#I'll always be thinking a bit about the watchers as the audience.

[jellieland]

This is somewhat inspired by some of the fics @theminecraftbee has written.

---

Two figures watch, from a nebulous nowhere, as Scar stands, alone, in the remains of his destroyed shop.

"I'm sorry," he says, mournfully, to no one.

"You Know," says the first figure, "I Really Wasn't Convinced When You Pitched This One."

Scar does not react. He cannot hear them.

"Yes," says the second, with an air of long-suffering patience. "I Do Know. You Were Very Vocal About It."

"...I really wanted to try and make some friends, this time." Scar, simultaneously right in front of them and a great distance away, sighs and looks up at the sky. "Oh, well. Nothing to be done about it now!"

"I Have Come Around To It," says the first.

"Good," says the second. "I Knew You Would."

They watch Scar start to sort through the mess.

"They Forget They Have A Choice," says the first. "It Is Fascinating."

They move on.

The move on to ash.

Skizz and Tango and Bigb stand right in the thick of it, quiet.

"You try to do one nice thing," says Skizz.

His hands curl into fists. He glares at the smoldering remains of the heart in front of him.

"You try to do ONE nice thing!" he yells, and punches one of the last remaining bits of wood.

Brittle from the fire, it breaks.

"Yeah, well! I guess this is why we don't," says Tango, resigned.

"It was always gonna happen eventually," says Bigb, voice level.

"They Always Try," says the first. "They Always Keep Trying."

"Yes," says the second. "They Chase Each Other In Circles Until All Of Them Are Dead. They Give Themselves Their Own Tasks."

"That Is Not What I Meant," says the first. "But That Is Also True."

They watch the three members of the Heart Foundation stand, for a while, in silence.

And they move on.

They move over to the mesa.

Martyn is standing inside his house, that used to be Jimmy's house too, facing the three chests on the wall labelled "TIMMY", "MUMBO" and "MARTYN".

He is talking animatedly, and gesturing. "-and I kept trying to get them to follow me there, but nobody was taking the bait. Honestly, you guys would've laughed at me. But it-"

They let the rambling fade into the background.

"A Good Dog," says the first.

"Yes," says the second. "He Does As He Is Told."

"-and I've honestly been feeling a bit left out today, isn't that funny? But- Bdubs said, he said he would join me next week, so-"

They move on.

They move to the cobblestone castle, in the side of the hill.

Grian is cooing over a small magma cube named Etho's Dishwasher.

Cleo and Etho are leaning against the staircase watching him.

"Are you both alright?" asks Cleo.

"Sure, I'm fine," says Etho.

"Me?" says Grian, turning around. "Oh, I'm good, I was being a total coward. I just hung around at the top of that tower by the Secret Keeper for ages and none of them ever thought to look up."

"Really?" asks Cleo, amused. "Some of them I would expect that of, but I'd think Gem would be a bit more on the ball."

"Well, apparently not," says Grian.

He turns back to the magma cube, and they settle into quiet.

"I Would Have Expected More Of The Alliances To Have Fallen Apart, By Now," says the first.

"Loyalty Is At Its Most Interesting When It Is Stretched," says the second. "These Three Know It Will Never Last. They Know That All Of Them Are Aware Of This. That Is Why They Are Still Here. They Know How Much They Can Care Without It Being A Lie. And Then Privately, They Care More Than That Anyway."

Eventually, Etho sighs. He looks tired.

He glances from Cleo, to Grian, and back, and after a moment of hesitation, speaks. "I, uh. I'm glad you two survived." He shifts awkwardly, and continues before they can respond. "I thought they were going to try and make me kill you, at one point, and- Grian, I don't know if you know this, but Cleo is scary when she's getting revenge. I did not want to have to worry about that."

Cleo laughs, slightly, and gives Etho a look of the deepest affection. "Well, I did die, is the thing, so thanks for reminding me of that."

"No, no, you knew what I meant! See, Grian? See what it's like?"

"Uh huh," says Grian, raising an eyebrow. "Well, thanks for not killing us."

Cleo frowns at him, suddenly curious. "Grian?" they ask. "Are you the only one who didn't die today?"

Grian opens his mouth, then stops to consider it.

"Or- no, wait. Martyn." says Cleo. "Well. Well done either way."

They watch the trio for a little longer, and then they move on.

They move to Scott.

He is alone, in a forest somewhere.

He is leant up against a cliff face, staring down at the floor.

"None Of Them Even Died, This Time," says the first. "Not Permanently."

"No," says the second. "It Was Controlled. Directed. There To Even The Playing Field. We Can Just Ask Them To Do That, Now, And They Will."

Scott draws his knees up to his chest, and rests his head on his arms.

He doesn't move, or shout, or cry.

He just stays there, quiet.

Eventually, they move on.

They move to the Secret Keeper.

Gem is standing there.

She is looking at it.

"If She Had Decided To Fail At The Start," says the first, "She Most Likely Would Have Lived. She Lost So Much More, Taking Things From Other People, Than The Nothing She Would Have Lost In Failure."

"Yes," says the second. "That Is My Favourite Part."

They watch her.

"Anyway," says the second, "She Would Not Do That."

"She Wouldn't?" asks the first.

"No," says the second. "She Understands Why It Is My Favourite Part."

Gem smiles.

"Thank you!" she says to the Secret Keeper. "That was a lot of fun!"

"You Are Welcome," says the second.

Blood on her hands, Gem turns and leaves, grin as bright as the sun.

They watch her go.

[aspiringsophrosyne]

Episode 3: The Feast of Realms

What can be improved?

So....let's talk about episode 3.

Dinner With The Briarwoods.

This bit is mostly personal preference, but there's something here beyond that. Something I would like to get into so that we can come back to it later.

One thing I really enjoyed about the stream counterpart to this episode was the slow. Fucking. Burn.

Sadly, we weren't going to get nearly as much of a slow burn in the animated show; we have much, much less time to draw out tension and suspense. That said...I don't really understand the choice to change the circumstances around the dinner to make the scene as quick of a burn as it was.

Because now we have The Echo Tree, and the talk in Syldor's office.

That talk in Syngorn was exactly what I expected from the Briarwood dinner. It perfectly translated to animated medium the same horrible, slimy unease that comes from having to tolerate absolute vileness under a mask of civility because you just can't do anything else in the moment.

So....what up with that?

It's possible the writing crew didn't have the confidence three episodes in to try something so subtle...

But if that's not it, then why?

Adapting the dinner more closely to the stream would've served it just as well if not better. Both stream Percy and animated Percy are relatively quiet characters up to this point (especially compared to the other main characters). Letting animated Percy know about the Briarwoods in advance, letting him stay quiet, letting him subtly and silently boil at the Briarwoods audacity makes the resulting explosion of violence and irrationality that much more striking.

The CRew have said they didn't want the series to be a one-to-one adaptation. It can't be, and even if it could they wanted even stream watchers to occasionally be surprised. I respect and approve of that. However....while I can see the purpose behind other changes in the animated series (which I'll get into when they come up) I don't see what we get out of this one.

......I also think Vax with the Briarwoods in their room could've been dragged out just a little bit longer, but that's just a nitpick.

The Twins' Bond.

Recently on the TLOVM S2E12 q&a, Matt confirmed that the reason Vex couldn't sense Vax's presence in The Hope Devourer was because the golden life thread that had previously connected them had been redirected to the Matron of Ravens. Before this, they shared what was effectively a psychic twin bond, which allowed them to tell when one of them was in danger.

This....is not communicated incredibly well in the series up to this point.

What we get in The Feast of Realms is Vex inexplicably reacting to Vax being in trouble and knowing where he is, with no explanation or exposition. It basically comes across as a plot contrivance.

And it wouldn't have been hard at all to set up; while VM are talking and Vax volunteers to go scouting, Vex could've reassured the group that the twins have always had a sixth sense for each other. (You can even put in a gag here where she pinches him and they both react in pain at the same time.)

"I can always feel it if you're in trouble. And where you are when you get in trouble. So don't fuck it up. Or I will find you."

"Whatever you say, stubby."

Hell, they could've made it even more explicit than that by showing a golden thread pulling on Vex while her brother was downed in the courtyard. This would not only cause her to worry for him but would pull her in the correct direction.

This would've made it clear that there's an in-world reason Vox Machina was able to get to Vax in time. This would also set up Vax's deal with the Matron quite nicely. If the bond between the twins had been better established by that point, it being cut would have immediately communicated to the audience just how big a deal Vax's bargain was.

And how much it really changed what the twins once shared between them.

The Fight

One thing I have very, very little to criticize in this series and one thing Titmouse does exceptionally well is its fight sequences. Everything is kinetic, has weight, you can feel the damage being done to the participants, you feel the stakes....it's great.

What I think they have a problem with though, is cutting to scenes during a fight that have nothing to do with the action.

Let's look at how the show cuts back to Scanlan in the middle of the Briarwood fight:

The gang got kicked around for a bit, to the point where Keyleth and Vex were knocked off their feet and confered with each other:

Keyleth: We're not doing terrible, right?

Vex: No, this is terrible.

And then....we cut to Scanlan.....

For some reason?

This isn't to say that it's a bad idea in and of itself. Cutting back to the palace theoretically gives us a moment of comic relief, it can break tension, and/or drive up tension by pulling us away from the action while it's still ongoing. Also, Sam and Peter Habib's song writing is always a welcome addition to any episode.

The problem is the placement of it. Why did we cut to Scanlan then, at that point in the fight? What specifically did it give us to have it occur at that particular moment?

By all appearances, not much.

So, what can we do to make that moment more effective? There are probably a couple of ways, but here's just one possible example:

Have Delilah launch a very visually impressive spell at Vox Machina. Build up its approach. Have the camera pull in closer and closer to our heroes' faces to show this very dangerous spell getting closer and closer....only to cut away, right before it hits, to the inside of the palace. A loud bang is heard inside; maybe it even rattles the windows. The crowd notices and starts getting visibly and/or audibly confused and worried. Scanlan notices them noticing, then with desperate quick thinking, starts slathering cake all over himself and going into the climax of the song.

Placed this way, this scene serves multiple purposes:

It's one more thing that shows just how powerful Delilah is. Even people inside the palace are taking notice of her magic.

As mentioned earlier, it drives up suspense and cuts tension at the same time, as we see Vox Machina about to be hit by a powerful spell (that we hear go off inside the palace) but we don't get to see the result of it for a bit.

Having Scanlan notice this and then turn up the wildness of his act to try to distract the crowd gives him a touch of extra depth. Yes, Scanlan is a naturally outrageous character. But this helps show he uses his natural outrageousness strategically. This serves as a good example of why Scanlan is so integral to the group. Plus, it fits neatly with the way Sam would play at the table and how many people play Bards in D&D in general.

Lastly, it sets up Uriel and the palace guards coming upon the aftermath of the Briarwood fight at the end of the episode.

The Feast of Realms is a very solid episode, and arguably it's where everything really kicks off. There isn't much to really pick at here; just little bits and pieces that I think could've been done slightly better. Overall, damn well done, and surprisingly accurate to the stream as well.

[roccinan]

1/n ha, it's funny cause I'm actually not a football fan... idk if you've heard of it but the Cricket World Cup is going on this month and I was also thinking of the hermanos and the thought of them + sports made me remember your headcanons (asdfjsk not to sound weird again but i also like to think i remember almost~ everything you've written on them and let me tell you, i love all of it) but anyway the idea bit me and wouldn't let go so I wrote it on an impulse :P Too bad they're not cricket fans but ah, it's not for everyone

2/n Again, thank you for all the kind words, I only hope it didn't disappoint 😅 and yes of course i was always pleased and thrilled and over the moon by your fics/hc's!! your fics will always have a special place in my heart cause most fics have a focus on serquel or berlermo and it was always just a "side" helping of the hermanos uk? but you always made sure to give that bond andrés & sergio share its importance, to me they are the heart of the show and you always capture that so wonderfully in your fics, that's one of my favourite things <33 also, I treasure all our exchanges about the hermanos too, the last one abt hermanos redux au really left a deep impression on me and... i'm sorry i keep disappearing and reappearing like a pendulum ahh, i have my reasons but somehow, the hermanos and you always have that corner in my heart that i can never forget!

I love answering you, my beloved hermanos stan <3 Again, thank you so much for that lovely fic- I'll definitely get back to you with a longer comment soon! haha, I'm honored the Cricket World Cup (which no, I hadn't heard of it! that's cool trivia) made you think of my headcanons. Not weird at all- in fact, I'm flattered you remember my hermanos musings :'D LOL I can see Andres pretending to know a thing or two about Cricket, but they're most likely just casual football watchers.

It didn't disappoint at all! Loved it all the way through, and was not expecting that punch at the end (loved it to bits though!). Made me over the moon to read as well :D AH again, thank you so much for the kind kind words >< LOL I do know- as much as I love those ships too, there's just something different about putting the spotlight on the hermanos instead ;) So I'm really happy my fics managed to capure that for you!

Aww, I'm glad you feel the same way! I definitely remember our exchange about hermanos redux too :D haha no need to apologize- as you can see, disappearing and reappearing at the drop of a hat is the default for all of us here XD You don't need to explain yourself to anyone, and I'm just happy whenever you're back! AH, so honored to have that corner :')

3/n You know, one thing that always touched me was how you said when you wrote anything hermanos related, you had me in mind.💓 like i said i wanted to give back a fraction of what you've given the fandom (& me) + that was my exact thought process reversed this time, i already knew there wouldn't be much of an audience for a strictly platonic duo like these two and i don't mind BUT i knew i had atleast 1 fellow hermanos fan in you <33 (it was also powered by a little spite that we seem to be getting none of the hermanos or berlermo backstory in the spinoff but instead more of those r*fael prototypes 😭)

For sure!! Every time I write about the hermanos, I have you mind :D You have no idea how much you've encouraged me to keep writing/thinking about them with your support! This is honestly so sweet of you, and trust me when I say knowing you read and enjoyed my stuff was enough gift for me (and it should be me thanking you for all the lovely comments!). That said, we may be few and far between, but at least we have each other (and our small group of dedicated hermanos pals!) so I'll always be happy to enjoy the bros with you. LOL I feel the SAME way- no hermanos and no berlermo, but somehow more Rafaels and characters nobody cares about!! (asdasdf I like how you censored his name)

Anyway, you can only publish the first ask if you want, the rest is just me rambling fhsjshsj, again thank you so much for being kind and being you and I'm vvv grateful to share my love of hermanos with you too! (PS The El Caballero cameo was another one of my brainwaves, the mystery of Andrés from Corners really stuck with me and sighhh, that would be my ideal berlin spinoff but that's what fic is for! thank you for letting me borrow him too and i hope he wasn't OOC, i was nervous abt the whole set up cause I'm not a thief ofc but i tried my best XD )

haha I loved your rambles and they really made my day! (asdfad lol I'm also the last to judge on rambling- that's what 90% of my "writing" blog is about). Thank you for all the kind words and having me on your brain, and of course, for coming back :D I'm so grateful to have found a fellow hermanos fan in you too!! (Corners has a special place in my heart too and the one I put the most of my Andres headcanons-- which might or might not disproven now lol?--into; honored that you think it would be your ideal berlin spinoff!! So thank you so much for the shoutout to Corners, and he wasn't "ooc" at all- you captured him and his relationship with Andres perfectly, exactly as I imagined!! And you're a wonderful writer to boot!)

[00katrinka00]

Landcaster Legacy Gen 7 Update #24

Dear Diary, I've come to the conclusion that the likelihood of my mother letting me go to the gig tonight is about as likely as an alien falling out of the sky, so not likely at all, because aliens don't exist. I have no choice but to lie. -Violet

"Is there any way I can go over to Janie's tonight?" Violet asked. "You just spent the night at her house yesterday," Mads pointed out. "I just want to hang out with her," Violet explained. "I wouldn't sleepover. I can be home by 11, for curfew."

"I'll agree," Mads said hesitantly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Violet exclaimed. "I haven't finished," Mads flashed her the Mom stare. "Home by 10." "10, really?" Violet asked irritated. "Want me to make it 9?" "No," Violet added quickly. "10 sounds great."

"Ready for tonight?" Violet asked excitedly after arriving at Janie's house. Lila was already there. "You're not wearing that to the gig are you?" Janie asked skeptically. "Well, I don't know what else to wear." "Let me help you with that," Janie said.

"I don't know about this," Violet said hesitantly. "The outfit is a bit revealing." "Oh, please," Janie rolled her eyes. "You look hot." "I second that," Lila chimed in. "Let's head out," Janie said. "Don't want to be late for our first gig."

After getting set up the girls all got together for a small photoshoot in order to remember their first gig.

When it came time to start the girls played through their set. Violet had written several original songs which they'd all spent the last few weeks practicing. The audience was loving their music.

After the gig, Lila had to head out, but Violet still had about 30 minutes before she had to be home, so she and Janie headed to the rooftop bar to talk. "That was amazing!" exclaimed Violet pumping her fist. "They loved us!" "They loved you," Janie told her.

"You're our lead after all," Janie grinned. "You and Lila were great too," Violet told her. "It wouldn't have gone nearly as well without you two." "It wouldn't have happened at all if you hadn't lied to your parents," Janie reminded her. "Thanks for that." "No problem!"

"You know," Violet began to admit. "I think I was too caught up in Noah Brooks to realize, but I like you." "Well, I'd hope so we are friends after all." "No, I mean, yes, but-" Violet paused and tried to figure out what to say next.

"Look" Violet began to say after gaining her composure. "I like you, a lot, and not just as a friend as more than that. I don't really have my whole sexuality nailed down yet, and I don't really know what I'm doing, but I know that I really like you" "Really?" Janie asked hopeful

"I guess what I'm trying to say, well ask," Violet stuttered a little. Why was asking someone to be your girlfriend so nerve wracking? "Do you want to, maybe, be my girlfriend?" "Oh, my watcher!" Janie exclaimed, it finally happened "Yes!"

"I've been waiting for you to ask me out," Janie admitted right before Violet leaned in for a kiss.

After pulling away, Violet looked down at her phone to check a social bunny notification that had just popped up. She noticed the time and began to panic. "Oh, shit!" Violet exclaimed, panicked. "Shit, shit shit." "What?" Janie asked concerned.

"It's midnight!" Violet told her. "Two hours past my curfew, my mom's going to kill me. I'll never be allowed to leave the house again." "She's asleep, isn't she?" "She'll be waiting up for me." "Then sneak back in." "I can't, she'll know. My mom always knows, shit."

"Where have you been?" just like Violet had predicted, Mads had waited up for her daughter, and she was angry. "We'd agreed you'd be home by 10." "I can explain, I'm sorry," Violet quickly began to say "And what on earth are you wearing, you're too young to be wearing that."

"You know how I want to be a singer, well I'm in a band with my friends, you know this, and Lila's brother said he'd let us play in his bar tonight for summerfest and it was out first real gig, and I couldn't miss it," Violet's words just spilled out of her mouth.

"And you didn't think to just ask if you could go?" Mads questioned. "Would you have let me go?" Violet asked skeptically. "You won't ever know the answer to that now will you." "See, I had to lie" "You didn't have to do anything you could have just not broken our trust, again."

"Here's what's going to happen" Mads said angerly "You're grounded again, no friends. I will continue to walk you to and from school. You'll accompany Lacy in her community service, and one more slip up and we're sending you to boarding school. Now go change out of those clothes"

As Violet sulked up the steps, Mads headed upstairs to head to bed herself. "So," Ethan began. "I think you're an amazing mother, and I will back you up on everything, but were you serious about boarding school?" "Yes," Mads admitted. "I don't know what else to do with her."

"Aren't you going to miss her though, because I would," Ethan said. "Of course, I will," Mads told him. "She's our daughter and I love her to death, but if she keeps this behavior up, we'll have no choice. Trust me, this boarding school was such a help to my uncle Daniel."

"It's a school for troubled teens," Mads explained. "And of course, trouble teens is code for occults, but they take normal sims too. My uncle Daniel was a lot like Violet, and that school really helped him get his priorities straight, it put him on the right path."

"Did you say occults?" Ethan asked skeptically. "Yes," Mads nodded. "They're just like the rest of us. of course, I don't want Violet to go, I'd rather she stay here with us, but if her behavior doesn't improve, I think we have no choice." "Yeah," Ethan agreed.

[levyfiles]

I have beef with Watcher's slapdash late-ass quiet marketing of their new show with Selorm but I don't have enough time to rant about it (I have been balancing working at my old job to train my replacement while launching into a new career in property management which eats up all my waking hours) coherently so forgive me if this is all over the place.

All I'll say is there should have been a ruckus about it at least a week before. Clips, tiktoks, memes: the whole bit.

I want Watcher to be better than Buzzfeed even while they make gorgeous and delicious Buzzfeed-at-its-peak content and Buzzfeed creators DO make good content but the company treats and treated their creator's goals and their potential like it was expendible (see figure 1.1: ruining history) and if Selorm who is an absolute WONDER with charisma, talent and untapped creativity gets the poop end of the stick because the guys don't want to hire a marketing professional to make sure their shows that don't have Ryan, Shane, or Steven at the forefront still succeed then they're no better than where they came from.

Get it together, guys. I know Ghost Files is your golden ticket right now but don't drop the ball when it comes to the better angles of your initial manifesto and that is 100% all about your open and inclusive vision of a talented reel of creators.

I'm so frustrated. I won't even get into how I felt about Worth a Shot's potential. Getting that trailer just two days before Pretty Historic's first episode aired (and early access on their patreon had the most god-awful thumbnail doing Selorm a huge injustice) and now that it's public, I'm trying to link it to everyone I know who's into the beauty world of the internet but this is the sort of thing a marketing team agent would have known to start doing weeks ago. You have a demographic of multifaceted individuals who are not all teens making fun of people getting spoiled about Stranger Things' new season on Watcher socials.

I know these guys are always looking to do better and I trust them a lot but it is so easy to fall victim to complacency and indignation at being criticized but I'm really on one lately I'm thinking about upping my tier on their patreon again just so I can riot politely in the Observer chat about the months-long mess I've been quietly witnessing take hold of what I used to have time to be vocal about. Obviously I care a lot so it just doesn't sit right with me to sit by and watch my friends slowly dwindle out of their audience out of repeat disappointments.

Anyway, Pretty Historic is a solidly good show with a banger of a first episode. What a waste if it caps at 200k and they table it.

[payasita]

“Karaoke night! Someone’s gonna get plastered!” with the Dreamers~?

🌅

"I have a fantastic singing voice, I'll have you know."

"And yet you will not give a straight answer on whether or not you have a mouth under there, much less a larynx."

"Wow, now that's just insensitive. Aren't you a parish, or something?"

"That isn't-- that's not even what that word--"

"Herrah, I adore you, but I guarantee you're going to ask far more extreme things about my physiology before the night is out."

"Hah, probably. It's karaoke, someone's gonna get plastered."

L: "Wonderful."

H: "Oi, no griping in the club."

L: "I don't recall that clause in the terms of my surrender."

H: "Well, it's rude. It takes a lot of nerve for some of these bugs to go up there, you know."

M: "And what about you?"

H: "Hm?"

M: "Don't tell me you were going to make me perform by myself tonight, were you?"

L: "Once again, the great Queen is all talk."

H: "Get cracked, both of you. Of course I can carry a tune, I'm a spider."

M: "That's not what I asked."

H: "Monomon, when we agreed to let you pick the outing--"

M: "--Because it's my hatchday,"

L: "It is the anniversary of your archive's grand opening."

M: "--It's the Archive's hatchday!"

L: "And yet this was the only way to tear you away from your lab long enough to celebrate."

M: "Glass houses, Luri. How many times have you slipped up and drank paint water instead of tea this week?"

L: "I believe the Beast was trying to make a point."

H: "No, go on, how many times?"

L: "...Just once."

M: "Liar."

H: "So my point was, we never technically agreed to perform."

M: "But that's the reason for this place!"

H: "Well, certainly no one's stopping you."

M: "Come now, don't be a spoilsport. Is it stage fright?"

H: "No."

L: "How droll. How is an audience of a dozen any more daunting than presiding over a kingdom?"

H: "It isn't stage fright, and you're being deliberately obtuse. Don't you hold sermons, preacher man?"

M: "That's a bit above his pay-grade nowadays, I think."

L: "I am not doing this with you right now."

M: "Alright, if it isn't stage fright, what then?"

H: "It's just… it's rather silly, isn't it?"

M: "Really? That's it?"

H: "And your Hallownest pop music is fucking dreadful."

M: "Herrah, I'm surprised at you! You're always telling that daughter of yours to pursue her fancies without care of what people think."

H: "Of course. She's a child."

M: "And you're a Queen. What happened to that whole 'Out of my way, I can do whatever I want because monarchy and also because I'm so much stronger than anyone here it's actually ridiculous' attitude of yours? No, stop laughing, both of you, I'm being quite serious."

H: "I d-- Piss off, I do not sound like that."

L: "So she can sing and do impressions."

M: "Don't sound so surprised. Not every scientist strictly limits their interests to the cerebral."

H: "Fine, you know what? I really can't let you upstage me now."

M: "Yes!"

L: "You two have fun."

H: "Well, we're not going now. I think we could all do with a few more drinks, first."

L: "...You're not going to get me up there with you."

M: "So paranoid."

H: "So you don't want the next round?"

L: "I did not say that."

🌙

H: "Wow."

I: "Is that… Watcher Lurien?"

H: "It's all three of 'em. I mean, wow."

I: "I see that, Heg. But out of all of them, I genuinely didn't think him capable of--"

Z: "Me'hon Watcher is… unexpectedly passionate."

H: "Someone go get Dryya out the loo, she's gonna call us liars if she doesn't see--"

Z: "Understood."

H: "Who had 'the Teacher is a mezzo-soprano' on the bingo?"

I: "That wasn't on the bingo. As amazing as this is to witness, it is precisely net zero knowledge on what she actually is."

O: "Astute as always, Sir Isma! Another round!"

I: "No, Ogrim. Work tomorrow."

☀️

M: "Water?"

L: "Please."

H: "Never heard a parish puke like that."

L: "Perish yourself, thank you."

[everywhereallofthetime]

Some Girl ... Part 14

Word Count: 1.45k

Warnings: Brief mention of anxiety.

// * // * //

Charlotte texted Shawn two photos just before he was set to go live. The first was what she referred to as her IG Live set up; a ripe cherry VIVEAU, a bag of Hickory Sticks, and a pair of over-ear headphones. The second was a selfie. She was wearing a low-cut, white, V neck tee and her hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves, one strand tucked behind her ear. She was sticking out her tongue.

// * // * //

Shawn saw his audience rapidly grow with every minute he was live. In the beginning it was mostly just a flurry of “I love you!”, “omg!”, “where have you been?”, “I/we missed you!”, and the ever present “come to...” and whatever country they were watching from.

He read a few and replied with “I love you too!” and “I missed you back!” He called people out and said ‘hi’ to them specifically. He thanked everyone again for their patience and unwavering support.

Once his watcher count rose into the mid-tens of thousands, he asked for more specific questions and promised to answer as honestly as he felt comfortable with.

Shawn tried to remember to repeat the questions he was being asked before answering.

“Are Camila and I still friends?” He had anticipated a lot of questions about Camila and the breakup and had prepared himself for them. “We’re giving each other space right now. I hope one day we can be friends again.

“Am I going to delete the photos? Of Camila and I on Instagram? No. She’s part of my life journey. I learned a lot from our relationship and we made amazing memories. Why would I want to erase that?

“Any chance we’ll get back together? I will always care about her, I will always have love for her, but no, I don’t think so.

“Am I ready for another relationship? Broken hearts take a while to heal. Even though I’m closer to being ready than I was last month, no. I don’t want to rush into anything. Right now I’m just surrounding myself with people who make me happy,” he smiled.

He played chords on his guitar and sang a little bit between questions.

“Am I currently working on new music? I am actually,” he grinned. “Will you hear it soon? I hope so.

‘My most meaningful song I wrote and why? Still ‘In My Blood’, as most of you probably already know. Speaking your truth about something you struggle with and having so many people respond positively to it, and connect with it, that’s pretty special...

“I’ve recently written something that might end up meaning more if it turns out the way I want it to,” he teased. “Will I play it for you? Oh no, no. It’s nowhere near ready.” But he played a new chord from another new song that he had been working on. His fans’ reaction was overwhelming and he blushed.

“You’ll just have to be patient! Sing ‘Patience’?” he chuckled but obliged them and sang the first verse.

“Where do you go when everything is overwhelming and why that place? Shit. You guys are on fire tonight, such great questions; I love it. I missed this so much...” He scratched the back of his neck. “I go home. Back to my parents’. Lay in my old bed and listen to the sounds of the house I grew up in. Sometimes I take a walk with no destination in mind, find a quiet bench in a park and just sit and focus on my breathing...

“Yes, it’s definitely a form of meditation. There are a lot of you saying that you meditate too. That’s beautiful,” he smiled.

Shawn continued responding to the little remarks he was seeing from his fans. A few of his other musician or celebrity friends were popping up too, and he acknowledged their comments about returning to LA, catching up, how great it was to see him looking so healthy and happy, and their desires to get into the studio to collaborate.

“Yeah man, I’ll call you,” he replied to Niall, playing a few chords of one of Niall’s songs. The fan reaction went into overdrive.

“Play something else for you?” Shawn messed around on his guitar few moments before settling on the chorus of Harbor In A Hurricane by Andy Kong.

“I'll be your harbor in a hurricane I'll give you shelter through the pouring rain So tell me baby that you'll do the same When the world goes changing I will be your sure thing...”

“What kind of music or who am I listening to right now? I have a friend who sends me the most amazing playlists. She throws in all of these obscure songs that I don’t know if I would have stumbled across on my own, and they’re fantastic. She’s huge into music that fuses all different types of sound. I’ll throw a few of them up on my Instagram for you after this,” he said.

“What’s the one thing I would like to change about myself? Hm... I don’t think I’d change anything. We’re all changing always anyway, aren’t we? We all change naturally as we mature and experience life. I’m not the same guy I was two years ago, or two years before that. I won’t be the same guy I am now in two more years. So yeah, I guess I wouldn’t consciously change anything.”

Shawn scanned some of the comments and questions coming in next, looking for something to respond to when he caught Charlotte’s name.

@starlit_charlotte Except maybe your cooking skills? 😂

Shawn laughed loud and bright.

@starlit_charlotte How far have you gotten on your culinary journey?

“How far have I gotten on my culinary journey? You should know!” he giggled. He then answered for his fans, “I made dinner with a friend of mine tonight and I didn’t burn my kitchen down? ”

@starlit_charlotte I’m proud of you. 💖

He didn’t repeat her follow up comment, he simply grinned like a fool, cheeks pinking up again.

“How would I describe my best friend? Incredible. Uplifting. Supportive. Hilarious. One of my favorite people in the world.”

Shawn ended his Instagram Live shortly after that with a big thank you and declarations of love for all of his fans. He blew kisses to the camera before signing off.

// * // * //

Seconds later, Shawn’s name popped up on Charlotte’s phone with a Zoom request. She answered with a small laugh and asked, “Why do we never talk on the phone like normal people?”

“I like looking at your face, and I know you like looking at mine. You do that a lot,” he smirked.

“Shut up,” she giggled.

“Pretty sure you once, recently in fact, referred to it as ‘stupidly magnificent’.”

“Feeling pretty confident tonight, are you?” she teased.

He sighed contentedly, his eyes softening. “My cheeks hurt from smiling so much.”

Charlotte grinned back. Her affection for him would have been obvious to anyone who could have seen her just then. When he was happy, she was happy.

“I hope Brian appreciates the nice things you said about your best friend.”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t know I was talking about you.”

"Poor Brian," she snickered. If someone would have told Charlotte only a week ago that Shawn Mendes would become her best friend, she never would have believed it. “Replaced by someone you’ve known for only a week. And a chick, nonetheless.”

“He’s not as attractive as you are, and he doesn’t make me laugh as hard as you do. He’ll get over it,” he chuckled, then smirked. “How’s your follower count?”

“Climbing quickly,” she laughed.

His smile began to fade and his eyes changed. “I’m sorry.”

“For what, babe?”

“Talking about you in my Live?”

“Wasn’t that the plan if the chance presented itself?”

“Yeah, but was it too much? My fans are private investigator scary sometimes.”

“Which we anticipated.”

“What if you start to regret it?”

Charlotte quickly noticed the signs of an impending anxiety attack. She didn’t want that for him after such a positive high from his fan chat. “Shawn. Hon. First, pause and breathe...”

She continued, slowly, hoping he would concentrate on her words and not what was bumping around in his mind, “We already talked about this. You told me it was my decision to make and I made it. I’m jumping into the deep end. Sure, with a little trepidation, but being your friend and a part of your life.., no matter how insane things may eventually get.., is worth it.”

Thankfully his anxiety backed off as quickly as it had started to set in. “You always know the right thing to say,” he exhaled, smile returning.

// * // * //

Part 15

[killian-whump]

My relationship with the CS ship is strange. First I didn't care about it. Then one day suddenly I was a HUGE fan, I was eating, breathing, dreaming and living for CS. I was in every group of fans, I wrote FF, I went to ComicCon. Then everything started to fade away to the point that I gave away all my memorabilia. For years I didn't think about CS and just recently I started to feel some nostalgia for those CS years. I'm not a huge fan but I think I'll always look back at them and smile.

Aw, that’s sweet, Nonny <3 Thank you for sharing your story with me :)

I’ve had a bit of a rocky road with CS, personally. I was a Hooked Queen shipper when Hook first came on the show, because... Well, I never really cared for Emma as a character. It was the main reason I skipped out on Season 1. I just hadn’t really liked Jen in House, and I was disappointed she was the lead in Once, because the premise was interesting, but I just couldn’t get into it. Also, as much as I love fairy tale variations (I was a HUGE fan of Fables!), I tend to get antsy when storylines revolve around the audience knowing something (in this case, that they’re all fairy tale characters) that the characters don’t know.

ANYWAY, back on the subject at hand... I loved Hook the moment I laid eyes on his sexy, sassy self. So I was a casual watcher of S2-3, but solely for him and him alone. I basically just wandered into the living room whenever I happened to hear his voice, lol. “Mmm... I hear eye candy in the next room...” XD

Anyway, I didn’t really like him with Emma. I ended up missing their first kiss with my casual viewing habits, or else I might’ve gotten on board when she kissed the ever-loving crap out of him (that’s my jam, don’tchaknow). Instead, I only started to think “I could ship this” when he flung himself into the portal after her in the S3 finale. S4 is when I became a full-time watcher, because there were TWO things I wanted to see at that point: Hook’s smexy face and Frozen.

I still wasn’t super into CS, though. It was okay, yeah, but I still wished he’d been paired with Regina instead. That ship, though, had sailed.

Anyway, I fell completely and irrevocably down the Hook (and Colin) rabbit hole in S5, when the whump-o-rama went on in the very middle of the season. And when I fall fully down a rabbit hole... I always wanna write lots of ridiculously whumpy hurt/comfort fics. But that left me with a conundrum, as I still didn’t really care for Emma/CS - but also didn’t feel right pairing Hook with anyone else in my fics (I’m kind of a stickler for canon compliance).

So I decided to rewatch ALL of the CS scenes from Hook’s first appearance all the way through to the current (at the time) episodes... and that was when I fell down the CS rabbit hole and came to actually enjoy it :) And, as a result, I also came to enjoy Emma, as well. I still wouldn’t say she’s one of my favorite characters... but I don’t dislike her as I once did. She’s cool. She can stick around, lol.

But then S6 happened... and OH MY FUCK was I mad. They took everything I liked about CS and more-or-less ret-conned it and replaced it with all the very things I didn’t like about it in the beginning. Like... Fuck you, show? They literally made me angry almost every episode. I wanted to throttle someone. I felt like I’d invested in a ship just to have someone pull the rug out from under me and be like, “HAHAHAHAHA BITCH, YOU THOUGHT” and I no likeyed that.

And then S7 happened... and I fell back down the Hooked Queen hole in a MAJOR way and I would’ve shipped the fucking hell out of that if the show had continued, but alas... I shall have to be content with the great content we got in the finale and just assume that Wish Hook and Regina totally got together post-series. No, I am not accepting criticism about that at this time ;)

So... yeah. A bit of a bumpy road there for me and CS. But ultimately, I DO enjoy them and I think Colin did a great job playing a romantic lead and I don’t know if he really would’ve pursued that kind of role, so I’m glad it turned into what it did, so everyone can see (including Colin himself!) that he can do it so well :)

But admittedly, my interest in CS has majorly waned as of late. It’s not anything about the ship itself that’s done it - it’s more a matter of me being more invested in Colin’s recent and upcoming roles than I am in Hook... and also the fact that Brightwell (from Fox’s Prodigal Son) has completely taken me by storm and is my #1 OTP at the moment.

Like you, though, I have no animosity for it. The ship’s like a warm blanket on a cold winter night. Or a leather-clad pirate bringing over a space heater and rubbing my shoulders <3