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marvelmusing · 2 years ago

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Aleksander Morozova NSFW Alphabet

(Featuring Fem!Reader)

A/N: there are so many different versions of Aleksander in my head, so for this alphabet I’ve decided to base it on having an established relationship with S1!Aleksander (who has some extra Book!Darkling features).

[18+ content under the cut]

My Masterlist

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

He enjoys soaking up the moment, letting the pleasure linger as you both come down from your highs. Whether he’s draped over the foot of the bed, or lying with you tucked against his chest, no matter what, his eyes are always on you, drinking in the sight of your pleasure flushed skin and the rise and fall of your chest as you attempt to settle your breathing. Slowly, he will trace his fingers over each and every inch of you, assessing for any damage and admiring your body.

B = Body part (their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

He loves your hands. When you cradle his face between them he all but melts into a puddle at your feet, ready to worship you. He likes to watch your hands whenever you undress him, whether that be a delicate teasing as you slowly unclasp his belt or a frantic tug at his shirt, he loves it all.

He knows you love his neck and nothing makes him shiver like feeling your mouth against the hollow of his throat before you nose your way upwards, pressing kisses along his thundering pulse until you reach his jawline, taking the edge of it between your teeth.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum basically)

He likes making a mess of you. If you don’t enjoy it as much, then he will save this indulgence for only special occasions. If you also enjoy it, then he will thoroughly delight in smearing his release over your chest, down your stomach, and particularly over your thighs. After that, he will watch you lick his hands and fingers clean.

D = Dirty Secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He is a bit of an exhibitionist. But just for subtle things. It’s not about people seeing you during intimate moments, it’s more that he enjoys other people seeing a glimpse of how disheveled and blissful he can make you, which acts as a casual reminder to everyone that you’re his.

He likes it when messengers call on him during the morning, and they see you wearing one of his shirts with kiss swollen lips and a certain glow about you. He likes it when the servants find his clothes in your room, or yours in his. He likes it when people do their best to ignore the marks down your throat and over your collarbones.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Aleksander knows what he’s doing, but his experience has only been gained because he’s lived so long. He loses his virginity in his mid-twenties because he’s never settled in one place long enough to feel comfortable being intimate.

At that point in his life, he avoids sleeping with Grisha because the skin to skin contact would reveal that he is an amplifier (putting himself in danger) and he doesn’t trust otkazatsya enough to be comfortable around them.

As the centuries go on, and he gains a more elevated status, he finds himself able to enjoy a few partners, mostly to take his mind off everything else. There are a few that he genuinely cares for, despite his best efforts since he knows he will outlive them.

He’s very perceptive, so he quickly learns what you like and commits it to memory. His commanding aura also gives you an impression of his experience.

F = Favourite Position (this goes without saying)

Anything that keeps you close and allows him to run his hands all over your body. He likes sitting with his back against the headboard, you in his lap while he grasps at your hips, guiding you with each move of your hips.

When you’re on your back, he usually ends up pinning your legs into whatever position he desires with his shadows so that his hands are free to roam over your breasts, rolling your nipples between his fingers as well as cupping your face or gripping your throat as he kisses you.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

Mostly serious during the act but he can definitely be soft and playful at times. He’s more teasing during these moments. Sometimes there’s a flirtatious back and forth between the two of you during the lead up, before you decide to abandon the teasing and take what you want from each other.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc)

He keeps himself pretty well maintained. There’s a small trace of hair over his lower stomach that begins just above his waistband and trails downwards into a small bundle of dark curls.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment, romantic aspect)

Aleksander is putting all of his focus on you, ensuring that you’re comfortable and enjoying yourself. In day to day life, he’s well attuned to your needs and that’s no different during sex.

To Aleksander, real intimacy is the combination of physical touch and trust. He trusts that your touch will not hurt him, and vice versa. You know what his hands are capable of, but you trust him to touch you. As a result, every touch been the two of you is intimate, but especially during something sexual.

J = Jack Off (masturbation headcanon)

Before the two of you were together, he would find himself fantasising about you, though it took him a long time give in and actually think about you whilst touching himself.

The first time he did it, he locked his doors and settled under the covers of his bed with flushed cheeks at the thought of what he was doing. It took a matter of minutes, thinking of your hand on his cock or your face between his thighs, before he neared his climax.

As his mind drifted, distracted by the pleasure, he thought of thrusting into your cunt, of how tight and wet you would be, so perfect. In seconds, he spilled over his hand and his sheets, blinking in surprise at the speed of his climax before the bliss settled into his bones.

From that moment onwards, he knew he had to have you, at least once in his life.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Loves overstimulating you, partially because it ties into making a mess of you, but also because of the trust you place in him to know your limits. He loves giving you total pleasure, wringing countless orgasms from your body, until you’re writhing beneath him and he needs to use his shadows to pin you down so that he can continue.

He likes putting his hand around your throat, not necessarily to choke you but just to remind you that he’s the one in control, also he likes directing your attention - telling you to look at his face or watch your reflection if you’re facing the mirror opposite his bed.

Mirror sex with Aleksander is quite an intense experience, with him edging you while ensuring that you watch yourself become more and more desperate. Throughout this, he murmurs in your ear about how beautiful you are, and everything else he adores about you. The whole thing usually brings tears to your eyes and Aleksander makes sure to look after you attentively for the rest of the night.

He also enjoys cockwarming. Having you as close as physically possible, constantly feeling the point where the two of you are connected as he runs his hands over your body. If you’re facing him then he can kiss you leisurely until you’re breathless and then he can move downwards over your throat and along your shoulders.

L = Location (favourite places to do the do)

The comfort of your private suite is Aleksander’s favourite place, usually the bed, although you've tried plenty of other spots - the bath, the sofa, his desk, even the rug by the fireplace.

Of course, that isn’t to say he won’t drag you into a small nook somewhere in the palace, shielding you both from sight with his shadows. But that means you have to be quiet, and Aleksander loves hearing you, so the two of you prefer somewhere private.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Kissing you always unlocks something inside him, making his hands wander as he seeks more of you. If your hands are in his hair, or if your fingers curl around his neck, Aleksander is fully prepared to fuck.

Seeing you wearing black - his colour - makes him want to steal you away for himself and show you off to everyone simultaneously. When the two of you look like a matching pair, he preens the whole time, and can’t help but think of how beautiful you look naked, grasping at black bed sheets.

Saying his name is a guaranteed way of getting his attention and depending on the tone you use can have him inside you almost instantly. He doesn’t allow many people to know his name and hearing you say it always sends a thrill through him.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Fearplay and bloodplay. He’s seen too much fear and blood from people he cares about to find it enjoyable. He won’t mind chasing you or trying to capture you, as long as you’re enthusiastic about it, as well as it being playful and lighthearted.

He doesn’t mind being a little mean to you (in a teasing manner) but Aleksander has to be stern and demanding every day, so it’s nice to put that persona away when he’s with you. He knows he’s capable of being cruel and would never want to say something that has the potential to hurt you, even when you both know deep down that he would never mean it.

Aleksander doesn’t like being on the receiving side of bondage. Having his hands tied up or being restrained in any way brings back bad memories for him and makes him feel out of control.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

As much as he loves the sight of you kneeling in front of him with your face between his thighs and your mouth on his cock, he could spend hours with his tongue lapping against your cunt.

He has actually spent hours, suckling your clit, mouth moving leisurely over your entrance to swallow down your wetness, moaning lowly.

He loves when you grasp at his hair, nails scraping lightly over his scalp as you thread your fingers through his dark locks, tender with him despite the pleasure that has you crying out for him.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc)

Aleksander enjoys going slow, taking his time to remove every coherent thought from your mind.

But there’s also times when you can feel the tension in his body and you urge him to go harder, assuring him that you can handle the worst of him - the parts that want to leave marks on you, claiming you as his. Then he’s rough, holding onto you like you might slip away if he doesn’t grip tight enough.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc)

Not very often. Sometimes when he’s particularly stressed you visit him between meetings, and either kneel under his desk to take his cock into your mouth or staddle his lap to encourage him inside you.

He prefers to take his time with you, and his infamous patience and restraint means that he rarely indulges in something quick when he can just wait until he has you for as long as he wants.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc)

Aleksander is always willing to talk things through with you about something you want to try. He has his own ideas and fantasies, which he enjoys explaining to you casually while you sit in his lap and try not to show him how needy his words are making you.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for, how long do they last?)

It depends. Some nights, when you’ve both had a tiring day, one round is enough to have you both collapsing into one another’s arms and sleeping once you’ve cleaned yourselves up.

Other nights, when you can’t get enough of one another, there’s countless rounds with the occasional small break between where you simply touch each other lovingly. By the end of the night, your entire body is light with pleasure and you sink into a blissful sleep with Aleksander’s arms around you.

T = Toy (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

He might have a few plugs with a black gem at the base to make you needy and remind you of who you belong to. But he prefers to touch you himself, liking the contact and feeling firsthand how your body responds to him.

If he wants to feign detachment from your pleasure, he’ll make you grind against his pillow or a cushion, so he can sit nearby, ignoring you whining his name and pretending to read just to rile you up.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Aleksander is ridiculously patient, it’s a skill he has mastered over the years, so if he wants to make you beg he is more than capable of such a thing.

He knows your body better than his own. He knows exactly what to do to make you succumb to pleasure. He knows how to drive every thought from your mind until the only word you’re capable of saying is his name.

If he wants to tease, you can guarantee that you will be a dripping mess before he even touches you.

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

Sometimes he quietens himself, an old habit that is hard for him to shake, although you know all the spots that give him the most pleasure, deploying your lips and touch which allows him to relax enough to hardly realise what sounds he’s making. Each moan and curse and cry of your name is a victory that thrums through your body.

Aleksander is a smooth talker and could most definitely make you cum just by sitting you in his lap and murmuring sweet nothings and filthy promises to you. But when he’s inside you, his perfectly crafted compliments and remarks are dialed up to a hundred.

Aleksander doesn’t swear that often, the only exception is when you’re fucking or when he’s trying to rile you up. His Old Ravkan accent thickens whenever he curses, reverting back to the time before he was a nobleman.

W = Wild Card (get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

He is definitely down to blindfold you and drip candle wax over your naked body, teasing you every time you squirm or jump at the sensations he’s providing. Kissing and biting over your thighs, before he leaves a trail of hot wax there, relishing in the sound of your whimpers.

With the blindfold on, he’s free to watch you as intently as he likes without you getting self conscious, allowing you to focus on nothing but what he’s willing to give you. It also means he can be fully aware of your comfort level, only giving what you are capable of handling.

Bonus Wildcard

Imagine going skinny dipping in the lake with Aleksander one summer night when no one else is around.

X = X-Ray (let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

Average length with a thick girth. He usually likes to ease you open with his fingers first, typically giving you an orgasm before he actually fucks you, so that you don’t struggle with his size.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Quite high, he always wants you, but he can ignore it very successfully when he wants to. This is a source of frustration for you when you try to coax him away from his work with teasing, as it usually ends up with you feeling more desperate than he does.

Z = ZZZ (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Not until you fall asleep. He likes to hold you and make sure you’re safe and comfortable before he can allow himself to rest fully. It’s during these moments that he feels most at peace, so he likes soak it up until he sinks into slumber.

marvelmusing Tag List: @dreamlandcreations @blanchedelioncourt @idaofinfinity @slytherheign @ellooo0ooo @vixenofcourse @dumb-fawkin-bitch @jane-arthur @ilikefictionmen @budugu @watersquirtpewpewboomm @mysweetlittledesire @dhampiravidi

S&B Tag List: @motheroffae

Aleksander M Tag List: @nyctophiliiiiaaa @jazmin2211 @wooya1224 @seronsalk @housekeeperjjswife

BB Characters Tag List: @rachlovesactors @noortsshift @aikeia @weallhaveadestiny @two-unbeatable-beaters

#aleksander morozova #aleksander morozova x reader #the darkling x reader #the darkling imagine #the darkling au #the darkling smut #shadow and bone au #shadow and bone x reader

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blueikeproductions · 2 months ago

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An update on the Transformers CyberWorld situation.

Without a shadow of a doubt, it’s the next cartoon as a new copyright notice on Hasbro’s part includes animated series.

So we’re moving on from EarthSpark. A well intentioned successor to Rescue Bots aimed older that … just didn’t stick the landing for many reasons (no Nightshade being Enby isn’t one of them, but among certain groups it didn’t exactly help either…).

So what can we expect going forward.

Honestly I think we’re in the middle of a shift, creatively.

Cyberverse & EarthSpark clung to a lot of IDW centric ideas about how the Autobots are shady & the Decepticons are the actual heroes.

Skybound and TFONE are to be returning to traditional Heroic Autobots and Evil Decepticons. Starscream & Shockwave are absolutely psychotic, Soundwave is more professional in an ends justify the means capacity, and Skybound Optimus being praised for a much needed return to the strong enough to be gentle vs the introverted millenial/Gen Z kid most stuff lately has cast him in. And just by official trailers and snippets alone, ONE’s fixed a huge problem with the cast system thing started by Aligned, by making future Autobots into the oppressed miners and from what we can tell, the future Decepticons being among those who either benefited from the system or joined Starscream’s splinter faction, a faction that likely has no benefits to Cybertron as a whole.

It does feel like there’s a bit of course correcting to go with a more traditional route most casuals expect. Even a recent toyetic promo for ONE where the actors play with the toys with some football players, among them is the one who calls himself Megatron, & the players express mild skepticism on an origin story, when they all know Optimus & Megatron are mortal enemies so why bother having them be friends previously or some such. I can always appreciate when a studio expresses self awareness and happily pokes fun at itself.

It also feels like they’ve realized they’ve both overexposed certain characters and also realized certain characters don’t work.

I think RotB and Skybound’s willingness to kill off Bumblebee shows even Hasbro might be sick of him now. His absence so far in early CyberWorld leaks seem to point in this direction too. A recent promotion and opening animation with Squad Busters doesn’t have Bee, but instead uses Elita. It also keeps Megatron and the Decepticons as the villains.

I don’t think Bee is going away, since he’s a major component of TFONE, Reactivate (whenever that sucker comes out), and that separate racing (?) game thing, but outside of EarthSpark, it does feels like they’re trying to move away from him a little. Cyberverse also sticks out as it’s pretty clear the writers wanted nothing to do with Bee after S1, but Hasbro marketing and rebranding made Bumblebee a huge focus, confusing matters, as despite the rebranding, Bee’s role had greatly diminished. (Like realistically, it should’ve been Bumblebee leading the Autobots during the Quint occupation, not Hot Rod if Hasbro was that insistent about it.)

Elita is also an interesting change. For years, Hasbro seemed content to ignore her (and her squad) in favor of Arcee, with Hasbro & IDW trying to beef up female presence with “OCs” Windblade & Pyra Magna among others to little fanfare. Indeed, Windy appears to be benched in favor of Elita-One who has gotten more attention post Netflix WFC (that god awful show did one thing right and it was bring back a Female Autobot people actually like to complement Arcee).

I stand by the series still has a villain problem, and EarthSpark didn’t help by trying to make the Decepticons sympathetic moody Autobots, but also not properly taking advantage of Mandroid, Croft and (so far) the Quintessons. This has been an issue for the bulk of IDW, Cyberverse, & RotB as well, by either omitting Megatron, trying to redeem Megatron into a good guy and/or his replacements not being up to snuff/killed off too quickly. Scourge & Mandroid were steps in the right direction but alas. The Quintessons are also a step in the right direction but Hasbro seems semi hesitant to do much with them, despite their increased presence. (I’m leaning towards it being most toys related to them don’t sell, which is what will make a future Void Rivals toy line interesting…)

So now we’re at CyberWorld.

The lack of Bee in favor of Mirage due to his popularity from RotB seems telling among the Autobots, though we don’t have Elita so far in this series curiously.

All we have to go on Decepticon wise is Galvatron, Scorponok, and Sky-Byte, but that’s still a pretty big change up.

While they still have relevance in TFONE, Screamer & The Waves’ roles in EarthSpark are mostly minor, with Starscream as the standout (in a bad fan fic kind of way). Skybound mostly has ignored Megatron, slowly building up to him in stuff like Cobra Commander, with Starscream getting the crap beaten out of him, and as of the recent issue, Shockwave’s fate isn’t looking too good, leaving Soundwave. It does feel like Hasbro is willing to experiment more outside of Screamer & The Waves, given their absence this far in CyberWorld. Galvatron is also a surprise, given the “Let’s make Megatron an Antihero!” phase started in IDW, that carried over to stuff like Prime Wars, WFC, CV & ES.

I feel like using Galvatron is an attempt to both move away from Megatron for a bit, but to also still technically use him (as a villain) as usually Galvatron IS Megatron. Scorponok, at least in comics and the Headmasters anime, is typically a main villain, but how that works here we don’t know yet. He’s either G1 Marvel Scorponok or BW Scorponok, there’s very little inbetween.

So I think what we have is a big change that is going back to basics like Skybound did, but is willing to still experiment with other characters to add variety. Plus let’s be honest, having multiple Megatron toys from three different things with little visual difference is a sign of stagnation. Shaking it up with Galvatron is an improvement post TFONE.

#blueike productions #blueike #transformers #maccadam #transformers earthspark #transformers one #transformers cyberworld

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fluffypotatey · 1 year ago

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What are your in depth thoughts about MK’s and Sun Wukong’s vs MK’s and Macaque’s relationships? Because lemme tell you I’ve got so many it’s essay worthy

i saved you for last <3 but i honestly don't know if i can talk about this coherently T^T

short answer: they are on different levels in 2 ways, MK's comfortability and in how they grow

long answer: *inhales*

so you see, there are many levels that are set between the two relationships. and by levels i mean power dynamics, casualness, formalities, respect, and idolization :)

MK and Sun Wukong

with MK and Sun Wukong their relationship began very formal. MK was simply Wukong's student (with a wish to one day be close friends with his mentor/idol), but then by around 1x09, there becomes this shift in their dynamic. in this episode, we do get insight into how far Wukong actually cares for MK because for about most of s1, the monkey keeps his distance while putting up a laid back attitude. but after MK admits to his desire of being "good enough, like [Wukong]," you will notice that Sun Wukong, slowly starts to pull down his walls for MK. he even invites MK to stay over with him for New Years (2x00), despite knowing that it was more likely for MK to leave and celebrate with his friends. (WHICH MK EVEN SAYS BECAUSE BY THIS POINT MK COMES TO REALIZE THAT THEIR RELATIONSHIP MIGHT NEVER BREACH INTO THE FRIENDSHIP HE ROMANTICIZED IN HIS HEAD. THUS SHOWING HOW THE TWO ARE DOING A REVERSE IN THEIR DYNAMIC AND- *gets dragged away to calm down*)

as i was saying.

in s2, Wukong ends up leaving to investigate a way to stop LBD before things blow over (which succeeds and fails bc it did, in fact, blow over). he didn't do it because he believed that it would hurt MK. personally, my assumption is that Sun Wukong didn't really see himself as that great of a mentor and that MK had been able to quickly pick up on new moves and techniques without much help from him, and with that thought, he believed that by leaving MK nothing but scrolls and a goal, MK would still be capable of mastering the new skills (which he did, thereby reinforcing that idea). but unfortunately, our beloved monkey king forgot that while MK is a very capable individual of incredible power, he's not confident in himself. he's simply "just loud" about himself and his prowess (which, if you noticed, MK grew even more quieter about this in seasons 2 & 3....fascinating).

so now there's this manufactured push to bring back their previous formality because Wukong is not completely ready to tell MK the truth despite how much he cares and trusts him (because, and this is my opinion, Wukong really wants to ensure that MK is not too involved in something as dangerous as LBD because she can get into your head and she can make matters worse for everybody). said manufactured push confuses MK because they had come so far from 1x01 and the distance they had before. sure, it's not as close as s3 and s4, but it definitely felt like they were at the cusp of something. this leaves MK sort of in his own limbo on where he stands with the Monkey King, and even if he sought advice about this with his friends, none of them have met the guy yet and can only make opinions based on their assumptions of what they feel like is going on (*cough, cough* Pigsy *cough, cough*).

and even after s2, in s3 Wukong is exhausted, a lot of his power depleted, and has to try and mingle civilly with MK's friends on a mission he originally planned to do alone (a suicidal mission to obtain the Samadhi Fire, if i might add). his reasoning for refusing at the beginning is because they are mortals, which MK misinterprets to mean that Wukong does not think MK can handle this mission and wants to prove himself.

omg their relationship is so complicated and messy T^T i love it

anyway, MK's and Sun Wukong's relationship is a push and pull between both people wanting to uphold and prove their worth to the other (Wukong lying to keep MK ignorant of a danger the monkey plans to eradicate in secret VS MK pushing himself into becoming powerful in order to prove himself as someone swk sees as worthy to trust). also, their dynamic is literally a platonic slow burn that slowly brings them closer and closer with s4 beginning with them (swk mostly lol) trying to be more honest and upfront about their thoughts and feelings. and s4 ending with the two actually fighting for each other and protecting each other and fighting WITH each other and T^T it's so beautiful. but also because their dynamic is a slow burn, that provides ample time to seed in doubt and insecurities and wanting to bottle up your issues to keep the peace and-

ugh T^T them <3

(side note: the actual timeline of this show is a tad confusing to me. how long was s1? a month, a couple months, a week? how long was s2? how long is the gap between seasons???? idk and i've tried to find something feasible to work with but i'm mostly just taking an "academic" estimation)

but now onto Macky and MK's relationship!

Mackenzie and MK

this one despite how rocky it looks is not a slow burn dynamic. it's got a fun roller coaster of levels because it goes "secret mentor/student" to "enemies" to "frenemies?" to "morally dubious but is actually a softie" to "potential mentor 2.0???" and i love it.

so, MK and Macky's dynamic begins in 1x09 (the blessed episode) since that's Mackackle's introduction to the show and MK begins to train under him in secret because MK is frustrated with swk's teaching methods. through the brief montage of MK's training, i can't help but notice the words and phrasing Macky uses:

Mackarell: [sounding disappointed] Not bad...[chuckles] [in a mocking tone] don't get me wrong, but I was expecting a little more with someone of your power. MK: [is defensive] H-hey, I've got more- I can give way more than that! [sighs] I can do better. Macaroni: [bemused] Kay, maybe show me next time.

ok, honestly, i just wanna talk about this. because if you heard it without seeing Marconi's face and how they animated him, you could side-step the the fake disappointment and mocking tone. what he's saying on the surface, isn't anything malicious or cruel. he is acting like a mentor and it appears like he is trying to encourage MK so he can stop hesitating. but that's not what Mac's really doing.

he is acting disappointed in MK because MK has a need to prove himself. the scene before MK meets Macaque, he is with Wukong and is frustrated by how slow his training is. he knows he can do some pretty powerful moves if his mentor allowed him to, if only he can prove to him that he can level up from the "baby stuff", if only he could have someone see that potential and train him in something more his "style." how convenient that right after he vents his frustrations MK encounters exactly what he wants, but oh no, they're disappointed in his strength and prowess, he has to prove that wrong, he CAN prove that wrong.

see where i'm going? MK fell for Macky's web, hook-line-and-sinker because it was tailor made for him. BUT! this mentor/student dynamic does not last very long. and that's mostly because it never a long term relationship in the slightest. Macky always planned to use MK's powers for his own, so now the two are slotted into the enemies level. they were never on equal ground like MK thought, or even on a similar mentor/student level MK has with Wukong. Macaquack absolutely abused that dynamic for his own gain and MK lost his trust for it.

MK cannot trust Macky, why should he? in s2, MK and Macky's relationship is mostly antagonistic because Mk cannot trust Mac and Mac enjoys tormenting the guy by hanging his insecurities over him. they are not on equal ground. Mac only sees MK as some mortal child who is in over his head and thinks he can be a Wukong 2.0 while MK sees Mac as someone who betrayed his trust, tried to kill him and his mentor and it is very personal.

but then there's this interesting choice made by lmk. Mac warns MK of an upcoming danger. why does he do it? he had just proven that he is an enemy! but also, he ends up freeing MK's friends on the basis that it "wasn't fun anymore". why take pity (should we even call it pity) on MK enough to tell him that "big things are coming"?

why choose to give MK some (very vague) advice about what's to come? what caused Macky to decide to offer this information?

well, 1st it is clearly the writers' way of showing that there is more than meets the eye with Macky. this is a little indicator for the audience about "hey! keep an eye on him! he's more complex than you think! he's more than a stock villain!" 2nd, this is the very first push into Mac's more amiable relationship with MK.

in s3, Macky is under LBD's command and has to follow her orders or else she might send him back to the Diyu either by ripping his soul from his body, or encasing him in ice/bone. he is only on her side to survive. he doesn't even plan to stay. instead, it really looks like Mac wants to escape from her hold (which he eventually plans out after learning about the gang's mission to find the Rings of Samadhi).

when it comes to MK, Mac is very antagonistic. @shadowpeachyuri made a really great analysis on Macky's antagonistic behavior in s3. especially in 3x04 where he taunts and mocks MK for his self worth and powers, but he's also stalling from his own mission in retrieving MK for LBD. most of s3 is him stalling and picking fights with people rather than do his own job. not to mention, that he purposefully separated MK and Wukong believing it would be easier to retrieve them. but why all the stalling and hesitation? because he's upset with his circumstances, and wants to take out on everyone? yeah, that's definitely part of it.

still in s3 Mac is not trying to befriend MK, he's not trying to help him either, but he also isn't truly trying to catch him. his main objective is getting out of dodge, escaping and finding somewhere that is far from here. yet, he can't help but challenge MK into using his powers, offer some (very biased and skewed) advice on who the guy should trust. and it's not until "Embrace Your Destiny" when his on-again and off-again mood finally gets to MK because he saved MK, he brought MK to Mei and he gave them the Not-Mayor guy for information.

just...this whole exchange T^T

Mackardy: Look, I brought you the Lady Bone Demon's lapdog, but I'm not up for being a hero, kid.

here lies, Macky trying to tell MK that he is not on his side. he has been constantly antagonistic and while LBD is also his enemy, he was planning to just give MK and his gang enough help for them to plan out how to defeat her.

MK: We don't need you to beat him. We just need you to keep him busy. As long as he's [Monkey King] under her control the Mech's vulnerable. We can do this! You can do this.

enter MK, looking at Macky with such optimism and arguing back at Macky with the guy's own logic. it won't be a battle to try and defeat Wukong, Macky just has to "keep him busy". Stall, like he's been doing for all of s3. and he sprinkles in a bit more optimism and encouragement to sweeten the deal.

Macaroon: Nice speech, kid but it's not gonna- MK: [frustrated growl] STOP! You keep playing at being this bad guy, acting like you're just in it for you! But I know deep, deep down: you're not that guy. Help us. Make it right. Macadoodle: I'm not a hero, bud MK: Then be a warrior!

personally, i feel like this is the moment where the two's new dynamic begins. also, Macky and MK's relationship feels a but more on equal footing. neither of them hold a pedestal or an image of who they are. MK is able to figure out that a lot of Macky's outward appearance is just that, an appearance. and Macky is able to see that MK isn't some Wukong 2.0 he imagined up in his head in s1. MK is the Monkey King's successor but he is also his own person who will and has made different decisions than Wukong.

after s3, their dynamic is very similar to mentor/student in 4x10, but not in the same way as in 1x09. Macky isn't trying to be manipulative or play with double meanings, he's actually trying to help and figured a video game rpg would be the best bet since MK likes video games. MK is able to snap back at Macky and isn't afraid of showing the monkey his worries and fears (something he's struggling to with Wukong and vice versa) because Macky has seen that side of him already.

idk it's fascinating. i feel like i'm repeating myself a lot, but my main takeaway is that MK and Wukong have a slow burn friendship that began with formalities and over the seasons, they gradually grew closer and more comfortable with admitting that they care about each other (mostly Wukong needed this help but it's ok). and MK and Macky's relationship though began as enemies, grew into 2 characters who view each other as equals by the end and respect ach other loads.

there be my thoughts *jazz hands*

#lego monkie kid #lmk #lmk mk #lmk sun wukong #lmk six eared macaque #lmk qi xiaotian #lmk meta #lmk analysis #lmk sunburst duo #lmk soysauce duo #sunburst duo #soysauce duo #bestie i am so sorry it took me this long to finish your answer T^T #i was saving it for last just so i could take my time with it but may have forgotten that my actual time to write all of this was limited #anyway #this was a lot of fun to discuss #you are absolutely free to tell me your thoughts!#i wanna know your essay worthy thoughts profa ;-;#also i single out pigsy at some point here but it's mostly bc besides all of swk's enemies he's the biggest critic of swk who's close to MK #his reasons for being upset at the guy are beCAUSE he unintentionally hurt MK and essentially neglected the guy in his eyes #however: he is an extremely harsh and biased critic not even bothering to hear the other side bc of his distrustful nature & protectiveness #once pigsy somes to a conclusion you will need to provide some solid evidence to back up your argument WHICH WUKONG ALMOST NEVER DOES #the grind for meta is real but so is my commitment to the bit :3 #you will never find me spelling mackadoo's name right unless it's for fic #also i think i my macky analysis might be a tad off bc i kept repeating myself so sorry about that T^T #jfc this took me 3 days ;A;#enjoyed every bit of it #asks

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pepperbox · 2 years ago

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What are your thoughts on the Trigun reboot?

the big tl;dr is that i'm enjoying it a lot!! there are a couple things that i'm like, not suuuuper thrilled about but overall: it's a yes from me!

(for clarity, i was a huuuuuge fan of the '98 anime and watched it with my mom as a kid! i read trimax later in life and adored that, and now the og anime is like. fine?? but comparatively falls flat for me now as an adult in my 30s. i've rewatched the anime only once as an adult but i've reread trimax uhhhhh three times in the past year alone lolol)

i'm gonna bullet point this bc that's just how my brain works best:

i love the animation! there have been a few instances where it felt off, but overall it's been a feast for my eyeballs

I'M SORRY BUT I LOVE THE NEW VASH DESIGN transmasc icon, he's perfect. i am absolutely not biased, ignore my undercut--

also it updated his look for the 2000s?? the broomhead was a Look in the 90s but it's so dated now i'm SORRY LMAO

also who out here is making hair gel on this fucking desert planet, i s2g,

the inclusion of roberto at first i was kinda ??? about but i quickly adjusted to him, esp as he started throwing soon-to-be-dead-mentor flags all over the fucking place. he cracks me up but i'm legit just waiting at this point for him to die to further meryl's development and to pass the torch derringer on to her

i do hope millie makes an appearance for meryl (so they can be girlfriends, as is only right) but her absence really doesn't break trigun for me bc uhhhh y'all, her and meryl have relatively minor roles in trimax and straight up disappear for like, volumes at a time

also i really hated her random romance with wolfwood in the 98 anime even as a kid and i will never forgive it for that

but ymmv!!!

i do think the pacing is a bit fast and i wish they either had longer episodes or more episodes to let it breathe a little! not entirely plot-wise because i actually like the reveals so far we've gotten because it's keeping even long time fans guessing for what's coming, but just for the relationships between the characters

like i would like more casual interactions between the four protags, and more vash & wolfwood getting to know each other before we jumped right to them butting heads so aggressively over morality and killing

but i do love that it also heavily showcases the consequences of vash's actions (or inaction)

because as meryl pointed out during the nebraska fight, he isn't actually doing anyone a kindness, he's just running away from pain

i am also sad that they took wolfwood AND livio's tits by the looks of it

rip 😔

also i am. not thrilled about elendira? i was really excited to see my wife on screen but instead they did that to her :(

ANYWAYS

i am curious about where the story is going to go!! because lost july hasn't happened yet but we're walking towards it, but when?

is it going to be mid-season? is it going to be the end of s1 if we're getting more than one season? will there be a time skip?

will [redacted manga spoilers] arrive?

will we get to see chronica and domina??

there's still SO much to cover, but i know they're mashing some things together (like jeneora rock was a couple different settings smashed into one, and it seems like the gung-ho guns and the eye of michael are even more woven together??) so we'll see but

I HAVE QUESTIONS

BUT YEAH like!!!! i am enjoying it a lot overall!! i have a few gripes with it but i am so fucking happy to be watching trigun again, and as much as i would adore a 1-to-1 trimax adaption like they did with fma, i am really enjoying it being a retelling because i genuinely don't know what's going to happen!! it's fun!! i'm having fun!!

also there's a really emo thought i had about all trigun adaptions just being different lives for everyone and they're just caught in a loop

history doesn't repeat but sometimes it rhymes

but!!

i also love the fact that it's screaming that it's a passion project. that people who love the source material are all working on it, with nightow. they're bringing back VAs for both japanese and english versions, fans are animating and voicing it, it's amazing and shows how much love is going into this series, and i'm so glad to be able to experience it again

#trigun

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stormvanari · 2 years ago

Text

overanalyzing this grainy drone AGAIN, i see them as a “dancer” of sorts due to their stretchy posture

tango is the first thing that comes into my head, due to lots of limb flexibility (gymnastics count, but this drone looks like they’re wearing a skirt of sorts)

#murder drones #my art #they take the idiom ‘break a leg’ way too literally #*casually ignores S1 so it can come quickly*

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castlecult · 2 years ago

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bro im desperate for any franks fics there hasn't been any new ones so can i pls request a male reader. His a single dad, he met frank and they hit it off well at some point frank met the readers child and they're just being domestic af-

I kinda just came with it on spot so it's shitty- just ignore if u dont wanna write it thankss:))

an : hello there !! sorry it took me so much to answer, but i was trying to chose frank’s look ( idk if that makes sense but like, between s1 or s2 lol ) but we’re finally here (: hope you’ll enjoy it <3

warnings : none, not proofread

word count : 1169

gifs here

“i was thinking you could come for dinner, maybe?” you casually asked, glancing at frank. he offered to come with you to the supermarket, you two were walking side by side. “tonight?” he turned to look at you.

“well, yeah? i mean, if you’re free,” you cleared your throat, looking for maxine’s favourite cereals. “that’s fine with me, but you’re sure?” he smirked, noticing you were getting nervous. “i just… max is good and smart, but sometimes she’s too much curious, i don’t want her to make you feel embarrassed or anything,” you shrugged, finally meeting his eyes.

—

“dad, can you help me chose?” max rushed into the kitchen, showing you a pair of scrunchies. you turned towards her and you picked the blue one. “that matches your outfit more,” you smiled and then helped her with her hair.

“thank you!” she run out of the kitchen to go back into he room, so you finished setting the table. you wanted everything to be perfect, you even put on a shirt. “just breathe,” you whispered to yourself, closing your eyes for a second.

you heard the doorbell and were about to go and open the door when max rushed to open it before you. “i got it, daddy!” she said and opened the door, a bit taken aback when she found herself in front of frank’s tall figure. you were right behind her, taking a deep breath.

“hi, frank,” you smiled at him and put a hand on max’s shoulder. “maxine, this is frank… frank this is maxine,” you introduced them and nervously waited for max’s reaction.

“nice to meet you, maxine,” frank smiled at her, then glanced at you for a moment. “friends call me max,” she said, crossing her arms. “are you a friend from work?” she asked quickly. “not exactly,” frank chuckled.

you gently pushed max aside, so frank could walk inside. you closed the door and noticed max was quietly analysing frank appearance.

“i got a bottle of wine,” frank said, showing you the bottle in his hands. “oh, right… thank you,” you smiled and took it from him, walking towards the table.

they followed you and max kept glancing at frank, who tried to not make her notice he was aware of her staring at him.

“you guys can sit, i’ll be right back with the food,” you quickly entered the kitchen and filled the three plates with the pasta.

once you were sitting down, you started eating. frank cleared his throat, glancing at max who decided to sit right in front of him.

“how old are you?” your face quickly turned to max, she was waiting for frank to respond before continuing eating her food. “thirty seven,” he said and kept eating peacefully. “i’m seven,” she told him, confidently. “your dad said so,” frank chuckled, noticing max was a bit surprised. “he said things about me??” max turned to you and you nodded.

“yep, told me you’re a curious little girl and that you like to play guitar, is that true?” max nodded, resuming eating. she was probably trying to get an impression of frank.

“dad bought me one last christmas,” she smiled, more relaxed. “i play it too,” frank replied, max’s face lit up and started talking about guitar lessons and all.

you simply watched them, enjoying the interaction. you were glad max was getting along with frank, you were a bit worried about her finding it strange that he was invited out of nowhere and not really trusting him.

—

“the food was amazing,” frank was helping you clean the dishes. “i was about to order the pizza, because i thought the pasta was bad,” you confessed, feeling your face heat up. “i doubt it,” frank smiled before kissing you, surprising you.

you kissed him back, trying not to wet his t-shirt with your hands. he playfully sucked on your lower lip before gently biting it, making you laugh.

“can we watch a movie now?” max’s voice startled you, you almost dropped a plate. you parted from frank, embarrassed, and met max’s face. she was standing there with one of her dvd in hand.

“baby, i don’t know if frank–” he interrupted you. “sure, i’d be happy to watch something with you,” he smiled at her. “yuppie!” she ran into the living room to get everything ready.

“now, castle… are you enjoying my daughter’s company more than mine?” you asked, faking offence. “maybe?” he laughed before kissing you again. “i’m so happy she accepted you, yeah? asking to watch a movie together is a great sign,” you confessed, before kissing frank’s face.

“i’m happy you wanted me to meet her,” he muttered and seeing him smile so much made your heart swell. you quickly finished the dishes, then reached the living room and sat on the couch to watch the movie together.

maxine was focused on the disney movie, you and frank got easily distracted by each other and he tried to play with your hair multiple times. max was sitting between you two so you couldn’t protest without disturbing her.

you gave in and after a while decided to take his hand into yours, sitting more comfortably to keep holding it for the rest of the movie.

near the movie’s ending, frank noticed max fell asleep against his side, while her legs were resting on your thighs.

“oh, i’m sorry,” you apologised and gently moved and took max into your arms. “about what?” frank chuckled lowly, watching you. “she fell asleep on you,” you whispered and started walking towards her room. “i go get her to bed,” you said.

frank decided to turn off the tv and put away the dvd, while waiting for you to come back.

“daddy,” max called before you could close her door. “yes?” you turned quickly, worried. “i like frank… can we invite him again tomorrow?” she asked with a sleepy face, her eyes half closed. “o-of course, baby. have a goodnight,” you smiled happily, you gave her one last glance and closed the door.

you reached frank and noticed he was waiting by the main door. you hugged him and hid your face against his chest. “god, i’m so glad,” you said, sighing deeply. “i’m frank,” he smirked and caressed your back slowly.

“i mean, i’m glad she likes you,” you met his eyes and smiled widely, noticing he was smiling too.

“she wants you to come again for dinner, so things were smoother than expected,” you explained and he nodded. “well, i already love her so i’ll happily come again,” he said and your heart probably exploded at his confession. “i love you,” you said before kissing him, circling his neck with your arms while frank put his hands on your hips, kissing you back.

an : reblogs & feedback are super appreciated <3 if you wanna share your thoughts about frank hit my inbox !!

#rin writes #frank castle x reader #frank castle x m!reader #frank castle x you #frank castle x y/n #frank castle imagine #frank castle drabble #frank castle blurb #frank castle fanfiction #frank castle one shot #frank castle #the punisher #jon bernthal #marvel

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cheri-translates · 4 years ago

Text

[CN] Gavin’s S2 R&S - Border (Eng Translation)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers from an R&S (边境) which has not been released in English servers!🍒

This S2 R&S features S1 Gavin, but it follows directly after Ch 37 - Gavin’s Farewell. If you don’t wish to spoil yourself on how S1 ends, please don’t read this!

Follow along with the audio here!

[ Chapter One ]

The dismissal bell has rung for a very long time.

With an almost inaudible sigh, Gavin takes a final glance in the direction of the rooftop, then turns around to leave.

The pale yellow light divides the light and darkness, akin to the black and white keys of a piano which are no longer played by anyone.

The companionship and breaths belonging to the girl have become too warm and natural. Having gotten used to them, the temperature seems to have dropped when walking alone in the school grounds.

Gavin walks over to the school wall. Gently exerting force on his ankles and wrists, he leaps over the wall.

“This time, it counts as a proper goodbye, doesn’t it?”

He smiles a little bitterly.

The enclosing wall, trees and plants are silent, leaving the answer to the evening breeze passing through the leaves.

The city is silent.

The Special Task Force has already issued instructions to every team member to be dismissed. Even the team members who wanted to leave last have returned to their families.

The cluster of comets in the sky brush the atmosphere, burning long trails of unclear rays of light in their wake.

In the distance, some dark smoke can be seen rising faintly, probably the embers of a disaster-stricken building.

Gavin looks at the night sky as many meteors streak past. Getting onto the motorcycle, he drives far away.

Since an unknown point in time, he’s been running in the direction of the girl.

Despite not knowing where such inexplicable confidence came from, Gavin has always felt that whether it’s in the form of protecting her, standing by her side or waiting, the end-goal of the path they walk on will always coincide.

When he told the girl to "walk forward", he was already convinced that the girl would follow her own path, no matter how difficult it is. She would definitely reach the goal she’s searching for. As for himself, he would definitely stand there, welcoming their reunion once again.

Walking forward without turning back, they will eventually meet again in the future.

Gavin secretly vows that when the time comes, no matter what happens, he will definitely not let go of her hand again.

The wind howls. The high-speed motorcycle carries its partner, galloping through the devastated city.

Moving a little closer to that place in Gavin’s heart.

[ Chapter Two ]

Although no new natural disasters have occurred for the time being, the wounds inflicted on the city are still dripping with fresh blood.

The pavement that was originally clean and wide have occasional piles of rubble and rocks. The asphalt is cracked, and the iron railings are in tatters, curled at the side.

The originally lively and bustling Loveland City is now struggling whilst at death’s door, providing its citizens a final refuge.

"Ahh--”

A harsh sound of scraping metal suddenly arises from the roadside, followed by exclamations from the crowd.

A large advertising billboard that was originally on the roof of the building is swinging downwards, and the steel bars fixing it in place are gradually cracking, and it’s clear that it’s about to fall.

Gavin pulls in the direction violently, and the motorcycle sweeps half an arc on the road. Amid the billowing dust, the tyres almost create sparks on the ground.

Changing directions, the motorcycle gallops toward the tall building, leaving behind only the sound of rustling wind.

Citizens who sense the danger in the streets rush for cover. But the falling billboard is too humongous, and the shadow from the top hangs over the heads of all who are fleeing.

Finally, the steel bars are no longer able to hold the billboard. Along with the cracking sound of the final steel bar, the billboard quickly plummets towards the ground--

On the ground, some people have already closed her eyes, waiting for the unexpected calamity to arrive.

What arrives before the pain is a gale rising from the ground, rushing into the air with a mighty force.

"Don't panic. Evacuate to an open area."

Gavin raises his voice, giving instructions to the citizens who are still in a state of panic.

The howling wind turns into a sharp blade, slicing the huge billboard into countless small pieces immediately. Amid the sparks, the sliced metal emits a pungent smell.

Another gust of wind rises, wrapping the debris, and landing on an unoccupied area.

In an instant, the shadow hanging over everyone's head disappears. Even the stinging gas in the air has been dispersed by the wind.

After doing all of this, Gavin breathes a sigh of relief. Just as he’s about to leave, the citizens he saved surround him, thanking their hero.

A little girl, with tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes, tugs at Gavin’s clothes, putting the candy in her pocket into his hand carefully.

"Thank you, Big Brother."

"You're welcome."

"Big Brother... are you the Commander Brother who was on TV the other day?"

The little girl blinks, her hands clenched till her knuckles have turned white, not allowing him to leave.

"…yes."

"Will Big Brother protect us afterwards? From the stars?”

She points to the top of her head, eyes filled with anticipation.

"Don’t worry. I’ll do everything I can."

Gavin squats down and rubs the top of the little girl's head. His eyes become much more tender.

“Aside from me, there are also many other people who are doing everything they can.”

"There’s also a very incredible Sister. Even though she isn’t here now, she’s definitely working hard.”

"Is that Sister an even more incredible person than Big Brother?”

"Mm. She’s very incredible. She’s overcome many obstacles and has done many difficult things."

"Is Sister a fairy? After she finishes what she has to do, will she come back?" Ignoring the gentle tug of her mother, the little girl continues asking Gavin questions.

"She will. I believe her."

The little girl nods faintly, then takes out another candy.

"In that case, when you see Sister, remember to give this to her!"

"Okay. I definitely will."

He watches as the little girl finally smiles, pulling on her mother as she hops away. Then, he shakes his head at the apologetic lady, indicating that he wasn’t bothered.

Gavin scans his surroundings. After hesitating for a while, he begins to clear up other hidden dangers that still linger in the city.

The wind rolls up the rubble and bricks that have fallen to the ground, shifting them to the side of the road. Remnants of buildings hanging in the air are either cut or fixed in another manner.

He’s silent, quietly tidying up and protecting the city, no different from the other things he has been doing during this period of time.

[ Chapter Three ]

When Gavin returns to his senses, many people have already gathered on the street.

Everyone is like him, doing things quietly. Whether it’s helping others or cleaning up the city, they simply hope to make this city a little better than the second before, bit by bit.

"Commander!"

Gavin turns his head, looking at the man who called him. Dressed in military attire, the childish aura of his face hasn’t completely faded away despite his dirty face.

Around him, there are several people of around the same age: the same childishness, the same tiredness, and the same fire burning in their eyes.

"We’re part of the Special Task Force Medical Corps, but we’re still reserves. We responded to the call for support, and didn't expect to see you here."

They line up in front of Gavin, standing at attention and saluting, their voices trembling slightly with emotion.

Whether it’s because of fatigue or because they weren’t properly trained, their posture is not up to standard, and their greeting was overly casual.

But Gavin doesn’t care that much, and simply gives them a nod.

"Commander, what instructions do you have next?"

Gavin pats him on the shoulder, getting him to relax. "Don't be so nervous. You should have received the order to evacuate.”

"Yes. But there are minor damages nearby, and there are citizens in need of medical assistance, so we returned to the frontline on our own accord."

Gavin looks at these young people who have yearning and decisiveness in their eyes. Half-seriously and half-jokingly, he says, "So you’re all blatantly violating instructions?"

Another young man stands upright, replying in a bright voice. “The Commander hasn’t rested yet, so we’ll also continue to provide assistance."

Hearing this, Gavin smiles slightly. “You’re free to act anyway you want. Provide medical and follow-up support to the citizens."

"Yes!"

"Take care of your own safety.”

"Yes!"

"Also...”

Gavin's gaze softens, his lips curving upwards.

"Also, set aside some time to keep your family members company.”

The cluster of comets burning in the night illuminates the group of people who refuse to give up even at the last second.

Despite knowing what’s coming, the people gathered here are still igniting with the hope in their own hands.

Hope that this world wouldn’t end.

Hope that there can be a tomorrow.

Light rips through the night, and the people who look up at the starry sky stand hand in hand.

Gavin leans against the motorcycle, suddenly feeling as though what he has always been holding onto, what the girl has always been protecting, and what everyone who’s unwilling to give up has been safeguarding - wasn’t the city or this world. At the same time, they were also the most ordinary, trivial matters in life.

Just a small place, a warm breakfast in the morning, a light left on when one returns late, and a “welcome home”.

Being able to hold the hand of the most important person on an ordinary day, waste time luxuriously, watch the sunrise and sunset every day.

The time on the display board is constantly approaching the number that has been engraved in everyone's mind recently.

It’s as though Gavin has never noticed the ever-changing numbers at all. He simply looks at the picture of the girl on the screen. In a quiet voice that only he can hear, he says things he wouldn’t typically say to a person he doesn’t know when he’d meet again.

“If only this could last a little longer.”

“A little longer than after the dismissal bell rings.”

“A little longer than tomorrow.”

On the screen, the girl smiles very sweetly. The moment her hair blows upwards slightly, it’s the most affectionate caress of the breeze.

"...stay by my side a little longer."

Gavin lowers his eyelids slightly, the final soft whisper being shattered and taken away by the night breeze, following the wind's trajectory toward the horizon.

The sky gradually lights up, and the cluster of comets get closer to the surface, like thousands of unformed suns, emitting fiery light, scorching the planet.

Soon, fragments of the first star descend from the sky, and the flaming tail of the comet burns before it hits the ground.

Then comes the second, the third... Even more tiny fragments begin to penetrate into the atmosphere. They are reminiscent of an advancing army beginning to sound the horn, announcing that the collision of the comets is about to begin.

Before the comets officially land, a flash of light suddenly lights up in the direction of the northern suburbs, followed by a deafening sound.

Gavin looks towards the sound, brows furrowing.

After a while, another loud noise drifts from the northern suburbs. Without much thought, Gavin gets onto the motorcycle, driving towards the northern suburbs to check out the situation, and to prevent other disasters from occurring.

He understands very clearly that at this juncture, doing such things is perhaps meaningless.

But even if it’s the last second, Gavin still hopes this world can look the way that girl likes it.

[ Chapter Four ]

Gavin reaches the northern suburbs, then walks a few kilometres further north. To his shock, he discovers that the ground has split into a giant ravine. But it doesn’t appear to be a crater.

He looks at the ravine, which is so deep that he can’t see the bottom. Just as he’s about to leave, he realises that a strange light is shining faintly in the darkness.

After a moment of hesitation, Gavin decides to go down and have a look.

He dials the communicator out of habit, following procedure in giving a report to the Special Task Force.

"An unidentified ravine has been found in the northern suburbs, and I’m commencing an investigation immediately. No additional support is required."

While speaking, Gavin descends into the ravine.

The ravine is deeper than expected. The sky above his head has shrunk into a thin slit, but he’s still unable to see the boundary of the pitch-dark emptiness beneath his feet. The ramparts around him gradually morph from sand and soil to something thicker and more solid, even with a foreign material with a touch of metal.

Since entering the ravine, the wind entwining round Gavin protects him all the way deep into the ground. The deeper he goes, the muddier the air becomes. Even Gavin is unable to judge how deep he has gone, only that the bottom of the ravine is still far out of reach.

Descending further, even the sky is no longer visible.

Light seems to be swallowed up by the hole, and doesn’t bring back any visual signals. The concept of direction becomes meaningless, leaving only darkness and silence.

Only the sensation of continuous descent and the occasional light passing by underneath his feet tell Gavin that he’s getting closer to the target.

After an unknown amount of time, light finally appears.

At the end of the darkness, the light seems to have a solid body, surging and flowing in a form between a liquid and solid state. Occasionally, the light breaks free from the shackles of that area, escaping and rising, then dissipating. Come to think of it, this was the strange light that Gavin saw earlier.

Gavin makes a preliminary judgment that this is some kind of unstable, strange space. Hence, he presses the communication button again and tries to give a report on the situation. What returns to his ears is the noise of an electric current, affected by the unique magnetic field of this place. Gavin doesn’t know if the information was transmitted.

Speeding up his pace, he plunges into the wave of light that shouldn't exist in this world.

The light is distorted, and his field of vision becomes skewed and odd. The flowing sceneries and figures slip past Gavin. He sees the construction of ancient buildings, the sailing of inter-galactic spacecrafts, the melting of glaciers after the world was frozen, and the formation of the galaxy and then its fall... It’s as though all the hidden information about the universe are exhibited here.

The spatial nodes are dazzling. No matter which one it is, they’re all worth spending more time to study and mull over meticulously.

But at this moment, Gavin doesn’t have time to care about these things. In the darkness, he can only feel that the thing he’s searching for isn’t here.

This isn’t the direction he wants to go in.

He enters a certain node in the space, then comes out from another node. There is neither direction nor goal.

He shuttles through many places, passing by various sceneries, and finally halts in front of the only node that’s different from the others.

Akin to a painting that has never had its curtain drawn, the undulating light stops here. Gavin looks around, sensing that this might be the origin of all the distortions.

So he strides forward, stepping into it.

After a moment of dizziness, a black door appears in front of his eyes, fixed abruptly in the empty and boundless void.

Complicated symbols are engraved in spirals on the huge door, seeming to rustle and whisper the answer to the origin of all things and the mystery to the riddle.

The most eye-catching one is a horizontal, interlocked “8”. It’s surrounded by thorns and irregular geometric patterns. It has an unknown beginning, and he can’t see its ending.

Gavin reaches out to touch the door, only to find that he’s unable to open it.

No matter which method he employs, the door doesn’t budge.

"You shouldn't be here."

Suddenly, a voice appears out of nowhere. But in the youthfulness of the voice, there’s a calmness that does not match this age.

Gavin looks around his surroundings but sees nothing, and he’s unable to determine where the voice came from.

"Who are you?"

Gavin voices out the doubt in his heart.

"I am everything and nothing."

Gavin frowns, clearly not satisfied with the answer that doesn’t count as an answer. After pondering for a moment, he decides to ask another question.

"What’s this door?”

“It’s a question, and an answer.”

"What's behind the door?"

"It's not time to disclose it. Even if I told you, it would be of no help. Even though I don't know how you got here, you should return now.”

The voice once again gives an answer that doesn’t count as an answer, putting an end to the conversation.

"Wait...”

"You should go. There’s someone waiting for you in the future."

Before he finishes speaking, an irresistible force repels Gavin, throwing him out of that space firmly and easily.

Before Gavin has time to digest the information he had just engaged with, he vaguely senses that a strange change has arrived to this planet.

In an instant, sunlight shines from the west, and withered grass turns green.

The universe moves forward in a reversed manner.

And the wind that was brushing past him before entering the crack is rushing in a retrograde motion.

💙 More S2 content: here

💙 Support the cafe by dropping by the tip jar!

#mlqc #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers #mlqc gavin

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michals · 3 years ago

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That post reminded me I never actually posted this and it's one of those ‘kind of embarrassing I spent so much time on it but I’m posting it because I spent so much damn time on it’ things.

Klaus and Luther similarities/parallels

So the show doesn’t give us a ton of Luther and Klaus interaction but I think just them being the characters they are they’re really similar and have interesting parallels.

Of all the siblings I think it’s actually Luther and Klaus who are the most diametrically opposed in terms of their place in the Academy and their childhood. Obviously there’s the dynamic between Reggie explicitly calling Luther his favorite and Klaus his biggest disappointment, both of them had high expectations thrust upon them and one excelled and the other failed. But then again Luther was set up to excel and Klaus to fail. For all that Reggie wanted from Klaus he went about it in entirely the wrong way which only hurt Klaus’s abilities, and comparatively Luther’s powers are very straight forward so his training had to be mental in that he became exactly what Reggie wanted him to be.

Basically: Reggie’s abuse had opposite effects on them. Luther was brainwashed and isolated, Klaus was discarded and left to fend for himself. Luther loves/trusts his dad, Klaus hates him. Luther thinks they have a purpose and what they did was worthwhile, Klaus thinks it was all a big joke and meant nothing beyond Reggie’s little experiment. Luther’s at one end of the spectrum, Klaus the other, and everyone else falls somewhere in between.

How they show the effects of their abuse however, is actually more in sync. Klaus has a habit of either ignoring or talking around problems, acting like they’re not problems, or being flippant about them. Klaus acknowledges Reggie’s abuse but it’s usually in a jokey, casual manner, he usually moves on from talking about it quickly without getting too deep. He knows Reggie did a number on them but confronting it head on is difficult. And this is from a character who’s been in multiple rehab centers that obviously include some kind of therapy sessions.

Luther of course outright denies it until he’s faced with it in the worst way, and even then he can’t really get his head around it. One of the first things he did when landing in the 60s was to go to Reggie and expect him to welcome him, even though he doesn’t even know him. And then for all his talk in s2 about having moved on it reads like lip service, it sounds like he knows that’s what he should say, what he should feel, but it’s not entirely working. It’s like he’s just trying to dismiss it to the point where he will literally run away from the conversation. I still think the moment of him telling Sparrowverse Reggie that he’s happy they’re all home and together is a huge sign that he still thinks of Reggie as his dad no matter what.

Klaus and Luther either don’t know how to talk about their trauma or aren’t willing to. Whether it’s that Luther still doesn’t want to face up to it completely or that perhaps he does have the littlest bit of hope that actually Reggie did care and there was/is a chance he might care yet, or with Klaus trying to put the trauma on the backburner so he doesn’t have to relive it or process it in a way that means he won’t be able to drink it away or perhaps be forced to confront the powers that have caused him so much pain.

I also think they are genuinely sensitive. Not in the same way the others are, but empathetic and gentle in ways they never got to explore as children. I think that emotional wounds go much deeper than they let on. They’re always on the cusp of reaching out but not only do they not like dealing with their problems, they were taught not to. If given the chance they’d probably be happy to play support for the others but that wasn’t Reggie’s goal. I can easily imagine Luther as the kind of leader who takes everyone’s plans and thoughts into account and makes sense of it from there, who’s better at dictating than just demanding. And I imagine Klaus would probably be capable of understanding and connecting to his ghosts in a way that helps both him and them if he had been given different training.

Next is how both of them have poor self esteem and what comes across as a passive view of self preservation. Klaus has a very conflicted view of his place within the Academy. Apparently he was regulated to being the ‘look out’ often and wasn’t as active as the others. Obviously this is because of his complicated relationship with his powers and how Reggie treated him within the group dynamic. If he didn’t think Klaus was important (because he wasn’t doing what he was supposed to) then he wasn’t important. Now, having embraced his place as the black sheep of the family, Klaus still doesn’t know where he fits in and often comes across as “useless” (in quotes cause obvs that’s not the whole story, just a simplification).

Just in general he sees himself as an outsider. For all that he’s flippant and casually cocky he’s not actually all that confident in what he’s capable of to the point of not even trying sometimes because he’s convinced he’ll fail. It’s a smokescreen. It goes hand in hand with him not confronting his feelings or trauma, easier to play like he’s confident than to deal with it.

Luther’s self esteem came entirely from his place in the Academy and his father’s opinion and what Reggie made him. Even then his confidence gets shaken all the time when someone doesn’t listen to him or when they argue with him. He too tries to cover this up, Klaus is glib Luther is bossy. Then there’s the whole gorilla body thing, which he is very obviously mortified by. (Side note: interesting contrast in Klaus being usually the least physically covered up sibling and Luther being the most.) He’s wildly ashamed and embarrassed by his appearance. (There’s a whole other point I could make about how Luther only willingly shows his body when he’s being exploited and pummeled – or high – but that’s another post.)

Then Luther’s whole foundation crumbles with the discovery of Reggie’s true nature. He doesn’t have much left after that and then he’s dropped into a foreign world with no one and no way of coping and then Reggie once again lets him down. What’s he do? Gets into a situation that mirrors his relationship with Reggie, lets himself be taken advantage of, does what he’s told to the point of physical harm - because he knows nothing else and the bet is he doesn’t think he deserves better. Then he spends all of season 2 saying that he messed up, he’s not a hero, he’s not a leader and that he has no place thinking highly of himself. Guy straight up doesn’t have any self esteem at this point.

(Klaus also doesn't see himself as a hero even though he was on a literal superhero team.)

And in terms of their sense of self preservation: Klaus obviously has very little regard for his own health and wellbeing. Even if he doesn’t throw himself in front of bullets he’s still drinking and doing drugs to an extreme degree, to the point where they’ve actually killed him. He knows it’s bad for him, he knows it’s dangerous but he doesn’t care. Even with Ben in his ear he continues. When he dies in s1 he’s relieved.

Speaking of throwing one’s self in front of a bullet: Luther does this 3 times that we see. This comes obviously from his protectiveness as a leader but there’s an undercurrent of other people surviving being more important than him getting hurt. And when Five comes to him to say the world’s ending again Luther says he doesn’t give a shit. The Luther from s1 was all about saving the day, s2 Luther is shrugging and saying ‘yeah well, so what?’ and when he does start to care it’s mostly because he’s looking out for Five.

(Sidenote: I realize that my headcanon that Luther is becoming an alcoholic and has an unhealthy relationship with drugs is probably me reading into things but were the show to go in that direction: that they both would find comfort or an escape through substances would be another thing to tie them together and explore how their traumas affected them and what they do to deal with/avoid dealing with them. They’ve become pessimistic about the prospect of answers or catharsis so they look for escape instead.)

(Also also pointing out that the two times Luther was the most candid about his trauma was when he was drunk/high and one of those times was with Klaus – who for the first time in probably a long time, or ever, got to be the shoulder someone cried on. And what a great thematic idea that it’d be the two of them that’d be the most honest and open with each other eventually.)

Bonus item: Luther and Klaus have both died outside of their apocalypse related deaths (pretty sure Allison never actually died in s1 but was close) and in ways that none of the others were there for. Neither of them have talked about it. Maybe it’s because they don’t want to seem weaker than they already are, maybe it’s more of that ‘let’s not talk about trauma, let’s just get drunk’ mentality, or maybe it’s because they don’t think anyone would care. None of the others have really talked to Luther about the accident or the aftermath, none of them have approached Klaus’s addictions as an actual problem. Whatever reason why it would probably do them a world of good to find out they have that in common in the same way it would be good for Luther and Five to talk about their isolation.

They really seem like they should be very different characters in all respects and they really are in a lot of ways but there’s also this laundry list of ways they mirror each other or are similar and I hope the show takes advantage of that.

#tua #tua meta #luther hargreeves #klaus hargreeves

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sprnklersplashes · 4 years ago

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hey who wants some good old fashioned early s1!bellarke fic?

The dropship is cold at night.

Clarke keeps telling herself that’s why she can’t sleep. Not because every time she closes her eyes, all she sees is Wells, or her dad, or Charlotte. She wakes up because of the cold, not because she’s choking on words she never said, or because her eyes are too filled with tears to stay closed.

No, it’s just the cold.

In fairness, it is freezing in here. The Ark really should’ve given them more supplies, but then she remembers with a silent groan that they can’t. The whole reason they’re down here is because they were already stretched thin. That doesn’t make it fair, of course. At least they have machines to make more blankets up there, and workers to run them. Down here they just spread them out as fairly as they can and wait for their turn. Or steal them, in some cases.

She walks in a silent circle, mindful of the others dotted around her. She turns around on her sock-clad feet-her boots might keep her warm but they’re far too noisy for this time-and looks at them. Monty is spread across two seats, his hand hanging off the edge and his lips slightly parted, his hair falling past his forehead. Jasper is next to him, because where else would he be, tucked slightly awkwardly beside the chairs with his back against the wall, a blanket around him. They both look so young when they sleep. They are young, Clarke reminds herself, but now they’re not pretending to be older. They don’t have to be. In sleep, they look like they did on the Ark, before they were arrested. There’s something unfamiliar about them like this, and so she turns away.

Octavia is on this floor too, wrapped so carefully in a blanket that it could only be Bellamy’s work. She looks different in sleep too, far less angry than she is during the day. But somehow, still tense. Clarke’s observed that she’s a light sleeper, and it makes sense. She can’t imagine how she could have lived like that for so long, her own existence deemed a threat. Bellamy may be an ass most of the time, but she can’t blame him for being so protective over her.

Hang on she thinks. Where is Bellamy? Not that she cares, but he was in here when she fell asleep. Just before she nodded off she saw him, whispering something to Octavia, who was half asleep already. She turns again, her eyes better adjusted to the near-darkness, but she doesn’t find him.

She shakes her head and hopes he’s not off doing something stupid. She has enough to worry about without chasing after him.

She pulls her jacket tighter around herself and watches as her breath appears in white smoke in front of her face. Seriously, would it have killed them to add a heater or something? A second layer of insulation? More blankets? Warmer clothes? Anything. Sure, they probably didn’t have much time to plan, and they didn’t know what climate they’d be in, but still. It would’ve been nice to cover all their bases.

She tilts her chin up, her fingers straying to her bare wrist. She probably shouldn’t, but her mind turns up to the Ark, to her mother, who thinks she is dead because she wanted to spite her. Was she ever this spiteful before? Ever in her life, had she gone out of her way to hurt someone the way she has. She doesn’t know. Maybe she’s changing. Maybe the ground brings out the worst in them.

She shivers, and this time it’s not from the cold.

“Morning, Princess.” She nearly jumps ten feet, her hands raised instinctively to fight. Funny how quickly habits have been built into their bodies. Bellamy raises an eyebrow, amused, clearly, his lips curled into a smirk.

He may not be a grounder, but maybe she’ll smack him just for this.

“Is it morning?” she asks instead. Bellamy shakes his head.

“I checked out one of the windows. Still pretty dark out,” he replies. “I’d say we have a couple of hours yet.” She nods and ducks her head as he eyes her curiously. Her first impulse is to storm out and find somewhere else to sleep, but she stays behind, feet rooted to the ground. His eyes stay on her, even if he pretends they don’t.

At least she’s not cold anymore, thanks to the hot flush on her face.

“So what are you doing up?” he asks eventually. He takes a step closer, not invading her space but not staying away either. “Couldn’t sleep?”

She shakes her head. It’s not his business, but there’s no reason to lie. She has a feeling she couldn’t lie to him, not with that sharp mind of his. Or the way he seems to see right through her.

“What about you?” she asks. “Do you regularly walk around the dropship at night, or is this a new habit?”

He laughs at that, soft and quiet. Different from how he usually is. Her curiosity is piqued, even if it’s just slightly.

“Only on nice nights,” he replies, and now it’s her turn to laugh.

They fall quiet again, listening, or at least pretending to listen, to the sound of their friends soft snores. It’s strange, living without the constant rumble of engines in the background, or the casual humming of lights and generators that used to lull her to sleep. Quiet means something new on the ground.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watches as his gaze moves to Octavia again. She sees the way his jaw clenches protectively, but also how his face softens, how his eyes fill with affection at the sight of her. It’s amazing, this fierce kind of love she sees in him, reserved for her and her only.

When she first heard about Octavia and her arrest, of course she was shocked. Who wouldn’t be; a family hiding another person in their unit was unthinkable. But she was curious too. In almost a century, no-one had known the kind of bond that siblings share. Not until them. They were unique on the Ark, just as they’re unique on the ground.

“We should try to sleep too,” he tells her. He looks back at her, and the mask is quickly restored. “We have a long day tomorrow.”

“We always have a long day,” she says. “Sometimes I wonder if we’ll ever stop.”

She doesn’t mean to say that part out loud. Her breath hitches, but when she raises her eyes to meet his, she only finds understanding.

“We will, Princess” he tells her, his voice both soft and firm. “We will. One day you’ll be sitting out on a deck chair with a drink in one hand and book in the other and you’ll be laughing about all this.”

She doesn’t think she’ll ever laugh about this, but she smiles all the same. It’s a nice thought.

“And you’ll be there too?”

His smile fades then, the bravado slipping away. Twice this has happened now, and both times it’s drawn her in. Like a loose thread on a sweater that she’s desperate to pull at. To unravel him until she gets to his core.

“Maybe,” he says, but there’s no conviction there. “For now let’s just get some sleep.”

He turns away from her, his clothes blending with the darkness surrounding them, making it hard to tell where he ends or begins, and settles himself against the wall. He leans back and closes his eyes, only to open them moments later.

“You going to stand there all night?” he asks her. “Or are you one of those people who can sleep standing up.”

A sarcastic remark dies on her lips and she crosses over, settling herself a little bit away from him. It would only take extending her arm to touch him, and the thought shouldn’t comfort her as much as it does.

Maybe she’s just lonely, she thinks to herself. She’s never alone. not with 99 kids asking her anything and everything, and certainly not with Finn hovering around her almost all the time. And there’s always something that needs doing, something that occupies her time. But lonely? That’s something she knows. The boy who was her closest confidant is dead in the ground, buried under mounds of dirt, and she spent the little time they had together hating him.

Oh God, the time she wasted.

“Clarke?” Bellamy’s voice snaps her back to reality, his eyes wide when she turns to look at him. He’s pushed himself up the wall and into a half crouching position, one hand ready to reach out to her. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” she says. She wipes at her face and buries herself in her jacket, her arms wrapped around herself. “It’s freezing in here, aren’t you cold?”

He hums in agreement. Even when she turns her head away, she feels his eyes on her.

“Come here.” The command catches her off guard, so much so that she’s convinced she imagined it. Until she looks up at him and finds his eyebrow raised and he’s once again sitting, but shifted to welcome an extra body. “Come here.”

“What?” is all she can ask.

“Come on, I know you’re smart, Princess,” he tells her. “Body heat and all that.” He shrugs, playing it off like it’s nothing. Maybe that’s what it is. Nothing. “We can keep each other warm.”

She feels like she should roll her eyes, reply with a quip about how not even in his wildest dreams, but she can’t. Maybe it’s the lateness of the hour, or the fatigue and cold creeping up on her, or the lack of an audience. But she can’t, and she doesn’t even try.

“Just for tonight,” she tells him.

“Just for tonight.”

She shouldn’t be wanting this. She can take care of herself, always could. And besides, he isn’t her friend. He’s done little more than antagonise her and risk lives and be an asshole since they got here. He’s made it his life’s mission to make her life more difficult. He’s selfish, and a dick, and the last person she should ever want to be with.

But he’s sitting there and she’s freezing and the way he’s looking at her is doing something to her. She’s not sure if it’s something good or something bad. It’s just something.

So she settles herself down beside him and ignores the way her heart skips a beat when his leg brushes against hers. Her position is awkward at first, the two of them struggling to get comfortable. The dropship isn’t meant for comfort. But his body is and when she rests her head on his shoulder, he doesn’t complain. And she doesn’t when he takes off his jacket and pulls it over the both of them, his arm around her waist. They’re both too tired and too cold to, and there are more important things to waste their energy on.

Doesn’t mean it doesn’t scare her, being this close to him. Not in that way. Not scared of him, just of the proximity to him. Feeling his breath tickling her ear, or her legs slipped in between his. Or his heartbeat, steady and strong against her side. Doesn’t mean that this doesn’t confuse or scare her, this feeling of complete serenity washing over her. Only means that there are things to do, people to lead and she can only do so much.

Besides, serenity is hard to come by on the ground.

“Don’t think this means anything,” he says, his voice murmured. There’s the Bellamy she knows. “Like I said. Just for tonight.”

And despite herself, she smiles.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she replies, but he’s already asleep.

******

She wakes later than usual in the morning, the sun already beaming through the dropship door and dragging her out of sleep. She groans and buries her face in her knees, for a moment forgetting herself and make believing she’s back at home, ignoring her mother’s morning greetings. But her instincts and the Earth’s sunlight are stronger even than Abby Griffin, and her eyes drag open of their own accord. And when they do, she finds the dropship empty, save for Jasper, who she believes could sleep through anything. She shakes her head fondly and pushes herself up, despite her body’s protests. Her arms and legs twinge and her back creaks like the ship’s escape hatch. She’s had her fair share of nights spent on the floor and yet the waking up never gets easier.

There’s a noticeable lack of a body beside her. He must have gotten up before, and a few seconds spent listening confirms her suspicions. He’s outside already, barking orders in that unmistakable voice of his. He carries so much authority in his words, when he wants to. No wonder he was training to be a guard. She considers going out and joining him, or more accurately taking over, but something in her holds back. He’s got it covered, and baring a grounder invasion in the next five minutes, she has time to wake up properly. Besides, he can’t do that much damage this early in the morning.

He must have slipped out quietly enough, she thinks. And carefully, because she didn’t feel a thing. If it weren’t for the heavy guard’s jacket carefully wrapped around her body, she’d have thought last night was a dream.

But it wasn’t. She didn’t dream at all last night. For the first time in far too long, she had slept soundly.

And who’d have seen that coming?

#the 100 #bellarke #bellarke fic #bellamy blake #clarke griffin #bellarke ff #*writes bellarke fic for the first time despite not having watched the show properly in 4 years*#unless u count the two episodes of s5 that I watched

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uservillanelle · 5 years ago

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Killing Eve ― 3x01 (Review)

I didn’t rush to write this review right after the episode, as I sometimes need to rewatch the episode several times to actually appreciate it and spot a thing or two. I know, everybody’s writing these, their thoughts, so I’m sorry if some of them will be repetitive, but I do want to get my thoughts out! Soo shall we get to it?

Dasha

What is interesting to me is that they chose this flashback of Dasha being a gymnast in her early age as the very first scene of the episode. And let’s not forget, it is the first scene of the entire season, meaning it has to be very important one. I don’t think they brought her in just to play Villanelle’s next handler. She was her mentor before, which makes it a lot more personal to both of them. There’s more to her, I’m sure. So far I’m loving the dynamic between her and Villanelle. There’s this... old-friends reunited kind of vibe, but then again, they can be laughing one moment and trying to choke each other to death the next. In this aspect they are very similar.

That brings me to Dasha’s killing style. It is unique, something we haven’t seen in the show before. It can only mean competition to Villanelle. And she’s so confident that her work is better than Dasha’s. Not only does she say it to Dasha, but later on copy her style during the spice kill ― which, by the way, I think is very underrated.

Villanelle had to ask Dasha about her part of the deal, twice. Then she brought up the possibility of going back home ― back to Russia. It might be true, but I don’t think that’s everything she was promised. And it’s one more reason for us to keep watching to find out, hm?

The Wedding

All I can say about the wedding is ― WOW. I was looking forward to it and it didn’t disappoint. Actually, it’s the best part of the episode for me. Many people have said that it was ‘waste of potential’; ‘they only did it to set up a meeting with Dasha’; but really. I don’t think we would’ve gotten the Villanelle wedding in any other circumstance. Like, think about it. A wedding is not something Villanelle would normally do, right? She doesn’t care about such things, yet in this case she does it. Yes, she LOVES a good show and attention as well as being rich and have everything she ever wanted including having the power and control of it all. And since she’s getting over Eve, why not find another woman and marry her to prove to everyone and to herself, that she is totally over the Asian woman with amazing hair? She’s extra like that and I love it. And don’t get me started on the tuxedo blazer AND black tulle ruffle top. She wore THAT for her own wedding. Just thinking about it makes me want to go feral.

Mooving on, the irony of Villanelle not only bringing up Eve during her wedding speech, but saying she is ‘so much happier now she’s dead’ while immedially afterwards glancing around the place almost as if she’s expecting to see Eve. She hopes she’s there... and it makes me wonder, what if Eve actually was there? What if she somehow made it to Villanelle’s wedding and just... can you imagine? What their interaction would look like? Plus having MARIA there the entire time and the guests? Damn.

Then there’s casual Villanelle simply enjoying her wedding cake, because why the hell not? And on top of that ignoring her new wife during the dance. I mean... this is SUCH Villanelle thing to do. She couldn’t care any less. Then again we are reminded of how awkward/uncomfortable she could get around people when she’s being.. more or less herself. I haven’t seen her like that for a hot minute. She has always been brilliant in slipping into other groups of people, pretending to be a part of a conversation, it never really was an issue for her. Yet this time she’s not really pretending to be someone else. She is Villanelle and yes, she is awkward. I love that we got to see that bit.

And of course... it wouldn’t be Villanelle’s wedding if there wasn’t a fight involved. Why not start a fight herself? It’s exactly what she did and having Dasha show up only highlighted the wedding scene even more. It wasn’t all about Dasha being there, it was about Villanelle trying to prove to herself that she’s finally moving on and I, personaly, needed that. It’s a shame the wedding scene ended so quickly, I mean we could’ve gotten a kiss or two, since it’s a damn wedding! Though I’m still really glad we got to see it. We actually got to steal a glance at Villanelle’s wedding. That sounds so surreal on itself. Are we sure they didn’t take this from any of the fanfics?

Carolyn

(warning: possible spoilers/predictions ahead)

She’s still a very shady lady. Carolyn must be the most mysterious character on the show, based on how little we know about her, her work and her family. I’m glad that someone is finally confronting her about the previous operation in Rome. What’s even better ― Hugo sued MI6 and he has EVERY right to do so. The entire mission was a blood bath and someone has to answer for it. Yet, despite given circumstances, Carolyn remains completely still during all the accusations she has received and even refuses to apologize during her conversation with Kenny. None of the previous events that took place seem to be valuable and important enough for her. And that makes me wonder.. that maybe the Twelve ordered Kenny’s death to stop any further unofficial investigations AND to punish Carolyn, because Kenny’s all she has, right?

Well, now they will be bringing up Carolyns daughter ― Geraldine. Up to this point we knew that Kenny was Carolyn’s only child, but since he’s gone now, there has to be someone else related to Carolyn and we got Geraldine. From what we know now, they do not have a great relationship which makes me even more excited to see them interacting.

Since the Twelve put a hit on Kenny... I’m starting to think that maybe Carolyn is next on their list, and possibly Konstantin. In S3 trailer we got a quick shot of Carolyn in a car with a driver. And there’s Villanelle, pretending to be a police officer, chasing someone down. If I’m correct, Villanelle will come after Carolyn and will try to assassinate her. Now why would Villanelle try to kill Carolyn? Either she will find out something related to Eve and Carolyn being involved, maybe wanting to take revenge? It’s not very likely is it? But the Twelve deiciding to take out Carolyn, and Villanelle doing the job sounds more like it. At least to me.

Eve

First off... the scene in the store is not only the first scene of Eve we see in this episode, but it shows exactly where she is right now. Where her mind is, how she’s dealing with everything around her. Cearly, she’s done with everything, running on auto-pilot for the most part of it. She’s one huge mood. Eve really must be the most relatable character for us as viewers. If something like this happened to us... we would basically be Eve.

It’s been 6 months and that’s the Eve we see. She’s struggling. And she should be. She almost died and now everything seems to be reminding her of Villanelle. The song in the store, the cashier’s talking about spaghtetti and Rome?! Then the other cooks at the restaurant talking about one of their’s crush and how it started with infatuation and now it’s love. Everything about it screams Villanelle. We know it. Eve knows it. And most importantly... the SCAR itself. No matter where she goes, what she does... she won’t be able to erase Villanelle. She has been scarred for life and so was Villanelle and guys... that is just so brilliant. They are meant for one another and that’s a fact. Either they will end up together (hopefully) and somehow manage to create some kind of future together or they will die together. Either way.. they can’t hide from one another and that makes their next meeting so... so special and important and intense and all of the other things. I simply cannot wait.

Knowing how the episode ended, I didn’t think I’d appreciate Eve and Kenny’s scene together so much. It’s so deep and sincere and reveals a lot about what happened and where they are separately and together. I’m glad their first and last interaction this season was a light, positive one. They even talked about getting beers at the office during weekends. And knowing that.. Kenny was basically the only person who understood Eve and where she’s coming from, his death is exactly what can and WILL push Eve forward in investigating the Twelve and eventually reuniting with Villanelle. Back to S1, when Bill was killed, Eve was so determined to catch Villanelle and ‘kill her with her bare hands’ that no one seemed to be able to stop her. So this time... will be similar to it, if not even greater.

Villanelle

Soo... Oksana wants to be a Keeper. Oksana the Keeper! It actually makes sense to some extent, that she will eventually want to get a ‘higher’ position in the industry and why not be the Keeper then. She has always wanted power and control and Keepers have that. They hold valuable information about the organisation that no one else knows. It’s a very important and dangerous position too. I can see why she’d want to be a Keeper, and not only that... she is still curious about who is in charge. How the whole system works. Though, at the same time.. knowing Villanelle, this might get tricky. She’s still very childish and impulsive and all other things.. she still needs to be handled by someone. That’s why I’m a bit concerned that if she ends up becoming a Keeper or having to handle other assassins (which she will, in next episode), things will go terribly wrong. I hope I’m wrong about this, because god, do I want to see Villanelle as a Keeper and continue being the top boss bitch in the industry.

Her confidence continues to fascinate me. Especially her confidence around Dasha. She knows she’s better than her and that’s all there is to it. Not only she says it but she proves that by her first kill this season. I honestly can’t wait to see her future kills, because so far it looks very promising.

Konstantin

Only a couple of scenes of the show’s dad this episode. Apparently he has several phones which he is struggling to deal with. He’s living several lives and that shows. In S2 he was all determined to get back to his family. But what we see in this episode is that he’s not with his family anymore. He’s working again. And based on Irina’s voice mail, he and his wife are separated. His wife has a boyfriend now and Irina is there with them. (I hope they will bring her back, what an iconic, hilarious yet annoying child)

Konstantin receives several shady messages, one of which reads “time to go fishing”. It can mean literally anything. But for some reason I’m feeling that they want us to think he had something to do with Kenny’s death. It could be him, it could be an assassin Konstantin is handling right now. Or it’s not him at all, but we believe it’s him based of what we saw so far. Too many questions and not enough answers so far.

He was the Twelve’s target back in S1 and had to stay low during S2 as a “dead man” so now.. I’m not really sure what his status is. Some of us saw the leaked photos of S3 finale and what might possibly happen... and that just brings me back to my previous point of Carolyn and Konstantin being the Twelve’s targets this season. Will they survive? And if they do... how? If they don’t... does that mean Villanelle and Eve will now be completely by their own and possibly on a run from the Twelve?!

Kenny

There’s not really much to say here. We ALL loved our dear Kenny. He’s probably the most innocent character on the show and he had to go. Now, I don’t believe his death was done for shock value. Not his character. A huge, meaningful character had to die in order for the rest of characters to get moving. For the entire story to move forward. They are setting up a serious plot here and I am excited, despite being really upset about Kenny’s death.

I think Eve will be the mostly affected character in the show by his death. Carolyn doesn’t seem to be very affectonate towards her son, but hopefully it will make her realize just how big of a trouble she in. Eve, however, will be forced to get back to investigate the Twelve and she will not stop until she does so. She’s all by herself now. The determination, the anger as well as other feelings will drive her this season to get the much needed answers and get to the bottom of the whole thing. Meanwhile... Villanelle seeks information and control as well. She is trying to investigate the Twelve in her own way. So why not pair them up?

Overall thoughts

As many have said it, the episode felt different to me as well. I think that’s mostly because we have set our standards so high, that we immediately become disappointed if the episode doesn’t deliver as much murder, Eve/Villanelle scenes or something else we might be expecting in particular.

I found myself wanting to compare the episode with other seasons and that is a mistake. We shouldn’t be comparing it because previous season had different plot, the overall feeling was different and the characters weren’t as developed as they are now. Furthermore, the show runner changes each season and that is what we need to look at. Phoebe and Emerald have done incedible job during those first two seasons but now it’s Suzanne’s time to shine. All three of them are different people and have different ideas and views as to how they see the characters and where they want to take them. So I think we might need to “forget” the previous two seasons and be way more open minded when it comes to third season. After all it’s the most personal one and it has a different feel to it. It’s more serious, and it is setting up an actual plot for the series. It’s a good thing. And as much as we hate changes like these... I think we should embrace them this time and let the show go in the direction it is going without the need to criticize it or control it.

I’m beyond excited to see how everything will unfold and where this season will take us. Based on all the trailers and interviews I’ve seen so far... this will be a one helld of a ride and I am NOT prepared for it!

If any of you reached this point, you seriously deserve an applause! Hopeuflly you enjoyed reading my nonsense lol! Let me know if you’d like me to write a review for the next episode, because I do have plans for writing for the entire season, but it’s always better when I have an audience to write for!

Now if you have any theories or thoughts don’t be shy to comment or message me so we could chat about it! I’d love nothing more than a good conversation about the show we have a common obsession for!

#killing eve spoilers #killing eve #villanelle #eve polastri #jodie comer #sandra oh #ke review*#ke s3 #ke 3x01 review #man this turned out into a full novel lmao #my hands hurt from writing so much #the obsession for the show is too great lol

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thehuntersmoondiscord · 4 years ago

Photo

Here’s a complete list of everyone’s creations for the Hunter’s Moon Creation Exchange. There’s a variety of rating, pairings, and tropes, but guaranteed they were ALL made with love. Check out the collection here or look through the individual creations below.

Bright Lights by @brightasstars

Malec | Mature Summary: After years of searching for the one who could love him unconditionally, heart and soul, Magnus has retreated himself into his shell, scared and lost. The will and the need to help a little boy who is the only witness of a brutal crime leads him unexpectedly to meet Alec, a young man who's past life has forced to grow up quicker and wiser, and...unbelievably kind. Magnus walks into Alec's life as if he had always been there, and Alec welcomes him as if his heart was a home built just for him. Alec knows and Magnus knows, but...will they? Tags: Silver fox Magnus Bane; Younger Alec Lightwood; Alternate Universe - Human; Emotional Hurt/Comfort; background crime scene; Protective Alec Lightwood; Happy Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood; Falling In Love; Strangers to Lovers; Healing; overcoming fears and insecurities; Light Angst; People Change People

A hey tipped in Gold by @highfunctioningdragonslayer

Malec | Explicit Summary: In a world where everyone has a soulmate, Alec lightwood has the worst luck EVER, he didn't even realize when he met his soulmate. CURSE HIS FATE. On top of that...he meets a guy. He meets a guy from Edom OF ALL PLACES, he's the prince for god's sake, he can't fall for some trader from Edom...Can he? And Magnus, oh Magnus... has a secret. but he chooses to ignore his mission to chase a hazel-eyed dove. The question is..is it worth it? is the promise of love enough for him to forget the pain of heartbreak? Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Wingfic, Fluff, alec is a gentleman, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, A Splash of Pining, some og characters, Innocent Alec Lightwood, sibling dynamics, cute cute cute, Emotions, cat and izzy are wise souls, Smut, we cant not have smut, did i say Emotions, and courting, Anal Sex

Don’t Overthink by @cloudburst-ink

Malec | Explicit Fanart Summary: Explicit fanart for ColorfulWarlock's fic, "Don't flirt with me (I'm working, dammit)" Tags: Prison AU, Blowjob, Smut

ISABELLE by @miss-shiva-adler

Raphael/Izzy | Teen Summary: He has feelings for her. He is unable to describe it, unable to put it in plain words. But her name is always on his mind, especially when they are apart Tags: Aromantic Asexual Raphael Santiago, Mention of addiction, Addiction Withdrawal symptoms, Feelings of guilt, heartbreaks, Missing Scene, Canon Divergence, Hopeful endings, open endings, Mention of Blood Drinking

The Sixth Love Language by @polarnacht1

Malace | Explicit Summary: Jace meets Alec and Magnus at their bar Pandemonium, realizing astonished that they are not what they pretend to be: They are not regular humans but Vampires. Jace feels instantly drawn to their world full of shadows and blood - and them. They spend a hot night together that could be the beginning of more, if not Alec’s last words to Jace were ones that make Jace forget the night, Vampires, and them… A story about falling in love - or avoiding it - in the crossfire of Shadow World politics and a Vampire clan war. Tags: Alternate Universe, Vampire Alec Lightwood, Vampire Magnus Bane, Mundane Jace Wayland, reverse fic, Canon-Typical Violence, Blood Drinking, Blood Kink, Vampire Sex, Vampire Bites, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Threesome - M/M/M, Polyamory, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Falling In Love, Happy Ending, Mind Manipulation

Where First Kisses Grow Cold by @jesssssah

Jalec/Jangus | Explicit Summary: Jace never expected Alec’s death would lead him to any kind of comfort. Diverting from S1 Ep04, the scene in which Magnus and Alec first meet but imagining that Jace is there too and that Alec doesn’t save anybody. Tags: MCD, graphic depictions of violence, canon-divergence au, blood and gore, angst, hurt/comfort, first kiss, necrophilic kiss, repressed_bisexual!Jace, sad

A Bond’s Journey by @antisocial-af

Malec | Teen Summary: A look into Magnus' and Alec's journey through courtings and talks of immortality. Omegaverse. Tags: Omegaverse, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Warnings in Chapters are Important, Downworlder Politics, Shadow World Council, Matching Party, Courting, Texting, New York Shadow World Institute, Slight Angst, Fluff, Happy Ending, Alpha Magnus Bane, Omega Alec Lightwood, Background Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago, Alpha Raphael Santiago, Omega Simon Lewis, Protective Magnus Bane, Insecure Alec Lightwood, Consent is Sexy, No Smut, SFW, Tiny Alexander, Immortal Husbands Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Bonding Ceremony

Make A Wish by @sivan325

Malec | General Summary: Max loses his first tooth, and his dads suggested to put the tooth under the pillow. Tags: alternative universe, Tooth Fairies, Wishes, Fic Exchange, Fluff SO MUCH FLUFF, Cute

How am I supposed to pretend? by @finditagain24

Jimon | Mature Summary:He’s wracked his brain to try to understand the shifts in Jace’s behavior lately: from the soft touches to the casual kisses and now asking him to meet his parents. There’s only one possible explanation. “How do you know when someone is trying to make you their boyfriend?” Tags: Alternate Universe - College/University; Friends With Benefits; Friends to Lovers to Morons; Friends to Lovers; Frottage; Unreliable Narrator; Hence the moron; Alternate Universe - Human; Gratuitous bottle episode

Fallen (for you) by @killynxgames

Malec | Explicit Summary: Alec’s eyes closed, the simple movement slow and calculated. When he opened them again, his eyes had changed. Where before they were a beautiful clear hazel, they were now all black; no hazel, no white, just inky blackness from corner to corner. Magnus’s face paled instantly at the sight, fear rising in his gut. Demon. “W-wait. What did you do to the Lightwood boy? Is he-is he dead?” Magnus asked, fearing for the confident, sexy event planner he had met earlier that evening at the Institute party. “There has never been another Alec Lightwood." Magnus let the implications of that statement sink in. Demons had been eradicated from this realm centuries ago. If this one had survived, living and blending in among mortals... Tags: Bondage Panty Kink Rough Sex Rimming Top Alec Lightwood Bottom Magnus Bane Alternate Universe - This World Inverted (Shadowhunters TV) Minor Character Death Cock Piercing Happy Ending Anal Sex Nipple Clamps Biting Hair-pulling Vibrators Multiple Orgasms Forced Orgasm Spreader Bars Demon Alec Lightwood Warlock Magnus BaneCome Eating Come Sharing Facials Barebacking Manhandling Magnus is very bendy

I Love The Way You Make Me Hurt by Nadja_lee

Malec | Explicit Summary: Magnus had never wanted Alec to see this side of him; the side that wanted to make the Nephilim kneel for him and mark him up as his. He panics when he wakes up and discover how rough he got with Alec the night before. However, Alec quickly assures him that he wants and needs to give his surrender and wear the Warlock’s marks just as much as Magnus wants him to. A story of accepting your own needs, your partner’s needs and the many nuances of love. Basically, the most fluffy and emotional smut fic I’ve ever done. Tags: Dom Magnus Bane, Sub Alec Lightwood, Kink Negotiation, Light Dom/sub, Dom/sub Undertones,Understanding Magnus Bane, Breathplay, Rough Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Happy Ending, Insecure Magnus Bane, Supportive Alec Lightwood, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Smut, Oral Sex, Love, Angst, Possessive Magnus Bane, Protective Magnus Bane, Romantic Fluff, Power Bottom Alec Lightwood, Top Magnus Bane, Bottom Alec Lightwood

All In The Name Of Love by @high-warlock-of-brooklyn

Jem Carstairs/Tessa Gray/Will Herondale | General Summary: In a world where the first touch with your soulmate gives you visions, Jem Carstairs, a barista in Idris Cafe, refuses to let the universe dictate his love, opting for a love of his own choosing, while he harbors a crush on Will Herondale, a regular of his. Things take an exciting turn after a brunette with a smile that can win the world, steps into their lives. Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Human, Light Angst, Will is a dork, Tessa is another slightly lesser dork, Jem is an angel as usual, OT3, soulmate angst, Happy Ending, Church the Cat, Is the real MVP, i said what i said, Sophie is another angel, Who is Raziel I only know two(2) Angels, Jessamine is a good friend, Friendship, The many nicknames of Jem Carstairs, Author loves and misses their ot3 very much, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Chosen Soulmates

out of this cavern by @linkscap

Malec | General Summary: Alec will laugh about this one day. Maybe. The thing is, at the moment, it’s the furthest thing from funny. OR: Alec and Magnus each get kidnapped by the Seelie Queen and held in her realm until they make a startling discovery. Tags: Soulmates, Kidnapping, seelie realm

Stuck On You by @the-ghost-of-william-herondale

Malec | Mature Summary: Magnus and Alec have an established soulbond, one that links them via magical sticky notes. Who would have guessed that this soulbond would one day save Alec's life? Though not, of course, without some trials and tribulations, first. Tags:Established Relationship, Husbands, Whump, Injured Alec Lightwood, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmates, Bond: Sticky Notes, Post-it Notes, Major Character Injury, Blood and Injury, Hurt Alec Lightwood, hints of malace, blink and you'll miss them

Won't You Be Mine? by @PhoenixStar73

Malec | Teen Summary:Magnus Bane, gorgeous guy of the popular crowd in high school, is trying to discourage any unwanted paramour. Magnus happens to run into fellow student, Alec Lightwood, who helps him to do so. As they get to know one another, Magnus talks about his problem again, and Alec inadvertently gives him the perfect solution to keep the guy away -- for them to be fake boyfriends. But before long, it starts to work a little too well.... Tags: High school AU, Human AU, Fake/Pretend Relationship

The Perks of Kylo Ren by @icymalec

Malec | Explicit Summary: All human AU. It’s Simon’s birthday and he is throwing a Star Wars themed party at Pandemonium- even the staff have agreed to dress up. Begrudgingly Alec attends, little did he know that the party would have a happy ending. Tags:AU, Human, Simon's Birthday, Star Wars, party, malec, first meeting, Smut, Office Sex, Anal Sex

A Change of Perspective by @forensicsisabelle

Malec | Teen Summary:Magnus hates the Lightwoods, including the kids who get everything they want. So how, exactly, does he wind up as Alec Lightwood's pretend date to a family party? Tags:Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Enemies to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Homophobia, Bad Parent Robert Lightwood, Bad Parent Maryse Lightwood, Hunter's Moon Discord's Gift Exchange

about colors and animal puns for names (or not so much) by @thelightofthebane

Malec | Teen Summary: Alec has barely left his office when he heard the trumpet of an elephant followed by the roar of a lion. Seconds later, a laugh from some hyena. He groaned. The new recruits were too damn loud. OR, A soulmate x omegaverse fusion nobody expected. Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Beta, Beta Alec Lightwood, Alpha Magnus Bane, Discrimination Against Betas, Alec is a good leader and says Soulmate rights, Magnus is a good alpha, True Mates, Romantic Soulmates, Fluff, Background RJS, Background Melibelle, Background Claia, soul animals, Animula

Kiss Me Today (and everyday after) by @tobythewise

Malec | Explicit Summary: Five times Magnus almost kisses Alec and the one time he does. OR A Malec royalty arranged marriage where Magnus holds himself back until Alec doesn't let him. Tags:Royalty, Arranged Marriage, 5+1, Dom/Sub, Dom Magnus, Sub Alec, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Bottom Alec

Love came knocking (at the door) by @fanfic-fugue

Malec | Teen Summary: Nothing exciting happens in the small town of Brocelind Plains. At least it didn't, until Alec Lightwood moves in next door, and Magnus' whole world is disrupted. It's up to him to decide if change is a good thing. Tags: Alternate Universe - SoulmatesSoulmate-Identifying Marks Alternate Universe - Small Town Alternate Universe - Human Teacher Magnus Bane Teacher Alec Lightwood Lawyer Alec Lightwood Enemies to Lovers Enemies to Friends to Lovers Alternate Universe - Neighbors Slow Burn

Between the Lines by @bidnezz

Malec | Explicit Summary: Alec has always been supportive of Magnus, even when his estranged father asks for Magnus and his boyfriend to come visit him for the week in his mansion to reconnect. Or, he would be supportive if Magnus did have a boyfriend... but he doesn’t. Only Asmodeus seems to be under the impression that Alec is his boyfriend, and Magnus doesn’t have the heart to correct him. It would be fine, totally fine, if Alec wasn’t already 100% in love with his best friend. Tags: Human AU, Romance, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Pining, Lack of Communication, Rich Asmo Daddy, Best Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, Sharing a Bed, First Time, Explicit Sexual Content

The Power Of Fiction by @jesseywoodhunter

Jimon | Teen Summary: Simon is fed up! With work, with people, with coworkers that have too many dogs. Most of all, he is fed up with his boss. Simon has been rebuffing Jace's flirtations at work for a while now. The guy is his boss after all and professionalism is a thing, not that Jace would know anything about that. Plus, it doesn't help that the guy is 100% annoying, 100% of the time. Simon does have one escape: Writing Fanfiction. See, Simon is a pretty badass writer and being able to express his creativity and channel his frustrations into creating stories is what makes him happy. Until it doesn't. Until he finds that happiness elsewhere. Tags: Alternate Universe - Office, IT Technician Simon Lewis, Boss Jace Wayland, Jace Is Simon's Boss, Attempt at Humour, Enemies to Lovers, Kinda, More Like Mutual Annoyances To Lovers, Persistent Jace Wayland, Other characters mentioned - Freeform, Misunderstandings, Simon Writes Fanfiction, Jace Finds Out, Mutual Pining, Sassy Simon Lewis, Sassy Jace Wayland, Emotionally Repressed, Questionable professionalism, Dumb Boys Get Smart, Fed Up Simon Lewis

Puppy Love by @foxymoley

Simon/Alec | General Summary: Simon broods broodily until he makes a little friend...then a bigger one! Tags:High School AU, Puppy, Simon needs a hug, Jock Alec

not the end of the world (the beginning of ours) by @sobsicles

Malec | Mature Summary:The universe seems to seems to want Alec and Magnus to kiss upon meeting, and it isn't long before they want the same thing.Or, the one where Magnus is Alec's new roommate, and they're definitely falling in love. Tags: 5+1 things, Meet Cute, Roommates, sharing a bed, fluff, Almost kiss, Alec Lightwood Being a Gay Disaster, Magnus is having a great time

#hmdiscord #hmexchange #masterpost #fanfic #fanart #malec #jimon #jalec #malace #jem/tessa/will #rizzy #jangus

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chiscribbs · 5 years ago

Text

PLUS EST EN VOUS Review

(Over a week later, and I’m finally posting this. At least I don’t have to worry about another episode coming out before it’s posted.)

Okay - there’s a lot to cover, so without further ado... Let’s get right into it, shall we?

Things I liked about the finale:

All of the beautiful Cass / Rapunzel scenes!

They were so emotional and beautifully done, it felt like everything that needed to be said was said, and seeing them act like friends again was very cathartic for me. In a lot of ways, Cass & Raps’ relationship reminds me of some of my own (old ones that didn’t end so smoothly, and then newer ones that I can already tell will leave a lasting impression on my life) and seeing them reconcile and talk about how much they meant to each other really warmed my heart. A best friend is an irreplaceable thing, and I love that their interactions showed that. I also really appreciated the “I love you”s, because the world needs more of those between friends. And it also reminded me of Eugene saying the same thing to Lance, in Beyond the Corona Walls.

The awesome Team Awesome content! There was an abundance of it in this episode, and I loved every second of it! Truth be told, I was never a big “Team Awesome” fan until S3 came around. The relationship always felt a tad too one-sided to me, and I just couldn’t see them being particularly close, at least not as close as Varian and Rapunzel. The fandom helped me warm up to the idea a little bit, but this past season definitely sold it for me. Eugene has really matured and become a lot less self-involved since the first time they met. I absolutely love that he’s turned into sort of a cool older brother figure to Varian (in fact, many of their interactions are reminiscent of moments I’ve shared with my own brother) and Var now looks up to him rather than just the “Flynn Rider” persona. The fact that Eugene could tease him about his past mistakes and Varian just turned around and casually joked right back? That made my heart happy.

Speaking of maturing & happy hearts -

I’M SO PROUD OF THIS BOY!!!

I know I say that a lot, but He’s just come so far since S1, or even the beginning of S3! There were a ton of little moments showcasing his growth in this episode. Such as: - Jumping onto the piano to help Raps rally the troops (did anybody think we were going to get pianist Varian? I sure didn’t, but I’m not complaining.) - Stating with certainty that he can rebuild Demanitus’ portal, before even seeing the schematics, and just overall showing more confidence in his abilities. (Quirin looked so proud when he was building the portal...you know, before going all mind-slave and trying to pull the lever.) - Being the first - the FIRST - of the gang to walk into Demanitus’ tomb. This may seem small, but it was such a 180 from Be Very Afraid, where he was nervous and trailing behind Raps the entire time. Now he’s not only joining in on the adventure, he’s taking the lead on occasion! - Rigging Quirin’s helmet with a temporary stun mechanism as a fail-safe for the mind-trap. He seemed hurt and offended when Eugene initially brought up the possibility of his dad being a double-agent, but even so, he listened. He put common sense and the safety of others before his own feelings, and that’s not an easy thing to do. - Firing an explosive concoction straight into the face of an enormous demon monster??? I mean,...heck yeah, boy!! Also - using his past mistakes (i.e. the amber and monster!Ruddiger) and repurposing them towards something good. I could go on, but you get the idea. he’s just come so far and I could not be more proud of his development. And the fact that he went on to become Corona’s Royal Alchemist Engineer was just the cherry on top! YOU DESERVE IT, BOY!!! 👏👏👏

You know who else I’m proud of? Rapunzel. She was never my favorite character in the series (despite being the protagonist,) but this story - and this past season in particular - has really endeared me to her. She’s grown so much, she’s become a strong and wise leader, and I’m proud of her for it. Honestly, I’ve related to her far more this past season than any other. And I don’t know if that’s because she’s older and more mature now, or because her naivete and eager-to-please attitude is all but gone, or because she just felt a lot more real and vulnerable in recent episodes - but I really, truly love her. And I’m happy to see her story reach its completion. (Also - long-haired brunette Raps is my new favorite thing, tbh.)

THIS:

‘Nough said, I think.

The epic new powers and abilities (and return of some old ones)!!! There were so many moments while watching the finale where I was literally just yelling at my sister like “wHOA, DID YOU SEE THAT?! THAT WAS AWESOME!!!” I had no idea that Cass could make ANIMATED WOLF HEADS of the black rocks, that completely blew me away! And then there were those golden rocks that Zhan Tiri manifested, that was so cool! I wonder if the sundrop alone could make those appear, or if you had to have both of the elements to make it work. Also - the Healing Incantation was finally brought back! I knew it would be, eventually, but I’d almost completely forgotten that was a plot point by the time the finale came around. It was good to hear Mandy’s voice saying those familiar, nostalgic words again. And she put so much emotion into it!

Now, onto the less fun stuff...

Things I disliked about the finale:

(Feel free to skip over this section if you’d rather just focus on the positives, I fully understand. I’ll do my best to be fair and only address the things that really stood out to me.)

This subplot went on for far too long:

It was pretty funny for the first few minutes (and I’m sure the animators loved getting to go crazy with the characters’ designs like this,) but after awhile, I was like “is this really what we want over half of our cast to be doing during the BIG FINALE?” I mean, we already had the monkey gag, which I actually thought was a riot. And this one came right in the middle of a pretty climactic moment, so it just seemed kind of out of place. I’ll admit, the snake-hair joke and Lance’s multiple eyes had me rolling, but ultimately, I just felt like this whole bit only served to waste limited time that definitely could have been better utilized.

The portal was too quickly demolished. They could have at least come close to a success with it before it was destroyed, so that it didn’t feel completely useless! I get that they wanted ZT to be defeated by her own power, and I’m down for that, but if the portal’s sole purpose within the story was just to temporarily remove all the secondary characters in limbo so that the mains could do their thing, I can’t really get behind it. Especially seeing as their only Plan B was “throw things at the giant all-powerful octopus monster,” come on, guys. I would have preferred that be a last-resort after several failed attempts at other pre-orchestrated plans. They could have had Varian and Quirin working on repairing the portal while the others distract/attack Zhan Tiri and THEN have her destroy it (purposefully, rather than by some random falling rock.) Or, maybe everyone could have been in on the plan to get the sundrop and moonstone to meet, and then have Raps and Cass are the ones who finally succeed in doing it. I don’t know, I just feel like there was a lot of wasted potential there.

This scene:

I’m going to be perfectly honest, this scene bothered me. For a multitude of reasons:

Firstly; it was a shot-for-shot copy (not a parallel, a copy) of the iconic New Dream moment from the movie, just replacing Eugene with Cass. That wasn't necessary, Cass and Raps have their own unique relationship and their own moments, they don’t need to steal Raps & Eugene’s. This should have remained a New Dream-only thing, in my opinion. (Especially seeing as her parents already stole their gondola bit...I’m mostly joking about that one.)

Secondly; it didn’t make sense? Rapunzel was standing just as close to the blast as Cassandra, yet she wasn’t harmed at all. In fact, she seemed completely unfazed by it. Why was Cass the only one effected? (And we can’t even make an argument that the moonstone shard protected her, because the powers were lost the moment the two fused.) If they needed a brush-with-death scene, why not have ZT hurt Cass? I feel like that would have been a lot more dramatic, especially after manipulating her for an entire season.

And finally; it made every other character’s “death” seem unimportant in comparison. I get that the writers needed Raps to use the Healing Incantation, but, EVERYBODY ELSE WAS ALREADY HALF-DEAD, AT THIS POINT. I’m sorry, but, why wasn’t that incentive enough to use the healing power? Why did we need to have Cass’s near-death on top of everybody else’s? I mean, I would’ve been maybe a little bit more okay with it had Rapunzel mourned everybody’s death and not just Cass’s, and then used the power to save ALL of them at once. But instead, she completely forgot about everyone else until the very last second, which was frustrating. I’m not a fan of plot devices that ignore other characters, especially when the protagonist is supposed to care about them but then just doesn’t even seem to remember that they exist for a hot minute. This felt like the ending of Freebird, only worse because you can’t make the excuse that she was unaware. (Just to be clear, I’m not blaming Rapunzel. I know it wasn’t meant to come across that way, I just feel like it was not well executed.) There are a lot of ways that this could have been done differently. Rapunzel and Cass could have BOTH been devastated about their friends/loved ones, I would have loved to see Cass show genuine concern and remorse towards the OTHER people whom her actions hurt, not just Raps. Or, Rapunzel could have at least landed near Cass so it would’ve made sense for her to notice her first, and then looked around and noticed everybody else before using the healing incantation. At least that way, the other characters wouldn’t have felt so much like a second-thought. I don’t know, I just didn’t appreciate the treatment of the supporting cast in this scene at all. It felt like they were forgotten right up until the very last second.

Cass didn’t get to sing in any of the songs. I was really surprised by this, I figured given how important her role had become, she’d get to sing at least one line (like Lance and Varian did.) But nope. Actually, a good 90% of the music in this episode was sung by Raps, and as much as I love the songs & Mandy’s beautiful voice, I was hoping for the other characters to be a little bit more involved. Especially in the Life After Happily Ever After (Reprise), that would have been a great opportunity to have everybody sing together.

Things I would have liked to see in the finale:

More information about Demanitus and ZT. We got so little! I was expecting this episode to answer all of our questions about that two, but I still have no idea; what their relationship was, where Zhan Tiri came from, why exactly she wanted the power (besides just to have it for herself, I guess), or how they came across the SD and MS in the first place! Like, just a little bit more information would have been nice, the only thing the flashback really gave us was what ZT looked like before spending a few millenia in limbo. (Also - apparently Corona is several thousand years old??? Which, I didn’t know, I was under the impression that it was a fairly new kingdom.)

Closure for this relationship:

This is probably what I was most disappointed by. Honestly, I’m still kind of surprised that this didn’t happen, even just a little bit. Given that Cass was wearing the Cassandrium at the end, we can safely assume that they at least parted on good terms. But the last few exchanges that they had really gave me the impression that we’d be getting some kind of closure before the credits rolled. We were given two whole episodes focusing on the unique bond that these two share (that’s more than we were given for Cass & Eugene,) they were painted as parallels, so it only makes sense to give them a proper wrap-up. In CR, Cass seemed hurt and devastated after realizing that she’d effectively pushed Varian away, it’s clear his friendship meant a lot to her. Not to mention, Var had the best understanding of Cass’s feelings, he could relate to her - especially about her guilt and fear of not being forgiven. But despite all of the build-up & foreshadowing, they didn’t even get an on-screen goodbye? Not a single “thank you” or “I’m sorry”? I realize that the main focus was always on Cass & Raps’ friendship, and I’m totally fine with that. I’m just saying that after all the obvious parallels and time invested in this relationship, it would have been nice to get some closure. I just wish they’d included at least one little dialogue exchange to wrap it up in a satisfactory way, like we got with Cass and Eugene.

Actual pay-off for all the Varian - Demanitus parallels. I think we can all agree that this seemed like it was going somewhere, and then it just...didn’t. He did rebuild the portal, but it turned out to be useless, and outside of that, the similarity was never touched upon. Not by Rapunzel, or Zhan Tiri, not even Xavier made the connection. I mean - this kid is doing at 15/16 what Demanitus did in the latter half of his life. He’s not only following the legendary engineer/inventor’s footsteps, he’s expanding the legacy. If that’s not foreshadowing for something, I don’t know what is! And I do love the fact that he became the Royal Alchemist Engineer, but at the same time, I just feel like there was so much wasted potential in this almost-but-not-quite-subplot.

An actual Brotherhood reunion, without all the mind-trap influence. It would have been so interesting to see them all interacting! I was surprised that, even though Edmund and Quirin were both in the same place for most of the episode, they never really interacted? Outside of mind-controlled Quirin, Hector, and Adira attacking Eugene & Edmund, they didn’t exchange so much as a word. And I get that a lot of that was time restraints, and having to focus on more important plot points (as Edmund said “bigger fish”) but honestly, if they had time to thrown in all that netherworld nonsense, a little Brotherhood interaction doesn’t seem like too big of a favor to ask.

Rapid-fire Opinions:

Favorite song: Through it All

In my opinion, this song is the best group number in the show (not counting the ones only sung by main 3, such With You By My Side or Next Stop Anywhere) It’s not quite as epic as Ready As I’ll Ever Be, but it has an infectious beat and a triumphant melody that I really enjoy. Also, the scene as a whole was so cheerful and fun, and we got Varian, Lance, Kiera, and Catalina all playing various instruments! (Plus more New Dream dancing! ❤ )

Favorite callback to a previous episode: Easy answer, because it comes from (what is still) one of my favorite episodes in the series - the Cassandrium.

Favorite scene: This one’s a little tough, but I did really enjoy the little moment that Eugene and Varian had after Quirin was incapacitated by the helmet.

I also loved the final scene where Cass said goodbye to Rapunzel and they gave each other the biggest, warmest hug I’ve ever seen in animation history (and the prior exchange between her and Eugene was really sweet, as well.)

OH! And how could I forget? That beautiful New Dream proposal. 💜 That was absolutely perfect. The animation, the music, Mandy & Zach’s incredibly heartfelt voice work, just...I loved everything about it.

Most underrated moment: Catalina pushing Kiera out of Zhan Tiri’s way and getting grabbed herself. (Show of hands, who else briefly forgot that she was a werewolf and had a small heart-attack in that moment?)

Theories I had that were proven true:

- Cass leaving Corona to “find her own destiny.” I’d always felt like Cass never really had a dream of her own; she didn’t know who she was, and she was never going to get the answers by staying by Rapunzel’s side. So I had a strong feeling that she would be leaving, but I’m glad to see that it was on good terms.

- Everyone vs Zhan Tiri. Granted, like most people, I was under the impression that Xavier’s “magic and alchemy” statement would be more...relevant? Turns out, we read into that way too much. Which, honestly, is a tiny bit disappointing, but it was still cool to finally see Zhan Tiri at her most powerful.

- Varian becoming Corona’s Royal Alchemist Engineer. This is a theory I’ve had since my early days in the fandom, and I’m glad to see it finally confirmed! My only complaint is that we didn’t get to see Rapunzel bestow the honor upon him, because I would have loved to see that exchange.

Theories that were not proven true, but I still believe:

- Varian (and possibly Quirin) being a descendant of Demanitus. You can pry this one out of my cold, dead hands, there are way too many clues pointing to it. I’m not even sure if Demanitus has any descendants (again, we have very little information on him still) but if he does, Varian’s a prime candidate. His lineage comes from the Dark Kingdom, he’s a genius alchemist/inventor, has a personal connection to both the Sundrop and the Moonstone; honestly, I’m kind of surprised this possibility was never even considered, at least one, in canon.

- Cass will eventually return to Corona.�� I have no idea when, why, or how, but I truly believe she will. Her spirit may be roaming free at the moment, but the heart always returns home. And - as it stands right now, at least - her heart is still waiting in Corona. In the meantime, though, I’m glad she’s living her best life, seeking out adventure wherever destiny leads her! She deserves it <3

Well, that’s my full Plus Est En Vous/Tangled the Series Finale review! I’d love to hear everybody else’s thoughts on the final episode, as well; how many people were satisfied vs unsatisfied with the ending? What were everyone else’s favorite moments, what else would have been nice to see? Let me know!

Final words: This show and this fandom have meant so much to me, and I’m far from done loving it. I still have many projects in the works to celebrate the show and its completion, but in the meantime - thanks for reading.

And God bless the amazing team that came together to bring us this incredibly beautiful, meaningful, story which will always have a special place in my heart.

#artistnotes #tts #tangled the series #plus est en vous #character analysis #episode analysis #episode review

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patchwork-panda · 4 years ago

Text

If A Moment Is All We Are (39/?)

AO3 link HERE (due to formatting errors on tumblr, clicking the link is recommended)

S1, OP2

Music 1

“Okay... the oil should be hot enough now.”

Kyouka moved her hand away from the top of the uncovered pan and turned towards me. She nodded, her blue eyes serious.

“Go ahead.”

Swallowing nervously, I nodded back.

“Okay. Here I go...”

“ You’ve got this, Kusunoki- san! ” Atsushi cried, cheering me on from behind a splatter screen as I slowly tilted the bowl of beaten egg mixture over the pan. “ I believe in you!”

But the moment the egg hit the oil and started to fry, he ducked back down behind the screen to hide.

Ignoring him, I kept my eyes on the omelette sizzling in the pan, determined not to let this one burn like the last two had.

“Good,” Kyouka said quietly, peering at the stovetop from behind my elbow.

So she was hiding too...

“Now leave it alone and let it cook. Once it looks solid enough— ”

She turned towards the sink, where the charred remains of a ruined square pan lay smoldering in the sink. I shrank in on myself as she glared up at me.

“You can start rolling it. I’ll be keeping a closer eye on you this time. ”

Sweating a little and smiling weakly, I nodded again.

“Yes, ma’am...”

I went back to staring at the omelette, praying that I wouldn’t ruin this one like the others. It was already seven in the morning. I had barely managed to get the rice balls done correctly as it was. If I kept going like this, there was no way I would have Kunikida’s bento lunch done in time for our day together!

And then...!

Inwardly, I squirmed.

My entire plan would be ruined...!

I sighed.

Just two days ago, I had felt unstoppable. It was a week after I’d closed Professor Matsuyama’s case. Every last report had been finally turned in. My entire backlog gone. Even Dazai had seemed unusually focused for the past several days and I’d managed to finish every last piece of work unbothered for the first time since, well, ever. I’d just been packing up for the day and getting ready to go home to play video games when Yosano called out to me from her side of the room...

“Kyou-chan!”

I looked up from my bag as Yosano approached.

“Come with me for a second.”

And without waiting for me to even give a response, she grabbed the back of my shirt and literally started dragging me away.

“ Yosano-sensei!” I yelped as she tore me away from my desk. “ What are you doing —?!”

“Just hush up and come here.”

And that’s when we passed the infirmary. I quickly realized I was not about to be dissected and stopped struggling immediately.

I nervously met her glance.

“Uh... Where are we going?”

“Somewhere we’re not goin g to be overheard,” she replied casually.

Her purple eyes twinkled as she glanced down at me and I was abruptly and involuntarily reminded of Dazai .

“I’m giving you a special assignment ...”

And as we arrived at the conference room at last, she opened the door and shoved me in. I heard the subtle click of the lock behind me as I got up and dusted myself off.

“This is a secret assignment,” Yosano said, turning to face me. “And it comes straight from the President himself. So make sure you don’t breathe a word of this to anyone else, okay?”

At that, my ears perked up.

“A secret assignment?” I sputtered, rounding on her, my eyes huge. “From P-President Fukuzawa?!”

W-what kind of special assignment would President Fukuzawa give someone like me?!

And why was it secret?!

W as it s omething massive ly important or particularly special?! But if that were the case, why not hand it to Kunikida or Dazai or someone far more competent than me?!

“Calm down, Kyou-chan,” Yosano said quickly, raising her black-gloved hands up in an appeasing gesture. “It’s nothing big or scary. It’s actually quite simple.”

She paused to think for a second.

She frowned.

“Okay, maybe not that simple, but we do think it’s a job you’re well-suited for. We were originally going to give it to Dazai but then we realized it really was better to ask you.”

Huh?

I blinked.

They were asking me to do an assignment in Dazai’s stead?

“What’s the assignment?” I asked, confused.

“ We need you...” Yosano said, taking a deep breath in.

Her face turned deadly serious.

“To distract Kunikida.”

My jaw hit the floor.

“HUH?!!”

“ He hasn’t taken a day off in almost a full year,” Yosano sighed, rubbing her temple with one black-gloved hand. “He’s been pretty stressed out the last couple days thanks to his latest big-shot client and his blood pressure lately’s been through the roof.”

She shook her head, her dark hair flying about her face.

“It’s way too high for someone his age. If this keeps up, he’ll keel over and drop dead before Dazai does!”

I balked.

I didn’t know a thing about medical science, but if Yosano was saying this... Just how bad was Kunikida’s stress?!

“Oh, but don’t worry!” Yosano said quickly, correctly recognizing the look on my face. “He’ll be okay. As long as he learns to relax a little more and take his breaks when he needs to, I think he’ll live a long, healthy life! Probably.”

Not entirely convinced, I nodded slowly.

“So, here’s the thing,” she continued, understanding that she now had my full attention. “The president is forcing— I mean, asking Kunikida to take a day off. Next week. For his health. Now, normally, Kunikida will follow any order the president gives but for something like this, we’re not sure if he’ll be able to do it on his own .”

She frowned.

“You see, he likes to plan things out to the letter and we’re concerned that he’ll find a way to sneak some work in here or there. Either that or overplan his day to the point where it’s not relaxing any more. So!”

She jabbed her finger at me.

“That’s where you come in,” she declared. “Your job is to make sure Kunikida Doppo spends the whole day relaxing, even if it kills him!”

WHAT?!

“It’s just for one day,” Yosano elaborated. “You just finished up a big case and it seems like you got through your entire backlog just now. So, we’re asking you to do it because you could probably use a short break yourself.”

She beamed.

“ That means you’re getting the day off too!”

Ah...

I felt a grim smile come to my face.

So that meant they weren’t paying me to do any of this...

“ We’re counting on you, Kyou-chan,” Yosano said, clapping her hand on my shoulder. “ If it’s you, I know you’ll be able to help. But...”

She tightened her grip on my shoulder and I felt an instinctive rush of fear.

“If he comes anywhere within a five-hundred meter radius of this office ,” she declared, grinning maniacally.

Even though she was carrying no weapons, I could picture the shine of her cleaver held at the ready above my head.

“ It’ll be on your head...”

Shuddering at the memory, I kept my focus on the thin layer of egg cooking in the pan in front of me.

So that’s why I was here.

My job, as it was forced on me, was to accompany Kunikida for the day and make sure he didn’t try to do any work. While Yosano had said something to the effect of “break his cell phone if you have to,” I had no plans to do anything of the sort.

I had a much better idea...

I felt a tiny grin coming to my face as I saw the egg begin to puff up in the pan.

If I wanted to keep Kunikida away from the office for an entire day, then what better way to do so than with a nice day out on the town? It wouldn’t be a date exactly, but there couldn’t be any harm in, say, taking Kunikida out to a bunch of places that I thought he might like? Or getting up early to make him a bento box lunch from scratch, so he wouldn’t want to go back to the Uzumaki Cafe? Or in dressing up a little nicer than usual since I was going to be spending an entire day with him?

It’s what his ideal woman would do, right?

Picking up my chopsticks, I started rolling up the egg.

Thinking back on it, the timing couldn’t be more perfect. I was already thinking about confessing to Kunikida by the end of this week. What better way to do it than after a day like this?

And maybe...

I felt my cheeks warm as I poured in the second layer of egg.

Maybe today would go so well that he would consider returning my feelings, or at least giving me a chance...!

I just had to make sure everything went according to plan.

“Kusunoki-san!”

Atsushi was suddenly at my shoulder, his duochrome eyes wide. I realized he had lowered the splatter screen “shield.”

“I think you’re actually doing it!”

I tried not to take offense.

“Thanks...”

“No, really!” he said, pausing to sniff the air.

I thought I saw him wipe away a fleck of drool, his golden eyes bright as he eyed the growing log of egg in the pan.

“It looks great!”

“Want the first slice, then?” I asked, surprising even myself.

Atsushi stared at me.

“R-really?” he blurted out. “Is that okay? I mean you’re going to all this trouble for Kunikida-sa—”

His question was cut short by Kyouka elbowing him in the stomach.

“Really,” I said, nodding as I transferred the cooked tamagoyaki out of the pan and onto a bamboo sushi rolling mat.

Taking care not to burn my hands, I finished compacting the egg log and cut him a slice. As I held it out to Atsushi , who gleefully took it from me with a pair of chopsticks he produced out of nowhere, I was suddenly reminded of the last time I’d tried feeding a stray cat outside the ADA building.

The tiger-boy grinned and opened his mouth.

“Itadakimasu!”

He took a bite.

I was sweating. I could hear the blood pounding in my ears as I watched the boy in front of me gleefully chew. Then, he swallowed.

“ It’s good!” he exclaimed, shooting me an excited look . “It’s actually really good!”

He quickly scarfed down the rest of his egg.

“I think Kunikida-san would be happy to eat something like this.”

I clapped my egg-covered hands over my mouth.

“Really!?” I squeaked, hardly believing his words. “You really mean that?!”

“Yes, really!”

I wasn’t sure who looked more excited—Atsushi or me.

“In fact...!”

He stepped up to the chopping board, where the rest of the tamagoyaki lay steaming on its thin plastic surface.

“Let me show you something.”

Picking up the knife, Atsushi cut off a thick slice and laid it down on the board.

“If you cut this slice in half diagonally,” he said cheerfully, demonstrating as I watched, “and then place the two halves together like this...”

He laid it out on the board with a grin.

“Y ou can make a heart!”

“ H -h eart-shaped tamagoyaki ...” I stuttered, staring at it.

For Kunikida’s bento?!

My face instantly burst into flame.

Atsushi nodded.

“Yeah, it’s really cute and I think it would be perfect for your da —OW!”

He doubled over, groaning in pain as Kyouka elbowed him in the stomach again.

“Kusunoki-san.”

Shoving her roommate aside, Kyouka stepped forward. She presented me with the nearly completed bento box, the rest of the foods we’d finished cooking this morning neatly nestled alongside a bed of freshly cooked rice.

“Love is a woman’s battle,” she said, her blue eyes bright.

She held up the box.

“Good luck!!”

“Kyouka-chan...!” I whispered.

I was actually tearing up. I couldn’t help it ! Seeing her there next to me, in her cute little apron, with her hair tied up and the purest smile on her face— I was about to step forward and envelop her in a crushing hug when I realized she was holding onto the lunch boxes I’d worked so hard to prepare. Coughing a little, I dropped into as low of a bow as I could manage.

“Thank you!! Thank you so much!”

“It’s nothing,” Kyouka mumbled quickly, her cheeks reddening in an adorable blush. “I only hope I was a suitable teacher.”

You were, you were!” I sniffled, wiping my eyes. “I’ll return the favor someday, I promise—”

“You don’t have to do that,” Kyouka said quickly. “Just...”

And as one, we turned to the sink, where the pile of dirty dishes had grown to the size of a small tower. I was instantly reminded of the moldering dishes that had collected in Tayama Katai’s sink.

I grimaced as Kyouka quietly mumbled her request:

“Just help me wash the dishes before you go.”

“Alright, then. I’m off!”

Tucking the finished set of bento boxes into the cute little bag I’d specifically chosen for this occasion, I hoisted the thick strap over my shoulder and turned to face my hosts.

“Thank you so much for everything today, Atsushi-kun, Kyouka-chan! I won’t forget this, I swear!”

“Don’t worry about it, Kusunoki-san!” Atsushi said quickly, ushering me towards the door. “You’ve already thanked us enough. Just hurry up and get going or you’re going to be late!”

“It’ll be okay, Atsushi-kun!” I declared, taking out the tiny notepad I’d bought just for today (green, just like Kunikida’s!) and flipping it open to show him my plans. “I have everything completely planned out. The next bus doesn’t arrive for another ten minutes. And if I miss this bus—”

I flipped to the next memo.

“Then I can just run to the nearest train station, take the next train and run to get the meeting location on time! And if that doesn’t work, I’ll just call a taxi—”

“Oh my God,” Atsushi whispered, his face color changing to an unsettling shade of blue as he stared at my itinerary, “you really do have it all planned out. As expected of someone tasked with distracting Kunikida-san all day... it’s almost too much...”

I blinked at him.

“Is it...?”

“Kusunoki-san?”

Drying a dish in her tiny hands, Kyouka emerged from the kitchen area.

“Good luck,” she said, her blue eyes bright. “I hope it goes well!” “‘Goes well?’” Atsushi repeated, looking confused. “What does that mean—”

“D-Don’t worry about it,” I mumbled awkwardly, my face going pink. “Anyway, I’ll see you guys tomorrow! Have a nice day at work!”

And with that, I grabbed the doorknob and let myself out into the hallway, Atsushi and Kyouka following me as far as the foyer to see me off.

“You too, Kusunoki-san!” Atsushi called after me as I headed down the hall, waving. “Have a nice day!”

Breathing a sigh of relief as the door closed at last, I took my notepad back out and held it in front of me.

“Is it really too much?” I mumbled, scanning down the list of things I’d planned to do.

8:00 am: meet Kunikida at the park by the ADA dorms.

8:02 am: small talk

8:06 am: walk from the park to a nearby coffee shop

8:09 am: order coffee

8:19 am: spend time at the coffee shop

9:01 am: leave coffee shop

9:11 am: arrive at bookstore on next street

9:31 am: leave bookstore

9:32 am: window shop (?)

9:48 am: head to train station

9:50 am: board train

10:13 am: get off train

10:17 am: arrive at Yokohama Marine Tower

10:41 am: leave Yokohama Marine Tower

10:46 am: arrive at Yamashita Park

10:47 am: look at the flowers (10 min per flower bed!)

12:30 pm: Lunch break

1:34 pm: leave Yamashita Park

1:43 pm: Walk around Chinatown.

2:14 pm: leave Chinatown

“...”

I stopped walking down the hallway to stare at the list.

Compared to Kunikida’s notebook, this really didn’t seem that unmanageable...

But then again...

I made a face as I kept scrolling through the next couple pages of memos.

Maybe Atsushi was right and it really was a little ambitious.

I forgot to schedule in bathroom breaks...

“Will thirty minutes really be enough at the bookstore?” I mumbled to myself as I resumed walking. “Maybe I shouldn’t drink that much coffee...”

Bookstores, museums, bento lunch at the park, stationary stores and fishing...

I felt an odd twinge in my chest as I scrolled through the list. I’d worked really hard to put together this schedule, even staying up a little later than usual so that I could research every location. Everything that was on here was here for a reason. Some, like the bookstore, were there because I either thought or heard that Kunikida had an interest in them. Others, like the trip to Yamashita Park, were there because I’d heard...

I felt my face warm as I stared at the flower I’d drawn next to the kanji.

Because I’d heard that they were good date spots...

I lowered the notebook with a small, wistful sigh.

I’d planned everything out to the letter, even copied the kind of scheduling I thought Kunikida might approve of, even though it had nearly killed me to do so.

And I did it because...

My fingers tightened around the notebook.

I wanted Kunikida to like me. I really, really wanted him to like me and I was willing to do anything it took if it meant that he might begin to see me the way I saw him...

Even if it was just a slim possibility.

Feeling strangely determined, I stuffed the notebook into my pocket and proceeded down the hall.

If I could just hear those four little words... If I could just hear Kunikida Doppo say to me once, “I like you, too...”

Then it would all be worth it.

But just as I came to the end of the sunlit hall, I thought I saw something flashing on the wall to my right. I stopped in my tracks.

“Huh?”

Blinking, I took a step towards it.

It was a name plate: a square of shiny, rectangular glass, under which was a small card bearing the name of the occupant within.

My eyes widened.

“Dazai... Osamu.”

I nearly dropped the bag.

Here?

Dazai lived here?

I felt something strange passing through my body as I stood there staring at the name plate, the glass shining as brightly in the morning sun as the full moon had that unusually wintry night...

“You don’t have to say yes right away, Kusunoki-san.”

I took a step forward, towards the door.

“Take your time, think about it. Just know that if you ever change your mind, you’ll know where to find me.”

Standing there beside me at the wrought-metal gates, Dazai paused for a moment and thoughtfully rubbed his chin.

“Actually, maybe you don’t. I should probably give you my number.”

My cell phone, buried deep in my coat pocket, clunked softly against my thigh as I took another couple steps towards Dazai’s front door.

Text received. My burner cell buzzed noisily in my jacket and, pocketing his own device, Dazai smiled.

The name plate was right in front of me, the kanji neat and dark upon the white paper card within.

“My apartment’s not very far from here. If you ever need anything, anything at all...”

I reached out.

Dazai winked, his grin as cheerful as ever.

“Just give me a call. I promise...”

My fingers came to a rest on the name plate, just below Dazai’s name.

“I’ll be right over.”

So...

I bit my lip.

This is what he meant when he said he lived nearby...

Dazai, like Atsushi and Kyouka, lived at the company dorm, just one short train ride away from my apartment.

He was only two doors down and I’d been making quite the racket this morning when I was cooking—or rather, failing at cooking.

How much had he heard? Did he know why I was cooking at Atsushi and Kyouka’s apartment?

My fingers lingered on the name plate.

Should I talk to him? Tell him I was only here because I’d been given a special assignment? That I was going to be out all day today because of it?

My fingers curled in on themselves, like a fist against the name plate.

Should I tell him that I was planning to confess to Kunikida today?

I brought my folded fingers to my chest and sighed.

No. I shouldn’t say anything. Knowing Dazai, he’d probably take this as an excuse to mess with me or derail my plans or something to that effect.

Besides, he probably wasn’t even home...

I stared at the door.

But then, where would he be? It wasn’t like him to come to the Agency early so that he could get a head start on the workday.

I stood before the door, my left hand curled into a fist against my chest, my right curled around the bag of bento boxes.

Maybe I should just say hi. Just real quick. He is still one of my mentors, after all...

Slowly, I lifted my hand towards the door.

Suddenly, someone kicked a door open down the hall with an ear-shattering BANG. Startled, I jumped and moved away from the door just in time to see Atsushi coming through the door with a large trash bag in his hands.

“Kusunoki-san, you’re still here?” Atsushi called, gawping at me with his big golden eyes. “Don’t you have a bus to catch?!”

Behind him, Kyouka quickly poked her head out the open door.

“What are you doing?” she yelled, brandishing a cooking knife at me, her blue eyes sharp. “Get going, right now!”

“Yes, ma’am!” I shrieked, throwing my hands in the air like a thief who’d just been caught.

And before she could throw the knife at me, I sprinted down the stairs, nearly tripping over my own feet as I made it out of the courtyard. As if on cue, the bus pulled in to the bus stop just as I arrived at the loading zone and I quickly followed the rest of the morning commuters inside.

Luckily for me, it was relatively empty and I was able to find a seat by one of the windows on the right side. Taking care not to jostle the bento boxes too much, I sat down, breathing a sigh of relief only when the bus began to crawl down the street.

But as I took out my mirror to check my reflection, to make sure my makeup was still in decent condition, I caught sight of the Agency apartment complex, in the distance, with its corrugated red roof and pale, softly streaked walls. I watched quietly as the corner room on the second floor, the room I’d been standing in front of not two minutes ago, slowly grew smaller and faded into the distance.

With a heavy creaking and groaning of wheels, the bus turned the corner.

Dazai’s apartment disappeared from sight.

To the gods out there who kept me alive long enough to see this day...

I paused at the edge of the sidewalk, just outside the park, unable to take another step forward, for fear of ruining the perfect image in front of me: Kunikida Doppo, sitting on a park bench on the hill, his tall figure bathed in the warm glow of the morning light, his dirty-blonde hair shining like finespun gold.

Kunikida-san... sitting there waiting for me...!

I seriously thought I was going to cry.

Thank you...

Kunikida-san... He always looked so handsome and well-put-together when he was at the office, with his broad shoulders and long legs, sitting at his desk in his beige vest and slacks.

But today...

I felt my cheeks warm as I quietly observed him from afar.

Today, I got to see him in a way that I’d never seen him before. Today, Kunikida was dressed in casual wear. Well, sort of. That navy blue blazer had clearly been tailored to fit his body (and it did. Very well, actually) and those brown shoes on his feet were just a little on the fancy side, but he was still sitting there on that bench wearing jeans and a white T-shirt. I watched as he crossed and uncrossed his long, slim legs, his beautiful, sage-colored eyes never leaving the pages of his little green notebook.

He looked great.

Grinning stupidly to myself, I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, getting ready to snap a photo. I knew I probably looked like some kind of a creep, but I had to commemorate this moment. How often was the lighting as perfect as the subject? Maybe if he agreed to be my boyfriend (a girl could dream, couldn’t she?), he might forgive me and we’d have a good laugh about it.

But just as I had him all lined up in the viewfinder, Kunikida looked up and spotted me from across the way. His gray-green eyes met mine through the screen and I actually threw my phone into the air in shock.

“K-Kunikida-san!” I stammered, trying at once to both regain my composure and catch my phone. “G-Good morning! Were you waiting long?”

No sooner were the words out of my mouth than I thought I heard the “snap” of the photo being taken.

Shit. Had he heard?!

I hurried to stuff it away in my pocket before Kunikida could notice.

“No, not really,” Kunikida said politely.

Rising from the bench, he tucked his notebook into a hidden pocket of his blazer and walked towards me. Behind him, the morning sun framed his golden hair like a halo, the gray tone of his eyes softening into something more vibrant and green.

“Don’t worry.”

Stopping just before me on the path, he inclined his head in greeting.

“I only just arrived.”

Ahh...

How many times had I dreamed of having this exact conversation with him? The customary pleasantries exchanged when you finally meet up for a date?

I’m so happy I could die ...!

Suddenly spotting the colorful little bag hanging at my side, Kunikida raised an eyebrow and gestured towards it.

“Hey...” he said slowly. “Is the pattern on that canvas bag actually just a bunch of Pikach—”

“Ah, would you look at the time!” I cried, pulling my own miniature notebook out of my pocket and flipping to the appropriate page. “We should really get going if we want to get to the cafe on time!”

I jerked around and robotically made for the street, the heels of my shoes clicking awkwardly against the sidewalk as I moved.

“We’ve got a busy schedule today, you know!”

Kunikida blinked at me.

“‘Busy schedule?’” he repeated, sounding surprised.

Had I said the magic words? Was he going to be pleased?

I nodded, suddenly filled with a renewed sense of determination.

“Yeah!” I said, briefly lifting my notebook up to show him. “I’ve got our entire day planned out right here in this little notebook. So, Kunikida-san!”

I turned and shot him a grin over my shoulder.

“Please leave everything to me.”

I’ll make sure you have the most relaxing day ever!

For a moment, Kunikida grew quiet. I watched as the handsome, blonde detective slowly looked from the notebook to me. Finally, he nodded, a tiny smile gracing his features.

“Sounds good,” he said, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Lead the way, Kusunoki-kun.”

Smiling, I pulled open my maps and turned back towards the street.

“Yes, sir!”

Atsushi-kun was right...

Wobbling a little on my feet, I collapsed against the inner wall of the observation deck of the Yokohama Marine Tower.

My schedule really was too ambitious...

When I’d first gotten the idea to distract Kunikida by taking him out for a day of fun around Yokohama, I’d thought my task would be relatively straightforward. I figured, as long as I did the research and put in the time necessary to craft a perfect schedule, I would succeed. Little did I know how wrong I was.

Things went off the rails almost as soon as we’d left the park.

Our first stop was a local coffee shop. I’d specifically chosen this cafe because Shimeko told me that they were famous for their Caffe Americano’s, Kunikida’s go-to drink at the Uzumaki Cafe. I could already smell the coffee from down the street and in my excitement, I turned to look at Kunikida, hoping to see that he was just as excited as I was. But just when I was about to open my mouth to talk, I was interrupted by the sound of Kunikida’s cell phone ringing.

Before I could stop him, he reached into his pocket and picked it up.

“Hello?” he answered, his tone professional.

He frowned.

“Ah. Yeah. Yes, I understand.”

He nodded.

“Rest assured, I’ll have it done by noon tomorrow. Alright, then.”

He hung up, pocketed his phone and took out his little green notebook. Without slowing his pace or looking up at the street ahead, Kunikida took out a familiar black fountain pen from inside his blazer and wrote something down. I waited apprehensively for the scratching of the pen to subside before asking my question.

“Uh... Kunikida-san?”

“Hm?”

He glanced down at me, his gray-green eyes calm.

“Yes, Kusunoki-kun?”

I tried not to make a face.

“...what are you doing?”

“Writing myself a reminder,” Kunikida replied, tucking his notebook back into his blazer. “That was a client I’d just picked up a few days ago. He wants me to follow up on a report.”

“Is... is that what you were doing?” I asked, sweat dripping down my temple. “Are you trying to—”

“Oh, don’t worry, Kusunoki-kun,” Kunikida replied crisply, glancing back up ahead at the road. “This isn’t technically work. Yosano-sensei told me everything, so please rest assured, I will do everything in my power to relax.”

But I could already see the way his hand twitched in his pocket, wrapping around his phone.

“R-right...”

I tried to put a smile on my face as the cafe came into view.

“I understand. As long as you’re not actually doing any work and you stay relaxed, okay?”

For both our sakes—Yosano really seemed like she meant it when she said it would “be on my head.”

But little did I know my troubles were only beginning.

“It’s not technically work.” But it wasn’t “technically” fun, either.

When we got to the cafe, I was forced to watch as Kunikida grilled the barista on everything from the beans they used to the temperature of the roast, only giving up when the terrified young man offered to give him a discount on his order in place of divulging trade secrets. I was too embarrassed to step in and say anything, much less be seen with him (or worse, asked to take responsibility as his kohai), so I just stood there quietly in the back and waited for my latte and chocolate croissant until it was over. As soon as it was, I ushered Kunikida out with the promise of a nice quiet stroll in the park, all plans of staying for a pleasant chat in the small, but atmospheric shop gone.

I could never show my face in that cafe again.

Luckily, the park was relatively empty and we were able to find another bench to sit on pretty quickly. I was half-wondering if it would be too much to offer him a bite of my croissant (wouldn’t me taking a bite after be an indirect kiss?! Could I really be so bold?!) when I looked to my right and realized he was writing in his notebook again.

“Kunikida-san...” I asked dully. “What are you doing?”

“Taking notes,” Kunikida replied. “I managed to figure out a few things from my conversation with the barista.”

“...About coffee?”

Kunikida paused for a moment.

“Not quite,” he said. “Something he said reminded me of a case I was working on last week and I think I might have a new lead to give to the police officers working with me. I thought I’d write it down before I forgot.”

He closed his notebook and picked up his drink.

“Besides,” he said, taking a sip. “It’s good to wait a few minutes after exercising to enjoy food or beverages like this. It’s better for your stomach.”

“Right...”

And on and on it went.

When we got to the bookstore for the poetry event, the first poet was late. It seemed he was nursing a hangover and so, Kunikida just had to take him aside to lecture him on his professionalism. Surprisingly though, the drunkard actually thanked Kunikida for verbally tearing him a new one and we left the shop with a couple of free copies of the man’s most recently published work.

I wasn’t sure if I could say anything or not because this “technically” wasn’t work either (and I wasn’t going to say no to free books).

Then, when we were walking on the street to do some window shopping (I was secretly hoping to take Kunikida to a nearby stationary store I’d discovered), we heard a piercing shriek. A woman was being robbed in broad daylight right in front of us! At once, Kunikida sprang into action, chasing down the thief and leveling him with a flying kick to the back. Then, while my mentor was using his Ability to produce a set of handcuffs to secure the thief, I got the woman’s purse back and stayed with her until she calmed down. It was only after the police arrived that I realized I had been pulled into Kunikida’s workaholic antics this time.

I slapped my hands over my face and groaned.

Well... At least Yosano didn’t say I had to refrain from doing anything work-related... Not verbatim, anyway. But how was I supposed to just stand aside and do nothing when I was a member of the Armed Detective Agency, myself?

Several people walked away from me as I tightened my grip over my face and heard my groan change into a soft, pained whine.

Perhaps Yosano was right. If I spent enough time with Kunikida, perhaps I would turn into a four-eyed workhorse as well. My vision was already getting fuzzier than before. But that was probably from the stress...

Letting out one final sigh, I peered through my fingers at the large, slanted windows ahead, watching tiredly as Kunikida leaned against the railing and gazed out across Yokohama Bay, his expression placid as he watched the ships go by.

Well...

I felt my cheeks warm as I saw a tiny smile cross his face.

At least one of us seems pretty relaxed right now.

Smiling softly, I hoisted my bag over my shoulder and walked towards him.

“Enjoying the view?”

“Yeah.”

Kunikida nodded, the smile never leaving his face.

“It’s really something when the weather’s nice,” he said, still staring out across the water. “I’ve been up here before but never on a day like this.”

I faltered.

“You’ve been here before?”

Kunikida nodded again.

“I have,” he said, his gray-green eyes flicking down to me. “Shortly after I joined the Agency. Ranpo-san insisted on coming up to see the view and, well...”

He chuckled softly.

“I think you know how he is with directions.”

I made a face.

“Yeah. I remember.”

Hoping to chase away the flashbacks of the stressful day I’d spent in Edogawa’s company, I turned towards the window as well, my smile only returning when I spotted the Yokohama Bay Bridge in the distance, shining like a beacon in the harbor.

Kunikida was right.

It really was a beautiful view...

“By the way, Kusunoki-kun...?”

“Hm?”

I glanced back up.

Huh?

Kunikida was looking at me. Directly at me. In a way I wasn’t quite sure he’d ever looked at me before.

I felt my heart begin to race as he tilted his head slightly, his expression pensive.

“Something I noticed earlier,” he said haltingly.

His gray-green eyes raked up and down my form and at once, I felt my face grow warm. Kunikida rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and spoke.

“You seem a little taller than usual today,” he pointed out, glancing back down at my shoes.

His eyebrows drew together.

“Do you normally wear heels on your days off?”

“Oh. Uh...”

I tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear and smiled shyly up at him.

“Not... really,” I mumbled, looking away.

Even though I’d chosen reasonably short heels, it was that much harder to look at him when our faces were a lot closer together than before.

“I used to,” I answered truthfully, “back when I was still a student...”

I trailed off for a moment as a distant memory slowly resurfaced in the back of my mind—a memory of being dragged down the streets of Motomachi by an old friend.

A memory from “before.”

I closed my eyes and breathed out.

“You see... I had this friend,” I recalled, smiling softly. “She was a part-time model—always insisted we both look our best whenever we went out into the city. You know, because ‘we were young’ and ‘why not.’”

I glanced down at my shoes, a pair of reasonably tall wedge heels I’d picked out on that very shopping trip.

“And that usually meant wearing heels...”

I leaned forward and propped my arms up on the railing, staring out the window at the shining, blue waves.

“I think I last saw her a year ago but it feels like it’s been much longer...”

I grew quiet and dropped my gaze, my eyes following the lines of a couple of sailboats as they slowly drifted in towards the pier. I felt, rather than heard, Kunikida falling silent beside me.

“I see,” he murmured, after a pause.

For a moment, we just stood there, staring out across the harbor together and solemnly watching the ships go by. As time slowly passed, I heard Kunikida’s soft exhale from somewhere near my left and I thought heard him mumbling something under his breath. His voice was soft.

“It really does, doesn’t it...?”

I blinked.

“Kunikida-san?”

And as I lifted my face to look at him, Kunikida glanced down at me and rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful. Then, he dropped his hand.

“Kusunoki. Come here for a second.”

I balked.

“Huh?”

And before I knew what was happening, Kunikida suddenly took my hand.

Kuni/Kyou Theme

He quietly pulled me away from the bay-facing windows.

I instantly went red.

“Kunikida-san?!” I sputtered, stumbling after him as we made for the opposite side of the observation tower. “W-where are we going?”

“I have something I want to show you,” the tall detective replied, without glancing back. “Follow me.”

Falling silent, I followed, trailing after him like an obedient puppy as we walked around the center section of the observation deck.

I couldn’t take my eyes off his broad back.

This was nothing like the time he’d saved me from Akutagawa at the art gallery...

Back then, his hand had been around my wrist, his grip as strong as an iron vise, the air around us filled with smoke and dust and fear. Today, his hand was wrapped loosely around mine, his fingers curling softly around my palm, his touch radiating warmth and tenderness. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think his hand was maybe just a touch sweaty.

But that didn’t make sense.

I felt something stirring in my chest as Kunikida led me past a rather cozy-looking couple, walking hand in hand towards the bay-facing windows.

If Kunikida’s hand was just a little sweaty while he was holding mine... wouldn’t that mean he was a little nervous...?

And if he was a little nervous...

I felt my heart skip a beat in my chest as a crazy thought crossed my mind.

Wouldn’t that mean that Kunikida might possibly like me back?

But before I could figure out if it was my hand that was sweaty or his, Kunikida stopped walking and let go.

My palm tingled.

“Over there,” Kunikida said, guiding me towards a specific window.

He pushed me forward by the back of my shoulder and pointed to a spot in the distance.

“Take a look at that spot to the southwest. Do you see something familiar?”

“Something familiar?” I repeated, curious.

Kunikida nodded as I walked forwards, towards the windows.

Putting my hands on the railing, I leaned forward, squinting ahead into the distance. Then, I spotted a familiar red-brick building in the midst of a forest of gray and white.

I gasped.

“It’s the Agency!”

“It is,” Kunikida said proudly, striding forward to stand next to me. “I still remember the day I first saw it here, after I’d just joined.”

He glanced down at me, looking pleased with himself.

“Ranpo-san challenged me to look for it. Said that the first person to spot it got free drinks from the vending machine from the losers. He won easily, of course, but we didn’t really mind. As you can see, not much has changed since then.”

“No kidding,” I laughed, taking a step back.

Smiling, I looked up at my mentor.

“Kunikida-san. Thank you.”

This time, it was Kunikida’s turn to blink.

“For what?” he asked, looking amused. “Showing you this?”

“For always taking such good care of me,” I said, quickly looking back at the ADA building as my face grew even warmer. “A-and for showing me this.”

There was a pause. And then, I heard a quiet laugh.

Shocked, I whipped my head to the side just in time to see Kunikida put his hand over his mouth. He quickly coughed and looked away, cheeks going pink.

“Actually, Kusunoki,” he said quietly, “I should be thanking you. Yosano-sensei told me you volunteered to help take my mind off of work today and I can tell you’re putting in a lot of effort.”

He glanced back at me, his smile growing just a touch sheepish.

“You’ve really come a long way since the day you started with us, haven’t you?” Kunikida asked, his gray-green eyes warm.

I...

I thought back to everything that had happened since I was first rescued by Dazai and Kunikida. I thought about the Entrance Exam, dodging Kyouka and parrying Yasha Shirayuki with a pair of office scissors as my handcuffs finally broke. I thought about the serial kidnapping case, the Tanedas sitting in the interrogation room as I backed away, my chair clattering loudly in the cold, empty room. I thought about pulling Edogawa out of the pot in the ground in the collapsed house. Dazai patting my head in the office, warm sunlight streaming in. Akutagawa, chasing me around the parking garage as I ran for my life, a single plastic lighter gripped tightly in my hand. Professor Matsuyama and his wife, each visiting the grave of their beloved friend, confessing their perceived sins to me, a complete and total stranger.

I swallowed dryly.

“I guess I have...” I mumbled quietly.

A warm hand descended on my shoulder.

Kunikida nodded. He looked proud.

“You did well... Kusunoki.”

My heart skipped a beat.

Was this it?

I felt my grip tighten on my bag. My hands felt clammy with nerves.

Was this the moment? We still had half the day to go and I hadn’t even given him the lunchbox but...

This mood...

I felt my lips part.

Everything suddenly felt just right.

“Kunikida-san...”

“Hm?”

He still hadn’t taken his hand off my shoulder.

“I...”

I steeled myself.

Here goes nothing...!

“I...!”

Something suddenly chimed loudly in the gloom. I froze.

“Uh, what’s that noise?” Kunikida asked.

His hand slid off my shoulder as my pocket continued to ring.

Shit.

As quick as I could, I jammed my hand deep into my pocket and seized my phone. The ringing stopped at once.

“It’s my alarm,” I mumbled, embarrassed.

I couldn’t look him in the eye.

“I, uh...”

I squirmed.

“I set this alarm for lunch hour,” I said, tugging the strap of my brightly colored bag a little higher over my shoulder. “It seems we weren’t able to stick to the schedule, what with everything that happened.”

“Oh...”

Kunikida suddenly went red.

“I’m... I’m so sorry, Kusunoki-kun!” he groaned, slapping one large hand over his face. “For someone like me to be unable to stick to a proper schedule—and a schedule my kohai set up for me on a day like this...!”

Grimacing like he was physically in pain, Kunikida took his hand off his face and bent forward at a perfect ninety-degree angle bow.

“Please forgive me!”

“I-it’s really nothing!” I stammered, also going red.

I waved my hands in front of him in an attempt to get him to snap out of it.

“P-please, Kunikida-san... Please get up, people are going to stare...!”

“You’re right,” he exclaimed, instantly straightening up. “Causing a ruckus in public would bring shame to the Agency!”

Pushing his glasses up his nose, he turned away from the windows and swiftly walked towards the elevators.

“Come, Kusunoki-kun, let’s go have lunch. I promise, from now on, I will do whatever it takes to stick to your schedule.”

“Y-you don’t have to be that strict with it,” I stammered, chasing after him as he headed for the center of the room.

Crap. Should I have been more strict with it?!

“It’s okay! As long as you’re relaxing...!”

“I appreciate your flexibility,” Kunikida said, shooting me a curt, professional nod as I caught up to him. “Once again, you have my thanks.”

And as the light above the elevator doors lit up at last, Kunikida suddenly turned to me and cleared his throat.

“By the way...”

I looked up and instantly flinched. Kunikida had suddenly gone as white as a sheet.

“Do you mind not telling Yosano-sensei about the thief we stopped earlier?” he asked. “She said that if she caught me doing any kind of work today on my ‘day off,’ she was going to dissect me in a way that would ensure I would never have any problems with my body again.”

I instantly went rigid, my thoughts going straight to the memory of Yosano raising her machete above my head.

I swallowed nervously and shot him a watery grin.

“Y-you got it.”

Kunikida breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thanks, Kusunoki. I owe you one.”

But I shook my head.

“Don’t worry, Kunikida-san,” I told him as the elevator doors opened.

I followed him inside and grinned up at him as the doors finally closed.

“I won’t say a word.”

#kunikida x oc #bsd #fanfiction #dazai x oc #if a moment is all we are

4 notes · View notes

yuiopiklmn · 4 years ago

Text

Angel Chapter 1

Word Count: 1846 words

Summary: Angel is about a girl with a secret that she doesn't even know about. Bobby Singer found her when she was only a couple months old. She has an awkward reunion with two of her childhood best friends, and then she is stuck on a hell of a ride till the end of the road.

Pairing: Unknown

Characters: Addison Singer, Two childhood besties, and some police officers

Warnings: Language and descriptions of gore

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Need to catch up:

Background

Prologue

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*24 years later*

(S1 EP1 of Supernatural)

I was driving decently fast down the road traveling from Sioux Falls, South Dakota all the way to Jericho, California. I was on my way to check out a bridge where a car was found, its owner was missing for quite a few days now. However, the reports aren’t clear. I plan to be the one to figure out if there is a mystery ahead.

After jamming out and driving for about 24 hours I was finally at my location. I arrived at the bridge where a man had disappeared leaving behind a bloody body and a locked car, as the reports would say.

Here we go again, I thought as I started walking to the site. I mean, don’t get me wrong; I love doing what I’m doing because hunting is my life, but sometimes it’s tiring to walk in heels all day and investigate. I just want to gank some bitch and head to my next location, which is home. I am going to take a break from cases for a bit and go back to visit Bobby since he’s worried about my growing obsession which is….. hunting. Plus I miss my dad and would love to help out around the junkyard. I don’t see hunting as a bad thing, and I may only get 3-4 hours of sleep, maybe less, but I am saving people and that's what's important to me.

I got to the road approaching the taped-off bridge and parked next to some police cars. I turned off the ignition, checked if I looked decent, and got out. I fixed my leather jacket and headed over to the man standing next to the caution tape.

“Excuse me ma’am, but this bridge is closed for an investigation. No pedestrians are allowed on site,” he said, suddenly standing up much straighter than he was initially.

“I’m Agent Dawson. I was sent by the FBI,” I said as I pulled out my badge and quickly put it back just as quick, so that he wouldn't notice that it was a fake, then I continued, “I have orders to be here.” I might’ve said that a bit sarcastically, but he didn’t seem concerned. I sighed in relief as he moved to the side to let me through to the scene of the murder.

There were very few cops at the scene and they were mostly talking to each other, heads down writing quickly on clipboards and laptops. They didn’t even look up as I made my way over to the car. I was able to catch some of the conversations: a lead, the victim was dating the police chief's daughter. I got to the car and looked inside, but there appeared to be nothing, absolutely nothing. I don’t understand. There is no blood like the report said, no sign of struggle because there was no body... nothing. I made sure nobody was looking and pulled out my EMF reader. The numbers didn’t rise once… Something weird is definitely going on here. It doesn’t smell like sulfur, but I’m sure something supernatural happened here. Deciding to get some information, I went up to the two officers talking about the police chief’s daughter that I heard about earlier.

“Excuse me?” I asked trying my best not to sound young because sometimes I get nervous and they assume that I am a kid needing help. That can set me back a lot and get me kicked off the scene if I’m not careful.

“Yes, can we help you?” One officer said while looking to the other….with a confused look

“Yes, you can actually. What do you know about the victim that was killed?” I heard one of you say something about him dating someone.”

“Yes, he is dating my daughter, Amy. She has been worried sick about him. She has been out all day putting missing posters up around the town.”

“Thank you for the information. Do you know if there is any relation to the victims other than them being all male?”

“Not that we know of.” I nodded my head and quickly jotted the information down. I need to go downtown and find Amy. We need to chat so that I can get more information about her boyfriend.

“Thank you, officers,” I said hurriedly when I heard that two more men were on the scene, I think they were Federal Marshals. They might figure out that I’m not supposed to be here, and then my cover will be blown. On my way out I tried to keep my head down, but I walked right into someone a lot taller than me. “Shit,” I whispered.

“I’m so sorry,” He paused before saying, “Wait a minute, Addi! Is that you?” I looked up as the man said my name, and I was met with a familiar set of eyes. The exact pair of eyes that belonged to…

Sam Winchester, just as giant-like as I remember. He has been my best friend since childhood, and we just recently went our separate ways since I ended college. Last I heard he was still in college since he was 2 years younger than me.

“Sammy!?!” I yelled a bit too loud causing the cops to look in our direction, “Sorry…” I let out a nervous laugh as I turned back to face Sam trying to act casual, “Heya Sammy! Long time no see.”

“I could say the same about you, you look great, how are you?”

“I’m great now that you’re here, it's been a long day so far. How are you? How’s Jess? Why are you here? I thought you wanted to be a lawyer…” I said in a goofy tone to mess with him before taking a breath, and quietly laughing to myself. It felt good to talk to him again.

“I am doing good, and Jess is as well. I see you took on the family business. Did biochemistry just not cut it? Also, I still want to be a lawyer, and I’m younger than you, dummy.” he teased.

“I mean, I liked it at the start but I realized my heart was in love with the family business more than any job I could get, and I hated being in an office all day instead of going out, and saving people which is what I love doing, ya dummy. Anything new?’

“I have an interview on Monday, but then this one,” Sam gestured to his right. My eyes stayed on Sam as he continued to speak. “dragged me out saying that dad was on a hunting trip and hasn’t been home, so I decided to tag along and help him figure out where he went.” He paused and then mumbled something under his breath, I didn’t realize he had just swore and it took me a second to figure out why. I recognized who Sam had just mentioned not and how this said person usually causes…...pain for me.

At first, I ignored the person next to Sam. I love Sammy and I assumed it was just another hunter, but when he brought up John, I knew exactly who it was. That’s when I turned to the person on the right of Sam and caught the gaze of his beautiful, forest green eyes. Those set of eyes belonged to the one and only Dean Winchester, Sam’s older brother. It felt as though time froze when I stared into his eyes. I used to always get lost in them, and clearly, I still do. Then my gaze moved down to his nose and cheeks, and I started counting all the freckles on his face. I used to do this when we were younger. Oh, how I could-someone coughed and made me lose my train of thought

“H-Hi Addi…..um...it's been a really long time. Haha.” He cleared his throat again and rubbed the back of his neck like he was nervous.

Then Sammy continued trying to move the conversation forward from the tension between the two of us of what happened in the past. “Sooooo I see you are working the same case we are. Want to partner up for old time's sake? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” He murmured something to himself again, probably quietly going through the rest of the sentence, but I cut him off before he continued his spiraling.

“I would love to, Sam. I might as well since we’re all here. By the way, I already took some interviews and looked at the car and crime scene, so you guys could go into town and find Amy; the police chief's daughter and former girlfriend of the man who went missing. She is putting up missing posters around town. Anyway, I got to go and take a breather…..you know...since it was a long drive. So, I will text you my motel’s address and my room number, so that we can exchange information.” a couple officers walked up to us when I was about to leave and we all stayed in awkward silence.

“Who are these two, Agent Dawson?” He looked at me and forced a smile.

“They are… Federal Marshals,” they showed their badges as I continued, “I would love to chat, but I have to go. Thank you for your time officers… marshals.” I said nodding my head to the brothers and turned away.

I briskly walked away before anyone could stop me. I don’t think I could handle much more of that. My heart was hammering loud and fast, I could hear it in my ears. When I was talking to Dean and Sammy, I was chatting faster than I could think, unaware of half the words coming out of my mouth. Why! Why him...why did he have to be here. I should have seen it coming…as kids the boys were always inseparable.

I unlocked my car and hopped in quickly. I started the ignition and sped away in silence. I pulled onto the side of the road a few miles away from the scene, so that no one would see me and parker. I opened the glove-box of my car, knowing exactly what I was reaching for before I even realized I wanted it. I pulled out a small box and opened it, looking at the contents inside before my eyes landed on a small black box. Inside was a silver locket that I’ve had since I was in Highschool. It was old and rusty and needed to be polished. The exact locket I got as a teenager. The exact locket I got from the man I thought I loved. The exact locket from the man that left me that night 9 years ago. The exact locket that the man that goes by the name Dean Winchester gave to me. Hearing that name ring through my mind made me go into hyperdrive. I threw the locket back into the black box before throwing it back into the compartment, not caring about the box that was still in my lap and drove off.

A/N: Gosh that took forever it feels like I have been pushing back writing this chapter, but I still added some snippets here and there, as the weeks progressed. Again I promise that this story will have a normal posting schedule, but I still haven’t figured it out. I am only going to put the author’s notes at the end of the chapters, not whole chapters dedicated to them like previous books. Anyway, I hope you guys are enjoying this book as much as I enjoy creating and writing out these ideas. Again this has been in my head since I was on season 4 and now I am on the show has ended and I completed it. So this is like a farewell thing I guess. I think I started to come up with this stuff in March or April of 2020 crazy right. These chapters are going to be somewhat increasingly longer as ideas start to come back to me and pasted together. Anyway, that is all. See you in the next chapter my lovely bumblebees. Buh-bye!

#Angel #original writing #original character #bobby singer #supernatural #spn story #ongoing #fanfic #fandom #dean winchester #sam winchester #police officer #monster #creature #art #fanfiction #original story #ocs

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xsecretblastsx · 4 years ago

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1x09 - Blair Waldorf must pie!

Once again this took way longer than I wanted to. I guess it has a lot to do that this part of S1 is full of episodes that I loved and also are kind of important so I just feel that I have to be really in the mood to watch them with my full attention.

Anyway, enough about me, here’s the recap for this one after the break.

Thoughts I had while watching the episode

Loving the flashback of Serena in her wild days and Blair looking after her.

This flashback kind of messes up the timeline though. Because we’re told Serena was gone for a year, but that’s clearly not the case here.

Dan get’s to be Serena’s knight in shiny armor, great. To bad for him she was wasted.

How long ago was it that Blair’s dad been gone? Probs like quite a few months and he hasn’t come to visit her?

I mean I get that Dan is pissed with his mom, but that guilt comment was harsh

Harold Waldorf’s pumpkin pie, I don’t know if anyone has read as much fanfic as I have but this pie, is quite the celebrity.

The oh so casual mention that Blair takes Lexapro :/

Serena trying (and failing) to be casual when asking what Chuck’s doing today.

I think this is the first time that Serena (and later Nate) point out that Chuck and Blair are friends, considering they all were, this must mean that they were somehow closer friends.

This fight is such a clear example of how Blair and Serena go from besties to enemies in 5 seconds flat.

This one though is kind of funny to me in the way Serena’s like “I won’t judge” and then does exactly that.

Somehow Blair I don’t believe you when you say you don’t like Chuck’s natural musk, just a hunch.

I kind of feel Serena’s way of aproaching this topic was not the best, though to be fair Blair’s also really hard to approach.

Lilly how much I missed you last episode

Seeing Llily, Eric and Serena in Chinatown is giving me life for some reason

So by thanksgiving sophomore year Blair was already in recovery from her ED, she was really young when she started then.

Wow, “not this one Harold, we have to go together” this line implies so much and I can’t believe I never noticed before

Blair sending Nate to deal with Serena it’s interesting, because I wouldn’t imagine her being naive enough to not noticed Nate’s interest in Serena, granted she trusted them, but still

I love Dorota, always there for Blair, always loyal.

The mood at Nate’s thanksgiving dinner is so misserable.

Lily, Allison’s and Rufus faces are priceless. Let the drama begin!

“Oh the blond you stalk at school” really they told us and we didn’t listen!!!

Not that didn’t earned herself the harsh comment but, “he didn’t left us, he left you” kind of made me feel bad for Eleanor

Forget it, she was really insentive, and Blair’s face when she grabbed that pie is just heartbreaking.

I can’t believe I forgot about her throwing up incident after that dinner with Nate in the pilot... like wow.

Do you need to go with her? sorry Allison

This dinner is hilariously akward. Sorry Jenny, but I don’t think that song was about your mom.

This is one of my favorite Serante scenes, it’s so them.

Honestly this show needed more flashblacks. I love knowing more about their friendship pre series.

Nate thinking of calling Blair and then Serena, and realizing he can’t is the first time I think he truly gets how he really messed it up

It’s so weird now to see Blai’rs bathroom with the door conecting it to the other room.

Allison calling her character in a play Milly in reference to Lily sheds a bit of ligh in Dan’s abbilities in naming characters.

The captain reached rock bottom, poor Nate.

I wonder though if Anne was the one with the money, and yet Nate’s last name is prestigious, does that mean The Captain family had lost their money at some point and the only thing that remain was their last name?

I should have mentioned it before but Blair looks incredibly pretty this episode, and the dress is one of my all time favorites.

“But we’re not related” give it time Dan, give it time

Hi Cedric.

“Only a woman that had satisfied her sexual appetite in her youth could have married some of your step fathers” auch

And so Rufly ends... for now

Eleanor talking about the divorce paper and how she feels and how she acted because of it, reminded of a certain scene in S5. Blair’s truly her mother daughter.

The end of that flashback felt so much like this is why they say ignorance is Bliss. Except for Serena things are better for her now.

The New York setting makes this show even more awsome, that shot with the Bridge and the Manhattan skyline in the background while Dan’s family is having a merry old time is gorgeous.

So this episode was so good, it gave a lot of background information and added much more depth to some of the main characters, particularly Blair. But also Nate. I was really suprised by the amount of stuff I didn’t remember about this particular episode, so in that sense this feel like this is the episode I’ve enjoyed the most during my rewatch.

Having a flashback was easily the best part of this episode in the sense that it gives us a clear idea of how things were before the series and how disaster was brewing just beneath the surface. What a diference a year makes.The previous thanksgiving was at the height of Serena’s wild days, and it’s sad to see how her life was pretty much a never ending haze of parties and alcohol, she may be acting goofy but it’s an empty happiness and it let’s you feeling like this is the only way she can deal with her life. And always looking after her is Blair.

The Blair of a year before seems really happy, she’s on the road of recovery from her eating disorder, her parents are together, her mother is showing actually some concern for her, and Nate is still a loving boyfriend. And yet in many ways this is all a lie. Her parent’s marriage is just a charade, Eleanor’s comment asking Harold not to go after Roman, is so telling and it makes me wonder how long did Eleanor knew her husband was gay? that must have been such a burden for her, and it’s probably the reason why she was so focused in her work and wanted everything else to be perfect, in some ways it also explains her treating of Blair, wrong as it was.

Also the timing of this makes me kind of mad at Harold, he’s always comes across as the nice good parent, but this episode makes it really obvius how much his absence hurt Blair. Think about it. When the show starts it’s established that a few months before Harold had left his wife and the country in favor for a life in Paris with another man. So considering that november the previous year (only a year before the current episode) is the first time Harold hears about Roman this means he decided to leave his family for a guy he had just meth a few months before, I guess he must have really fallen in love and really quickly, and I understand his need to live a free life, but what a shock it must have been for Blair and how unloved she must have felt that his father was leaving her in New York with a mother that was incredibly hard on her, for a guy he just met. And this at a time when she was still recovering.

There’s also the Nate-Serena-Blair issue. At some poing after Thanksgiving, the Shepperd Wedding happened, which means like I mentioned before that Serena was gone less than a year, and the way Blair encouraged Nate to help her with Serena means that even if she may have suspect Nate’s interest in Serena she still believed that Nate did love her and that Serena would never do that to her and therefore she wasn’t worried about it. Blair doesn’t trust easily and in this case she did and it end ups with her being betrayed, and yet it was a long time coming. Just as I mentioned in previous recaps that there was lowkey something to Blair and Chuck’s friendship, the same can be said about Nate and Serena, I don’t like to mention at least not much future events in these recaps but really compare this scene of Nate and Serena goofing around in the bathroom with any of their scenes in the second half of S3 and they’re really similar, same vibe and chemistry. Nate and Blair goodbye at the end of the flashback even if he gaves her a kiss and calls her sweetheart, seems so lacking in comparison to his previous moment with Serena, and yet Blair smiles and it’s really happy about her life.

So all of this shows how much she had been hurting at the start of the show, her father gone, her best friend gone and a distant boyfriend who by this point couldn’t hide his interest in Serena coming across by how afected he was by her absence, and when the show starts it gets even worse. All the flashbacks of Blair dealing with food and even throwing up once when she was trying to forgive Nate his infidelity show us the depth of her problems and suffering and helps us to understand her so much more and feel for her. And in her moment of weakness she calls Serena, the fight at the star of the episode was a way of letting us know that in some ways Blair hasn’t let go completely of her betreyal and yet how easily their dissagrements go out of the picture the moment they really need each other, is such a deep friendhip, and yet how conflicting it must be for Blair to love and need so much a person who in many ways is a reminder of how things have gone wrong in the last year.

That is the crux about their friendship, they’re both there for each other when it really matters but it’s undenaible that they have hurt each other deeply, even without meaning too, Serena is a the root of some of Blair self steem issues, is not her fault but it has done Blair incredibly damage, at the same time Blair may be always there for Serena looking after her, but she’s frequently incredible cruel with her at times without a real reason beyond a missplaced sense of hurting her too, which causes scenes like their fight this episode where Serena tries to be a friend, becomes a little judgy and Blair overreacts and Serena understandably fights back... it’s a really complex relationship, and one of the aspects of the show that make’s it stand out.

Lastly, this episode is a good reminder of how ultimetly Ruflly and Derena can’t really function at the same time without it being weird for everyone involved, it also establishes the similitudes between both relationships, a warning of how things could end for Dan and Serena if they’re not careful, and this is only the start. Nate’s storyline this episode was super sad, last episode had him standing up to his parents, this one finally gets him to have some honest conversations with them, and while it hurts is nice to see him finally get to that moment. It’s a moment of real growth for him. It also gives some interesting background to his family history, about how Anne’s family (the Vanderbilts) are the real force behind his family life, the house, his father job... everything was given by the Vanderbilts. It makes me wonder a lot about the Captain’s family, and his history with Anne: did the captain came from a family with a prestigious Last name but that had lost their money at some point?, or was he an upstart? I can’t see snobish Anne falling in love with a nobody, but who nows.

Also, not that noticible at this point of the show beyond the paralles between Dan & Serena and Rufus and Lily, but in the last two episode some scenes of Eleanor and the captain had reminded me of future scenes and situations and Nate and Blair having similar reactions. Anyway I love this episode, the then and now, and how much more there is to these characters.

Random bits:

This is the first direct mention of Blair having an eating dissorder (not sure though, this is why I wanted to be faster with these recaps, so I don’t forget details)

Dorota’s wearing a themed apron, how cute

First mention of the Snowflake Ball, I like consistency hahaha.

Nate’s house look lovely, not sure if these are the real interiors of the house, probably not, but I did read somewhere the house used to be on rental? can’t remember.

There was a picture behind Jenny while they were having dinner of a kid wearing a suit, I know the cast used some actual photos of the cast as kids, so I don’t know if the kid is Penn but god the kid is so cute.

I’m not a New Yorker, but that place where Dan and his family are playing it’s really changed now isn’t it? There’s this guy called Action Kid in youtube and he was amazing videos about New York, and of this location in particular if my memory serves me right.

And because we rarely got to see Serena in her wild days, I feel I should end this post with just that.

#gossip girl #gossip girl recap #gossip girl rewatch #1x09 #blair waldorf must pie

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