#Ethan's one is just... *chef's kiss*

[throwback-town]

👋 Hey girlfriendddddd

[agaypanic]

Benny weir x gothic!reader (??) She joins the school and the gang think she's a new vampire but she just wears a lot of black... I love a good black cat gf x golden retriever boyfriend. Love your character choices and your writing is just *mwah* chefs kiss <3

A Geek and a Goth (Benny Weir X Gothic!Reader)

Masterlist

Request Something!

Summary: The gang thinks they have a new vampire on their hands. Benny, thinking you’re hot, volunteers to investigate. 

A/N: watched the last season of WWDITS and omfg i dunno what to do with my life now. This def feels like a real mbav episode plot bc i feel like the boys would be stupid enough to assume that someone dressed in all black must be a vampire instead of just liking dark clothing lol reader is described as having pale-ish skin but it’s bc she wears lighter foundation/concealer, so she can be read as any race/skin tone

***

The gang has had their fair share of dealing with evil vampires, and evil people in general. It makes them cautious of any new person that comes to town. Sure, the new kid at school could be someone who happened to move to Whitechapel with their family. But nine times out of ten, they’re actually someone plotting to take over the world and decided to start at some random town in Ontario, Canada.

You were no exception to the group’s suspicions. 

“Definitely a vampire,” Ethan said as he, Rory, and Benny not so discretely stared at you. “Dark clothes, long layers, pale skin. It’s like she came out of a Dracula movie or something.”

“I’m a vampire, and I don’t dress like that.” Rory countered. “But she does look cool… Maybe I should start dressing like that.” The blonde gasped, ideas coming to mind. “I could get a cape!”

Ethan rolled his eyes at Rory straying from the topic at hand. “Maybe she’s an older vampire. The point is, we should be careful.”

“I’m gonna go talk to her.” Benny decided aloud. His friends gave him a wary look. “What? Either she’s just a new kid who could use some friends, or she’s an evil vampire coming to kill us and take over the world. Might as well talk to her and find out.”

Before either of his friends could talk him out of it, Benny strided over to you across the hall. As he made his way, you being an immortal being wasn’t on the forefront of his mind. Instead, it was your appearance. More specifically, how attracted he was to your gothic clothing and somewhat extravagant makeup. One thing was for sure: you definitely stood out in this cookie-cutter town.

You were startled by Benny leaning against the locker next to yours, looking at you with a slight smirk. “Hey.”

“Hi…?” Both confused and curious by his sudden entrance, you gave him a once over before going back to shoving books into your bag.

Benny, clearly surprised that he had made it this far, cleared his throat and straightened up. “So, are you new or something?”

‘Wow, this guy’s a genius,’ you thought sarcastically. Shutting your locker door, you focused on him a bit more. Despite trying to appear suave with his pose and dopey smirk, you could tell he was more of a geeky type with his Star Wars shirt and satchel bag. Not that that was a bad thing. “Yeah.” You finally replied. “Moved here a week or so ago.” You stuck a hand out. “I’m Y/n.”

The boy smiled, grasping your hand and giving it a firm shake. “Benny.” He said. 

“Nice to meet you…” You trailed off, eyes straying to two boys staring intently at you from behind his shoulder. Seeing that you were looking at them, they jumped in surprise and started looking around for something else to focus on. “Benny.” The bell rang, and you let go of his hand. “Well, I should probably head to class.”

He clicked his tongue in slight disappointment and adjusted the strap of his bag. “Yeah, me too… Hey, what class do you have?”

It took you a minute to recall. “Uh, science.” Then you let out a huff. “Gotta go to the building on the other side of campus. And it’s so bright out, that’s gonna suck.” Benny perked up at your distaste. “Well, maybe I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah.” He seemed distracted, eyes following your departed form until you rounded the corner. “See you around.”

Whether it was alluring vampire powers or just pure hotness, one thing was for sure. Benny was caught in whatever trap you had knowingly or unknowingly set for him.

***

Weeks had gone by, and Benny still couldn’t determine if you were human or vampire. Despite Ethan’s protests, the young wizard was around you every chance he got. He insisted to his friends that it was to find out the truth about your identity, but it was because he was growing increasingly infatuated with you.

You’ve never hung out outside of school before, but that was about to change. Benny wanted to see you in a different environment, one that could give him answers. From what he’d seen so far, you don’t like the sunlight, you don’t eat anything during lunch at school, you consistently wear long dark clothes, and you still have a pale look to you. He hadn’t seen fangs yet, but he knew from experience with his friends that they were retractable, so he figured that maybe you were better about keeping them out of sight than the other vampires he knew.

“So, have you explored town much?” Benny asked as you walked out of school. You wore your usual attire and some oversized sunglasses, as today was another sunny day. 

“Not really.” You respond, adjusting your bag. “I like being at home more. Not that I don’t like this! This’ll be fun… probably.”

Benny laughed, feeling proud when you let out a chuckle of your own. “Yeah, I was thinking we could get some food and maybe go to some of the shops in town.”

He gauged your reaction to the mention of food. It seemed like you didn’t mind it. “Sounds like fun.”

The walk wasn’t too far or long. Benny noticed that whenever possible, you would go into the shade, but he didn’t say anything about it. 

Eventually, you reached a fast food place that Benny and Ethan frequented. He was a bit surprised that you actually ordered some food, considering he had never seen you eat at lunch. Wanting to be a gentleman, he insisted on paying and letting you choose what booth to sit in.

When you settled into your seats, Benny was suddenly itching to ask you upfront whether you were a vampire. It seemed like a safe setting to do so, for him at least. There were a few people around, so you’d have to at least wait a while to kill him for exposing your identity. And if you weren’t a vampire, he hoped you would have a good sense of humor about the whole thing.

“I have a question.” He asked after taking a bite of his burger. You raised a brow, taking a sip of your drink. “It’s a serious question.”

“Okay…” You racked your brain, wondering what he was about to ask.

Benny looked around, making sure the people around would be out of earshot before leaning a bit closer to you. 

“Are you a vampire?”

There was a giant moment of silence, and Benny felt like he had immensely fucked up. You just stared at him, processing the question.

And then you snorted.

And then you started laughing.

“Funny, Benny.” You said before finally taking a bite of your food. “Very funny.”

“I’m serious.”

You laughed again. “What, is it all the black?”

Benny’s eyes narrowed at you. “You hate sunlight.”

“Correction, I hate direct sunlight. A bit of cloud cover is fine.”

“You never eat at school.”

“School food is gross.”

“You’re pale.”

“Again, hate direct sunlight. Also, this isn’t my actual skin tone.” Benny started to look puzzled. “I usually go a shade or two lighter; it helps with the gothic look. ‘Are you a vampire?��” You imitated his question before laughing again. “You’re such a nerd, Benny. You’re lucky you’re cute.”

“Wha-” Benny choked out, feeling like he got whiplash. “So, not a vampire…”

“Not a vampire.” You confirmed. “Just a goth.”

***

Benny Weir Taglist: @batmandallyboy @june-julie

[resident-idiot-simp]

Wolverine getting some of Deadpool's 4th wall awareness because of the matter and antimatter ordeal

Featuring: @existentialgaybirdnerd @steriotypicaloutlaw

(x)

More for @castielsprostate

Bird: Mind to mind communication using the voices even far apart

Ok ok but Logan who can now truly understand Wade and everyone is super confused by it. Also (I am convinced at least Vanessa thinks he's absolutely onto something so this just confirms it for her) But others start thinking Wade may not be completely insane possibly

On the other hand they now think Logan is insane as well which is just as funny.

But all of the small things that would change. Chef's kiss

Bird: They use the voices as a sort of comm link too, Logan can keep up with wade’s style of thinking now and can even finish his thoughts with him

But imagine everyone's reactions to the seamless communication between them. As well as Logan now talking into thin air like Wade does. It definitely gets people thinking

Ethan:

Now I'm just imagining a scenario where they're talking to Colossus or someone else and it's just

W- "Yeah, sometimes we finish each-"

L- other's sentences. It's really not"

W- "that big of a deal... And you were supposed to say sandwiches, we talked about this Peanut." Wolverine rolls his eyes and lovingly shakes his head.

(Bold is them both talking at the same time)

Bird: Logan would chime in with the wrong words sometimes specifically to fuck with Wade, and then when they’re both pissed they speak at the same time and in the same register and it gets creepy

Wade and Logan having conversations that make absolutely NO sense to anyone besides them. The boxes asking things or a conversation about other impossible things that others wouldn't know

Bird: There’s an entire four way conversation and the outsiders are only getting half of it lol

Also something that always gets me about characters being self aware is the implied idea nothing they do matters or it would hurt the others that are unaware. Well maybe more so the latter point. Because it doesn't matter if it's not technically real it's real to them so I just never like that argument. All to say I think Logan really just doesn't give a shit he isn't technically real

Bird: Oh absolutely not, Logan would have his first 4th wall break and just raise an eyebrow and look away and slowly as they happen more and more on purpose he does things to fuck with the audience

Wade talks to the audience to share a joke Logan talks to the audience to insult/mock them. Surprisingly it makes all the difference

Bird: Logan freaks people out by looking into the distance and spitting a kind of joking insult and then walking away

It also somehow convinces people that it's still definitely the same wolverine and he hasn't completely lost his mind

Bird: When people start getting more suspicious of him he’ll insult something and stalk off

Vanessa is elsewhere taking a victory lap. Also Laura is very confused but also falls into the they are onto something club. I feel like Al ABSOLUTELY believes they are onto something

Bird: Laura likes to try to spot what they’re talking to, looking in the vague directions they’re looking at. Al will simply hold out a hand to one of them, go “point me” and flips off whatever audience they’re talking to now

Al is to old and has seen (or not seen) too much and specifically lived with Wade long enough to know

A) He isn't insane

B) He's almost always right

C) he knows things he really shouldn't

Bird: And when Logan starts doing the same stuff and insulting the air instead of just joking with it, she starts asking to flip off who Logan is talking to and he’s all too happy to point her

And once they explain exactly what happens she's just like oh yeah that makes sense. She doesn't need more context

ALSO This makes them both anchor beings but specifically one anchor being. They merged they now have to both be there for it to continue to exist

What if this was the first time it has ever happened in the TVA want to just study them because how did you manage this??

I read a fic that mentioned this also almost seem to increase their powers slightly and I love that idea as well

Bird: Kind of combines them, makes the healing faster and makes them harder to hurt

It's barely noticeable but it's just enough to make them even worse to deal with. They become the bane of everyone's existence because they are now truly unstoppable

Also the X-Men are trying to figure out exactly what happened. It isn't working It can't really be explained well because Wade is just kind of beyond exclamation

Logan is just vibing now while being more immortal than ever and having a whole new world opened up to him. I imagine it gets to the point where he's learning more and more and he just starts pointing randomly at some of the people that come across and saying actor's names and Wade is just beside him nodding enthusiastically and praising him

[livlaughloveluke]

𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫- 𝐞.𝐥

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: your usually bright and bubbly self snaps when you hear people talking bad about your boyfriend

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: cursing, one slap LMAO 😥, people are very mean in this :(

(loosely) based off this request: Just dorky shy ethan x sweet bubbly (maybe popular??) reader from @wonderstruck4llthew4yhome

𝐚/𝐧: two posts within the same day?!? also i only kinda followed the request but i think its similar! hope you guys like this one! 💘

you had just finished drawing a nose and whiskers with bright eyeshadow, when your phone lit up. you picked your it up, to see that ethan had texted you. you smiled and unlocked your phone to open the message.

ethan 💗

hey im omw

ill be there in 10 

                                                                         you

                                                          okay!! ily! 💘

ethan 💗

love you too ❤️

you and ethan were walking together to some frat party for halloween. a couple of your friends begged you to go, however you knew ethan wasn’t the most comfortable at parties. 

you asked him one afternoon if he was up to it, making sure to emphasize that it was okay if he didn’t want to go, and that you would be happy to stay home and watch movies all night if thats what he wanted.

ethan wanted to be supportive, so he said he didn’t mind going, which was a complete lie. but seeing the smile on your face when he agreed was totally worth it. 

you and ethan decided to be characters from ratatouille. you were the remi, and he was chef linguini. you took a more sexy approach, with a grey corset and mini skirt, while he dressed a little more modest, with jeans and an apron. 

you carefully put on the headband with little mouse ears attached to it, and your costume was complete. shortly after, you heard knocking. you left your room and headed to let ethan in. 

you giggled at the sight of his costume, and went to plant a kiss on his lips. he kissed you back, his face now a shade of red. 

“you looks so cute!” you say, grinning widely. ethan compliments your outfit, and you head off the party.

you interlock hands with him on the short walk, your arms swinging with every step. you heard the house from down the street, the typical frat party music blaring loudly. 

you enter the rowdy estate, and immediately see some of your friends. you rush over to them, dragging ethan along with you. you let go of his hand to hug your friends, which left him standing their awkwardly. 

you decide to go find some drinks, and invite ethan to follow you. however, on your way to the kitchen, the crowd separates you and him. 

when you find the drinks, you realize ethan wasn’t with you anymore. you reach the keg and fill up a red solo cup, trying to be quick so you could find him again. you search for a soda in the alcohol filled kitchen, knowing ethan wasn’t a big drinker.

while opening all of the cabinets, looking for anything that wasn’t spiked, a man around your age walked up to you.

“what are you? a mouse?” he asks, trying to start a conversation.

“remi the rat actually, im matching with my boyfriend.” you say, trying to politely express your disinterest while still searching for a damn soda. 

“whatcha looking for?” he continues to pester you, despite your previous comment.

“a soda, for my boyfriend.” you make sure to accentuate the boyfriend part, hoping he would take the hint. 

he opens a cabinet and hands you a sprite. 

“uhm thanks i guess.” you reply, and turned to walk away. the strange man grabbed you by the wrist, turned you around, and pulled you closer to him.

“he doesn’t have to know.” he whispers maliciously. 

you yank your arm away from him, and take off the other way. you tried your best not to make a scene, hoping that you could leave that all behind you and have a good time. 

he seemed to leave you alone after that whole ordeal, and you searched around the house for ethan. you eventually spotted him in the corner alone, scrolling through his phone. 

a wave of guilt washed over you. you should have been able to tell that he was lying when he said he wanted to come. 

you rush over, and apologize for leaving him. 

“im so sorry eth, we can go home if you want.” 

ethan saw the look of disappointment in your eyes, and he couldn’t bear to make you leave.

“it’s fine, really. I don’t mind. can you stay with me, please?” ethan asked. 

“of course, baby.” you replied, handing him the soda. “i know you don’t like drinking, so i found a soda for you!! all i could find was sprite, although i know your favorite is coke.” you say.

ethan smiled at your caring personality. how did he pull you? you were drop dead gorgeous and extremely popular, and he was well, just ethan. 

a loser, friendless, and a nobody were all words people used to describe him. you however, made him feel the opposite.

with you, he was someone. he could be himself around you, and make the stupid dad jokes that he was scared to say around other people in fear of being judged. 

just then, someone shouted your name from across the room. you grabbed ethans hand and interlocked your fingers once again, making sure he stayed by your side this time.

you pulled him over to a group of people, all of which he was unfamiliar with. you greeted all of them with a smile, and started catching up with them.

“your costume is so cute!” said one of the girls you were having a conversation with. 

“thanks!! ethan helped pick out most of it!” you reply back, leaning your head on his shoulder and smiling.

what you seemed to miss was the nasty glares they gave ethan. 

“is he uhm.. your boyfriend?” another girl from the group asked. what you didn’t miss was the tone she used. it was like she was ridiculing him, and for what? 

“yeah. got a problem with that?” you ask in a sarcastic tone, although you weren’t in the mood for being funny. 

“its just.. he’s kinda… nevermind.” the girl says back, her voice lowering at the end.

“no, say it. he’s kinda what?” you respond back, not as cheerful this time. ethan stood next to you, looking down at the ground. 

“fine. he’s a fucking weirdo.” the girl blurted out, and you were livid. in the heat of the moment, you slapped her straight across the face, hoping to knock some sense into her. 

the group gasped, and ethan looked at you with wide eyes. 

“what the fuck?!?” she shouted, getting everyones attention.

“how the hell are you gonna make fun of my boyfriend when you’re to much of a slut to even keep one?!?!” you yell at her. all you heard was “ooohs” from the crowd at your statement. 

ethan dragged you outside before anyone could say anything else. 

“are you okay??” ethan asks, worried. you look at him confused. 

“i should be asking you if you’re okay! those bitches had no right to say anything about you. you’re the best boyfriend, and if they can’t see that, than it’s their loss.” you reply.

ethan just hugs you upon hearing your words. 

he wanted to spend forever in your arms. you were his savior, protecting him from every asshole out there. 

[mbavholidayexchange]

to: @vampwitchcoven​ from: @rbquartz​

title: i think i love you?! | word count: 4,579 | summary: days before their first big performance at a local festival, benny cooks up a disguised truth potion to see if he can get any juicy gossip and/or a confession of love out of erica (for her sake), but his plan backfires as erica refuses and offers rory the potion instead, and he confesses some love of his own! | AO3 Link

“Heeey Saraaah! Ericaaa! Wait up!”

Sarah chuckles at Erica as she rolls her eyes and shakes her head slightly, the pair pausing their strides to wait for Benny and Ethan to catch up. Benny’s holding a water bottle that’s full of… something , and he’s wearing a mischievous grin – never a good sign – and Ethan seems done with his shit, as usual.

“What’s up, dorks?” Sarah starts, tilting her head and putting her hands on her hips as the two girls turn to face the boys.

“Wanna be a couple o’ guinea pigs for something I'm trying to whip up?” Benny asks, waving the bottle he’s holding in his hand at the pair and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, his expression growing a tad more mischievous. The liquid – a dark bronze-y color that shifts to a more purple hue with certain movements; and just slightly too thick to be a normal drink, but not quite thick enough to resemble a proper smoothie – sloshes in the bottle and shimmers slightly in the fluorescent lights. Erica scrunches her nose, and Sarah can only gawk at it and shake her head.

“Is this another one of your flavor experiments with some extra earth priestess-y ‘ingredients’ you found in your grandma’s broom closet? Because if so, I’m all good, thanks.” Sarah says, holding her hands up in front of her and taking a step back closer to Erica.

“Yeah, plus it looks like you blended up copper wire, chunky glitter, and every purple and brown vegetable that you could find… which, knowing you, is something you’d definitely try and mix up to try and make it taste good.”

Benny splutters, trying to look to Ethan for defensive support. Ethan shrugs noncommittally, tilting his head to the side.

“ Eeehh , I mean they’re kinda right dude. Just the other day you tried to convince me that adding bananas to a quesadilla would taste good, but it was a texture nightmare!”

Benny shakes his head, waving his hand dismissively in Ethan’s direction.

“It may have been a texture nightmare to you , but the savory-sweet greasiness of it all was chef’s kiss! ” Benny emphasizes his point with a dramatic showing of bringing his fingertips to his lips, kissing them, then spreading his fingers outward with a flourish.

Erica and Sarah groan in disgust as Ethan scrunches up his nose and shudders at the memory, and Benny makes another dismissive noise in response, turning away slightly to pout to himself.

“You guys’re just jealous that you don’t have the same distinguished palate that I do! Amateurs, I swear.”

The group snorts and snickers at that, and Benny just rolls his eyes and turns back to the two girls again, holding the bottle up between his hands in a pleading motion.

“Come on , guys, please? Just one little sip? Just as a test! It’s been something I’ve been trying to perfect and I think I’ve finally gotten it!”

Erica scoffs, raising an eyebrow suspiciously and narrowing her eyes at him slightly.

“And why can’t you test it, smart guy? I thought you had a distinguished palate ? You scared it’ll taste gross and want us to suffer the consequences in your place?”

“Besides,” Sarah cuts in, “aren’t you guys gonna be performing with Rory at Whitechapel’s annual music festival thing in a couple of days? This can’t be a good idea, especially if you accidentally somehow give a vampire food poisoning.”

“It’s nothing like that at all! Absolutely no ill intent, I swear!” Benny makes another show of placing his free hand on his heart, “besides, I think the results will be more beneficial to you than they will to me, especially with our gig. Sooo…?”

Erica squints at him, not convinced in the slightest. She glances at Sarah, who mirrors her skeptical expression but simply shrugs. After a few moments of silence, she sighs and stretches her hand out towards him and his concoction.

“If I take it, will you stop bothering us about it?”

Benny nods enthusiastically, planting the bottle firmly in her palm.

“Yup!” He says, popping the p , “ and I’ll leave you alone about any other wonderfully strange flavor combos I've cooked up forrr… two weeks!”

“Make it a month and you’ve got a deal.”

Benny clicks his tongue disappointedly, but nods. Erica nods back, and places the bottle in her bag, and smirks at Sarah, who snickers. Benny’s smile drops immediately and he starts to object, but Erica puts a finger up and wags it in his face.

“Ah-ah-ah, I said I would take it, not try it in front of you. Nice try, smart guy . See ya at our rehearsal!”

“B-But–!”

Before he can say any more, Erica steps around the two boys, beckoning for Sarah to follow. Sarah smiles, waves at the pair, and follows behind her vampire companion. Benny groans quietly, pinching the bridge of his nose as Ethan shakes his head and elbows him hard, as if to say ‘ I told you so’ .

“Whaddya even plan on doing with that anyway if you’re not gonna try it? Trash it?” Sarah inquires as she matches Erica’s stride once more, raising an eyebrow at her. Erica shrugs one shoulder nonchalantly, reaching back into her bag and pulling out the bottle, inspecting it.

“Not sure yet. Might actually give it to the only other person besides Benny who actually enjoys his… experiments . She’s got just as weird of a palate as he does,” Erica states, placing the bottle back in her bag, stashing it for later, “all I know is that we don’t have to deal with Benny’s food disasters for a whole month.” She beams smugly and tilts her chin up confidently. Sarah giggles, nodding in agreement.

“Let’s just go find Rory and see if they wanna take this off our hands.”

“Take what off your hands?”

Sarah and Erica both yelp, spinning around to look at Rory, who simply beams and waves at them.

“Rory !” They exclaim in unison; Erica runs a hand (as gently as she can to not mess up her makeup) down her face, and Sarah just stares at him quizzically.

“Where the heck did you come from??”

“The opposite side of the hallway,” she says, spinning around and pointing towards the direction she came, “I saw you guys coming up this way, so I figured I’d follow up with you guys to see when we can find time to practice for our show!”

“Well, I told Benny that we’d rehearse later, so sometime after school maybe? It’d have to be at Benny’s or Ethan’s too, since he’s got his drum set over there and I doubt he’d want to drag it anywhere else on his own, and we’re definitely not doing it for him,” Erica says matter-of-factly. Rory nods.

“Alright! Ooh! And we can finally vote on what song to do! I have a list, and we can listen to each of them and see what the vibe is.” Rory says, finishing with a slight wave of their hands, before he perks back up again. “Oh, what’d you wanna show me? You said you had something you wanted me to take off your hands?”

Erica nods, reaching back into her bag to pull out the bottle that Benny had given them a few minutes prior, the shimmering liquid inside sloshing around once more with the movement. Rory tilts his head quizzically, not unlike a puppy as they notice the odd liquid’s brown-to-purple tonal shift, and they quirk an eyebrow.

“What is that ?”

“Dunno, but, it’s another one of Benny’s weird flavor experiments, and I know that you can be a fan of those sometimes, and we’re definitely not gonna be trying this anytime soon,” Erica emphasizes her point by jiggling the bottle around a bit, the mystery liquid gurgling ever so slightly with the movement, “You want it?”

Rory makes an ‘o’ shape with their mouth, and takes the bottle from her grasp, flipping the bottle up and down and back and forth, watching the way that the drink inside glistens.

“Wicked. I’ll take it!”

“What songs did we say we were thinking about performing again?” Erica asks, picking at the strings on her guitar absentmindedly, “One of the options is one of the songs Jack Black and his buddy did for a movie or something, right? ‘Tenacious D’ is their group, isn’t it?”

Rory and Benny hum in affirmation, and Erica nods once before continuing, “I still say we should do something by Paramore or like… MCR. Single Tear, even.”

Benny – who’d been tapping away gently at his drum set trying to get the sequence of notes for one of the songs right – pauses to sneer in Erica’s direction.

“Absolutely not. No emo music, we promised!” He says, jabbing one of his drumsticks in her direction.

“I don’t know man, I do a pretty mean Gerard Way impression! I’ve always wanted to recreate his cheerleader outfit that he wore on MCR’s tour,” Rory cuts in, nodding to himself as he makes the ‘okay’ symbol. Erica snaps her fingers a few times in agreement, a quiet applause. Benny rolls his eyes.

“Okay seriously, what other options do we have? We have the Tenacious D song, which I'm pretty sure it’s called ‘I Think I Love You’. Then, we have ‘Flip City’ from the  Ghostbusters 2  soundtrack minus all the other fancy instruments, ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’, and ‘Stacy’s Mom’. We need to vote  now , our musical careers are at stake!”

Erica rolls her eyes, and Rory nods vigorously.

“Right! My vote is for Tenacious D!” Rory pipes up, throwing his hand up in the air.

“I like your enthusiasm, Rory! I also vote for Tenacious D, on your behalf. Erica, what's your vote?”

“I’m not trying to be the odd one out here, so I guess my vote is also for that one.”

Benny claps once, pumping his fists. “Perfect! Let’s get to practicing!”

After a long while of practicing, Benny throws his drumsticks to the ground, only in mild frustration and just slightly overdramatic, and groans obnoxiously.

“  Okay  , I think that’s enough practice for now. Who’s up for a  Special Benny Snack  break?”

Erica groans, scrunching up her nose and shaking her head, but Rory perks up, picking up their hand and waving it excitedly. Benny grins.

“That’s what I’m talkin’ about! Be right back.” And with that, Benny heads into the house, leaving the two vampires alone. Erica fiddles and plucks at her guitar strings again as Rory plays with the microphone cord, twirling and untwirling it around her fingers. Erica, cool as a cucumber, leans towards Rory, catching their attention ever so slightly. They quirk an eyebrow at her, and she simply smirks right back. Uh oh.

“Sooo… How are things with Ethan?”

Rory splutters, his face flushing as he nearly drops the microphone onto the floor. Erica chortles, wishing that vampires could show up on camera so she could’ve caught his reaction. Rory tries to casually clear his throat but fails, opting to try and lean against the nearby table.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about! Things are perfectly fine, and perfectly  friendly . We’re just friends. Just a couple of friendly dudes doing friendly dude things,” Rory pauses, trying to compose themself, before smirking right back at Erica. “I should be asking  you  how things’re going with  Sarah . I see how you look at each other sometimes!”

It’s Erica’s turn to flush and stutter now, and she juts out her bottom lip in a pout and crosses her arms in front of her chest, to which Rory just cackles. Before she can bite back with something smart, Benny re-emerges into the garage, a plate of seemingly innocent sandwiches in his hands.

“Behold, another one of  Benny the Magnificent ’s greatest works!”

He tries to offer a sandwich – which seems to look like a normal grilled cheese sandwich, but upon closer inspection, anyone can see that it is  not just cheese in that sandwich, but peanut butter and possibly a pickle or two – to Erica, who quickly shakes her head, turning Benny and pushing him in Rory’s direction, who happily takes a sandwich from the platter. Benny takes his own as well, putting the extra sandwich to the side, a quiet  ‘suit yourself!’  coming out of his mouth before he takes a huge bite, humming with approval at the taste. Erica tries not to gag, and Rory takes a bite of the sandwich as well, seemingly unfazed. After a few moments of eating in silence, Rory puts the sandwich down, and steeples their fingers in front of them, turning to face Benny, who’s just finishing the last bite of his sandwich.

“Benny, I just gotta say it…”

Benny perks up, awaiting to hear the usual praise coming from his friend.

“These are ass, and if I have to take another bite I think I might vom.”

Benny’s and Erica’s jaws drop in sync as they look at Rory, who also seems surprised at himself for saying that as their hand shoots up to slap over their mouth.

“ What?!  I thought you liked my creations!” Benny cries, throwing his hands up in the air, and Erica’s shocked expression begins to mold itself into a gleeful one.

“I do! I like all of them!” Rory yelps, trying to fix the situation, but the words keep tumbling out of his mouth, and it’s like watching a dam break at last. “Most of them. At least a few of them… okay, maybe just like one or two..?”

Benny gawks as Rory slaps her hands over her mouth again, realizing that talking isn’t going to fix the situation anymore. Erica barks out a laugh, claps, and eventually her laughing fit forces her to double over and clutch her sides. Benny frowns at Erica and shoves her in an effort to get her to knock it off, causing her to stumble a bit as she tries to stay in her seat. Soon enough, the laughter dies down ever so slightly and is reduced to giggles, and Erica sits back up again. Benny glowers at her again, crossing his arms over his chest as he pouts like a little kid, slouching in his seat.

“Can’t believe I thought you were a flavor connoisseur like I was, turns out it was all a lie.” Benny starts, before something clicks in his brain, and he sits up quickly and turns to Erica.

“Erica! That drink I gave you, did you ever try it after we talked??”

Erica, still recovering, shakes her head no, wiping at the tears that had formed in her eyes.

“No, and I never planned on it, dork! I just took it so you’d leave us alone, and gave it to… Rory…” Erica pauses, the cogs in her brain turning as the pair turn to look at Rory, then back at each other, and Erica’s expression grows dangerous with each passing second.

“Benny… what did you put in that drink?”

Benny shrinks in on himself ever so slightly, turning away from her sharp gaze and scratches at the back of his neck.

“I-it uhh, may or may not have been… a truth potion?” He squeaks out, shrugging sheepishly. Erica glares daggers, and Rory pales.

“ What?! ” They say simultaneously, Erica growling it out as Rory yelps again. Benny throws his hands up in front of him, waving them around wildly as he tries to defend himself, both with his words and from a hypothetical barrage from the two vampires sitting in front of him.

“It was a truth potion! I wanted to give it to Erica so she can finally stop being a coward and confess her feelings for Sarah,  or  get some juicy vampire gossip from her, I don’t know! I didn’t plan on it being given to anyone else!”

“Of  course you didn’t, dumbass! You never do!” Erica snaps, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration and getting to her feet, and she begins to pace back and forth. “How long do the effects last? Did you at least figure  that  out, Einstein?”

“Probably a day or so at least? Shouldn’t be longer than that, so it should be no problem, see?” Benny says, trying to fix the situation, but Rory’s still not satisfied.

“A day or so?? What am I supposed to do, spill my guts to half of Whitechapel at the festival tonight? You guys already know I can’t hold water, what makes you think I’ll be okay with a truth potion  and  singing a song about love? I didn’t wanna tell Ethan like this, it had to be special–!”

Before he keeps on yammering, Rory slaps their hands over their mouth once again in an effort to keep the words in, eyes wide. Benny’s eyebrows shoot up, and he blinks a couple times at the vampire. Rory blinks back, and Benny smirks.

“You have a crush on Ethan and didn’t think to tell me your master plan?”

It comes out muffled, but Rory still responds truthfully, to her dismay. “’S not jus’ a crush I fink, def’nit’ly more, but the chances of him liking me back have t’ be slim t’ none.”

Benny snorts and shrugs, a smirk still adorning his face.

“I don’t know man, only one way to find out now!”

To that, Rory pouts, shaking his head and running their hands down their face and then shaking his hands to loosen them up a bit.

“Whatever. Let’s just get this over with, I guess.”

 Rory waits in the wings of the stage, looking over the crowd, his stomach twisting in knots. He fidgets with the cord of the microphone in his hands as he catches sight of Ethan and Sarah, lost in their own conversation as they wait for their friends to take the stage finally, the last act of the day. The tech crew is nearly done loading up Benny’s drum set, making sure everything is set up correctly and is all tuned up alongside Erica’s guitar. One of the crew stops by Rory, taking the mic from their hands and tapping it a couple times and mumbling into it to test it, before giving it back with a thumbs up. Rory nods in thanks, and turns back to look out at the crowd. Erica comes to stand just behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder gently.

 “Everything okay?”

 Rory half-shrugs. “Well, you know, just terrified. Not of the crowd, though.”

   Erica nods in understanding, patting their shoulder a couple times comfortingly. After a few moments, they both hear the voice of the stage manager further back in the wing say ‘      five minutes to places    ,’ and turn back to look in their direction, spotting Benny nearby in the process.

 “Thank you, five.” Rory and Erica say simultaneously. Rory takes a deep breath, shaking out his limbs and rocking back and forth slightly to calm their nerves. Erica pats them on the shoulder one more time, squeezing gently, and she walks off to go grab her guitar from the stagehand holding onto it.

 “Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” Benny chirps, coming up behind Rory and bumping shoulders as he passes, heading to his drum set with drumsticks in hand. Rory takes another deep breath, and makes his way to the front end of the stage. She looks back over her shoulder at Erica and Benny, who both give her an encouraging thumbs up. She smiles, and gives one right back.

   “Let’s rock!”

 They patiently await for their cue, poised and ready, and suddenly the two sides of the curtain roll open, revealing the small band. The crowd – which was a bit larger of a turnout than they expected, but it is a festival after all – cheers, and Rory can’t help but grin at the sight. They throw their free hand up in the air and wave it excitedly, bringing the mic up to their mouth with their other hand.

 “Helloooo Whitechapel!” They start, and the crowd whoops and whistles in response. “My name is Rory, and these are my two friends Erica and Benny. We’ve got something special in store for you today, and we hope you enjoy it. This is ‘I Think I Love You’ by Tenacious D!”

 The crowd cheers once more, and when they quiet down, Rory turns back to his two bandmates, counting them down silently, and then it begins.

 As both of Erica’s and Benny’s solos come to an end and the chorus is ready to begin, Rory takes a chance to step towards the end of the stage, a determined look in his eyes. Ethan watches, quirking an eyebrow as Rory points a finger directly at him, but then it all clicks, and his face flushes. Rory smiles sheepishly, and brings the mic back to his lips.

 “Ethan, I have to tell you something that I’ve been thinking about for a long time, but didn’t have the courage to say before… I think I love you.”

 The crowd cheers loudly and Rory pauses, thinking, before they shut their eyes and shake their head, waving their hand as if to shake off their last statement, and start again, growing more passionate with each word that comes out of their mouth.

  “Y’know what, scratch that, I do love you! But, I’m gonna say ‘I think I love you,’ because I don’t even know if this is love, ‘cause I’ve never felt this feeling before, and I think I might be going insane!”

 The crowd cheers again, and Rory seems to forget where she is for a moment, but she shakes it off and an awkward smile breaks out onto her face. She tries to dance around casually as she searches the crowd again, looking for Ethan, and a full grin replaces the awkward one she had before as she finds him and sees that his expression matches hers – lovestruck.

 “HEY, I think I love you! So what am I so afraid of?!” Rory breaks into song again with added vigor, bouncing around the stage and trying not to get tangled in the microphone cord. Ethan can’t help but watch with adoration, and Sarah grabs him by the shoulders and begins to shake him back and forth, squealing in his ear. Benny fist pumps once, a huge grin on his face, and Erica smirks, both of them feeding off of Rory’s energy and playing with added intensity.

         “Do you think I have a case? Let me ask you to your face,” Rory turns back around, looking for Ethan in the crowd once more, and once she finds him she outstretches her hand towards him, speaking to Ethan directly. Ethan beams.

 “Do you think you love me? I think I love you!”

 “Thank you, Whitechapel! Good night!”

 As the crowd roars and the curtains close, Sarah practically shoves Ethan through the throngs of people, trying to work their way backstage. A few handfuls of people notice the pair and try to move out of their way, but the rest are still buzzing with the excitement of the performance that Rory, Erica, and Benny just gave. Ethan tries to mumble “oops” or  “sorry” to anyone they bump into, but Sarah comes to the rescue and just yells “coming through!” to anyone within earshot, and that seems to work at least somewhat. Eventually, they make their way to the wings of the stage, and push past the curtain, weaving through the tech crew that are working to clean up. Sarah eventually spots Erica near the dressing rooms, and throws up her arms, waving to try and catch her attention.

   “Erica!”

 At the mention of her name, Erica whips her head around, until her eyes land on Sarah. She smiles softly at her, and when she spots Ethan following right behind Sarah, her smile turns into a knowing smirk. Ethan’s face turns bright red, and Erica snickers.

 “Go get ‘em, lover boy!” She quips, pointing over her shoulder with her thumb at one of the dressing rooms. Ethan waves her off, his blush spreading to his ears and neck. He can hear the girls start to giggle and chatter away about something else as he walks to the door that Erica had gestured at, and he stands in front of it awkwardly as he tries to think of something intelligent he could possibly say to Rory instead of just allowing his brain to turn into a bag of bricks. He feels like with the performance alone, Rory had already put the whole thing and the feelings he had into words so perfectly, what else could he possibly add? As he’s standing there lost in thought, the door suddenly flies open and Ethan jumps.

 “Shoot, sorry, my bad, I’ll mov–”

 “Oh! Ethan, hey!”

 Ethan stops, his mouth agape as he realizes he’s now face-to-face with the exact vampire he needed to talk to… completely unprepared to do so.

 “...Rory!”

 Rory beams at him, and Ethan feels like his brain completely short-circuits at the sight.

 “Uhh… I– uhm. You… you did. Good. You did good!” He somehow manages to stutter out, and Rory snickers.

 “Thanks, man. Although, that stuttering was a bit painful to watch,” Rory says, before their eyes widen and they cover their mouth with their hand in horror. “Oh my god, I am      so     sorry. Benny gave Erica this stupid truth potion which she then gave to      me     because      she     didn’t wanna drink it, and of course      I drank it all, and–!”

 Ethan places his hand over the one Rory has shielding their mouth, and chuckles. If vampires could blush, Ethan knows that Rory would be just as red as he is. He shakes his head and rolls his eyes at the mention of his best friend’s failed plan.

 “I told Benny that his plan would never work, Erica’s too smart for that,” He says, then his eyes widen as well, and he tries to recover, “N-not to say that you’re not smart or anything, because you are and can be, i-it’s just–”

 Rory giggles, taking Ethan’s hand in both of her own, and Ethan never thought he could do it but he manages to blush darker than before; he has to be radiating heat now, there’s no way he isn’t, but either Rory doesn’t notice or he simply doesn’t say anything, to Ethan’s relief.

 “Hey, it’s okay! You’re good, we’re good,” She says, pausing to look down at their joined hands. She smiles, but furrows her brows a bit, and Ethan tilts his head questioningly.

 “Did… did you like the song? It wasn’t supposed to be a confession-of-love performance, just a regular one, but that’s how it ended up, I guess. Thanks to the dumb truth potion, and a spur-of-the-moment decision I made at our rehearsal yesterday.”

 “I loved it, you guys did great. You did great. I loved watching it. Watching you.”

 Rory beams again, and Ethan grins right back, until he remembers something, and smirks.

 “Oh! To answer your questions from before – I think you do have a case, and I do think I love you.” Ethan adds cleverly. Rory blinks at him a couple times, confused, before it finally clicks and he cackles, pulling Ethan close and wrapping his arms around him, squeezing him in a hug. Ethan squawks at the sudden movement, but recovers quickly, breaking into a fit of giggles and squeezing right back.

 “I love you, Ethan!”

 “I love you, Rory.”

[littledeathdove]

What's your favorite thing about Miranda?

Can be literally anything, from the way she moves to her personality to the way she dresses :)

Oooo I got a whole list honestly,

My all-time favorite thing about Miranda is her being a mean ass and how sassy she is. The comebacks/insults she gives to Ethan are actually so funny. I think she even called Ethan a walking corpse one time in her half of the game

It’s such a weak insult but the way she says it always makes me chuckle when I hear it and how can I forget her dramatic eye rolls (I live for that I swear)

I love how she is with Eva, like the love she has for her baby makes me sick knowing she couldn’t even get her back in the end 😭 Miranda is a good mother when it comes down to her love for Eva and I will die on that hill

OMG, another thing that is my favorite about Miranda is her laboratory, that shit is so damn messy. Miranda being messy just shows a little human part of her that am so glad we get to see.

Uhh, let’s see I do like the fact that Miranda walks like a crow well more like struts around instead of walking. It’s just a cute little detail that actually makes me believe that Miranda has more crow quirks somewhere

Now on her physical appearance, my favorite thing is her waist, I honestly can’t even explain why I love her waist but it’s just *chefs kiss* that and her eyes, especially how they look when she makes her wings form into a hood.

TYSM FOR THE ASK 🫶🏾😋

[auras-moonstone]

heyyy idk if you like take requests at this time but can i req an ethan fic with the concept of better than revenge by tay like y/n is dating ethan and someone stole him and like shes planning revenge and like raging and that kinda stuff? tysmmm and your writing is so *chefs kiss* take ur time also mwa

hiii omg thank you for this!! i LOVE better than revenge and i think your idea is so cool, hope you like what i came up with <3 !

better than revenge — ethan landry

word count: 1,468

pairing: ethan landry x fem!reader

summary: y/n founds out why rebekah took an interest in ethan and plans her revenge.

based on: better than revenge by taylor swift

author’s note: today i started classes again so i don’t know how often will i be able to post. they have already assigned me a novel to read and analyse. i want to die😫

SUMMER HAD BEEN THE SEASON THAT BROUGHT ETHAN AND Y/N TOGETHER. Quinn, Ethan’s sister, had introduced them and they instantly clicked. Because of his shyness and lack of experience with girls, she had been the one who made the first step. And they had dated for two amazing months. Until Rebekah came along, got him alone and it was the downfall of their relationship.

“What do you mean he broke up with you? That asshole!” Quinn said in anger.

Y/N sighed. “It’s her, Quinn. She’s taking advantage of him, I know it”.

“Rebekah being interested in my brother was not something I saw coming”

“Me neither, I wouldn’t have suspected it” Y/N frowned, hitting the pillow with anger. “It’s weird, and sudden”.

“Are they together?” Quinn asked.

Y/N shook her head. “No. He told me he likes me but he is confused, and he needs time to clear his feelings up. He said it wasn’t fair for me to be in a relationship when there are doubts in his mind” the girl was gripping a teddy bear with force.

“There are these rumours…” Quinn started, and Y/N looked at her expectedly “Rebekah secretly dates guys to pass the subjects. Makes them do her homework, summaries she can use to cheat on exams”

“Wait, she’s about to fail Econ. And Ethan never got anything lower than an A” Y/N realized. “Do you think she’s…”

“I think so” Quinn frowned “That bitch is using my brother to pass Econ”.

Y/N clenched her jaw “She’s so gonna pay for this. She underestimated who she was stealing from”

“HEY, Y/N/N” Ethan said shyly, sitting next to her on the bench while she ate her lunch.

“Hey, Eth” she smiled sweetly. Even though the pain was beating on her like a drum, Y/N still wanted to be around him, even if it was as his friend. Besides, she could never get mad at Ethan.

“Do you mind if I eat with you?” he asked.

“You are always invited to eat with me” Y/N answered, making him blush. “What are all these books?” Ethan shifted uncomfortable in his seat, and Y/N understood immediately. “They are Rebekah’s”.

“Yeah… I’m sorry, Y/N/N”

“You don’t need to apologize” she reassured him, although the thought of them together made her heart break “Just… don’t let her treat you like your lap dog, okay?”

“She’s not. She just needed to do something and asked me if I could carry them” Ethan said.

“Okay, if you say so” Y/N nodded, not convinced at all.

“Y/N…” he looked at her, regret filling those puppy brown eyes Y/N loved so much.

“No, Eth. You don’t have to explain anything. Not anymore” Y/N sent him a weak smile.

This statement created a knot in Ethan’s throat. He missed Y/N very much, but he also knew he was attracted to Rebekah. He needed to figure his feelings out.

“What are you talking about?” said the annoying voice of the girl who got between them.

“Nothing” Y/N brushed it off.

“Okay” she said in a over-friendly tone. She was trying so hard to act nice. “Eth, can you help me with my Econ assignment?” she asked, putting a hand on his bicep and batting her eyelashes at him. God, Y/N hated her and her stupid vintage dresses so much.

Ethan gulped, she made him nervous. And Rebekah subtly smirked at Y/N. “You haven’t done it yet? It’s for today”

“I tried, I just don’t understand it” she said in a fake saddened voice.

“Have you tried asking the teacher? You know, he’s there for something” Y/N said, acting as if she really wanted to help her. But it takes an actress to know one, so Rebekah just glared at her.

“I can’t right now. I’m having lunch with Y/N/N” Ethan said, and Y/N did her best to hide her smile of victory. “Maybe you should talk to the teacher”.

As much as she hated how Rebekah was taking advantage of Ethan, she needed him to do her homework once more. But this time, Y/N was going to make sure Rebekah doesn’t get away with it.

“It’s fine, Eth. We can hang out later”

“Are you sure?” he asked, he really didn’t want her to leave.

“Yes, don’t worry. See you later” she kissed his cheek, making him smile widely, cheeks turning even more red. “Bye, Rebekah, it was so nice meeting you”.

WHEN REBEKAH SLAMMED Y/N LOCKER WITH ANGER, SHE KNEW HER PLAN HAD WORKED. Y/N showed the fuming girl her best smile, which made the other girl even angrier.

“Hi, Rebekah. Can I help you with something?” she asked innocently.

“Drop the act. You did this, didn’t you?” Rebekah showed her the failing grade.

“Um, no. I believe the professors are the ones who grade our stuff” she replied, explaining as if Rebekah was five years old.

“Don’t act like a saint, and don’t smart talk to me. You told the teacher Ethan did this assignment, and now I’ll have to re-take the entire subject” she spitted in anger. “Why did you do this? Is it because you’re jealous? Because Ethan likes me more than you?”

Y/N finally smirked “Nah, jealousy certainly added fuel to the fire, but the main reason is because I don’t like seeing the people I love being walked over. Ethan is an amazing guy, he deserves so much better than your bullshit and manipulation”.

“Please, that guy is a loser” Rebekah scoffed. “He’s so insecure and attention deprived. I swear I didn’t even have to kiss him, I would just put my hand on his arm and he would do anything I asked. How pathetic”

“If he’s pathetic, then how should you be described? I mean, asking guys to do your work for you on every subject because your little brain is not capable of even comprehending one subject? Now, that is pathetic”

“Did you just call me pathetic?” Rebekah pushed her harshly against the lockers.

“Yup. Add ex-swim team captain to the list” Y/N said.

“What do you mean?” Rebekah asked appalled.

“Oh, you don’t know? My god, this keeps getting better. My dear Rebekah, it’s with great sadness I inform you that if you re-take a subject you can’t be captain of any team. I’m so sorry!”

“What?!” she screamed.

Y/N smiled, enjoying the scene in front of her “Do you still feel like you know what you’re doing? I don’t think you do”

“You’re a bitch” the mad woman said between gritted teeth.

“Mm, no. I’m actually pretty nice, but you played with Ethan as if he was a toy. You have no dignity, and this is me teaching you not to push people down to get you where you want to go.”

“I’m going to tell Ethan what you did” Rebekah warned me.

“No body, no crime, Rebekah. You can’t prove it” Y/N smirked.

The unhinged girl turned around and smiled when he saw the nerdy boy leaning against the locker “I think I don’t have to prove anything. He heard it on his own”.

Y/N looked in that direction and her face fell. She tried to tell herself that, even if Ethan got mad at her for sticking her nose in his life, at least he won’t be Rebekah’s puppet anymore.

“You did that? You snitched on Rebekah?” Ethan asked, he didn’t seem mad.

“Yes” Y/N admitted. “How much did you hear?”

“Everything” the boy laughed. “Thank you”

Both girls stared at him in surprise. “Ethan, she handed me in!”

“You deserve it. You know, I should’ve known it was all an act” Ethan looked at Rebekah, there wasn’t any hint of sadness in his voice. Then, he looked at his ex-girlfriend and his eyes got glossy. He had never regretted something so bad “I’m sorry it took me that long to realize, Y/N/N. I love you”

Y/N smiled “I love you too”

“Do you forgive me?” Ethan asked hopeful, Y/N nodded.

“You two are ridiculous” Rebekah scoffed.

“Whatever, Rebekah. Enjoy seeing the swimming team compete without you” Y/N threw a fake smile at her, and then the girl left them alone, throwing curses as she walked away.

“When you left us alone the other day at the bench… I thought you had already moved on from me” Ethan confessed, as he hid his face on Y/N’s neck. “Not that I don’t deserve it”

“No! I so wanted to punch her in the face for using you, but I needed you to do her homework so I could turn her in” she explained.

Ethan laughed “You’re good”

“There’s nothing I do better than revenge” Y/N joked.

“I can think of a few things…”

Y/N blushed at the suggestion “Janitor’s closet. Now”

“God, I missed you” Ethan kissed her roughly as he led her to the closet.

[callmearcturus]

a bunch of Mission Impossible fic recs

hi, i'm sorry for conning so many people into this fandom. here's some reading material.

Easy Open, by helenish

“So you and Hunt are a package deal these days,” Bryson says. “Uh,” Benji says, jerking his head up from his computer, ballpoint in his mouth.

Ethan/Benji. Definitely the first thing you should read after watching the movies. This is my favorite kind of one-shot, the kind that manages to convey the weight of history like a 60k fic in such a compressed space. When I talk about using sex scenes to convey something about the characters, perfect example is the set dressing around the one here where the title drop happens. Way to say so fucking much about the characters through sheer implication.

in the details, by helenish

Ethan: We have an even bigger problem. Ilsa. Benji: Ilsa. Our Ilsa? —Mission: Impossible — Fallout (Paramount Pictures, 2018)

Ethan/Benji/Ilsa. This one is so fucking dense and amazing. I love the way Ethan is just so fucking in love with both of these people and keeps imagining them fucking and feels terrible about it, you just want Benji and Ilsa to put Ethan out of his misery, but ALSO this is hardcore physicality porn. The scene with Ilsa on Benji's shoulders is better than any sex scene I've read this year.

I'm With You, by fictionallemons

Luther's getting married again at a private resort on a tropical island. Only there's a mixup with the rooms and Benji and Ethan have to share. No big deal, right? One bed. Two friends. No problem. Ha.

Ethan/Benji. I keep rereading this one because it just has such intense longing and familiarity in it. The way it portrays Ethan and Benji as a unit, a foregone conclusion even they themselves haven't quite figured that out, is perfect. Also I love the way Ethan handles the bed situation, the low grade annoyance he has at the repeated question. Benji, get a clue, my man.

Someone New, by fictionallemons

After Fallout, Benji thinks Ethan and Ilsa are together and he only wants to be happy for them, even it kills him to see Ethan with someone else. He's got to try to get over Ethan. But some things are just impossible. Mutual jealousy, mutual pining, cute texting, and a happy ending, of course.

Ethan/Benji. LOOK, THE WAY TO MY HEART IS ETHAN BEING JEALOUS AND NOT HANDLING IT WELL. Also the fact this fic acknowledges Ethan's emotional growth from Fallout, chef's kiss. But really the moment when Ilsa's like "Seems we missed the show" and Ethan says "I wish we had" ETHAN OH MY GOD. Also the subtle way Benji is needling Ethan a little, subconsciously at least-- it's good!

it takes a lot (to know a man), by thistableforone

"So I just… want to remind myself that we're alright." He says it like that, with a general we that sounds more like a specific you. And because Ethan does know what it feels like, he doesn't question him any further. If Benji needs to spend time with him to feel better, he won't deny him. Takes place after Fallout. Ethan is recovering and Benji goes to live with him to help

Ethan/Benji. A longer one, hell yeah. This one truly wallows in the aftermath of Fallout, which is where my brain lives 90% of the time, so I appreciate it. Also Ilsa pointing out why the fuck did Luther give her that speech but not Benji-- finally someone said it. But really this fic is about Benji and it breaks my heart.

magnetic field being a little too strong, by oopshidaisy

“This is strictly recon,” Ethan says. It’s maybe the seventeenth time he’s said words to this effect since they arrived at the party. “We can’t do anything that’ll raise suspicion. Understand?” Post-Rogue Nation. Benji and Ethan go undercover and find themselves in one of those spy jams that only surprise kissing can solve.

Ethan/Benji. This is the one with the INCREDIBLE passage about Benji realizing why Ethan's never been slapped for pulling the fake kissing thing on missions. Also I love how... this feels like a date. To Ethan, this is a fun mission with his Benji, and it feels like it. Benji's voice here is pitch perfect, feels like its right out of Rogue Nation.

The Missionary Position, by matchsticks

Ethan and Benji have to pretend to be a married couple for a mission. Well, Ethan and Benji are already a married couple, but now they have to pretend to be pretending to be a married couple for a mission, and the rest of the team has to help them keep their secret. It'll definitely all work out fine. Probably. Hopefully.

Ethan/Benji. Listen. This one is hilarious.

THERE, there's some stuff to get you started, folks! and you can always hit up mine. I have periphery (in which everyone Benji works with is a little in love with him and Ethan just doesn't deal well), all i need is a certain trigger (in which Ilsa and Benji are in the Syndicate and Ethan trips into romancing them both), and the big AU you'll need a new name to survive this (in which Benji is Ethan's physical therapist and a lot of things start to change)

Looking over all this, it seems my favorite thing is when Ethan is just unhinged and Benji is unfortunately into that.

[haven-of-dusk]

Semi-random scene analysis time. I honestly always liked this scene, and it took me a bit to figure out why, but I think I got it.

First off, just aesthetically, *chef's kiss*. The mussed up helmet hair looks adorable on all three of them, the outfits are on point, I'm literally just now noticing that I think the Steiners have matching backpacks (their commitment to the bit is insane and wonderful), it's all great.

Second...it's just funny. And charming. Ethan and Aiden ping-ponging the conversation between each other for a second without even letting Scott get a word in is fun, and the delivery of "This is about you being the target of demonic ninjas." "You mean the demonic ninjas who pulled swords out of their chests and kicked our asses?" "Yeah! Those demonic ninjas!" was pitch perfect. I feel like Charlie and Max don't get enough credit for how well they bounce off each other because it's assumed they would be good at it, when in actuallity I've met more than one set of identical twins who SUCK at that.

Lastly, it might be me reading too much into things, but I do think this scene is a great example of characterization through limited dialgoue and action. A line that stands out to me is "Since this is our first experience with demonic ninjas, we're thinking we should play it safe." The use of the plural pronoun is very telling to me, because I'd be willing to bet even thinking of protecting Scott was Ethan's idea, and yet he always uses the 'we' pronoun because he and Aiden are an inseperable team.

It's something I feel S3 really did right: distinctifying Ethan and Aiden into their own people without sacrificing their bond to each other. I feel like a lot of fiction that introduces twins as minor characters just makes them a unit without much distinction between them (hell, Harry Potter did it twice, for instance), but despite the Steiners literally having a merged form, the show made an effort to show how they're very different, yet still complementary people. They could be simplified to the brains and the brawn, but even that straightforward premise tells us a lot about how they've survived as long as they have and presumably a contributor to Deucalion recruiting them. It also makes Aiden's death all the more heartbreaking the more you realize how important they were to each other.

I'm getting a little off-topic here, but the point is that simple interactions like this can darastically shape a character and I feel as though that's underappreciated. Especially when it comes to already underrated characters like the Steiners.

On a last, less serious note, I appreciate that the three werewolves with miraculous healing abilities all still practice proper motorcycle safety and wear helmets, gloves, and long sleeves. Unironically love that for them.

[xxxninjaxxx23]

A girl and her crush!

Part 1

Tara x Ethan

In the quiet town of Woodsboro California, 18 year old Tara Carpenter is at home cooking a big meal after hearing that Sam, her older sibling is coming over for a visit. It’s been about 5 years since Sam left for college in Modesto. It took a while but she managed to get a bachelors degree in law firm. She now works as a lawyer and a “damn good one too” as Tara quotes it.

The little sibling herself is almost about to finish high school and her father Stu Macher couldn’t be more proud. Ah yes, ever since her mother Christina Carpenter died of cirrhosis (a result to the past drinking) Stu made it his mission to raise his only daughter and her half sibling. The word “half” shocked the young sister when Stu told her that Sam’s father is his former best friend Billy Loomis.

From the stories she heard from her dad and Sam, Billy was an awful parent. He was always high on drugs or messing around in clubs rather than help take care of his own family and when he was home, he always lashed out at Christina over small things like someone taking the last orange or something not being cleaned.

Sam was no exception and has too suffered Billy’s wrath to where Christina would use makeup to cover up Sam’s bruises. Eventually Billy left the family and never came back. Stu used to check up on them every now and then, even berated Billy for beating his own family. He once got into a deadly fight with the said friend but despite Stu being taller and more fit, Billy’s strength tripled with drugs in his system and sometimes it took even Christina’s help to stop him.

Nevertheless, Stu and Christina kept each other company. One thing led to another and eventually Tara was born.

Tara didn’t realize how much she zoned on until she heard the smoke alarm go off “Ahh! Oh no, no!” Tara quickly turned off the oven and took out the garlic bread. It was a bit overcooked and looked very crunchy.

Stu ran into the kitchen “Tara What was that? Are you overcooking the food again?” He said with a sly smile. Tara giggled, her dad has always been a goofball always up for fun and jokes. “Um the garlic bread might be a little crunchy. But at least the pasta is ok.”

Stu smiled “Look at you already cooking meals by the age of 18.” He stared off into the window “If only your mother could have seen you now.” Tara nodded. She knew Stu was still grieving along with her as well. Christina wasn’t as bad as Billy was if you take away the bottles.

��It’s actually Billy’s fault that mom started drinking heavily, eventually leading to her death’ Tara thought.

Then the pair hear the doorbell ring. Stu picks up the spoon and seasons the pasta “There’s your sister! I’ll take it from here sweetie, why don’t you show the guests to their table?” Tara nodded “Sure thing Mr chef.” She said before heading to the front door.

Tara opens the door where she’s greeted by Sam and a tall man with a beard. “Sam!!” Tara said hugging her as Sam hugged back. “Tara!! It’s been so long.” She takes another look at Tara. “My gosh. Look how much you’ve grown.”

The bearded man speaks up “Grown as in more mature right?” Tara shot a glare at him “Ha,ha. I may be small but I can still bite if I need to.” She said making a bite gesture at him.

Sam lightly slaps his shoulder “Richie!” Then turning over to Tara “O-K before this gets awkward. Tara this is Richie, my boyfriend. Richie this is my sister, Tara”

“Pleased to meet you “little” sister.” Tara got mad again but shook his hand a little rough “If you call me little or short one more time, I’ll tear your arm off.” Richie smiled “Well we don’t want that to happen now do we?”

Tara led the couple to the table as dinner was just about ready “I’ll go get the plates, don’t get too comfortable at dinner you two.” Tara said laughing as Sam tossed a napkin ball at her.

Tara gathered the plates with the food ready to go as Stu turned off the stove. “Um dad…we kinda need one more plate.” Stu hung up his kiss the cook apron “Oh? Did Sam invite a friend over.” Tara had to stop herself from laughing “Y-yeah a friend…I guess you could say that.”

Stu was confused for a minute but took another plate out and filled it, handing the dish to Tara. The sibling brought out the plates to the couple who shared a kiss “Um. Mr bearded man, you might not want to do that while my dad is here. Richie looked a little nervous but Sam held his hand.

“It’s ok sweetie. Our dad is nice one you get to know him.”

Tara smirked “Really? Because I saw him go wide eyed when you brought up having a “boyfriend” years ago. “Tara!” She shrugged “What? It’s true…Oop here he comes.”

Tara quickly takes her seat as Stu brought out the last two plates for him and Tara. He sets them down as his eye caught a man sitting at the table next to Sam “So you must be the “friend” Tara was talking about.”

Tara covered her mouth, snickering. Sam looked down for a minute then back up to her father. “Dad this is Richie….m-my boyfriend.”

Stu almost went wide eyed but kept a calm expression as he walked up and introduced himself to Richie which he did the same “it’s a pleasure to meet you sir” he said. Tara shook her head at Richie like saying “Good luck man, your gonna need it.”

As the family eats the well made dinner Tara prepared, Stu asks everyone what their future plans are, mostly Richie. “Well sir. I do like movies and writing in my free time. Im hoping to be a movie writer one day.”

Stu nodded “I’m a movie guy myself but writing one has always been a challenge for me.”

Tara looked over at Sam and Richie “Well dad I think these two can help you with that and make your dream come true.” Sam shook her head and nudged her boyfriend “Nope that’s all him. I’m just here to make sure he doesn’t get roped into a lawsuit or save him from one.”

Stu clapped his hands as he turned over to Tara “what about you sweetie? You going to follow in your sister’s footsteps or mine?” Tara smiled “Neither. I’m going to study to be an actress. It’s always been my thing ever since I was a kid.”

“I think I remember you begging me to buy you a stage.” Stu said, laughing “You wouldn’t let up so Sam and I had to make one out of cardboard.

After that, you asked me to be the cameraman while Sam was your co-Star on stage.”

Sam grinned “I still remember that all too well.” Then the family continued to talk to one another while finishing off their food.

(Later) “Sam you can take the guest room.” Stu said as he went to wash off the dishes. Richie was about to join Sam in the room but was pulled back by Tara. “What gives?” He said. Tara raised a brow and gestured over to her father in the kitchen. “Ohhh right, right.”

Tara called from the kitchen “Dad. I think Richie wants to stay the night is that’s ok?”

“Sure. Just make sure you get a blanket and pillow for him. You know where we keep them.” While Tara went to get a blanket and pillow for Richie, Sam went to the kitchen to chat with her step dad some more.

“So you got a new boyfriend huh?” Stu said as he was putting the clean dishes on the drying rack. Sam nodded as she put the drying towel away “Yes I do but….please don’t scare him away dad.”

“I won’t pumpkin. Your an adult now free to make your own decisions. I’ll have to respect them but you know I only want what’s best for you and Tara.” He looked out the window

“God knows I wouldn’t want you girls to end up in your mothers position because of….him.”

Sam didn’t say anything except hugging Stu from behind, letting tears fall from her eyes.

Afterwards, the family turns in for the night. Richie takes the couch much to Tara’s dismay as she wanted to play video games in the living room.

(The next morning)

Tara woke up later than her family as expected but she finds the guest room and couch empty. She heads into the kitchen to find Stu cooking breakfast “Hey dad, did Sam and Richie leave?” Stu shook his head. “Oh no they are just heading out to get groceries, they’ll be back shortly.”

Tara nodded as she decided to play video games in the living room as it was the weekend yet again. She invited Mindy and Chad game to play back 4 blood with her.

They all got excited to play another round and try to get further in the game. As they started up the game, Tara got lost in her thoughts.

The last week and chapter of her school life is drawing to a close and Tara was sweating bullets. She has yet to decide on what university to go to and if she would get accepted in.

‘Stop it Tara! You’re worrying too much about the future. I mean yes my career relies on me getting into the right school and making it in the big city.

“Damit! Noo. We were so close” Mindy said. Chad then spoke up “Tara? You still there.” Which the small girl snapped out of her thoughts and answered back.

“Sorry guys. I-I just need a moment. I’ll be right back”

Tara sets her headset down and does a quick skim through the photos on her phone. She smiled by how many pictures she took when hanging out with her friends. But her heart sank when it was her and a certain bleached haired boy she knew all too well. Tara also asked herself why she still kept them.

Seeing those pictures of him on her phone caused Tara to bury her face in her hands and sob. (though the mic was still on)

She still remembers that text and the girl with him all too well.

To be continued

[lost-inanotherlife]

Lost S1 Rewatch after 20 years - scattered FINAL thoughts

other thoughts here

I think I'm becoming a bit of an anti-Charlie because I really can't stand him, like at all. He used to be one of my favorites but clearly 20 years did no good to his character. I mean, COME ON, he's hyperfixated on Claire and her baby and wants to protect them at all cost BUT he leaves them alone with Rousseau? A literally stranger, just like Ethan was? AND THEN he takes it out on Sayid and blames him? AND THEN Sayid is the one who actually saves Aaron and Charlie gets the credit? Ugh. S1 Charlie is the worst.

My feelings for the characters' backstories are quite mixed. On the one hand, they are undoubtedly stereotypical, on the other I can't help but admire the writers' command of archetypes. In Lost there are A LOT of main characters but they ALL have a solid backstory. In other words, the characters' stories are coherent, consistent and ultimately extremely well-written. The writers put in a lot of effort and succeeded in portraying each story with a few strokes of the metaphorical brush. The line between stereotype and archetype is a thin one and can be easily crossed; Lost's writers approach it very very closely but they somehow manage to retreat a few moments before the disaster. I'm in awe.

I'll always, always, be soft and weak for Sun and Jin. Maybe it's because Yunjin Kim and Daniel Dae Kim are incredibly talented actors. With the exception of Terry O'Quinn and the two Kims, all other actors don't start off really strong. It's okay because by the end of S1 they have all, to varying degrees, sort of grown into their characters or, at least, they feel more at ease playing them. On the other hand, specifically Daniel Dae Kim's acting choices are precise and beautifully executed from the start. You can't really do anything else but end up liking Jin.

I remember I was shocked by Boone's death and, 20 years later, I still feel sorry over it. I think his character had a lot of hidden potential, I don't know why they killed him off (I mean, maybe the actor wanted out? I don't think so! For shock value? Could be! I should do some research). I liked the fact that he was sort of an anti-hero or, perhaps more correctly, a wannabe failing hero. It would've been cool to see his arc unfold, I think. Too bad.

Kate and Jack confuse me. There's clearly something between them but I'm starting to suspect it's not love? Jack is insanely besotted with her but he's also quite demanding and over-protective and honestly? Dude, chill, there's literally no need, she eats guys like you for breakfast. Kate, on the other hand, is also unfair to him. For instance, she wants him to believe that she would never poison anyone while she herself had drugged him the day before and she was indeed the mastermind behind Michael's little stomach problem (lol). It's like she wants Jack to think the best of her while she's not willing to do the work OR, even better, just to be herself and let Jack decide whether he's in or not. Mmmm.

Locke and Jack as symbolically being one person, as in a dark mirror of each other is chef's kiss. While in "White Rabbit" Locke saves Jack from falling off a cliff, in "Exodus" Jack saves Locke from being dragged underground by the black smoke. The images are the same and it was so beautiful to see. Absolutely blown-away by the command of symbolism in this series, I know it's silly to say because, DUH, it's Lost! Still mindblowing, though.

[fridgrave2-0]

alright, I watched the holy trinity aka tgwdlm, black friday and npmd. here's my highly subjective opinions about them !!

first of all, I like all of them, but some more, some less. I'm not dissing or hating any of them, and pls be chill if you like it more than I do

the guy who didn't like musicals: plot 6/10. very simple and basic, still nice though. if I had a nickel for every time I saw a plot with alien possession and blue shit, I'd have two nickels. which isn't a lot, but it's weird what it happened twice. paul and emma are cool, little cute couple. songs 5/10. sorry I have to be honest, but it was insanely hard for me to watch tgwdlm and pay attention when they start singing, what is an issue for a musical. sometimes I was even thinking about skipping them (I know it's a crime I'm sorry). most of the songs I forgot right after they ended, but two of them are SUCH bangers what they kinda overcompensated my experience. yeah I'm talking about "join us and die" and "let it out". they fucking killed it.

total: 5/10

black friday: plot 8/10. i enjoyed it so much I can't even describe. most of the characters are charismatic and likable as fuck and I cried like a bitch from tom's song in the beginning. everything about lex, ethan and hannah is a chef's kiss, I was SO invested. and LORE. so much lore I needed that. songs 6/10 HEAR ME OUT! i loved them, I cried at them, I enjoyed them, but personally I don't find them catchy. i don't want to relisten them like actual song in a playlist. would I want to hear them in the musical when I'll rewatch it? absolutely. besides that? not my cup of tea.

total: 7/10

nerdy prudes must die: plot 9/10. unpredictable, crazy, wild, funny. i loved every second of it, every character and every twist, even if I unwillingly spoilered ghost max thingy to myself. maybe it's my hyperfixation talking, but this is the only musical in the trilogy which I want to study with a microscope and rewatch forever. it's the best thing what happened to me in 2024. max is my bbg, pete and steph are fucking cute, grace is a menace and I love it for her, richie is a second bbg, ruth is my queen. minus one point only for max's dad existing, I hate his guts (and maybe for not giving bryce more singtime she's so good omfg. but about it later). SONGS 11/10 HOLY SHIT. the last time I could've relisten all the songs from the musical over and over again was hamilton and npmd just destroyed it like the nuke. the vocals, the music, the lyrics, it just changed my brain chemistry. i was listening to the npmd song for fucking hours in a row while drawing and i wasn't sick of it later. THE SUMMONING god the summoning holy shit!!! highschool is killing me, literal monster, hatchet town, COOL AS I THINK I AM, JUST FOR ONCE-- I just love all of them so much I can't.

total: 10/10

now it's nightmare time 🔥🔥🔥

[wander-wren]

as i do my fifth full rewatch of tristamp i’m going to make a list of my favorite details in each episode. the ones i always wait for and have to restrain myself from talking over when they happen. starting with the first three:

ep 1

vash’s little “need a hand?” joke i’m sorry it’s silly

mmm the plant light reflections on vash’s sunglasses tastey

the first shot he takes at the cluster bomb with the low angle and the sand and his jacket blowing…..we all know it. chefs kiss

THE MUSIC IN THE DUEL TOO idk anythinggggg about music i could not even tell you what instrument that is but the little. mmf. higher pitched louder four or five notes. it makes my brain happy

i should spontaneously learn to video edit and make this a compilation so i can just have it

you already know i have to mention vash dodging bullets at point blank range BUT ALSO i don’t think we give enough love to the casual flipping the guy over his shoulder. love love love

ep 2

vash’s. little. noises. in the chase scene. need i say more

does roberto call vash a puppy in this episode? he must there’s no time for it in the other two. it’s silly

we need more tomas rides i could watch them ride toma FOREVER its so pleasing to look at and the thump of the steps is good

ftr this is dub but the nebraska family have some REALLY funny lines. “he’s using rocks, our worst enemy!!!” and “haven’t you any pride as a gunman?” “eh, not really!” killed me

that slow-mo shot where vash is shooting nebraska’s bullet is so good. and iconic. i have it on a sweatshirt lol. while i’m thinking about it, shoutout to vash’s little glove w only two fingers bc i’m obsessed with it

and his gay little earring but we all know about that

ep 3

eg the mime’s little entrance is just interesting to watch. why his body move like that. i just like looking at him. what a weird specimen

i really meant to just point out smaller details but ugh, wow, i love when vash jumps on his cage and points his gun at him like “that’s enough” OH HE’S SERIOUS. ETHAN I WOULD LISTEN TO THE MAN

nai being barefoot and walking in the blood is so. so.

“does their praise cure it? the loneliness?” is something i’ve talked about before but it KILLS me i feel threatened i feel like a tiny animal i am Unsafe with this man. we could talk about whether he’s talking about vash or himself there too but that’s for a different post

i can’t even say anything about the entire second half bc every bit of the destruction of jeneora rock is soooooo

vash releasing tonis’s worms. the fact that the worms survived at all really

“how can you smile at a time like this?” “because i don’t deserve to cry” WAHH

[scentedluminarysoul]

From season 3 is brutal. I cried a lot during episode 2

I really liked that Julie addressed Jim dropping the ball and not being the parent she and Ethan need. He just left his kids alone to fend for themselves and they almost died. Yes, he did have the realization that Tabitha went to the lighthouse alone precisely so that if something happened to her, their kids would only lose one parent. But Jim immediately ran off and tried to get himself killed.

What Julie addresses is the parentification she experienced, when she had to be Ethan's parent at age 15. It's not okay.

Fatima. What the fuck. She's so growing a monster baby.

I can't state enough how much I love that Donna and Clara are fat women who just exist and their weight is never brought up and they're never insulted for it, even amidst a fold shortage. Chef's kiss!

I don't need to talk about Harold Perrineau's performance. It's Harold Perrineau.

But honestly, everyone is just so good and raw and human.

I wonder where Victor ran off to

Anyway, my guess is that the town feeds not on hope, but despair. If it fed on hope, it wouldn't try so hard to break Boyd. And Kenny. The joy of finding food only to back to town and have every bit of happiness ripped away. I hate that Tian Chen is gone, but I get it, storywise (Ricky He's performance was great!)

Yeah. It's despair.

[shewholovestoread]

Mission Impossible 7: Dead Reckoning Impressions

I’ve been a fan of the Mission Impossible franchise, especially fourth film onwards. This is not a review per se, it’s more a list of what was okay in the film, what was great and what was downright awful. So let’s get into it.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

THE MEH:

- The villain - on the surface, having an AI entity called The Entity sounds like a good idea. Especially given the current climate, the discourse surrounding AI and the way it’s being used. The problem is that, it lacks the human component that makes a villain engaging. One of the most fascinating aspects of a villain done right is their motivation and their drive. Aspects that perhaps the audience can relate to. All of that is missing with a digital villain.

- Gabriel - Again, the fact that he’s following orders from an AI just seems dumb and takes away from his being an engaging villain in his own right. Yes, he’s menacing and clearly dangerous but all of that is undercut because he’s not the big bad, a machine is. His history with Ethan is rife with untapped potential and I hope that the eighth film digs deeper into that.

- Alana Mitsopolis - So much potential and she does next to nothing in the film.

Also, this was mind-boggling, when Grace is pretending to be Alana, her eye colour is so obviously different from the real Alana that I’m kinda shocked that the brother didn’t pick that up. It was so glaring that it immediately took me out of the film. It made no sense.

THE GOOD:

- Paris - Pom Klementieff stole the show. She was so good and I’m so excited to see her in the next installment. Also, the scene of her chasing Ethan and Grace in the huge-ass military truck... pure chef’s kiss. You know that scene in the animated 101 Dalmations when Cruella is driving her car like a lunatic, Paris had that energy down pat.

- Grace - I liked her character though there are some problems that I’ll get to later. But well written and another character who doesn’t immediately fall head over heels in love with Ethan. I liked that she was smart and didn’t trust people just because they asked her to. She had reason to be wary and I appreciated that.

- The stunts - This is a given. The stunts get bigger and more outrageous with every progressing Mission Impossible film and this one was no different. The bike-jumping-off-the-cliff is the one that they’ve pushed the most in their marketing, but there’s one more near the end that’s probably way more stressful.

THE BAD:

- The stunts - The stunts in the film overpowered the plot. There is such a thing as 'too much of a good thing’ and the stunts in this film definitely fall into that category. There was something new happening every few scenes and some of the stunts scenes also just went on for a little too long.

- The Death of Ilsa Faust - This one just drove me mad with rage. She is canonically as good as Ethan, his equal in every way and was set-up as a foil to him, often a little more ruthless than him and willing to make tough decisions even if that meant going against Ethan and his team, people she clearly cares about.

It’s not just that she died, but the way she died. She gets stabbed by Gabriel and actually died alone, by the time Ethan finds her, she’s already gone. She died alone on a fucking bridge and that’s just a damn shame.

To add insult to injury, the way they’ve set-up Grace as an immediate replacement for Ilsa, to the extent that in the very next scene, she’s part of the team as if she had always been there. It’s like the film is telling you that female characters are of little consequence and replaceable. This was also so damn blatant that yet again, it pulled me out of the film. I couldn’t believe that it was handled in such ham-handed way. It also made me dislike Grace on principle.

Her death also stings because Benji and Luther were right there and they’ve been there since the third (fourth?) film and are still alive and kicking. If we were meant to have a meaningful loss for Ethan, why couldn’t it either of the 2 dudes? Also, it is possible to have more than 1 woman on the team. There’s no rule that states that the addition of the new female character must be facilitated by the death of the previous woman on the team. There are SOOOO many films guilty of this (looking at you Pacific Rim 2, which killed off Mako Mori and then replaced her with Liwen Shao)

THE THING THAT GIVES ME PAUSE:

The only thing that gives me pause is the way Ilsa’s death was handled. It’s so badly done that it almost feels like a different film. My theory is that Ilsa is actually alive and will return in the next film. The whole thing was badly handled on purpose.

Now hear me out, early on in the film, Ethan and Ilsa fake her death to get the American intelligence agencies off her back. From the way it’s shot, it’s immediately apparent that she’s not dead. And they reveal very quickly that she’s still alive.

When she reunites with the team, the whole lot of them get into an argument about acceptable losses and that the mission is more important than any member of the team (very subtle-R-us) and then to no one’s surprise, it is Ilsa who goes and talks to Ethan and they have a very awkward hug. Ilsa and Ethan’s romance, thus far, was played with great subtlety. they’re not very touchy-feely with each other. They show their love in how far they’re willing to go for each other. It’s the sexual tension that is the real draw for these two. It’s a strange kind of intimacy which is very different from all of his previous romantic partners.

So we got that awkward scene and by then it is glaringly obvious who’s gonna die. Ilsa has a sword fight with Gabriel, she gets stabbed and then dies. But here’s the thing, every thing I said earlier about how it was handled just doesn’t feel right. McQuarrie is a better writer and director and I expect him do better because he has consistently done better in the last two films.

We are constantly told that The Entity can already see ALL of the possible approaches that Ethan can think of. It can see 10 steps ahead of everyone on the team. So how do you beat a machine that has already seen all of your upcoming moves and put in counter-attacks? You do something it can’t predict. If both Gabriel, Grace and pretty much everyone concerned thinks Ilsa is dead, it gives her the perfect opportunity to blindside The Entity. She’s the piece of the puzzle that The Entity can’t see coming.

Repetition: Gabriel already killed Ethan’s past love interest, it is so damn lazy of the filmmakers to make him kill the current love interest (although Ilsa is so much more than a mere love interest) Not to mention, Gabriel stabs Paris in almost the exact same place as he did Ilsa and she managed to live and even saved Ethan and Grace’s lives.

If however, this is the end of the road for Ilsa Faust, it was a damn shame for such an amazing character to get such an anti-climactic end. It was a disappointing end for a character that had very quickly become one of the best parts of the series.

[a-cloud-for-dreams]

Positivity Chain!

Please recommend 3 favorite fanfics by other creators and 1 of your own.

Then tag 5 other creators to do the same.

AWW ANON THIS IS SO FUN!! Soo disclaimer, I'm really bad at coming up with "favorites" of anything and I need to catch up on a lot of fics in the fandom, so some of these are gonna be old I'm sorry! With that out of the way, both of these lists are in no particular order:

Choices

Of Cloudless Climes and Starry Skies by @thosehallowedhalls (Obsessed with this in a not normal way it's not just the Bas stan in me I live for the way you gave him more depth)

My Love Mine all Mine by @moominofthevalley (I know it's a drabble but I really really like it it's so comforting)

A meeting in Wyoming by @ladylamrian (reading this heals my soul)

All of the Aerin x MC fics @malthemagnifisent writes (they're AMAZING I love the way you write their dynamic)

Mariposa, A Dance With the Devil, Valentine, and Burgandy are four of my favorites by @jamespotterthefirst (your fics were some of the first Choices fanfic I read I remember spending an entire afternoon scouring your blog for Ethan x Lilac content lol)

Hide and Seek on Ao3 fueled my Kenna and Raydan obsession

I swear I can count these are just the first ones that came to mind since I think about them a lot 😭

(One of My Own) Personal Favorite Fics: Here For You

Romance Club

Crave/Ours by @agattthaa makes me feel every range of human emotion and Remy didn't even make Radha an LI (real intellectuals know that she is an LI at heart)

Snaring the Spymaster by @reneedenoailles (no explanation necessary reading this had me like 😶 it's *chef's kiss*)

Between The Dusk And The Dawn on Ao3 (I read it because Arina herself actually commented on Reddit saying she liked the fic and I'm inclined to agree!)

Personal Favorite Fic: Nobody who knows me should be surprised by this but fire on fire! It's one of the two RC fics I've written and I plan to write more! Next up is W:TC and SOTCN <3

Tagging: Anyone who wants to do this! I already tagged a lot of people here so if y'all would like to, feel free to, no pressure ofc