#also what sparked rex changing????

[the-stove-is-divorced]

I have and I am SCREAMING IN RAGE.

Watching them now as we speak, and it's truly mind-fuckery bafflement they'll ADD commentary about how OBJECTIVELY WEIRD IT IS and then STILL DO IT ANYWAY. SO YOU KNOW IT'S WERID. YOU KNOW IT'S STUPID. AND YOU DO IT ANYWAY. Killing this ship with hammers. My bare first, even. May it implode. Why this endgame? Spare me from this agony. HOW HARD IS IT TO GIVE THEM A DECENT, CUTE SETUP?

The way the comic verison is the worst thing I've ever heard. How did we go from abysmal to still not impressive, or decent. I'm ??? I'm going to scream. I'm going to lose my mind. The rage is fresh so I'm hella more passionate rn, like WHAT? WHAT. I'm watching the third episode as I'm typing and I'm barely resisting to throw out the damn TV. When this mf was dying he thought about Eve? Y'all are not even dating. What the fuck. Not your mom? Not Oliver? Not Amber or William? Not your DAD? Even Eve's "it just makes sense!", is so... violently UN-interesting. What do they even add to each other to make them BE together? Why can't Make be single? Literally, I generally prefer my ships to be more freak x freak and with some inkling of unhinged-ness for entertainment (hannibal is a rom-com and i will die on this hill, lol), but there's nothing interesting about them TOGETHER. IT'S SO??? GENERIC AT BEST???

The way Eve has the same guilty thing going on with her parents as Mark does with his Dad and they still don't use that as a basis for their connection? Odd.

I am also going to scream because we legit had time to devote to Cecil becoming GDA director, PLUS A WHOLE MAYBE VILLAINS DO CRIME 'CAUSE CAPITALISM, but not any Mark/Eve proper buildup, ACTUAL team dynamics for anybody (we got some in s3ep3 is insane), Mark and Debbie dynamics, any exploration of Debbie as a person, which is killing me because that Cecil and Skull Lady fight slapped to me, (loved her design tho I was thinking about wedgies, lmao, nothing wrong with sexy fit it just made me snort). I am forever baffled by this show but I'm too deep to quit sjdksdkdkf. Why have all of this at once? I know episode count isn't their choice, presumably, but it all needs to slow down.

What's with Samson like you mentioned? Can he get something? Ever? Please?

Like Kate came back married and Amanda excitedly hugged her?? I was baffled. When have you guys ever been close? The snippets we get just make the previous absence feel even more jarring. Why don't we get team dynamics? I loved you mentioned Justice League in the tags 'cause that's a team (also b/c I am a Batman fan first, person second)! I know how they work, their banter, personalities, they include tidbits like Superman's birthday and what Bruce and Wonder Woman might give as a gift which add to their character! There's dynamics explored, too, it's not always a whole group.

I'd argue even showing whole new!GoG out of costume to display their fashion choices is easy way to subtly imply character. Does Kate like working out since she has to depend on her skill rather than enhanced ability? Is she sporty? Does Rex like attention grabbing wear? Neon bright colors? Would he or would he not wear a crop top. I say yes. LET THEM HANG OUT. ONCE. Like, Rex feels like the most distinctive one to me because his louder personality means they have to show dynamic, even if it's irritation or exasperation.

ART IMMUNITY IS SO FUN. Like truly the only untouchable guy in the world. No one dares lay a hand on him. He's got a thousand super hero/villain/vigilantes who need his designs. I'd like to think Nolan is so blunt and strange it's got an allure to it, like now Art has to now what his deal is because he knows everybody's deal. Art knows everybody, and everybody knows him. And yeah, Art dealing with villains all the time so he's like danger-blind to unsettling vibes, love if he wasn't exactly shocked or grieving the relationship as much post Nolan Reveal, like ah yeah, some people go rogue.

Mark is a special little guy to whole GDA LMAO. He's got that undeniable nepo baby vibe istg. The facts are the facts Cecil has meetings to intend but he's procrastinating by checking on Mark instead. Imagine the GoG truly rarely see Cecil except for alerts and are baffled Mark has frequent check-ins? Especially since they dgaf about Nolan. But truly why isn't Mark seen with them? He's not in college, and Debbie is shown to be more present than Mark is for Oliver, so what's he doing then? Like, Immortal was the outlier, and Cecil's Cecil, so?????? Why doesn't he???????

ALSO YES EXACTLY. THE FAMILY HAS TO BE WEIRD. It makes no sense why they aren't. It's like they popped into existence when the first episode began, where's the historyyyyyyyy. I demand Mark be a danger-blind, paper eating, mercury snacking, nepo baby. Give him a mentor too. Also let him be Oliver's main parent so Debbie can be a person, give her one hobby. Like does she find it difficult to care when tragedies arise? Is she strangely calm if a crisis occurs around her, or outright irritated it's happening at all? The latter is so funny.

Begging for Mark platonically interacting with literally anyone, him and Rex's "that's his fav finger :/" was everything to me. I am chronically deprived of mfs interacting.

Edit: I sound so furious but I still love and will watch this show, omg.

Also I saw mentioned in another post so I figure I'd just add here tbh, but utterly fascinated with how Oliver clearly needs a lesson in morality, like, not just being scolded and yelled at. Which I understand is part of Mark's flaw(s), his frustration and inability to explain the exact difference of when murder is okay, but I'm surprised Debbie and the GDA babysitter didn't make it a huge priority considering Cecil's worries. Heck, Debbie's and Mark's, too?

Honestly, love a fic where Cecil leaned into being a fatherly mentor figure to ensure Mark didn't go rogue, like not just check-in's or poking at the wound of Dad Issues to get Mark to comply. Including spontaneous lessons in morality or philosophy or how to strategize and put his power to use cleverly. Like, it's so strange we begin with a training session but don't really see it applied, and even Oliver seems stronger and faster than him, since Mark get stronger when enraged, but Oliver made the choice to fly faster and punch through a body? I know element of surprise but it just makes me tilt my head.

This is super long, but the yapper bug got me, haha.

While I'm not too familiar with the DCU- your batfam meta posts are intiguing- so in transfering some of the broader strokes from them- I think you tackling a 'Mark isn't Nolan's biological son' fic would be fascinating. Sort of a step to the side of the 'what if Mark never got his powers' fic that sometimes pop up in the fandom

OOOOOO chewing on this currently, hm, the much a distinct flavor of exactly what you’re talking about, but the potential for more family drama depending on WHO knows. Does Mark know?? Is he waiting every day only to be crushed? Does he confused non-Debbie features with Nolan’s? I suppose I’m not the most enthusiastic about non-power AUs, but I think there’s something very fun to explore about Mark having to settle with, if he knows all his life, he will never have powers? I think the trajectory of his dreams will obviously shift, I can see him still having that distinct fatherly idolization, but perhaps embraces being useful to the GDA? Cecil’s number one intern—only intern—curtesy of nepotism, ha! There is something tickling me about Mark taking the Robin Route/Role for the Teen Team in terms of having no powers, just insane skills, BUT there’s something way more delicious about intern Mark when s1e01 happens and Mark tries snooping around to find out the truth about what happened to his Dad.

I wonder if, with Mark having a whole another father, if they’re more or less distant relationship, depending on WHEN Nolan entered Mark’s life? Like if Debbie met Nolan later for this, or just for fun, they dated once, separated (Mark being born during then), then they happened to stumble into each others lives again and Mark’s already been born, anywhere from tween to teenager so there’s a gap in how close they are. I feel like one important aspect of the whole Family Drama is how close they’re supposed to be, a functional, loving family turned upside down? So I wonder what more distance does. I wonder how Nolan copes when his family is entirely human and he can’t project onto Mark.

I love thinking about these, omg.

[dickarchivist]

Thirsty clones

The clones I can think of right at this second as types of water

Hunter: Fiji bottled water. Prettiest label, good clean taste, belongs on Pabu

Wrecker: dragon fruit vitamin water. Water with a kick, taste great, looks great, fun at parties as well as the office

Echo: Boxed Water. Been through some shit, trapped in a box, but when released, just an absolute delight. Pure and crisp, no plastic taste. Recycled container. Doing its best.

Wolffe: That charcoal infused black water that was a fancy thing a few years ago. Intimidating, dont wanna drink it. Super good when you finally say "fuck it I need to know", and then you drink it and it changes you.

Rex: Aquafina bottled water with the wide mouth cap. Tried and true, ol' reliable. You want water on a roadtrip in the summer, you want hydration, you want Aquafina.

Fives: that purple blue and white Dixie cup with the swoosh pattern full of water cooler water. We all know why. The cup alone sparks joy, we will use the same cup a million times just because we don't want to use another. Because this cup is *our* cup. It doesn't matter the drink inside. It's the vessel.

Hardcase: Tap water. I'm giving Hardcase Tap Water because I don't know what's going on in there, and I typically have to filter his stuff to get what I want, but in certain contexts he's safe to drink.

Tup: hose water. You know there's something wrong in here, but you can't deny that cold hose water is God tier on a childhood summer day.

Tech: reverse osmosis uv light sterilized water that is then run through yet another filter. It has the most science in it.

Crosshair: rain water from a gutter. It was pure at one point, but it's long and hard journey has made it a bad sippy. With proper filtration and treatment, it will be beautiful once again, and it will be happier for it.

Omega: Dasani. Also reliable, the littlest bottle and the big bottle look the same except stretched out. A solid choice for adding flavor packets, can teach that water so much.

Fox: Bottom shelf vodka ran through a Britta pitcher to make it mid to top shelf vodka. It's been a long day of bullshit. Sometimes, the water is a lie.

[madthetruemad]

We Meet Again and Again

caelus (male mc) x reincarnated ! xiao ! m ! reader

I died. My time had finally come. I used to think I would be ok with finally having the burden taken from me... however, there are a few that I will always miss. Like Rex Lapis - er - Zhongli. And, of course..., his thoughts drifted to the blonde haired traveler who he adventured with and saved on multiple occasions.

"I probably won't see you, ever again. And that hurts even more so, than any karmic debt. But maybe .. we'll meet again, in a new life. A different life. One where, I would be more free to travel with someone .. like you, and see the stars that you traveled."

"And it shall be done."

His golden hues snapped open to reveal a vast void landscape. His body floating into the nothing. Though, that soon changed as a light engulfed him. Surrounded his entire being and cradled him gently.

"You'll meet them again, in a new life."

And everything suddenly went dark.

17 YEARS LATER

Y/n L/n lived an honest life. He stayed out of trouble, and even helped people in their time of need. He craved for a food called "Almond Tofu" but .. no one ever seemed to know what he was talking about. Even going as far as saying he dreamed of such a dish and calling it imaginary.

But y/n, oh y/n, he knew that the dish existed. It was just in another world. Or, well, another universe. A universe where his past life was. A life where he was called "Xiao."

"Y/n!"

His eyes shifted. His focus on a rather familiar group of people.

"Danheng, March, and...," his voice faltered when he looked to the third person in their party. Gray hair, gold eyes, light colored skin - y/n couldn't help but to take notice of the slight twinge of pain in his heart.

They introduced y/n to the newcomer.  Caelus .. it wasn't a name he was familiar with.

"It's .. nice to meet you. I'm Y/n L/n," he held out his hand to the taller male before him. And the moment that they fitted their palm into his hand, he felt a small spark light up between them despite the fact that they were both wearing gloves.

"Y/n," he said with a smile, as if remembering the name, "it's also nice to meet you."

Once introductions were over, Danheng grabbed y/n's attention once again.

"We're sorry for bothering, by the way, but there was actually a reason we sought you out."

"The reason being?"

"We need your help! Can you please join our party, Y/n?"

March piped up from next to Caelus and y/n couldn't help but to picture the Traveler and Paimon.

"If you really need my help, then .. I'm all yours."

He couldn't help but to soften a little at Caelus' smile.

I died back in Teyvat, and I never got to see the traveler ever again. But maybe, just maybe, there was an off chance that the one standing before me is who I've been missing the most.

"Thank you so much, and .. to get you even more on board," Caelus took out a compartment from his inventory and opened it up to reveal a certain dish that y/n never thought he would see again.

Almond Tofu.

Well, what do you know? I guess we really did meet again.

[squintyeyedjoel]

Spark in a Snowstorm (Joel x Reader)

A/N: This happened after I just had an Idea™️ that I had to get out of my system. It’s a weird hybrid of show and game Joel - I want to say mostly game Joel, but I pictured show Joel. (Make it make sense.) Also, this is the first thing I have ever written for Joel, TLoU, and spiciness, so…. We’ll just see how this goes over. 😬 (No specific age specified for reader, aside from her remembering life before the outbreak, so I leave that up to you.) No use of Y/N.

Synopsis: When patrol goes awry with a clicker attack, and you’re snowed into a safe house with your partner Joel, things are said in the midnight hours under the warm glow of firelight that offer change in the dawning light of a new day.

I do not own The Last of Us or it’s characters. Sadly. But I carry them in my heart. Does that count for something? My soul says yes.

Warnings: Tooth rotting fluff, some spice, and Joel is a warning in and of himself in this one. Typical show violence. (Brief mentions of blood) Swearing. The spice is somewhat explicit, but it’s just talking, nothing past a few words. Mention of loss. (Spoilers if you haven’t watched the show/played the game.) Ellie is a menace from a distance. Drop ins from some of our other favorite characters bc why not. Arguing? Banter. Some of Joel’s Texan accent. (You’ve been warned.) I guess kinda sorta spoilers for TLoU 2? Like if you squint? And not really??? Also, I’m so sorry if you or a loved one’s name is Liam. I’m sure you/they are lovely. It’s just a name I chose.

Word count: 7,120 (It got away from me, what can I say?)

Thank you to @fordo-kixed-rex and @grippingbeskar for your endless hours helping me over goodness knows how long since I started this, for reading this over for me and letting me know I’m not crazy, and screaming with me about this man that captured our hearts first in the form of pixels.

Xxx

His eyes were wide, scanning you from head to toe. Was he angry? The tight expression on his face gave nothing away as his eyes made another sweep.

“I-”

“Don’t.”

Your breath caught in your chest at the single word. It was low, pained, and broken.

“Joel-”

“No,” he all but whispered.

You opened your mouth to try one more time, but before you could even hardly take a breath in, he exploded.

“I said no, goddamnit!”

Both of you stared at one another with wide eyes, but for entirely different reasons. 

You watched the quiet man who only ever raised his voice in the middle of a fight, usually with infected or raiders, turn that rage against you. Taking a step back, you kept cautious eyes on him, holding your hands up in a gesture of surrender instead of trying to speak again.

He stared back at you in shock. Joel never meant to lose his cool, especially not with you, but this…. This had terrified him. He’d almost lost you. Like he’d almost lost Ellie. Like he had lost Tess. Bill and Frank. Like he had lost…. her.

Clearing his throat, he shifted his weight to one side, looking down at the ground before he turned his back to you, slinging his rifle onto his shoulder. Sniffing his nose in the cold winter air, he reached up to swipe at it with the back of his hand. “We need to get moving,” he said lowly. “The sun will be settin’ soon.”

You didn’t say a word, you just waited where you were planted. When he finally looked over his shoulder at you, staring first at your feet for a long few seconds before eventually darting his eyes up to yours, you nodded before gathering your things, pulling your own rifle across your shoulders. 

It didn’t go unnoticed, the wet smudges on the backs of Joel’s gloves as he adjusted his rifle needlessly. The tear marks leaving stains trailed in with the blood from the infected that had nearly gotten the better of the two of you not twenty minutes ago. It was almost poetic how they looked so similar, the remnants of tears and the remnants of death. After all, right now, it felt an awful lot like something close to loss between you two.

After tightening your backpack one last time, you looked back up to meet Joel’s gaze. He was staring at you blatantly, and you raised an eyebrow. “What?” You kept your voice quiet, not wanting to spook whatever tentative peace you’d found. Reaching up to touch your cheek where you knew you had clicker blood drying rapidly, you raised both brows questioningly. “Is there something on my face?”

The soft snort of disbelief he gave felt like a bolt of lightning out of the blue. A charge of something wonderful breaking the tension.

“Come on.” He turned toward the nearest safe house. You could barely hear his next words over the crunch of snow underfoot. “You’re worse than Ellie, I swear.”

Smirking, you closed a bit of the distance between you. “I’ll take that as the compliment it is.”

He groaned, shaking his head as he surveyed the tree line. “I wouldn’t. But…. Do what you want, I guess.” His voice lowered as his face fell down toward the ground. “Lord knows that’s what happened back there.”

You stumbled before stopping. “I’m sorry, what?”

Looking up at the sky, Joel groaned before turning back to face you again. “We can talk about it once we’re in the safe house. You can yell and kick and scream, whatever the hell you wanna do, but only once we’re boarded up for the night.”

Arms coming to cross over your chest, you glared at him. “You mean only once I’m trapped with you in a tinderbox for twelve-ish hours.”

“If that’s how you wanna look at it, that’s fine by me, darlin’.” He turned and began walking again, but you didn’t miss the smirk starting up his face. “Just so long as we get there to look at it.”

Xxx

Stepping into the lodge a few paces behind Joel, you let out a sigh as you let your backpack fall to the floor with a thud. 

“Lock the front door, will you?” Joel spoke as he continued away from you, further into the dark room. “I’ll double check the back. Tommy was on patrol last. He may be my brother, but his memory goes about as far as a spark in a snowstorm.”

You wrinkled your brow, pausing in your movement to set your rifle beside the front door. “Come again?”

Joel stopped, turning to face you with a sigh. “He ain’t too bright.” A smirk crawled up his features before he turned back and disappeared into the shadows without a sound.

Shaking your head, you set the rifle the rest of the way down. “I’ll be sure to pass on your sentiments once we’re back in Jackson.” Turning, you secured the front door like he’d asked before making your way over to the log book to sign the two of you in on a coffee table in front of a couch that had seen better days. Lowering to your haunches, you detailed the clicker attack before signing off. 

“Do that and I may have to kill ya,” he huffed, coming back into the room with a tight smile.

“You’re joking,” you tried after a minute, hesitant as you watched him settle in for the evening.

He sat on the couch with a groan, his words strained on the sound. “Only one way to find out.”

Pushing on your knees, you got back to your feet and back over to your pack by the front door, shaking your head in amusement. “No thanks. I’m good.”

“You sure?”

With a roll of your eyes, you huffed, leaning against the wall by your bag. “Positive.”

A lopsided smirk turned up his cheek. “Suit yourself.”

Lowering to your haunches to get your sleeping bag out, you glanced up to the large fireplace, seeing a few embers still burning from the last patrol.

Joel followed your gaze. “That should stoke right back up after we add some wood. I’ll take care of it in a minute. Just need a breather after all that…. Nonsense back there.”

You scoffed. “Nonsense?” Setting your bag back on the floor, you stayed lowered down as you stared at him incredulously. “What about me saving your life was ���nonsense’?”

He pushed off the couch with a grunt, walking toward the fire without another word. 

“Joel.” No response. “You said we could talk when we got here.”

“We’ve talked,” he mumbled as he bent over with another grunt, tossing some logs from a pile to the left into the hearth before lowering onto one knee and grabbing a nearby fire poker to better arrange the wood. “Pile’s gettin’ low. We should restock sometime tomorrow….”

“I can’t believe this,” you said under your breath, turning your eyes absently down toward your bag still in your hands.

He sighed heavily, the sound of someone who knows exactly what’s going on, but hell will freeze over before they mention it. “Can’t believe what?”

You matched him note for note. “Nothing.”

He set the fire poker down with a small clatter on the stone of the fireplace, turning to look at you over his shoulder. “No, we’re talking now. Can’t believe what?”

“You, Joel! I can’t believe you!” You’d barely let him finish before you started in, the words practically spilling out before you could think twice to catch them. 

He stood to his feet, mouth open about to say something but you didn’t let him get that far. “I saved your life back there, Joel. Your life. Me. You were about to be clicker food, and I got there just in time.” Pointing to the blood still smattered on your cheek, you took a few steps closer to him. “Do you think this is some weird new fashion trend? Did I read about it in Apocalyptic Daily? No. I- Don’t you fucking laugh.”

His growing smile wavered under your stern finger wagging close to his face, the distance between you dwindling. “I’m no-”

“Joel,” you warned, waiting until his face returned to something neutral. “I saved your fucking life, and instead of saying thank you. Instead of a simple nod and moving on…. You blame me. You yell at me.” Taking a step back, your arms hung limply at your sides. “I learned everything I know from you. I get you don’t like looking in the mirror, but don’t try and put that on me. I’m not your reflection.”

Turning to go back to your sleeping bag, you froze at Joel’s voice at your back. “That’s what scares me.”

You should have turned back to face him, but instead you looked down at your hands as you worried them in front of you absently. The silence that settled between you was heavy, stifling…. The only sound coming from the fire beginning to crackle viciously as it roared to life, consuming the new logs.

“I….” Joel’s voice began with a crack, almost blending in with the roar of the fire before he cleared his throat. “It….” He sighed. “I didn’t mean anything against you,” he finally said lowly, saying each word clearly, practically chewing on them as they came out. “It just- I saw them, then you-”

Finally turning back to him, you let out a huff. “That’s what I don’t get, Joel. You saw them. Clickers have never caused you to-”

“No. Not the clickers.” He wouldn’t meet your eyes. Finally he said softly, “Them.”

You didn’t understand until his eyes pulled back up to yours, a level of pain you’ve never seen before hidden deep underneath. 

Everyone has someone they’ve lost. That’s just a fact of the times now. This new world you all lived in showed no mercy to the ones left behind. The survivors were given nothing to stand on but broken hopes and dreams, shattered memories, and fractured hearts.

And from the look in Joel’s eyes, the rest of him was in absolute pieces on the ground. He had no lower to fall. But somehow the thought of you hurt gave him room to go further still, practically dragging him through the mud he was already stuck in.

“Oh.”

It’s all you can say. It’s all you can think to say. And it’s enough, the corner of his mouth ticking up just slightly.

“Thank you, Joel. I…. I’m fine.” He offered you the smallest nod to let you know he heard you. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry,” he cut in. “I…. I don’t handle my feelin’s well. ‘Least that’s what Ellie tells me. And Tommy. ….You…. Couple other folks‘ve mentioned it once or twice.”

Laughing softly, you went back to your sleeping bag, finally getting to set it up by the fire. “You must be tired, your Texan is slippin’,” you teased. Looking up, you saw him rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands, making you smile.

“Uh-oh,” he joked. “Next thing it’ll be the twang.”

Groaning playfully, you said, “Not the twang!”

He nodded, smiling softly. “Then it’s a bunch of ain’ts and y’alls, and probably a few sayings that’ll confuse you more than anything….”

You smirked. “Like a spark in a snowstorm?”

He smiled, a small but genuine thing, setting his sleeping bag near yours. “Nah, that’s just me.”

“I see,” you nodded in understanding, chuckling when he groaned as he lowered down to sit on his sleeping bag, close to the fire. “Get some sleep, Tex. I’ll take first watch.”

He turned to you, eyes alert but lids getting heavier by the minute the longer he sat by the warmth of the flames. “You sure?”

You smiled a genuine smile for the first time tonight. “Positive.”

A lopsided smirk turned up his cheek as he tucked into his sleeping bag with a satisfied sigh. “Suit yourself.”

Xxx

The wind howled outside the lodge, another layer of snow piling on top of all it could touch. Shadows from the flames danced over the room, painting it in crimson hues and hidden secrets just begging you to go explore.

Walking over to a mirror that barely reflected anymore, you wiped the last of the clicker blood off your face before settling back in over near the fire. After eating some jerky and a few pieces of fresh bread you’d traded for back in Jackson, you fed a few more logs to the fire before you sat beside it with your back to the wall. Watching Joel as he slept, you couldn’t help but smile, his snoring the only competition to the raging storm outside.

He began to mutter every now and again in his sleep, words you couldn’t quite make out, not quite gibberish, but still unintelligible all the same. They quickly devolved into moans, sounds of fear and pleading tumbling out of his mouth in rapid succession.

The pain, the anguish, whatever he was seeing behind his eyelids was not a place you’d want to visit. Walking over as quickly as you could, you knelt beside him soundlessly, placing a hand on his shoulder lightly. “Joel?”

No response.

Gripping him a bit tighter, you said his name a little louder. “Joel?”

Nothing. He was beginning to move around in his sleeping bag like he was trying to get away from something in his dream.

Giving his shoulder a gentle shake, you tried again. “Jo-”

His eyes shot open, and suddenly he was above you, your back to the floor with the air knocked out of you, a knife pressed dangerously close to your throat.

You watched as he took deep rapid breaths, but you didn’t dare to move. “You were dreaming, Joel,” a whisper was all you could manage before you cleared your throat softly. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

After another minute, he pulled back away from you, tucking the knife into his boot, and offering you a hand to pull you up.

Taking his hand, you studied him closely once you got to your feet. “Want to talk about it?”

“Nope.” He didn’t even let you get the question all the way out before he answered while dropping your hand so quickly you’d think you’d burned him. His eyes were on the floor as he gave a gentle shake of his head, hands on his hips while he took a few aimless steps in front of the fire.

“Okay,” you drug the word out, brows narrowed. “I’m sorry. Go back to sleep. There’s still a few more hours before we need to change shifts.”

Nodding, he wordlessly got back in his sleeping bag, turning so his back was to you.

Waiting to listen to his snoring once again, you quietly rifled through your backpack, pulling out a book you’d found to read on a recent supply run, and a crossword puzzle book that had been tucked away behind some old magazines at an abandoned gas station.

Smiling down at both of them, nostalgia began to wash over you. The book was some trashy romance thing, not really your style, but these days you couldn’t really be picky. Back before everything you’d had a massive collection of both books to read and puzzle books, not to mention all the pens and pencils your heart desired to fill them out. But they often just were added to your shelf and never touched again, saved for later, when there was more time, until one day all that time caught up with the entire world.

“That reminds me.” 

Joel’s soft voice made you whip your head up, startled out of your walk down memory lane. He’d rolled over just enough to face you, his body still angled away from you. Meeting his eyes, a silent apology was exchanged between you before he went on.

“I…. I found a stash of books on a run the other day. Great condition. Couldn’t remember what type you like to read-”

“I’m not picky,” you cut in, making him smile.

“Yes you are, but I know what you mean.” His lips twitched higher under your playful glare. “Anyway, I brought them back. They’re at my house just gatherin’ dust.”

“Don’t you want them? Or Ellie?”

He shook his head, rolling over to fully face you with a soft groan, his sleeping bag crinkling as he did. “She’s already read them cover to cover. Told me they probably weren’t, ah…. My thing.”

“What, are they smutty or something?”

“No,” he grumbled, pulling his sleeping bag tighter around his neck and chin as he snuggled in, almost looking like he was trying to hide. “But a few of them were romance, I guess, and that girl thinks she’s so funny.”

His eyes flew up to you when you couldn’t contain the chuckle that had been bubbling in your chest anymore. Holding your hands up in surrender, you tried to swallow it down. “Sorry. I just…. What is that supposed to even mean?”

Joel grunted, unamused as he remembered Ellie’s words. “I dunno. Somethin’ ‘bout how I’m old as dirt and dirt doesn’t need no love and affection, I don’t know, half the stuff that comes out of her mouth confuses me.”

You were laughing so hard no sound was coming out, your hand clutched to your stomach in an attempt to keep the loud ugly laughs from coming next. Head thrown back, you leaned to the side where you sat on the floor, almost falling all the way over.

“It’s not that funny,” Joel complained, soft laughter betraying his grumbles.

“That girl’s got your number, Joel.”

He smiled fondly, looking at nothing in particular. “And I don’t even mind.”

The sun had begun to come up, trying to warm the world back up after a night of ice. The sky was turning shades of purple and soft oranges, with a light pink starting through the higher windows as the sun began to paint the clouds in vibrant hues. 

“Well, since I’m already up, how about we just sit and watch the sunrise,” Joel offered before he yawned. “Give all that snow some time to settle before we try to go outside.”

You nodded, handing him some jerky, and after a moment of consideration, your last piece of bread, before getting up to tend the fire once more.

“It was…. I was relivin’ that night…. Again.” 

Joel spoke softly as you kneeled in front of the fire, adding new logs and rearranging them with the poker. He kept doing that, speaking deep, dark thoughts only when your back was turned. Deciding the fire needed a lot more tending than you originally thought, you stayed where you were and listened.

“I don’t know if you know…. You probably don’t, dunno how you would, now that I think about it….” You let him ramble softly as you mindlessly poked the logs with the prodder. “The night,” he cleared his throat, his voice coming back slightly stronger but just as soft. “The night everything broke down was my birthday.” 

Beginning to turn and look at him over your shoulder, you froze when you saw him stiffen slightly, turning your attention back to the flames. It’s incredibly hot this close to the source, sweat trickling down your spine, but it’s a small price to pay for the words beginning to flow over you like cool water. Something about them a noticeable weight being lifted from Joel’s shoulders, and that’s entirely worth the heat licking at your front.

“Tommy and I got out, just barely…. We had to take a few detours to get out of town, but we just made it. We had to drive by a…. A family on the side of the road. Sarah wanted to help them, but I didn’t want to chance it. Didn’t know exactly what was goin’ on, but knew I didn’t want it anywhere near my…. Near her.”

“Sarah?” You asked quietly after a moment of silence, turning your head just slightly his way so he knew you were still listening.

“My daughter,” he finally got out, voice breaking slightly. “She, um…. She didn’t make it.”

You hung your head, eyes shut tight. “Joel…. I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah. That’s what everyone says,” he grumbled, shifting his weight as he finally looked away from you and out the windows at the brightening sky.

Finally turning to face him fully, setting the fire poker down, you moved to sit a few feet from him. “No, I mean it, Joel. I can’t imagine. I’ve seen friends get infected, but not my own family, that must’ve been-”

“Didn’t get infected,” he said simply, staring out the window, the food you’d given him still in his hands, giving him something to do as he fiddled with it absently.

You cocked your head to the side. “I thought-”

“She died,” he looked at you with wide unfeeling eyes, completely detached as he continued, and it was slightly frightening, making you lean back from him just a bit. “But not from this whole mess,” he gestured around in a circle with one finger. “The military was trying to keep things contained. Detained us on the edge of town. We…. I told him we weren’t sick, but- He got orders saying it didn’t matter, and…. I guess less bodies to get infected means less infected.”

Your eyes were brimming with tears, one falling as you blinked.

“Took the shot, I tried to twist away, take the brunt, but….” His eyes filled with emotion once again, like a dam had burst, his face twisting like it was trying to contain them. “Clipped me good, but Sarah, she….” He stopped and took a shuddering breath, closing his eyes before looking at you. “Sorry, I don’t, uh, I don’t talk about this much.”

“I don’t blame you.”

He looked down at his hands where they held the food tightly, his knuckles going white with the effort, and sighed. Releasing them gingerly, he set it off to the side before turning his focus back on you. “I can count on one hand the amount of times I have, it’s just too-”

“I know,” you cut him off, reaching across your lap and taking his hand in yours. “Thank you for trusting me enough to be among those few.” Giving his hand a gentle squeeze, you smiled softly.

Joel nodded. “Figured if we were gonna be partners, you’d keep seein’ the nightmares, and it’s only fair you know why.”

You smirked. “Even after all that nonsense yesterday, you still wanna be my partner?”

“Don’t push it,” he warned playfully.

Holding your hands up once again in surrender, you leaned back, resting on your palms. “Fine. But I will take those books you mentioned, thank you very much.”

“Fine, fine. When do you want me to drop them by?”

“I’ll come pick them up after we get back on my way home.”

“Your boyfriend ain’t waitin’ on you to get home?”

“Boyfriend?”

“The one from the bar the other day. Threatened my life if you got hurt on patrol.” His voice lowered to something dark but amused. “That was real cute.”

“Oh. Him.” You sat up straight, bringing your hands to your lap and staring at them as you worried the tips of your fingers absently.

Joel huffed in amusement. “Yeah. He got a name?”

Scrunching up your face like you’d eaten something sour, you looked up at Joel through your lashes. “Liam.”

Nodding, Joel mirrored your earlier posture and leaned back on his palms with a soft grunt. “Now I know who to come after if you ever show up cryin’.”

Dropping your hands to the floor with a soft thud, you lifted your gaze to stare at him straight on, your brows flat and unamused. “He isn’t my boyfriend.”

Meanwhile his brows shot up near his hairline. “No?”

Eyes falling back down to your lap again, you began tracing the patterns in the worn wooden boards of the floor, stabbing a large knot by your knee with your finger. “No, it’s…. It was a casual thing.” You shrugged. “We went on one date at the bar and it was just…. Nothin' there.” When Joel didn’t immediately reply, you looked up to find him smirking at you, making you huff.

“He didn’t think so.”

“What?” You deadpanned.

The smirk had turned to a shit eating grin. “Boy’s smitten.”

You rolled your eyes, and hung your head. “Shut up.”

“I don’t blame him.”

Popping your head up, you watched him with narrowed eyes. “Yeah, well, it’s not gonna work.” You got to your feet, walking over toward the large windows that sat high off the ground offering an overlook of the valley below, just beginning to show up in the growing twilight. Arms crossed over your chest, you tried to contain your rapidly beating heart, hoping your partner wouldn’t notice.

Joel was beside you in an instant, catching you off guard. He’d been aloof all night, only speaking when your back was turned it seemed, but now…. Now he was looking at you with a warmth in his eyes that made you feel like you were right next to the fire all over again. The hair on the back of your neck stood on end, and a chill ran down your spine. Looking away from him and back out the window, you tried to ignore the fluttering sensation in your gut as you felt his eyes studying your face from the side.

“And why is that?” Had his voice suddenly gotten lower? Was that possible?

You shrugged. “There’s no…. Spark. He’s a nice guy, it just…. It’s not for me.”

“Ah. A spark in a snowstorm. Gotcha.”

You rolled your eyes at Joel’s smirk.

“Sure.”

Joel reached out, tracing his knuckle down the length of your arm, leaving goosebumps in his wake. When had he gotten so close?

“What about you, Joel?”

“What about me, darlin’?”

He’d called you that a handful of times, but this time felt different. Everything felt different. Since yesterday, since the nonsense, something had shifted between you, and it felt…. Electric. It was like looking at the sun, something you probably shouldn’t do- testing the waters with your patrol partner- but he was making it too damn difficult. 

Before you could just keep your distance, shoot the breeze, shit talk like the rest of ‘em, but now…. Now you noticed one too many things you liked about him, and looking at the sun or not, you weren’t inclined to look away.

Then again, you’d known him for a few months now, not well, just enough to know he was a good man. He had secrets like everyone, but that was to be expected in this day and age. Always had people around him, but never quite looked like he wanted to be there. Not like when he was with Tommy or Ellie. So when it came time for you to step up and fill a spot on patrol, and it was up to him to teach you the basics, you kept your distance. If he liked a more solitary life, that was fine. Not your place to force people on him. In fact, that was something you understood intimately. 

You’d never asked him about his home situation, his past…. You shut down anyone gossiping around you about him. It wasn’t anyone’s damn business what the new guy was like, what he did yesterday, what he said about- what was this, high school?

So when he’d sidled up to you at the bar the last few weeks to share a shot of the good stuff in silence, maybe a comment or two about the weather, nothing had shocked you more. Okay, one thing had shocked you more. He was voluntarily sitting next to you, while Ellie and Tommy were across the bar.

You’d caught a glimpse of the sun.

And you were willing to get burned.

“No one I need to worry about when I drop by for those books?”

“Like who?”

“Now you’re just bein’ a shit,” you grumbled, ignoring his slight smirk as he continued to lightly trace the length of your arm with his knuckles. “No one special waitin’ for you?”

“Special?”

“Joel Miller, don’t make me get my gun.” He chuckled. “Besides Ellie, are there any other women I need to worry about who just may shoot me for knocking on their man’s door? No girlfriend? Wife?”

He snorted a laugh, gently shaking his head. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but I hoped you knew me better than that.” His eyes flicked up to meet yours, softening when he saw your head tilted in question. “No. No one.”

“Good.” You nodded, laughing softly when he tilted his head in question like you had. “I don’t have to plot any mysterious disappearances….” His head straightened. “I’m kidding, Joel.”

“No, you’re not.”

Looking down your nose at him, the corner of your mouth twitched up. “I guess you’ll never know.”

“Hmmmm….” He hummed distractedly, watching his hand trace up your arm once again slowly. “What I do want to know is more about this Liam….”

You groaned, tossing your head back to look at the ceiling. “Back to this?”

“Does he just not understand how to give you what you want?” His voice was low, barely above a whisper, and crackled like the fire. 

The further Joel spoke, the more his accent began to slip again, and it made something lurch in your stomach with each drawl. Yes, from the little bit of Texas, but mostly because you knew that meant he was relaxing again, getting comfortable. That thought made your stomach flip all on its own. 

Swallowing roughly, you stared out the window, your own voice sounding like sandpaper. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Stepping closer, the distance between you gone, he sealed his front along your side, his lips ghosting over the shell of your ear as he spoke. “Messy. Something that’s all teeth and tongue, hands ‘n need. Somethin’ desperate.” He nipped at your ear quickly before releasing it, making you take in a sharp gasp.

His hands began to slowly circle around your hips as you leaned into him, and you felt a smile turn up his face as he leaned into your hair. “You should be with someone who’s going to take care of you. Make sure you feel good at least once, if not twice,” he angled his lips back to hover over your ear once again. “Maybe more, before even thinkin’ about himself.”

He traced lazy patterns along your hip bones, his fingers dipping dangerously low with each new swirl. “Then again, if you’re with a man who likes to eat, thinkin’ ‘bout himself is in your best interest.” He chuckled over the words. 

“What next?” You somehow managed to get out.

He sighed deeply, his chest pressing into you with the effort. “After that a good man, someone you’d be glad to find yourself in that position with, no pun intended, would make sure to…. rise to the occasion-”

“Let me guess. No pun intended?” You smiled, your eyes closed.

“Oh, pun absolutely intended,” he muttered into your neck, smiling against the skin as he maneuvered your back to rest against his chest. “In a perfect world, you’d be with someone who’d make sure your needs were met before their own, and would take their time doin’ it….” One of his hands moved lightly across your collarbone before resting there, holding you firmly to him as he mumbled in your ear once again. “But somethin’ tells me you’d feel so good, even the best men might have some trouble makin’ it that far.”

He’d been talking only when your back was turned all night, and technically now nothing had changed except the proximity. But this was something you could get used to, you thought, as a grin worked its way up your face, his warm breath teasing at your ear giving you a surge of confidence.

“A perfect world, huh?” Your voice was as breathless as you felt. “Too bad that was all shot to hell twenty odd years ago….”

“Who says we can’t try to make our own little slice of heaven?” Joel’s voice rumbled against your skin as he tucked into your neck, his new favorite spot to land. “Jackson exists, right? Can’t something a little more…. Closer to home?” His hands found their way back to your hips.

An airy laugh tumbled out of your lips before you could catch it. “And what about these best men you mentioned? The ones who might still have some trouble?”

His lips turned up against your skin, the scrape of his facial hair something new to add to a growing list of things you liked about this man. “What about ‘em?”

Before you could ask if he’s one of them, you’re startled by a rhythmic knocking on the front door, making you groan and roll your eyes. “Great timing.”

Joel chuckled into your neck as you leaned your weight back into him, his hands coming back up to rest on your waist.

“You guys okay in there?” Tommy’s voice sounded through the front door.

“Just fine, Tommy,” Joel yelled back, making you groan again and turn into his chest, tucking your face into his neck, smiling when you felt his shoulders shake in silent laughter. His arms still around you pulled you tight.

“We came to dig you out. Storm really dropped a lot this time. Should have you out soon.”

“You couldn’t’ve waited a few hours?” Joel groused, just loud enough to be heard by his brother, the smile evident in his tone, and you could feel the upturn of his lips against your hair where he rested.

After a moment of silence that practically radiated attitude, you could feel Tommy’s eye roll. “Well, I guess? I mean, sure. I’ll just leave you here for the next however long until the next patrol is set to come through- that’s what- a week? More?”

“About three days give or take,” you called through the door. “Least that’s what we’ve been doing for clicker sightings the last few times.” 

“Clickers?” Tommy breathed, then let out a low, hissed, “Shit.” His voice turned away from the door, followed by a hollow thud of something- you assumed a shovel- thumping against the wooden barrier, forgotten at the mention of infected. “Somebody, take my horse and go back to town! It’s the fastest of all of ‘em. Tell Maria we need to rearrange the patrol schedule. We’ve got clickers over here.” All was silent for a long moment before Tommy’s voice came back angrier, still speaking away from the door. “No volunteers? Fine. You. Pretty boy. What’s your name?”

You groaned when a familiar voice weakly said, “Liam.” 

Joel’s grip on your waist tightened, his chest vibrating with a low laugh that only grew louder when you pulled back slightly to look at him and reached up to playfully slap his shoulder. 

“What?” He whispered, the sound bouncing over restrained laughter.

“You know what,” you narrowed your eyebrows at him, despite the grin crawling up your face.

Tommy’s voice was a bit further away, but just as loud as he had begun to yell. “I don’t care if they saw clickers yesterday, this is now! You ride, and you ride fast back to Jackson. The town is countin’ on you.”

“Mighty fine man, that Liam.”

You rolled your eyes at Joel's mumbled comment.

Liam said something but was too far away and quiet to be heard. Another voice piped up, female, and something about it made you think of the few times you’d talked to Ellie. A small argument broke out, finally interrupted by Tommy yelling again.

“Enough! Liam, give the reins to Dina. You wanna whine and bitch about maybe possibly seein’ some infected? Meanwhile she’s just loading her gun. That’s all I wanna hear about it.” The pump action of a shotgun was heard. “Ahhhh, music to my ears.”

You snorted a laugh.

“Maybe, if you ask nicely, Dina will let you ride with her and hold your hand if things get too scary.”

Laughter went around the group outside, along with the female voice you took to be Dina muttering a soft but sarcastic, “Come on, princess. I’ll even let you ride in the back.” Which set off a whole new wave of laughter.

Grumbled curses came from Liam as the group continued to chuckle.

“No?” Dina asked in an amused tone. “Suit yourself, then.” The crunch of snow under a horse's feet came close to the door, Dina getting straight to the point once they stopped. “Where did you see the clickers?”

“Took them out by the old creek,” Joel answered, pulling you closer to him. You weren’t sure he even realized he was doing it. “Near the toy store. There were three of ‘em.”

“Any signs of more?”

Joel brought one hand up to massage between his eyes. “Couldn’t stick around to find out, the sun was settin’. Had to get here. Sorry.”

She sighed. “Okay. Thanks!”

“Be careful!” You called to her.

“Aren’t I always?” Her tone was playful as the horse began to back away from the front door.

“No,” Tommy and Joel said in unison.

Dina laughed loudly before encouraging her mount to move faster. The sound of a horse quickly accelerating into a gallop drowned out the last of the laughter from the group as the footfalls rapidly faded into the distance toward Jackson.

“Hey. Pretty boy.” Tommy said after a moment, someone grumbling at him in response.

“Liam,” the voice corrected angrily.

“Yeah, I’m not calling you that,” the younger Miller said offhandedly before continuing on, making you choke on a laugh. “Go sit under that tree and think about what you did.”

“A time out? Really?” Liam’s disbelieving tone was dry, making you scoff slightly, Joel shaking his head as his hand came back to massage the bridge of his nose again.

“You sure know how to pick ‘em,” he mumbled sarcastically.

“Oh yeah? What’s that say about you, Tex?”

Joel pulled his hand away from his face just a few inches, enough to glare down at you with knit eyebrows before raising one skeptically. “Like I said,” he mumbled, his voice a heavy drawl but sincere. “You know how to pick ‘em.”

You heard the rustle of clothing on the other side of the door from Tommy’s direction. “Would you prefer I do it my way?” And you could just picture Tommy showing off his belt lined with weapons under his coat- not that he’d ever use them like he’s suggesting, but if you’re on the wrong end of a Miller, you don’t know that. They’re terrifying sometimes- probably with a smirk. “Didn’t think so. No, I think you’d much prefer my wife’s less invasive methods.” He let out a heavy sigh. “Plus, we need someone to keep watch. Anyone gets hurt while it’s your shift? Well, even my wife don’t take kindly to that. So I’d make sure to stay extra awake if I were you.”

Tommy grumbled something about showing up with a hangover and damn newbies. “The rest of you, start digging.”

“That idiot lets anything happen to the group….” Joel began in a warning tone, muttering next to your ear.

“He’s dull, he’s not dumb, Joel.”

“Thought he had a chance with you, I’d say that’s dumb.”

With a heavy sigh, you tucked back into Joel’s chest. “Of course you would, Joel. Of course you would.”

“Anyway,” Tommy’s voice was back on the other side of the door once again, muffled but back to being pointed at the two of you, followed by the scrape of the shovel handle on the wood as he picked it back up. “Like I said, I’d leave ya here, ya fucker, but I’m really not interested in incurrin’ the wrath of a certain teenaged redhead back in town, so…. No. Sorry, Joel. You gotta come with me.”

“What about me?” You asked, feeling like starting some shit for absolutely no reason.

“What?” Tommy’s confused tone made you chuckle.

“You said Joel’s gotta come but what about me? Does nobody care what happens to poor little ole-”

“I care,” the younger Miller defended through the door. “Hell, you make the best goddamn scrambled eggs I’ve ever had.”

“So you only want me for my food, huh?”

There was a pause. “Joel?”

The man in your arms sighed. “Yeah, Tommy?”

“Sort whatever the hell is going on in there out before I get this door open. Please. I’m beggin’ ya.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Joel called back before the sounds of shovels scraping against the snow and ice sounded. Looking down at you, he mumbled, “I care, too, ya know.”

“Yeah, yeah. You just like having a drinking buddy,” you teased. “You Miller men with your food and drinks….” Shaking your head up at him, Joel grinned.

“Now. Tommy says I’ve got to sort you out….”

Leaning close to his face, you smirked as you patted his chest. “Good fucking luck.”

With a sigh, you went to pull back from Joel, but he quickly cinched his grip around you tighter. “Where do you think you’re goin’?” 

Looking up at him with an arched brow, another smirk crawled up your face when you saw nothing but amusement and mischief all over his. “I was gonna go pack.”

“We got time,” he drawled in a low, quiet voice, nuzzling his nose along the shell of your ear and into your hair.

“Let me guess, he ain’t too bright?” You mimicked his statement about Tommy from the night before with an extra affected Texan drawl for good measure, making Joel huff before smiling at you.

“Somethin’ like that,” he agreed, leaning in so his nose brushed against yours.

“I may not be too bright, but my hearing is fucking incredible, so fuck you, Joel!”

The two of you froze when Tommy began to speak, breaking out into snickers once he was done hurling insults, your foreheads resting against one another’s.

Reaching a hand up to card through the hair at the nape of his neck, you spoke lowly so only the two of you could hear. “We’ve got time.” Repeating his words, but this time with new meaning, you both grinned at each other and shared a look in understanding. 

It may be the end of the world, but this was just the beginning.

Xxx

Tags: @dilf-din, @lupinpetersclearwaterodairparker, @what-the-heckin-heck, @telarnidaniela

Wanna be tagged if/when I write any future Joel stuff? Here’s how to sign up!

[emmetverse]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMETTS/REXES!!!!!!!!!!🧡💙💚🩵 Here yall go! *I hand yall an incredibly large box wrapped in orange and green wrapping paper with a large silver bow. Inside is a mega Jenga game and a tool kit for Em, a ninja knife set and cookbook for Night, a velociraptor amiguri, sweater for charmander, and deaging power for Rex, a miniature robot body for chip, a cat tree for Emcat, a sweater, crocheted coozie, and crochet cat accessories for Buddy, medicinal herbs and vials for cleric, mechanical parts and a welding kit for threes, a large crochet brick amiguri for Sparky, and a large crochet pterodactyl amiguri for snowball. Also a large box filled with Jambalaya for all to share! A note reads, “I hope yall like your gifts! Have a splendid birthday boys! -Avi”* (I’m sorry if I missed any of the boys)

The package appeared in the center of the clearing, just like any other. It flickered in and out, colours shifting and twisting, the wrapping paper glitching across its surface.

This was normal. Things tended to 'freak out' until they were touched.

The group shared a glance.

"I'm not doing it," Buddy huffed.

Both Em and Cleric stayed silent. Nightshade didn't even bother to make eye contact.

Threes rolled his eyes and stepped forwards slowly. He was careful of getting hit by any of the flickers, but... It didn't shift as he approached. The flickering usually changed at least slightly. He couldn't help but hesitate. But... It could be food, or supplies, or...

He reached out his hand. The colours warped around where his fingers hovered. He lowered his hand to let his fingertips brush over the paper.

His entire body convulsed as the glitches attacked his arm. He lurched backwards into the sand as the box seemed to lash out at the world around it. Cleric grabbed him under the arm, helping to pull him back and away from it.

"Are you alright?!"

"I-I'm fine." He used Cleric's arm to stand. "What's happening?"

"You think I know?"

Buddy backed up a little, turning to look over his shoulder. "Er, Void?"

Em shot him a confused glance, but now wasn't the time to question it. He pulled Threes a little further away.

"Is anyone in the tower? It's a bit close.."

"Not that I know of."

"Void?!" Buddy called. "Buddy?"

Threes blinked. "Is he calling a friend, or himself?"

All of them flinched as the door to the house flew open, slamming against the wall.

"Cleric!"

Snowball's eyes were wide. His chest heaved.

The cleric let go of Threes' arm. "Snowy? What's-"

"Spark-" He pointed into the house behind him. "He's not breathing."

[fakeshibe]

Heyyyy shibe, I was curious if you remember what initially sparked your intresting in film and/or film making? And also unrelated, seen any cute animals or critters lately? Thanks!

(scroll to the end to skip to creatures!!)

oooh!! ok so, slightly long complicated answer because it was a lot of things really! I really liked watching sketch comedy on youtube as a kid and rewatched the behind the scenes on every film i could 100x over, and when my friend got an Ipad I used to BEG for us to make films and trailers on imovie everytime I was at hers.

When I got older, like high school age, art was my favourite subject and I didn't really know what I wanted to do when I graduated, but I knew I wanted it to be creative. So I made a portfolio and applied to 5 art universities. And then I got 5 rejections, because I really loved art, but my passion (and skill) is not in fine art or illustration, and my portfolio showed it. But that was a blessing in disguise!! To quote an old Scots phrase that was much repeated to me at the time "What's fir ye will nae go by ye", basically what's for you, won't pass you by. But because I had no university or college place lined up, and no apprenticeship or job lined up either, I had to do a summer course while a careers advisor tried to help me figure out what I wanted to do with my future. On that summer buisness and employability course, I had an instructor who talked about what's he'd done before choosing to change career paths to education. He'd done a film degree and told us all about what it was like to study film and work on a set and how it's a career that can really appeal to people who struggle with other jobs getting too repetitive or structured, but needing some level of structure to succeed. and that really clicked with me!

So a few weeks later, when my careers advisor asked 'Any ideas what courses you want to try and find a place on?' I immediately said film.

and that got me a place on a 1-year college course doing Film and TV Production, and in the middle of that I got a place on a residential short course through the BFI where I worked on my first fully budgeted short-film!! Then the two of them together got me a place on my current university course! and now I'm doing that and it's taking up almost every hour of the day but I love it!!! :)

also I did indeed see some cute critters, because...

I got pet rats last week!! :D

Introducing the lads: Yay and Yoker!! :D

Yay's the longer one on the left with the very defined brown/fawn coloured hooded pattern and smooth fur, he's more cautious of me but once I've given him some vegetables he gets a bit more bold and will play around a bit more. On the right is Yoker, he's got 'rex' or curly type fur and is still a hooded rat, but has a much more peachy colour so it's harder to see. Yoker is very food motivated and isn't scared of me at all anymore, if there's a pea or a cornflake being offered he will ignore any and all hazards to get to it. In that way he's much like his big brother Bruno!!

Bruno's doing good! He's kinda scared of the rats (when he goes near the cage Yoker runs up to check him out, and the speed he moves at scares Bruno so he'll go sit behind me or across the room and watch the rats from a distance). He's actually sitting under my leg right now, purring away :) He's a wee old man, so very big into sleeping, lazing around and cuddling up to me at the moment. Also don't worry, we never have the rats out when the cats nearby them, he's never shown interest in chasing small animals and he's much more interested in watching them than trying to get at them, but I understand animals have a prey drive so we're keeping them separate to be safe.

[mariacallous]

It’s been hard recently to think about anything other than the wars and humanitarian crises raging around the world. Climate change has left its mark in what was almost certainly the hottest year in human history—there were unprecedented heat waves, intensified forest fires, torrential rain, and floods like those in Libya that caused devastation after two dams burst.

But this has not stopped scientists, innovators, and decisionmakers from working on solutions to our biggest societal challenges—with success. Here is a collection of uplifting news to come out of 2023.

A powerful laser veered lightning strikes off their path

In an instant, millions of volts can damage buildings, spark fires, and harm people—unless the lightning can be redirected. An experiment with a laser beam suggests this is possible. The scientists behind it must now demonstrate that their multimillion-dollar laser would actually work better at critical sites such as airports and rocket launchpads than widely used, cheap lightning rods. Read more at Science.

Asteroid rocks and dust were brought to Earth

The first US mission to collect an asteroid sample, OSIRIS-REx, successfully returned a capsule containing granules and dust from the asteroid Bennu. Early analyses back at NASA’s lab suggest the sample is rich in carbon and water-laden minerals, the building blocks of life on Earth. Read more at WIRED.

Scientists grew mouse embryos for the first time ever in space

What would make humans a truly spacefaring species? If we could reproduce and grow outside of Earth’s atmosphere. It may be that this is possible, an experiment with mice suggests. Scientists managed to grow mouse embryos aboard the International Space Station and return them safely to Earth. Their initial growth appeared to be unaffected by the low gravity and high radiation. Read more at New Scientist.

A rare egg-laying mammal was rediscovered after decades

A species with the spines of a hedgehog, the snout of an anteater, and the feet of a mole seems hard to miss. But the long-beaked echidna Zaglossus attenboroughi—named after British naturalist David Attenborough—had remained hidden until caught on camera for the first time since it was scientifically recorded in 1961. This egg-laying mammal is known to only live in the Cyclops Mountains in the Indonesian province of Papua. Read more at Mongabay.

Countries signed a landmark treaty to protect the high seas

After almost 20 years of negotiations, members of the United Nations agreed to protect marine life in international waters—the two-thirds of the world’s oceans that lie outside of national boundaries. This legal framework enables, for example, the creation of vast marine protected areas (MPAs). It also states that “genetic resources,” such as materials from animals and plants discovered for use in pharmaceuticals or foods, should benefit society as a whole. Read more at The Guardian.

California national park bounces back after wildfire

Two years after California’s largest single wildfire burned almost 70 percent of Lassen Volcanic National Park, the ecosystem remains viable. Shrubs and grasses are growing in burned areas while fungi and insects are decomposing dead tree trunks, leading to a slow recovery. Read more at The Guardian.

Brazil’s top court rules for Indigenous rights in landmark case

A powerful agribusiness lobby tried to place time limits on Indigenous peoples’ right to land. They would have to prove they lived on the land in 1988, when Brazil’s current constitution was ratified. But many Indigenous peoples were expelled from their ancestral lands during the country’s military dictatorship, which lasted from from the 1960s to the 1980s. The Supreme Court in Brazil squashed the proposed time limit for land claims. Read more at AP News.

There could be a large reserve of hydrogen deep beneath the French ground

Hydrogen could power factories, trucks, ships, and airplanes in the future—but producing it requires a lot of energy and is expensive. But the gas also occurs naturally deep in the Earth’s crust, and researchers in France have accidentally stumbled on a potentially large deposit. Next year they plan to begin drilling to collect gas samples from depths of up to 1.8 miles. Read more at the Conversation.

The world may have crossed a solar power tipping point

A new study suggests that solar is on track to become the main source of the world’s energy by 2050—even without more ambitious climate policies being introduced. Renewables are already cheaper than fossil fuels. But in the case of solar energy, obstacles such as integration into electricity grids and financing in developing countries still need to be overcome in order for it to continue to grow as it has in recent years. Read more at the Conversation.

A new type of geothermal power plant is making the internet a little greener

A pilot plant is now helping to power Google data centers in Nevada by harnessing the Earth’s heat deep beneath it. Engineers drilled two boreholes down 7,000 feet, and then connected them by fracking, a technique that’s conventionally used in the oil and gas industry. Water sent down one borehole moves through the fracked rocks below and returns to the surface heated up via the other drilled hole. Read more at WIRED.

World’s first container ship powered by methanol completed its maiden voyage

Laura Maersk, the world’s first methanol-fueled ship, arrived in England in September—a milestone for the shipping industry, which is responsible for about 3 percent of worldwide emissions and struggling to decarbonize. Methanol can be made from food waste at landfills. Read more at the BBC.

A cheap and effective vaccine against malaria got approval

There’s now a second malaria jab that could be produced even quicker than the first and rolled out to more children. It got the thumbs up from the World Health Organization in October, two years after the first one. Malaria is the leading cause of death among children in sub-Saharan Africa. Read more at Stat News.

The largest study of migraine sufferers promises new treatment pathways

In the largest genetic study of migraines to date, researchers have identified more than three times the number of genetic risk factors previously known. This will help to better understand the biological basis of migraines and their subtypes and could speed up the search for new treatments. Read more at Science Daily.

Scientists made breakthrough in cervical cancer treatment

In a UK trial of 500 women, half received existing, cheap drugs before standard radiotherapy. The results showed that with the combined therapy, women’s risk of death or relapse fell by 35 percent. According to the researchers, this is the biggest improvement in treating this disease in over 20 years. Read more in the Independent.

Gene therapy showed early promise for children

Scientists in China reported that some children who were born deaf could hear after a gene therapy trial. Meanwhile, experiments are underway in the USA and France aimed at children with a rare form of genetic deafness. Read more at WIRED.

An implant restored walking ability for Parkinson’s patient

A man with advanced Parkinson’s disease can walk several miles again thanks to a special implant. Positioned in the lumbar region of the spinal cord, the implant sends electrical signals to his leg muscles. The scientists behind the innovation plan to carry out further trials with other patients in the coming year. Read more at SWI swissinfo.ch.

DeepMind’s new AI can predict whether a genetic mutation is likely to cause disease

Researchers at DeepMind, Google's AI company, have trained an AI model to detect DNA mutations, which could speed up the diagnosis of rare diseases. Similar to language models like ChatGPT, this model knows the sequences of amino acids in proteins and can detect anomalies. Read more at WIRED.

AI-powered prediction helped Chileans evacuate from floods

A forecasting tool from Google can predict floods in South America and other regions using a little data on the water flow of rivers, with impressive accuracy. This August, many people in Chile were able to evacuate safely and with their belongings thanks to a warning sent out two days before the flooding. Read more at Fast Company.

The Hollywood actors’ and writers’ battle against AI ended—for now

Generative AI has made it to Hollywood, and after months of strikes, both the writers and actors unions managed to negotiate guardrails on how the technology can be used in film and TV projects. AI cannot, for example, be used to write or rewrite scripts, and studios are not allowed to use scripts to train AI models without the writers’ permission. Read more at WIRED.

Lego bricks are teaching kids Braille

The iconic studs on the Lego bricks allow them to be stacked on top of each other. And now you can learn a new language while you’re at it. The company has started selling bricks with modified amounts of studs that teach the Braille alphabet. The corresponding letter or number represented by a brick’s studs are printed on each brick so that children can learn the code. Read more at TechCrunch.

[deathofacupid]

all you had to do was stay | tom holland

tw: mentions of unprescribed pills and angst. mild cursing- but like, that's in all my imagines... do i still need to put that as a warning? i'm not really sure if i'm great at writing sad stuff like this, so please lemme know if there's anything i can change or make better. as long as it's constructive criticism. (1.6k+ words). angst!

also, this song is "for taylor," and all the credit goes to liv. i do not own this song! disclaimer: not all the lyrics are listed/in order.

it was weird, you had decided, but not really. maybe somewhere deep down you had known it wasn't going to last forever. in fact, you were slightly surprised it had lasted for as long as it did.

one year, ten months, and thirteen days.

that's when he decided you just weren't good enough for him, that you weren't exciting, special, or particularly intriguing. that's how long it took. the saddest part? you were already planning something special for the two year anniversary.

four months and two days.

that's how long it's been since he's left. since you've gotten any decent sleep, eaten a good meal, or even genuinely smiled. since he broke your heart and took some of the pieces with him, and if you didn't have all the parts, how were you supposed to put it back together?

looking back in hindsight, you hadn't seen it coming. every "i love you" he uttered, you thought was true. you believed it and kept it close to your heart, as if those words were the only things keeping you going.

tell me why i thought we were happy i felt the sparks fly

standing there in the empty park, you let the tears cascade down your cheeks, grateful that there wasn't anyone there. it was the same place he tried to let you down softly, telling you that it simply wasn't working. something about clashing schedules. bullshit.

the second he said the words "break up," it was like everything stopped. as if the hands of time themselves didn't know what to do with the world, and so froze there delicately. he had been odd the last couple of days, and you were so stupidly naive to think he may have been proposing to you. it made so much sense to you, the picnic date, stuttering, tripping over his words.

it burned your insides, like whatever was left of your heart was on fire, and there was that funny feeling in your stomach. not the feeling you got when you used to think of him, because those were light and airy butterflies. these were angry t-rexes, rampaging around. it felt like crushed, sharp pieces of glass were scratching your throat, with every breath you took.

everything hurt to do, and even the smallest things reminded you of him.

but now I'm right where you left me i felt it babe like midnight rain our love story began to change

you exhaled through your nose, trying to calm down. your head was pounding and all you wanted to do was sleep. but no amount of unprescribed sleeping pills would push away the intrusive thoughts that poked at your head, constantly reminding you of what the two of you could have been.

it wasn't like you didn't try to make time for tom.

because you did. so much. was it fair to pin it all on yourself? or were the clashing schedules just an excuse for something else? maybe he found someone else. someone better.

at work, perhaps. a pretty actress, one with long legs, beautiful hair, deep eyes, and clear skin. someone who could make him laugh relentlessly, and never gave him a hard time. they didn't fight, or disagree, and had the same movie preference. the two would share playlists or songs, and of course they'd share aux. they would cuddle at night, and whisper sweet nothings to each other before falling asleep, intertwined together. and best of all, they'd never have to worry about making time for each other because they would be on set together so much.

all he had to do was be there. to love you, and if that was strong enough, then everything would have worked out. why? because it had to. or was your love not enough for both you and him? in that case, was it your fault, or his?

all you had to do was stay your name was on my heart but now it's just erased all that left is just a blank space and all you had to do was stay, stay, stay

all you had left consisted of two of his old sweatshirts, that you still hadn't washed or worn, afraid that his scent would leave, and memories. sweet nothings that swirled around in your brain, leaving nothing but a migraine in the end, alongside a heavy heart. one so full of pain and sorrow, it felt as if it was pulling you down.

it was unfair, you thought, that one person could do all this damage.

i thought we had something now its a sweet nothing it's time to go i never saw it coming

and then he had the impudence to ask if they could "still be friends." how can you be just friends with someone you've kissed with so much passion? seen things, that friends haven't, or done things? how can you push all those old feelings away, like they never even existed in the first place? how do you play pretend like that?

so you said no. you told him the truth, that you weren't sure you could do that. and through the disappointment, you saw that he understood. and you were honestly shocked that you had found any words at all. you were crying the second that he had said those words, and instantly left. he had called your name as you walked away, hiding at the back of a pharmacy as you waited for the uber you called to pick you up.

it was funny to think about. not "haha" funny, but a bittersweet, dreadful funny. that the last kiss you had was the morning he broke up with you. really, it was just a simple peck since he hadn't been too touchy the last couple of days. but you realized that that was your last kiss with him, and it wouldn't ever happen again. 

that was it. that was all.

the story of us has an end our last kiss won't happen again

you laid there in bed, gasping and panting as you woke up from another nightmare. or more accurately, a memory. something that had already happened. but you would've preferred a nightmare instead. this was just an ugly reminder of what was. you hadn't been in contact with him lately, but you knew he thought of you.

how do you just date someone for almost two years and then forget about them?

you were sure that he thought of you. that he dreamed of you, too.

but were they nightmares like yours? painful and miserable, happy turned sad?

i bet you think about me i bet I'm still in your wildest dreams

and then one day came, where you sat in a coffee shop, frustrated that you accidently got his order instead of your own. sitting there at a two person table with a disgustingly plain black coffee, you reached a conclusion.

that it wasn't your fault. and that you wouldn't spend anymore months lying in bed sobbing and holding his jacket to your face, upset that you couldn't do more.

yes, you'd probably have breakdowns over him from time to time, but you were done blaming yourself. how would you live like that, with utter self-deprecation eating away at you? it wasn't healthy.

you weren't saying that you were over him, but this was a start. not quite acceptance, but you were slowly starting to greet it. you also hoped that he didn't blame you for this. because if anything, it was more his fault then yours. then why did you feel guilty blaming him? honestly, that didn't feel right either.

and when you're reminiscing you can blame yourself but don't blame me this love is tragic, baby

sitting on your bed, you held a book in your lap, one that had been worn out, being read so many times. you were reading the pages, but you weren't taking them in. just looking at the words, skimming across them. beside you, your phone dinged with a notification, with an update on your boy- ex-boyfriend, it was nothing but a new article. and you hated yourself for opening it. 

there was a picture at the top, one of him kissing a girl on a walk where you used to take out tessa with him. warm saliva coated your tongue and you felt a strangled sob rise up your chest, and you scrolled further down, browsing the words.

a mix of "new girlfriend" and "what about y/n?" was all that needed to be summarized. so you scrolled further down, into the comment section.

user 1

I 

oml that's fucking zendaya

user 2

I

wasnt he dating y/n

user 3

I

cheating??

user 1 (replying to user 3)

I

idk kinda makes sense theyre on the same set so

and in verbatim, that was it. you hadn't bothered to read more, because at that point, ugly cries were already taking over and with the tears that blurred your eyes, you couldn't see anyways.

she won't love you like the way I loved you belong with me

it was a putrid thought, not one you should've had, but you couldn't help but think it. you would always feel that way, and nothing would change it. to you, he would always be yours. and he'd forever hold a part of you, and you'd come to realization with the fact you didn't want that part back. he could have it. tom could have it.

it could have worked. maybe. but that's all it'd ever be. a lingering thought in your head, swirling around, with no other home.

all you had to do was stay your name was on my heart but now its just erased all that left is just a blank space and all you had to do was stay stay, stay, stay

all he had to do was stay.

[figjelly]

I started When the Stars Alight right before a nasty fall that left me with a broken hand and cracked face. This was how my journey to Camilla Andrew’s world began. Put on bed rest, I needed an escape and what a welcome journey it was. Let's talk about the first book in The Essence of the Equinox series.

Our protagonists are a star made flesh and a Fabio for monster fuckers (monsterfuckers? I need Merriam-Webster and/or Oxford to comment). The star is a princess named Laila and her life is as light as a ton of feathers. Light as a breeze, Laila floats through life under a tremendous amount of pressure from her mother but she puts on a good face. One day, a curiosity from the sea falls into Laila’s lap. A monstrous man frozen in ice kickstarts multiple deaths and Laila’s journey to a bleak and desperate land. Despite the unrelenting wilds and government officials, Laila presses onward. Darius Calantis, bastard son of the rex and brother to Laila’s iceman is our other POV. He spends his days having politically strategic sex and musing about life after death (in a disturbingly hands-on way). Their liaisons spark political intrigue and sexual tension so thick that not even immortality can guarantee a deathless life.

Andrew loves this world, these characters, and this story. The affection is spilled on each page, every detail carefully crafted. Minor characters (I’m pointing directly at you, Dr. Emika Hariken) make me want more stories where I learn more about them, their lives, and the people around them. Laila is the star (there is a point where puns jump the shark and this is it) but not everything revolves around her. Everyone feels real. The stakes are terrifying for the reader as well as the characters. 

I finally understood that this book was not for the faint of heart when I realized Andrew had stealthily, in plain sight, placed reminders that while I really wanted to see Laila bang it out with Darius there were marginalized and disenfranchised peoples who were being casually conscripted to serve a royal family. I am purposefully downplaying the horrors that are packed into “casually” and “conscripted” and “serve.” Unfortunately, one of my favorite scenes of the book is when you realize Andrew is an honest and genuine author. When she writes of the Solarites, the living stars, I was too dazzled by the idea of twinkling lights in a rich night sky and making wishes on shooting stars that I forgot that stars are controlled thermonuclear fusion reactors. As I read everything else in this series, I will not forget that again.

While all the characters feel properly motivated and fleshed out, there are times where the POV changes feel a bit breakneck. As Laila’s perspective and thoughts get reported to us, once in a while her lightguard Lyra will pop in with an opinion or we’ll even get the author jumping in with a bit of commentary about the events transpiring. This did not affect my ability to read the story, follow the narrative, or enjoy my time with the book. These seemingly parenthetical interruptions were far and few between and, at most, would simply cause me to double take before getting back to the story. If a reader is a stickler for details, there might be some conflict between them and Laila. Laila’s skill sets and way of thinking are more flexible and go-with-the-flow at any given moment. As a self-identified Type A personality myself there were a few times where I had to take a step back and recognize that perhaps Andrew did too good of a job at creating a Type B personality specifically crafted to drive me up a wall. Fortunately, Andrew also does a phenomenal job at writing Laila as someone I can sympathize with. 

It would have been easy to phone in a standard romantasy fare. As someone who unabashedly loves a good dark romance with fantasy world window dressing, I’m a sucker for a lead who at first falls for The Obvious Choice but as the story goes on we realize, “Oh no, it would be WAY hotter if they ended up with the serial killer cannibal.” No shade, no judgment. But what makes When the Stars Alight unique for me is Andrew’s ability to create characters and a world I now think about on a regular basis. Her writing style and voice are striking. There are snippets of description and dialogue that are so evocative that I hate how good it is (let’s talk about how Mortos wants to EAT EAT EAT from the soil to the soul, I’m on discord). This book also gives me what I crave for single entries in a series: the book can satisfactorily stand on its own if I decide not to go any further. No matter my feelings towards a book’s contents, I’m a sucker for an author who has a vision and then understands they need to package it nicely for others. Cliffhangers are for box office cash cows and my nephrologist says I need to monitor my dairy intake. Being able to gobble up a story guilt-free and fully satiated is a true treat.

So, the big question: should you read When the Stars Alight by Camilla Andrew? I don’t know. I’m not your mom. If you don’t like political stories, fantasy stories, sexy stories, or horrific stories, then it’s not something I’d recommend to you just because you’re not the target audience. If you’re down for anything, then absolutely read this book. Even if you don’t get into the series or the short stories that are connected to it, Andrew has given me some respite from books usually recommended to me (about a month ago while I was serving wine to some customers, I was recommended Kristin Hannah’s The Women and Brynne Weaver’s Ruinous Love trilogy. Both are solid reads, just classic comforts for a voracious reader like myself). Sometimes, a reader’s motivation can be to support independent authors and, if that’s the case, you don’t get any more indie than a black woman self-publishing a political sci-fantasy story. 

Also, the smut is REAL good.   Stars: 4.5/5 TLDR: Literal star girl becomes a diplomat to a land where no light shines. She can seduce but can she survive?

[thementalloth-cat]

Captain Rex x GN!Reader {part one}

AN!: Reader is a medic for the 501st and has a fat ass crush on Rex, but of course nobody knows. [at least not yet! ;)] Also, this is my first fic! I'm open to constructive criticism so feel free to lmk if there's more I can improve on! Summary: As transmissions are received, a dire mission is begun to protect the Republic and quite possibly end the war. As assignments are given out your hope sparks up at the chance of a night out with your favorite captain, even if it's just for a mission, you'd be able to be closer than ever with him. word count: 433

Although it was a relatively easy mission, it was dangerous, and you really couldn’t get past the task of it. As the end of the year creeps up on Coruscant, so does the ball. Every year’s end, Coruscant would host a galaxy wide ball, celebrating the victories and positive happenings of the year. But this year would have a change, a masquerade ball with guests, guests who could be anyone.

After a recent mission to Felucia, General Skywalker and Echo had found a way to track Separatist transmissions and somehow the system still goes un-noticed. After monitoring transmissions for what seemed like months, Ahsoka and Barriss had managed to find a transmission between Count Dooku and Asajj Ventress about word of a masquerade ball happening on Coruscant, which would let relatively anyone in. Ahsoka and Barriss immediately caught onto the plan and told the rest of the Jedi Council. Asajj Ventress would be infiltrating the ball, along with another partner, and sabotaging the systems and sending out a full-on attack on Coruscant while the infamous General Grievous would kidnap the chancellor. Due to the severity of the situation the council collectively made the decision to have a few jedi and clones go undercover to stop the ambush. Jedi Quinlan Voss, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Ahsoka Tano would go undercover as attendees to the ball.

General Skywalker and General Kenobi decided to take their best men to go with them, due to their excellent blaster and battle skills, which would come in handy when, if the fight broke out.

As the word of the mission reached the Barracks your body flooded with excitement, then you reminded yourself: you’re just a medic they wouldn’t pick you out of anyone. As General Skywalker Addressed the men you got lost in your thoughts, He was sure to be paired with Ahsoka. After all, they had fought together for ages, so why would you be chosen? General Skywalker and General Kenobi called you over to the war room, where you would be given an assignment. “Wait-‘ you thought. ‘Why am I getting assigned a job? Your heart skipped a beat as you dreamed of the opportunity of going on an undercover mission, let alone with him.

 You entered the war room and saw General Skywalker, General Kenobi, Rex, Fives, Echo, Cody, Waxer, and boil staring at you. You hadn’t realized it, but they sure did. Unknowingly, your cheeks were a perfect lookalike shade of Meiloorun juice, and your face adorned with a bright smile. “Looks like someone ready for the mission. Let’s get started.” Began General Skywalker.

[somestorythoughts]

No Chips Fic

Okay so there's this fic about an au where the clones were raised to betray the jedi and change their minds and I have, not whole fic but a handful of conversations for it:

Rex is three very alcoholic cocktails in when Bly thumps down next to him with a beer and promptly faceplants into the table. "Mood." "She mourns our brothers when they die." Bly replies, barely coherent over the music and noisy brothers. "She mourns them with us and she found a way to get us those medical supplies when an admiral was stonewalling and she's freaking gorgeous on top of it - how am I supposed to handle this Rex??" "Don't ask me. I've got the crazy one remember?" He downs his drink. "Skywalker's supposed to be the non-traitor right? But he's crazy. I'm serious Bly. Completely batshit insane." "What'd he do this time?" The account of Skywalker's recent shenanigans (as if the 501st are not also somewhat crazy) is interrupted by Wolffe, Cody, and both Stone and Thorn as well joining them with their own drinks. Rex raises an eyebrow, mildly impressed that 2 Corrie Commanders managed to join, and asks "So have you thought about it?" "We're not fully convinced yet." Stone raises his hands as they start venting. "Cool it! We won't fight you alright!" He glares till they settle down, and continues "We aren't sure about your Jedi. But if you all decide, with absolute certainty, that this is the path you're going to take, we'll either back you or stay out of your way. Okay?" Bly lifts his head to say that's not good enough, catches sight of the bruising around Stone's eye, and changes his mind. "Maybe we should find you a Jedi. So you can see what we're talking about and get some extra protection." Both Corries snort and tell them that at the rate the Jedi seem to be going they'll get themselves all killed first because they're all idiots, which sparks an immediate argument over who's Jedi has done the craziest thing lately, and that's how they pass the rest of the night.

......

The next time they manage to get a bunch of commanders at 79s on the same night Fox and Thorn are there, and Fox is facedown on the table cursing under his breath. Bly grins like a shark and says "My general tells me you got a jedi?" "He's insane Bly. Completely insane." "Actually he's only mildly crazy." Thorn adds, pinning the hand that reaches up blindly to smack him. "Fox just says he's insane because he keeps flirting with-" Fox lungs but fails to stop Thorn up. "him and it makes Fox blush." Their brothers are all laughing like the little shits they are and Fox slumps down planning vengeance. "He's not that smooth." "You were redder than your paint!" Thorn does not dodge that smack and Cody grins and says "So you get it now?" Fox stares at him. "We pulled him out of a garbage bin. Four days later he found came across a Senator about to beat a Guard and got the Guard to us safely. That Senator showed up in the hospital the next day with four broken bones and no idea who put him there. So yeah, I get it. We're officially joining you in the "keep the Jedi alive and fuck the Sith plan." "I'm not sure that's what we're calling it." Cody mused and Fox threw his empty glass at him.

......

Cody hears the alert that signals a priority message and checks his secure comm. All the commanders and captains have one, they needed a way to communicate privately. Fox: Hey. You know the Sith who placed that order for us? The guy who promised when the war was over and we'd killed all the Jedi we'd be free? Oh boy. That was Fox's "I'm taking the time to say this because I'm pissed off voice." That was never good. Fox: ITS THE FUCKING CHANCELLOR. Cody freezes. Fox has attached evidence because of course he has, and the other commander is nothing if not thorough, so Fox has attached not only his evidence but also evidence of every time Palpatine has done some legal thing that would prolong the war, or voted against giving them rights. Alright. They need to rework their plans. Yesterday.

......

Here's the thing to understand. The clones never exactly trusted the Sith. A lot of them believed him when he set the deal out, but there were definitely some laying out back up plans and what-ifs and no one ever said anything about it because sure, they had a deal, but they only trusted their brothers. No one else. And sure, not every trooper trusts their Jedi generals, but they all hear about how General Koon found a replacement eye for Commander Wolffe, or how General Windu goes back for his injured troopers, or other stories. And even without that, they'll side with their brothers before they side with a Sith who put them in a war that's killing them. And when they find out that the Sith is the Chancellor who clearly has no intent of giving them their rights? Well, let's just say that was a mistake on Palpatine's part.

[justanotherpersonsuniverse]

barking barking, ok so i am rereading a bit of the last chapter and the things i had noted last time so that i remember everything that happened but after that i am loose

having an awful idea to listen to the guitar solo of freebird on repeat as i read this.... i am going to do it there is a rotating rat on the 10 hours version i found, wonderful

SO UH THIS IS MASSIVE SORRY ALSO SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T READ CAPS LOVELY NEWEST CHAPTER SCROLL PAST THIS VERY FAST IT MAY TAKE A WHILE. THE READ MORE BUTTON DOESN'T WORK IN ASKS SO SORRY

(i refuse to edit it this time, it took me like. a while last time and this is even longer, so you also get the incomprehensible pieces and no added notes to explain what i meant <3 (also a lot more '<3' this time. not sure why))

MORE CROWS rrr, they are important i know it

the way panthera is surrounded by cats and crows is interesting... like its an amusing visual but also really kick ass if you frame it in your mind right

yes, i enjoy that juleka is confronting ladybug on how she leads, especially considering that we know for sure they are inexperienced, yes i like this conversation

ooo, this is interesting, dust all kicked up focussing on different senses...very fun, always interesting to see how they can rely on things other than sight

woahhh, the staff lets off green sparks?? its made of copper <3 wait i looked it up and... aluminium makes green fire too? huh? this isn't important <33

awesome visual tho

YEAH BEAT HIS ASS BRO roger cop my beloathed <3

massive baby guy would be scary...

yay! teamwork! carapace and panthera woohoo

gonna be honest free birds outro on loop is really setting the mood for fighting for me

stop making me google things cap... t-rexes were apparently in the "late cretaceous" like ok thanks movie franchise for lying to me ig

Rena- this is amazing- she would record that. wonderful descriptors <33

No <3 i do not need the heartbreak of juleka v akumatised rose again <3 stop it <3 you hurt me <3

oh thank god-

this mantra of "calm yourself" is intriguing, i think its not going to work <3 let her go ape shit please

YOO PRINCE SHINING?? NOO

THIS IS BAD ASS THO

HA AND DOWN HE GOES

she's gonna turn this car around road trip with them when?? it can be a well deserved break <3 i am pitching this idea cap <3 this is what i would like and i would like it very much (i kid, its just amusing to me)

no because. because. alya nino and chloe are still able to have fun in a fight and. and- juleka is over here like a war veteran while marinette is trying to corral them all and- upset now

oh no juleka blacked out?? oh dear...

chlolix crumbs... wonderful... (to be honest with you, searching through the chlolix ship tag years ago was why i found these fics, so i love to see them but i am so attached to the story now <33)

OO? violence in your heart juleka?? maim and kill him you say?? good idea <3

“Miss me?” He grinned maliciously. “No, whore.” Queen Bee scowled at her side. i am actually losing it this is the funniest thing i have seen today-

ooo dark cupid being used to farm akumas... this is reminding me of minecraft and zombie villager farming to get the best trades, i can see the video titles now "this hack will TRIPLE your akuma production in just three EASY steps" <- unsure what this is but it happened in my brain, so there you go <3

i do like the idea of dark cupids powers being used tactically like this, i enjoy how its thought out critically when an akuma has an obviously helpful / game changing power

</3 "ma, i'm so exhausted" you are so cruel

AUGH WHAT NO ough rena got got by kim...

marinette kiss her quick

ough emotional

imma be honest for a hot second i thought juleka got hit by dark cupids arrow which i was fascinated by the idea of, however i think if she is to lose self control it would be more interesting if it was due to circumstances than mind altering magic

??? interesting, "there was- for a flash- a blackness that seemed to writhe like a bubbling mass of ink up her fingers—!" curious...

D: chloe... :(

augh my heart... they all got got protecting each other...

YOUR EVIL THIS IS UPSETTING ME

um hello?? who is speaking to her in bold?? am i dumb for not knowing?? girly is hearing voices

kill him!

gigantitan baby cult...

alternate universe where neither of them remember any of the old akumas names and at one point one of the akumas is so offended by the idea of being forgettable its enough of a distraction to get them

not me trying to think about whether a wish could actually be beneficial in any overall capacity using the rules we were given because hawkmoth is saying it would be...

no but why is the fact that akumatised queen bee is just sad making me so upset-

this is such a fucking big chapter jesus christ-

"nicking her ear and taking out one of her piercings" make her design look like gargamels cat azrael 2k18

(thats the wrong year. uh. shhh thats just the auto fill in my head when i say 2k)

hawky boy has gone off the edge of sanity hasn't 'e...

WOAH ONE ON ONE?? OWHUWO

OH NO ITS GOING BADLY

ohno that guy in bold is back at it again being ominous as fuck ohh i am dumb its plagg. yeah that tracks i am but a silly guy

ooo is it happening? is she doing the thing??

YOO THAT WAS BETTER THAN WHAT I THOUGHT OF THAT WAS BADASS YOO??

OUHTFHEDW

really did a bilbo catching the one ring on his finger and turning invisible right when gollum was boutta catch him tense vibes moment i would describe this better but i must get back to reading this was awesome

OOO SHE DID END UP BEING CALM IT WORKED WOHDANW4FIBBDE

THIS IS BAD COMMENTARY I AM EXCITED OK??

augjh=gtfreinig4fgrninib4frnedw

the way that i'm insane for the idea that someone recorded this fight and everyone ends up seeing panthera being a fucking badass has me insane...

mmmm switching the music to metallica

oh that was the right decision perfect base drop timing for what i was reading

ough awoog wibnefr, insane for the way that she is not referring to herself as human rn

awwybgfwei bgyrfned insane for all of this actually

THIS WAS SO FUCKING COOL JESUS CHRIST OH MY GOD ABHWEBHUUNERI I WISH I COULD SHAKE YOU BY THE SHOULDERS AND EXPLAIN ARTICULATELY EVERY DETAIL I LOVED BUT ALAS ALL I CAN DO IS KEYBOARD SMASH AT YOU ACROSS THE INTERNET

love carapce actually <3

“You suck bro. Take an L dude, take an L.” “HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO ME– THIS IS MY MOMENT-” “IT’S A RANDOM FUCKING FRIDAY DUDE IT IS JUST A FRIDAY!” Carapace shouted, so frustrated, pinching his fingers together at the man. “YOU’VE WASTED SO MUCH TIME! GET A JOB!” love this so much actually

YO I FORGOT ABOUT MAYURA AND YOU FUCKING NAMED THE CHAPTER AFTER HER BRO

What a wonderful power, she thought. To protect, instead of hurt. stab in the heart why don't you

“HEY LADYBUG WE FOUND A BROKEN STICK!” “I FOUND IT FIRST ACTUALLY!” “I FOUND A FEATHER!” The two simply sighed love them all so dearly actually <3

awoog wiubfrne, whub?? juleka babe girly darling why are you still injured???? ough it was because of the metallica moment (<3 i have my own name for it, the songs i listened to while that was happening was Battery and Master of puppets btw)

well course it didn't heal from the cure, they are exact opposites so their direct effects would cancel out. like a plus and a minus, idiot

Apparently Rose might’ve fought Adam in a random parking lot that they had ended up in because she thought he might’ve hurt her during the attack so.. HWJB4IFE HA she would do that wouldn't she?

“Meh, it happens.” alix??? this is such a hilariously chill response??

nriew more chlolix crumbs...

Alix defended herself passionately, throwing up her hands as icing laid smeared on her lips. She paused for a moment, as Chloe half-heartedly wiped a bit off before continuing THATS GAY GAYY THEY ARE GAY A3WDWEUI sorry i got a bit excited there.

“Don’t worry, I won’t disappear.” “…Sometimes I–” “Yes?” Juleka pepped up. Rose paused and seemingly waved her thoughts away, smiling. “It’s nothing, don’t keep your big bro waiting!” RRRR REVEAL YOUR IDENTITY PLEASE OIGUHER RRRR

no because you somehow manage to keep it being a slow burn after they got together and i'm insane for that

actually they are the most adorable creatures in the universe i love them

I just didn’t think you’d start hearing them now.. huhwuh?? she is supposed to hear voices?????? weird wack ass side effects

ruhroh looks like thats the consequences of your actions nathalie

RUHROH THE CONSEQUENCES OF JULEKAS ACTIONS?? ough she has made herself an extra high value target

Her boy– no. Their boy shut up your in a queerplatonic relationship with gabriel and you both dated emilie in my head. he is your child to me <3 (i will write that damn 200k slowburn unhappy ending prequel i joked about if you fucking force my hand (ie. continue to make reference teeny tiny things like that (or maybe it will just start planning itself in my head right now curse you my brain)))

WAIT THE REST OF THIS PARAGRAPH IS SO SAD SHUT UP YOUR A CRUEL BEAST CAP

Emelie and Gabriel’s boy. He was not her’s. He would never be her’s. She was just– the assistant. The distant guardian. This was all for him though, if she could help– she could just. Maybe.. Nathalie shook her head at herself. What mattered was this family. UPSET NOW

TEARING YOU APART RIPPING YOU APART WITH MY TEETH CAP THIS WAS INCREDIBLE AND THIS TOOK ME OVER 2 HOURS

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I 4yrheiwjnow

you may receive asks in your future about me writing that thing i keep joking about. i am spinning it in my mind like this damn rat

i muted it at times but wanted a timer and uh

this is nearly 1800 words wrong what is wrong with me- yknow what no this is your fault for the monster size of this chapter, anyway, time to slap this beast into your inbox <33

THIS IS MADE ME SO SO SO SOSOSOSOSO SOS O HAPPY.,,,,,,,

THANK YOU SO SO MUCH,, IM GLAD YOU ENJOYED,,,

[chlocent]

"they are just husbands. i am evelyn hugo."

a blog by chloe denise nunag of bs psy 2a.

taylor jenkins reid is an american author, well known for her works like daisy jones & the six, malibu rising, after i do, and most notably, the seven husbands of evelyn hugo.

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo is one of the most treasured pieces of literature in the book community. but what is it about, really?

this is a peek into tshoeh, an unbiased and non-spoiling review to get you to read it as well.

for a short background, the seven husbands of evelyn hugo is centered on hollywood movie icon, evelyn hugo. decades have passed since her peak and golden days, and now, she is finally ready to let the public in on the truth about her rather scandalous (love) life.

scandalous, how? well, as the title indicates, hugo married seven times in her life, and this has been a hot topic among the people for years and counting.

with this, monique grant, a journalist for a prestigious magazine, is contacted for a sit-down with hugo. now, hugo has never done exclusive interviews throughout her career, especially not about her private life. so for grant, this could be the scoop that will boost her position in the company and change her career forever.

hugo tells grant about each of her marriages in detail from the first to the last, and grant listens and takes careful note of each one. however, as the book progresses, one would realize that it is not simply a coincidence that hugo personally chooses grant to write her biography.

why?

well, that's reason number one for you to pick up a copy and start diving into hugo's vibrant life.

the story in itself is captivating, but the characters you will definitely fall in love with; evelyn hugo is complex and sometimes morally gray, not often by choice as she was only ever navigating her way through the messy hollywood scene. she is the personification of the idea that is beauty and brains: beautiful, sexy, smart, sensual and ambitious. but she is also mean and calculating, having used people to get what she wanted.

and i'd talk about her seven husbands in detail, but as this review is spoiler-free, i will describe them the way hugo did; poor ernie diaz, goddamn don adler, gullible mick riva, clever rex north, brilliant, kindhearted, tortured harry cameron, disappointing max girard, and agreeable robert jamison.

then, there is also celia st. james, another one of the most famous actresses of hollywood's golden age alongside hugo. being "america's sweetheart", st. james intimidates hugo with her talent in acting, which sparks a rivalry between the two.

of course, there is monique grant. she is charismatic, driven, and like hugo, ambitious. she is a commendable black woman in journalism, consistently standing out for her works, notably for her piece on the right to die.

and that's reason number two for you to grab a copy, physical or virtual.

lastly, aside from the story and the characters, taylor jenkins reid has a way with words that will engulf you in hollywood's golden age and the present time. she stripped bare the movie industry, and she will make you question the truth about the celebrities we know and the lives they present to the public.

she will also make feel a (crazy) range of emotions. one second, you love evelyn hugo, then you hate her the next. reid will make you laugh, then cry. you will be filled with fury with the actions and words hugo leaves, then feel for her and the things she has to go through.

then, there are also the newspaper articles and letters from the past, as well as the features of the present.

more importantly, it is real and raw in a sense that it shows the reality of life and love—how it's never easy, how it's not as glamorous as presented in other forms of media; life is full of twists we never expect, and love will consume you alive.

ultimately, the book was structured and written in a manner that will leave you wondering about what comes next until you are just incapable of putting it down.

yes, that's reason number three of why you need to get into tshoeh as soon as you can.

overall, i can say that the seven husbands of evelyn hugo left me with no words. but at the same time, i have a million things to say. when i first read it, i completed it in one sitting. it was 4 in the morning when i bawled as quietly as i could as to not wake up and alarm the other people in the house.

it's that good.

so, it's your move now. (cmon, put tshoeh in your shopping cart, and check it out Right Now.)

[cvbullshit]

Simulacra Headcanons + Simulacra AU headcanons

(Be prepared, as some headcanons will conflict with each other since I believe in multiple possibilities for the things in these games. Not to mention, the AU I want to mention is more of a "for fun" AU-type thing that's mainly made for possible content such as videos and what not, you'll see what I mean.) Simulacra Headcanons: -The Simulacra in the first game is the same as the other two shown simulacra, which is funny to me because that mean that thing can now be known as possibly genderfluid. -The Simulacra in the first game is not one of the other Simulacras, possibly both, and that there are possibly way more somehow. -The Simulacra in Pipe Dreams is somehow based on either Maya or Ashley, possibly both. -The MC in the first game is female, partly female(She/he, Demigirl, ect.), or was a female(ftm, non-binary, ect.) -The MC in Pipe Dreams is a male. -The MC in the third game is either male, non-binary, or a Demiboy(He/they) -The MC from the first game could have possibly been the one to tip off Murilo after their encounter with the simulacra. -Taylor(if an ending where he's alive is canon) and the MC from the first game totally keeps in touch. -Anna(if an ending where she's alive is canon) and the MC are sort of semi-friends but only through Taylor(only possible if they're both alive). -Anna and Ashley totally got at least one date in, even if they didn't last as a couple, they totally went somewhere for a date. -Taylor(if he's alive) and Ashley(if Anna is alive) get along as friends sort of, Ashley going along with his humor and singing whenever she's drunk. -Teddy def had feelings for the Pipe Dream's MC at least once in his life. Simulacra YT/Tumblr Content AU Headcanons: -The three Simulacras mess with the 3 main characters, 2/3 of them do it for fun. -The three Simulacras are their own beings. -The Pipe Dreams Simulacra(will refer to her as PD, Gamey, or Flappee) is def more energetic than her "co-workers", upbeat, cheery, though can act sort of overdramatic and annoying at times. -The 1st Simulacra(will refer to him as Phoney, Pretender, or Spark) totally is not in tune with his "co-workers" and finds them somewhat overly goofy and annoying. -The Ripple Man's personality changes between Maya's, Rex's, Mina's, and Arya's. -Phoney goes by he/him/it, Flappee goes by she/her/it, and Ripple Man goes by they/them/it. -Flappee flirts with both the Pipe Dreams MC and Phoney to annoy both of them. -Ripple Man isn't goofy like Flappee but just follows along with her bs because they can. -Phoney will for real just rather sit and somehow drink coffee with the first game's MC if it means not having to deal with Ripple Man and Flappee. -If Flappee and Taylor met, she'd date him. Not for love, just for fun, to mess with him, and bonus it may make it easier to convince him to play her game. -Phoney is AroAce, Flappee is Pansexual-Aromantic, and Ripple Man is Asexual-Biromantic. -Ripple Man is both great at conversations, introductions, making social plans, but is somehow ultimately also socially awkward. -If she could drink, Flappee would become an energetic crazywoman/child if she drank coffee or anything with high caffeine. -If he could drink, coffee would be Phoney's breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner. It could even be counted as his alcohol. -If they could drink, Ripple Man would use coffee in place of tea so they can have a reason to set up "tea(coffee) parties" and just to use as a way to invite people to hang for a bit. -Phoney is great when it comes to love advice, just has no reason to share that to anyone and barely tries it himself.

[arobinwithoutbatman]

KNOWING YOUR PARTNER WELL CAN POTENTIALLY MAKE WRITING TOGETHER A LOT EASIER.

REPOST DO NOT REBLOG !!

NAME: Wic

PRONOUNS : She/her

PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION : Tumblr IMs while we're still getting to know each other. Might offer my discord after a while if the vibes are right

NAME OF MUSE(s) : Tim Drake, Gotham Knights specific. Alice (Fandomless OC), Ciara Hayes (DC OC), Fleur Green (Fandomless OC based on Strange Horticulture), Imogen Caldwell (Fandomless OC based on The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker), Lafcadio Boone (The Sexy Brutale), and several more waiting in the wings on my multimuse @personae-obscura

BEST EXPERIENCE : Building a unique story with people that steadily draws other people in and grows larger than you expected

RP PET PEEVES / DEALBREAKERS : Age, I'm sorry I'm not writing with anyone under 21. Length, in the sense that if I've given like 3 paragraphs and I only get 2 lines in response? That's annoying and gives me very little to work with. I tend to prefer that shorter length for in character shitposting, not serious threads.

MUSE PREFERENCES: Plenty of information to work with. What kind of person am I working with here? What's their deal? Why would our muses cross and how would they interact? I'm happy to work with canon muses, as long as I'm somewhat familiar with the fandom, and OCs and have several of them myself.

PLOTS OR MEMES : A good mix of both personally. I'm not the best at plotting something out beat by beat because it rarely ever successfully happens that way once oyu get down to writing. I work better with a framework whilst still having enough room to let the muse do whatever it's gonna do. Memes however can spark great conversations and even lead into threads.

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES : Whatever the thread calls for. I like a longer reply but it's not always necessary or achievable and I can adapt styles relatively easily.

BEST TIME TO WRITE : 9am to 9pm EST every day because my ass is currently unemployed and I've got nothing better to do. Outside of that timeframe? I'm either asleep or I've at least seen your reply and put it in my drafts to properly read and respond later.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S) : Oh absolutely. I might not be able to recognise it right away but I can't actually write or connect with a character if I can't see a piece of myself in them. Which means I also tend to lose characters over time as I grow and change. Many muses that I once wrote I probably wouldn't be able to pick up again.

Tagged by: @rex-rp

Tagging: You, the bored person

[feltpool]

Misdirection

I see this scene cross my dash all the time, everyone loves this action packed episode opener, but no one really seems to notice quite how much is happening here. Or just how active a part Anakin takes even before he saunters in once Obi-Wan and Cody are behind cover.

None of this is focused on tearing down anyone's blorbos or pairings, don't get panicked before I've even said anything.

This is all about the scene using changes in camera angles and what people will assume they've seen against them in order to mislead.

Cut to the point where they're on this bridge and the troopers of the 212th are running towards the enemy. You can see their little leggies pounding the ground as they advance

You can also see, by the position of those bridge supports relative to his helmet, that Cody has stopped where he is

The camera focus shifts to the missile being fired from the Separatists position

And follows it upwards. Because that's what's important here. Right? The imminent destruction of Cody and his men?

Well, no. Because that isn't actually about to happen, but isn't it ✨dramatic✨

Cody, at this point, is busy examining his own arm

But quickly prompts the audience to focus on the missile by looking up at it too

Insert a quick reminder of what it is that he's looking at

Followed by a nice wide shot to focus on what's a stake here.

Cody central. Only a few other troopers, mostly bloodlessly dead, are in shot, and the crater in the ground he's stopped just short of

He starts to duck and cover. Surely bracing for the impending impact. Right?

But what's this? Just sneaking into shot from the left of screen?

Yep, that's definitely a lightsaber

Coming in all nice and super close up to him

Yeah, you better duck. That thing's dangerous! Nice little sliver of dark clad shoulder just barely sneaking into view there, not at all like Kenobi's beige ensemble we'll see in a moment. The finer details are hard to see because it's all fast moving and deliberately obscured

And now we get to see just how close up that lightsaber is to Cody as it strikes sparks off something so close to him that it could be taking his hand off

But it sweeps past him leaving him with all of his original limbs still intact, and no obvious signs of damage.

So where did all those sparks come from?

What did that lightsaber make contact with?

And isn't it weird how that doesn't get mentioned by anyone at any point in this story arc?

.

But we must move on quickly because fast pacing means there's no time to question anything!

So we immediately cut to where Kenobi is standing far, far away on the other side of that crater deflecting incoming enemy fire and providing cover for his men.

Smacking that missile with his lightsaber

Cutting it into two pieces, with one half flying to the left of him

And one half to the right

Where it plunks down prettily and pinkly

All neatly into the crater Cody had stopped by in the first place

Leaving Cody to look up through the cloud of thrown up dust

Make that odd looking arm gesture

And we close up on Kenobi with angry eyebrows and gritted teeth

Cut to a shocked sounding 'General!' from Cody

Before everyone with any sense follows Kenobi's lead and scrambles for cover, leaving him to wonder where Anakin vanished off to, because he'd presumably have felt his presence there given his close proximity just seconds ago

Only for Anakin to walk in all casual like and in a way that suggests to viewers he'd only just arrived there that very second.

And make his oh-so-subtle play for Obi-Wan to follow his example, to do what he's doing, to take a step with him towards the dark side, but not without making sure that Rex won't see him do it beforehand.

And I find this entire scene fascinating