because alex couldve just asked emmy where she came from (theyre "friends"!!!), but alex made assumptions about emmy, humiliate her in front of everyone, and tried to put emmy down just to look good in front of the rest, and that all happened because of internalised misogyny. Literally, there wa sno excuse for this because we never saw emmy did the same, nit even with her female bullies at school. One of your alex's anon asks in the past was right, alex shouldve had this same energy (or even worse) with aydin and call him out and beat him up instead for treating her like a dirtbag, but why hurt emmy? No explanation here, it's internalised misogyny, lmao! I hate this repeated misogynistic plotline from pd so much! Why cant they let these women be pillars for each other and build amazing healthy female relationship instead of always cretaing female rivalries? Idk, the more that i think about alex's character, the ickier she gets, and i hate it because pd framed her to her to be this "pure good morally right person viking", and im like, where? And on the same note, wasnt emmy the same? But why was she framed differently?You all are right, even alex was guilty by association, just by being around the horsemen nd their wives + crew. Unfortunately, alex, just like the rest, was a delusional bitch, no wonder she said something about emmy's presence as being grounding. Someone needs to pop their thunder bay bubble asap!

That leads to my next point. DN series turned me off for a different reason: all these grown adult men and women always be doing the most vile things to others (almost always undeservingly) and they wont own up to it. Interesting how their moral judgment is very relative, because as long as they're not micah's terrorist father or gabriel or evans or trevor level of nasty, they're consider and label THEMSELVES as good? Delusional privileged people behaviour! Cowards! They be saying things like "own it, before it owns you" but then go out if their way to try to justify their bad deeds as if we readers are stupid or something. They look like cowards to me honestly, because pd couldve used this to make it about morally grey or black villains who dgaf about anyone and living their life to the fullest, doing ACTUAL crimes, not just petty ones and own them (even rowan in The Fine Print was more a piece of shit than Michael when it comes to business ethics, and he's in a romcom bro, so embarrassing!), but pd made their characters to be the worst of the cowards and losers. I think one of your damon hate asks even mentioned about their unsatisfaction towards damon's character where he was unskilled and incompetent, even in his own crime, because everything he did, he was never active, always had someone's help to make it happen, but readers ate it up, acting as if he was this super competent guy doing everything or smth like that. Which i agree 100%, because not even damon who got special treatment by pd was someone amazing due of his own lacking that went unnoticed just because he was "seen" as hot to some. Just like that anon, maybe im just like them where i hate incompetent and unskilled men, and i would never love to read stories about these kind of MMCs or date irl men like them, so maybe thats why i noticed this even more than the rest. Being conventionally attractive and having that as your main attributes doesnt do it for me especially for a long term/ lasting relationship and admiration, they have to have somethimg going on in theirpersonal and professional lives for them to be interesting to me, and i noticed, this was what dark romance genre was always lacking.

I believe that dark romance is a hard subgenre to write, because not only it is already hard to write non-dark romance, now you have another layer of darker elements that you gotta add to make your stories work. I've never read one DarkRom book that i truly love because of this. My favourites were always non-darkrom because darkrom always felt lackluster and incomplete, i always felt like they lack substance, so as much as i might like their themes explored, writing style. or characters, or plot, or settings, i can never give them a full 5 stars, because theyre not enough for me. Let me know if you notice this too, or if you find your expectations for darkrom having a lot /not much difference than non-darkrom. Idk if others feel like this too, but these were what took my enjoyment from this series. The DN series was shallow and cheap for these reasons among many others, especially the "there was not much concrete substance" part, because even the substance was not grounding enough to me. I just need more i guess, idk. In fact, i wish it was more unhinged, because if theres one thing about pd that i like, its their writing style. They can really write great spooky or suspense-building stories, i gotta give them that. Not many non-horror or thriller authors ive read so far that could write spooky scenes or danger-consuming scenes like pd, and i was disspointed that they did not capitalise more on this. Ngl, if pd wrote thrille ror horror one day, i might even pre-order it, because one of the best thrillerxsuspense opening from a non-thriller books was Credence by them. The first few chapters were kinda eery in a reality-grounding way when you read books by famous horror thriller writers, the same goes with hideaway. Ngl, nightfall's opening was more goofy to me than it was scary, im so sorry pd 😭🤣

Anon, im with you on this! Weak men and MMCs are truly a fucking disease!!!

You guys are so funny. I feel like a middle man for your conversations. Like I’m playing telephone or something. I think I’m gonna have to go back and start labeling the Anon messages with numbers or something so you can reference each other.

Let me know if this is okay with all of you or if you have a problem.

I’m going to let you know before we get into it, that I’m in a mood as I’m typing this. I’m not sure what’s caused it, but I’m feeling a bit more sarcastic than usual and feeling less like editing myself. So this is going to be a long one and I hope you read the sarcasm for what it is. Remember, bold is not for emphasis but for ease of skimming and reading.

will always reminds emmy and himself that emmy didnt fit in with his friends

I would be surprised if there was a topic we haven’t touched on by this point. I have thought about this so I also can’t remember if I’ve talked about or just ranted to myself. Either way, I don’t think it’s the first time the issue has been raised. I know that I have discussed how Will’s privileged blinded him, and how his attitude about his privilege probably didn’t seem all that bad to him because of his peers. They were all in the same boat.

I mean yacht.

And I think I’ve mentioned that even without the abuse, Emmy still would have had a hard time fitting because of her lack of privilege. So I don’t think for either of them being aware of this reality is a bad thing. What irritated me the most about this situation was Will pursuing Emory so heavily, only to remind her that she’s replaceable anytime she didn’t do what he wanted. My reaction in that situation would have been “then replaceable me.” Similar to Em’s. It was such backwards thinking. Like he could somehow trick her into wanting him by reminding her that he was desirable to others. Reverse psychology at its worst, truly.

But I think that’s probably what I liked about Will more than the others. He actually had realistic path to grow?

I don’t know. Sometime when people talk about characters, it seems like they want the characters to have already reached their full protentional and all their mistakes be because of external issues. And I'm not accusing you of that, but it's a trend I've seen. This always sticks out to me because I love when characters mess up and change, as long as that growth makes sense. Whether it's for the better or worse, it should make some sort of sense. People aren’t always great. Sometimes people suck. Just genuinely suck. And then, as they have life experiences, they can grow into a better person.

For me, Will takes this course. He sucked, because he wasn’t even aware of how badly he was messing up. Sure, his intentions with Emmy were sincere, but even if he did become aware of the abuse while they were in school, I have no doubt that his immaturity would have messed it up even more. Either way, he could have then had experiences that formed him into the person we see towards the end. Someone who can admit their mistakes, and forfeit what they want if it would make the people they care for happier. We never got to see a fully developed Will, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t the direction he was going in.

And this opposes his friends. Michael and Kai didn’t undergo such a changed. They sort of stayed the same throughout their story. They just got what they wanted in the end and it made them happier. Yay. Damon did undergo a significant change, but as it’s been pointed out, the way it happened and how quickly was sort of unbelievable. Will has the most believable storyline in terms of development. He still sucked. But sucked slightly less at the end, and I could easily see how he got to that point.

But that’s just me. I get where you’re coming from.

if will wa smore respectful and kind towards his approach with emmy, we couldve gotten a friends to best friends to lovers arc!!!! Maybe we can even get some betrayal and separation to justify will's anger, like think about it. The missed opportunity!!!

True, but like I said, I feel that Will thought he was being respectful and kind, because he was blind to the reality of how Emmy would interpret his attentions. He’d never experienced that level of rejection before, and because he didn’t know about the abuse, he couldn’t see a reason for it. Wasn’t he being nice by doing her homework? Wasn’t he being nice by listening to her when she complained that they were ruining her pool time? Wasn’t he being nice by giving her a ride home? Sure, she put up a fight, but she secretly liked it because he saw her reaction in the science lab. He’s giving her a way to act on those thoughts without forcing her to embarrass herself by admitting she wants it.

Isn’t. He. So. NICE???

And as the reader, we’re like no. You’re literally ruining her life! AND disrespecting her, because she told you no.

Friends-to-lovers isn’t my usual go-to. But I also don’t like second-chance romance, which all of DN basically is sooo…. Plus, I did read a whole book just to delude myself into getting a friends-to-lovers willemmy, so safe to stay I might have really enjoyed that. It would have been a nice break from the usual with this series.

it made me believe that the horsemen were some wonderful group of people to fit in with or something

I mean. It seems to me that most wealthy, privileged people think everyone wants to be like them. And, if we’re talking about their time in high school, then that way of thinking is probably even more prevalent. These are people who don’t really experience life outside of their wealth, so it’s normal to them. And if you don’t have what’s normal, wouldn’t you want it? Aren’t these life’s necessities? And they wouldn’t see each other as bad people, so for Emmy to point out their flaws and go “you guys are horrible people”, doesn’t make sense to them. Because

They’re good people. They’re not out there ruining other people’s lives. They’re just having fun. They’re not like Anderson or their parents or Martin, after all. Those are the really bad people. Why couldn’t Emmy tell the difference?

Obviously, it’s because she’s a judgmental hag who never wanted to see them clearly to begin with because it would ruin her superiority complex.

That’s seems to be his reasoning, at least.

because alex probably had at a certain point put emmy on a different pedestal than other women she met in life, be it because of will or because of the way he saw other men treat emmy as compared to alex.

Oh, Alex...

I can see Alex having some sort of complex about Emmy, but more than anything I felt she was curious when she approached Em at the cove, wanting to confirm what she thought she knew. Alex confused me when she put the thought into Emmy’s head that she could be competition.

I mean, I get that Emmy still wanted Will, but more than that, she wanted Will to be happy (because she’s a good person!). So even if Will found happiness with Alex, Emmy wouldn’t see her as competition because she’d basically already taken herself out of the running. But are we supposed to see Emmy being jealous of Alex because Alex is who he wants now? And Alex pushes this idea for what? To play with Em? To get her reaction? To encourage her that she still had a foot in the race to Will’s heart? To try and be her friend? It never made sense to me.

I don’t think I’ll truly ever be sure of Alex’s motive for attacking Em, and that’s because Alex takes ownership of her actions. She made choices, she wasn’t a ""victim"". Okay. If you’re not a victim of circumstance, like Em, and you both achieved your goals doing what you thought was best for yourselves, then what are you jealous over, Alex?

Unless… the taking ownership of her decisions is all pretense and posturing? Convincing herself that she’s just as good as Em, except that Em made decisions she was proud of; she worked to get her degree, she actually sacrificed what she wanted to save herself and her grandmother, she’s still strong without anyone holding her up. You can’t convince me Alex doesn’t see Emmy standing alone, defiant against the Horsemen and Aydin, and wonder if she could do the same? I don’t know. I mean, the characters in this series aren’t consistent and I’ve said that Alex was meant to be perfect always, so it’s hard to really figure out what was going on.

If one thing is for sure, I think Alex has succeed in being one of the most controversial characters in the series, and it’s not even about her career as a sex worker. Does that count as progress???

So when alex found out that blackchurch emmy wasnt so different than her lifestyle,

I’m not sure what you meant with this thought. To me, they have different lifestyles, so if you could clarify what you mean?

We dont even know how much alex knew about her.

That’s true, I guess. We know she could easily recognize Emmy on sight, and that she knew from Will that Emmy was “sassy” or something, indicating that Will probably talked about her. I HC that he talked about her more than once. I don’t see him getting into all that in one go. She probably knows about the gazebo and why he went to prison. But how much of their relationship, specifics about Em? No idea. But what’s irritating is that Alex believes in her ability to read people so much, she thinks she’s got Emmy all figured out, when it’s very clear that she doesn’t.

And so this might also be one of the cause of misunderstanding between alex and emmy. To show that emmy was not so above everyone else, that she wa sjust "like us", and mistaking that emmy looked down on them for this particular lifestyle like aydin did to alex.

You’re saying that Alex’s attack was to prove to Emmy that she wasn’t better than them, that they weren’t better than her, but they were all cut from the same cloth? Or that Alex believed that Emmy thought she was better than them because she didn’t frequently go around breaking the laws and giving into all her impulses? And Alex wanted to prove to her like “see, you have the same impulses. You can act on them here, with us, and it’ll all be okay. We’ll catch you.”

I can understand that. If that was the case, it was a weird way to go about it. Very confrontational. But I doubt Emmy was in any state to trust any of them, so maybe backing her into a corner for her to push herself out of was the only way to get there. I think the first one is what you meant; that Alex thought Emmy thought she was better and wanted to bring her to their level because she was feeling judged, but I think the second one is closer to what PD thought they were doing. Because Alex is all knowing and always right. She knows what everyone needs.

alex even more for this though because alex couldve just asked emmy where she came from (theyre "friends"!!!), but alex made assumptions

But Alex asking questions would mean that Alex isn’t all knowing and isn’t always right and doesn’t knows what everyone needs before they know they need it. How can Alex be perfect if Alex has to ask questions?????

Why cant they let these women be pillars for each other and build amazing healthy female relationship instead of always cretaing female rivalries?

That would have been nice to see. I usually don’t get mad at Alex for not attacking Aydin. If Alex was running scared from her feelings towards Aydin, not ready to sort them out, and she was overly concerned for Will, then Emmy becomes an easy target because she knows she can’t ruin her relationship with Emmy.

Note: I don’t understand how they have that close a bond after one night of drinking together. I’m just saying what the narrative told us. And as the narrative as reminded us multiple times, Alex is… apparently some sort of addictive substance that people experience once and can’t get enough of??? I have no other reasoning for the other character’s reactions to her.

Either way, it would have been nice if Alex used her powers for good to build up the friendships in the group instead of trying to get laid literally all the time.

To be clear, I do feel this is an error in storytelling. I can’t blame it all on Alex when PD is one who created her and forced those decisions on her, for reasons that I don’t understand. It feels like PD really did prioritize empowering women through freedom of sexual expression, but at the cost of writing actual friendships on the page? It was choice, and not one I can appreciate fully. Especially when I love seeing friendships play out so much. But I’m sure it’s found it audience somewhere and for that, good for them.

all these grown adult men and women always be doing the most vile things to others (almost always undeservingly) and they wont own up to it.

I’m laughing because I don’t know if it was the past storyline or because of their maturity levels, but I always forgot these characters were in their mid-twenties. Like, I don’t care what the timeline says, these characters are between 17-21 in every book and being told Will was 26 in NF was like a slap in the face. I was disgusted with him.

pd couldve used this to make it about morally grey or black villains who dgaf about anyone and living their life to the fullest, doing ACTUAL crimes, not just petty ones and own them

Yeah. Every time they were gearing up for a “big” thing, I kept expecting something… you know… big to happen. But it was all mundane, teenage antics (see point above).

This is a good point. I don’t usually read a ton of dark romance. DN was a weird phase for me. If I do, I like the “dark” characters to be intelligent at least, not just mean. Even then, I know I’m getting into some nonsense, ridiculous plot so I usual turn off my critical thinking skills. Because of that, I never remember the books I’ve read that are considered “dark romance”. If you bring one up, I can remember if I’ve opened it or not, but characters names and events have been erased.

And your comments before that are probably why Dark Rom is meant for adults who already know that seeking out these types of people in real life is a horrible idea? Still, I know some readers who aren’t ready for this material for various reasons, be it age or past experiences they haven’t dealt with or something else, will get ahold of books like this and think that the abuse and drama that happens in these “love stories” are what true romances are made out of. Frustrating, but also none of my business. Just be happy that you know yourself well enough that these tactics wouldn’t work on you.

However, I don’t think I’ve ever attempted a dark romance. I’ve attempted to write stuff that has a darker edge than my usual, but never that dark. I’m not a thriller or horror writer, so… But I think the goal would be to bring in an equal balance of each genre, and then push them to the foreground at different parts of the story to blend them together. I’m not sure how I would do it, and I probably won’t ever try, really.

The DN series was shallow and cheap for these reasons among many others, especially the "there was not much concrete substance" part, because even the substance was not grounding enough to me.

Interestingly enough, DN to me is like a carnival as opposed to a theme park. A theme park is a whole thing. A day excursion. A planned event.

At a carnival, the rides are short, they’re not really scary, you’re never really worried, yet they’re still fun. Maybe even a little boring to some. But one ride is never enough. And it’s not the only the rides, it’s the whole environment. It’s the candy and games, and the lights and sounds, it’s the people. One night to escape from the usual. It’s what you make it. It pops up for a time and then leaves, because it was never meant to stick around. It still provided a good time.

I’ve said before this series was never meant to be torn apart and analyzed to this degree. And I know there are a hundred other series that have the exact same tropes and similar plotlines? So are we so mad that this series was so bad compared to them, or are we mad that this series could have been better? Why are we still here talking about it when so many others have faded as soon as we closed the cover?

As you said, there are some things PD does very well in their writing. So maybe we are just upset that DN had so much promise and failed to deliver?

#asked and answered #devil's night series stuff #character discussion #plot discussion #the horsemen of devil's night #will grayson iii #alex palmer #too bad to my single voter #asked and answered 91 #response to prev ask #asked and answered 87 #asked and answered 88

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randommusingsstuff · 3 years

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Why Ben and Devi are Endgame (Meta)

At the heart of every rom-com, it always comes down to this: what does the protagonist truly want?

Why Devi and Paxton Don’t Work

In the season 2 finale, Devi triumphantly says “So, I guess I'm Paxton Hall-Yoshida’s girlfriend now”. She got what she thought she wanted at the start of her journey, only it’s not what she wants anymore.

Although Devi cares for Paxton, she views him as a status symbol. Paxton, for all his growth, still sees himself as cooler than her. And no, he was not just embarrassed because she cheated on him. Before he knew she was cheating, he invited his friends on their first date and refused to call her his girlfriend. In the finale, it once again takes someone else to point out that he shouldn’t blow her off. As Devi and Paxton walk into the dance, he gives his friends a sheepish look while they judge him. Not only does he still have lingering feelings of embarrassment, his friends’ reactions suggest turbulence ahead for their relationship.

There is also a lack of communication between Paxton and Devi. They have a magical kiss by the window, and makeout sessions afterwards, but they don't actually talk about their relationship in that elapsed time. Devi makes the assumption that they are together and Paxton doesn’t articulate what he wants until it is forced out of him.

What can we conclude from this? Paxton is a great character, but he is not the one for Devi. They have differing interests and goals, a lack of communication and they do not see each other for their true worth.

Can the writers surmount all of these issues to give them an endgame? Yes, but it would require fundamentally changing who Devi and Paxton are.

Why Devi and Ben Work

In episode 1 of season 2, Devi wants to pick Ben but her friends talk her out of it. This is crucial to understanding why they belong together: her gut instinct has already revealed the truth. She had both guys vying for her and she wanted Ben. Just by this one fact alone, we can infer that Devi’s relationship with Ben was more meaningful to her than her pursuit of Paxton in season 1.

When it’s revealed that Devi is two-timing the boys, Paxton is hurt but Ben is devastated. Paxton likes her, but Ben connected with her on a deeper emotional level. Devi follows Paxton out of the party, which is understandable because he is the one walking away. Again, this is cleverly hinting at their communication styles. Paxton wants to avoid the situation and Ben wants to talk about it. From Ben’s perspective, Paxton is the guy she has wanted for so long and he is the second choice.

Throughout the season, Ben never considers the fact that Devi could want him over Paxton, which is equal parts sad and infuriating. Her therapist asks what she wants more than anything and she says Ben. In context, it’s a comical line, but it’s also Devi revealing her truth. Like she does at the beginning of the season, she makes a choice and it’s Ben. She pursues Ben romantically before Paxton even though Paxton is the one more willing to forgive her.

It takes Ben longer to forgive her, and yet he is still there for her when she needs help. The little things he does like give her advice about Aneesa and make her feel better about Paxton’s rejection all show Devi’s ability to be vulnerable with Ben.

As an aside, they had the opportunity to show Devi being vulnerable with Paxon but didn’t take it. In episode 8 of season 2, Paxton sees Devi crying and she reveals that she got into a really bad fight with Eleanor. I was thinking: here it is, here is the moment that Paxton finally helps Devi with her problems... but no. His response is “seems like you’re in a fight with lots of people” and the conversation quickly shifts to her apologizing and helping him yet again. Devi is able to open up to Ben and be supported by him in a way that she can’t with Paxton.

Before I talk about the finale, which is arguably the biggest point in Ben and Devi’s favour, I want to look at the season overall. The entire story arc is Ben and Devi wanting to be together but constantly running into roadblocks in the form of Eleanor/Fabiola, Paxton and Aneesa. It was so alarmingly obvious they belonged together after season 1, that the writers had to find ways to forcibly separate them for the time being. It’s important for Ben and Devi’s relationship that she dates Paxton first. If she had been allowed to go for Ben, they would have had to explore Devi wondering what she missed out on. When Devi and Ben do get their happy ending, it will be because Devi has realized that Paxton is not the person for her.

In the finale of season 2, we get 3 crucial scenes from Devi and Ben. The first is the bathroom scene which reaffirms Devi’s ability to be vulnerable with Ben and his ability to support her (something she doesn’t have with Paxton). The second is their tension-filled scene at the dance where they longingly stare at each other. This directly contrasts the scene in episode 8, where Devi tries to reframe her mindset and stop seeing Ben as someone she is attracted to. Here, it becomes apparent that she is unable to stop thinking about him in a romantic way despite actively trying.

The third scene is basically Eleanor saying “you dummy, she wanted to choose you!”. The writers intentionally reference the pros-cons scene from episode 1, re-affirming that Devi wants Ben. The only reason they are not together is because he is not an option.

Then we get the line “it wasn’t always him”. Many Devi and Paxton fans believe her choice was Ben, but he took too long and now it’s too late. But when has it ever been too late for a main love interest in a rom-com? Mindy Kaling is a rom-com savant, and she knows as well as I do that it’s only ever “too late” for douchey guys who do not acknowledge the self-worth of the heroine. That’s not Ben though, he has always seen Devi for who she is.

The heartbreak on Ben’s face is infinitely worse than Paxton’s voicemail at the end of season 1, although these scenes are meant to parallel each other. Devi and Paxton are two people who like each other but do not work as a long-term relationship. Ben and Devi are two people who work as a long-term relationship but never acknowledge their feelings for each other at the right time. It’s a tragedy just waiting to be rectified in season 3.

Season 3 Predictions

Now that I've given my analysis on why Devi and Ben are meant to be, here are some predictions I have on the Devi-Ben-Paxton love triangle for season 3.

Fabiola/Eleanor will be the ones to help Devi act on her true feelings for Ben. This one is a no-brainer for me. After sabotaging their chance to be happy in the first place, Fabiola and Eleanor will decide that they want their friend to be happy and set things right. It will also parallel Ben mending their friendship in season 1.

Paxton and Devi will have some sweet moments in the first half of the season, but not without their issues. The lack of communication and their respective status (the way they view each other) will cause them to fight. They will break-up mid-season, but the ending will leave hope for reconciliation.

On that note, I do not think they will kill the love triangle. Even though we will likely see Devi confessing her feelings for Ben and saying that she wanted to choose him all along, this is still a TV show. Contentious love triangles = buzz and money.

Ben and Aneesa will break up by mid-season, but probably earlier. Ben will find it hard to be in a relationship with Aneesa as he grapples with his feelings for Devi.

Ben will be a pillar of support to Devi as she navigates how to be a girlfriend. It’s the classic trope of the guy helping the girl win over the man of her dreams, only to realize that the person she wants is right in front of her.

Devi and Ben’s friendship and lingering feelings will culminate in an epic finale confession and kiss. Everything that they were unable to say to each other last season will be spoken aloud in season 3.

Ben and Devi are soulmates, drawn to each other and unable to avoid their feelings. I can’t wait for them to take over my life again next year.

#benvi #ben x devi #ben gross #devi vishwakumar #nhie #nhie season 2 #never have i ever #never have I ever season 2

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howlingday · 2 years

Note

Jaune's Tragic Backstory (TM) AU

Ozpin loved stories. He had after all lived through countless ones and his impeccable memory, a side effect from what ever the Brothers did to him, made it impossible to forget. Thus even though he didn't know Cinder Emerald and Mercury personally he knew their stories well enough to know what they each wanted. Mercury was simple. He wanted to fight. To prove he was strong. Thus he gave him the opportunity to do so. Emerald was an abandoned child craving love and security. Thus he freely offered it to her. And Cinder? Well Cinder craved power above all else. Power to resist the chains of slavery he guessed. Thus he gave it to her. After all even if they had taken the maiden powers from Cinder, Amber would have still died. Her wounds, both spiritual and physical, were too deep. However, the only way Cinder would get the powers herself would be if she relinquished the Grimm Salem had used to steal them. And all he needed to tell her to make her trust him was just another story.

A Really Long Time Ago

Ozpin had seen it all. Ozpin had done it all. Ozpin had heard it all. Ozpin had felt it all. There was nothing in his centuries of existence that he had not encountered, experienced, or engaged. These three wayward souls were no different, as he had met many of their types before. And he would treat them no different.

Mercury: (Groans) How long have been here?! It feels like it's been days!

Ozpin: A day and a half, to be precise. And my, the stories you have missed.

Emerald: Um, is she involved in any of them?

Glynda: (Sobbing) My precious OTP... GOOOOOOONE!

Ozpin: ...In a manner of speaking, yes. But onward to the matter at hand. I see a potential in all of you, a great power, if you will, waiting to be unleashed. All you have to do is let me help you.

Emerald: So, you want us to turn our backs on our boss and work for you?

Ozpin: Not for. With. Together, we can rid the world of the scourge of Grimm, protect what we love most, and bring about a new age of peace and prosperity.

Mercury: Nice story, gramps, but it isn't that easy. Fighting monsters for other people? That ain't my style. I look out for only one person in this world-

Ozpin: Me.

Mercury: Huh?

Ozpin: Selfishness. Pride. Proving yourself greater than that of even the Brothers themselves. Yes, I know the type all too well.

Mercury: (Rolls his eyes)

Ozpin: But is that such a terrible thing? To seek one's own self-worth, regardless of who or what we sacrifice to attain it. After all, life is fleeting, and it is often our legacy that only speaks the truth of who we were. An arduous and horrid path ahead filled with monsters, blood, and corpses. Yes, his path was truly one of heartbreak, but it was so worth it to wear the title of Huntsman.

Mercury: I'm sorry, who the hell are you talking about?

Ozpin: Why, Jaune Arc, of course. Isn't it obvious?

Mercury: Okay, now I know you're screwing with me. Jaune Arc is still alive, but you're talking about him like he's dead.

Ozpin: (Chuckles) Did you really think he was the first Jaune Arc?

Cyril: This is Cyril Ian of CCT News, doing an exclusive, uh, fifteen minute interview view with Jaune Arc, who has been a media sensation as of late. Jaune, thank you again for agreeing to this.

Jaune: Well, I'm always happy to help the little guy. That's what Huntsmen do, right?

Cyril: Indeed they do! Now, let's first talk about what got you here, the argument with Jacques Schnee, CEO of the Schnee Dust Company. What exactly happened there?

Jaune: I'm not sure. To be honest, it was my first time at something that fancy. I had a friend introduce me to a friend, and then that friend introduced me to Mr. Schnee and his family. We just started talking about why Huntsmen exist, and that's kind of where our opinions started to not match up. I said humanity's biggest threat was the Grimm, and he said it was the White Fang.

Cyril: Do you sympathize with the White Fang? I mean, they are a terrorist organization.

Jaune: I don't agree with what the White Fang are now. I remember reading and discussing in my history class that the White Fsng were originally peaceful protestors. Then someone got violent, and people started listening to them. If what Faunus have to go through to be heard is another day at the office for you, then I can understand their frustration.

Emerald: There was another Jaune Arc?

Ozpin: Oh, yes. Long before the Mr. Arc we know, and Glynda sobs for, ever came into existence, there was the first Jaune Arc. He was the epitome of what a Huntsman should be; brave, loyal, just, kind, wise, and strong. Couldn't dance to save his skin, but was a fine fellow nonetheless. (Chuckles)

Emerald: What happened to him?

Ozpin: Well, if you're so interested, I'll tell you. The first Jaune Arc began his life as a meager kindler. He'd gather sticks, twigs, and branches for his hut, break them down, dried them, and sold them to any who sought warmth in th heir homes. It wasn't a glamorous life, but it was a comfortable one. Then the Beowolf came...

Cyril: Mhm. And are you against the use of Dust?

Jaune: Oh no, of course not! If you want to use it, use it! If you need to use it, use it! I was just explaining I never needed to learn to use Dust. My mom had a wood-burning stove, so that's how we cooked our meals. If we got cold, we would huddle in front of the fireplace. I didn't know about Dust until I was fourteen, and I accidentally set the forest on with lightning dust!

Cyril: And you still don't use Dust?

Jaune: Not for tools, no. I use a simple sword and shield as my weapon against the Grimm. No Dust enhancements yet.

Cyril: Yet?

Jaune: It's a big and scary world out there after the Academy. I might need to upgrade sometime there, but until then, I feel comfortable with my own power.

Cinder: This is all very fascinating information, but you're missing one crucial detail. I don't care about Jaune Arc, past or present. I want power, and I'll use any means to get it.

Ozpin: A shame. I thought you cared about Jaune's glistening thighs.

Cinder: Please, his biceps glisten. His thighs bulge. (Ozpin smirks) N-Not that I pay any attention to that sort of thing. All that matters is the ke- my nefarious plan.

Ozpin: Oh, and how do you intend to get this power?

Cinder: By taking it, as is my right!

Ozpin: What if I just give it to you?

Cinder: Huh?

Cyril: We're just about done here. Any final message to the viewers and listeners at home?

Jaune: Uh, okay, how about... Leap before you look! No, wait-!

Cyril: And that was my exclusive, fifteen minute interview with media buzz, Jaune Arc. This is Cyril Ian of CCT News, signing off!

Jaune: Look before you leap! Ugh! I should have just said think before you speak!

Cyril: Well, if it's any consolation, this interview will be a hit, so I doubt anyone will notice.

Jaune: Finally back.

Ruby: Hey, Jaune!

Jaune: What's up, Ruby?

Ruby: Leap before you look! (RWBY and NPR laugh at Jaune)

Cinder: And you'll just give it to me?

Ozpin: Yes. The process, of course, will require the removal of your Grimm parasite, meaning you will no longer be connected to Salem. You will be outcasted from her inner circle, forced to wander alone. Unless, of course, you join us.

Cinder: How long will I wait?

Ozpin: Give me 24 hours, and I will have the chambers ready for both extraction and transference.

Cinder: ...Finally. My glorious k-, I mean-

Ozpin: No, no. You're among friends now. You can say it.

Cinder: All according to keikaku.

#rwby #rwby au #tragic backstory (tm) au #mercury black #emerald sustrai #ozpin #headmaster ozpin #professor ozpin #glynda goodwitch #jaune arc #cinder fall #ruby rose #blake belladonna #weiss schnee #yang xiao long #nora valkyrie #lie ren #pyrrha nikos #Cyril ian

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copperbadge · 3 years

Note

pagemelt on tiktok did a 2-part video on Stealing Harry! how does it feel knowing how deeply important that fic is to so many people?

As many of you know I am a Fandom Old, and never has there been a moment where I felt older than when I was trying to get onto TikTok to see these videos. Oh man I am so old. But what lovely and thoughtful tiktoks those were! Just truly delightful and a lot to consider.

For those of you who are curious and/or very new to tiktok as I am, here are the videos:

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRMAErfP/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRMAt3df/

Hopefully those will load in browser, but I can't make promises. Anyway, I had many thoughts but I'm not really a video guy, so I wrote this here and I'm going to drop a link to Pagemelt and hopefully she will see it!

I have a lot of feelings, most of the time, surrounding Stealing Harry; as odd as it is to say it really was a defining moment in my life, though I didn't see that for many years.

In terms of being influential or meaningful to others, of course I'm extremely proud and touched, and so glad I could offer such positivity. Writers do their craft for a lot of reasons, but I've always wanted to write in order to interact with others -- to touch people or teach people or offer them my opinion, although this wasn't as consciously vocalized when I was younger. To have written something with the impact of Stealing Harry, especially at the age of 24, was a real accomplishment for me, but the kind that is mainly seen looking back -- it's the kind of feeling that comes of years of compilation, for lack of a better word, of conversations with others about the work. At the time it was very popular and that felt extremely good, of course, but I didn't understand why.

In some ways I still don't -- I also have a lot of bafflement when it comes to the story, because why THAT story, at THAT moment, and still today? I've had guesses before -- people love a kidfic, and there's plenty of romance and sex, and much of the fic is a sort of emotional hurt/comfort -- but I do feel as though Pagemelt put her finger on something in that regard which I hadn't fully considered.

Her take on Stealing Harry is extremely cogent and thoughtful, particularly since she's looking back at the fic as a reader and really thinking about the experience. Like, bisexual representation that wasn't stigmatized was really important for her, and I think perhaps both Remus being secure in his love as a gay man and Sirius being truly uncertain about his sexuality as someone who has had romantic/sexual relationships with women and strong feelings for men really spoke to people. Struggling with identity or with knowing your identity but feeling attacked for it, and also wanting that security in identity, I can see how the adult relationships in Stealing Harry could speak to people. I'm so very glad they have.

I also think she were spot-on about her discussion of some of the flaws in the story. It WAS written fifteen years ago and the environment in fandom was different. Certainly I love to write a strong redemption arc, so I would have added more nuance to Snape's had I had the reading of Half Blood Prince beforehand, but I think I still would have written it. That said, she's not wrong that there was a strong shift in fandom attitudes towards Snape based on HBP, though it took a few years after the end of the series, at least in my experience, for that to arrive.

I hadn't really thought about the name issues, with Tonks; she was definitely read as queercoded even at the time she first appeared in canon, but specifically trans-coded readings for Tonks weren't as visible and trans headcanons for characters in general, while I'm sure they existed, weren't vocalized as much, for perhaps self-evident reasons given how much transness was respected (or rather, not respected) in fandom at the time. People not always respecting Tonks' name in Stealing Harry does land differently today. It's something I, to my dismay, wouldn't have consciously thought of if I were writing the story today, the idea that respecting Tonks' chosen name was an important gesture to trans readers, so I appreciate having that pointed out.

Though, I am a little proud that, subconsciously, I did sort that out as a current writer -- I don't know if Pagemelt knows that I'm rewriting the story into an original fiction, but in the original-fiction version Tonks is very much gender-questioning and their name and how the adults can help them through it is a whole entire subplot -- Remus finds out about the shift in names, asks Andromeda about it, draws his own conclusions, and then speaks to a canonically trans character about who should (or if they should) offer to be a sympathetic older queer presence in their life.

So overall, I'm feeling quite proud both of myself and Pagemelt, delighted that Stealing Harry continues to be considered a classic text, and not unsatisfied that people are looking at it critically. As you all know from my original work I don't enjoy being told my works' flaws but I do like knowing them so that I can continue to learn and grow as a writer, and Pagemelt said some things that I think will stick with me as I continue. Plus it has made me want to get back into work on the Ozyverse, the adaptation of Stealing Harry, so once I'm no longer traveling with a bluetooth keyboard and an ancient tablet as my primary mode of communication I will get on that....

#stealing harry #writing

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makeste · 3 years

Text

BnHA Chapter 324: Is There a Force Field Around Him??

Previously on BnHA: Flashback!Rat Principal was all “please tell Midoriya that I spent a concerningly small amount of money upgrading U.A. into a wacky physics-defying funtime grid so as to make the final battle much more confusing for everyone.” Present Day!Mic (or Present!Mic, if you will) and Jeanist were all “if only somebody could deescalate this dangerously unhinged mob, we’ve tried nothing and we’re all out of ideas.” Ochako was all “LISTEN UP PEOPLE.” The mob was all, “god??” Ochako was all, “NO, IT’S ME, OCHAKO. I’M REALLY HIGH UP ON THIS BUILDING AND THE VISIBILITY IS LOW DUE TO THE RAIN, SO I CAN SEE HOW YOU MIGHT MAKE THAT MISTAKE. ANYWAYS, DEKU WAS OUT THERE RISKING HIS LIFE FOR YOU CLOWNS EVEN THOUGH HE’S JUST A KID, SO I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IF YOU COULD ALL REMEMBER HOW TO BE DECENT HUMAN BEINGS, THANKS.” Let’s see if her Big Scolding Energy has any impact.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “so I have this speech planned out, and it’s really good, but it also only really needs about 6 to 8 pages, but I’m gonna see if I can stretch it out to 17 pages so I can kill time before we get to the next volume cliffhanger two weeks from now.” Anyway but it really is a good speech though. There are feels, and tears, and more talk about how Deku is so in need of a shower that just looking at him requires a tetanus booster, and more feels, and more tears, and bonus ship drama, and an iconic callback to the very first chapter which reframes the entire series in a new context in a totally epic and moving way, and it’s all very good. Except that Horikoshi is determined to never let anyone actually give this kid a hug. Who hurt you, dude.

omg we are opening on a callback to chapter 212, a.k.a. the chapter with by far the cutest flashback that doesn’t involve any baby Todorokis

baby Ochako is lethally cute. she could literally murder someone with her cuteness. I just want to scoop her up and play airplane with her until she accidentally activates her quirk while we’re spinning around and we both helicopter up into the air never to be seen again

“a child’s insistence” huh well that’s all well and good, but I sure hope this doesn’t mean we’re going to drag out the whole “sternly lecture the obnoxious citizens” plot for another whole chapter. no offense but I think we’re good

so page 2 is just continuing the whole happy/worried faces monologue, which of course is very important to Ochako’s character as it provides the context for why “who protects the heroes” ended up becoming her thing. and this is making me think we actually are in for a whole second chapter of this sob. when will my boy finally get to rest

OH MY GOD SUDDENLY THESE PEOPLE HAVE EYES IMAGINE THAT

HORIKOSHI: [reaches for a box of tissues while tearfully penning an homage to his beloved Spider-Man 2, specifically the train scene where the crowd sees Peter without his mask and they suddenly realize just how young he is]

HORIKOSHI’S HOMAGE SCENE: “COME TO THINK OF IT, I GUESS IT WAS KIND OF MEAN FOR US TO PICK ON THIS TEN YEAR OLD KID WHO WEIGHS 75 POUNDS AND LOOKS LIKE HE LOST A FIGHT WITH SATAN’S MOLDY OLD BASEMENT”

lol at this one guy who can feel the mood of the crowd shifting and is all “WAIT, NO, I WANTED TO KEEP BEING AN ASSHOLE DAMMIT”

as many pointed out last week, this man is wearing an All Might shirt. that’s some fantastic irony there

-- SDKFJWIGKS

“LITTLE GIRL, I HOPE YOU’RE NOT SUGGESTING THAT WE SHOULD ALL BE WALKING AROUND DRESSED LIKE A SOVIET-ERA BUS STOP.” heh. last week I said I was ashamed of BnHA being my favorite manga. that was a lie, actually

(ETA: in the original Japanese Ochako’s next two lines are basically “the only ones covered in mud will be us heroes!” followed by “please give us some time to get rid of the mud”, with that second line basically being the single funniest thing I’ve ever read rdslkjl. Ochako thank you so much for supporting my running gags. “YEAH WE KNOW HE’S DIRTY. WE ARE GONNA TRY AND CLEAN HIM UP, BUT IT MAY TAKE A WHILE, I’M JUST SAYING. I MEAN LOOK AT HIM. HE LOOKS LIKE AN ASBESTOS COSPLAY.”)

doesn’t the megaphone kind of look ever so slightly like an axe that she’s wielding maniacally here

easy there Lizzie Borden

also that’s a really bold claim to make there. and not one she necessarily should have to make, either. but as we all know, there’s nothing that shounen manga likes more than having its heroes bravely hoist heavy burdens of responsibility like good self-sacrificing citizens

p.s. lowkey loving how Kacchan is positioned here standing slightly behind Deku. not presuming to stand in front of him all overprotectively (because he would hate if anyone ever did that to him), and kind of being unobtrusive and letting others take center stage -- but still being close enough to Deku that he can catch him if he stumbles or passes out again

(ETA: or maybe not lmao.

DEKU: [falls to his knees]

KACCHAN: [glancing up from his phone a few minutes later] “someone just sent me the stupidest meme about milk crates -- oh. uh. you good...?”

really, son. “the burdens you can’t carry, we’ll carry them for you. ...later, I mean. right now it’s late, and we’re all cold and wet.”)

also lowkey loving this OchaTsu moment here

I was going back and binging Ochako chapters this past week for reasons, and I gotta say it really stuck out to me just how often these two are paired with each other. they do everything together. it’s a really sweet friendship that often goes unappreciated but it’s very cute

meanwhile, not to be outdone by the OchaTsu, Iida is staring at Ochako with open admiration talking about how she’s fighting too. it’s been so long since we’ve had any IidaRaka you guys. I was starving and I didn’t even know it

oh my lord IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING

THE LIGHT IS BACK. he finally looks like him again. what a cathartic fucking moment omg

ffklkdw

“I KNOW YOU ARE ALL SCARED, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS, WE DEFINITELY CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR SAFETY AND WE ARE ALL SCARED TOO!” good pep talk there kiddo

BUT, jokes aside, truth be told this is the exact right approach to take imo, and something that’s long overdue. I’ve said this before, but this new generation of heroes is shaping up to be much more transparent than the All Might generation. they’re basically abandoning the almighty, untouchable Superman “heroes as gods” concept in favor of the more nuanced “heroes as people” concept instead. and that’s a good thing. seeing their heroes as humans, with human limitations and weaknesses and flaws, will hopefully not only lead to more scrutiny and accountability, but also more awareness of how hard some of them are working and how much they’re sacrificing. that’s something All Might never quite grasped back at the start of the series -- that the weak, vulnerable, injured him could be just as inspiring as the mighty, invincible him -- perhaps even more so. there’s a power in seeing otherwise ordinary people show extraordinary bravery and compassion. it inspires others to try and do the same

SSDLHK AIZAWA SIGHTING AAHHHHHH

so he was still back at the hospital this whole time?? smdh at this disrespect. that feeling when your sexy self-insert character’s powers of rationality are too strong, and so you have to nerf him so that he doesn’t ruin your Deku Angst arc twice over by (1) immediately talking some sense into Deku and making him come home Right This Instant Young Man, and (2) not allowing him to leave U.A. in the first fucking place. excuse me, you want to do WHAT now, Midoriya?? that’s it, go to your room

also living for Katsuki and Hawks’s soft expressions. Shouto’s too, although his is tinier and harder to see. and Jeanist’s 12-foot-long neck. imagine Jeanist’s head with Mic’s hair. maybe Jeanist had a mohawk back in the day and that’s why U.A.’s doors are so big now

speaking of soft faces, Enji’s is also excellent

what could this random close-up possibly imply?? hell if I know. but Horikoshi truly fears no discourse and that’s what I love about him

OMGGGG

“smh my child is so dumb.” poor Ochadad. your child is cute af count your blessings

SDOFFHSMH

I’m telling you guys. lethally, catastrophically cute

this speech is still ongoing lol. Horikoshi you’re doing so good but I think we get the point now my dude. you gotta learn how to transition out of these things

UNEXPECTED TOGA WHAT

“there we go” Horikoshi says, crossing off the last line on his list of Ochako ships. “that’s all of ‘em”

poor Ochako is just repeating the same “LET HIM REST, PLEASE, WITH EVERYONE’S COOPERATION, IF YOU DON’T MIND, WE APPRECIATE IT” talking points over and over again hoping someone will throw her a bone and acknowledge her already. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP HER

literally they’re all just staring up at her silently omg. work with me people!!

now she’s saying it for the 56th time but more dramatically all of a sudden

they got so dramatic that for a minute I thought she had suddenly leaped off the building or something

look, not to rush you or anything Horikoshi, but I’m starting to get the feeling that this is yet another one of those “the volume is ending soon so I need to either hurry things up or slow things down in order to make sure we end it on my perfect cliffhanger ending” chapters where you go to ridiculous lengths to drag things out much to the exasperation of your week-to-week readers

(ETA: ftr, volume 31 ended on chapter 306, and I’m predicting that vol. 32 will end with chapter 316 (a.k.a. “you’re next!” [explodes]). I’m guessing vol. 33 will follow suit and likely end on chapter 326, so keep your eyes peeled for a big cliffhanger in two weeks’ time. Deku’s dad?? All Might in peril?? U.A. traitor at long fucking last?? we shall see.)

is Deku straight up falling in love with Ochako right on the spot lol what is happening

I know I just said that I enjoy when Horikoshi gives zero fucks about discourse, but shipping discourse is a whole different beast lol. I hope he’s prepared

(ETA: and for the record, I have no interest in shipping discourse either, as always. and I think this scene can be interpreted as platonic, tbh, with the context being that Ochako was literally introduced as someone who was willing to help him so casually without a second thought, and now here she is saving him again.

I don’t think it really fully hit Deku until this moment how much he needed saving. like I said in another meta somewhere, selflessness is basically just selfishness on behalf of others. and Deku is selfless to a fault, but that’s okay, and it doesn’t mean he needs to change -- he just needs friends who are willing to be be selfish on his behalf in turn. and I think the full emotion of what it means to have friends like that just hit him at last. everything his friends have done for him, how much he needed it and didn’t even realize, and how grateful he is. anyways what a terrible day for rain.)

-- son of a --

is he apologizing?? or pleading?? please tell me that’s not the case, because what the actual fuck. Deku you beautiful precious radiant selfless child, this is the exact opposite of how this should be. all these motherfuckers should be on their knees apologizing to you

DEKU WHY

I DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS FREAKING BOMBARDMENT OF EMOTIONS GODDAMIT. OUT HERE ARMED WITH YOUR FREAKING TREBUCHET OF FEELS TO LAUNCH AT ME UNPROVOKED. WHAT’S WITH THAT

FREAKING CHRIST. THIS BOY IS CRYING HIS EYES OUT AND HORIKOSHI IS JUST ZOOMING IN WITH THE CAMERA, LIKE CAN WE JUST CUT HIM A BREAK ALREADY. ENOUGH OF THIS. HE’S SO YOUNG AND HE TRIES SO HARD AND I JUST NEED HIM TO FEEL SAFE, HORIKOSHI PLEASE CAN YOU JUST GIVE ME THAT ALREADY WHAT IS THE FREAKING HOLD UP!!

GIGANTIC FOX LADY!!!

GIGANTIC FOX LADY PLEASE BE MY HUGGER BY PROXY!! SERIOUSLY GIRL IF YOU JUST HOLD YOUR UMBRELLA OVER HIM OR SOMETHING AND DON’T GO THE EXTRA MILE I’M ABOUT TO LODGE AN OFFICIAL COMPLAINT. THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS NOW

!!!!

A KOUTA IS GOOD TOO!!! oh my god if Kouta hugs him I will seriously 100% straight up cry. go on and test me

FOR THE LOVE OF --

is this man expressly forbidden from drawing hugs in his contract or something. DO YOU DO IT JUST TO SPITE ME?? this is tyranny, sir

AND I KNOW, THIS PAGE ACTUALLY CHALLENGED THE VERY PREMISE OF THE SERIES ITSELF, AND HERE I AM COMPLAINING ABOUT HUGS, OR THE LACK THEREOF. “this is the story of how we all became the greatest heroes.” and just like that, he waves a polite middle finger at all of the Strongest Greatest Chosen One shounen protags of old, in favor of something much less conventional, much more interesting, and much more suited to Deku’s character. because if that one sentence doesn’t just sum up Deku to a T. he gladly relinquishes his Greatest Hero status in favor of acknowledging the hero in everyone. what a class act. that’s my protagonist

I love this kid so fucking much I swear. only just PLEASE. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. GIVE HIM HIS HUG

#bnha 324 #uraraka ochako #midoriya izuku #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha

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hopefullystillatheatrestudent · 3 years

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i'm so excited about you taking asks again ahhhh okay so. if you'd absolutely had to choose. what would be your top 5 cockles moments, and why? thank you ily <3

here’s the thing: there are so many routes i could go down with this, because cockles moments come in all shapes and sizes and formats. these include moments from their panels, their bloopers, the footage we get when they don’t even know they’re being recorded, stories being passed down from photo ops & autographs(one of my personal favorite ways to get cockles, tbh, because they’re all insane), and social media(tweets to each other, instagram posts & comments, etc.).

SO! since many a list like this has already been made, and i want to stand out from the crowd, what i’m gonna do is definitively give the number one spot to each of these five categories.(i might even throw in honourable mentions because they’re so despicably in love that they warrant that. i really put my whole pussy into this, guys, i hope you’re happy.)

disclaimer: these are my own personal opinions. but that also means i’m right. so. enjoy.

number one: top cockles panel moment

so we’re starting off with a bang, because how do you even BEGIN to rank what atrocities jensen and misha commit at jibcon. every single one they’ve had is damning in it’s own right, for different reasons.

however, considering just how much unabashed fuckery they’ve given us to sift through, it’s a good thing i do have a personal favorite despite it all. it’s heartwarming, the sweetest thing i’ve ever seen, AND it’s jarringly cinematic - mainly because it has a whole ass arc to it that was years in the making. it might even be surprising to some people, but my favorite cockles panel moment, and what i consider the one that encompasses their entire gut-wrenching journey from 2008-2013 in the most sweepingly romantic gesture possible, is this one.

i want this burned into my retinas. i am not even joking. when i'm through with my explanation, let me convince you why this is thee most romantic cockles moment of all time.

first, some history: people call this the resume off, but many seem to forget the botched attempt at a resume off a year prior. and yes, you guessed it: it's during their break up. it's a juicy time period for a reason, guys. it came across as exceedingly one-sided and VERY awkward. let me refresh your memory as to just how bad it was, and just how hard jensen was trying and ultimately failing at winning misha over: the funniest part of the whole resume off in 2013??? every joke/bit had literally already been made/done. they were just going through the motions again, but the difference THIS time...is that misha reciprocated jensen's energy. it. is. fascinating. i want to get into it more detail in another post, and i'll link it here when i'm done, but the main takeaway, i think, and the main difference that showcases how much they've grown in a year, is that in jib 3, misha flat out refused to do an accent, and this time around, he indulges jensen for literal minutes. when i tell you they're crazy, they're crazy. i can't wait to actually dive into it later.

ANYWAY, the resume off culminates in this moment here. and, like, a million things happen in this gifset. actually, more like a million and one. the music starts playingneediremindyouthatthesongissingingintherain(h e l p), misha starts dancing, jensen 'perpetually fake grumpy' ackles lets misha think he's not going to join, misha sits down defeated, but no!!! that was jensen's plan all along(look at his stupid fucking smirk) and he offers his arm to his dance partner who immediately grins like a fool, jensen then leads misha into their kick step, they perfectly synchronise and let loose, and are then very clearly having the time of their lives, hanging off of each other with joy and ease. from their expressions alone i can tell that this moment is so. so. so. so! much more than what initially meets the eye. i mean-misha is fighting back the biggest smile i've ever seen. to me, it reads like jensen is offering something to misha, something that misha kind of gave up on expecting, and him offering his arm like that is like, a surprise to him in the best possible way(and it's so not platonic, let me just say that.) as soon as jensen did that, it ushered in a new era of cockles. this panel is jensen and misha's favourite for a reason, and i think this moment is the biggest clue as to why.

whew!!! ok. that took a lot out of me and that was only point one. moving on,

number two: top cockles blooper moment

cockles bloopers hold an extremely special place in my heart, because it shows just how fucking disastrous jensen and misha are. they are so goddamn infatuated with each other that they HOLD UP PRODUCTION ALL THE TIME TO FLIRT WITH EACH OTHER(???). let me repeat. let it sink in. jensen ackles; arguably one of the most professional actors on that show who puts everything he has into each scene, with mountains and mountains of notes to prove it: would rather hold up production to flirt with misha collins. this sounds fake. it's not. he does it. all. the. time. and here's the thing guys!!! i'm gonna let you in on a secret!!! misha loves it. he loveesssss it. on top of that-misha collins: overlooked because he's pranked and people assume he's unprofessional as well, but his only pranks are in retaliation/off-set, and he rarely if EVER causes problems if he can help it....lets himself get carried away when it comes to jensen making kissy faces at him!!! are you actually kidding me!!! i mean. misha. it's just a face. you've seen it a million times. i don't buy that it triggers something in you that strongly....you like it, and you like jensen's reaction. you can't fool me!!! lisa berry's face in that one gifset shows just how fed up the crew is with their gross, coupley boyfriend antics.

i could pull up so many examples. sooooooo many. but my favourite was sealed since the moment i saw it.

i actually already wrote an analysis on it but i can't find it :(((( which SUCKS because i really unpacked the whole thing. i'll try to summarise.

basically, a backstory is part of this too!!! jensen and misha both had a really really hard time with this scene(because it's explicitly romantic there i said it), they sat down for hours and poured over their scripts together, they were super super nervous going into filming, both of them, jensen especially, were super hard on themselves for their performances not being true to their characters but they both complimented the other's work(boyfriend moments fr). so, yeah. they weren't confident going into shooting. and how do they get themselves to feel better???? by cuddling each other, apparently.

a lot. a LOT. happens in this specific blooper. to the point that i saw it years before i knew about cockles and it raised all sorts of flags for me.

1) stop pulling my face towards your crotch(as a thinly veiled request that misha would, in fact, move jensen's face towards his crotch, considering it was jensen moving himself there in the first place. also, why so comfy down there guys???) 2) you're my baby daddy i know(in the most intimate voice i've ever heard please) 3) i know, i know, i love you too i didn't say i love you i know but you wanted to say it etc. misha's right, of course. that's what jensen meant.

it just reeks of comfort, familiarity and intimacy between the two, and it's a moment that is extremely sweet and silly at the same time. they're so <3

number three: top cockles found footage moment

WONDERFUL category. truly the culmination of the cockles experience. many people have said that shipping cockles doesn't work because 'they're just onstage you dummies!! they're playing it up for the audience!!!' here's the thing, love. i could not disagree with you more. once you climb your way up the cockles ladder, you soon learn that they are, in fact, playing their dynamic DOWN, not up. they really are just Like That™, and they could not care less about the paying audience, if we're being honest, considering how much time they take to giggle with each other and refuse to let the audience in on the joke. and i love them for it <3

anyway, my point is that this category is for all you naysayers out there, all you 'jensen and misha's relationship is just for show and is real life queerbaiting'(?????lordhelp???) oh yeah? ok, explain this.

he. he. he calls jensen sweetheart. literally enough said. there's nothing to really add here, except, misha and jared then immediately engage in damage control. jared's method is distraction and misha's is retconning('get out of the car, dude') this was what got me to buy into the cockles dumpster for GOOD good. you don't call your buddy sweetheart accidentally and sound so completely earnest while doing it! especially not when that buddy is jensen ackles!!! you think he would let any of his friends call him that? do you?

one more thing; if it was a slip of the tongue, little mouth thing or whatever, you think jared wouldn't have jumped on it immediately??? i can hear it now. 'did you just call him SWEETHEART???' yeah. that's what i thought. you know why he didn't? because it was too revealing.

number four: top cockles autograph moment

i mean, i think we all know what it's gonna be, and if you don't, well, do i have the piece de cockles resistance that is gonna send you over the edge.

if you haven't heard of this story by now, as a cockles, truther, i'm gonna go ahead and get you to read it, because there is no possible heterosexual explanation for any of it, and you're fooling yourself if you think otherwise.

spoiler alert: it's the story where phones weren't allowed in an auto session, jensen nuzzles himself in misha's hair, leans his full body weight onto him, holds his hand, etc. etc. i'm imploding just repeating this back, actually. also, just, the sheer amount of stories from photo ops where they tackle hug each other or slap each other's asses or sing romantic songs to each other or almost kiss is, frankly, a lot. if i could wish for anything, it would be to witness them in person.

and finally,

number five: top cockles social media moment

this one is super difficult, because there's obviously a lot to choose from. but you know what? full send, i'm going with this one:

i just. what to say about this. how often do misha and jensen watch sunsets together for it to qualify as ‘always’ ??? why are sunsets synonymous with their relationship??? that’s like??? a very romantic thing????? ‘this guy’??? the fact that it’s a CANDID??? i don’t know guys.

that could have been better but i am TIRED so. there you go rose ily

#cockles #cockles ask #liz answers #i really just. spend hours. writing about misha and his boyfriend.#why. why do i. do that #long post for ts

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teamfreewill56-blog · 3 years

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Shinjurou did not physically abuse his boys. He. Did. Not. He is a passionate, enthusiastic, loving father who fell into a horrible depression and downward spiral. The only time he ever laid a hand on them was when Senjuro was trying to separate him from Tanjiro when he attacked him in anger. Senjuro and Kyojuro are not afraid of him, Senjuro gets nervous around him because he wants to make his father happy just like Kyojuro does, he wants to please him, and he wants to help but he doesn’t know how and so that makes him nervous. But he still tries to help and interact with him. If Shinjurou beat them Senjuro wouldn’t talk as openly with him as he does or go so out of his way to speak to him, being struck in the face by his father would have had a different reaction from Senjuro after he and Tanjiro sat down to talk. He probably would have been more downcast, upset, and normally animes and manga will give hints to physical abuse going on but that never happens here. When Senjuro and Tanjiro talk about Shinjurou, Senjuro is sweet and chipper and he immediately brushed it off because he knew Shinjurou didn’t mean it. And Shinjurou isn’t perfect, most people aren’t going to freeze in an attack if their kid grabs the arm they’re using to swing at someone. Kyojuro is also a extremely righteous and protective person guys, if Shinjurou laid a hand on his little brother Kyojuro would have addressed it. When you’re close to your siblings like Kyojuro and Senjuro are, you don’t let ANYBODY touch your younger sibling, parent or not and you will go to blows with anybody regardless of how kind and gentle you are---that’s not a cute story trope guys, I’ve seen it many many times, including in my own life. Kyojuro isn’t afraid of Shinjurou at all either, just like Senjuro he goes out of his way to interact with his father, he isn’t ever nervous around him. He doesn’t flinch when Shinjurou throws a sake jug at him because he knows Shinjurou would never hit him because he never has. He goes as far as to say he thinks the reason Shinjurou keeps telling them they’re bad swordsmen is because he believes his father doesn’t want to lose his boys too. They’re all he has left of his wife, and they’re his sons, of course he wouldn’t want them to do something as dangerous as the Demon Slayer Corp. Having his wife be taken from him by an illness he realized he can’t protect his family from everything, but he knew if he told the boys not to join the Demon Slayer Corp that would at least lessen the chances of them getting killed early. You have to also remember the first time he said this to Kyojuro he was still actively the Flame Pillar. They’re also his sons so just like Ruka he knew they wanted to be Flame Pillars so he couldn’t just ask them not to join, their family has been the Flame Pillar for generations. He tore up the records after he heard about Kyojuro’s death not only because he probably wanted to guarantee Senjuro couldn’t become the next Flame Pillar so he wouldn’t risk losing him too but also because he probably completely blamed Kyojuro’s death on the fact that he became the Flame Pillar. He thought if he told Kyojuro and Senjuro they weren’t good enough they’d eventually abandon it and it didn’t work, so that’s something to be upset about for him. When people are upset, it’s easier to blame someone else for the bad thing that happened, and Shinjurou (especially drunk) wasn’t going to admit to a stranger he felt it was his fault Kyojuro died, and that’s why I think he told Tanjiro that Kyojuro died because he was “weak”. Because blaming it on Kyojuro meant he didn’t have to reflect on the fact that he left Senjuro and Kyojuro alone. I don’t believe Shinjurou truly believed either of his sons to be weak, I think he told them they weren’t good enough because he hoped that if he said it enough they would eventually abandon it and then he wouldn’t have to risk losing them. In Rengoku Gaiden he was still grieving Ruka, and doing his Pillar duties and as we see it was taking its toll on his emotions, he wasn’t able to handle the grief and anger of losing her properly and at some point his depression just got so bad that he couldn’t function anymore and went to one of the darkest depths of depression where he just stayed in bed all day. Guys he never looks at Senjuro and Kyojuro when they’re talking to him, his back is always to them, because he can’t even handle the reminder of his wife in their features anymore. Especially considering Kyojuro is a exact replica of her but with his dad’s hair and eyes. That’s not even touching the traits in personality he shares with her. That is how hard her death hit him, instead of being glad that he could see her face every day it just hurt him to see her in his boys because it reminded him she was gone and not coming back and it was too much for him. Shinjurou was mad at himself, he felt like he was worthless, he probably felt like Senjuro and Kyojuro blamed him or resented him for letting their beloved mother die. He felt so badly about himself that he assumed Kyojuro had a complaint about him before Senjuro could even tell him what Kyojuro said. When he hears what Kyojuro actually said, and thinks back to the last time he saw Kyojuro he openly cries, and it’s not like a tear trickle it is grief-stricken crying just like what Senjuro was doing. Once Shinjurou stops drinking we see what I believe is the real him. The letter he sends to Tanjiro in the Entertainment District arc is a great indicator of the real Shinjurou. He has nothing but praise and affectionate words for Tanjiro and for his sons, he thanks Tanjiro for grieving Kyojuro, apologizes for his actions, explains how he got to that point in his life, praises Senjuro’s growth and his and Tanjiro’s friendship, praises Kyojuro’s accomplishments and affectionately tells Tanjiro about how they are so much like their mother. He didn’t have to send all this. He could have just sent the info, but he doesn’t, because he does love his family and he loves his sons and he knows them and he appreciates how much Tanjiro cares about his sons and so feels comfortable enough to share these thoughts with him. If he was abusive to the boys he would not say all those things, he wouldn’t care about their emotions or their accomplishments but he does care, Shinjurou loved and adored his family, he made some mistakes in his grief, and went about dealing with it wrong, but he loved his boys, he definitely loved them too much to harm them.

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juniorgman187 · 3 years

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About Time (Reid Fic)

Summary: Reader’s offer to help Morgan renovate one of his properties makes Spencer jealous enough to confess what he never could before.

A/N: I try to avoid specific Reid eras in my works so that it can be up to you how you imagine him, but please just imagine seasons 1 or 2 Spencer - I’m telling you it’ll make the experience richer. Also, I might improve this fic in the near future bc I’m not entirely happy with it. Category: Drabble, Fluff Pairing: Fem!Reader x Spencer Reid Content Warning: None Word Count: 2.5k Playlist: Would You Be So Kind by Dodie

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　

Clink … Clink … Clink …

The repetitive noise was barely discernible at first, then it became all that I could focus on.

In an attempt to find the source, I looked up from my paperwork and scanned the room. It only took me half a second to discover that Morgan was the culprit.

From across the round table, I watched as Derek absentmindedly stirred his coffee and sugar together, making a ‘clink’ noise each time his spoon hit the rim of the cup. This wouldn’t have been bothersome had it not persisted for more than 10 minutes which, by all accounts, is plenty of time for the sugar to dissolve.

“Derek… ” I sort of sang, trying to capture his attention as nicely as possible.

“Derek.” I repeated, this time a little less quietly and a little more sharply. Still, my voice did nothing to stop the noisy stirring of his coffee. I stayed silent for a second, just in case he finally noticed I was speaking to him, but when he didn’t, I gave a concerned look to Spencer beside me as if to ask if he was seeing what I was and he returned just the same expression of confusion.

That’s when I knew something was wrong.

“Derek!” I said even louder, finally catching his attention.

His head snapped in my direction, his ghost-like countenance falling away after looking directly at me. I was relieved to see proof of life had been regained behind his eyes. The abrupt reaction made me squint harder in his direction to decipher what was truly going on. “Is everything okay? You were kind of zoning out just now.”

He sighed while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “It’s nothing. I just had a late night last night and I didn’t go to bed till three this morning.”

“Oh?” I asked coyly. “And what was her name?” I brought my mug to my lips to hide my growing smirk behind the rim.

He didn’t catch on right away, which to me was more than enough evidence that he wasn’t well. He was usually the first to be aware of an innuendo, maybe even the one to be making it. “Whose name?”

“The girl that kept you up till three this morning.” I mimicked his voice in crude yet playful imitation.

To this, he shook his head and rolled his eyes with a grin. “Alright, get your pretty lil’ head out of the gutter, Kitten. I was busy fixing up a property I got down in Emporia. Lost track of time. That’s all.”

Whether or not he was hiding something more, I didn’t care anymore. He’d piqued my interest in this new topic. “Emporia? That’s like 2 or 3 hours away.”

His eyebrows lifted in agreement. “Yeah, like I said - late night.”

Not even trying to tempt him with my words, I simply remarked, “But I mean it can’t be that hard though, right? Fixing up the house?”

There was no verbal response from him, only a mirthless chuckle.

I was less careful with my words than I should’ve been, letting them flow through my mouth without filtering them first. “I’m just saying, I worked with Habitat For Humanity for years. We built thousands of houses from scratch, each of them within a matter of days.”

He sat up in his seat and leaned forward to assert himself. It was nearly the same mannerisms he would display in an interview when he wanted to maintain dominance. “Well, that’s because you got how many people working on one house?”

When I didn’t answer, he simply tapped the table and leaned back comfortably in his seat, prematurely relishing in a self-proclaimed victory. “Yeah, exactly. Whereas, it’s just little ol’ me fixing up these properties.”

“Okay, then I’ll help you.”

He only snickered in response, lending way for me to believe he didn’t trust that I’d provide any sort of productive assistance.

“I will!” I insisted. “Since you’re so convinced those houses were only built as fast as they were because it was a group effort, I want to prove to you that it’s actually because I’m just a fast worker.”

“It’s not a race, Kitten. All I said was it took me a while to fix up the house. I don’t need you to help. And I wouldn’t be paying you even if you did, by the way.”

“Oh, I’m not doing this for money,” I reasserted. “I’m doing this for pride. I know I’m right, and I want you to know it, too.”

It’s worth mentioning that Derek and I made these kinds of bets all the time. Our friendship was practically built on the foundation of competition. The first interaction I ever had with him was when he came up to me while I was arranging my desk to ask what I thought the odds were that he could toss his paper ball into the trashcan across the bullpen.

Years Ago . . .

“What are the chances I’ll make the shot?” I heard a deep, unfamiliar voice inquire from behind me.

“You’re aiming for the trashcan all the way over there? No way.” This voice I knew was Elle’s. She’d been the second person to introduce herself to me and if I had to guess, the deeper voice belonged to the guy I recalled sitting diagonally from her. I made eye contact with him when I initially walked in, but he hadn’t taken the time to introduce himself to me, nor I to him. He seemed a little preoccupied … making a paper ball and all.

“Actually, if Morgan’s throw had specific arc, the trajectory of the ball would -”

“He’s not making it, Reid.” Elle cut off the small, almost mousy voice promptly, shutting down any ‘pro-Morgan-making-the-shot’ argument he was about to make.

You could get a lot from just listening. Some might call it eavesdropping, but I like to call it being observant, and from what I’d observed

A) The one throwing the ball was Morgan.

B) The smart-sounding one was Reid.

C) Reid was a proponent of Morgan, so I could assume they were close friends.

D) There were three very distinct, very different personalities in this general vicinity of desks alone.

“O’ ye of little faith! Gimme a break, Elle. You’re just busting my balls ‘cause Reid came to me about Lila before he came to you.”

“That has nothing to do with the fact that I’m right.”

“No, but it means you have bias.” Derek retorted.

“Fine then. If it means that much to you to have an unbiased opinion, let’s ask someone impartial - like Anderson.”

“Actually, I have a better idea,” The deep voice said as soon as I’d placed the last item on my desk - a stack of sticky notes in the shape of a cat’s face that’d been gifted to me the moment I exited the elevator by Penelope Garcia.

“Excuse me, Kitten,” The deep voice purred. “You think I could get this ball into that trash bin right over there?”

It took me a second to register that he was addressing me until I realized where the nickname originated from and that it had belonged to me - I could thank Penelope for that.

“Oh, um …” I looked around the room like somehow it would have my answer. In some ways, it did.

I made contact with Reid first. He smiled weakly at me with tender awkwardness that melted my heart a little bit. Meanwhile, Elle’s eyes were luring me to join her on the dark side and say he wouldn’t make it. To be fair, riling him up seemed like fun. I’d be on Elle’s good side, gain her approval, and if I executed my jest playfully enough, I’d be on Morgan’s good side, too.

“No shot in hell, big guy.”

Present Time . . .

That’s how it all started - this sibling-like rivalry. Ever since then, we’ve been challenging each other like our lives depended on it. And if I had to make it my life’s mission to win this most recent bet, then so be it.

“Alright, kitten, I’ll take you up on that offer. I’ll pick you up at 9 on Saturday.”

We sealed the deal with a cross-table handshake, and at that moment, I hadn’t realized it - only when I thought back to it, did I notice - Reid had been watching the entire interaction unfold. Misinterpreting every painstaking second of it.

_ _ _

Sticking true to his word, Derek had taken up my offer in spades. Not the least bit shy in delegating me each and every duty there could possibly be.

I’ll admit, he used my pride to his advantage. Because while I was practically doing all the handy-work imaginable inside the property, he was resting on his laurels outside, probably taking up the view of rolling green hills that went on forever just beyond the front yard.

It just so happened that that would be our maintained, respective locations for the unexpected arrival of Derek’s very first (very unhappy) guest.

I was inside painting when I heard the placid squeak of Derek getting up from his Adirondack chair on the wraparound porch. I remember peeking my head out of the doorway for a second to see if he was finally going to come inside and help me, but lo and behold, I caught him walking further away from the entrance. While I might’ve given an eye roll of annoyance at the action, I thought nothing of it. Not until I heard Derek speaking to an eerily familiar secondary voice.

“What are you doing here?” I could hear Derek ask. My ears had perked up like a dog on high alert.

“Don’t play dumb. You’re trying to … to -” The second voice stammered.

“Spit it out, kid!”

“You’re trying to steal my girl!” Whoever it was, was desperate to speak with conviction, maybe even malice, to prove some level of strength that could match Derek’s, but they tried and failed.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Steal your girl? What the hell are you talking about, man?”

“You know I like her! And yet you’re just hanging out with her alone now? On one of your desolate properties? Can’t you see how suspicious that looks? You’re supposed to be my friend.”

I’d stopped painting completely at this point so I could take asylum behind the closed door. I could place that voice anywhere, and I needed to press my ear against the only thing separating it from me to confirm what I already knew.

“Reid, I am your friend,” And there it was. Reid? “And as your friend, I’m telling you: lower your voice unless you want her to hear you.”

“Don’t patronize me. Just tell me,” Spencer, if anything, spoke louder. Perhaps he did want me to hear him, or he simply wanted to defy Derek. “Why do you flirt with her?”

“Flirt?” Derek seemed appalled at the word. It would’ve been offensive that he was disgusted at the thought of engaging with me in that manner had I not felt the same way. What we were doing was not flirting - by any stretch of the imagination.

“You know what I’m talking about. You call her ‘Kitten,’ you both make sexual innuendos that you think fly over my head, you invite her to come over.”

“Slow your roll, Pretty Boy. First of all, ‘Kitten’ is just a nickname I gave her the first time we met because I didn’t know what her actual name was. You know that - you were there. Second, the sexual innuendos are just playful jabs at the fact that I sleep around. Low hanging-fruit. Third, inviting her to come over might seem suspicious, but if you walk in there right now, you’ll see that nothing is going on between us. She’s just here to help.”

I wanted any excuse to walk out there myself and announce my nearby presence. Confront Spencer and tell him I heard everything. Ask him where any of this was coming from. How he could think, for even a second, that there was something between me and Morgan.

Turns out, I didn’t need an excuse. I had already walked out.

Spencer gulped hard when he saw me. And for that I felt sorry for him. He looked so unlike himself. His hair was disheveled like he’d ran his fingers through it a million times out of stress. His outfit was strangely untidy, the buttons of his cuff unclasped. “Could you ... did you-”

“I heard everything,” I clarified to the dumbfounded shell of a man standing at the base of Morgan’s stairs.

It was a triangle of stares between us all. Exchanging quizzical glances in a battle of wills to see who would fold first. I was looking at Reid, Reid was looking at me, then he looked at Morgan, who looked back at him, then at me. Like I said, a triangle of stares.

“Um ... I’ll leave you two to talk. I’ll just be inside.”

I suppose there were worse ways to finally get Morgan off his ass and working.

Reid trailed Morgan with his eyes, while I simply waited for the sound of the door shutting behind me. It took a few more seconds until one of us had the gall to speak.

“Did you mean what you said? About liking me?” This question that I posed went unanswered for what felt like minutes. Looking at Reid, I could tell he wanted to say something, he just didn’t know what.

The soul was willing, but the flesh was weak.

“If you’re not ready to admit it, that’s okay. But then why did you really come here, Spencer? To yell at Morgan for possibly making a move on me? Because now’s your chance. Make your move, Spence.” I descended the stairs, stopping to stand on the very last step so I’d hover a mere inch above him. “Make a move.”

Make a move, he did.

Warm, clammy hands that were disproportionately bigger than the rest of his body caught my face so that unbelievably, inconceivably soft lips could make their fierce attack with no resistance. His fingers laced through my hair until his hand found the nape of my neck. He used that as leverage to pull me impossibly closer.

When he was just one step away from sucking my soul out of me, I laid my palm on his chest and pushed him slightly backward. I think I heard him laughing when I did this, probably to hide the shame of letting himself commit so fully to the moment that he forgot just how intense his passion was.

His eyes fluttered open and his lips were still contorted in a pucker. It took him a second, but it finally came.

“I meant what I said,” He confessed ever so nonchalantly as though it were the easiest thing in the world to him, despite being unable to come even close to admitting it just minutes before. “I like you. A lot.”

It was me who laughed then, both from the sheer elation hearing him say that brought me and the distant, exasperated comment that came from within the house.

“Well, finally! It’s about damn time!”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

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