#Ren if you want to see more interesting ideas of whatever I have written down you can always ask :3 I'm always glad to share hehe

[manyreblobs]

tell me abt,,, Three dumbasses and their obselete braincell,,, and Roach pavloved Ghost real and true I was there. And Soap figures it out and falls more in love,,,,,

Of course! So! 4) Three dumbasses and their obselete braincell is the google doc that I have dubbed to be the "Ghostsoaproach silly/out of pocket/weird ideas" So I'll just write whatever GRS silly idea that comes to mind in that doc if I'm on the puter One of the fics written there has already been posted (which I completly forgor until I read it again XD). Which is this one -> :D And you can have...the whole snipet of one of the things I have written there that...Honestly I'll never make it it's own post (I get embarassed when I write silly orz) More under the break

“Man, I want some peanuts.” Soap stops. Looking up from where he was scribbling on his journal, he watches Roach make his ol' drama of appearing miserable. Laying half of the top of his body on the table. Soap hums and looks down at the bag of miscellaneous…nuts he was currently eating. “I thinks this has some peanuts,” he says while rummaging through the bag, lowering himself to look better, “I can give you som–” “NO!” Knee slamming against the bottom of the table, Soap startles at the sudden yell, curse dying on his tongue as he whips his head around to stare at his Lieutenant in pure undultered concern. Eyes wide as saucers. It would be funny to think about how fast his back had straightened at the tone to sit at attention, but at the moment his heart was about to be spit out so the humor was lost. He seems to be the only one concerned, though as Roach just looks up confused (straighter than he was at least, so maybe Johnny wasn't the only bastard getting his shit spooked). Ghost doesn’t seem to be aware (or he doesn’t care) (he certainly doesn't care) that he almost killed on of his sergeant's shitless. Not when his eyes are staring straight at Roach, digging holes into the man with the look of pure bafflement in - what's visible - of his expression. “Roach!” “What?” Soap hears Roach squeak “You’re allergic to peanuts, you fucking idiot!” Pause. Roach blinks, once, twice...three times and Soap can see the cogs turning, then he blinks again and again. His eyes widen comically. “Oh yeah!” he snaps his fingers, “I forgot.” Soap would wince at the sound of Ghost hand hitting his own face if it wasn’t for his own indignation and pure disbelief at the bampot sitting in front of him. “You forgot?!" He yells. "I could’ve killed you!” Roach shrugs, sprawling on his chair once more. “It’s not that bad.” “You…” the man standing behind Soap seems to pause, then continues slowly “you… can die from that.” This time Soap does look at Ghost when he speaks, watching how he presses both of his palms together (Soap thinks he’s not that far from praying away the stupidity out of Roach). “I mean… So can I from a bullet.” Is what Roach decides to use as... a solid counter argument. Soap’s head turns slowly to look at Roach, the last thing he hears from Ghost are his footsteps retreating– leaving. Smart Roach looks down at the bag of nuts, like he was thinking of putting his hand there, he still has the audacidy to look at Soap with a confused expression when the scot makes an indignat sound high on his throat. And ask: “What?” "..." As Soap gets up to leave he thinks, ‘Yeah… No. No amount of praying could cure that.’ He makes sure to take the bag with him on his way out “What?!??”

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1)And now to~Roach pavloved Ghost real and true I was there. And Soap figures it out and falls more in love! Which is a fic I started working on and completly forgot to continue because ~college~ Have a lil snipet :3

The thing that he always keeps tabs on are people’s moods. It comes in handy especially in the military. A slight change of tone could be the start of a war. Right after moods. Comes, quirks. And his lieutenant is one quirky little bastard– not that he’ll ever admit it, of course, because besides quirky he also has a stick up his ass– anyway, as standoffish as the man tends to appear he’s way more expressive than people think (not even Ghost himself seems to notice that himself). Ghost, the man, the legend, has many little quirks. From obvious things like his constant need for the mask. To always stand at the back of the room in the shadows in meetings. Or to clean his weapons in a specific order– gear, long ranged guns, handguns and only at the end his knives (which are also cleaned by their own order and put away in some form of system). Or even when it comes to his eating habits and how he progresses with them. They’re varied quirks, there are… a lot of them. And they’re, well, quirky. But they all have reasons behind them So that’s why this specific one intrigues Soap to no end.

The fic is pretty short, as of right now at least (and it probably won't stray from like 1k words) But it's pretty much Soap learning that Ghost has this specific action - quirk - and it's him just trying to figure out what it is and why he does it :3 I know, not very interesting but I like to write about how other people's behaviors can impact others orz. It's fun (also my way to study a character) So there you go Ren! Hope you liked it and hope they were interesting! Sorry you got the goofy ones ashgjfhgfgfajsf

[weisscoldglare]

Heya, been a while since I put in an ask with ya but I was curious if you've ever had any weird takes on ships (With RWBY in particular) that might have some angles that could be fresh.

For context, I'm currently writing a fic that has elements of @pilot-boi's "Mirror Man" and @davidellisartworkstuff's "Tarnished Spartan" (If I'm wrong on who originally had those ideas then I apologize in advance) And am currently thinking of if I want to include some less mainstream ships. One that I'm actively considering is Raging Bull which is YangxAdam, though the only reason I'm considering it in the first place is because I was thinking of going with a Monochrome ship to occupy Blake and Weiss, and later RoseGarden for Ruby, leaving Yang alone.

Ofc if you don't have any opinion on it that's fine, I'm just curious because I've loved a lot of your work for a good while now, so I figured I'd ask you directly. Thank you in advance for any insight!

Honestly, people would have to re-write or erase the basis of Adam, even in a modern interpretation to get him in proximity with Yang unless she too is being destructive. From different fic's I have read, Adam is never written true to his personality or pushed into a more unhinged version of his disaster era (v4-v6). Its as if Azula was only characterized as her final moments in the show ATLA.

we know what she was before and how she got there. She's therefore pitiable.

So no I don't see Adam as an end game with Yang in any sense of the way, but more a learning experience of toxic co-dependence like Ren and Nana from well Nana.

Oh but, If I had to choose a ship for Yang that isn't within the team or JNPR or Winter for whatever reason. I really like the chemistry and possible dynamic that could come from her and Neptune. He is a soft boy, a man who is emotional but receptive to critique. He's not very smart but clever. He has legitimate fears, has a best friend who is also a ball of sunshine but skips town on him. Often. Yang is a rough-and-tumble girl, maternal but also instinctive. She is so fucking smart but pretends it's no big deal, her fears are also legitimate of course but are fought back through sheer tenacity. Brave in the face of danger as a self-sacrificing manner. This part would be different from Neptune, he has a high sense of self-preservation and they could both definitely simmer each other down. There is also the play on water and fire symbolism.

Sun is unfortunately too similar to Yang but also too different in all the aspects that matter. I imagine he is someone she strives to be like. He is severely independent. So much so he skips out on his team and people he clearly has an interest in. She is, well, she is not. So the spell of being similar would waft away and you have Yang feeling abandoned every time Sun randomly takes off. Her spirals would be unhealthy unless she somehow was comforted or in therapy over the dependency.

Hope that answers your question

[auncyen]

Oooh could you elaborate a bit more on how being forced to wear a prisoner's outift in the Velvet Room could have screwed with Ren's mind? That seems like an interesting concept. Would he become more submissive/despondent in there?

So this idea about Velvet Room being connected to Mementos and what that could mean for Ren has actually influenced a few fic ideas and I wish there was a good example to show of it but it's pretty much all wips/one discontinued. The discontinued one is Shuffle Time, where Ryuji turned out to also be a wildcard and gain access to the Velvet Room (that much was written and posted on AO3) and that was supposed to spark off the team realizing Ren was going to an actual place instead of staring off into space and knew who'd created the app and...hadn't told them??? Ren???? And as Ren's confronted more he gets more defensive/shuts down until someone realizes that like, hey, while that's...not great, it hasn't actually harmed them, now they know, and also maybe they should be a little more worried that Ren's been relying on what sounds like a distortion where the adult is the master and Ren's his prisoner and can't keep his thief outfit? None of that sounds good.

The current wip I don't mind spoiling, it's basically canon up to when the people react negatively to Shido's confession. Up until this point Ren's mindset has become increasing more tied to the will of the people but Yaldabaoth has held off on actually using that because his 'game' was still being played. After Shido's confession he considers the outcome clear and Ren starts feeling the effects of his distortion (though he has no idea that's what it is yet), which so far as written is a combo of seeing the real world as Mementos at times and increasing anxiety that's killing his concentration and giving him repeat nightmares. He identifies it as just anxiety and tries to just cope as best he can/downplay it to everyone else, figuring it'll pass, but it gets bad enough that by the time they realize on Christmas Eve they need to go down into the depths of Mementos, Morgana, having a better idea of how bad whatever's going on with Ren is than anyone else just because of how much time they spend together, speaks up at the meeting and suggests Makoto lead because Ren's not feeling well. So Ren ends up taking a backseat during the depths exploration and..........kind of disassociating for a good chunk of it because of how strong the distortion is, there's a good chance he loses his thief outfit and ends up with Futaba taking him up into Necronomicon for protection because they're kind of too deep to just casually go up to the surface/they may get warned by the adults that the police are looking for them, if they do try leaving, and there's no way they're letting Ren get arrested again when he's obviously vulnerable. (This is definitely a part I've only written snippets of, thus the wishywashiness of some of this--could easily change, but it's what I've wanted to do so far.) Everyone's getting increasingly nervous with Joker obviously out of commission but they just don't have any good options besides trying to fix Mementos' distortion.

They fight the Holy Grail--Ren would probably have some reaction when the masses freak out about them attacking the grail--and then just as in canon, get booted out into Shibuya with Mementos and reality fused. The rest of the team freaks out at this as expected but here's where Ren doesn't have any reaction, because he's already been seeing elements of Mementos in reality the past few days and trying to hide his hallucinations and it's gotten bad enough that he can't really tell it's gotten worse. So he questions what everyone's freaking out about and they point out, HEY, BLOOD RAIN BAD, and he has a very weird reaction along the lines of being relieved that oh he wasn't hallucinating and "It's always like this."

This is probably the moment both Futaba and Morgana figure out exactly what is wrong with Ren, even though they don't know how/why he became distorted.

And then everyone gets erased just like canon! :D

What happens next is basically the good deal being au'd into this as an offer Ren cannot refuse. He wakes up in the Velvet Room, Yaldabaoth tells him about how he lost "the game", but in this au the penalty isn't death, it's subjugation...but due to his diligent effort, Yaldabaoth thinks he would make a good warden to keep the prison orderly. He offers Ren a baton, and while Ren's struggling to snap out of his mental fog because he's scared for his friends, he finds himself compelled to pick the baton up.

AU fun basically I think someone getting distorted by a Palace would look like 1) temporary hallucinations when they get brought back to the real world (Ren sees flickers of the castle in the real world after the first time) 2) if stuck in the metaverse, an increasing belief in the distortion and a compulsion to obey the ruler. What I would have LOVED to see in game is...basically what I described for the fic haha except maybe limited to just exploration in the depths (shown as, say, occasional visual 'glitches', the player briefly losing control of Joker or him acting strangely in scripted scenes) and then a scene in the Velvet Room where everything looks lost until he focuses on his friends and confidants and manages to break free.

tl;dr ...yeah saying he'd become more despondent/submissive is a good way to summarize it lol

[villainousshakespeare]

Bobby’s Playdate Part 2

Part 1

The pandemic is keeping Tom idling in London by himself. One positive is that wearing the mask helps him avoid recognition, allowing him to wander in the park with his dog, Bobby. On one of their walks, Bobby becomes smitten with a dog named Lulu and Tom is equally enchanted by her human. Can the Hiddleston men manage to find a way to see the lovely ladies again?

Tom Hiddleston/OFC

Chapter 2 of4

Rated M - Pandemic, Fluff, Quarantine, Masks, Adorable Puppies, Meet Cute, Second Part May (will) Contain Smut

@yespolkadotkitty @just-the-hiddles @hopelessromanticspoonie @wine-and-whines @arch-venus25 @caffiend-queen @devilish–doll @enchantedbyhiddles @hiddlesholic @i-do-not-fangirl-i-fanwoman @kellatron55 @ladyoftheteaandblood @latent-thoughts @gorgeous1974 @maryxglz @myoxisbroken @nuggsmum @nildespirandum @pedeka @redfoxwritesstuff @sinfully-lustful-darling @vodka-and-some-sass @wrathkitty @kingtwhiddleston @wolfsmom1 @poetic-fiasco @shiningloki @dangertoozmanykids101 @bookworm-christina @thecutestlittlebunbunfairy @amwolowicz @delightfulheartdream @frostbitten-written @what-a-flammable-heart @tom-hlover @nonsensicalobsessions @myraiswack @loki-yoursaviourishere, from-hel-i-with-love, @sweetsigyn, @fictiondoesitbetter, @ms-cellanies @evieplease @viviennes-tears @turniptitaness @cynic-spirit @spooky1980 @ghostypau @viviennes-tears @lady-loki-ren

I am so sorry I took so long to update this! First I was distracted by a super busy week, and then I decided to rework what I had in store for it. It took a while to redo, but I have decided to make it a 4 part story. Hope you enjoy, and that the wait was worth it!

The day had started out like every other since the lock down began. Leia had slept late, having no where to go. A cold, wet kiss on her nose from Lulu woke her up when the pup could no longer wait to be let out and grumbling she had taken her out for a quick walk up and down the block. After two cups of coffee and some melon, Leia had realized that after three months of enforced solitude, both she and her dog had gotten decidedly surly. It was time to get out, even if it was only to the local park.

Lulu’s excitement when she took out the little pink and white checked dress had been enough to put a smile on Leia’s face. Really, the small dog was a ridiculous creature, but she could be such a bundle of sunshine. After they were both outfitted – Lulu in her dress and Leia in a comfy outfit and mask, they made their way to the nearby park, enjoying a leisurely stroll around the newly green paths. She wished that Lulu was not too timid to play in the dog run, but after spending a year in the shelter the poor thing was terrified of other dogs.

That was why she was so surprised when Lulu’s tale began to wag excitedly. Normally she would have been cowering and whimpering in fear at the sound of another dog approaching, but for once her reaction was completely different. She jumped up from where she had been snuggling on Leia’s lap and perked up her ears, tongue lolling out happily. When the chocolate spaniel came trotting around the bend, she even jumped of Leia and strained at the leash to meet him.

Keeping a tight hold on Lulu’s leash, Leia let her eyes travel up the lead attached to the strange dog. It was quite a long trip, as it happened, past a pair of long legs in torn jogging pants, a faded shirt that would once have been bright blue, and a plain black mask until she got to a set of smiling blue eyes that made her heart stop.

“I’m sorry,” the man said, “I promise he is completely friendly.”

She had known who he was instantly, of course. No face mask could disguise those cheek bones, the copper curls that brushed his collar, or the baby blues that had sent a million fan girls swooning. If she had had any doubts, one word from that sinful voice, a verbal caress of polite friendliness, would have stamped it out. She had seen almost all of his movies, after all, and quite a number of his promotional appearances as well.

“It’s okay, so is she,” she replied struggling to keep her voice normal and grateful for the mask that hid her stunned initial gape. “You know, she’s usually quite shy, but she seems to like him! May I pet him?”

And then Tom Hiddleston –  The Tom Hiddleston! – had sat down on the bench next to her while she petted Bobby and struck up a casual conversation! She had kept her eyes on the pups at first, afraid that if she looked at him, he would see the excitement and intimidation in her eyes. He introduced himself, needlessly, of course, and she gave him her name in a kind of daze. She realized that he had only provided his first name and had the quick flash of insight that he might be enjoying the idea of anonymity. If that were the case, she would not want to spoil it for him by gushing. Uncertain of what to do, she let the obvious joke about her name lead her to mentioning Marvel characters. That way, she decided, he would have a segue to talking about his career should he want to. When he let it slide and quickly changed the subject, she decided that her assumption must have been correct.

Which was absolutely fine with her! She was sitting and talking to Tom Hiddleston! While she would, of course, love to pick his brain about Loki, or Shakespeare, or any of a dozen projects, she was more than happy to listen to him discuss his dog in that proud pappa voice. By the time she had told him the story behind Lulu’s dress excitement she was reasonably settled and could actually manage to look him in the eye without blushing.

She had met a few famous people in her time as a London tour guide, and many of them had been a colossal let down. Tom was not one of them. He was everything she had ever imagined or hoped he would be. Kind, funny, clever, a little prone to talk on about any subject he happened on, but in all a delightful conversation partner. She was disappointed but not surprised when he had to leave, but she didn’t want to be too greedy; it was already one of the most magical afternoons of his life. When he mentioned running into them again, she almost squealed with excitement, just barely managing to keep her face impassive.

Thus began a fairy tale of month for Leia and Lulu. After two days of rain, during which she was certain he would forget all about her, they had found the boys again at the same spot. Leia half wondered if she were simply dreaming, but if so, she had no desire to wake up. They met up with Tom and Bobby most days, walking for hours sometimes as they discussed London, their childhoods, school. She learned quickly that he changed the subject instinctively whenever anything came up that might lead to his career. She could respect that. It must be hard, she thought, being always in the public eye. For her own part, Leia tacitly decided to keep the subject of her book a secret. After all, a fantasy story based on Norse Mythology, with Loki playing a leading role, was bound to bring up the sort of conversation he obviously wished to avoid.

As time went on, she began to forget he was a movie star and just think of him as her friend, insane as that struck her when she stopped to look at it. Oh, she was still absurdly attracted to him, but it was no longer for his stunning character portrayals or teasing banter with interviewers. No, the teasing banter she was interested in now was much more personal for her. He was delightful company, unfailingly polite, quick with a wickedly funny comment or a profound musing on life. In short, Leia was well and truly smitten. Hopelessly, she thought with a sigh.

When he invited her to his home, she could barely believe it. A casual acquaintance in the park was one thing, a dinner chez Hiddleston was completely different. She knew it was in large part for the sake of the puppies, and that was fine. Lulu was as besotted with Bobby as Leia was with Tom, only in this case it was obviously mutual. Leia would just have to be careful to guard her heart. She was not a part of his real life, and she needed to remember that, even if they never discussed it.

***

Bobby started barking seconds before the buzzer rang, his tail wagging back and forth at a frantic pace. Tom, scarcely less excited, gave a quick glance in the mirror before slipping on his mask and opening the door.

Leia stood on his doorstep looking even more lovely than usual. Her simple leggings and long tee had been replaced by a pretty, floral sundress in shades of red and yellow and her hair, usually tied up or back, was long and curling about her shoulders. Tom swallowed and tried to keep his eyes from doing too obvious an up and down of her body. It was difficult, considering the shape of her legs and amount of them showing. Lulu’s yip drew his eyes down to her, and he saw that she was dressed in a purple polka dotted number for the evening, her hair sporting several sparkly clips to keep her braids from coming undone.

“Hi, welcome!” he greeted them, straining to keep Bobby from leaping out the door. “Won’t you come in?”

“Thanks,” she smiled with her eyes as he ushered her inside.

“You found the place alright?”

“Your directions were perfect,” she assured him, glancing around at his newly bare entryway. “It’s quite the posh street you live on! I don’t think I’ve ever been into one of these houses.”

“Oh, it’s just like any other home,” he said modestly, feeling stupid as he did. His house had an electronic gate (that he had left unlocked for her) and a private surveillance system. He knew it was not the usual home. “I can give you a tour later if you like.”

“I’d love that. Whatever you have cooking smells delicious!”

“Thanks. I’ll have to check on it in a bit. For now, though, why don’t we go out back? I have some drinks chilling.”

He gestured for her to proceed him and subtly steered her past the kitchen and living room and out the sliding glass doors into the back. The yard was pretty, a nice square plot with flowers growing along the fence on three sides and one large tree giving shade. A table with four chairs and a grill stood on a little stone area, and Tom had set it up with a selection of glasses for beer, wine, and mixed drinks. A pitcher of iced water stood next to a bottle of dry rose in an ice bucket, and another small bucket contained iced beers.

“Here you go, Bobby,” he unleashed the spaniel who instantly tore off around the yard, looking for his favorite toy. “Why don’t you two have a nice frolic.”

“Oh Lulu, this will be fun!” Leia cooed to her pup, also removing her dog’s leash.

As the little dog scampered off after Bobby, Tom took a deep breath and turned to her owner. Now was the moment he had been waiting for.

“I suppose since we are alone and outside and all… as long as we stay six feet apart… would you mind?” he gestured towards his mask.

“Not at all. Oh, and I got my negative test results back. I have a copy on my phone if you want to see them!” she offered.

“No need, I trust you,” he was quick to assure her. “I got mine as well.”

It was strange – until a few months ago he would have felt tremendously awkward wearing a mask around another person. Even when he had needed to wear one for a few scenes in Only Lovers Left Alive it had seemed tremendously cumbersome and rather silly. Now though, Tom realized that he could not remember the last time he had been around another person without one. There was something shockingly intimate in the act of taking it off in front of Leia, and he found himself feeling almost shy. Blushing a bit, he unhooked the straps from around his ears and took the fabric from in front of his mouth, setting it on one of the chairs.

His eyes fastened on her as she reached up to do the same, the red mask peeling away to reveal a small bow of a mouth, pink lips curved in a slight smile. Her chin was slightly pointed and had a cute little half dimple to one side. Smile lines were just barely visible and added to the appeal of her face. It was a very kissable mouth, he decided.

“Hi,” he said, rather fatuously, face breaking into a sheepish grin. “I’m Tom.”

“Hi Tom,” she smiled back, and his heart skipped a beat. “I’m Leia.”

They stood there for a moment, staring at each other, until he cleared his throat and pointed to a chair.

“Please, have a seat,” he managed to say. “As you see, I have wine, beer, water, or I could make you a cocktail if you’d rather. Or lemonade if you prefer a soft drink…” he realized he was babbling and cut himself off.

“Wine would be nice,” she said, sitting down and crossing one long leg over the other, giving him a lovely glimpse of her thigh.

“Right, wine it is,” he said, uncorking the bottle and grabbing a glass. “I hope it’s alright. My sister loves this brand, she brought it when she was here last, and it is better than anything I would have known to get.”

“Not a wine guy?” she asked, accepting the glass from him.

“Oh, I like a good hearty red with a steak now and then, and I will definitely have some with dinner tonight – I hope you like Italian, by the way – but for casual drinking, I’m more of a beer or scotch fan myself.”

While he prattled on Tom opened up one of the beers and poured it into a pint glass. When the foam had gone down a bit, he raised the glass and tilted it towards her.

“To deepening new friendships,” he dared to say, eyes finding hers.

They clinked their glasses, and he took a long sip of the hoppy beverage, hoping he hadn’t over stepped.

“To embracing human interaction!” she added. “Selectively, of course.”

Well, she obviously didn’t recognize him. That was a relief. He had been half worried that she would shriek, or become tongue tied, or worse. It was remarkable to him how many women seemed to have extreme reactions to meeting him. He was so ordinary! Just an overgrown ginger kid from Wimbledon. It wasn’t like they were meet Daniel Day Lewis for god’s sake. On the other hand, he couldn’t help feeling the tiniest twinge of disappointment. He worked hard at his job, after all, and was proud of the reputation he had developed and of the work he had done. It was strange, with how up on everything Leia always seemed, that she didn’t have any knowledge of Marvel at least, or The Night Manager. Still, some people didn’t watch a lot of movies and TV, or if they did it was more intellectual fare.

They both leaned back in their chairs and watched the dogs play chase back and forth. Tom found his eyes drifting back to her, staring at her mouth. He had never realized just how much a person’s mouth said about them. Leia’s smiled as a default, giving her a more youthful look than she had when it was covered. There was something fresh and approachable about her that he was drawn to.

The conversation was light and easy. Neither of them had been doing much of anything lately, so they resorted to telling older stories from their childhoods. Tom was amused to think of Leia playing with her friends, insisting that no, she wanted to be Han Solo despite what her thoughtless parents had named her. Tom, of course, had wanted to play all of the characters, and delighted her with his spot-on Darth Vadar and Grand Moff Tarkin impressions.

“You were a terror, weren’t you?” she laughed as he described bossing his sister about the correct way to make the light saber noises.

“A bit, yeah,” he admitted. “Emma and Sarah would probably say more than a bit. They had it coming though.”

“I’m sure they would agree with that, too,” she said sarcastically.

“It’s not my fault they couldn’t take direction,” he grinned. “I’m sure you would have made an excellent Han Solo. With the proper lessons.”

“Perhaps you can make me your student after dinner, if we have enough wine,” she suggested.

He knew she meant it innocently enough, but he felt a blush creep up his cheeks at the image her words planted in his mind. Leia in a schoolgirl outfit, bent over his desk flashing through his brain was enough to make him reach for his beer and gulp down more than was advisable. She seemed to realize after a moment, as she too reached for her glass and took a long swallow.

Lulu chose that moment to break away from where they had been digging around the tree and came running over to them, something grimy hanging from her mouth.

“What have you got there, peanut?” Leia sked, sounding a bit relieved.

“She seems to have unearthed one of Bobby’s treasures,” Tom smiled, glad of the distraction himself.

“Here, princess, you want me to throw it for you?”

Leia held out her hand and she happily dropped the toy into it. Tom looked at the toy and felt his jaw go slack and his eyes frantic. It was Loki. Of course it was. One of Bobby’s favorite toys, naturally, given to him during the lead up to one of the movies, the thick ropes of green and gold formed a long God of Mischief chew toy/tug of war combo, complete with horns. Tom licked his lips, glancing quickly at Leia, only to see that she was smiling down at her fluffy pup.

“Oh, Lulu, Look! It’s just like yours, only a bit more loved,” she said with a laugh. “Good girl, saving the handsome prince from a shallow grave. Loki never stays dead for long!”

With another laugh she took the toy and threw it across the yard, Lulu and Bobby both quickly scampering off after it. Tom gaped at her, uncertain what to say.

“You must have a lot of those,” she commented off handedly.

“You… you know?” he stammered.

“Know what?”

“Who I am?” it sounded stupid and conceited to his own ears.

“Well, I hope so since I’m in your home.”

“No, I mean you know what I do for a living,” he ground out, feeling like an utter ass.

“Of course,” she told him, quirking her lips.

“Since when?” he choked out.

“Since the first day. You’re not exactly easy to mistake, Tom.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You didn’t seem to want to talk about it. I figured it must get old, people falling all over themselves around you, treating you like you’re not even human.”

“Yeah. Yeah it does.”

“So I took my cue from you.”

“I see,” he was completely flummoxed. “And you have a Loki toy? For Lulu, I mean?”

“Of course, he’s our favorite! Poor, misunderstood boy. You know, I am glad I have the opportunity to tell you now how good you are. And not just as Loki. You were breath taking in Betrayal.”

“You saw Betrayal?”

“Twice. Stunning work.”

He knew his mouth was opening and closing stupidly, but he couldn’t seem to stop it. She had known, all this time. She had been humoring him by not talking about it. He was not entirely sure how to feel about that.

“Tom is everything alright?” she asked, sounding concerned.

“Was that why you talked to me?” he heard himself asking. “Why you agreed to come over? Because I am famous?”

“No,” she said slowly. “I came over because you asked, and because I like you. Yes, I was a bit star struck at first, but I got past it. Are you angry? I just assumed you realized.”

“No. No, I didn’t. I… I should go check on dinner.”

“Tom, really, are you okay?”

“Yeah, absolutely. Be right back.”

Turning tail, he fled into the house, mind in complete turmoil at the new turn of events.

[dalekofchaos]

Killing The New Republic and Luke’s New Jedi Order killed the Sequel Trilogy

Disney you’re a business, who’s all about money, but then you chose to destroy the New Jedi Order and New Republic, that is definitely killing your billions, even after refusing to put storytelling first and foremost, and then having the audacity to claim “we don’t have source material” never mind the countless series of video games, comics, novels, tv shows and films, merchandising etc. Not to mention all the fucking stuff you could’ve done with the NR in BATTLEFRONT! YOU COULD HAVE MADE WITH THE NEW REPUBLIC AND NEW JEDI ORDER!

But no. Instead you made Leia an incompetent general leading an even weaker  and an on the budget Rebel Alliance. Han’s character arc was dropped, Han and Leia’s iconic romance was broken up and they were both turned into absent parents and Luke’s Jedi Order failed and 30 years of peace was undone pointlessly. But instead you just wanted Rebels vs Empire 2.0, but only this time around it’s dumber. 

Do you know what we could’ve done with The New Republic? Leia as Chancellor. Han and Lando as her Ministers of Defense. Boba Fett, Din Djarin and Bo-Katan leading The Mandalorians together as allies to the New Republic. We could’ve had a House Of Cards/West Wing/Game Of Thrones styled writing for the overall politics of The New Republic. You could’ve made a goddamn fortune on New Republic troopers, armor, weapons, fighters and frigates. Hell, you could even have The New Republic wield their own Star Defenders as opposed to Star Destroyers.  I am well aware that canon demilitarized The New Republic and already made a post on why disarming the New Republic in new canon was stupid.

What should have happened is that the NR commanders the Imperial Fleet and starts protecting systems who join the NR, all while chasing down and fighting any of the Remnants (Moffs, Warlords, Crime Lords, etc) who have grabbed power in the resulting vacuum. We could have seen an evolution of ships from Old Republic to Empire to NR ones. They could have renamed Star Destroyers into Star Defenders. Hell, they could have had a Republic of independent systems, each with their own sizable military, so that power isn't centralized.

Here is what the Sequel Trilogy could’ve been with the New Republic in power.

This could have been an interesting question for the ST. What happens after you win a war? How do you not make the same mistakes or become the thing you fought. What happens in a power vacuum? The NR should have been the dominant emerging power, and the Remnant should have been a small, secretive, unknown order, striking strategically from the UR where they hid, and causing fear and panic to spread in the NR. But no, instead of telling an interesting story, we are force fed the recycled poorly written rehashed Rebels vs Empire and the Rebels are made to be weaker than The First Order. The First Order are a terrorist movement, they should not be reigning after Hosnian Prime’s destruction, ESPECIALLY AFTER LOSING STARKILLER BASE! Concentrating your government and defenses around only one system is really stupid(AND BAD FUCKING WRITING) The New Republic’s forces should have been spread far across the galaxy. So after Hosnian Prime, The New Republic  sees the bigger picture and mobilizes their fleet and unites their forces with The Resistance. Instead The New Republic is stupidly destroyed because Rian wanted the Rebels to be the Rebels again.(lol this movie is fucking dumb) God forbid we get The New Republic fighting the First Order and making the heroes looking strong in force instead of stupidly having all the Rebels fit inside the Falcon. For the love of fucking god I hate this fucking timeline.

As for The Imperial Remnant. Thrawn, and Rae Sloane would lead the fleets and  Darth Plagueis and the Knights Of Ren would would be in command of the dark side.

Do you have any idea how fucking frustrated it was to play The Battlefront games with The Resistance who are just discount Rebels? They look fucking pathetic.

JUST LOOK AT THE NEW REPUBLIC IN THE MANDALORIAN!!!!!!!! SO MUCH POTENTIAL!

Oh and just look at the NR Troopers from Legends and fan concepts

SO. MUCH. POTENTIAL!

As for the New Jedi Order.

Ya’ll were sitting on a GOLDMINE with the New Jedi Order. You murdered the goose which laid thegolden egg. Imagine proper video games, novels, animations, films in that era.  Think about all of the unique characters and designs we could’ve seen, all the unique toys they could have sold, plus they could’ve centered Galaxy’s Edge around becoming a Jedi, building your own lightsaber, and undergoing training at Luke’s academy. I know they have a lightsaber-building thing there currently, but it would’ve made a lot more sense if they could’ve tied it in to the new trilogy with the New Jedi Order. Plus, Mark Hamill was the only one of the major OT actors who was willing to continually reprise his role well into the future, and they reduced Luke’s role to a cameo in 2/3 sequel movies and ruined his character and killed him off in the other one. They could’ve kept Luke around for several more decades and thrown him in to as many TV series, video games, and movies as they wanted to, and people would’ve flocked to see or purchase whatever he’s in, because it’s freaking Luke Skywalker. Destroying the New Jedi Order offscreen and ruining and killing off Luke Skywalker were the two dumbest decisions made with the sequel trilogy. They could’ve made BILLIONS off of this stuff. The continued pre-trilogy and post-trilogy stories, the toys, the merchandising, the video games, the books and comics, everything. What makes matters worse is that as I said, Mark Hamill was the only one who wanted to continue with his role,( Also he is an accomplished voice actor so he would have done well in the animated stuff, which also gives him opportunities to do action scenes without being young) he honestly probably would’ve been willing to reprise Luke up until he was in his 80s or even into his 90s, hell, Billy Dee Williams was just over 80 when he reprised Lando in TROS, and Luke wouldn’t even need an action-heavy role as he got older, as the Grandmaster of the New Jedi Order, he’d be able to have a similar role to Yoda in the prequels and The Clone Wars, where he provides wisdom and guidance the majority of the time, but he every once in a while he steps into battle, while the new characters go on the vast majority of the adventures. They really shit the bed with these new movies, because using the New Jedi Order with Luke as Grandmaster would’ve made them BILLIONS. I truly don’t understand how such a money-hungry corporation could’ve missed out on this, because using the NJO would’ve been like printing money. It’s genuinely baffling.

We could’ve had it all

Source

Source

For story purposes. It could’ve been like this. 

Luke starts to rebuild the Jedi by training his sister Leia. Leia could not fully commit to the Jedi because she had to lead the Republic as Chancellor, but she is made an honorary member on his Jedi Council. Leia would agree to be trained as a Jedi Master. Leia has a Yellow Lightsaber she keeps hidden should the moment arises. Leia’s most powerful force ability is Battle Meditation. After training Leia, Luke eventually encountered The Emperor’s Hand Mara Jade. Their dynamic and romance would be the same as in Legends. Eventually after Ezra Bridger returns, Ahsoka Tano, Cal Kestis, and Ezra Bridger return and join Luke’s Jedi order. The Jedi council would be this. Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Mara Jade, Ahsoka Tano, Cal Kestis and Ezra Bridger. The new Jedi Order embrace both the Light and Dark Sides Of The Force instead of repeating the mistakes of the Jedi of old and so balance can be brought to the force. Balance would mean understanding both aspects of the force and you can indulge in your anger and more toxic emotions, but you can’t let them rule you and when you can come to peace with that, that’s when you have balance.

Also, Luke’s Jedi order would include multiple aliens species from Wookies, Twi'leks, Iridonians, Trandoshans, Mirialan and you get the picture. 

Finn would be a mix of Kyle Katarn and Finn Galfridian.

For those not familiar with either character. Kyle Katarn, a self taught force sensitive who was a former Imperial Stormtrooper that later became a Jedi Master, Battlemaster and a Jedi Council member. Finn Galfridian, a Jedi who is from Royal background and is part of the New Jedi Order who was being taught by Luke Skywalker Finn could still be a Stormtrooper that chose empathy and to walk away, this results in Finn becoming Force Sensitive and brought to be trained by Grogu. We would later find out that Finn is a lost prince of Royalty stolen by The Imperial Remnant. Perhaps, in this scenario. Finn could be the lost Prince of Naboo. Finn would of course continue fighting in the war, but with Artorias on the New Republic’s side, they will gave more funding and at least another ally. It would also provide Finn the ability to have a home for the Stormtroopers after Finn liberates the Stormtroopers from the Remnant. Finn could allow the Stormtroopers that still want to fight to serve in the Naboo military. The Naboo having weak defenses could greatly benefit from having trained soldiers serve them and if the Stormtroopers would prefer a peaceful life, Finn can offer them a civilian lifestyle away from the judgment the rest of the galaxy would give them for their past, even offering them reparations.

Also, Finn would find love with best damn pilot in The New Republic, Poe Dameron!

Luke and Mara would have a daughter. Kira Jade Skywalker(who of course would be Rey) she would grow up loved, with her family and with the Jedi. They would all truly be With her. 

Ben Solo, Breha Solo(Played by Billie Lourd) and Jaina Solo(played by Millie Bobby Brown) would be the Solo children. Ben, Breha, and Jaina would all grow up close and would thrive as Jedi while their parents would visit and shower them with the love they would naturally receive from Han and Leia as their parents and Han and Leia would stand strong together leading The New Republic

You could have Ben Solo being the most promising of Luke’s Jedi Knights. He can either stay as a Jedi or choose The Imperial Remnant and become Kylo Ren. The Jedi Order is split between the Jedi loyal to Luke and those loyal to Ben. I will say Ben’s fall would be similar to Jacen’s. Because he sensed something terrible coming. The Grysk. He feels that the Jedi and the NR would not be enough. So he gives in to Darth Plagueis and leads the Knights Of Ren. But when The Grysk attack, Ben shows us his true colors and returns to his family to fight The Grysk and unites both The New Republic and Remnant. 

If Ben doesn’t turn to the dark side, Ben would stay true to the Jedi and his family. Ben would lead the Jedi to face the Knights Of Ren and destroy Plagueis.

Together Kira, Ben, Breha, Jaina and Finn would rise together and destroy Darth Plagueis and end the Sith once and for all.

But that’s not the end, because The Grysk would invade the galaxy.

Towards the end of the Trilogy, The NR and FO will join forces to fend off The Grysk invasion. Sloane will call for a cease fire and signing a treaty with Leia, where The NR and FO align their forces and build The Galactic Federation. Building a better galaxy together. Leia's vision for a Republic and Sloane's virtues for the Empire.

We get the legacy characters getting treated with respect, we get the new generation built upon and being prepared for the coming war and are all treated as important heroes, we have a FO treated like strong villains and a stronger threat to unite both forces and we have peace in the end. This is how I think the ST should have been handled.

The theme should’ve been family. It’s about how the Skywalkers and Solos lead and protect the galaxy. How well Han, Luke and Leia became after the fall of the Empire and the upbringing of their children. It should end with all is well with the Skywalker and Solo families. Not end in misery.

As Carrie Fisher said

“It’s about family. And that’s what makes it so powerful.”

We could’ve had it all.

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

someone behind me was tracing my steps / maybe you’re better off this way

Fandom: Kamen Rider Ryuki

Characters: Asakura Takeshi, Kido Shinji

Songs: "After the Fall," October Project & "Passive," A Perfect Circle (playlist here)

Takeshi’s sitting against the wall, bleeding out, and the mirror guy—Kanzaki, right—is standing over him, mouth twisted in something he vaguely recognizes as dismay. “I can’t use this, there’s barely any energy left,” he says, not to Takeshi, and there sure as hell isn’t anyone else in the room. “I’ll have to reset.”

“Hang on a second.” Takeshi coughs and feels his mouth fill up with the taste of copper, which isn’t such a bad flavor when you get down to it. “What about my wish?”

Kanzaki doesn’t even look at him, already fucking around with the mirror. “You don’t want anything, there’s no point.”

“Sure I want something.”

“…what on Earth could you want at this point? It’s all going to be reset anyway.”

Takeshi grins up at him, knowing that it’s sure to be an unnerving sight with his teeth all over blood. “Lemme remember.”

“Out of the question. Giving one participant unnecessary foreknowledge would interfere with the procedure.”

“Nah, nah, I’m not gonna interfere with shit. It was just a hell of a time.” Takeshi looks up just as Kanzaki is looking down and grins his bloody grin a little wider. “I like to remember times when I had fun. Looking forward to doing it over again. Let me remember.”

---

It’s not until he graduates university that Shinji realizes that he’s missing something.

Slightly after, really. He graduates, he works some shitty part-time gigs, he does some freelancing, and then Ookubo gets in touch and offers him a job at Ore Journal. That’s all fine, but when he steps through the door of the Ore offices he’s hit with a wave of déjà vu so powerful that he nearly trips and falls face-first into Reiko’s desk. Fortunately he catches himself before anyone notices. It had been bad enough trying to explain to his mother about the girl who lived in his mirror when he was thirteen; he can’t imagine how the people here would react to, “I remember walking into this room for the first time at least eight times over.”

He gets a grip on himself, but the feeling of loss stays. He’s missing something, and he doesn’t know what. Sometimes he’ll get a glimpse of it, he’ll pass someone on the street or overhear a snatch of conversation and a fragment of memory will overwhelm him, but he never gets everything.

From the bits that he sees, he’s not sure that he wants to get everything. It might be better to be missing something than to remember.

---

Takeshi’s known that he’s missing something for a long time now, and whatever it is, he wants it back.

He’s not exactly an educated guy, but he knows himself pretty well, and the idea that there’s a big chunk of him missing is galling. He can feel its absence. He can’t tell what it is, it hasn’t got any kind of useful shape, no edges that he can detect, but it’s his. And since he wouldn’t just go carving out part of himself, that means he’s been robbed.

He doesn’t take kindly to being robbed.

Mostly, though, he can ignore it, the way you ignore a hole in the wall that you don’t feel like repairing yet. He does what he likes, gets what he wants, eats when there’s food, and doesn’t think about it unless he reaches for something in his mind and finds that it isn’t there.

And then he sees the journalist.

Some sweet-faced kid, he is, showing up at a bar that Takeshi likes and bugging the regulars about a local ghost story that Takeshi knows for a fact is bullshit. He doesn’t try coming over to Takeshi’s corner, because the bartender visibly warns him off, but he’s talking to everyone else. That suits Takeshi fine. He can just sit with his drink and watch and remember, in shards and splinters, tantalizing and incomplete.

Kido Shinji is what’s printed on the business card he swipes from the bartender once the journalist leaves, with the address of a tea shop written on the back in pen.

Now there’s a name that rings a bell.

He stares down at the card for a moment, not sure whether he’s pleased or furious, and then heads out. Guy couldn’t have gone far.

---

Shinji gets through the door and is immediately handed an apron and a bandana for his hair. “Dishes.”

“What—Ren, I just got here.”

“Yeah, and there are dirty dishes. I don’t have time to deal with them, there are customers.” Ren squints at him for a moment, frowning. “What’s wrong with you, anyway?”

Shinji pauses in the middle of tying back his hair, uneasy. “I’ll tell you once there aren’t customers. Where’s Miyu—he’s still working, ok.”

Ren rolls his eyes. “Apparently that middle schooler who was here last week told all of her friends about him, he’s been busy all day.”

There are a lot of dishes piled up, and it keeps Shinji busy until Ren’s shooing out the last customers of the day. Atori’s different without the old lady, but it’s not a bad different; hopefully she’s happy in whatever warm place she moved to after she sold the shop to Ren. She’d certainly never seemed happy here.

He’s happy here. In a stable place, with a little bit of stable work apart from Ore, with people who inexplicably love him for reasons that none of them quite remember clearly.

When the last customer is out the door, Ren leans back against the counter, arms folded across his chest, and says, “So something’s bothering you, spit it out.”

Shinji frowns down into the dishwater. “I think someone was following me again today.”

“What, again? How long’s this been going on now, two weeks?”

“Three and a half. Ever since that thing I was looking into about the ghost, do you remember that one?” One saucer in the dish rack, start washing the next piece. “Maybe I pissed off the ghost.”

“You said there wasn’t a ghost.”

“Well, yeah, but what if there was and now it’s following me?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you’re not being chased by a ghost.”

Shinji glances nervously over his shoulder, as if he’ll see his ghost reflected in the tea shop window. “How can we be sure, though?” He picks up another dirty cup and starts to wash it. “Some of the things I remember…”

Ren’s arms wrap around him from behind, chin resting on his shoulder. “They aren’t here,” more softly and gently than he usually speaks. “No ghosts. Just you, me, and Miyuki.”

“No ghosts.” Shinji takes a deep breath. “You’re right. No ghosts.”

---

The place isn’t tough to break into. Decent locks, but nothing Takeshi can’t get past with a crowbar. He lets himself in and looks around the vaguely-familiar tea shop with interest before heading past the counter and to the back. Stairs lead up to the apartment above, and sure, they creak a little, but that’s nothing to worry about. After all, he’s still got the crowbar if he really needs it.

Upstairs, the place is chaotic in sort of a cute way, decorated as it is by three people with clearly pretty different sensibilities, fragments of three very different lives on display. It smells faintly of frying oil, too. Someone made something good for dinner tonight. On a whim, he checks the fridge, finds a container of leftover gyoza, and eats them absently as he contemplates the shopping list stuck to the freezer door. Eggs, rice, sliced pork belly, in neat handwriting that definitely isn’t Kido’s.

He finishes the gyoza and the tail-end of a carton of milk, leaving the empty containers behind on the counter and picking up his crowbar again as he heads toward the back of the apartment.

There are three bedrooms, and none of them are marked, doors closed against the darkened hallway. Checking each one would be a hassle, and might lead to more trouble than Takeshi feels like getting in right now. Instead he just remembers how jumpy Kido seemed even before Takeshi started following him and lets intuition lead him to the room closest to the fire escape.

The door swings open, and the first thing he sees is a cloth square on the wall. A covered mirror.

There we go.

Kido’s asleep, sprawled across the bed with his head tossed back and his hair spread out on his pillow, throat pale and exposed. Alone, which makes things a little easier. There’s a computer desk set up in the corner of the room; Takeshi grabs the chair from it, drags it over next to the bed, and sits, resting the end of the crowbar on the floor as he’s saying, softly and cheerfully, “Hey, Kido. Wake up.”

A shift, an irritated mumble, “Not time to—” and then one eye opening halfway and the jolt, Kido scrambling upright in the bed, one hand flung out to the side reaching for something that isn’t there.

What isn’t there?

Splinters reform into another regained memory: a deck of cards in an elaborate case, gleaming purple metal smooth and cool in Takeshi’s hands. There’s a name that goes with it, or maybe more than one, faint and still lost but centimeters from the tip of his tongue.

Kido’s gone white as a pan of milk, hand still empty because they’re in a world with no decks, now, no monsters that Takeshi suddenly remembers with fondness, not nearly as much fun, and Takeshi leans forward on his crowbar and smiles, friendly, like, and says, “Come on, Kido, I remember you being more interesting.”

---

Shinji can hear his heart beating over the ringing in his ears. There’s a bit of light coming in from between the mostly-closed curtains, just enough to see by, and with his hand coming up empty and his unwelcome guest illuminated so that only golden hair and white teeth are visible, he is assailed by memory.

He knows this man.

From the corner of the bar where he’d been looking into that ghost story, sure, the one the bartender had told him not to bother, but also from before, from ten befores or more. A killer, vicious and cheerfully so, dangerous to be around, but beneath the adrenaline thrum Shinji can feel another pulse, pity, pity, pity, perhaps misplaced but still there.

He fights to get his breathing under control and says, “Asakura. What are you doing here?”

“You took something of mine.” Asakura’s head tilts slowly to the side, semi-friendly grin still visibly. “I came to get it back.”

“I don’t have anything of yours.”

“Never said you did. I said you took it. Didn’t say I thought you had it.”

“That…you know that doesn’t make sense, right?”

“None of this makes sense, Kido. We live in a world that revolves around a guy like you.” Asakura leans forward, one hand darting out to grab Shinji’s chin, ragged nails digging into his skin. In the dim light his eyes are flat and dark and predatory as their gazes lock, only taking on any gleam as he drinks in…something, whatever he’s getting from looking at Shinji like this. Shinji nearly asks, in fact, but he can’t quite speak, and anyway Asakura’s talking again, still as cheery and conversational as he has been. “Used to be, I got the deck in my hands and I’d remember all of it. That was the deal. Don’t know how the mirror guy finally bit it, but whatever happened, you’re the key to everything now.”

Shinji’s considering shouting for Ren, because even if he did have a dragon at his beck and call, the mirror is covered. Then, of course, he notices the crowbar. And Asakura continues to look at him, searching for something that Shinji is apparently giving him.

“Pathetic.” Abruptly, Asakura lets go again. “You used to be fun, Kido.” He stands, shouldering the crowbar like a baseball bat, and heads for the open bedroom door, only pausing briefly to say, “Call me if you ever decide to get the band back together, yeah?”

Shinji remains frozen for what seems like a long time after he’s gone, dizzy with memory and his heartbeat noisy in his own ears.

He doesn’t remember the end of things. None of the ends of things, actually, and he’s not sure if the others know that it happened more than once, how many times they were put through the same wringer. Whatever it was, though, whatever he or they finally did, it was permanent.

He never would have expected someone to resent him for it.

Finally he finds the focus to move, raising a hand to rub at the sore spots on his jaw before getting out of bed.

Miyuki’s bed is disturbed by unoccupied, and this fills him with a banked and indistinct dread until he comes to Ren’s room and finds them both there, Miyuki sprawled as inelegantly as always and snoring lightly at Ren’s side. Ren is awake, barely. “Bad dreams all around tonight, I guess,” he slurs as Shinji closes the door, and moves over to make space. “Wha’ was yours about?”

Shinji curls up beside him and says, softly, “Just ghosts.”

---

Takeshi strolls down the middle of the empty street, crowbar on his shoulder, in such a good mood now that he’s very nearly whistling. It’s a damp night; the streetlights make shadows in the fog that look like old friends he now remembers, any number of enormous beasts stalking him as he walks. Which makes him want to laugh, and so he laughs, and the sound bounces off the buildings and the fog in an echo that could go on forever.

“Goddamn,” he says to a fog-reflection that shifts and changes with every step he takes, now a vast snake, now a rhino, now a stingray. “That was a good time, wasn’t it.”

The fog makes no reply, but the shadow continues to follow him down the street as the echoes of his laughter die away, and after a moment, feeling almost jaunty, he starts to whistle.

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

That last one was just amazing- by the way, if you ever want to directly address me for whatever reason, call me Raven!

Now, from the two among us Zed oneshots you’ve written, I think I can draw a conclusion. Zedaph is a hacker. His next hack would probably be a more wholesome one, just to balance the horror his friends have witnessed recently. Maybe he gives himself the jester role, or makes the impostor role different. Maybe he switches it to the werewolf impostor, and who else to have fun as a werewolf with than Rendog himself? :D

Thanks for being my best requester Raven! I love your ideas :D Also I couldn’t choose between the jester and werewolf mods so I went with both :)

…

  When Zedaph first arrived on this ship for his first ever round of Among Us with his friends, he had assumed that his ability to hack into a game’s code would be utterly useless here. Or, at the very least, that it would take a long time for him to gain access to all the different modifications he knows exist within the game.

  Now he knows how wrong he was. 

  He senses after a while that the others might be getting bored of the same old routine. Sure, every round is unpredictable. But perhaps it might be time for a slight deviation to make things more exciting and bring back the spark that his friends have for the game.

  When the last round ends, Zedaph dives into the library of mods, looking for some roles that might make a fun combination. He immediately spots a role he desperately wants, along with an imposter modification that will definitely make the game more interesting. Already grinning at the possibilities, he selects them and leaves the game’s code.

  There Is One Werewolf and One Jester Among Us

  Everyone stands around the table, staring at each other in confusion over the different and rather worrying message. 

  Grian is the first to speak up. “Wh-What is going on? What’s with the werewolf? And what the hell does jester mean?”

  “The jester is the officially assigned third imposter,” replies Zedaph, grinning. “Their job is to act sus and get voted off. If they do, they automatically win.” 

  Luckily, nobody questions how Zedaph knows this. He figures they put it down to his enthusiasm for the game. 

  “And the imposter is actually a werewolf,” he adds. “They- Well, I guess we’ll see what they do, huh?”

  “This is gonna end badly,” groans Skizzleman, “This is gonna end SO badly.”

  “Let’s get on with our tasks,” Grian says. “There’s only one imposter, apparently, so they should have a harder time than usual.”

  Zedaph watches his friends split up to do their tasks. He smiles; already, there seems to be more of an air of anticipation surrounding the group than at the start of the previous round. His plan to make things more exciting seems to be working already. He’s very happy that somehow, the randomised game has given him the role of jester right off the bat.

  However, unbeknownst to Zedaph, the game sensed how much he wanted to be the jester and assigned him the role accordingly. He also doesn’t know that the game has a sense of humour in who it chose for the werewolf role.

  Ren finds a new option alongside “kill” and “sabotage”. Surely an option with this long a cooldown can only be something spectacular. 

  So he risks it and waits.

  He kills Scar in communications and quickly leaves, passing Bdubs in shields on the way, before activating the werewolf option.

  Immediately, his vision increases; he can see way further than he ever could. When he runs, he’s extremely fast, zooming at least three times as fast as he could before. Some unknown energy is fueling him. 

  He makes it all the way around the right side of the ship and over to medbay without meeting anyone before his werewolf boost runs out. The cooldown is painfully long, but at least his kill cooldown is almost over. 

  Spotting movement in medbay, he heads inside and finds Etho and Skizzleman inside. He senses an opportunity here. 

  He kills Skizzleman as the latter is standing on the scanner.

  Just as he expects, Etho reports. “I just saw Ren kill Skizz right in front of me.” 

  “Hey, I was nowhere near you,” Ren retorts. “He’s self-reporting.”

  “Can anyone vouch for your movements, Ren?” asks Grian.

  “I saw him in shields not that long ago,” Bdubs says. “And he was heading up to nav. I highly doubt he could get all the way from there to medbay in that amount of time.”

  Ren frowns, wondering how Bdubs had not discovered Scar’s body. Then he realises. His vision had increased, so the crewmates’ must have decreased. 

  “Nice try, Etho,” Bdubs snickers. “Next time, pick someone who wasn’t halfway across the ship when you murder.”

  Etho starts to protest but he makes eye contact with Ren and stops. 

  “When the game doesn’t end, you’d better vote Ren out next,” he says. 

  Bdubs shakes his head. “It literally COULDN’T be him. He was on the other side of the ship.”

  Ren grins to himself as Etho is ejected. He has this round in the bag, he thinks.

  But he has forgotten about the jester. 

  Zedaph decides to follow Ren this round. He knows the powers of the werewolf almost as well as he knows Etho; the cyan crewmate wouldn’t make up such an obvious lie, especially when he’s already known as a self-reporter. 

  And if the game’s sense of humour made a joker like Zedaph the jester, why wouldn’t it make Rendog the werewolf?

  He follows Ren discreetly to electrical and watches him kill Tango inside. As Ren leaves the room again and heads for storage, Zedaph ducks inside electrical and waits for a few seconds before leaving.

  As he hoped, he passes Grian just heading into storage, moments before their vision decreases again. Ren has activated werewolf mode. Zedaph can no longer see Grian; he can only hope that the red crewmate is heading for electrical. 

  Sure enough, the body is reported a few seconds later. 

  Before Grian can speak, Zedaph blurts out, “I saw Ren vent.”

  “Wait, what?” Ren blinks at him. “I didn’t vent!”

  “I saw you vent into shields while I was doing my task,” Zedaph says calmly. “I ran off towards the button but the body was reported before I could get there. You guys need to vote him off; Etho was right about him.” 

  Ren doesn’t understand. He’s the only imposter; why is Zedaph accusing him of venting when he didn’t? 

  “I didn’t vent into shields!” Ren protests. “I didn’t vent anywhere. I wasn’t even near shields; I was in reactor. I don’t understand why you-.”

  He breaks off as Zedaph makes eye contact with him, and that’s when Ren realises what is happening. His friend is the jester and he’s in control of the situation completely. If the crewmates believe Zedaph and vote Ren out, he loses. If they don’t believe Zedaph and HE is voted out, he wins. 

  Zedaph has created an unwinnable scenario for Ren. 

  Now the question becomes… which ending is preferable?

  After less than a second of thought, Ren decides to fight. If he’s going to lose either way, he’d rather Zedaph win through his own intelligence than the crewmates receive a victory they didn’t earn. 

  “Ren?” Grian prompts.

  “Zedaph is lying,” Ren says. “He’s trying to frame me. Where’s the body, Grian?”

  “Electrical,” Grian replies slowly, eyes flickering from Zedaph to Ren. 

  “Did you see anyone around?”

  “Yeah…” Grian hesitates. “I saw Zedaph around the area.”

  “There, see?” It pains Ren to do this, but he knows it’s the best option. “He knows you saw him around the spot where the body was found and he decided to cover his tracks by accusing me of venting.”

  “Nuh uh!” The slightest hint of a grin is visible on Zedaph’s face. “Don’t try and throw me under the bus, Mr Werewolf. Just look at those furry little ears on his head!” 

  “That’s a coincidence and you know it,” says Ren, internally sighing as he finally realises the irony. “Guys, you have to believe me; I’m not the imposter. Zedaph was literally seen around the area the body was discovered AND he’s trying to claim he saw me vent when I was nowhere near him. It’s obvious he’s the imposter.”

  Zedaph shakes his head. “No, it’s Ren. I saw him vent.”

  Grian, Bdubs, and Impulse exchange looks. 

  Zedaph watches them make their minds. He’s not worried. If Tango was there, he would be; Tango knows him far too well. But Impulse, despite their long history, isn’t quite as familiar with the inner workings of Zedaph’s mind as Tango is. 

  Finally, Grian says, “I think it’s Zedaph.”

  “No!” Zedaph protests immediately. “I literally saw Ren vent! It’s not me.”

  Impulse doesn’t seem quite as convinced. “I dunno, guys. Zed might be the jester, remember.”

  “If he was the jester, surely he wouldn’t be fighting so hard to make us believe that Ren is the imposter,” Grian responds. “Plus, we already established Ren couldn’t have killed Skizzleman like Etho said he did.”

  Zedaph snickers internally. He can almost hear Tango’s groan from the afterlife. 

  The timer is running out. Everyone locks in their votes. 

  Zedaph and Impulse have voted for Ren. Grian, Bdubs, and Ren have voted for Zedaph.

  Frowning, Impulse turns to Zedaph. “Zed, I’m sorry.”

  Zedaph pats his friend on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.”

  He waits until they’ve put him in the airlock before he grins and says, “Thank you for your help, Ren. That was so much fun.”

  Ren chuckles and shakes his head. “You deserve this, man. Well done.”

  Grian and Bdubs exchange confused frowns but Impulse nods, turning away so he doesn’t have to see his friend being ejected. Their exchange can only mean one thing: a rare scenario has occurred. 

  The imposter AND the crewmates have lost.

[maryqueenofmurder]

Impulse x Grian x Ren

We r so close to the end guys, sorry I dropped off the face of the earth again.  School, new fics, etc.  Thanks to my Beta Reader for beta-ing as many chapters as they could!!  If u r reading this and want me to tag you, I will!

Impulse watched, captivated, as Ren poured out his heart to a musical tune. It was beautiful.  That wasn’t enough, it was captivating, stunning, enthralling. Try as he might, Impulse couldn’t truly describe it. Not with words.

It didn’t rhyme, didn’t sound rehearsed or planned, just raw feeling. Like an impassioned ramble, or a speech. Something charismatic, something that pulls you in and tugs at your heartstrings. It was Ren telling Grian exactly how he felt.

Ren with his eyes shut tight because he didn't have the courage to watch and see what his song did to Grian. Ren who had started out with a wide smile that soon wavered and fell. Ren with his crystal clear voice, and the face he always made when he concentrated. Ren who had honesty written on every inch of his face, somehow still pleading for Grian to return the sentiment.

Grian’s expressions were different.  There was no fear in his eyes. He only had love and joy in them. Grian had watched Ren astoundedly, not expecting his simple request of a love song to have such strange consequences.  Not that hearing Ren’s song was a consequence.  Grian had an overjoyed grin on his face since before the moment Ren began singing.

While listening to Ren sing, Impulse felt like he was on cloud nine. Once again, for lack of a better word, it was beautiful. Even though the song wasn’t meant for him, Impulse still felt happiness surge through him just from the proximity to such a sight, such a sound. He couldn’t help but sway to the music.

Once it ended, Grian and Ren embraced. Impulse was hit with the realization that they had such a wonderful relationship. One that had no room for him in it. They loved each, he knew, and not him, no matter how much he wished they did. Impulse was going to have to hide how he felt.  He would have to watch them be in love and suffer silently, no matter how proud he was of them for getting together. It was nearly enough to make him cry.

Scratch that, he was crying. It wasn’t sobs, or sniffles, or globs of snot.  It was just a couple of tears blurring his vision in the campfire light, and running down his cheeks when he blinked.  It was totally silent, and he would never have even guessed he was crying if he couldn’t feel the wetness tracing its way down his face and dripping onto his clothes.

For a while Grian and Ren continued to hug, maybe kiss, Impulse was facing Grian’s back and he couldn’t tell even if he wasn’t because the tears were making his vision blur. Impulse watched them, feeling like he’s intruding on something private, but he couldn’t leave without having to field awkward questions later about why he left. Impulse prepared to stand up, he could just say he wasn’t interested in watching the two do whatever they were doing and they won’t press. They’d probably go back to staring in each other’s eyes or something romantic like that.

“Hey, Impulse, you okay?” Grian said from right in front of him. Impulse nearly startles, so caught up in his own pity party he forgot the two people he was pitying himself about.

“You’re crying,” Grian continued unnecessarily. Impulse reached his hand up and swiped at the tears halfheartedly. New ones simply formed in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks eventually.

“Happy tears,” Impulse said hollowly. It rang of a lie. “That was beautiful, Ren,” Impulse directed his second sentence at Ren, who had come over as well at some point.  It sounded far too plain.  Impulse wanted to tell Ren that his song wasn’t just beautiful, it was more than beautiful, but he can’t articulate it quite right and he’s sure the words will sound much different than they do in his head.

“No, dude, something is clearly wrong.  And we hippies gotta stick together, right?” Ren sat down next to Impulse.  “Seriously though, Impulse, you can tell us anything,” Ren adds. This caused the tears in his eyes to fall faster because he can’t. Impulse doesn’t want to risk losing them. He can’t tell them everything, he can’t tell them anything.

No, that’s not true. They can know he likes somebody. Somebodies. They can know the people that he likes are together. They just can’t know that it’s them. No, he tells himself internally, they’ll figure it out, they aren’t dumb. But, he argues back, they are incredibly oblivious. Impulse has nothing to say about that. It is true. It would be good to get this off his chest, to tell somebody else besides Tango. It’s a stupid idea, but he’s going to do it anyway.

“There are these people I like. The song made me think about them,” Impulse says haltingly. Ren made a strangled noise, like a dying chicken.

“People?” Grian asked carefully. Impulse’s stomach tightened. Stupid, stupid! He hadn’t even considered that Grian or Ren might not approve of polyamory.  He gave a nod.

“Do you want to talk about them, my dude?”  Ren asked, his voice sounding off from the happiness it had been exuding earlier.

��Right. So I’m bi, and there are these two guys I-like. The problem is that they’re dating, and obviously in love,” Impulse stutters slightly, too shy to say he loves them out loud. “I’m worried that I’ll lose them as friends if I tell them, and I don’t know what to do,” Impulse finished.

“I just wish they liked me,” Impulse said despairingly, and resisted the urge to pull his knees to his chest.

“Impulse,” Ren said as he sat down next to Impulse, “You’re good at redstone and at building.”

Grian grabbed Impulse’s hands with his own. “You are handsome, talented, patient, and kind!”

“You have an eye for details, and a willingness for boring, tedious work. You are amazing my dude.” Ren interjected, before being interrupted by Grian.

“And if Zedaph and Tango can’t see that, it’s their loss!” Grian declared passionately. Wait, what?

“What do you mean Zedaph and Tango?” Impulse asked curiously, wiping the growing tears from his eyes. They had complimented him. Impulse hadn’t been able to stop himself from blushing, and could only hope that they would assume it was from his crying.

“Well…” Grian trailed off uncomfortably. “It’s fairly obvious that the two you harbor crushes on are Zedaph and Tango.” Grian said, sounding pained. Impulse wasn’t sure why he did what he did next. Maybe his crushes complimenting him gave him courage. Maybe he just really needed to say something instead of keeping it a secret from the people he was in love with.

“It’s not Zedaph and Tango I have a crush on, it’s you and Ren.” Impulse blurted out, trying not to think about what he was doing. Grian sat there, stunned. Ren seemed shocked as well, but he quickly shook himself out of it.

“Well, Impulse,” Ren flashed him a blinding grin. “You’re in luck, then.” He pulled a still gaping Grian forward. “He and I happen to have some pretty strong feelings for you as well.”

Impulse watched them, barely able to believe it. They liked him back. Wait. The three of them had been pining after each other for months!

“Well then,” Grian said giddily. “Want to go on a date? We can do something classy for once, instead of just egging Mumbo’s base.” Impulse stared at Grian. A date? Yes. Yes, he wanted that so much, and now? He couldn’t think of a single reason he couldn’t have it.

“Alright,” Impulse smiled.

“Yes,” Ren fist-pumped.

“I’m going to bed. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t!” Grian yelled over his shoulder as he ran to his R.V. Impulse lifted an eyebrow.

“That was… odd. Any particular reason he ran off?” Impulse questioned.

“We’re set to watch the sunrise tomorrow, and he doesn’t want to miss it,”  Ren said. A sneaky smile slipped onto his face.

“Do you want to join us?” Ren asked.

“I. Yes, yes I do,” Impulse admitted.

“It’s a date, then,” Ren grinned, then winked before sauntering off to his R.V. Impulse watched him go with a love-stricken smile. He had no idea how he got here, but he was glad he did.

[seyaryminamoto]

What do you think would happen if Zuko killed Ozai with the redirected lightning bolt in the Day of Black Sun?

... Hehe. You know, it’s weird but I was thinking about this not that long ago?

In my opinion, Zuko should have wanted to kill Ozai in DOBS. I know he says it’s Aang’s destiny to kill Ozai and all, but in many ways that reasoning strikes me as odd for his character, since Zuko isn’t all that spiritual and at this point he hasn’t been shown genuinely accepting “destiny” as a reason to do or not do something or another. It’s not that it’s wrong for him to choose not to kill Ozai here... but the thing is, he’s adamant that Ozai has to die in the finale. He’s basically shown forcing his new friend to accept that he MUST kill Zuko’s dad. Then when Ozai doesn’t die, Zuko tells his dad that he should be “grateful” that the Avatar spared him... despite Zuko knows, since the start of that debate, that Aang has no intentions of killing Ozai if he can find another way to stop him.

Ergo, to me, it’s a weird situation where Zuko pretty much seems to elect destiny as something to abide by at this stage conveniently because, if he doesn’t, the story would’ve ended too quickly. Maybe it wasn’t about destiny at all, and maybe he’s just afraid of fighting Ozai. Maybe he’s not afraid at all, but rather, he still has some lingering affection towards his father even if he knows he shouldn’t, and can’t bring himself to kill him. Whatever the reason, I’d honestly have written him willing to kill Ozai, probably with a fierce fight where we could’ve seen more of Ozai’s talent as a fighter before the firebending comes back, and then how scary a firebender he is once it does. Let Zuko fight him some more once the firebending returns, show Zuko has changed from the boy who wouldn’t dare stand up to his father at full strength... would’ve been a nice message to put forward, you can absolutely become strong enough, on every level, to confront someone who hurt you as much as Ozai hurt Zuko. Would it have been violent? Yes, but it would’ve felt a little more satisfactory for me, tbh. Maybe they could’ve had Zuko running away when he hears Ozai’s backup is arriving and he knows he has to scram or else he’s going to get screwed over...

Aaaanyways, beyond my personal take on how that scene could’ve gone down, I don’t partiiicularly like bringing up this other fandom or this topic, I know it’s super controversial and I’m basically inviting a thousand people to come pelt me with stones by saying this... but if Zuko had killed Ozai? Whether willingly, deliberately or accidentally...?

... We’d actually be in a situation similar to Kylo Ren’s in The Last Jedi.

That movie is a dangerous thing to mention for enough reasons, but the one writing element I kind of liked was for Kylo Ren to actually take action when he did, murdering Snoke and becoming the actual leader of the First Order. I liked it because it meant he was the one in charge now, he’s no longer hiding behind another big scary figure, he’s The Big Bad to defeat, and it was a good choice because he’s the villainous character we’d seen throughout the movies so far. Snoke... he was pretty much a nobody, a nothing. If Kylo Ren took over instead, we’d actually get to see who he was, deep down...! And we saw indeed that the guy was still spewing some very harmful ideologies and vitriol when he had killed the guy who apparently had kept him brainwashed since his teenage years. So, indoctrination or not, Kylo Ren wasn’t simply given a clean slate once Snoke is dead, and is shown to have some pretty violent ideas going forward as leader of the First Order. I of course had common sense and never watched The Rise of Skywalker, but finding out that Palpatine was resurrected to lower Kylo’s standing, YET AGAIN, rather than actually exploring Kylo as the ultimate bad guy, felt like a very very boring cop-out to me. Extra reason not to watch that movie.

Obviously, Zuko’s development was much longer than Kylo’s, at this stage. Zuko has had a lot more growth, many more situations where he confronted his own choices and decisions, and more than that, Zuko has Iroh guiding him on a different, hopefully better path. Therefore, I don’t expect that Zuko would’ve taken over and become Ozai 2.0, if he’d killed Ozai, the way Kylo was Snoke 2.0, more or less. But I’ll say... I do think he would’ve become Fire Lord at this point, after killing Ozai.

And man, what a mess of a character he’d be by then. It’s entirely possible this highly indoctrinated nation would either want him dead for killing Ozai... or they’d outright celebrate him for killing Ozai, since that’s a major display of strength and violence and they think that’s neat :’D and it would be hilarious and amazing because Zuko has NO IDEA what to do as Fire Lord. He’d have a thousand sudden responsibilities and no clue how to take them on, he’d have a whole army under his command, and he’d probably want to end the war but if he does, they’re gonna turn on HIM! So... it’s honestly pretty intriguing to ponder what would happen to a Zuko who pulls a page out of Ozai’s book and kills daddy dearest xD Whether you want to see Zuko going off the deep end of villainy, Kylo Ren style, or a Zuko genuinely struggling with how to reel the Fire Nation back into control after a hundred years of indoctrination, it’d be one hell of a story to explore. I’m certainly not the right person to explore it, I’m sooooo not cut out for Zuko-centric content, but it’d be pretty amazing to ponder how things would turn out with Zuko in power well before the show reached its ending and Sozin’s Comet arrived. Would we have a Zuko vs. Aang showdown that ends with the power of friendship winning the day? xD would have probably been a little weird, but who’s to say it would’ve sucked? 

Anyway, it’s a complicated topic and I guess there’s a million different directions worth exploring with this premise, so I’d say a writer should just pick one such direction and go from there? Like I said, I’m not likely to explore this, but it’s an interesting premise nonetheless.

[skybird13]

Clover and Qrow (or: The Importance of Relationships in Fiction)

I started writing this in response to @fairgame-is-endgame​‘s post here, but I figured I hijack enough of his posts and this got rather lengthy (🤷‍♂️ it’s me, so go figure). Please do go see the post so you have context. It’s a super short but very meaningful observation that I’ve been wanting to address anyway, so here it goes.

What gets me about this particular complaint is the fact that apparently, in the minds of some people, relationship building isn’t multifunctional in storytelling. People constantly accuse shippers of caring about nothing but the romance (and I admit, there are some shippers who are totally in it for the enjoyment of the romance, and there is nothing wrong with that, just let people have their fun for god’s sake). But a good percentage of us are running around performing doctorate level psychoanalyses and writing what could easily turn into Ph.D. theses (if some of us were so inclined) on not only the interactions between these two characters, but the ramifications on the individual development for each of them, the implications behind their connection, and how all of that can work together to build a stronger story overall.

Yes. Qrow’s screentime in volume 7 has been all about his connection with Clover (outside of that beautiful scene he had with Ruby in chapter… 4, was it? I don’t remember but y’all know which scene I’m talking about where he actually reassumes the role of the adult in their relationship, so much love for him). You know what lies inside that connection?

His healing, for one. Volumes 3-6 took Qrow through one hell of a character arc. He went from having a purpose to losing it, to falling into a serious depression and a bad, bad place with his alcohol abuse, and finally to a place where he started to drag himself out of that hole. CRWBY could have taken him literally anywhere in volume 7. Hell, they could have left his development right there for the entire volume and had him present solely to support Ruby and the others. But what did they do instead? They carried on his arc by giving him one of the many things he needs to heal: a healthy and functional connection with another human being. He hasn’t just been some background shadow there to back up Ruby (which would have been poor writing); he’s had his own development, brief but very carefully crafted to showcase how the end of volume 6 changed him and what he’s trying to do to cope with his mental illness and addiction. He’s openly acknowledging his problems and trying to deal with them. He is working with another person without complaint or fear that we have seen, and we all know how huge that is for him!

Story possibilities run rampant because of his relationship with Clover. Qrow has always been one of the most interesting and dangerous characters in RWBY, and that was as a depressed alcoholic. Can you imagine his potential as someone who is actively working towards being healthy? I’ve brought up the possibilities of what we might see if Clover can somehow help him gain control of his Semblance, and I don’t think that can be overstated. I find it very hard to believe that two characters who, especially when together, can manipulate probability won’t be instrumental in whatever RWBY and JNOR have to do to take down Salem.

And that’s not even getting into the potential impact that Qrow might have on Clover’s development. Some of y’all complaining because we don’t have much on him yet, but good lord, he was just introduced! And his introduction came in a volume bursting at the seams with plots and subplots and a hundred different things going on. Give him some room to breathe and develop over the next couple of volumes. (I also argue that if you have any critical thinking skills whatsoever, we actually have quite a lot on who he is as a person at the very least, even if we still know nothing about his backstory. Speaking of which!!! Did we get Ren’s backstory in volume 1 or 2? No! It came in volume 4. How about Ruby’s or Yang’s? Nope. Their backstory was piecemealed out across the earlier volumes. Weiss’s? Same thing. Blake’s? Same thing. Qrow’s? … you get my point. If you want a straightforward biography, don’t watch fiction.)

*deep breath*

Anyway, my point is that I’ve seen more than one comment complaining about shippers and even romantic relationships in canon because, somehow in some people’s opinion, interpersonal relationships (particularly romantic ones) detract from the story. But do you want to know what story is built on? What the best stories absolutely revolve around? Character. Wanna know what you have to have for good characters? Individual mental and emotional development. Change. And yes, relationships.

The relationship between Clover and Qrow (or Nora and Ren or Blake and Yang or anyone else) doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s all a part of the tapestry of the story that is RWBY. Pull the relationships out and you have something threadbare and boring as hell. I love the plot. I love the fight scenes. You have no idea how excited I am to see Qrow in action in the next episode, particularly as a member of a team again. I want some Harbinger action as much as the next person. But that’s not what keeps me coming back every week. I want to see Qrow fight because I love him as a character. Because I want to see how he’s changed, how he’s developed, how he’s going to function in this team unit after being alone for so long. The fights mean nothing to me if I don’t care about the characters involved. And a plot not driven by character motivation and change (while possible) too often feels forced and contrived. You want a good natural, genuine feel to a plot? Then what you’re looking for is a plot that is character-driven. And what did I just say about the things needed for good character?

Look, if some of you are totally fine checking in every week just to see some combat action, that’s cool. Whatever works for you is what works for you and I’m not going to criticize you for it. But don’t you dare come after those of us who are here for characters and character development like we’re some substandard blight on the fandom. Can shipping get out of control? Absolutely. Are relationships written badly in fiction all the time and are thereby guilty of detracting from a story? Of course. But the relationships in RWBY, and particularly the relationship between Clover and Qrow, are not guilty of that. (Hell, this is a show all about relationships and the strength we can get from those we love and care about! What the hell do you think activates Ruby’s eyes???) This relationship, like every other one in the show, is there for a reason, and as much as some of us (myself unapologetically included) might screech about the eye contact and the flirting and the potential meaning behind the tiniest interactions, there is a depth inherent in their connection that goes beyond a surface level romance. It’s all about who they are, what drives them, what they have to overcome, what changes they might still need to go through, what roles they still have to play in the story, and how they might push each other in new and different ways to become who they need to become in order to do what they need to do.

And that, my friends, is what we’re actually here for.

[a-dorin]

naboo | kylo ren

word count: 1,127

warnings: mentions of oral, oral (giving), sexual acts in public, cursing

a/n: this was a request for @apple-my-snapple featuring her original character! i do not own cherry sauba, but she requested that i write a kylo x cherry for her! this is written a little different, in third person style. i hope you all enjoy!

summary: kylo ren steps in to save an innocent woman in the city of theed, on the planet of naboo. although it was not according to his mission plans, kylo ren does not see his setback as a bad thing. 

night fell over the planet of naboo, the city of theed bustling with life, the streetlamps glowing, the rhythmic music of cantinas flooding the streets. all walks of life strolled through the streets, unaware of the dark presence within their city.

kylo ren, supreme leader of the first order, wandered the streets, his eyes taking in the sight before him beneath the mask, small sheen of sweat plastered on his forehead. although the air was still thick with summer heat, kylo would never dare take off his mask. his saber was hooked to his belt, a hand resting on the hilt. if a rebel spotted him, he was ready to fight back. 

it was approaching midnight, the clock-tower in the center of the city reading eleven-thirty. the supreme leader let out a huff, as his mission was not going in the direction he planned. kylo ren was on a solo mission, for some much needed isolation. however, the planet he chose was not favorable. the sheer amount of noise and lights overwhelmed him. 

turning a corner, a commotion in the alleyway piqued the supreme leader's attention. a twi'lek held a woman by her throat, her pink hair bouncing as she struggled to fight off his grip. kylo let out a brief sigh, pondering if he should step in. part of him told him that it was not his business interfere. yet, the other part was prompting him to save her life. 

the twi'lek began to float, shock overriding his initial feelings of rage. he struggled under kylo's force grip, snarling at the woman like she was the one who was behind it, "what are ya? some witch or something? what is this fucking spell you've put me under?"

"don't make me kill you," kylo ren boomed, the woman's eyes widening in fear as she noticed the shadow approach the two, "because i will. it'll be a fair trade, after all. you wanted to kill this poor innocent woman."

"she's not poor nor innocent," the twi'lek sneered, squirming, "she robbed me! i was promised a full session with her!"

"i didn't promise you shit!" the woman jeered, her face twisted with disgust. 

"sure cherry," the twi'lek rolled his eyes, "victimize yourself for the big man to come save you."

with that statement, kylo put the twi'lek under a choke hold, the male gasping for breath. kylo squeezed his fingers, further choking the twi'lek. he sputtered out unrecognizable words, pleading with the supreme leader. seconds later, kylo dropped him, kicking him in the gut. running on pure adrenaline, the twi'lek scrambled to his feet, nearly sprinting out of the alleyway. 

"thank you," the woman whispered, her burgundy eyes warm. 

kylo ren didn't respond, only to turn away, marching down the alleyway. the woman let out a huff, "is there any way i can repay you?"

her inquiry sparked interest within the supreme leader. he shifted, so that he was face to face with her once again, "do me a favor then, pretty girl."

"w-what's that?" kylo's compliment caused a blush to spread through her cheeks. 

"how about you give me one of those sessions that twi'lek was referring to?" kylo's gloved hand grasped the girl's chin, tilting it so that their eyes met, "how does that sound?"

"sir," the girl sucked in a breath, "that twi'lek, he was my ex-boyfriend and he was just mad that i didn't give him a blow-"

"i saved your life," kylo hissed, "and you offered to repay me. get on your knees and suck my cock then since you didn't suck his."

"i-i don't know you like that," the girl stammered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

"what's your name?" kylo pried.

"cherry sauba, sir," she murmured, her eyes desperately trying to avoid kylo's hard gaze. even with the mask on, she could feel his eyes boring into her. 

"suck my cock, cherry," kylo growled, "get on your knees and repay me."

cherry obeyed, kneeling down on the ground. timidly, she placed a hand on the outline of kylo's cock, palming it through the fabric. a low, guttural groan escaped kylo's lips as she did so, encouraging her. some of her shyness dissolved as she unbuttoned kylo's pants, sliding them down his legs, his underwear too. a shaky breath left her as kylo's cock sprang free, his size massive. 

"take it," kylo gripped her head, "i know you can pretty girl."

wrapping a hand around the base, cherry pressed her lips around his tip, pumping as her tongue dragged across kylo's slit. the supreme leader groaned, his fingers lacing into her thick hair. it had been too long since kylo ren was touched like this. he no longer craved it. he needed more. 

without warning, cherry went deeper, her cheeks hollowing as her head bobbed, taking in all of kylo's throbbing cock. kylo watched in awe, as pleasure came over him in thick waves, intensifying as she went deeper and deeper, the entirety of his cock almost down her throat. 

"you're such a good girl," kylo groaned, his voice strained. for a moment, cherry caught the undertones of kylo's voice. his real voice, unfiltered by the modulator. it was deep, his tone inflected with lust.

cherry glanced up, her thick eyelashes fluttering as she continued to suck kylo's cock, feeling kylo's eyes meet hers. cherry took in all of kylo's cock, her hand fondling his balls. kylo closed his eyes, his jaw slack. he was going to cum. and he wasn't going to warn her, either. he enjoyed this too much. 

cum filled cherry's mouth, hot and thick as it went down her throat. she swallowed, a loud pop filling the alleyway as kylo's cock sprang from her mouth. a gloved hand extended, offering guidance. she took it, allowing the supreme leader to help her up. 

kylo slid his pants back on, buttoning them. without saying another word, he sauntered away, leaving cherry alone in the alleyway. however, she could still feel his presence in her thoughts as his shadow disappeared into the night. 

whoever kylo ren was, he was no wretched old man. he was young, his voice full of strength. a blush burned through cherry's cheeks as she realized the effect he had on her. never would she have gotten on her knees for a stranger. somehow, she did. and she had no idea why. 

kylo ren was a mystery. an enigma in the night. was it all a dream? cherry wasn't sure. whatever it was, it was good. too good. cherry needed to see that man again. to see what he was really like under that mask. to see if kylo ren was human. 

and she was going to stop at nothing until it she achieved her goal.

[userdokja]

The Fall | Ben Solo X Reader || Two.

Summary:  In which the reader is Poe’s best friend but doesn’t like Rey for him and Kylo has a crush on Rey. Then one day Poe and Rey get together, Kylo and the Reader helps each other to break them apart, then realizes that while they were doing it… They were falling for each other Instead.

Based on this

Warnings: Curse words, Soft Ben so this isn’t really a Kylo Ren x Reader, Fluff, My Writing and Grammar.

One || Two 

Masterlist

----

You basically stayed in the restaurant for another hour before finally coming up with something.

"We make Poe go to that bar first, and then maybe we can get someone to get his attention." He read out of the piece of tissue paper you wrote on. "And then Rey finds out."

"And then I'll make them end it in a public place so you can comfort Rey after!" You continued, and he clicked the pen so he can write it down. "This sounds like an evil stupid plan."

"An evil stupid plan that's going to work!" He slowly said as if it would stay in your mind better if he did.

"Right, so we need to test this out first."

"What do you mean test it out?" You asked him.

"We need to be the one who's going to experience what they're going to experience and see if it will work." You looked at him weirdly, which was a sign that you didn't agree. "We're going to that place anyways!"

"But-"

"No buts we're going to make this perfect." He stood up and dragged you out of you seat, and out of the restaurant.

The place looked like it was where were made, poles around the whole room and a bar in the middle.

"I hope this works, it's going to cost a hell lot of money."

"Money's not really a problem..." He mumbled, you curled your eyebrows together and was about to ask where he'll get it from, and then it clicked.

"You're related to the Solo's?" He nodded. "I don't know why I didn't get it sooner,"

"That's cool, It's good that you didn't recognize the name earlier because then we wouldn't be able to come up with this!" He grinned and looked around the empty room, "I don't think that trying it out will be a good idea, the whole place smells like alcohol."

"We should probably just call them." You agreed and walked out of the room and made your way to the stairs and started going down, "I feel like the smell's stuck on me."

"Aw man." He said.

"What?"

"It's raining." You both made your way down faster and finally saw that he was right. "We walked all the way here and my car's all the way back at the restaurant."

"We can just run for it."

"It's ten blocks away, we'd be soaking wet when we get there." He says as he stared at the rain.

"Come on, school's been stressful. It's going to be fun." You grabbed his hand and walked out of the place, letting the rain fall on the both of you. You ran like little kids and you were sure that the people you passed by thought you were weirdos or something.

"I- I'm sorry ma'am." You heard Ben say behind you, you turned around to see him picking the woman's umbrella up and giving it to her with an apologetic smile.

"What was that?" You asked him as soon as he caught up with you.

"I accidentally bumped her umbrella with my forehead." He chuckled.

"Did it hurt?" You stopped under a roof to look at his face, "It's because you're so tall."

"Just a little." He answered your first question.

"We should probably run back faster to your car." You suggested and he nodded, when you got back to his car he quickly unlocked it for you to get inside, he turned the heater up and gave you  a jacket from the backseat. "See? it was fun."

"We haven't planned everything yet. and it's already almost 10:00."

"Who cares? It's a Saturday tomorrow." You hugged the jacket closer, "Maybe you can drive around and we can talk about it more."

"We're really planning the fall of their relationship huh?" He laughed quietly before driving out of the parking lot. "The fall of Pey- or Roe... whatever it doesn't suit them anyways."

You laughed at his comment, you started driving around and talking about your plan, occasionally laughing at a joke one of you threw in to keep the conversation alive. You realized that you haven't been this carefree since school started to slowly kill you, and you barely knew the person you were with.

"Tell me more about your self, Solo."

"I came from a rich family, not really that close with my dad since he's always away for work... and there's nothing that interesting about me to tell. How about you?" He glanced at you for a second before looking back at the road.

"Nothing really exciting either."

"No boyfriend? cute boyfriend?" He joked.

"Nope, all I have is me.... and Poe, and this evil plan." You say.

"And Kylo Ren." He reminded.

"And the tall Solo boy." He scoffed at the nickname. "You know the more we talk about the plan the more childish it gets."

"To be honest, I actually agree. Maybe we're both just looking for something fun to do." He pulled over once you were in front of your building. "Maybe you can just do the normal convincing first? Tell Poe how they don't belong to each other?"

"Sounds okay, I'll try." You opened the car door and walked out, "Thank you for today, Ben."

"It wasn't nice to see a pretty girl all alone on her birthday." You smiled at his comment before closing the door. Ben waited until you walked into the doors of your building before driving away.

You walked into your apartment and almost tripped over the shoe that was laying on the ground, the whole place was dark so you opened the lights. You looked around and saw that Poe's door was wide open with the lights on, you walked in and saw that his head was on the table, his lips parted lightly as he snored.

You walked over to him and gently rubbed his shoulder to wake him up, he suddenly flinched, surprising you both.

"Hey, You need to get to your bed or else your neck will hurt tomorrow." He groaned and nodded before standing up and letting his whole body drop on his bed.

"I'm really sorry for today." he mumbled with a tired voice, "It's not that i forgot.."

"It's alright. Get some sleep." You left his room without another word and headed to your own to get some rest.

----

A/N: I’m so sorry this chapter was boring! It’s just fluff for Reader and Ben (before everything goes down- oof) but I promise there will be something happening in the next part! I’ve already written most of the series and I’m just editing some parts before I post it!

Permanent Tags: @aintnouseofpretending @just4muggles @heartbeats-wildly @katiegoddessofmischief

Star Wars Tags: @melcutie @xxsirensong

Kylo Ren Taglist: @dark-night-sky-99

Series Taglist: @jxhn-mxrphy @bookluverandmore @crazynocturnalkiki @aintnouseofpretending @i-am-lokii-of-asgard @jcc04220 @treestarrrrrrrr @thwiso @celiholland @tori719

(Just tell me if you want to be added or removed from the tags!} 

[atamascolily]

Lily liveblogs: “The Rise of Skywalker”, part one

I only made it through the first hour tonight because I had to keep pausing to yell at the screen.

"The dead speak!" Okay, but I don't get it: how do they know the Emperor isn't a recording or a hologram? Or, I don't know, someone pretending to be him like the "Hand of Thrawn" duology?

"Supreme Leader Kylo Ren" will never not be a stupid title, gag.

So the Sith wayfinder is just... there. In a forest. In a box with a conveniently removable lid. Okay, I'm going to need some context here. (Ironically, this scene was added back into the film to provide context, lol.)

I actually really like the whole "Force compass" idea, although I wouldn't have made it a plot point in my fix-it if it hadn't already been a thing.

Why the hell would you fly a TIE when you’re supreme leader, those things are shitty af.

So he's the Supreme Leader and he just... runs off to Exegol alone? No backup whatsoever?? I guess Hux or the moffs or whatever does all the actual work, lol.

What can I say? Ian McDiarmid's still got it.

10/10 for aesthetics in the evil Sith pyramid ruins. Kylo looks so out of his league.

So Kylo did actually hear Darth Vader's voice in his head.... or thought he did. Wow.Does Kylo recognize the Emperor's voice? Who knows! But the look on his face when Palpatine says he played him is priceless.

It will surprise absolutely no one that I love the secret underground evil lab with Snoke clones floating in tanks and a "Black Hooded Robes" dress code.

The throne reveal with the flickering light and the medical stuff... excellent.

Kylo's really more a follower than a leader and it shows at how quickly he's willing to serve Palpatine.

Uh, Palps, the last time someone ordered Kylo to kill Rey it didn't go well.... I can't imagine you don't know that.

Poe and Finn teaming up to play against Chewie and still losing is delightful. Also: DATING.

Who the hell is Klaud? Should I know their name? What are they doing there on the Falcon randomly?

I gotta say, I love Poe and Finn and Chewie's dynamic in the drop-off scene. Also blasting through the wall. And the aesthetic of the ice planet in general.

Lightspeed skipping's still dumb, though. Like, everybody is totally right to ream them for it.

Rey's flip to the ground when she's done meditating is perfect.

The Leia footage looks like it ought to fit, but it doesn't look right to my eyes, even if though I can't figure out what's off about it in context.

The training course run is awesome, but I can't help wondering how that hood doesn't choke her in the process or at least get in the way. Nice improvised quarterstaff there.

What the hell is this moment with touching Vader's mask and making a connection with Rey, I don't get it. It's clearly meant to be a moment. Both Kylo and Rey have flashbacks to traumatic past memories, but why right at that moment???

Ahhh, I love Connix's new look here.

why is Rey giving the saber back to Leia?? She's totally earned it several times over in the last two movies. And who else is going to use it??(And when did it get fixed, last time we saw it was split in two as a ~metaphor~ or something.)

Aww, Rey's doing her Jedi independent study with the sacred texts that ghost!Yoda told Luke were so boring he was glad that they were burning just to fuck with Luke. (Ghost!Yoda was an asshole. I am offended on Yoda’s behalf.) 

Yay for Poe and Rey interacting, but this is such a stupid conflict--or at least a stupid way to have written this kind of conflict. And yet somehow they still have more chemistry when Rey calls him "difficult" than Rey and Kylo have had in two entire films.

Why didn't Rey go on this mission again? I don't get it.

Poe's eyeroll on "Somehow, Palpatine returned" is the best.

Rose says what I'm thinking: "Do we believe this?" GOOD FOR HER.

"Dark science. Cloning." Dark Empire, here we come!

I would have bought Palpatine hiding in the Unknown Regions better if we already hadn't had Snoke hiding out there with an entirely different fleet/organization. Even assuming Snoke is Palpatine's puppet, how could Kylo not... notice?? Maybe he's just that self-absorbed. 

And they only have 16 hours before the attack. What a stupid arbitrary deadline to create suspense that ALSO makes no world-building sense. Got it.

(There are times when adding a deadline is a smart narrative choice and there are times when it is stupid. Guess which one this is.)

How does Rey connect Exegol to the books? I feel like the movie skips a step or two in explaining that.

What is Maz doing here?? I thought she was a free agent. Wouldn't it have been easier for her to bring the news from the FO mole, since she's usually the Agent of Exposition in these films?

Looks like the start of a Fetch Quest! Wow. Like I said, I really like the idea of the wayfinders, but not the execution. Also, way to shit on Luke for not finishing the job earlier.

What sort of relationship do Rey and Poe have that Poe is just casually gonna go along with her? I'm not complaining, I just would have liked to see some build-up... literally anywhere.

Finn invites Rose to come along... and she conveniently declines. WTF. I mean, there could be some UST here if you squint and I don't like this pairing, but... I don't get why she declines, except plot, I guess. 

Poe is rocking that scarf action.

Leia gives the saber back... all of Leia's scenes with Rey are literally the same. I think that's what bothers me. They just.. happen and they're all the same, because they're re-using old footage, and it doesn't quite fit the context of the narrative. And we just saw Rey give Leia the saber, so it doesn't quite pack the emotional punch it ought to when Leia gives it back so quickly before Rey has "earned" it. WASTE.

Kylo with the Knights of Ren, re-forging the mask he discarded in the last movie with the help of someone from... Planet of the Apes, I guess. Oh, hey, and there's no context or characterization for the Knights, they're just faceless background minions.

Also, WHY DO THE STORMTROOPERS CALL THEM "GHOULS"? That would actually be interesting to know why!!!

This movie is a bunch of ideas held together with duct tape and the barest streams of logic.

The moff council: most awkward meeting ever. Hux is legit trying not to laugh the entire time. Also, you can easily pick out the New Asshole Villain we're supposed to hate instead.

Kylo snaps at the one moff who actually asks a sensible question, lol, about Palpatine's ulterior motives. Kylo announces he's going to just fuck off with his biker gang to hunt for Rey, because it's not like he's Supreme Leader and actually in charge of anything...

Oh, hey, Space Burning Man. How about that. Poe actually facepalms, lol. ... How did they not notice that when they were landing??

There are just random First Order patrols on Pasaana? Really? Wouldn't they... I don't know, stand out? I need more context, this worldbuilding is so confusing.

Oh, fuck, Poe suggests they split the party, that's a terrible idea. I get that you're supposed to be a spymaster as well as a hotshot pilot, and your colleagues aren't exactly subtle, but...

All the aliens on Pasaana look like Ganesha, lol. I actually like the scene with the kid, because you can see how it pains Rey not to have a family--it's a good scene, it's just in the wrong place.

Geh. Time for more Force(d) Skype sessions with Kylo Ren, sigh.

"Serving another master?" Rey has Kylo's number 100% right there.

Oh, okay, so apparently they saw each other's worst moments in that vision sequence, got it. Still no good reason as to why, though or what Darth Vader’s mask had to do with it. 

Kylo sounds like such a stalker here. Scratch that--he IS a fucking stalker here. I don't find that attractive at all. "When I offer you my hand again, you'll take it" is a THREAT, and I want to deck him, especially since it’s very clear it will come true (but the context will have changed, which is supposed to make it okay, but is still gross to me). 

What the fuck it got worse, he actually touched her and pulled the necklace off GROSS. (Also, HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE???? Didn’t Luke die from pushing himself through space like that???)

Like how does the stormtrooper just start pointing a gun at them and nobody in the crowd notices? And nobody bats an eye when Lando shoots the stormtrooper, either. What?? And that stormtrooper was just patrolling by... himself? WHAT?

This fetch quest is SO STUPID whhhhhhyyyyyyyyy

Makes sense that Luke would hunt down a "Jedi Killer" except... what Jedi did this Ochi fucking kill? All of Luke's students died when Kylo destroyed the temple, so who was left to kill???? I DON'T GET IT. Also, is Ochi a Sith himself, or just in the employ of the Sith? NONE OF THIS MAKES SENSE.

How does Poe know where Lurch Canyon is? Do they have local planetary maps in the Falcon??

Poe would 100% know how to hotwire a speeder. But why do they have to take two of them??

How come this is the first time FINN has seen a FO stormtrooper with jetpacks? Is he mad that they never gave him one???

Personal jetpacks are one of those things that sound cool, but are actually really difficult to work with in practice, lol. I can't imagine strapping something that explosive against my back.

Wait, Rey is able to shoot out an entire craft with a small hand blaster??

Ochi's ship is just... there. On the rocks. the entire time. I guess there aren't any scavengers on Pasaana.

Conveniently, they only start sinking in the sand once the trooper is no longer firing.

"Rey, I never told you..." what?

what is the point of the exchange with General Leia to build tension wtf. But Rose is just there, I guess!  

Poe's eyeroll when Rey turns on the lightsaber and he flicks on his lamp and realizes... hers is bigger. LOL.

Poe is so jealous of Finn and Rey, it would be cute if he weren't an asshole about it. Finn's like "tell us about all the shifty stuff you do" which would make more sense if the films actually showed us spymaster stuff in action instead of just talking about it most of the time. (Yes, I know, there was that mission to get the map at the beginning of TFA, but that was... it? And also two movies ago, so hasn't played a role in character development since. FINN got the spy mission in the last film.)

that dagger is... just conveniently there, huh.

Rey gets a vision when she picks up the dagger, she is TOTALLY A PSYCHOMETRIST, fight me.

Why would you put the location of the wayfinder on a dagger, this makes no fucking sense, this fetch quest is so dumbbbbbbbbbb. Also Threepio's programming is such a STUPID OBSTACLE TO OVERCOME on so many levels gaaaaaahhhh.

We're a half-hour in, and most of the movie so far could have been cut without missing ANY of it, fuck.

Threepio yelling "Serpent!" is actually kinda funny to me, but not in this particular context.

I really love the serpent-creature-sandworm-thing and I'm just sad this side quest has so little relationship to anything in the actual main plot because THIS COULD HAVE BEEN INTERESTING. Also, convenient healing magic time! (Introduced here so it seems like less of an asspull later.)

Rey is just so casual about how she transferred a bit of her life energy to the worm. Does it come back? Is it renewable? Is this permanent? I NEED MORE CONTEXT THAT THIS. I feel like I would be hella shaken to realize I’d just done something like this.

If the Knights of Ren had any distinguishing features or personalities, I'd be more nervous about them, but no, they're just mooks with better armor.

So they just assume the FO is watching the Falcon instead of impounding it? Seems like a bold choice, but okay. And what are the Pits of Grig?

Between the lightsaber when Rey was healing the worm and her bag and staff just now, Finn is really just there to carry Rey's things, isn't he? What a WASTE. I HATE THIS SO MUCH.

And the Sith ship... just works. Hasn't been scavenged or damaged at all in years. Okay then.

Gotta admit, I love Rey wandering off into the desert, lightsaber on her belt and blaster on her side holster like a badass.

Finn says, "It's Ren," and I'm like YEAH FINN, but also.. how does he know? Lucky guess? Process of elimination. LET HIM HAVE THE FORCE YOU COWARDS.

Oh, the FO captured Chewie and now they conveniently have the dagger. Sigh. THIS STUPID FETCH QUEST.

Rey's leap over Kylo's TIE is fucking EPIC and I love it. Sadly, Kylo is not dead for some reason despite his ship fucking exploding.

Also FUCK YEAH Rey just grabbed the ship out of the SKY with the FORCE, she is not fucking around. Of course Kylo starts playing tug of war and it explodes, and everyone's devastated except there were TWO TRANSPORTS in the last shot, so I'm just like... I see what you did there.

Also, the same thing happened the LAST time Kylo and Rey tried to play tug of war with an object (the Skywalker lightsaber, which Rey re-built off-screen, so you'd be forgiven for forgetting that happened--which again, would have actually been interesting instead of all the handoffs to/from Leia) so LITERALLY NOTHING HAS CHANGED, so I don’t even understand what the writers are trying to accomplish here.

Also, why does Kylo go for the ship instead of trying to Force choke her directly?? I don't get it.

i'm sad she doesn't bring the transport down on his fucking head, lol.

Wait. Force lightning. She pulls FORCE LIGHTNING??? wtfffffffffffffff?

Where the FUCK did Kylo go while Rey's angsting over Chewie? Was he even there to begin with? What is reality in this movie? What the FUCK??? (Normally, questioning reality would be my jam, but that's not supposed to be a theme of this movie.)

Nope, he's just standing there, not attacking her, because... why?? He's scared and horny because she blasted Force Lightning, and he thinks she's about to turn it on him? (I WISH.)

And he just... lets her go... WHY????????????

Meanwhile, in an asteroid field, Finn and Rey are having a moment, and it's really sweet, and maybe it's just my shipping goggles talking, but would this pairing have been so bad? It would have been so great instead of what we're getting with Kylo. Sigh.

Rey also has a vision of the throne room of the Sith with her and Ren as emperor and empress, gag, gag, gag. John Boyega looks so sad, here, and dude, #same.

Threepio uses the word "sinful" to describe the procedure they're going to use on him, which... actually says a lot about droids in this universe and I am drowning in feels.

SO NOW THEY'RE GOING TO KIJIMI FOR THIS STUPID FETCH QUEST AAARRRRGGGHHHHH dagger macguffin blew up and this quest is still not ovvvveerrrrrr

(I actually don't hate this movie as much as I hated TLJ - this is still dumb, but it's dumb in a way that is just dumb, as opposed to TLJ, which was still dumb but trying to be clever and smart and special and sophisticated about by winking knowingly as it "subverted expectations" by shafting all of my faves. This movie doesn't have the self-awareness to wink.)

They all clasp hands and I'm supposd to feel something but I don't because the group bond doesn't feel real to me or developed or EARNED, and also Threepio rushes in to join them and they're about to shaft him (and he already had that conversation with Artoo about how Artoo was his only real friend, sob). sigggghhhhhhhh.

They only have 8 hours to save the world and it takes HOW long to fly to Kijimi in that derelict ship? Just asking.

But somebody EVVILLLL was following them the whole time, lolololol.

D-O looks like a lamp, but he and BB-8 bond over being Round Things, I guess.

Rey tries to reassure D-O that he's safe, but considering what they're going to Kijimi to do to Threepio, I'm not buying it.

(Apparently, since Han and Luke are dead, and Leia's off-limits for the moment, it's Threepio who gets shafted in this film? Sigh.)

I actually like the landscape of Kijimi, even though it feels more like Disney World with fascism and snow than an actual place. Maybe it's just because Poe looks so good in that hooded jacket.

Zorri can't resist Poe when he looks at her like that. Oscar Isaac's just that good. I literally don't know why this character is here except to provide an unncessary love interest, though.

Poe as a spice runner (aka drug smuggler) is SO STUPID and also MAKES NO SENSE WITH THE REST OF HIS ESTABLISHED BACKSTORY. Also, like... way to make the Latinx character the classic stereotype even in a futuristic space film. Like, you have to go OUT OF YOUR WAY to do that. gag

Funny that Rey doesn't ask the translator droid WHO'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER what Babu Frik says.

So Sith is a language now? Why do the Sith have their own secret language and the Jedi don't? What are the Sith in nu!canon? A culture? A cult? Is the Rule of Two still canon? WTF is even going on here??

Threepio deciding to sacrifice himself to save the world breaks my heart, especially since he's trying to console himself by calling the party his "friends". YOU DESERVED BETTER, THREEPIO, I'M SO SORRY.

Poe and Zorri are up on the rooftop... she's still wearing her helmet. I'm not sure why you cast a famous actor if you're never going to show their face, but whatever, fine. Zorii says the FO took all the kids, and she's going to the "Colonies", whatever that means. I'm not sure how that's possible, this world-building really sucks. Would they take ALL the kids? Somehow, I doubt it. Even the rich kids? What about the non-human ones? What is the FO's relationship to Kijimi, anyway??? I DON'T GET IT.

Oh, hai, another macguffin. This one's a FO captain's medallion, which lets you land anywhere. And she's just going to give it to Poe because...  he's just that hot.

Why did the Emperor put a wayfinder on ENDOR of all places. (Okay, it's not the "forest moon" of ROTJ, it's Kef Bir or something like that, but still. WTF.)

We're an hour in and this fetch quest is still GOING. WHHHHHHHHYYYYY.

I'm surprised Rey hasn't realized that Palpatine has made contact with Kylo and doesn't just fed-ex herself to him and pretend to join him so they can go visit and she can destroy Palps. I mean, that TOTALLY worked in the last film, right??? Why wouldn't she do that again???

(Alternately, there's stealing Kylo's wayfinder, which again nobody seems to consider as an option. Do they not know about that one? I'm sooooo confused.)

"Only this blade tells" is super-creepy in that robotic monotone, y'all.

There is literally NO REASON for Zorii to give up her dreams  by proxy through the medallion macguffin except that Poe is so hot. No reason at all. Sigh. SHE COULD COME WITH THEM BUT SHE DOESN'T, BECAUSE PLOT. She’s literally a living plot device instead of a character and I hate it.

[elopez7228]

Scenic Route 4/47

Read on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/18268208/chapters/43229774

Start over : https://elopez7228.tumblr.com/post/620919089893933056/scenic-route-0147

Jessica was both overjoyed and terrified when she recognized Rey’s voice over the phone. She was shouting with a mixture of glee and rage about something along the lines of worrying to death and never being happier to hear something in her life.

Noticing Jessica’s sheer levels of anxiety, Rey strategically omitted certain details. She confirmed that she had arrived safely and had spent an unforgettable night in a luxury hotel—all at Finn’s expense, of course. She also downplayed the fact that her phone had run out of battery.

On the other end of the table, Ben Solo was trying very hard to pretend that he wasn’t listening. Rey knew that he didn’t miss a single word she said. She didn’t like the idea of being indebted to him, so she cut the call short, simply asking Jessica to tell the others that she was doing just fine and was having a splendid holiday.

Except for Finn of course. Finn could go die for all she cared. In fact, she really hoped he would.

She handed the phone back to Ben, who was still pretending to be disinterested.

“Problems with the boyfriend?”

Rey narrowed her eyes, dismissing the question as inappropriate.

“None of your business. Thanks for the cellphone. How much do I owe you?”

“Your digits. Then we’re even.”

Was he actually flirting with her? Rey sighed disdainfully.

“After nearly killing me with your Monster Truck, you’re trying to flirt with me? You have some gall, don’t you? Have a nice day, and thank you for the call.”

Picking up her damaged suitcase again, she waved politely to the waitress, who waved back. Then she headed over to the door. At the shopping center, she withdrew 500 dollars in cash, some of which she used to buy an adapter and a shoulder bag. She judged the new bag to be more suited to her trek across the country than her current roller model (which wasn’t doing a whole lot off rolling anyway).

The encounter with Ben Solo kept gnawing at her. The man was both intoxicating and insufferable, like over-sharp cologne that gave you a headache and made it harder to think.  He was a bullish, arrogant show-off—and yet something about him mesmerized her. The way he chewed his lip when he was deep in thought, the constellation of beauty marks on his face, or the involuntary grace in the way he ran his fingers through his hair. It made him seem vulnerable, utterly human. A far cry from the apathetic snark he pretended to be.

Emerging from the shopping center, she peered around the corner to make sure the pickup was no longer parked there.  Reassured that it had disappeared,  she walked over to the Night Owl café in relief now that Ben Solo had left the premises.

The new customers were hipster types, likely students, clad in harem pants, plaid, and oversized glasses. They typed away on their laptops, sipping from fancy drinks graced with floating scoops of ice cream.

“Hello again, can I hang around here while I recharge my phone? Should I order something else?” She asked, approaching the waitress again.

“No need, go ahead and make yourself at home. You can stay as longs as you want. I’m sorry about that annoying customer. Are you alright?”

Manners dictated that Rey should simply have responded fine, thanks, but the words that left her lips instead were “It’s absolute hell, I want to die.”

She blushed immediately, chewing on her lip. What had possessed her to open up to a stranger?

The waitress looked up at the clock mounted on the wall.

“I’ve got some time before the lunch rush, wanna talk? I can make you some fresh squeezed orange juice, it’s loaded with vitamins, it’ll help you recharge,”

“I—well…alright. That’s kind of you. By the way, I’m Rey,”

“I’m Rose, nice to meet you. I have a feeling your trip hasn’t gone to plan. Have you been here long?”

“Since yesterday,” Rey sighed, taking the glass of orange juice that Rose offered. She plopped down onto a bench and when Rose sat across from her, she told her everything: Finn, the wedding, the annulment, Poe, Jessica, the honeymoon trip, Ben Solo and his pickup.

Rose listened attentively, occasionally nodding mhm to encourage  Rey to keep going. Finally she asked, “But how much money do you have for this trip?”

“Not much, really” Rey shrugged, “Finn and I took out a loan to pay for the wedding, but now I have to reimburse the suppliers, give back our apartment, and whatever else I have to budget for the next five years. I’m generally better off the less I spend. It wasn’t the idea of the century to go on a two-week holiday with barely a quid to spare.”

Rose pursed her lips, assessing that last sentence. “I know someone who could use your services, if you’re interested. The job will make you some cash and take you pretty close to San Francisco.”

Rey hesitated. Silent alarm bells went off in her head, a gut instinct to pull away. She responded without thinking, “Is it prostitution or something? Because even if I’m penniless that’s out of the question,”

“No, not at all! It’s completely harmless. It’s just that I don’t have time to do it because of the café and all. No one will force you into anything.”

“Is it drug trafficking? Cannabis?  That’s legal in Colorado, isn’t it? Will I make enemies in the police department?”

“No, none of that,” Rose giggled, “It’s actually just taking a car up to California. And knowing your situation, I thought you could really use a ride. But if you don’t feel like it we can figure something else out.”

“And what does that entail exactly? What’s in this car?”

Rose jotted down a number on a Night Owl business card, handing it to Rey.

“You can contact Leia Skywalker using this number, she’s a friend. She’ll explain everything. I would do it myself but like I said, I just don’t have the time. And it would be a two-way trip for me anyway. You would only be driving one way, it’s totally convenient.”

Rey slipped the card into her pocket and drained her glass, rising to her feet.

“I’ll think about it, thanks a load,”

“You’re welcome, thank you too. I hope it all works out for you…”

Rey threw her bag over her shoulder, taking out her phone, she made her way to the exit.

“Yeah, I hope so too...”

She found herself on the road again. Inside her pocket, her fingers fiddled with the glossy edges of the business card.

The thought of that card in her pocket distracted her throughout the day.

She went to the Black American West Museum on California Street, to broaden her horizons on a culturally and historically relevant fieldtrip. She didn’t retain anything however; distracted by hard realities like not knowing where she was going to sleep that night.

She ate a cheeseburger and an Oreo milkshake at this “Jack in the Box” place, where the hundreds of options at the soft drink machine left her feeling indecisive. Looking at the advertisements, this Jack fellow was an odd mascot who only appealed to American sensibilities; his prim suit contrasted comically with his ballooning head, which looked like it was decorated by a child no older than five.

She travelled on foot to the Santa Fe Art District, where she wandered without really admiring the bright murals and art galleries. It was getting late and she was feeling tired due to the lingering jet lag. She needed a room for the night.

Worn out from her day-long walk, she slumped onto a bench. It was there that she saw the poster, in the corner of a shop window across the street.

Howl at the Moon presents: Kylo & the Knights of Ren, June 30th to July 4th: Free admission

Where had she seen that name before? Kylo and the Knights? What a bizarre name, but why was it so familiar?

It dawned on her. Kylo Ren was written on the bumper sticker of that pickup. The one belonging to what’s-his-face Ben Solo. It was a rock band.

Well, then! Instead of finding a place to sleep, she had stumbled upon the perfect place to spend the evening…

When she made it through the doors at 7 PM, the place was still quiet. It was too early for the show and the scene was deserted. Rey ordered a beer and a club sandwich at the bar. Gritting her teeth, she sat down at a small, empty table in a quiet alcove. She had a good view of the stage while taking up as little space as possible. Why had she come? Objectively, she had no desire to see Ben again, the unbearable arse. And yet—and yet she was curious. If he was any good, she could ostensibly revise her judgement.

The venue filled up slowly as the music blared. The crowd was tight-knit, greeting each other with smiles and pats on the back. The drinks kept flowing all night. At first Rey thought she would garner attention, a girl sitting all alone with her beer. But the crowd thickened, and soon she was safely just another silhouette in a sea of hundreds of others.

The sound of a few stray guitar notes made her look up. The band was onstage. There were seven of them—four women and three men. Clad in that many shades of black, they left no doubt that they were a rock band. They had it all, the leather and denim, Doc Martens, miniskirts and crop tops. Their hairstyles ranged from expertly shaved to long flowing locks and intricate braids. In center stage was Ben Solo (or was it Kylo Ren?) microphone in hand. He chewed on his lip and ran his fingers through his hair, habits that Rey had already picked up on after just two encounters. He had an unusually deep, almost guttural voice—Rey would be lying if she said that her interest wasn’t piqued. The music was a perfect sort of chaos—the melodies hypnotic under the savage rhythm and relentless beat. Rey surprised herself by singing with the crowd, repeating the refrains that she hadn’t memorized yet but which descended upon her ears and lips as though they had always been there.

Realizing that she was finally smiling, Rey thought of how the past hour had rid her of her worries for the first time in a long while. It was cathartic—she felt alive again. She had no desire to leave this place, to go back out there and find a room, as common sense would dictate. She wanted nothing more than to stay there a little while longer, a carefree spirit enjoying the music as she basked in the anonymity of the crowd.

She stayed for just about the entire evening. The band descended into the crowd after the show to drink a few beers with a small group of regulars. They laughed like old friends. Rey couldn’t help but notice their guitarist. Her style was gorgeous punk, complete with an immaculate mohawk and studs in her nose and ears that contrasted beautifully with her ebony skin. She never left Ben’s side. Shoulder to shoulder, her hand on his arm, her subtle touches and accidental brushes seemed to multiply.

Stars, I’ve never seen a girl more madly in love, too bad for her that he doesn’t look like he will ever reciprocate it.

And as though it was meant to contradict her, Ben’s hand shifted to rest on the girl’s hip, subtly pulling her against him. Rey raised the beer bottle to her lips, and found herself eye to eye with him as he looked up.

He was so shocked to see her that he began looking around, perhaps to make sure that it wasn’t one of those tacky hidden camera shows. As nothing continued to happen, he got up and walked in her direction.

The guitarist let him go, but not without seeking a reason for the sudden desertion. Her eyes locked on to Rey. Suddenly, Rey felt that she hadn’t exactly made a new friend.

“Good evening! Lovely concert there, Kylo Ren,” Rey said sweetly as Ben towered over her.

“What are you doing here?”

The question could have been unexpected if she wasn’t so naively spontaneous. Rey took a large swallow of her beer.

“I saw the light and I wandered in, what a small world, right?”

“Denver is a small town. And the nighttime rock scene even is even smaller. I didn’t realize that you liked rock music.”

“Well I don’t mean to brag but I have all sorts of hobbies apart from throwing myself at moving vehicles, really. But we never got around to that. How long have you been playing?”

“A few years.”

He wasn’t talkative and Rey pursed her lips as she scratched her brain for topics of conversation. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the rather impatient guitarist and seized upon the opportunity to ask him about her.

“Lovely guitarist you’ve got there, is she your girlfriend?”

“None of your business.”

Rey took the blow. It was fair play. She finished her beer and turned to leave.

“Well, then! Alright Ben Ren, Kylo Solo, or whatever your name is, thank you for the evening—it was a memorable performance. I had a great time but I ought to leave.”

She rose and slung her bag over her shoulder again, as it caught Ben’s eye.

“New bag? You were right to buy it, your other one was completely useless.”

“Yeah, someone was nice enough to tell me that it didn’t match my outfit. Goodnight, then.”

She had only taken a few steps toward the exit when he called out behind her:

“Where will you be staying tonight, Rey from England?”

“Nowhere. I’m a free woman in the Land of the Free.”

Her response was drowned out by the voices of late-night conversations between party diehards and smokers who congregated in packs near the door. Rey was feeling lightheaded and tipsy; she took a few wobbly steps onto the sidewalk before he called her name.

“Rey, wait!”

She turned around to see Ben cutting through the crowd in her direction, as she hit the lamppost hard. I must really be drunk then, she reasoned before giving in to the darkness.

[fyrapartnersearch]

Why can't I hold all these cool stories?

CURRENT CRAVINGS: Please see this GDoc, because I have some plots I’d like to try! I’m primarily interested in original plots and characters; setting them in original worlds or fandom worlds is fine. I am not interested in playing canons other than as side characters/world filler as of right now.

DISCORD: KYLO REN AT CHILI’S#8808

  PERSONAL PREFERENCES

I’m over eighteen, and would prefer my partners are, too. This doesn’t mean I’m interested in NSFW-heavy plots; I do not write smut. It just means I’m more comfortable writing and interacting with other adults.

I consider myself to be lit-adv. I tend to enjoy partners in the lit+ category, but as long as you’re an enthusiastic and engaging partner, I don’t care about perfect grammar. I would rather write with someone just as involved and excited as I am, than I would with someone who isn't very engaging but knows exactly what to do with obscure punctuation.

I’m not interested in playing only one type of character or playing against only one type of character. I typically don’t enjoy writing with people who are only interested in playing one type of relationship dynamic or one kind of character (such as only m/f, playing the female, or m/m, playing the “bottom”). I have no problem with these dynamics or characters at all, nor do I have an issue playing against them. I just prefer more variety, compromise, and opportunity.

 OOC chatter is really important to me. I can’t write with someone that I don’t feel like I can get to know. I’m looking for friends, not a faceless reply robot. I won’t communicate over any medium but Discord. I've tried Kik, Hangouts, etc.; they just don't stick for me. If you would prefer first contact be through email, you can shoot me a quick message and your handle to jordrps@gmail.com.

I’m fine with threading in a GDoc or a server, but I will not thread over DMs. It’s difficult to have OOC chatter and the thread over the top of each other.

If you're looking for a partner that writes a reply a day without fail, that's not me. I prefer that we don't have "posting schedules” or set posting times, because I find that it turns writing into a chore. It's great if you reply immediately, and it's totally okay if you need a week to figure something out! You’re absolutely free to poke me. I’m not always the most mindful. However, I’m not going to reply every day. Three to four times a week is my frequency.

  PLOT PREFERENCES

I’m interested in both fandom and original settings, and I’m down for playing both canon characters and OCs. I don’t necessarily prefer one or the other. 

I definitely prefer canon doubling from my partners in fandom plots; I mesh better with people who do a little give-and-take when it comes to that. If you only play one canon character or only play OCs against canons and won’t play canons, I don’t think we’ll work.

I can play as many characters as needed, whether it's just one or it's six. Whatever our story calls for, I can manage that. In fact, I would love to play multiple “main” pairings so we can both get what we want, versus a single main pairing (unless it’s a pairing/dynamic we both like equally well). I find more than one facet to a plot really interesting, and multiple characters helps flesh out a story’s dimensions.

I’m absolutely interested in joining groups, so please don’t be shy about asking me to participate in plots with more than two players. So long as they don’t involve me writing sexual NSFW, we’re Gucci; everyone else writing NSFW isn’t a deal breaker for me.

Multiple threads and plots at the same time are no issue for me. In fact, I love the idea that we click so well that we just can't stop coming up with good ideas! So definitely don't be afraid to pitch something new to me, whether it's because you want to switch gears (and drop a thread for another), or want to do everything at once.

Romance is a must for me! I prefer slow and agonizing journeys to get there, but my attention is best held by romantic chemistry between characters.

I can provide writing samples upon request, though I never require them from my partner. Additionally, I have some plots written out if you're interested in that sort of thing. Otherwise, we can brainstorm together!

  FANDOMS

I’m very much a fandom player. I’m always down for AUs, or inserting our own characters into the plots of fandoms! This is in no way a complete list; never be afraid to ask if I’m into something! I’ve probably forgotten a hundred things I love. 

Most of my fandoms will have favorite canon characters listed with them, both who I like playing and playing against; you’re always welcome to ask about others not listed.* There’s a good chance I’m pretty good with them!

*I will play OCs in every fandom, but I might not play canons in every fandom.

  ALWAYS

The Bartimaeus Trilogy (Nathaniel, Kitty Jones, and Bartimaeus), DC (any Titan, Jinx, Arthur Curry, Steve Trevor, Circe, and Diana Prince), Elder Scrolls (player canons and/or OCs preferred, but feel free to ask about canons), Fallout: New Vegas and 4 (Arcade Gannon, Paladin Danse, R.J. MacCready, Arthur Maxson, Veronica Santangelo, Cait, Rose of Sharon Cassidy, and player canons), Game of Thrones (Sansa Stark, Robb Stark, Jon Snow, Cersei Lannister, Jaime Lannister, Ramsay Bolton, and Willas Tyrell), His Dark Materials (OCs preferred), Hunger Games (OCs preferred), Inception (Arthur, and Eames, but OCs preferred), Marvel (Peter Parker, Scott Lang, Bucky Barnes, Miles Morales, Loki Laufeyson, Thor Odinson, Gwen Stacy, Jean Grey, Ororo Munroe, Kitty Pryde, and Megan Gwynn), Miraculous Ladybug (Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste), The Mortal Instruments (Simon Lewis, Raphael Santiago, and Alec Lightwood), Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Annabeth Chase, Will Solace, Piper McLean, and Leo Valdez), Star Trek (Jim Kirk, Leonard McCoy, S'chn T'gai Spock, and Pavel Chekov), Star Wars (Obi Wan Kenobi, Jacen Solo, Jaina Solo, Jagged Fel, Mara Jade Skywalker, Rey Skywalker, Poe Dameron, Luke Skywalker, Boba Fett, Sintas Vel, and Ahsoka Tano), The Walking Dead (Glenn Rhee, and Negan), Warriors (Firestar, Squirrelflight, Jayfeather, and Hawkfrost)

  SOMETIMES

Boku no Hero Academia (Bakugo Katsuki, Midoriya Izuku, Shinsou Hitoshi, Kaminari Denki, Kirishima Eijiro, Todoroki Shoto, and Uraraka Ochaco), Bungou Stray Dogs (OCs preferred, but feel free to ask about canons), Digimon (OCs preferred), Dragon Age (Fenris, Cullen Rutherford, Cassandra Pentaghast, and Dorian Pavus), Final Fantasy VII (Cloud Strife, Zack Fair, Reno, and Sephiroth), Harry Potter (Narcissa Malfoy, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter, Regulus Black, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, and Luna Lovegood; play my favorite ship with me, and I'll do whatever you want, literally.), Mystic Messenger (Choi Saeyoung, Han Jumin, Kang Jaehee, and Choi Saeran), Naruto (Hatake Kakashi, Umino Iruka, Gaara, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uchiha Sasuke), Ouran High School Host Club (Ootori Kyouya, Hitachiin Hikaru, and Hitachiin Kaoru), Pokémon (Red, Blue, N, Guzma, and player canons)

  NOT SURE, BUT WILLING TO EXPLORE

Avatar: the Last Airbender (particularly Zutara), Eragon, Howl's Moving Castle, Kiznaiver, The Legend of Zelda, Soul Eater, Steven Universe, Tokyo Ghoul, Twilight, Yuri!!! on Ice

  GENRES

For the most part, I’ll genuinely play most any genre! Of course, everyone says that, but then they shoot down all your suggestions because everyone has stuff they don’t like doing. I’ll try to make this as brief as I can, and know that if something isn’t listed, but you’re pretty sure (based on everything else) that I’m into it, then definitely let me know what you’re thinking!

SETTINGS

A/B/O (I will not play only alphas for only omegas, nor will I play overly trope-y, non-con, “boys love”/"yaoi" plots.), Age of Sail, alien worlds/alien invasions, celebrity, fairytales and mythology (including “inspired by” retellings), fantasy (including medieval, urban, and high fantasy), alt-historical and modern royalty, mutants/gifted, organized crime, science fiction (especially including aliens), some historical (excluding medieval, colonial, and the Roaring Twenties/Great Depression), supernatural, Victorian (especially the London ton), post-apocalyptic

PAIRING DYNAMICS

arranged marriage (I’m always down for slinging our characters together, whether or not they want to. It’s always a bonus if their families hate each other.), enemies to lovers (I love conflict of any sort, especially romantic!), human x not-human (The not-human must be sentient.), bad guy x good guy, intellectual x emotional, captive x captured (especially when the captured is willful, annoying, and full of fight), step-siblings (I don’t play step-parents x step-kids, so please don’t ask!), status/power imbalances (such as characters being from different socioeconomic strata or different ranks/positions in an organization), celebrity x bodyguard (I’m okay with the celebrity being the son/daughter/offspring of someone famous!), famous x not famous, rivals of any sort, unwilling traveling companions, unwilling soulmates

  If any of this interests you, please feel free to reach out to me however! I'm really looking forward to hearing from you!

[thefudge]

Sorry if this sounds dramatic AF but damn if I’m still not blue AF about Kylo/Ben after watching TROS 2 days ago. We only got to see this other side of him for such a short time and even then I had some gripes about it (the pace at which he turns to the light had me going “???”). Sigh, thank god for fanfics.

aww, well i haven’t seen the movie yet (and at this rate…will i?), but i understand where you’re coming from. i always suspected they *had* to kill him off because they’d written themselves into a corner. they weren’t comfortable giving him an identity that might upset the fans (aka a death that felt earned). as always, they wanted to have it both ways. 

first off, this guy was a contradictory mess of a character. and not like good contradictory, where it’s nuanced and complicated. no, it’s just shoddy writing. there were some really important aspects regarding his backstory that were left out of the movies for some reason and shoved into the extended stuff, but when you read them they make his character make even less sense. and they kept retconning him to be more or less “evil”, depending on what they felt like selling (remember when they dropped that info about how actually, he wasn’t the one who killed the other jedi students, but tried to save them? i mean, isn’t this really important??? wtf??? hello???). so this shows that a) they couldn’t be bothered to include more individualizing details about his actions/personality because b) they wanted this character to be as vague and malleable as possible, so that when the time came, they could rewrite him to suit whatever trends disney wanted to follow. so, they never had a clear vision for him as a character because they never wanted to have a clear vision. they kept going back and forth, making him both vader and anti-vader, out of fear that the fans wouldn’t like anything they’re not familiar with. he was basically a trial-run of a character. so when the gig was over, he was shut down. they didn’t have the balls to make him a truly strong villain who could live or die on his own terms, but they didn’t let him inhabit ben solo, nor did they they let him forge his own middle path. i never really bought the idea of redemption for him, cuz adam driver plays the guy like someone who needs a fresh start. that’s why i was so excited about Grey Jedi, once upon a time, because kylo seemed to hint at the fact that you can’t “return” to a previous self and you need to forge a different path that doesn’t adhere to a jedi binary. as flawed as TLJ was in some respects, i liked kylo’s philosophy that there was no room for him to go back to his family and the resistance, even if he did “atone”. that’s why i thought he had such a complicated relationship with the name “ben solo”. that’s why i would’ve liked for him to die on his own terms, doing the right thing as kylo ren. i mean it’s sure nice to see harrison ford again…but the moment with his dad didn’t feel earned or honest. there’s more than one way to do good and acknowledge the harm you’ve done without a gimmicky “i know” moment from han solo. 

as a sidenote, i saw the clips of him after “turning” back to the “light” (sigh…) and yeah, it was rushed as hell, but i did like adam’s performance? the uptake in personality was a welcome change. there were little things in his performance that made this character far more interesting, almost like adam was still playing him as a kid not entirely comfortable with the light. so i think the feeling of regret ppl feel has more to do with the fact that his character’s potential was never quite fulfilled. killing him off COULD have been satisfying and earned if he had been a consistent person for the past three movies, and not a chess-piece they kept moving around because they had no damn clue what to do with him (this is applicable to all the characters in this new trilogy). ultimately, they played it very, very safe. so the problem isn’t him dying, but rather the execution of his entire story arc leading up to it.