#and 2 even when audience is led to believe she might be dead she’s never once exclusively reduced to something to make a male character sad

[lesbiansanemi]

Just saw a post of someone complaining that falin was fridged…. Man you people really will just say things huh

[upsidedownlurker]

After watching Ep. 1 again...

Spoilers for episodes 1-6 of Agatha All Along!!! :)

"I was on a road this morning... and it led to something pretty awful."

I don't think that body is Wanda's. I think it's Billy's. I KNOW, I KNOWWW. Hear me outtt. JUST LISTEN-

First thing's first: We know that a huge amount of what Agatha perceived as real in that episode simply... wasn't. Objects and people acted and looked very different than they really were. There was usually a bit of truth to it (the neighbours really were playing along with Agatha's true crime persona, and Rio + Teen really were at her house) but the rest was obscured from Agatha's perception.

Let's apply this to the body.

Perhaps Agatha really did come across something awful on the road, something that turned her happy-go-lucky neighbour persona into a jaded crime scene detective. Her key questions: "Who are you?" and "What happened to you?"

Agatha doesn't know. She tries to fill in the gaps herself, but she's still under the spell and doesn't know all the details.

Which leads to what happened in the morgue. At first, she doesn't even see the body. But she TELLS HERSELF it's there, and what do you know? When she opens her eyes, the body is suddenly on the table. She says it had scarlet hair, and suddenly there's scarlet hair peeking out from the sheet. Agatha concludes to herself that the body was Wanda's.

Remembering Wanda is what ultimately allowed Agatha to break out of the spell. That's good. She solved the mystery of, "Who is that woman, 5"7 with green eyes and scarlet hair, whose name I can't remember?" and projected that mystery onto the body.

But she didn't solve the mystery of the dead person in the blue hoodie. Rio says to Agatha, "You're asking the wrong questions." Maybe Agatha also found the wrong answers.

Here's the really interesting part.

As we saw in Episode 1 and the trailer for Episode 6, there was a car crash in Eastview. After that, the dead body was found, apparently "crushed by something big and heavy", like a car. Right next to the body, Agatha finds a brooch– her brooch.

You know who was "born and raised" in Eastview? Teen.

You know who could've taken Agatha's brooch? Not Wanda, but Teen, who has done an egregious amount of research on Agatha and literally broke into her house.

You know who could've been crushed by a big, heavy car? Teen, WHO LITERALLY GETS HIT BY A FUCKING CAR AGAIN IN EPISODE 1. Dammit, Mrs. Hart! The boy's been through enough!

Okay.

But if the dead body is Teen's, then how is he LITERALLY ALIVE NOW?

When notified that the body is in fact dead, Agatha winks and says you can never be too sure. If that's not a big red flashing sign for the audience, I don't know what is.

Now, back to the morgue. Agatha finds her own name "A. Harkness" written on the library card. After she remembers Wanda, "W. Maximoff" also appears. This solves her first mystery: Who is that woman I don't quite remember?

But it also solves her second mystery. Who is the dead body?

W. MAXIMOFF.

William "Billy" Maximoff.

Here's a fun little hint I found. In episode 2, when Agatha rips down Billy's "Welcome Coven!" sign, she leaves the "W" just hanging there, right behind his head. This struck me as odd when I watched it the first time. She was pretty forceful, so the only way the "W" would've stayed hanging is if production designed it that way. And to place it right behind his head? That's a literal sign.

Back to the library card. Why even obscure Wanda's first name? If the body is really her, you might as well show her ENTIRE name and finally reveal her face to the audience. It would make things a little more clear... and it'd be good for dramatic effect. No need to be cryptic about it, just give us the answer!

Unless the answer isn't what we thought.

Regardless of whether the body in episode 1 was really there, or even dead at all... I believe it represents Billy, and we're gonna find out why in episode 6.

I'm excited to find out :D

...

Bonus: Lucky Thirteen

"Where were you between the hours of 1 and 3 am?" "Asleep!"

"A lot happened to me when I was 13, too..."

...

(Edited 16 Oct 2024)

[captnjacksparrow]

I honestly agree with a lot of your opinions, and even when I don't, I think that your arguments are always well structure and respectful to other people.

But I have some questions (and I'm sorry if you have already answer them), (also sorry for some of my English, it's not my first language)

How do you feel about narusaku?

How do you feel about people changing certain aspects about Sakura to try to improve her character?

How would you improve Sakura?

How much do you think Sakura being a good character could affect the story?

What was the moment you really started to ship SNS? And what are you favorite moments?

(Sorry if there's ro many questions)

I honestly agree with a lot of your opinions, and even when I don't, I think that your arguments are always well structure and respectful to other people.

Aww!!!! Thank you, Anon. This made my day. 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

I will start from my favourite question (The one in the last)

What was the moment you really started to ship SNS?

I never wore any shipping lens, Anon.

Literally, I started to ship SNS only after Episode 478 or Chapter 698. Before that, I always had these doubts in the back of my mind.

'Something seems to be very weird between these guys',

'Why are they behaving differently compared to other friends?',

'Why Sasuke is behaving totally different towards Naruto?',

'Why Sasuke agreed to honour Naruto's promise under the bridge, despite having no shred of affection towards his other former Team Members?',

'Why Naruto is so obsessed with Sasuke?',

'Why Sasuke felt Naruto's chakra in Konoha and bothered by it?',

'Why Sasuke is protecting Naruto like a precious treasure only to end up wanting to kill him?',

'Why Sasuke has this weird obsession that ONLY I CAN KILL NARUTO but not someone else?',

So, I had all these questions piling up one by one inside my mind as the series progressed and I can't simply jump into a conclusion because I don't know what Sasuke was thinking. I hate one-sided ship and I want reciprocation. So, I usually put all these questions on the back burner and started to focus on the story. Damn!!!, The story was equally captivating and emotionally daunting. When Sasuke finally confessed his feelings towards Naruto in Episode 478, I simply couldn't believe myself but ship them. Because, in no world, Friends would behave this way towards each other.

So, to answer your question, it's after Episode 478, I started to ship them. But if you want me to say when exactly I started to doubt their level of friendship??

It's this moment,

Now you may think, 'Yeah, you saw two boys in a close proximity and decided to ship together. It's nothing strange'.

I have to say, Close proximity was the last thing, I felt from this scene. My reason was those heart breaking scenes that happened before which led to this specific moment.

I will make it as short as possible. I'll start with this

God!! I wanted to punch Sasuke so badly when he said this with a deadpan expression. It looks like he was lying just to get power. I thought, 'Sasuke!!! What a lying piece of crap you are!! If you want to kill Naruto, Just do it. Why doing a fake confession? '.

It doesn't help as the fight progressed because Sasuke was really playing football with Naruto and when this happened,

I was shell-shocked because, the Sasuke we saw so far is no more. It even confirmed my thoughts about the fake confession. Which sane person will ram Chidori through his Close Friend's body?.

After many blows were exchanged, I simply wished for one thing. Naruto should win and Sasuke should be stopped no matter what. When the final Rasengan vs Chidori happened, I couldn't understand what was going on inside that power ball. Naruto and Sasuke look at each other with pained expression and we see the younger version of them smiling at each other.

And then finally we see a knocked out Naruto with Sasuke standing and looking at him without any expression and was about to say, 'Naruto.... I' which was interrupted by rain and when Sasuke felt a stinging pain in his arms and falls down on his knees. He coughs up blood and then this iconic scene happens.

That scene conveyed many things

Sasuke wanted to kill Naruto but couldn't.

Sasuke meant what he said. Naruto is his closest friend, it’s not a lie.

Sasuke couldn't severe his ties completely with Naruto.

Sasuke's pain of saying 'Goodbye' is greater than the stinging pain in his arms.

Sasuke deliberately, I repeat deliberately and not accidentally, came close to look at Naruto's face and experiencing something that, we, audience don't know. 

So, you see, Anon. The emotional train wreck that led to this scene made me really doubt about their depth of feelings they had towards each other for the first time. That's when I thought, 'Something seems to be very weird between these guys, what is it?'

And what are you favorite (SNS) moments?

There are two moments which shows how Sasuke is playing an emotional battle within himself. 

1. Sasuke, Susanoo, Naruto, Minato

This happens right after Sasuke said to Obito, “Not you.... The one who is going to sever the past is....me”.

In this moment, Sasuke can pretty much let Naruto to die, because nobody is trying to kill Naruto. Still, he saved him with a 3 layered protection. The best part is Sasuke acted quicker than Minato, the fastest shinobi, to protect Naruto. Surely Minato wouldn’t want to blow up near his Son, for whom he gave his life once. It’s just that Sasuke is extremely quicker at this moment. 

2. For some reason, My Sharingan deactivated on it’s own

If only, Sasuke maintained his Sharingan, he could’ve traced Naruto’s movements and deflected his upper cut and would’ve successfully landed his Chidori through him. But he just couldn’t. 

Both these scenes happens in a span of a day but Sasuke’s emotions fluctuates a lot when it comes to killing Naruto, protecting Naruto, can’t kill Naruto. 

How much do you think Sakura being a good character could affect the story?

To be Honest Anon, Storywise ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Yes, I agree with her amazing performance in Gaara retrieval Arc where she tagged along with Granny Chiyo and almost killed Sasori.

After that ????

She did nothing in the Sasuke Reunion Arc. It was all about Naruto vs Orochimaru, Yamato’s Wood style jutsu, Sai’s betrayal towards Orochimaru. Geez!!! I liked her attitude in this arc but totally spoiled when she was standing simply like a wooden doll when Sasuke was about to stab Naruto. It was Sai who blocked Sasuke.... I was like, ‘Girl!!!! You said you will save Sasuke for Naruto when he went into 4 tails mode. What happened now??? Why are you not stopping him???’

She was just making Food Pills in the Rasen Shuriken Arc.

She was basically climbing from one tree to another in the Sasuke killing Orochimaru to Sasuke joining Akatsuki Arc. Even Naruto’s role was very minimal in that arc except he met Kabuto, Dead soul of Jiraiya, Itachi, a split second meeting with Sasuke where he got Chidori’ed and fought with Tobi. 

She was just a spectator praying for Naruto in the Pain Arc. Yeah, she did healed few people and punched some monsters. But it just doesn’t matter. Even Konohamaru killed a Pain in that arc. 

She turned into an Asshole by making a fake confession towards Naruto and decided to kill Sasuke in the Kage Summit Arc. I think, this is where Kishi decided to shit on her mercilessly by making her into someone who was going to hurt both of her team mates mentally and physically. Basically Kishi transformed a clever medical Ninja who can find an antidote in a matter of hours to an asshole who believed Naruto did everything for her and even more of an idiot by planning to kill Sasuke with just a poisoned Kunai. Isn’t she the one who told Kakashi that Sasuke was given forbidden drugs to improve his strength after their Reunion??? Can’t she put 2+2 together to know Sasuke would be immune to poisons because of his days spent with Orochimaru??? Yeah, she did impacted the story. But it was not for her development. Sakura’s foolishness made Naruto and Sasuke to meet each other again and made a promise. So, you see, she was just a tool that pushes the narrative development of other characters, not her own. Her development took a big blow in this arc.

She was non-existent in the Naruto-Killer Bee Training Arc.

She was just healing people and punched some zetsu during Powerful Edo-Tensei Shinobis vs Allied Shinobi forces Arc. I expected her to have a special fight. But Nope. Even Ino, Shikamaru and Choji fought Asuma, Kakuzu and Kinkaku, Ginkaku brothers. 

She was non-existent in the Uchiha Madara vs 5 Kages mini arc

She was non-existent in Obito vs Naruto, Kakashi, Might Guy and Killer Bee mini arc.

She was non-existent in the Sasuke & Itachi vs Kabuto mini arc.

She was non-existent in the Edo Tensei’ed Hokages and Team Sasuke arc.

She was punching some Juubi Clones in the Official War Arc which will never make a difference to the story. At the same time, her character was transformed from an Asshole who hurted her teammates to an horny biasshhhh who wants only Sasuke’s D. She summoned Katsuyu and was healing soldiers. But there were an army of Medical Ninjas too. So her absence will not affect the story in a big way. She did Lip to Lip CPR for Naruto though. Again, that would never help Naruto in a major way unless he was helped by Obito by placing Bijuu inside him. Again, Kishi didn’t make her the sole saviour here. Instead, she was used as a medium to facilitate Obito’s transformation from a bad guy to good guy. Kishi made Obito as the Saviour here. 

She was useless and was not able to destroy Obito’s rinnegan in the Reincarnation of Indra and Ashura vs Rikkudou Sennin Madara arc.

She was useless in the Kaguya arc. [Sorry, that punch won’t make any difference because Kaguya must be stupid to not use her 360 degree vision to see Sakura from behind. With Naruto and Sasuke has already become a demi god at this point, her clown show is incomparable].

She was useless in the final Naruto vs Sasuke arc.

So, you tell me Anon. Did she make any impact to the story that served as a major twist?? 

The story revolved around Naruto and Sasuke. 

Itachi, Obito, Jiraiya, Madara, Hashirama and other Hokages were the game changers of this story. Meaning, their presence or death will change the story by a huuuuggge margin.

Tsunade, Orochimaru, Team Nagato, Kabuto helped our protagonists in a BIGGGG WAAYYYY.

Akatsuki were just amazing who gave us the sense of thrill as well as fun. 

Even Sakura being good will never impact the story because she had no dedicated arc written for her.

But, if she were written as a good character, my viewing experience would have improved in a relaxing way so much so that I don’t have to press my fast forward button whenever she appears and I wouldn’t be writing this post explaining why I hate her.

How would you improve Sakura?

Simple, By writing her similar to Rin Nohara.

No obsession but a simple love towards Sasuke.

No toxicity but caring friendship towards Naruto. 

That’s all.

How do you feel about people changing certain aspects about Sakura to try to improve her character?

Well, that means they would qualify as a fanfiction writers, aren’t they??.

Also, this inherently proves that she is a piss poor character and people wants to change certain aspects of her which they find annoying. But it will 100% end up being OOC. And I’m not into reading those OOC stuffs, Anon.

I always believe in accepting what the author has given rather than trying to fix their work. Because the author writes a character deliberately to make the readers feel what he intended in the first place. Kishi could write a redemption for even someone like Orochimaru towards the very end. Like, he literally made him to help Sasuke, not as a human predator, but as a former Master and an admirer. He wrote him to help Tsunade and other Kages. So in the end, Orochimaru was not hated like he was hated in part 1. If he can write something for Orochimaru, why not for Sakura??? 

You know how I can redeem Sakura in just 3 or 4 panels?

Let me tell you.

After that fake confession, Sakura could talk to Naruto,

“I am very Sorry, Naruto. I know you will never take things in your heart. But still I shouldn’t have used Love as a tool to make you not to do something. I was an Idiot to not realize how badly you want to save Sasuke. It wasn’t just for me. But it was for Sasuke and also for you, as his friend and also for us as Team 7. So, how about we go to Ichiraku, for a nice lunch??” 

While confessing Sasuke for the second time,

“It seems you still want to go on to that dark path, isn’t it?. I am not the most powerful ninja in this world and I know I can’t trade blows with you. But still.... if you try to hurt my friend, Naruto and my master, Tsunade. I will fight with all my strength to kill you..... Even though I love you”

I am pretty sure, if Sakura confessed something along these lines, everyone would have admired her and it shows her emotional maturity as a Kunoichi who wants to do something to this world as well as a person who is ready to kill someone she loved in order to protect the people she holds dear.

In chapter 699. Before saying Goodbye to Sasuke,

“I am very Sorry, Sasuke. I never really understood what was going on inside your heart. And, I always forced myself on you because of my selfishness. I really feel bad for those things. I never really became your friend in the first place. How about we say farewell as ‘a good friends’, before your redemption journey??” (Shakes hands.... End of Scene)

How is this???

Is it pleasant to read?? Of course, Yes.

I am pretty sure it wouldn’t take more than 4 or 5 panels. Kishi could’ve easily did something like this. Am pretty sure readers would’ve been satisfied. Her fans too. Even I would’ve forgiven her mistakes.

But Kishi didn’t and I am very sure it’s deliberate. Because, this very same Kishimoto could able to write Konan, Tsunade who acts with so much maturity without whining like a little girl.

Which shows Kishi clearly hates this character and never wanted to redeem her. 

So no matter how many people improve this character, it will never be believable.

How do you feel about narusaku?

Naruto always placed Sasuke as his priority, Anon. That’s always the case. So, apart from SNS, if you want me to say whether NaruSaku had any potential?

I would say, yes, NaruSaku had potential. I will not deny it. Naruto had some liking towards Sakura compared to the absolute indifference towards Hinata.

There are some moments Sakura genuinely cried for Naruto without anyone’s influence. I liked it. Say, the scene where she cried on hearing ‘A Jinchuriki without Bijuu will die” and with Yamato she told, “I can only do little things for Naruto”.

These are all coming from her own heart. No one instilled inside her.

[[[ That’s why I will not accept her realization of ‘Annoying, huh? So, this is how Naruto must have felt too. Maybe I should be a little nicer to him next time’ as genuine in Episode 3. Because she realized only after Sasuke roasted her. I want feelings to emerge subconsciously rather than instilled by someone. ]]]

Unlike the asshole Sakura she was in part 1, Sakura started out good in Shippuden. I was surprised with her development in Gaara Retrieval Arc and was not at all annoyed by her presence. (Except when she said she will save Naruto and Sasuke from Itachi.... Grrrrr.... Biashhhhh.... Do you know Itachi’s abilities first of all??? He can crush you like a meatball with his Susanoo)

I started to feel, ‘Wooow!!! She has improved a lot. Great!!!!’.

Even though, she was useless in Rasen Shuriken Arc, She still made an effort to make food pills for Naruto. She even hugged Naruto much to his surprise, before all the villagers and especially before, ahemmm Hinata after defeating Pain.

Despite all of these moments that had happened between them, I could only see them as a pair formed of mutual tragedies rather than mutual attraction, Anon. In their case, Losing Sasuke. I wasn’t 100% sure whether Sakura moved on from Sasuke or not. Because When Sakura was looking for Sasuke with Kakashi’s Tracking dogs, she was still in love with him. So Sakura fluctuates between her obsession with Sasuke and some genuine feelings towards Naruto. 

Kage summit Arc is where everything changed and finalized. Sakura was crying like an annoying shit when she heard that Sasuke joined Akatsuki and was wanted by Raikage. This clearly shows her obsession has flared up again and ‘Poof’ all the development she had with Naruto was thrown into drain. 

On top of it, the fake confession. Grrrrrr.......

Plus, Naruto officially closed the possibilities of this ship by saying, “Sasuke, I know the Truth of Itachi from a guy named Tobi. I don’t know whether it’s true or not. But whatever you’ve been doing so far (hunting Killer Bee, ruckus in Kage summit conference, trying to kill Sakura, Kakashi).... It’s all understandable”.

If Naruto truly, wholeheartedly, deeply loved Sakura, he wouldn’t have said something like, ‘It’s understandable why you tried to kill Sakura”. He should have beaten Sasuke into a pulp. Or atleast shown some intense anger. Instead, Naruto was talking to Sasuke and making promise by saying ‘We will die together’. It’s like Sakura playing cupid for Sasuke and Naruto.

Naruto was okay with someone trying to kill Sakura whereas he was not okay with someone trying to kill Sasuke and even went to the extent of hyperventilating. This is why I feel any other ships are incomparable with SNS. 

After that Sakura started to behave rabidly towards Sasuke in the War arc which I can’t help but feel disgusting. So, anything she did for Naruto in the War Arc was overshadowed by her crazy obsession towards Sasuke. That’s why her CPR doesn’t matter, Sakura healing Naruto doesn’t matter. [Naruto has his own regenerative abilities, so whatever she does will not matter much for him]

So, NaruSaku was closed officially by Naruto and Sakura. It couldn’t sail because of the presence of Sasuke. 

At the end, I felt like Sakura used Naruto for getting her man back ready for romance rather than a killer mode Sasuke. I couldn’t feel the friendship they once had or any familiarity. 

I just hate people who don’t value friendships, anon. Sakura was not even a good friend, first of all. Yeah she had her friendly moments here and there. But, at the end of the series, she was not. A war has just ended, many people lost their lives, her supposed ‘best friend’ Ino lost her father. Why can’t she help her out emotionally? Why can’t she do some fucking good stuffs for this Shinobi world like her other teammates?? Instead, what she did was ‘let’s go and persuade Sasuke-kun to lend me some D by going along with his journey. Because I am so horny’. 

It not how you were in the beginning, It’s how you ended up being. She started this series as a worst friend and she ended up as a worst human being for me. How can I ship such a person with Naruto????

[stillness-in-green]

I felt like the plf war was rushed

1.Plf advisors getting hype but no payoff

2.Only miruko, Momo, and Kirishma got time to shine

3.Machia got defeated to easily

4.The war felt more like a raid

I don't know if I feel like it was rushed, per se--it's by far the longest arc in the story so far by number of chapters, and would be even if you cut off the Tartarus jailbreak and the entirety of the hospital aftermath. What it absolutely does feel like to me is unbalanced.

You note that the "war" feels more like a raid, and you're right. As a caveat, it's worth keeping in mind that "Paranormal Liberation War" as a name for the arc in question is entirely an invention of the fanbase. To the best of my knowledge, the reasoning for the name was that big action shonen series like BNHA (Naruto, Bleach, Hunter x Hunter, etc) always have a war arc, so what we were seeing in the lengthy, mass combat confrontation with the PLF had to be HeroAca's equivalent. It's not a term that's in the manga itself, however, not called as such by the characters, not referred to as such by Horikoshi or his editors, not even namedropped in chapter or volume titles. If it feels like a raid, that's probably because that's what it was intended to be.

And that's the problem, really. This arc shouldn't have been about a couple of raids; it should have been about a war.

(Below the cut: a bunch of fired-up complaining. Uses some harsh language, and talks about both injuries and deaths we did see and some we logically should have.)

From the outset, we were told that the resources Shigaraki had amassed were "on par with, or even stronger than" the resources of the hero-saturated society. Yet, we're expected to believe that a force that strong is so easily taken down by a single coordinated set of raids? Yes, the heroes had the benefit of surprise, but there's just so much that doesn't work for me.

First off, and to get this out of the way, it's ridiculous that the heroes even had the benefit of surprise. The MLA had an unknown number of hero double agents. They had people in the government; they had people in the infrastructure. This is an organization that had been living undercover completely unsuspected for multiple generations--how did the HPSC ever manage to carry out a massive, country-wide investigation on such a secretive group and coordinate multiple simultaneous, comprehensive raids without a single person finding out and alerting the higher-ups over a period of only three and a half months?

When exactly did Hawks have time to go and revive Best Jeanist--which he tells us he did personally--such that none of the bugs and micro-cameras he was covered with picked up on it, and both he and BJ could be back in the positions they needed to be in for the raid to begin?

How did Skeptic find out about the raid such that he only discovered it at the last possible second and not minutes, even hours, before it kicked off? How did hundreds of heroes (and even "hundreds" is being conservative, given the fact that they had seventeen thousand people to detain) close in on the villa without anyone from the PLF noticing, either Skeptic with his information network or mundane precautions like people on watch?

Even granting the heroes their surprise advantage--which I don't want to--if the advisors were all supposedly "stronger than the average hero," why didn't we see any of them winning? Okay, yes, Hose Face beat Midnight, but he had every possible advantage in that "fight"; I hardly count it as some big impressive defeat that shows us that the villains were holding their own.

Here's another thing: the MLA styled themselves as an army--they were demonstrably trained in troop tactics. When we saw them in Deika, even their nameless on-the-ground people were capable of coordinating with each other on the fly in response to the movements of the enemy, as we saw come up repeatedly:

Yeah, they were off-guard at first, but as soon as the advisors made the front line (which, you'll note, was immediately), that disadvantage really should have begun eroding. Certainly once Geten--Geten! The number one MLA member most willing to disregard collateral damage! And there he was being a proper leader!--got to the front and started yelling orders, we should have seen the PLF rallying, and I can't imagine any sensible justification for the tides not turning when a) Re-Destro showed up to occupy the highest-ranked hero on the field, b) a bunch of heroes peeled off to try to stop Machia only to get trampled for their efforts, and c) Trumpet got dug out.

You know who don't style themselves as an army, though? Heroes. Oh, they get some basic lessons in cooperation as students, but the extent of such lessons we see is stuff like "why it's important for heroes to have signature moves"--so that on group missions, their reputations will precede them and fellow heroes will already know their shtick. U.A. teaches the odd lesson plan that involves the kids fighting in groups, but there's a huge difference between you and 3 to 6 of your buddies fighting a similarly-sized group in a practice fight, or a handful of heroes teaming up to take down some criminal low-lives, and the mass combat scenario that was the raid. For heaven's sake, look at our closest other equivalent: the raid on the Hassaikai base. At every turn in that encounter, the heroes let themselves get split up and picked off, winnowing down their numbers. It's even explicit in the narrative that hero team-ups were, in the age of All Might, uncommon, and heroes are only just beginning to adjust to fighting in teams. The erstwhile MLA should have had the advantage there.

As to Machia's defeat, I think the big problem with it is not how it happened, per se, but the timescale involved. The plan itself was sound enough, and even with all the kids' efforts, it still took Machia reaching Shigaraki and not getting any new orders to follow to really do him in. Given what we can extrapolate about his movement speed, though, I just don't think the kids should have had time to set all those traps, especially given how much of that equipment would have had to be fabricated by Momo on the fly. I know she's gotten stronger and all, and good for her, but you're telling me that in the four months between Joint Training and the raid, she went from passing out because she created a bag of goodies and one (1) cannon to being totally fine and still able to coordinate her fellow students while cranking out 23 jars of sedative, dozens of feet of rope/cable, multiple fire-resistant coats, explosives they somehow had time to bury, and three cannons?

For fuck's sake, Jirou gave Machia's ETA as under ten seconds. Yeah, Mount Lady slowed him down, but "only a little"--how much time could she possibly have bought them, that the kids were able to to coordinate and enact everything that plan involved?

You guys, go read this post by @codenamesazanka. Machia is so fast. So unbelievably, incredibly fast. "Twice as fast as the fastest train in the world" fast. "Horikoshi clearly did not stop to think about the distances involved here" fast. Three miles in ten seconds fast. It would have been hard enough to square with the needs of the plot that the kids were sufficiently far from the villa to have the kind of time they needed to swing Momo's plan at all, but Horikoshi explicitly letting Machia get right on top of them before the kids even start just makes it completely impossible for me to credit. Machia clearly being slower aboveground than he is when burrowing does not make that much difference to my suspension of disbelief.

My other big complaint? More people should have died, for real. The PLF warriors would not have been holding back. They were ready and willing to kill anyone they came up against. The heroes did have to hold back, because heroes, as we're told over and over again, are not supposed to kill, no matter how dire the circumstances. That difference in ability to exercise force should have been yet another significant advantage for the PLF. I could write an entire list of characters that I think could have reasonably been killed during the raids. That wouldn't be to say that I think any individual, specific character on that list should have died, just that, based on the parameters as they were presented to audience, some number of them should have.

I mean, honestly. How did Horikoshi wanna show us Gang Orca's unmoving claw in the wake of Machia's passage and not have Gang Orca on the list of the dead? How did Fat Gun run right into a mass melee and still have enough fat left over afterward to survive getting trampled by a walking mountain? How did Thirteen survive not getting pulled out of the hospital basement when Shigaraki's Decay hit? How did Trumpet survive getting a staircase dropped on top of him? How did Gran Torino survive a fist through his tiny old man chest cavity?

I could go on and on, but it's not just about the deaths, either. I'm not saying that Kamui Woods necessarily should have died by swinging himself face-first into a blast of blue fire, but I am saying that he should have been out of commission for longer than three goddamn days. You bet your ass I'm saying that after telling us that Hawks' weak point is fire, making us watch him spend at a solid minute or more with his wings wholly enveloped in Dabi's 2000 degree flames, and having Dark Shadow exclaim that his back is completely burned away, Hawks should never have grown his wings back, much less so quickly that they were already visible under his shirt a single day later.

More deaths, more maiming--heck, even more retirements. I'm not saying I love that kind of thing in my fiction--I don't, actually. I think an overreliance on it is a sign of edgelordy nonsense. But the scenario that we had demanded to be treated with the kind of gravity that would have led to such an outcome. To set up a conflict like the raid and have the villains only barely be able to scrape a partial escape, to try to tell us that Shigaraki's victory in Deika granted him such a terrifyingly powerful force only to have them lose every battle they got into, to tell us this was a blow that shook Hero Society to its core, only to be so unwilling to kill or retire any heroes the audience cares about that Midnight is literally the only significant loss… It doesn't work. None of it works.

I don't have much to say on which characters did or didn't get a highlight. I think there were a few more people than you listed that got some good scenes--Tokoyami and Uraraka both got material I liked quite a bit; Dabi famously out-trended the U.S. presidential election on Twitter when he (literally) came clean, and Mr. Compress gave us some wonderfully interesting and characteristically opaque material to chew on. On the whole, though, adding more character moments would only have been dragging out the problem: the scale of the PLF's threat and the HPSC's chosen method of dealing with it are simply incompatible with the feeble "neither side truly won or lost" resolution we got.

And that's my rant on that--thanks for the ask!

[jenniferstolzer]

Babylon 5 Rewatch Season 2 episode 21: Comes the Inquisitor

The Vorlons send an inquisitor to investigate Delenn. Meanwhile, G’Kar must do his own investigation in order to restore the faith and morale of the defeated Narns on Babylon 5

Things I liked about Inquisitor:

I’ll state right up front that this is not my favorite episode, but I am definitely a fan of G’Kar’s storyline. He was told not to speak in the council so he’s taken to the streets becoming a curbside prophet even before he acquires the title. I love his vigor and refusal to give up. Throughout this episode he wheels and deals pulling every string he has. He buys weapons on the black market, he plies Sheridan for favors, he makes promises he doesn’t know if he can keep and the whole time he’s fighting like a cornered dog. Vicious boy. Very very good. 

Same storyline, this episode has his “Dead, Dead, Dead” speech to Vir which is such an important moment for both characters. 1, it sets a firm boundary in G’Kar that he is not willing or able to forgive a Centauri, something that comes back into play in Season 5 in the just best most heartbreaking way. 2, it shows Vir that good intentions and apologies aren’t enough in the face of such a blow. Vir apologizes for what’s happened and tries to excuse himself from the events and G’Kar is like “Nope, no reassurance for you, today” This moment isn’t worthless, though. The fact that Vir didn’t ignore G’Kar in the lift, that he was brave enough to say something and acknowlege that this people had done wrong is the birth of Abrahamo Lincolni

Garibaldi working within the boundaries of his job to help G’Kar is also great.The moment feeds Garibaldi’s storyline by emphasizing his suspicious nature. Like Morden before him, Garibaldi gave G’Kar a test. Tell the truth or get your wrist slapped. The fact is that Garibaldi doesn’t fully trust anybody. You can see why the events later in his story happen... I wonder if in another life he’d be asking “What do you want?”

Unless I misheard, one of the Narns on homeworld say “Thank G’Kar!” the same way G’Kar says “Thank G’Quan.” The first instance of G’Kar being venerated as a prophet maybe? 

Sebastian was snatched off planet earth by the Vorlons back in Earth’s History which proves that theyv’e visited us before, they’ve messed with our history before, and they have very odd taste in servants for creatures that are supposed to be pinnacles of good. Its an interesting thought experiment I guess. You’ll read more below about why I’m not sure it /quite/ worked? But the message that Earth was not immune from past meddling and the Vorlons are secretly kinda bad maybe is firmly stated in this episode.

Things I liked less

Sebastian always struck me as a weird choice of storyline. I get the idea -- the Vorlons are not the beacons of good we’ve been led to believe, watch them torture their most loyal soldier to test her loyalty. I get that idea, but I never thought it really worked. First of all, Sebastian is Jack the Ripper. That’s a weird choice. Giving Jack the Ripper a redemption arc is a weird choice. It’s a weird choice for //delenn//. if we were looking for someone from history to torment Delenn i guarantee the vorlons could have found someone from Minbari history whose cruelty would strike fear in her, or whose piety would test her, or whose disapproval would tempt her heart. Not only does she not know who Sebastian is, he’s going by a name he’s not even famous for. So who he is doesn’t matter except to us, the audience, and in that way this episode felt kind of pandering to the audience. Shocking the 20th century butts on the other side of the fourth wall with a “that’s neat” reveal at the end. That woudl have played better around Episode 2.10... but after the stakes established in the last episode, hopping out of the timeline only makes the inquisitor feel less important than the G’Kar stuff. 

Also, and this is a personal take, the torture itself felt self-gratifying to me? I have a hard time watching the Sheridan torture episode, too. Misery for misery’s sake doesn’t move me the way the scripts want it to, especially when it’s done just for the sake of showing torture on screen. The Vorlons could have gotten the answer they wanted out of her with telepathy something if the goal was to see her true thoughts, then they erase her memory of the event to boot! So if it was a punishment  for pledging the Rangers to Sheridan’s service, she didn’t learn anything about that. She hasn’t learned what might happen to her if she goes off-script. She doesn’t have the emotional investment of having endured a trial and come out victorious... they just electrocuted her until she wept because they could and they wanted to. And what did they learn? That she’s sacrifice herself for her loved ones. I mean, we knew that already didn’t we? Sebastian peeled off her rind to expose her heart, but the circumstances that got her there were erased from her head. Even if we didn’t know Delenn’s capacity for self-sacrifice, what if she decided after enduring torture that she’d rather die than see Sheridan dead and the day before when she hadn’t experienced torture she would have let him die? She went on an emotional journey then got rewound! 

In the end, Sebastian quotes Jesus and says “you guys are finally the right people in the right place at the right time”  Yeah okay, asshole. I guess that was the goal? To see if they were the right people at the right place? I hate to break it to the Vorlons but they gotta work with what they have at this point the Shadow war is starting RIGHT NOW. They wanted to make sure Delenn was the right person? You’ve been GROOMING her for THIS VERY REASON for DECADES. The right place? You facilitated the BUILDING OF BABYLON 5 AS A BASTION OF WAR. What. Are. You. Doing?????

All this said, the torture scenes do show us, the audience, more about our characters. Lennier shows up, offers to help, then runs and gets Sheridan. Sheridan is the linchpin that makes Delenn finally say “I’ll die for others” when I assume she thought that was an unspoken truth to this point. We and the Vorlons both get proof she’s a selfless saint ready to die for our sins. We see that the Vorlons are cruel and unusual and maybe there’s no pure good in the galaxy. And also G’Kar is trying his very best to fight a war with real stakes and I’d rather be watching that. Theoretical reasons for the torture aren’t lost on me, I just feel like it could have been done better with a more in-universe situation and that the reveal that Sebastian is Jack the Ripper didn’t pay off for this one viewer like I know it does with others. 

The next ep ends the season! Let’s go!

[noladyme]

My Only Sunshine - Chapter 2

Liv is as human as they come – faults and all. After a dark experience in her past, she is determined to live life on her own terms, and never let anyone claim her as theirs again. This becomes an issue, when she meets a 1000-yearold vampire, who is dead-set on claiming her as his own.

TW: Blood and violence

CHAPTER 1

2

I didn’t hear from Eric for a week after that. I decided it was for the best; and whenever I checked in with Bill, he didn’t mention him either – making me think I was in the clear from the Viking-vampire. I was unsure how to feel about that fact. Bill didn’t have a lot of jobs for me, but he still paid me the agreed amount; and thanked me every time I saw him, as if I was saving his life, whenever I went to a store for him, or put him in contact with someone he couldn’t usually reach during nighttime.

One night, after I’d done a day shift at Merlotte’s, and was fixing myself a microwaved meal for dinner; he knocked on my door. “Come on in, Bill”, I said. He looked surprised. “That’s… very kind of you”, he said. “Remember, you can rescind your invitation at any point”. I nodded, smilingly. “You mind if I eat? It was Terry’s clam chowder down at Merlotte’s today, and I hate that stuff”. “Go right ahead”, Bill said.

I gestured at him to sit on the couch, and took the mac’n’cheese from the microwave; sitting down in the recliner opposite him. “So, what’s up? That painter not work out?”, I asked. Bill looked slightly uncomfortable. “No, the painter is doing a fine job”, he said. “That is not why I am here”. “Then why?”, I asked, mouth full. “Eric has summoned us… you”, he said. I almost choked on my food. “He what?”, I said, and wiped my mouth. “He can’t summon us. Who does he think he is?”.

Bill sat up straight, and took a deep breath – a strange thing for a vampire to do, but I supposed he was practicing his human interactions. “Eric is the sheriff of Area 5”, Bill said. “You guys have sheriffs?”, I asked. He nodded. “As it is, I must come when he summons me”, he said. “You are right in one thing. He cannot summon you…”. “But…?”, I said, raising a brow at him. “Eric wants to see you, not me. He is only making this summon through me, out of courtesy”, Bill said. “He thinks you are mine”. “But I’m no one’s”, I said. Bill smiled warmly at me. “You are a rare creature, Liv”.

I shoved another spoonful of food into my mouth. “Why does he want to see me?”, I said. “He wouldn’t say anything other, than that he had a proposition for you”, Bill replied. I scoffed, and put my plate down on the table; rolling my eyes. “He’s already made me a proposition… A few actually”. Bill chuckled a little at that. “Yes, well; as he does think you’re mine, I don’t believe that is the kind of proposition he has in mind”. I narrowed my eyes at him. “You think he has an actual job for me”, I said.

Bill nodded. “You mentioned that you were in need of money, and Eric… He has money”, he said. “But he is also an ancient and very dangerous vampire, who has a strange infatuation with you”. “If you’re so worried about me taking whatever job this is, why are you even mentioning it?”, I asked. Anger ghosted his face. “I… have to. He’s my sheriff”, he said. “And he said that you should have the choice to say yes or no yourself. He was quite clear in this; wanted me to tell you that specifically. He also said we were to take my car, as he doesn’t think yours is safe…”.

I sat back, and thought for a moment. In his own very strange way, Eric was actually trying to be polite, and respect my choices. But he was also insulting my car. “When does he want to see us?”, I asked. “Tonight, if possible”, Bill said. “He said if possible?”, I said, raising a brow at him. “No”, Bill said. “He said it had to be tonight. I was trying to be…”. “Never mind”, I sighed. “Just, let me go change. I can’t wear my waitressing uniform to Fangtasia. I’m guessing that’s where we’re going”. Bill nodded, and I went into my bedroom; to change clothes.

---

An hour later, we pulled up at the vampire bar. I was wearing my favorite jeans – favorite, because they made my ass look good – and a red top. At the last moment, I’d put on a cardigan as well; to cover up some. There wasn’t any reason to let Eric think I was there for anything other than a job interview.

Bill led me past the line, and straight into the bar; where – just as it had been the last time I was there – the music was loud, and debauchery was rampant. Eric was seated on the platform at the end of the room – wearing a black leather jacket, tank top and dark jeans, that fit his frame perfectly – and looking bored out of his mind. I drew in a short breath, and suddenly, he looked up; his eyes focused on me. They were hard, but not cold. He gestured with his hand for me and Bill to step forward.

When we reached the podium, Bill and Eric nodded their heads at each other. “Eric”, Bill said, an edge to his voice. “Bill… Miss Sunday”, Eric said. “Have a seat”. The only two chairs except for Eric’s, were on either side of him. “Feel like I have an audience with a king, or something”, I muttered. “Don’t let the queen hear that”, Pam said; stepping out of the crowd. I looked at Bill. “There are queens, now?”, I said exasperatedly.

Bill sat down on one of the free chairs, I took the other. “I appreciate you taking the time to take this meeting”, Eric said. I was about to reply, when he turned his head to Bill. “If it is alright with you, I would like to speak to your human about a job I might have for her”. Bill stifled a smile, and nodded. “You… may”. “I am not…”, I began. “Thank you, Bill”, Eric said, and turned his face forwards again, still not looking at me. “Miss Sunday, I’m sure Bill has told you I have a proposition for you”.

I sat without saying anything for a long moment. Eric turned his face less than an inch towards me. “Liv… Did you hear me?”, he said. “Oh, you’re talking to me now?”, I said. “I thought I was just here as a decoration”. Erics lip twitched for a second; while Bill shifted in his seat, seemingly worried about my safety. “You should think before you speak”, Bill said. “He’s right”, Eric said. “Fuck off”, I snarled.

Eric looked forwards again, a smile ghosting his face. “I’m in need of a secretary for a series of meetings”, he said. “Bill tells me you’re doing an excellent job for him, so this should be what you humans call a walk in the park for you”. “So, you want me taking notes and stuff?”, I asked. “And… stuff”, Eric said. His eyes scanned the room. “Actually, we should probably move this conversation to the office”. I followed Eric and Pam through a doorway next to the bar. Bill walked behind me. It was as if they were flanking me, not letting anyone reach me.

Erics office was less dark than I’d imagined. It had a leather loveseat, and a few shelves filled with Fangtasia merchandise. He gestured at me to take a seat in the chair in front of the desk. Pam closed the door, and stood in front of it, blocking anyone from entering – and, I supposed, me from exiting. Bill sat down in the couch, his eyes moving between Eric and me, as if he was worried the tall vampire would suddenly pounce on me.

“Ok, you’ve shown me the tunnels of Vampire-Disneyland”, I said. “Now, what?”. Eric leaned against the desk, crossing one leg in front of the other. He was towering over me as I sat there; making me feel like the tiniest thing in the world. “Now we talk terms”, Eric said. “Terms? I haven’t even agreed yet”, I retorted. “Bill has agreed for you…”. I shook my head, and chuckled. “Bill doesn’t make deals for me. I’m my own woman”. Bill shifted slightly in his seat. “You are his”, Eric said. “Though, I still don’t know how he convinced Sookie to let him take a second human. She seems very… monogamous”. He snarled the word; and I could almost hear Pam’s eyes rolling in her head. Bill cleared his throat. “Eric, you seem to have misunderstood the arrangement I have with Liv”, he said. “She is my assistant, and my friend. Not my human”.

Erics lips parted, and he suddenly stood up straight; frozen in place. “You’re free?”, he asked quietly. I swallowed hard, when Eric reached out a hand, to move the collar of my cardigan, checking to see for fang-marks – finding none. “Leave us”, he said. “I am not going anywhere without Liv”, Bill said. “She is under my protection…”. “She’s perfectly safe with me”, Eric said, removing his hand from my neck. “For fucks sake, Eric”, Pam said. “Jag säger det inte igen!”, Eric growled. I looked tentatively at Bill. ”I’ll be fine”, I said. He clenched his jaw, and gave Eric a hard look. “I will be close by”, he said; and he and Pam left the room quietly.

After the door closed, I stood up, and walked around the room, needing to create some distance between me and Eric. I felt his eyes following me, as I went about; picking up and setting down items. “Stop fidgeting; it’s irritating”, he said. “Stop standing so still; it’s creepy”, I retorted. Eric chuckled slightly, not relaxing his stance. “Is that why your heartrate just went up? Because I’m… creepy?”, he asked. “Or is it because we’re alone together, and you’re hoping to…”. “Let me stop you right there”, I said. “I’m here because Bill told me you had a job offer, and I need the money”.

“Bill…”, Eric muttered. “Why did you tell me you were his?”. I shrugged. “I didn’t tell you anything like that…”, I said. “Then… be mine”, he commanded. “Yield to me!”. I sighed exasperatedly. “Is it so hard to believe I’m just not interested in you?”. “Yes”. His response came swiftly; almost too swiftly – like he was actually a little insecure. Unable to keep up my pretense, because fuck yes, I was interested; I decided to get the conversation back on track.

“So, the job? I just go with you to a meeting?”, I asked. Eric blinked, clearly trying to pull himself out of a thought. “No. I need a human companion with me for a series of meetings”, he said. “What are the meetings about?”, I asked. “It’s a sheriffs conference”, he said. “We will be discussing matters of importance to the vampire society in America”. “Well, what do you need me for?”, I said; pulling a pack of cigarettes from my purse. “Mind if I smoke?”. “Yes”, Eric said. “It’s a filthy habit, and it makes the blood taste bitter”. Had he not added that last part, I would have put my cigarettes away. “Good thing you’re not gonna be drinking mine then”, I said, and lit one; taking a deep drag. Eric waved the smoke away from his face. I knew he didn’t have to breathe if he didn’t want to, so I simply rolled my eyes.

“It’s customary to bring a human companion to the conference; for taking notes, handling daytime tasks, and the occasional snack…”, Eric said. “That last part is off the table”, I said, blowing out another lungful of smoke. “That’s… negotiable, of course”, Eric said. “It’s really not”, I smiled sarcastically. “Why don’t you just get Ginger to come with you?”. “Because Ginger can hardly write her own name… And she can be glamoured”, he replied. “Sookie, then?”, I said. “She told me she can’t be glamoured either”.

I put out my cigarette in an open bottle, and turned to face Eric. He’d moved up behind me, and was now inches away from me. He moved a lock of hair out of my face. “Sookie is not… you”, he said. My breath hitched, and I couldn’t help myself. I put my hand on his chest, and felt my knees about to buckle. “You have warm hands”, Eric said, and placed his own hand on top of mine. It was large, and completely covered my own.

I shook my head, and pushed him away. “W-why do you even need someone like that?”, I croaked. “Information. We switch secretaries for some meetings, to make sure information is fairly distributed among all of us… But sometimes, one of us will glamour one of the humans; to avoid something getting shared with their masters”. “So much for fairly disturbed information. You guys seem kind of shady; you know that, right?” Eric smiled slyly.

After thinking for another moment, I realized something, and my jaw dropped. “Woah… You’re telling me I’ll be alone in a room with strange vampires? That might want to feed on me?”. “They won’t, unless I am there to give my permission… You’ll be under my protection”, Eric said. “If they’d try to glamour me to make me forget a conversation, how do I know they won’t feed on me, and try to glamour me to forget that?”, I asked. He put a hand on my shoulder, and hunched slightly to look deep into my eyes. “I will not let that happen”, he said. “You can trust me”.

I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath – immediately regretting it, as I drew in a delicious nose-full of Eric. “How much?”, I asked. He stepped back. “10.000 for four nights”, he said. 10-fucking-thousand dollars!, I thought to myself. That would put a nice dent in my debt – and maybe I could even use some of it on down-payment of a newer car. “That sounds… fair”, I rasped. “When?”. “We leave in three days”, Eric said, moving back towards his desk; making me able to breathe properly again. “Three days? Eric, I have a job already – two, in fact. I can’t just up and leave”, I said. “Make it work, or miss out on the money”, he said. “It’s up to you”. “I’ll have to talk to Bill…”, I began. “I’ll handle Bill. You just take care of your shifter-boss”, Eric said. “My what?”. Eric smiled slightly. “You didn’t know…”, he said. “Sam Merlotte. Ask him what that is”.

I thought fast, knowing I had to make a decision. “Ok… Ok, I’ll do it”. “Good”, Eric said, grabbing something from a drawer. “This card is set up for you to use; to buy whatever you need in preparation. You’ll need suitable luggage, and new clothes. That ABBA t-shirt won’t cut it where we’re going”. He came over to me again, handing me a credit card and a new smart-phone. “I’ll e-mail you whatever else info you’ll need. Keep it charged and with you at all times, in case I need to get in touch with you”. “Sir, yes, sir”, I grunted. A grin spread across Erics face. “I like the sound of that”, he said; and stood very close to me, as I put the items in my purse.

I cleared my throat. “Anything else?”, I asked. “One thing…”, Eric said. “To be able to keep you safe, I need to make a connection to you. A blood-connection”. “What does that mean?”, I asked hesitantly. “When a human has a vampire’s blood, the vampire is able to sense the human’s emotions”, he explained. “You want me to… drink from you”, I gulped. “Is that a problem?”, Eric asked, looking amused. “I don’t want you messing around in my head!”, I said. “You’re worried about me knowing how you feel; but you’re fine with drinking my blood?”, he chuckled. “I’m not exactly happy about that either…”, I said. “No? People pay good money for V on the streets…”. Eric cocked a brow at me, almost challengingly. “I don’t”, I assured him. “I know the stories about the drainers; taking advantage of weaker vampires. It’s wrong”. “If it makes you happier, I’ll be glad to take some of your blood as well; even if you did just smoke… Fair trade”, Eric said; his fangs popping out. I backed against the door, almost stumbling. “Nope… No, that’s ok”, I said. Eric smirked at me. “Taking my blood, is part of the deal; and for you, this is a win-win situation. You get 10.000 dollars, a new wardrobe; and you get to enjoy the advantages of my 1000-year-old, very powerful blood”. I took a deep breath. “Ok… I’ll do it”.

Eric walked slowly towards me, as if trying to avoid scaring me. When he was less than a foot from me, he bit into his wrist, and held the bleeding wound to my mouth. I looked at the blood trickling from there. “Before the wound closes”, Eric said; reaching for me to step forward. I took a hold of his arm, and looked up into his eyes, as I put my lips to the two small holes.

You would think drinking Eric’s blood would be metallic – bitter, even – but it wasn’t. It was sweet, but not sickly so; and if I was to describe it, the closest word I could think of was full. The last time I’d had vampire blood, the situation had been quite different; and I hadn’t been very focused on the taste. I closed my eyes, and suckled; feeling not cold, but warmth spreading through my body. My heart beat fiercely, and my core throbbed. With my free hand, I held on to Erics shirt; letting out a choked moan against his wrist. I heard him take a ragged breath, and he put his hand on my cheek. “That’s enough, sunshine”, he said. I pulled back, and looked up at him. He wiped a stray droplet from my chin. “How do you feel?”. His voice was almost hopeful. “I… don’t know”, I said. “Ok, I guess”. Eric smiled as if I was the most endearing creature he’d ever seen. He stroked my temple, and for a second, I was convinced he was about to kiss me – and I wasn’t sure I wanted to stop him.

There was a pounding on the door. “Eric! Your meeting is over. It’s already taken too long”, Bill barked from the other side. “My vampire-daddy is here”, I said, stifling a smile. “Too bad”, Eric said. “I was hoping I’d be your vampire-daddy”. I laughed nervously.

I moved away from the door, and let Eric open it. In some strange way, I felt like I needed to correct my clothes, and was tugging at my skirt, as Bill and Pam entered the office again. “Bill… Liv will be going with me to Dallas in three days”, Eric said. “She’ll be gone for four nights. If you need anything taken care of in the meanwhile, feel free to use my day-person. He’s at your disposal”. Bill looked at me with wide eyes. “For the conference?”, he said. “Are you sure you want this, Liv? It might get dangerous”. “Do people usually die at these things?”, I asked. “We haven’t had a human death at a conference since the 70’s”, Eric said. “And that was only because the woman was out of her mind on acid; and practically begged to be eaten”, Pam added. “I saw neon colors for a week after that night”. Eric stifled a smile.

“We will see you in Dallas”, Eric said. “We’ll be travelling during the day, so you’ll be responsible for our transportation. I’m guessing that won’t be a problem”. “No, I’ll make sure you get there safe”, I said. “Us, and our luggage”, Pam said. “Do not let anyone mess with my clothes”. “Your Gucci is safe with me”, I said. “See you in Dallas”.

As Bill and I turned to leave, Eric grabbed my hand. I looked down, and saw that his teeth marks were already healed. “I’m looking forward to it…”, he said. “And do me a favor. No smoking for the duration of the job”. He winked at me “That’s doable…”, I said. “Very doable…”, Eric smirked. I tugged my hand away from his, and left the room.

---

Sam wasn’t happy that I was leaving town, when I told him at the end of my shift the next day. “You told me, that you wouldn’t just up and leave on purpose”, he said. “This is… You’re worrying me, cher’”. “It’s just some well needed vacation”, I said. I hadn’t told him where I was going; or why. “Kind of last minute”, Sam muttered. I sighed deeply, and finished folding the last napkin around the silverware in front of me. “Look, Sam… Ever since I got here, I’ve taken every shift and double shift you’ve asked me to”, I said. “I never asked for a day off, come in late, or left early… I’m asking you for a week; and I already got Sookie and Arlene to cover for me… Please”.

Sam clenched his jaw. “I can’t pay you for the days you’re not here, Liv’”, he said. “Not expecting you to”, I said. “Just… I’d like to know I have a job when I come back”. Sam tilted his head, and smiled. “Of course you do!”, he said. “Just… Call us, and let us know you’re alright, ok?”. “I’ll be perfectly fine”, I smiled. “After what you said, about that acquaintance of yours…”, Sam muttered. “Don’t worry about me… In fact, after I go home today, and for a week forward… Just forget I exist”, I said with a smile. “Now, that’s impossible”, Sam laughed. “Will you be back before next Thursday at least?”. “Why?”, I asked. He cleared his throat. “No reason…”.

I finished up, and drove home; already dreaming of my future second hand car, and the clothes I’d already bought for the trip. Eric had said I needed to be dressed suitably, and had even mailed me to let me know that I was free to buy lingerie on his card. I decided against that last part. I did not need him to know what I spent on underwear, or what I bought.

Eric was waiting on my porch, as I got out of my car. I grabbed the mail from the box, by the sidewalk. “I thought you told me we’d see each other in Dallas”, I said, as I made my way up the steps. “Why didn’t you just call?”. Eric looked coldly at me. “Why can’t I feel you?”, he demanded. I shook my head in confusion. “You… what?”, I said. “I can’t sense your emotions”, he growled, grabbing my shoulders, and placing himself in front of me. “What are you feeling?”. “Annoyance”, I said, pushing his arms off me. I unlocked my door, and stepped inside, creating a barrier between us. “You had my blood… Have you had any dreams about me?”, Eric asked. “No…”, I said. “Any visions or reactions at all?”. I rolled my eyes. “What is this? No, Dr. Northman. The prescribed drug did not have any weird side effects”.

I began looking through my mail. Behind an electrical bill, I found another envelope without sender. I swallowed hard. “If there’s nothing else…”, I said quietly. “What’s wrong?”, Eric said. “I thought you couldn’t feel my emotions”. My voice was shaking. “Your face”, he said. “Why are you afraid?”. I didn’t know what to say. Eric met my eyes, and held my gaze. “Tell me. I swore I’d keep you safe”. “We’re not in Dallas, yet”, I said. “Your responsibilities don’t start until then”. “My responsibilities to you started the moment I asked you to be mine”. “But I’m not yours”. Eric clenched his jaw, and took a step back. “Still… I have need for you in Dallas”, he said. “Anything that makes you this terrified, could mean you’re in danger. And I need you safe… Is this about that… guy in San Diego?”. It was clear Eric wasn’t used to using words like guy about someone.

I opened the envelope, and pulled out another picture of myself. On this one, I had my head on a man’s shoulder – Thomas’ shoulder. Thomas had been holding out the camera, to take the picture of the both of us, and the blissful expression on my face might come off as happy; but I knew better. I had been out of my mind on some kind of drug. Eric looked at the picture as I held it. “Not mine. Not Bills… His?”, he said. I scrunched up the picture, and threw it at the vampires head. “Stop asking who’s I am!”, I growled. “I’m my own. No one else’s!”. “Why?”, he asked. “I told you why…”. I nodded towards the crumbled-up paper on the porch. “That’s why. Because I don’t want someone to think they have the right to follow me around, and control me. Be they human, or vampire or… whatever!”.

Eric seemed unsure what to say; stumped, for the first time since I’d met him. I reminded myself I hadn’t known him very long – that I shouldn’t even be as open with him as I already was. “I’m… sorry”, I said. “Don’t be”, Eric said. “You’re having a perfectly human reaction. Which is good, as we need to convince everyone of that, when we go to the conference”. “Convince everyone?”, I said. “I am human”. “You’re not having normal reactions to my blood. You can’t be glamoured”, Eric said. “You are… something else”.

He seemed about to leave, apparently accepting that he wouldn’t be getting the answers he wanted tonight. I on the other hand, was not. I couldn’t spend four days with the man, if he was constantly questioning my humanity. “Have some of my blood”, I said; making Eric stop in his tracks. He looked hard into my eyes, and was suddenly standing inches from me, the only thing keeping us apart being the invisible barrier keeping Eric out of my home. “Why?”, he asked, almost inaudibly. “You’d be able to taste it… That I’m human”, I said. “Wouldn’t you?”. He nodded. “Please come in”.

Eric drew in a short breath, and took a step forward; keeping his eyes on mine. As he walked forwards, I stepped backwards, almost stumbling. Eric caught me by the waist, and my breath hitched. “How much would you need to… drink?”, I croaked. “Not much”, he answered softly. “But the more, the better”. “O-ok”, I said. “So, do I give you my wrist, or…?”. “I prefer the femoral arteries…”, Eric smiled. I frowned at him. “But your wrist, or your neck will be fine. Your choice”.

“Which will hurt less?”, I asked. Eric smiled slightly. “You’ve never been bitten before”, he said. “Not… bitten, no”, I said. He narrowed his eyes at me. “But someone has tasted you? How?”. I swallowed hard, and shook my head. “Long story”, I muttered. “Just tell me which will be less painful”. Erics eyes diverted to the exposed skin at the crook of my neck. “I know how to keep my bite as painless as possible”, he said. “Some of the humans I drink from even enjoy it. They tend to prefer the neck”. “Alright”, I said in a whisper. “Neck, then”.

I took a deep breath, and tilted my head slightly. Erics gaze softened; and to my surprise, he took my hand, leading me to sit down on my couch – taking a seat next to me himself. “Put your legs over mine”, he said; pulling at my knees, so my legs were splayed over his. He put an arm behind my back, and pulled me closer. “This way it’s more comfortable. Unless you prefer lying down…”. “This is fine”, I squeaked. “Turn towards me. Relax”, Eric said. I did as I was told, and blew out a deep breath. He ran his fingertips down my neck, sending shivers down my spine. I let my head rest against the vampire’s shoulder, and closed my eyes. I felt Erics cool breath against my neck, and he held a hand on the back of my head; tangling his fingers into my hair. “Gör det. Sluta vara svag…”. Eric was muttering to himself. ”What’s wrong?”, I whispered. ”Nothing”, he replied shortly, and pulled me impossibly closer. “Don’t move”. “Ok…”.

Eric pulled at the collar of my Merlotte’s t-shirt, and moved his lips closer to my neck. After a long moment, he let out a guttural groan, and I found myself alone on the couch; while Eric was standing at the other end of the room. “Did I do something wrong?”, I asked; suddenly feeling tears betray me – and I didn’t even know why. “Please don’t do that”, Eric said, looking almost afraid of the situation. I quickly wiped my eyes. “I’m sorry”. “And don’t apologize…”, he said. “I will see you in Dallas”. He was gone.

I locked all windows and doors, before going to bed – both happy, that soon I’d be far away from where Thomas could find me; and troubled by what had occurred between me and Eric.

---

My flight to Dallas was late in the afternoon. Eric and Pam’s travel coffins were already unloading when I got off the plane; and the sky was orange, letting me know sundown wasn’t far off. I made sure all luggage was accounted for; not wanting to risk the wrath of Eric’s underling. All I wanted to do was have a smoke to calm my nerves, but I’d promised not to for the duration of the job.

Once the final bag was in the trunk of the large sedan taking us to the vampire hotel, it was fully dark outside the hangar, and the lids of both coffins sprang open. Eric was already on his phone as he rose. “Yes, Isabel; I will see you there… That is not up for discussion… Is he coming…? Good”. He hung up his phone as he passed me; not looking at me. “Everything is accounted for”, I said quietly. “Of course it is”, he said, and entered the limo. Pam gave me a look out the corner of her eyes, and smirked – not meanly so, more as if she was amused.

I got in with the two vampires, and sat on the sideways seat. I’d never been in a limo before, and found it difficult to make myself comfortable, feeling very out of my element. Eric sat back in his seat, spreading his arms on the top of the backrest. Pam was filing her nails next to him. They looked like the perfect power-couple, had it not been for the fact that they were not lovers; more like brother and sister – or father and daughter. Theirs was an undefinable relationship; but it was clear who was the master, and who was the underling – though Eric seemed to have a great deal of respect, and maybe even love for Pam. I didn’t feel right asking, but I guessed he was her maker.

“Here’s the deal”, Eric said, finally looking at me. His tone was matter-of-factly, and hard. “Unless Pam or I tell you or gesture you to do otherwise, you stay behind us at all times. Most of the vampires at the conference are old, and have conservative views on how humans should behave in our presence. Remember that you are our inferior”. I didn’t respond. “Do you understand?”. “I can talk now?”, I sneered. Pam stifled a smile; whereas Eric almost snarled. “If you value your life, you’ll keep that smart mouth shut!”, he said. “Speak when you are spoken to, and never unless I – or Pam – tell you that it is alright”. “Ok”, I replied.

“The hotel will be full, so we booked rooms months ago”, Pam said, putting her file into her purse. “Eric and I will be in a suite. Your room is down the hall”. I hadn’t even thought about where I would be staying. “You’re on call from sunset until dawn”, Eric said. “Days are yours to do with as you want, unless we have errands for you… Speaking of which. Pam…”. Pam handed me a note. “What’s this?”, I asked. “The address off a photographer I’ve been in contact with”, Eric said. “He’s prepared a piece for me, that needs to be picked up tomorrow, before sunset”. “I’ll handle it”, I said. “Use the hotel car-service. I don’t want you calling a taxi, or taking a… bus”. He sounded like the word was putrid in and of itself. “It would be embarrassing if anyone found out”. “Appearance is everything”, Pam said. “Pam is right. You’re representing me in everything you do, these upcoming days”, Eric said. “Don’t let me down”. Apparently, Eric was done flirting, and in full business mode; and I decided I was better off for it.

At the hotel, a pair of bellboys brought in our luggage for us. Pam checked us in, while Eric went through messages on his phone. I stayed quiet, and focused on observing the people around me. I had never seen so many vampires in one room at once; not even in Fangtasia. Other humans were standing as I was, behind their vampire bosses; and a few of them had fang marks on their exposed skin. Everyone was looking very solemn, though there was an undertone of excitement.

I’d tried to dress for the occasion; in a dark blue button up dress, a cardigan, and flats. I played nervously with the button of my purse. “Stop fidgeting!”, Eric said, and looked down at my chest. “And don’t wear that cardigan again… You don’t look enough like dinner”. I took a deep breath. “Permission to speak?”, I muttered. “Granted”, he replied; a slight smile on his lips, as he put his phone back into his pocket. “You’re a dick, and I’ll wear whatever clothes I want to”, I said. His smile broadened. “I bought those clothes”, he said. “And when I checked the receipts, I didn’t see any lingerie on them… Going commando, sunshine?”. I gulped, having clearly lost this battle. Eric was back at it.

Pam returned with three keycards. “What did I miss?”, she asked. “Miss Sunday isn’t wearing any underwear”, Eric replied, and walked towards the elevators. Pam inclined her head, to look at my bottom. “I am too!”, I croaked, and followed the two of them into the small cabin.

My hotel room was larger than my living room at home, and there was a large tub in the bathroom; which I couldn’t wait to try out. Eric and Pam had gone to their suite to do whatever it was vampires did when they were alone; so I yelped in surprise when I found the Viking reclining on the large bed, as I reentered the room from having daydreamed about bubble-baths. “Don’t you need to be invited in?”, I asked. “This room is in my name, so no”, he said. “The conference doesn’t start officially until tomorrow night, but our first meeting is in 30 minutes”. “Alright, I’ll get my things”, I said. “No”, Eric said, sitting up. He patted the spot next to him on the bed. “Sit with me”. “I thought this was a business trip”, I said, trying – and failing – for confident. “Stop being difficult”, Eric said. “We need to have a conversation”.

I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed; keeping my feet on the floor. Eric turned his body, to sit next to me. “How is your acting?”, he asked. “I did Wicked in high school”, I shrugged. A smile ghosted Erics face. “Vampires will try to glamour you, maybe even tonight”, he said. “You need to be able to convince them that they’ve succeeded”. “I’ll handle it”, I said.

Eric put a large hand on my cheek, and turned my face towards his. “There is too much life in your eyes”, he said. “A glamoured human does not look like you. Look into my eyes”. I focused on his light-blue orbs, and felt a rush of blood straight to my core. “That’s even worse”, Eric said. I took a deep breath, and thought about anything but Eric; which was hard, as his hand was still on my cheek, and he was looking at me intently. I thought about the bath I was going to take later on; which turned in to thinking about Eric in the bathtub – bubbles strategically placed to cover his naked body. Then, I thought about my favorite flavors of ice-cream; which turned in to Eric feeding me the ice-cream – once again, naked.

“Think about nothing”, Eric said. “That’s impossible”, I sneered. “Nothingness”, he reiterated. “Think about the coldest darkest thing you can imagine, but don’t let it scare you. A glamoured human is not afraid, unless the vampire wants them to be”. I let my mind disappear into a cold, dark cave; saw only mist. “Good”, Eric whispered. He stroked my temple, and I parted my lips; needing to remind myself to breathe. Leaning in close, Eric was soon brushing his nose against mine. “Eric…”, I said. “Say yes. Be mine”, he breathed. I sighed, and pulled back. “No…”. Eric put his forehead to mine, and closed his eyes, as if in pain. “Liv…”. His voice was almost pleading. “I can’t… Eric, I can’t”.

Eric stood up abruptly. I almost fell forwards from the lack of contact. “We will have to pretend in front of everyone else”, he said; his tone brusque. “As I cannot feel you, we will have to use vampire law to keep you alive”. “I can… pretend”, I said. “As long as you know…”. “You’ve made yourself clear, sunshine”, he said. “Get your things, we have a meeting to attend. And put on some underwear”. “I’m wearing underwear!”.

---

We went to a suite down the hall. Pam was flipping through a magazine in a recliner, and gave Eric a look when we entered. “Jag kunde ha hämtat henne”, she muttered. “You seemed busy”, Eric replied to whatever it was she’d said. A half-naked red-haired woman walked out from one of the doors; looking pale and blissful. “She’s good for another sip”, Pam said. The woman stopped in front of Eric and smiled seductively at him. He waved her away with a flick of his fingers. “I’m good”, he said; and the woman left the room with a disappointed look on her face – closing the door behind her. Pam scanned my body. “She seems whole”, she said. “Unless…”. Her eyes travelled down to the apex of my thighs; still covered by the dress. “Behave”, Eric said. “We have company coming”.

He walked over to Pam, took the magazine, and quickly discarded it in a cabinet over the bar. Pam got up to stand, and brushed non-existing lint off her pink pantsuit. Eric seemed tense. His jaw was clenched, and his posture was straighter than usual. “Clean this place up!”, he grunted, and fluffed a throw-pillow from the chair Pam had been seated in. “Who’s coming?”, I asked. “Someone you will show every reverence!”, Eric said. “Yes, sir”, I muttered, annoyance seeping through in my words. His lips twitched slightly, and he went to stand in front of me. “You’re about to meet a vampire more powerful than you can imagine”, he said. “He is older than me; much older – and he is the host of this convention. The sheriff of Area 9”. “Alright… So, what do I do?”, I asked. “You keep quiet. For your own sake”, he responded; and looked me over. He pulled my cardigan down my shoulders, and off me, before I could protest. “There. Dinner”.

There was a knock on the door, and Eric quickly led me to stand by the window at the far wall from the entrance. Pam went to open for the guests, and a tall vampire, wearing a cowboy hat came into the room. I stifled a smile; finding him ridiculous to look at. This is the ancient vampire I’m supposed to show reverence?, I thought to myself.

The vampire spoke with a Texas-twang, sounding unbelievably bored. “All hail Godric. Sheriff of Area 9, leader of…”. “That’s enough Stan. Everyone knows who I am”, a soft, young-sounding voice said from behind him. Cowboy-Stan stepped aside, revealing a young-looking vampire; with dark hair and intense, ageless eyes. I knew him; and a flashback of both pain, fear and relief filled my whole being. A darkhaired female vampire came in behind him. She was luxuriously dressed, sort of the Latina version of Pam; though less pink.

Eric went down on one knee in front of the vampire with the intense gaze; almost crumbling in his presence. “Godric…”, he breathed almost inaudibly. “Min son”, Godric replied with a slight smile. Eric got back up to stand; and though he towered at least a foot over the other sheriff, he seemed much smaller in stature due to his veneration of him. Godric walked further into the room, and looked towards Pam. “Pamela…”, he said. “Grand-sire…”, she replied, and nodded her head. It was clear to me now, that Godric was Erics maker.

As Godric came into the middle of the room – Eric staying close behind him – he looked around, and locked eyes with me. I felt my cheeks redden, and looked down at the floor. “This meeting was supposed to be unofficial”, Stan snarled. “Why is there a human here?”. “Maybe she’s dinner”, the darkhaired female said. “Isabel!”, Godric said. “If you are hungry, I am sure sheriff Northman can offer you a bottle of TruBlood”. “She smells good…”, Stan muttered, and I felt a pang of fear go through my body. “Miss Sunday is mine”, Eric said. Godrics eyes travelled between me and Eric, and he raised a brow slightly.

The vampires all sat down, and I stayed in my place by the window; not knowing what I was supposed to do other than stand still, and try not to get eaten. A conversation commenced between all four, in what seemed to be at least 3 different languages. The only one I understood was Stan, who didn’t say much – save, “Fuck that”, and “We need to act now!” – and he kept looking at me, like he hadn’t fed in weeks. It was terrifying; and for all the safety Eric had promised me, I was feeling none at the moment. Then there was Godric; a vampire I had many questions for. Like for instance, why I had a crazy stalker back on my trail, when he was supposed to have forgotten all about me.

After about 15 minutes of trying to keep from shaking, Godric looked up at me. “Eric, ask your human to sit with us. She looks tired”. “I’m fine”, I said quietly. Eric looked out the corner of his eyes at me. “Sit down, Liv”, he said. The only seat left was on the couch, between Eric and Godric; so, I sat down there – finally feeling a sense of security that I wouldn’t be eaten just yet.

“Let us continue in English”, Godric said. “Godric, we should…”, Isabel began. “I will glamour Miss Sunday if needed”, Eric said. A smile ghosted Godrics face. “No, I will”, Stan said. Eric tensed up, and bared his fangs. “Can we finish our meeting in a civil manner?”, Godric said, an edge to his voice. “Eric…”. The Viking pulled his fangs back, and relaxed his body slightly.

“How long have you been with Eric, miss Sunday?”, Godric asked. “We have known each other for…”, Eric began. “I was asking Liv”, Godric said. He pronounced my name as Eric had, the first time we met. Leev. I couldn’t help but smile slightly, but returned to a more solemn expression, when Pam raised a brow at me. “Not long”, I said quietly. “And he protects you well?”, Godric said. “Hasn’t had a reason too… yet”, I said. “Give it time… You strike me as someone with a low sense of self-preservation”, he replied. It was Eric’s turn to smile. “Well, I do have a past with dangerous men”, I said. For the first time since he entered the room, Godric met my eyes again. He looked confused. “And you’ve been hurt since?”, he asked. “Not…”, I began. “Godric, with all due respect; we do have more important things to discuss, than this…”, Stan interrupted me. “I think enough has been said on the topic for one night”, Godric said. “And I want to have a conversation with this human”.

Godric reached for my hand, and turned it; apparently checking for fang-marks. His grasp was gentle, and his hand looked very different around my wrist, than it had around the neck of Thomas, the year before. My breath hitched lightly, and Godric immediately let go of me. “You’ve fed from Eric?”, he asked. “I… Yes”, I said. “Stan, Isabel; leave us”. The two vampires left the room quicker than I could turn my head.

“Godric, jag…”, Eric began. “Blodet är heligt”, Godric said. “Jag ville skydda henne!”. Eric seemed to shrink in his seat. “Du vet du inta kan ljuga för mig”. “Det ville jag aldrig gjöra…”. “Then maybe you are lying to yourself”. Godrics voice was even, but hard. “You have not fed from her”. “Not yet”, Eric said; making me swallow hard. Godric inclined his head towards me. “Liv, you have nothing to fear from the Dallas vampires. But you will have to keep up your ruse of being Erics… And you will have to do a better job of pretending”.

Godric stood up, and the rest of us followed. “I will see you at the opening ceremony tomorrow”, he said. “I’ve had a host-gift prepared, that I am sure will be… suitable to your tastes”, Eric said. “Two sticks and a bowl of mud?”, Godric asked, an overbearing smile on his face. “Like the good old days”, Eric said. Something unspoken, that seemed to amuse the both of them, passed between the vampires; and Godric left the room.

Pam went to get her magazine out of the cabinet, seemingly ready to get back to browsing through the latest fashions from Paris. “I think I need a drink”, I muttered. “Go change. We’re invited to a private party at the hotel bar”, Eric said. That date I had with the bathtub in my room, seemed further and further away. “I am not going to that thing”, Pam said. “I know you’re not. I remember what happened last time”, Eric retorted. “That wasn’t my fault”, Pam said. “And his fangs grew back eventually”.

Eric rolled his eyes, before looking at me. “Go!”, he said. “What am I supposed to wear?”, I asked. “I’ve never been to a private vampire-party”. “You look like dinner now”, Pam said snarkily. “Think dessert”.

[galadrieljones]

Leah Hallucination Theory: the Three Prongs

The three prongs have really been giving me a lot of trouble. I always thought, the way they’re arranged and orchestrated in the episode, that they must be markers, signs, or visual representations of some sort, not just for us, but for Daryl. There’s something about them that’s never really sat right with me, which is that, right before Dog leads Daryl to Leah for the first time in the woods, Daryl sees a different set of prongs: two, sticking out of a tree.

I always figured they had to be connected, somehow, to the cabin, and to the three prongs, and that Daryl knows exactly what they mean. So I went back to the episode a couple days ago, specifically with the prongs in mind. I made some significant discoveries and connections, I think. I will lay them all out here, along with my theory for what the prongs could mean. Maybe this is crazy, I don’t know anymore!!!! Either way, this is a long post, and it was very fun to make, so hold onto your hats!!

When we first encounter three prongs, it’s in the shot below, in the present tense. Carol and Daryl are in the woods with Dog, and they have the conversation about the dead, and how “it’s going to catch up to [them] eventually.” Daryl says, "Only if we let it. I ain’t gonna let it.” Carol looks like she’s going to protest, but then Dog starts growling, like he’s caught a scent, and he runs off. The music becomes foreboding and tense, with loud, rhythmic drums. Dog leads them to a cabin with three prongs in the door. This is the inciting incident of the episode, the moment that is going to lead us down the rabbit hole to come.

When I saw the original three prongs, from Daryl’s point of view, I was intrigued, but ofc I didn’t know why. I just knew that they were somehow connected to this mysterious red-haired woman, who he envisions immediately after seeing them. Then, later, when we see the three prongs in the door, my brain jumped through a hoop. I assumed they were the same prongs we’d seen before, but they’re not. 

The prongs in the door are similar, but they’re not the same as the first three we see. These are more evenly distributed, and they’re on the wrong side of the shot to be the prongs that Daryl sees first upon entering the clearing. Further, this cabin has a big, covered porch. These prongs are not visible from outside, other than maybe through a screen or window. 

Once I realized these were not the same prongs, I went to check the first time we see the three prongs, through Daryl’s POV, to figure out what’s going on. The cinematography here is very tricky! The visual association is strong. The director wants us to read this episode closely, but they also want to confuse us. They want us to see what Daryl sees. 

If you watch closely, when Carol and Daryl first chase Dog into the clearing with the cabin, you can see the first set of prongs, sticking out of what must be a tree. They’re hidden, on the lefthand side of the shot, in the extreme foreground, out of focus. The prongs must be real, as opposed to imagined, because they are always in the scene, but they don’t come into focus until Daryl sees them, because only he knows what they mean. Note that, after Dog and Carol run through the shot, the camera cuts away to Daryl for several more shots before cutting back to the prongs, which then rack into focus as he looks at them. We know they’re the same prongs in both shots, because the shots are paralleled, composition-wise: a little faded leaf with a touch of red in the foreground, near the prongs, and the tall weed plant in the background. 

Remember when Daryl approaches the house, the house is on his left. We see this through a POV shot. But then, if you follow his eye line, the prongs are on his right. These prongs seem to be pointing to the cabin, like a sign, or an arrow. They are not the same prongs in the door jamb. (Side note: I went back to try and see if there is any established visual of the three prongs in the door during the “flashbacks” with Leah. I couldn’t find anything conclusive.)

So what do the prongs mean, through the hallucination lens?

Let’s return to the first scene after the storm. If you’re recall from my original post about Leah being a hallucination, I theorize that the storm represents Daryl’s psychotic break from reality. A talk with @frangipanilove has revealed to me even further that the map in the scene may not actually be destroyed, but that this is ALSO a hallucination, as Carol interacts with the map years in the future.

After the storm, a year goes by. Daryl is just walking along in the woods. It’s early autumn, as most of the leaves are still green, but they’re starting to change, with little bits of color. Daryl sees two metal prongs, hammered into a tree. 

This is the moment that confused me for a long time. The moment he sees the two prongs, it’s like he recognizes them, like he knows what they mean, and what’s coming next. Reedus plays it as a little scared, a little surprised. They’re like a warning. The music changes and becomes more foreboding and ominous, with loud, rhythmic drums, and then Dog appears and leads him to Leah for the very first time. The rhythmic drums at this point in the episode are reminiscent of the drums in that very similar scene where Dog gets excited and leads Carol and Daryl to the cabin, in the present-tense. I think the music is important in this episode, in building a map toward what is real and what isn’t. But I’m not a music theorist. If anybody is, and has the vocabulary for this, please talk to me!!

Anyway. It’s important to realize, too, that these prongs are similar, like they’re made of the same kind of old metal, but they’re part of a different set of prongs from the other set in the woods, which are different from the first set of prongs Daryl sees, and the three prongs in the door. They are at distinctly inverted angles, pointing toward each other instead of away, and instead of three, there are only two. 

So, there are three sets of prongs:

The (2) prongs in the tree in the woods.

The (3) prongs in the tree pointing to the cabin. 

The (3) prongs in the cabin door.

I think the prongs are visual stimuli, or triggers, for Daryl, which initiate a sequence of events that lead him to Leah. I think that, given how he reacts to them, Daryl may have put those prongs there, as both a geographical marker, but also as a visual association, a way of triggering his mental loop with Leah. Here’s the sequence, as we see it: He sees two prongs in the woods, which trigger the scene with Dog, who leads him to the three prongs in the tree, which point to the cabin with three prongs in the door. The repetition of three would signal the end (rather than a continuation) of the sequence. 

PTSD Associations: It’s probable the sequence was initiated by real events, since Dog is real, and since the sequence seems to plays out in present tense with Carol. Since I believe Daryl had been with Dog, at least part of the time, before he imagined Leah (more on that soon), it’s possible that, the first time Daryl met Leah, it was because this very sequence of events played out: Daryl was just walking along in the woods, and then in true Lassie form, Dog showed up, leading him to the cabin. Like @twdmusicboxmystery​ has pointed out, it’s possible that when Daryl got there, a woman was actually in trouble but died shortly thereafter, or that she was already dead. Daryl’s inability to “save” her, such as Carol suggests at the end of the episode, would have triggered past traumas and losses for which he blames himself, particularly with Beth and Rick. This creates a feedback loop, a common symptom of PTSD, in which a trauma survivor effectively relives their trauma over and over again. What’s more, Daryl’s mind attempts to conquer this dilemma by creating Leah (or recreating her, as it’s possible she was real before she died), a survivor and a pretty woman who strongly and assertively does not want to be saved. 

Since the cabin is real, it’s possible Daryl may have stumbled upon it a couple of times afterward, only to find it empty, and/or be confused about what it was for. This might be the ultimate purpose for the three prongs in the door: to trigger his memory of the exact sequence of events that first led him to his imagined version of Leah, marking the cabin specifically as “Leah’s cabin.” (For more unique insight into reading Daryl’s experience and this episode through the PTSD lens, read @weapon13whitefang​​’s awesome addition to another excellent Leah Hallucination theory by @twdmusicboxmystery​.)

Remember, right after he sees the three prongs in the tree, with Carol, Daryl immediately visualizes Leah, sitting on the porch, with Dog, almost like it is an obvious association. The sequence with the prongs is hard to follow at first when we watch, because we see the sequence out of order, and we never see all sets of prongs in the same sequence, or scene. We do, however, see both sets of prongs in the woods over the course of the episode, during separate scenes with strong parallels to one another in both the action and music, ie: the music changes, something is amiss with Dog, who runs off to the cabin, and then Daryl follows. This disorganization of the sequence is purposeful, I believe, in order to simulate Daryl’s confusion with the audience.

The whole thing reminds me, somewhat, of a psychologically strenuous version of Gareth and the Terminus crew, marking the trees in season 5 so they can “find their way home.” Only there is no home to go back to. Gareth even says so. It also makes me wonder if there is a single prong somewhere, to officially begin the sequence, leading Daryl to the scene with Dog, who then leads him back to Leah’s cabin: 1...2...3...Leah. 

First Prong? Remember in the beginning of the episode, right after the opening credits, Daryl makes a big to-do with Carol about where they are, in case they get split up, so they can find each other? He tells Carol they've gotten “5 miles due southeast of the gate.” He tells her it’s “right near that, uh...” and then she finishes his sentence: “...small fork in the road by the dying white oak?” We don’t actually know what he was going to say, because Carol makes a very assertive supposition, and then he just says, “Right.” Isn’t it possible he was going to say something else? Or that he realized he didn’t want to say what he was initially going to say, for fear she would get concerned? I did search for a prong in the scene where Daryl dumps his bike, but I couldn’t find anything conclusive. Having gotten to know this show pretty well by now, I think that would have been too obvious. I wonder if, perhaps, we’ll see it later, or next season, ie: if Daryl, or even another character will see a single-prong in a tree, nearer to Alexandria. Perhaps it will be in the “dying white oak near the fork in the road.” ? That is a highly specific, loaded, and memorable turn of phrase. I remember it calling attention to itself, even before I knew what I was looking for. 

Does Daryl know what’s real? So as Daryl and Carol go deeper into the woods, after they leave the bike, Daryl tells Carol, in a concerned manner, that it’s important she remember this spot, and that she “stay close.” Reedus’s performance here is super important. Daryl is worried about them getting separated, but it’s unclear why. We know that Carol can take care of herself in the woods, and we know that Daryl knows that, too. I thought perhaps he knows, subconsciously, where he is. He’s at the beginning of the sequence, and he’s not worried about Carol getting lost. He’s worried he might get lost, that he might lose her and end up back somewhere he doesn’t know if he wants to be. She is sure to remind him that she’s “not going anywhere.” 

There are two more things I find super interesting in this scene, looking back. First, they are only FIVE MILES away from the gate. They don’t get that much further. They travel totally on foot, and time passes, but they also stop to fish. They are most likely still within ten miles of home. So even after being gone for literal years, we know that Daryl has been close to home for a lot of that time (we also know this because Carol visits him periodically, ofc). Second, it’s Daryl who suggests they come here, after parking the bike. I know I’m not the first person to point out how strange this is. It’s almost like he is sending himself back there because he needs to know for sure: Is any of this real? Did any of it actually happen? I don’t think he fully knows at this point, in the beginning of the episode.

I think when he comes upon the cabin, he is confused. He is hesitant to go inside and waits a while before entering. You can see it in his face, and his demeanor, that he is surprised, or that he did not fully expect to end up here. That’s weird, right? Because he’s been living in these woods for a long time. Perhaps he doesn’t know what is real, and what isn’t. He couldn’t remember if the cabin was real, so he came back here to make sure. He realizes then that the cabin IS real, just like Dog, just like the map, because all of these things, Carol interacts with. Remember when Carol asks Daryl if Leah lived here, Daryl doesn’t really answer. He just says, “It was a long time ago.” I am not sure if he actually knows at this point. Remember that he doesn’t invite Carol to come, but he doesn’t stop her either. I wonder if, her being there, that emboldens him to investigate what “happened,” to see what she can see, and to use her as an anchor to the truth. We don’t know where Daryl was planning to go prior to Carol hopping on for the ride. It’s only after they ride out five miles from the gate, and they stash the bike, that he suggests the river.

Leah and Dog: I think Daryl may have been coming here, a lot, intermittently over many years, reliving old experiences obliquely through various hallucinated interactions with Leah. It’s close to home, so perhaps every time he got close enough to go back to Alexandria, he would find the prongs and end up back here instead. Eventually, however, he has to make a choice: go forward, to Alexandria, embrace reality, move on with his life, or go backward, to the cabin, to Leah, to the past, etc., where it’s safe, and where he is in control. I think Daryl found Dog as a puppy, and Dog was always real, and Dog was often with him, even before the storm, and I think Dog may have even inspired Leah’s appearance. If you look at Leah, especially when she wears the red fox pelt, she is visually reminiscent of Dog. Her red hair, like Dog’s, is so specific, so different from any of the other women in the show, calling back to the autumn leaves in the trees. In fact, the first time we see Leah, it comes as a vision, or a flashback, right after Daryl sees the three prongs in the tree. Her face is veiled by her red hair, and Dog’s face is hidden as well, almost as if they are a single red entity ensconced in a haze of dreamy green.

I wonder if Daryl met Dog, then it was the storm, then he created Leah, and he found himself in a cycle, or feedback loop, sequenced and triggered by the prongs. He rewrote the loop in his mind, and then eventually clawed his way out by creating a fight with Leah, in which she gives him an ultimatum, forcing him once and for all to make his choice to return to Alexandria and face his family. Of course, the theme of “cycles” is not only implicit but explicit in this episode: Right at the end, Daryl tells Carol that they are having the “same conversation over and over again.”

One more thing: In 9.14 “Scars,” we see a flashback in which Daryl takes a break from his hunt for Rick to help Michonne track Jocelyn, who’s taken Judith. Michonne is very pregnant, easily in her third trimester. This means it’s been eight or 9 months since Rick’s disappearance. This takes place 2-3 months before he first meets Dog (hence: 5 Years Ago), and then in another year, he’ll “meet” Leah. I thought it was interesting how, in “Scars,” Michonne talks to Daryl about all of these good memories she has of Jocelyn, and how Jocelyn was a good friend who helped her through some of the most difficult times in her life. She says she “wanted her to be that again,” and that this clouded her judgment. This is a very emotional scene, in which Daryl and Michonne talk while sitting on what looks like an old swing set. I think it foreshadows what happens with Daryl and Leah, and how he relives many memories with her, both difficult and joyful, that he wants her to be these things, and then she turns out to be nothing but a deception.

Again, this is all a theory. But it’s a REALLY fun one lol. I am now convinced that this episode is much MUCH deeper and more meaningful than I initially thought. It is a puzzle for sure, and I know there is still probably a lot of stuff I’m missing. If you have thoughts or additions, let me know!

[kaiwritess]

Hi! Can I request a scenario where Oikawa’s ex which he left for volleyball then became a volleyball prodigy (Top one of the aces of Japan for Women’s volleyball) also who which he still loves, came to Seijoh for a practice match against their girls volleyball team whose ace is Oikawa’s current “fling” and won. During the game, Toru didn’t realize that his attention wasn’t on his “fling” but it’s on his ex making his “fling” jealous. Sorry if its random and weird, I LOVE YOUR WRITING BTW!

hi nonnie!! this is an awesome request. hopefully you dont mind, but i changed it up a bit. like instead of it being a practice match, it’s the finals of the spring tournament. thought it would give some more tension, ykwim? also, let’s pretend that y/n is a member of fukurodani. also, i wrote this so that oikawa BELIEVED y/n was trying to make him jealous, but in reality, y/n was only doing it for herself and her teammates. Y/n moved on from oikawa, and she learned her worth. She became a QUEEN (not that she wasn’t before)

Your Loss || Oikawa Tooru x Reader

Word Count: 1.5k

Summary: You’re versing Aoba Johsai’s team for the finals. But. did you really get over your ex?

Warnings: none; just a sprinkle of angst in the end

“Volleyball is my priority. You’re not.”

That was the last thing Oikawa said to you months ago before he left. You remember those words as if it happened yesterday. In the beginning, you were obviously heartbroken. Was the time you spent with him only one-sided? Did he ever love me?

All of those questions used to cloud your mind. It had even distracted you from the sport you love. Fortunately, you had a strong support system. Your friends were there for you. They got you through a difficult time.

Albert Einstein once said, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Who knew that the pent up anger and frustration led you to become the second-best ace in Japan? Not only that, but you were the team captain. Now here you are, standing on the volleyball court, waiting to verse your ex’s school. This was the first time since your breakup that you were going to compete against Aoba Johsai. 

“Hey, Y/N,” a familiar voice snapped you out of your train of thought.

You smile after seeing who the voice belonged to. “Oh hey, Akaashi. Glad you could cheer us on. We all really appreciate the school spirit,” you said, motioning to the crowded bleachers.

“It’s nothing, really. Bokuto is already riling up the crowd,” he chuckled. “You know how he can be.”

Laughing alongside him, you heard your coach yell for a team huddle.

“Guess I have to go now. Wish me luck.”

Before you could walk away, you felt Akaashi’s hand grab your arm. You turned to him with wide eyes. “Oh?”

Akaashi took a deep breath. “I feel like you should know this. You know #4 on the opposite team? I think she’s their ace and captain. Anyways, Oikawa’s having a fling with her, so I think he might be coming to cheer her on. Don’t let him and #4 get to you. Good luck, Y/N.”

You stood there frozen in shock. A wave of emotions came crashing down on you. Questions like How long have they been together? Does Oikawa really like her?, and What happened to volleyball being his priority? clouded your mine. Great. Now your nerves got ten times worse.

“Thanks for telling me, “ you almost sounded sarcastic. “I have to go now. Enjoy the game.” Akaashi watched you walk towards your team. He gulped. This was either the best or worst mistake he ever made.

You didn’t listen to what the coaches were saying in the team huddle. The only thing on your mind was your goal to defeat Aoba Johsai. Demolish them to the point where the audience pities them. The team noticed your odd silence but were too nervous to say anything about it. Usually, you were the one who got the team hyped. So when they saw how quiet their captain was, it made them concerned. Ignoring all the stares, you walked up to the referee, ready to see who serves first. Most importantly, you were ready to face #4.

A brunette was walking towards you with the jersey saying #4. 

“Let’s have a good game,” you heard the ref say.

You clenched your jaw as you shook her hand. #4 leaned closer to you, only to whisper, 

“Heard you were Oikawa’s ex. He’s up on the left side of the stands cheering for me. Sucks that you're missing out on all the cute cheers he made for Aoba Johsai.”

By now, veins were popping out of your neck. Your face was bright red and you shook her hand as tight as you could.

“Let’s have a good game,” you said, dropping her hand while smiling passive-aggressively.

---

Set 1: Aoba Johsai- 20, Fukurodani- 25.

Set 2: 25 || 23

Set 3: 27 || 25

Set 4: 17 || 25

Set 5: 23 || 24

--

It was the match point of the last set. Your coach had called a time out as a way to let the team regain some of their energy. Everyone reached their physical limits. Now, it was only a battle of mental strength. You looked back to your teammates and saw them panting and crouching down. Sweat dropped from your forehead and trickled down to your neck. Surprisingly, you didn’t hear or see Oikawa even once during the match. Though, you never got the chance to even look at the crowd. There were far too many people. Perhaps #4 was lying about him showing up? No, that couldn’t be. It was the finals. Oikawa would never miss this. Your eyes trailed up to the stands, scanning for a face that was remotely similar to his. 

“No, no, no, no.” you shook your head. “We are not doing this. Come on. We have a game to win,” you scolded yourself. With one last, desperate look at the crowd, your jaw dropped. 

There he was, talking to who it seems to be Iwaizumi. 

He was staring directly at you.

“Oh my gosh,” the whistle blew, signaling the end of time out. “Curiosity did kill the cat.”

It was your turn to serve. The ball was thrown towards you, and you almost let it slip out of your hands. Your palms felt more sweaty than usual.

“Nice serve!” a teammate called out.

Taking a deep breath, you began to do your pre-serving routine. Once the whistle blew again, you got ready to serve. Right when you were about to hit the ball, a voice was heard.

“LET’S GO Y/N!!”

It threw you off so much, to the point where the ball hit the net. You turned your head around, trying to find the source of the cheer.

It was him.

It was Oikawa Tooru.

Turning back, you looked to see who was serving next.

Oh boy. It was #4.

To be honest, you were quite impressed by her serves. Although they weren’t as exact and deadly as Oikawa’s, it was still very good. It was almost as if he taught her.

If it weren’t for your teammate calling #4’s serve out, you surely would have tried to receive it. Thank goodness you didn’t. The score was now 24 || 25. Fukurodani was at match point again. 

“Nice serve! Let’s make it count!!” you yelled back at the teammate who was serving.

The serve was so strong, that even though Seijou received it, it went over to Fukurodani’s side, making it a free ball. This was your chance.

“Chance ball!” the libero announced.

“GIVE IT TO ME!” you called out as loud as you could.

It was as if time began to slow down. The loud cheers were muted. The pass was perfect. The set was perfect. Everything was perfect.

The next few moments went by faster than the speed of sound. Was it because you were in the ‘zone’? The impact of the ball left a red mark on your hand. You found yourself being hugged and jumped on by your teammates.

We won.

--

After packing all your gear, you began to walk out of the gym. A gold medal hung proudly from your neck. But before you could walk out, you saw #4 and Oikawa arguing with each other. You couldn’t tell what the conversation was about, but it surely wasn’t good. #4 turned to you and made dead eye contact. She walked towards you, and Oikawa was still standing there with his arms crossed.

“Good game. I underestimated you,” she held her hand out for you to shake.

“I guess you learned a lesson to never underestimate your opponents,” you shook her hand.

“I will beat you next time,” a small grin could be seen on both of your faces. “Oh, and by the way, you see Oikawa over there? Trust me when I say this, but he is not over you.”

The grin disappeared from your face. #4 walked away, leaving him and you standing awkwardly close to each other. 

You were going to walk away from him, but before you could do so, he called out for you.

“Y/N,” he looked more nervous than usual.

“If I were you, I would be going back to #4.”

He sighed. “She and I are done.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised,” you raised an eyebrow.

Oikawa’s face turned red. “Look. I just wanted to tell you something.”

“I’m all ears.”

“You played great. You surely got my attention towards you,” he smirked.

“Excuse me?”

“You played this hard to get me jealous… right?”

“You’re joking,” you scoffed.

Realizing the mistake Oikawa made, he tried to recover.

“Anyways, that’s beside the point. The point is, I was wondering if you would want to go to the local cafe together? Maybe catch up on some stuff,”

You looked at him, appalled by the words he said.

“You’re joking, right?”

“...no?”

“You don’t know how much you hurt me, Oikawa. If you did, then you wouldn’t be approaching me like this. Maybe uh, I don’t know, give me an apology?”

“Y/N…”

“I’m sorry Oikawa. I really am. But volleyball is my priority. You’re not.”

After finishing your sentence, you pushed past him, walking towards the exit. You weren’t going to let someone who hurt you try to get with you again. You learned from your past mistakes.

Oikawa watched you walk away in shock.

You’re the one that got away.

Thanks for reading!

-Kai

[only-lonely-stars]

The Future is Bright, Chapter 3

[Chapter 1 (Beginning)] // [Chapter 2] // [Chapter 3 - you are here!] // [Chapter 4] // [Chapter 10 (End)] (FFN)

Shintaro is much like normal, but Princess Vania is... pretty nice. One wonders just how affected they really were by what happened.

Summary: What would happen if Cole had indeed had a reflection in the tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master? How would that have changed his life later? What would it have been? This story follows what might have happened if he had seen something, and what it was; who he would have become. What if his future was already decided?... (Rated T for safety. Alternate title: the Cosmic Spoilers AU.)

Chapter 3: Under the Mountain

The following days, or perhaps weeks, after the Ninja's arrival in Shintaro were a blur. It was just as much of an adventure as Cole has expected– rarely were their travels anything but adventure– and it ended up being rather exciting… in that stomach-turning way that made him anxious for his family's well-being and proud of how well they fought.

Their Shintaran adventure was better than most, when Cole thought about it afterward, already getting ready to go back to the Monastery of Spinjitzu. For once, no one was dead, or half-dead. No one was possessed, or scarred. No one was sent to another realm, or dimension, or anything! Everyone was… okay. They could leave in peace. There was no lasting damage, there were no painful memories... it was all just something good, for once, with new friends and new lands and new hopes.

Of course, the Ninja weren't the only people involved, and Cole wasn't selfish enough to ignore those who were arguably much more affected than they were. The Upply, the Geckles, the Munce, the Shintarans themselves… all of them were affected in that deeply intrinsic way one is changed by one's first adventure. The Upply were brave, the Geckles and Munce got along– the Shintarans were even considering ending their isolation! Their whole world had turned on its axis in a short week or so, and the Ninja were the cause.

Though the Ninja had changed Shintaro, the Shintarans had changed the Ninja's world, too. Ninjago itself was different. Each of their citizens was different and interesting, although they had barely met any of them, and it was fascinating getting to know them. With that said, if there was one Shintaran out of the rest who was most affected in Cole's mind, it had to be Princess Vania. She wasn't even Princess anymore; she was Queen Vania, sole ruler of the entire kingdom. Her deposed father had his title stripped immediately, and she had taken it up with comfortable ease, just as she was always meant to have it.

When Cole thought about Vania, he had to smile. She was the sort of girl that he thought more people should be like– strong, brave, and independent. She'd been more girlish at the start of their journey under the mountain, but by the time it had ended, she'd grown; she wielded her glaive and royal authority with adept swiftness that he couldn't help but admire. She was a fellow leader.

In fact, she was a really good fit for royalty… Lloyd could probably have taken lessons from her on how to assume power, back in the day.

Power… that was another thing to think about, wasn't it? Cole had received a lot of power during this trip. Now, he looked down at his hands and saw a faint, pulsing of orange right under the skin, just next to where his veins were. It brightened and dimmed with his heart's pulse, and he could feel its buzzing strength if he touched his wrist, or his neck at the jugular artery. It was the pulse of his power, passed down from his mother just like his life and breath were, and stronger than ever.

Now divorced from the events of the trip below the mountain, Cole could smile again at what he'd found. He hadn't imagined he'd find a temple, much less to his mother and ancestors! A sacred place for the Masters of Earth, where incredible power was housed for those who would seek it. A home for the history that was long since forgotten. It was almost too good to be true. He would say he didn't believe it, but he did; he believed it only because he had harnessed the Spinjitzu Burst and defeated the ancient evil his mother had defeated before him. With Vangelis locked up and the power of Earth more securely within his grasp, Cole could smile in peace– he was more connected to his mother than ever before. Earth was his link to the past…

What of a link to the future, though? His vision? What he'd seen in the First Master's tomb? He still remembered it, but the details had faded from his mind. He couldn't remember the details of it, let alone what he'd worn; just that it was some tunic, in white and blue.

Colors he never wore.

Garments he'd never seen before.

It was too similar to Shintaro to ignore, and he simply had to hope that maybe, just maybe… it would be okay. Maybe it wasn't here.

Despite all that, he didn't see it happening. Maybe it wasn't coming yet. Maybe he could still avoid it a little longer… and in the meantime, he couldn't stay in Shintaro forever.

When it was finally time to leave Shintaro, it was the evening after Vania's coronation. The sun was setting when they made to leave in the Bounty, embracing the wind and sun on their faces. They still wore the armor given to them by the Geckles and Munce; they hadn't wanted them back, and they gave a semblance of purpose at the coronation, with all its pomp and circumstance. Cole's was particularly comfortable; he wondered if he should keep it as a usual part of his gi. It didn't hurt that it was gold, like his mother's favorite things... his mind was often on her now.

When they at last made ready to leave, the group exited the palace. They were joined by the many from the audience, led by Queen Vania in the very front. She smiled benevolently, like a proper queen, but just as sweetly as he'd come to expect. As the group split to say their goodbyes, she stuck close to Lloyd, talking quietly… Cole couldn't help but notice as he went to the Upply for his goodbyes.

"So long, fellas." He grinned at them. "This is goodbye."

"Good luck to you, Sir Ninja," Fungus said, bowing.

"And there will be hot bowl of soup waiting for you in Metalonia!" Korgran added, sniffling. "...Korgran will miss Cole."

"I'll miss you too, Korgran." He looked to Plundar, who had finally removed his hood to reveal his black hair. "Stay out of trouble, Plundar! You too, Adam."

Adam chirred, and Plundar smirked. "Where's the fun in that? We've got to do something now that we don't get a real eyeful of you and Vania dancing around."

"I– dancing around? What do you mean?"

"What Plundar means is that you and Vania have quite the connection," Fungus commented. "It's intriguing; we will miss seeing you both."

He shrugged. "Well, I'll miss her too, and all of you, so… yeah. That makes sense."

"Oh!" A familiar, feminine voice called out. "Cole!"

Cole turned back to the proper end of the pier. Lit in the sunset, Vania stood there, wearing her new crown. She was watching him with a little smile and a faint pink blush that seemed to be somewhat permanent, but wasn't an unpleasant sight. Far from it, it countered her pale complexion in rather pretty way. Cole couldn't help but smile at her and come up to the pier, so they were facing each other.

"I wish you could stay," Vania admitted to him, hands fidgeting. "I could use your help."

"You don't need me!" Cole grinned, grabbing one of her hands and clasping it tightly in his hand and raising the two between them. "You're one of the strongest and bravest people I've ever met."

She seemed to light up at his compliment, smiling even more than she had been. "Well, in that case… if you ever need my help, all you have to do is ask and I will bring the entire army of Shintaro to your aid."

"Thanks, Vania." He squeezed her hand gently. "Still feel like you want me to stay?"

"Well, I'd still like to have you here longer." She giggled a little. "Are you sure you can't? I'm really going to miss you."

"Yeah... I'm sure." He squeezed her hand. "I'll come back to visit, okay? Sooner rather than later."

"Okay. I'll look forward to it." She let go of his hand with that same sweet smile. "Have a safe trip home, Cole!"

"Thanks!"

That was all they said to each other before they parted. After a few more warm goodbyes, they boarded the Destiny's Bounty, and took off. As their journey back to Ninjago and the Monastery began, he couldn't help smiling; whatever came next, he hoped it would be as nice as Shintaro, with all its whites and blues.

Cole sighed as he looked out over the mountains. Shintaro was definitely where his vision was set, but… would it really be so bad if his future came to visit him there? Especially with such a good friend in Shintaro?

[lore-of-the-silvereyes-rwby]

You had me with your words but you lost me with your action

This section will relate to the main theme of Volume 7(Trust) and how it relates to Ironwood. Basically despite all of his talk about cooperation and trust he has always been the one that has both rejected and withheld the most of these 2 concepts. Now some of this can be related to his questionable upbringing and past violent experiences. But the core idea is that for all his talk and promises he has never once kept them or bothered to see the error of his ways. As stated before his actions have done more harm than good.

He demands that his subordinates follow his orders without question because he thinks he is right and will always be right.  And he never once afforded Ozpin that same loyalty, trust, or authority.  Since his debut in the show, he was constantly questioning Ozpin’s choices, even though HE was the subordinate to Ozpin.  Kinda hypocritical given his demand for it. He thought differently from Ozpin and could never accept Ozpin’s ways, nor listen to them.  He expected the council, Ozpin, his soldiers, and the main heroes to follow him without question and he truly, honestly believes he is right.  This is scary, especially when you compare him to Ozpin, but I will get to that in a moment.  The big point is that people who are so sure that they are right, even if they are dead wrong, are the scariest adversaries.  

What we have here is a narcissist with a superiority complex who can not accept that he is wrong. He was unbalanced since he came into the picture, and Ozpin knew it.  But here is where things get interesting.

Prior to the fall of beacon Ironwood condemns Ozpin’s choices for keeping things secret and not sharing with the world everything.  And, yes, Ironwood does the EXACT same thing after the fall of Beacon.  The difference here is in intention.  Ozpin’s purpose was to protect the people and ensure that as few people died as possible.  Ozpin’s choices were not based on control or the need to be RIGHT.  They were based on experience, a bit of fear, and concern for the people he needed to protect.  To Ozpin, sacrifice on a great scale was never an option.  He tried his best to make sure that the causalities were as limited as possible.  A difficult thing to do, given that hunters and huntresses were constantly fighting Grimm and such.  But  creating a mythos around the Maidens and eliminating Salem from history allowed him to save many many lives.  And I can guarantee that he attempted what Ironwood planned to do, at least on some levels, and met with staggering deaths.

Ironwood, however, is keeping secrets to keep control and out of fear.  He needs control, and he is frustrated that people do not agree with him automatically.  After the fall of Beacon, these traits became enhanced to an unbelievable level.  We see something else surface, though: Ironwood’s ability to manipulate people and be charismatic.  Ironwood is looking to survive: for himself( or his legacy that is Atlas).  He will manipulate others and sacrifice millions of people’s lives to protect himself (legacy), though he clings to his mantra of “it’s for the greater good.”  It will become the sign on the wall of the slave labor he creates. “For the Greater Good”.

Another thing you can do to really get an idea for the type of person Ironwood is, is by looking back to the round table discussions orchestrated by Ozpin versus Ironwood.  Ozpin was constant in listening to his people, sometimes taking ideas from them, and allowed them to question him–even yell at him.  He was patient and understood what they were trying to say.  He demonstrated this with Ironwood and Qrow the most.

You would never see that kind of discussion with Ironwood.  RWBY and co are new to the scene and it does throw him off.  You can tell he is trying not to pressure them too much because he knows they are not on his side yet. Hooking them up with the Ace-Corps and Winter was a move to help sway them more, a subtle kind of brainwashing tactic that never worked on them as he had hoped.

“You're a good person, James. You've always done what you think is best for the people, even against strong protest. It's admirable. But it's high time you stopped talking about trust and started showing it.”

—Glynda, to Ironwood in "Mountain Glenn"

“This is the right move, Ozpin. I promise, I will keep our people safe; you have to trust me.”

—Ironwood, to Ozpin

“Many have described these as uncertain times. And while that may be the case for the rest of the world, I can tell you what is certain: the Kingdom of Atlas will remain strong... and it will remain safe. That is my promise.”

—General Ironwood, reaffirming his promise to the people of Atlas over the Atlas Broadcast System

“I will sacrifice... whatever it takes... to stop her.”

—Ironwood, declaring his conviction to Watts

How many of these promises did he actually keep and how much trust did he give?

According to Jacques, Ironwood does not trust anybody but himself, something that Ironwood does not deny; instead, he believes that his methods are justified. This leads Ironwood to a more proactive yet headstrong approach to problems, attempting more preemptive measures, as opposed to Ozpin's more subtle, reactive and analytical methods.

Ironwood's heroism is because of his lack of trust - he has to do everything himself, no matter what, because he doesn't trust anyone else to do it.

He doesn't trust others because he thinks of himself as the hero, that only he can do things right, that everything that goes wrong is because people didn't listen to him.

Following Orders was also another theme of this volume, but it was hinted at back in V2 and other interactions between him and his subordinates.  This is a huge red flag when RWBY and co come to him in Volume 7. Ironwood has surrounded himself with Yes men, people who only follow orders and never once question them.  It is a dynamic theme throughout this volume, about controlling and crushing down your emotions to follow orders–or manage your semblance? Winter started alluding to this back in V3, which really set the stage for her and future Atlas soldiers.

Because of this Ironwood is often portrayed as the least worst character while in a company of other worst characters( or other Atlasians and antagonists to be specific)

For example Volume 4 chapter 2; Remembrance; we see Ironwood and Weiss after the fall with Jaques Schnee.

This is our first proper onscreen interaction with these characters that allows us to explore their new dynamic after beacon. From a visual standpoint we can sorta see Ironwood being somewhat humble after his failure at beacon but really he hasn’t changed from the arrogant warmonger that he is from his debut.(I’ll explain that later)

During his meeting with Jaques is where we get this misdirection of his character due to the exposition from their conversation. Ironwood talks about the dust(trade) embargo being necessary as to ease tensions with the other kingdoms due to Atlas being framed is an understandable and reasonable decision in comparison to Jaques argument being that it's costing him potential Millions of world currency to profit from. The meeting ends with Ironwood leaving before making a proposal to weiss which leads to this line of dialogue with her father;

“I suppose the council trusts him, for better or worse.”

—Jacques, in "Remembrance

“I trust him.”

—Weiss Schnee, responding to her father's bad faith

Just like that the fandom is being swayed to see Ironwood in a more positive light for 3 reasons

Because best girl Weiss trusts him

Because Jaques is a greedy a**hole(As well as other Atlaisans)

Because Ironwood sides with her against the rich(V4 ep.6)

But the question that must be asked here is why does Weiss trust Ironwood?

Prior to Volume 4 she has had little to no interaction with the General. Her only point of reference for his character is only whatever Winter has told her about him, the Military propaganda and her first scene with him when he chastised and disqualified  Yang and her team in Volume 3(potentially her first real and true friends by the way)

If we were to add in the factor of Ironwood's incompetence and failure at beacon, Weiss should really have no real reason to trust Ironwood who she should see as the reason why beacon fell since it was his army that he brought only to be used by the villains to kill her and her friends and destroy beacon. As well as the man who’s failure had led her back into the custody of her father.(Remember she went to Beacon to get away from his abuse) She should at least harbour some sense of Scorn or resentment for him.

The Only reason why she apparently doesn’t is because her father was in that scene. Who prior to his debut was hinted to be a greedy abusive bastard. So just like winter she sides with Ironwood simply to defy her father. The difference between her and winter though is that she doesn’t see him as a potential father figure that he may have presented himself as when he first met winter. Instead she sees him as someone she would prefer to be around instead of her father.

This is further explored during Volumes 5 & 6 where Ironwood was absent leaving her free to continue throwing shade at Jaques, Whitelty, etc. To reiterate Weiss is not pro Ironwood because she thinks he might be a good guy. She is pro Ironwood to spite and defy her abusive father.

We possibly covered what was going on in the mind of the ice queen during volume 4 that had allowed her mind(as well as us) to be swayed to favor Ironwood. Now we will cover how she ( and the audience) was wrong by relooking at Ironwoods character by the end of Volume 4( his last on scene appearance before his return in V7)

Since Ironwood was largely absent from Volumes 5 & 6 and only mentioned during those volumes we were left with our opinion of him  after V4 to hold us over till his return in V7. The problem however is that we only had 3 scenes and one mention of him during the whole of volume 4. So what are those 4 moments of Ironwood that you may ask? In order they are;

His first argument with Jaques where Weiss sides with him

Taiyang telling Yang that it was him who gifted her a new arm(For whatever reason?)

Ironwood siding and defending Weiss against the rich a##holes of Atlas

His second argument with Jaques while Weiss escapes, where he reaffirms his power to the greedy bastard

This is literally the entirety of Ironwood's impact on the story during volume 4. Not much if you were to think about it.  But if you did you would come to realise that all of it was a major red hearing for his character. For you see at the start of this volume we were led to believe that Ironwood had changed for the better after his failure at beacon, but in truth he didn’t.

To further explain let's look at the narrative symmetry of his arc during the volume. It starts with him arguing with Jaques and ends with an  argument with the same man with both arguments ending with Ironwood on top Winning the argument. The difference between the two is how Ironwood is portrayed. The first argument as stated before tricks us into believing that Ironwood has become humble and wiser after his failure. But the second shows us the truth. Ironwood hadn’t changed at all. Instead it shows us that he is still as blunt and arrogant as he was during Volumes 2 & 3.  To best explain let's look at the transcripts of the argument;

Weiss is soon creeping outside her father's study door when she hears a glass crash followed by the rising voice of James Ironwood. She crouches behind a cushioned chair against the wall.

Ironwood: You need to control yourself!

Jacques: You're talking to me about control? Do you even hear what you're saying?

Ironwood: I am basing everything on my reports from your daughter.

Jacques: A daughter you stole!

Weiss moves closer to the door to listen.

Ironwood: Oh, we are not getting into that again.

Jacques: Oh, yes, we have far more pressing matters to discuss, starting with your apparent lunacy!

Ironwood: Jacques!

The scene changes to an overhead view inside Jacques' study. He is seated at his desk while Ironwood has both hands on it, leaning over him from the other side.

Ironwood: (sighing heavily) Winter is one of my best. If she's telling me there's a threat in Mistral then I am not going to take that news lightly. She's been there for weeks, people are mobilizing, sudden spikes in weapons and Dust trades. Someone is about to make a play and I do not trust Leo to stop them.

From this first half of the scene we are only shown the middle and near end of the argument and we are left to interpret what led to this escalation of opinions. Prior to this we are swayed to believe that Ironwood is in the right while Jaques is in the wrong. But before we are shown the cause of the argument via its resolution, we get this interesting bash from Jaques claiming that Ironwood stole her from him(or to be accurate her family).

I find this interesting because we don’t exactly know why Winter would be so loyal to Ironwood to the point of saying that her life doesn’t matter in V7 and why she would be so against her family to the point that she makes no effort to see Weiss, and Whitely included and only bothering to be apart of weiss’s life only because she seems to be following the same path of defiance against their father. In other words she only chooses to interact with her sister only if she is rebelling against their father. If she is not, then WInter wants nothing to do with her.

Now who or what exactly would cause Winter to have this unhealthy mindset in regards to her own personal existence and relationships?

The answer being Ironwood.

If we were to consider Jaques words being serious than it is more than likely the truth. Ironwood did steal Winter, not just from her father but from the rest of her family. I don’t know what exactly Ironwood said or did to turn winter away from her family but it wasn’t out of the kindness of his heart. He did this  just to have a loyal subordinate with incredible power( her hereditary semblance) & status( her grandfather's legacy and accomplishments) just to give his power and status more legitimacy.

By doing so Ironwood had brainwashed Winter into believing that her family as well as herself is beyond redemption due to the actions of her father thus leading her to abandon them and only believing Ironwood can redeem her hence why she values her life so little and is willing to die for whatever Ironwoods says.

Now we move on to the next part of the first half where Ironwood doesn’t trust Leo to handle the situation in Mistral. He first starts this off by listing all of the things that obviously would be of concern in regards to potential riots and war. Understandable and reasonable to be ready for an attack. Especially for a paranoid military leader. But here’s the thing: this is a foreign affair that has to be resolved by the people over there. In other words, that is Leo's problem to resolve, not Ironwood’s. (Keep in mind this is Ironwood before he is told the truth about Leo.)

Lionheart who is also another member of Ozpin's inner circle like him is trusted with the safety of an entire kingdom. The difference between the 2 however is how leo seems to be a most trusted member of the group given how fondly Ozpin speaks of him to the point of giving him gifts as well as being trusted with full autonomy trust, and independence in comparison to the scorn and micromanagement Ironwood gets from Ozpin and the other members(Qrow Glynda, Theo, Etc).

In other words Ironwood should at least have some trust in Leo's abilities to handle the situation in Mistral before he learns of his betrayal. But instead he claims he doesn’t and says that he could handle the situation better. Remember this is before either we or Ironwood are shown that plot twist and betrayal. For all we know when Ironwood said that Leo may have been a decent guy.  This is just simply another example of Ironwood’s ego and need for control being shown but in a subtle way that we don’t even notice

We covered the first half now we will continue with the rest of the scene.

Weiss is listening outside.

Jacques: You've never trusted anyone other than yourself!

Ironwood: (shouting) And for good reason!

Weiss covers her mouth with her hand as she gasps at the sound of Ironwood slamming his fist onto the desk.

Ironwood: If Oz had just listened to me from the start...

Jacques: You need to get a grip.

Ironwood: That's exactly what I'm doing. Our people need protection. By this time next week, the Kingdom of Atlas will be officially closing its borders. No one in; no one out. Without the council's permission.

Jacques: You mean, without your permission?

Ironwood: And if that becomes the case, I would think you'd want to be on my good side.

Ironwood walks away from the desk, leaving Jacques to sigh and fold his hands.

Those first 3 lines help better clarify that despite all of the apparent good Ironwood did during the volume it exposes the truth that hasn’t changed and he is still the same narcissist authoritarian from Volumes 2 & 3. As well as a potential foreshadow of his nihilism as he ignores and rejects the fact that it was his fault beacon fell and instead chooses to continue blaming Ozpin; who if he had it his way with dealing with the events of volume 3 wouldn’t have been as disastrous as when Ironwood had his way. Simply put had Ozpin had his way continued;

Beacon possibly wouldn’t have fallen

A droid army wouldn’t have been used to frame an entire kingdom

Global communications would probably still be a thing

Fewer people would have died

Trade would still be a thing as well

The threat of another world war could have been avoided

Instead Ironwood pulled a power move against Ozpin, and it backfired immensely. Instead of learning from his mistake he chooses to blame others for his mistake  and fails to realize that he is doing more harm than good.

To continue with the rest of the scene where Ironwood tells Jaques that he will be closing the borders and that nobody can leave or enter without the council's approval leads to  Jaques pointing out that he really means with his permission, only for Ironwood to taunt jaques in a smug gloat to tell the greedy bastard that he has already won. The final line of that scene is probably the highlight of Ironwood’s ego being stroked as he (in his mind) has crushed and won against the last of his local opposition. It also shows us that Ironwood had amassed too much power and that it has further validated his mind into believing his own hype regardless of what the sane and reasonable characters are saying.

Now it is pretty clear Ironwood has a very toxic mindset and very manipulative personality, but why is it that after volume 4 we consider him to be a good guy till the events of V7 even though his last scene in V4 clearly shows that he is still the same as V2 & V3 Ironwood?

The reason being that his last scene was confronting Jaques Schnee who earlier had slapped his daughter in the face, revoked her inheritance, and was only presented as a corporate d##chebag. Because of this we the viewer would rather side with anyone that isn’t Jaques Schnee. But in that schnee we are tricked to side with a Paranoid Warmonger who had only a few good moments to make us believe he had changed for the better against a man who was presented as one of the most awful characters of this volume. But in truth they were both terrible when it came to morality and eventually we had to pick a side and we the audience chosen wrong(Jaques is still a villain no argument there but I think we would have no problem beating his @$$ vs getting destroyed if we challenged Ironwood on his bull$#17)

“His heart is in the right place. He's just... misguided.”

—Ozpin, about Ironwood in "Never Miss a Beat"

“Sometimes, I'm not even sure he has a heart.”

—Qrow, about Ironwood in "Never Miss a Beat"

Back in V2 and V3, Ironwood showed his ability to be both charismatic and manipulative. His subtlety in his manipulation is a statement to his rise to power.  He puts himself into the position of a Father Figure to lure in the people he wants.  It worked with Winter and the Ace-Ops, which is why they are his right-hand yes men. During Dance Dance, he was praising Ruby and fueling her admiration for him.  Even when team RWBY came to Atlas, all his actions were calculated to manipulate the team into trusting him.  Unfortunately, his actions never really lined up with his words, which was why the team was on edge.

“people only did wrong when at the moment the perceived benefits seemed to outweigh the costs.”

This is exactly what ironwood did.

To Ironwood, the world cannot be saved without Atlas(or to be accurate him). He truly believes he and Atlas are the key to victory against Salem. But Victory is not in a single person, group or in strength of power. Victory is only achieved by cooperation, teamwork and in unity.

(real quick i want to give credit to @rwby-etc for they're post that I used to help better summerize this section)

I am power I am due process I will smite

[aces-to-apples]

Written for Day 5: Fluff of Codywan Week 2020 @codywanweek

Here on AO3

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Category: Multi Relationship: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi Characters: CC-2224 | Cody, CT-7567 | Rex, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker Additional Tags: Background Padmé Amidala/CT-7567 | Rex/Anakin Skywalker, Implied/Referenced Future Rexsoka, GFY

For best results please look at this Rex and this Cody before reading.

“tribute”

Another one of the local little chompers marched towards the dais with all the solemnity and determination of a verd’ika plucking their first set of whites off the assembly line. Cody met Rex’s eye and they both very carefully avoided grinning at the sight. Not only could it be bad for their relationship with said locals, it wouldn’t do to let their Jedi think they were, in fact, having a good time up there.

When the kid came to a halt a ‘respectful’ distance away, Cody nodded for them to approach and bent his head to receive the kid’s blessing and subsequent gift. He watched Rex do the same.

The celebration had been going for hours, by that point, and they’d amassed a pile of shiny little wearable trinkets to give any sovereign of Naboo a run for their credits and enough blessings to make them holier than most deities. It’d been a relief, at the start of the night, to hear that—aside from the ceremonial outfits they’d been bullied into wearing—he and Rex were free to redistribute the gifts as they saw fit. Something about sharing luck, or good vibes, or what have you.

Said ceremonial outfits, on the other hand, they were obliged to keep and maintain with honor.

Obi-Wan had smoothed over any offense they’d given with their lacklustre reaction to the news but Rex’s general had been less than subtle in his delight at their new possessions. Tano, at least, had just told them they looked nice and kept her own mocking to a bare minimum.

And it wasn’t that they were grateful, Cody had reflected at the start of the celebration, when he and Rex had stepped out under the light of the moons to deafening cheers, but. It wasn’t quite their style, no matter how well the two of them pulled off the intricate, and admittedly beautiful, get-ups.

Rex, by dint of his Torrent paintjob, had been immediately deemed the locals’ Goddess of War come again and draped accordingly in layers of blue fabric. Some of it was dark and blaster-resistant and some of it pale and so sheer as to be almost nonexistent. Bands of silver, often studded with precious blue stones, were wrapped around his wrists, forearms, biceps, and throat, and a silver cap affixed with yet more jewels and a pale blue veil had been placed on his head with much reverence.

After a great deal of muttered debate, they determined that Cody must be their war deity’s twin, the Goddess of Beauty. Not an insult by any means…

The traditional garb he’d been presented with, by contrast, was deep red with a long flowing cape and headdress of heavy twisted fabric. It came with its own set of jewelry, as well, shining gold and polished red stones, bulky and eye-catching around his wrists and throat and slim and delicate around his forearms and biceps. Something about the placement was culturally significant, but hells if Cody was going to ask what.

They’d already lost the battle against: 1) staying for several days to rest and recuperate, 2) accepting the titles of living incarnations of their local deities and all the celebration that entailed, and 3) keeping both the get-ups and the gifts for themselves.

No way was Cody going to invite more conversation about their cultural practices. He could win against droids and bounty-hunters and half-baked Sith, but apparently, he couldn’t convince a bunch of over-awed, Mid Rim locals that he and Rex weren’t tools of War and Beauty.

Tools of the Republic, sure, but nothing divine.

The leader of the city they’d liberated had just smiled gently and reassured them that belief on their part was not necessary, only acceptance of their gratitude. Which came with lots of shiny metal, sparkly rocks, and a pair of gowns that they had to either accept or throw into a sacrificial fire and publicly reject.

Obi-Wan had stepped in at that point.

He’d assured everyone that they had no interest in disrespecting their culture and asked for a debrief about the ceremony.

Wear the outfits, sit on the thrones, and let people fawn over them at least a little bit, had basically been the long and short of it. But, hey, they were comfortably cushioned, well-fed, and kept hydrated throughout the whole thing, so it could have been worse. Sharp-toothed little ankle-biters shyly kissing their foreheads and handing them shiny bits and bobs before scampering off weren’t much of a hardship.

“How’re you fellas doing?” Skywalker asked, strolling up to the dais with a grin that had yet to falter all night. “Getting into the spirit of the thing? Really feeling the divinity flow through you?”

Plenty vode had wandered over to check on them over the course of the night, mostly to heckle, but the Jedi had visited just as frequently. And for similar reasons, too.

The way Rex’s general had been eyeing him all night, Cody was almost worried for Rex’s safety. He’d heard plenty of complaints from Obi-Wan about Skywalker’s willingness to eat damn near anything; who was to say that he hadn’t acquired a taste for Mandalorian-adjacent flesh and wouldn’t gobble poor Rex up in just a few bites.

He was pretty sure Commander Tano was having some kind of intermittent crisis over at their table as well.

It was his responsibility, as both Marshal Commander and ori’vod, to bring his concerns to his superior officer and then ruthlessly mock all three of them. After Skywalker eventually got tired of making Rex blush and wandered away whistling a jaunty tune to a very raunchy cantina song, that was.

“So does that ‘angel’ of his know the two of you have started sharing blankets since your last stop-over on Coruscant or should I start planning your funeral now?” Cody said archly, watching his vod’ika visibly consider punching him. “I’ll be sure to wear this and lie about how smart and good-looking you are, like a proper vod.”

Rex pressed a hand over his eyes and groaned. “Angel knows,” he admitted, darting an unsubtle glance at his general’s shebs. “What I am afraid of, though, is that next time we stop over on Coruscant she’s gonna have a whole new wardrobe just like this one and it will just happen to be in my size.”

“Well, hey, get a full-coverage veil and you’re probably good to step out with them,” Cody said with false sympathy, gleefully imagining the uproar that would cause. “Just make sure they’re made out of that fabric that’s designed to ruin holos. Pakod.”

The ol’ boy made a sound like a malfunctioning mouse-droid.

“Is it too much to believe that I’d like to spend whatever leave I get wearing as few clothes as possible?” he wailed, quietly, with a desperation that made Cody think this was an argument he and the senator had gotten into before. With this revelation in mind, he snapped a few holos of his own while Rex was distracted and vowed to get them to the senator if Skywalker’s brain cell was too lonely to manage it. “Isn’t it enough that I have this already?”

“Oh, dear me,” a low voice said from behind Cody’s left ear, “I can’t imagine how terrible it must be to have two attractive, attentive lovers who wish to shower you with tokens of their affection. Truly, Captain, your misery must be exquisite.”

Cody turned his head to press a sloppy kiss to Obi-Wan’s cheek in gratitude for the pitiful sound his words had drawn out of his favorite brother.

“General,” Rex whined pathetically, “they keep getting me plants. Alive ones, dead ones, prickly ones, poisonous ones. My quarters are being taken over by non-sentient invaders.”

Obi-Wan made a little noise of patently fake sympathy. “My old master’s quarters were like that as well,” he commiserated, pressing a kiss to the sensitive skin behind Cody’s ear. The noise of the locals around them changed in pitch, but Cody’d had enough to drink over the course of the evening to not feel worried by the change. If he was lucky, Obi-Wan would be shoved into a pretty outfit like this next. “It drove me mad that he never formally answered, let alone turned down, any of the suits. Just let the poor, smitten beings keep sending him gifts. So uncivilized.”

“Speaking of uncivilized,” Cody said, wondering if he could get away with pulling Obi-Wan down onto his lap.

Rex rolled his eyes. “If I don’t get to canoodle in public with my Jedi then you don’t get to with yours,” he huffed, leaning over to push Obi-Wan a few inches away. “Leave room for the Force, sirs.”

“‘Leave room for the Force’?” Obi-Wan repeated, nonplussed, while Cody found himself hung up on, “Canoodle?”

No longer quite so flustered, Rex shrugged. “Skywalker talks like a scandalized opera singer, sometimes, and Ahsoka says that when she catches the lads giving each other a tune-up. How’s the kid doing, by the way?”

“Well,” Obi-Wan said ruefully, “she’s seventeen and in the middle of a war and puberty. Thus far, I believe she’s coped by placing you all in the ‘dear friends and family whom deserve her utmost respect’ category of her mind, rather than allowing herself to see you as attractive young men. Tonight seems to be causing some kind of breakdown in that line of thinking.”

Cody turned to give Rex his full attention and clapped him on the shoulder. “Cheers, vod’ika, keep it up and you might have a full set soon!”

In response, Rex covered his face with both hands and groaned again.

“Remind me to send the good captain some appropriate literature about age of consent laws, would you, dear?” Obi-Wan murmured into his ear. He most assuredly was not leaving room for the Force between them. “Until then, I believe you mentioned being uncivilized?”

Cody made a mental note to remind him as requested before standing up, bowing at the local assembly, and following Obi-Wan wherever he led.

[raymondebidochonlifechoices]

Betty cheated repeatedly, she lied repeatedly, she belittled Jughead, painted him as a loser she was too good to be with because no longer accepted at Yale, considered dumping him, ridiculed their sleuthing. No, I don’t have to understand any of that or try to soften what she did. It doesn’t matter how she feels. Not when she chose to hurt someone who did nothing to her and was committed to die to protect her.  Betty Cooper doesn’t deserve Jughead Jones. 

Let me be clear, anon: I’m not here for Betty Cooper negativity. You can explore that on your own blog. I’ll say this though:

Some of the Betty’s-completely-unworthy-of-Jughead team, who won’t accept one iota of justification for her cheating: if the roles were reversed, you’d be the first to cry Trauma!TM on behalf of Jughead. (And you would be right in doing so too).

On the other hand, some of the uwu-Betty’s-should-be-obviously-forgiven lot would simply crucify Jughead, if he were the one doing the cheating. (Oh, I didn’t have tumblr in s2, but I lurked around here A LOT and I remember that shitfest quite vividly).

Anon, you pick and choose standards, like the Riverdale writers drop plots.

Betty neither is a serial cheater nor does she belittle Jughead canonically.

There’s only one other ba kiss (s2) that came out of nowhere, led to nowhere and was treated as nothing by all characters involved. It changes nothing whether you keep it in the film reel or cut it out. Therefore, it’s as if it never happened. Jughead and Veronica had already grown out of their insecurities by that time. Which only makes their questions on 4x15 seem even more stupid writing-wise: because it’s obvious that the only reason they asked, was to make the audience doubt. Without those 2 questions and Cheryl’s “insight”, no one would have thought of barchie. Ever. That’s how badly this storyline was written.

As for the belittlement … You’re joking, right? If Jughead was ready to die in order to give Betty a chance, Betty was willing to face murder charges in order to protect him (by making Donna believe he was dead, so that she won’t try to kill him again). You think 2 episodes outweigh 3 ½ seasons? That’s a very selective memory you’ve got there.

And a strangely selective morality code, since you’re so into the worthiness/unworthiness of cheaters but you were able to gloss over the show’s other stupid plots and the casual sexism, racism and classicism, because your favourite couple managed to make it through anyway. That doesn’t really paint the moral image you’re trying to sell, does it?

You are most definitely correct in being angry because of the bad writing. You think that it makes the show unwatchable? You might actually be quite right! The show runners did carefully cultivate our viewership. It’s cheap to cry sucker! after they reaped the benefits of our investment. They do not get to expect our continued viewership.

After a certain point though, the depth of our emotional investment as viewers is. on. us. Not on the show. (Do I dare say: it’s just a TV show? Or will all of you unfollow me en masse?)

Am I moved by Van Gogh’s Starry Night? Does it speak to my soul? Makes me emotional? That’s on the painter. He was that good with the medium he used. 

But If I were so moved that I had a poster, socks, a mug, 3 fridge magnets and a hand-painted t-shirt, that I would wear when ruminating over the symbolic use of the cypress in the painting while projecting my own experiences all over it? Then that would not be on Van Gogh, love. That would be on me.

So spare me the morality bullshit, anon. The show hasn’t made Betty “irredeemable” yet. And even if she were indeed “irredeemable” and that were a reason for anyone not to watch the show, that’s anyone’s right, but, please, get off your high horse, because you’ve been consuming problematic material without complaint for a long time on a show that you got a bit more attached to than you’re willing to admit, judging by the fact that you’re here. anonymously. “enlightening” me about unworthy teenaged cheaters.

Peace out, anon. I hope you find what you’re looking for but I doubt it’ll be here.

[ollieofthebeholder]

leaves too high to touch (roots too strong to fall): a TMA fanfic

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Chapter 10: Statements of Martin Blackwood, Timothy Stoker, Sasha James, and Martin Blackwood Prime regarding the infestation by the being formerly known as Jane Prentiss.

[CLICK]

[DIALOG IS SLIGHTLY MUFFLED, LIKE SOMETHING IS COVERING THE MICROPHONE]

SASHA

Do you have a tape recorder lying around somewhere?

TIM

Why would I?

SASHA

Dunno, but if Jon’s going to get our statements…I mean, you’ll need something to record them with.

PAST ARCHIVIST

(under his breath) Damn. (out loud) I can’t believe I’ve already grown so used to that thing being at hand that I forgot I don’t have one with me. Blast. I don’t want to wait until tomorrow, but…

ARCHIVIST

I’ve got one. Several, I dare say. Give me a moment to find an empty one.

[SOUNDS OF FABRIC RUSTLING, A ZIPPER BEING UNZIPPED. NEXT WORDS ARE LESS MUFFLED]

MARTIN

Here. This one’s ready to go.

PAST ARCHIVIST

How sensitive is the microphone?

MARTIN

It’ll pick up what it needs to pick up.

ARCHIVIST

I suppose you’d like the rest of us to step out for a minute while you do this.

PAST ARCHIVIST

…

No. No, I—it can’t hurt to have everyone here, I suppose.

ARCHIVIST

…Are you sure? I know you don’t usually like an audience when you’re recording statements.

PAST ARCHIVIST

If we’re all here when the statements are made, we won’t wear out the tape with everyone listening to it trying to get an idea of what they missed. And I can just get everyone’s in one go.

MARTIN

(very low, barely audible to the tape) It might help him if you’re here.

ARCHIVIST

Hmm.

[CREAKING SPRINGS, LIKE SOMEONE SETTLING BACK ONTO A SOFA OR LOVE SEAT]

PAST ARCHIVIST

Right.

(deep breath) Statement of Martin Blackwood, Archival assistant at the Magnus Institute, regarding the…infestation by the being formerly known as Jane Prentiss. Recorded direct from subject, third May—

TIM

Fourth. It’s just gone midnight.

PAST ARCHIVIST

Fourth May, 2016. Statement begins. (softer) Whenever you’re ready.

PAST MARTIN

Okay, well, first off, I should…probably tell you that I’ve actually known he was around for a few days. More than a week, actually. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know what to say, but I—I did know. We’ve talked some, so I knew who he was and I knew Jane Prentiss was nearby, but he kept telling me I’d be safe, that the worms wouldn’t attack after dark, that—that I wasn’t what they were after. So I didn’t really worry about it too much, except to keep an eye open during the day.

Tonight…last night, whatever…after all of you left, I went to find him, and he was…agitated. He told me things were progressing more rapidly than he expected, and he was going to need my help. He’d just got finished explaining what it was he needed me to do when I heard Tim calling my name. I went out and found him and Sasha there and—I tried to get them to leave, honestly. I wasn’t altogether sure about all of this and I didn’t want them to get hurt. But they insisted on staying, and kept asking me what was going on.

I—I think I would have told them. Over dinner. Tim put stuff in the break room so we’d have it for dinner, we were going to eat in the Archives and I was going to…say something, maybe. But when we got back to the Archives, we heard noises coming from your office, and when Tim called out to find out who was there, he told us to get into the document storage room, right away. We were on our way in there when a whole bunch of worms came…pouring out the door of your office. We made it in safe, luckily, but—well, it meant I didn’t have time to do what I was supposed to do first, so we were trapped.

I told Tim and Sasha what I knew—that he was me from the future, that he was here to stop the world ending, and a little bit about what his plan was. Then Sasha mentioned she could hear…something.

PAST ARCHIVIST

Something?

PAST MARTIN

Singing. In the walls. She said she could hear singing.

I told her she shouldn’t be able to. That room’s soundproof. Future Me told me that. But she insisted she could. She said it was louder near one of the walls, the one that wasn’t by the door, and—and she prodded at it. Well, she kind of hit it. We thought it was an exterior wall, but her hand went through it. It was just plastered over and—more worms came out. Not many, but enough. I’ve been kind of storing fire extinguishers in there—I-I was hiding them, I know it doesn’t make sense, but I just felt like I had to hide them from the worms—so I grabbed one and sprayed until the worms stopped moving.

We grabbed a couple each and went through the new hole. It probably wasn’t safe to stay in that room anymore, and anything was better than being trapped, you know? I didn’t know how many worms might be down in that hole or if they’d all come out into the Archives, but I thought if we could at least slow them down in the walls, we’d have a chance to get back out into the main Archives and stop Jane Prentiss once and for all.

Turned out there were—there are tunnels down there. It’s dark, unsurprisingly. Sasha had one free hand, so I gave her my torch—I’ve been carrying it around wherever I go—and she shined it to show us which way to go. We started looking for a way back out. At least where the worms might have got in. The trouble is, the corridors all twist in on themselves—you go a few steps and nothing makes sense anymore. We got around this one corner and there were a bunch more worms, and they were moving a lot faster. We fought them off, but in all the chaos and confusion I fell behind, and it was just me in the dark. Tim and Sasha were gone.

I tried calling out to them, but it’s—it’s dead down there. It’s like the walls just swallow sound. It didn’t even echo. I realized they couldn’t hear me, and obviously I didn’t have a light anymore, so I just made my best guess at where they might have gone and kept going until I found a set of steps. I climbed up them and found a trap door overhead. I pushed it open, and…well, I was in the Archives.

And I found Jane Prentiss.

She—she smiled at me. Like she knew me. Well, she did know me, I guess. She spread out her hands and asked me if I could…if I could hear the singing. I didn’t answer her—well, not with words, anyway. I still had the fire extinguishers, so I tried spraying her with them. All it did was slow her down for a second, but it at least gave me some breathing room. I managed to get some distance between us.

The floor was seething with worms. It was…it was disgusting, frankly. I sprayed a bunch of them and stomped more, but I knew I’d never be able to get them all before—well, before they got me, so I went back to Plan A. I grabbed a trashcan and threw a bunch of the statements out of the Discredited section into it, just shoved them in there until the thing was good and full, and then I cleared a space under one of the sensors and set it down. I pulled out the lighter Future Me gave me and managed to get it going and lit the whole stack on fire.

It went up pretty quick, but…well, I had to set down the fire extinguishers to do all that, and the worms got too close. They came at me and—you know, getting bitten by those things hurt. I know that’s probably really obvious, but it did. The fire alarm went off about then, but the noise didn’t seem to faze them. And then the system kicked in. I guess there was enough smoke to set it off. And there was this—this scream—like tens of thousands of things without mouths screaming all at once. That’s the last thing I remember before I blacked out.

PAST ARCHIVIST

…

Why the Discredited section?

PAST MARTIN

What?

PAST ARCHIVIST

Why did you specifically burn statements from the Discredited section?

PAST MARTIN

Well, I didn’t—

I didn’t want to risk burning something important. The Discredited ones we knew for a fact were false, they were all the ones you could…record normally, so I figured…if I was going to set a fire, it would be best to use those, you know? Ones that wouldn’t—wouldn’t be important later.

PAST ARCHIVIST

No, that—that makes sense. Thank you, Martin.

[CLICK]

———

[CLICK]

ARCHIVIST

See? There’s plenty left on the tape.

PAST ARCHIVIST

Hmph.

Were you two together the whole time you were down there?

SASHA

Yeah.

PAST ARCHIVIST

Then I think…

(clears throat) Statement of Timothy Stoker and Sasha James, Archival assistants at the Magnus Institute, regarding the infestation by the being formerly known as Jane Prentiss. Recorded direct from subjects, fourth May, 2016. Statement begins. In your own time.

TIM

We didn’t notice Martin wasn’t with us at first. Not until I asked him a question and didn’t get an answer. We tried to retrace our steps, but…like he said, those tunnels don’t make a lot of sense. I thought we were totally out of luck until we came around a corner and ran slap bang into him, or at least we thought we did. I asked him if he was all right and he wanted to know what the hell we were doing there. He sounded scared and angry and…that’s when we realized it wasn’t our Martin.

SASHA

I told him about the wall being hollow. He said he knew that, but he’d hoped we’d have the sense to stay put, so I explained about hitting the wall because I could hear that creepy singing from behind it even though it was supposed to be an exterior wall. He got kind of upset, actually, and asked if I’d been bitten, but I hadn’t. The worms might have been faster down there than they were in the Archives, and quieter and more aggressive, but we’d managed to kill them all whenever we ran into them, so it was all right there to a point.

We asked him how to get out of there. He said he didn’t know exactly, but that there was a trapdoor leading into the Archives, he didn’t remember precisely where in the Archives it led to. He said if we followed the corridors, we’d eventually wind up at the steps, but that we’d have to be careful.

TIM

That’s when we heard the scream. Scared the hell out of both of us, really. Martin Prime barely flinched, though. Actually looked kind of relieved. He told us that meant Jane Prentiss was dead, which probably meant the CO2 system had been triggered, so we needed to find Martin and get the hell out of the Archives. I asked him what he was going to do, and he said he supposed he’d just stay down in the tunnels, now that they were worm-free, and dodge the police if/when they came down investigating. Find a room or something. Like we were talking about the Ritz instead of what I’m pretty sure is the remains of the old Millbank Prison complex.

And then the door appeared.

PAST ARCHIVIST

Appeared?

SASHA

I swear, Jon, it wasn’t there before. One minute we were standing at a completely unremarkable bend in a hall, and then—my hand was getting tired, so I switched the fire extinguisher and the torch, and when the beam moved it caught on this yellow door right behind Martin Prime. I asked him if that was a safe room to go into, and he turned around and glared at it, then knocked. And…

Michael came out. He giggled, in that creepy way he did before, and asked us if we were lost. Then he held the door open and said he could show us the way. I—I was about to go in, but Martin Prime held out his arm to stop me and said, “They don’t need your way. Leave them alone.”

Michael seemed surprised, and then—I don’t know. Worried, maybe? A little angry? And then he smiled again. It’s really disconcerting. He said, “Well, you’ve been marked, anyway, so you can come through safely enough, if you want to. Will you do that for them?”

TIM

I told him to go. I said that if the police were going to be there, the last thing they needed was to see two Martin Blackwoods, you know? Especially looking almost perfectly identical and all. Don’t want the police thinking they’re seeing double, they’ll have us all arrested for being so drunk it affects reality, right? I asked if he knew where I lived. He said yes, so I said we’d meet him here. He hesitated, and then he nodded and followed Michael through the door—and it just disappeared. Like it had never been there.

We tried to retrace our steps, but “back” doesn’t mean all that much down there, really. Finally we found another door. It wasn’t yellow, so we opened it, thinking it might be the way out, but…no. Just a small room. Square. Dust covering everything. Cardboard boxes full of cassette tapes.

PAST ARCHIVIST

That’s where you found her.

SASHA

Yes. She was sat on a wooden chair in the middle of the room. No worms. No cobwebs. Just an old corpse. I recognized Gertrude Robinson right away. She was slumped forward, but I could see that her mouth was open, like she was trying to tell us something. Almost dropped the torch. Luckily I didn’t. We ran like hell and found the trapdoor not long after that and…well, you know the rest.

PAST ARCHIVIST

Mm.

…

How did Gertrude Robinson die?

SASHA

I didn’t see. Didn’t really look, and anyway, it’s been almost a year. Cause of death could have been almost anything at this point.

PAST ARCHIVIST

Tim?

TIM

…I don’t know. Not for sure. I mean, it was dark and Sasha was the one with the torch, and all I cared about was that she hadn’t been eaten alive by worms or whatever, but—

PAST ARCHIVIST

Tim! How did she die?

TIM

She was shot, okay? In the chest. Three times that I could see.

PAST ARCHIVIST

…Right. Right. Thank you, Tim.

[CLICK]

———

[CLICK]

MARTIN

I’m not altogether sure that’s a good idea.

PAST ARCHIVIST

(tired and testy) I need a complete picture of what happened tonight. That includes you.

PAST MARTIN

Can’t it wait until morning?

ARCHIVIST

(also sounding tired, but more resigned than annoyed) Best get it over with tonight.

PAST ARCHIVIST

Statement of Martin Blackwood…Prime…er, time-traveler…regarding et cetera. Go.

MARTIN

In my defense, none of this was supposed to happen like this.

I’ve been lurking in the Archives for the last two weeks. Mostly trying to get my bearings again—I haven’t been down there in ages, really—but also trying to avoid being seen by any of you. Haven’t been very successful, although fortunately, the only one who never caught me during the day was—well, your Martin, so I could play it off. Our plan was to wait until Jon made it to the Archives, and then the two of us were going to tackle the worms while they were still under the Institute, clear out the tunnels, and clue the rest of you in. Until then, I was just waiting.

I’ve also been trying to help you all, as best I can anyway. I discovered, kind of by accident, that I can still get a feeling for what statements are real and what aren’t. It’s not as strong as it was when I was still an Archival assistant, before…everything happened…but one or two of the more powerful ones still speak to me. I didn’t dare put them on anyone’s desk because I couldn’t risk getting caught, or seen in the same place as your Martin, and I can’t…fade into the background like I used to. So I’ve just been kind of clustering them together in one of the corner shelves.

The thing was…well, I panicked. I admit that. Tim caught me out this morning and I realized after we talked that if he didn’t know I wasn’t your Martin, he’d figure it out quickly enough. And to make matters worse, he’d told me to take the statement I was holding to you. I was going to just leave it on your desk, but you were just getting back from your…meeting when I walked in. I’m sure I made it far too obvious that I wasn’t who I was claiming to be. I couldn’t run the risk of one of you telling…anybody I was here, so I figured I had to make a move. I thought if I cleared out the worms quickly enough, I could just wait about in the tunnels until Jon turned up and we’d go from there.

As soon as your Martin came to talk to me after you’d all left—(pointedly) we thought—I told him the basics of what I had in mind. He wanted to help, but…well, the whole point of all this was to keep all of you safe, so I told him the best way he could help was as backup. I gave him the lighter—honestly, I didn’t realize I was the one who had it—and told him to set up something that would burn enough to trigger the fire system if need be, and that if any worms got past me, to light the fire and lock himself in the storage room and stay there until the worms were all dead. He was starting to ask me more questions, I think, but then Tim called out and we had to scatter.

I couldn’t really hear what was going on, but I thought I heard Tim leaving, so I went into your office. The wall behind that shelving unit is another one that was just plastered over, which I’m sure you know by now, so I just kind of shoved them out of the way and, well, slammed my way through. And there the worms were.

I was just getting the fire extinguishers ready when I heard Tim yell out. I shouted for him to get back in the storage room—I assumed your Martin was with him—and went after the worms with everything I had. I could hear the squirming and—I knew that wasn’t good. In the tunnels, they’re a lot quieter, they don’t make that…noise. They’re faster, too. Something in the Archives slows them down. I’d been hoping the infestation would be small enough that I could handle it myself, but I realized a lot of them got past me and I was just hoping your Martin had been able to get the fire going. I didn’t realize how many worms got past me until I ran into Tim and Sasha later.

[A FULL FIVE SECONDS OF SILENCE]

PAST ARCHIVIST

Did you remember it?

MARTIN

Sorry?

PAST ARCHIVIST

The statement. Jane Prentiss’s statement—the one you brought me earlier. Did you remember it? Is that how you knew it was…real?

MARTIN

…Yes and no. I knew we had that statement—I mean, you said when I first made my statement about being trapped that you thought there might’ve been a statement from her somewhere in the Archives, and I remembered we’d found it in our time, but that’s—I didn’t know which one I had on hand when Tim found me. I just…it felt real.

PAST ARCHIVIST

How could you possibly not have known whose statement you were holding? The names are right at the top.

MARTIN

…

(faintly, as if the word is forcing itself from between tightly clenched teeth) Fuck.

(in a normal tone of voice) I couldn’t see it.

TIM

…Why did none of you stop me from making stupid comments?

SASHA

I’m sorry, is there a time you’re not making stupid comments?

TIM

Why didn’t you say anything?

MARTIN

Honestly? It’s been a long time since I heard you joke with me. I kind of missed it.

TIM

Christ. What kind of person do I turn out to be that you’d think I would tease you about that?

PAST ARCHIVIST

What are you talking about? Why couldn’t you see the name?

MARTIN

I’m blind.

ARCHIVIST

…

(in a choked half-whisper) He didn’t.

MARTIN

Jon…

ARCHIVIST

When he said he could—I thought he had a better idea than—i-if he was going to--

MARTIN

(overlapping) We both knew it was probably going to be the only way. It’s fine.

ARCHIVIST

How can you be so calm about this? You got dropped in the middle of the Archives, mid-infestation, alone and blind and—you didn’t want this! How can you just accept it?

MARTIN

Well, I’ve had two weeks to get used to it. Okay, it’s not ideal, but it’s better than the alternative.

ARCHIVIST

And which alternative would that be?

MARTIN

The one where we have to watch each other die, Jon!

[A LONG SILENCE, SAVE THE WHIRRING OF THE RECORDER]

…Sorry, that—I didn’t mean it like that, I—

ARCHIVIST

(softly) No.

(a bit louder) No, you’re right. I’m sorry.

MARTIN

It’s all right, Jon.

[CLICK]

[salmonthestoryteller]

RNM Spec - Long Family

RNM Are the Longs Aliens?

So I have some new Roswell spec. (I know, we have a long wait until season 3. That means you can expect random new thoughts from me that get progressively outlandish, so be prepared.)

So tonight I'm bringing you - What if the Long Family is part alien and related to Evil Max/The Stowaway/Mr Jones? (I really can’t keep writing all that out, so for the rest of this, I’ll simply refer to him as The Stowaway.)

I will attempt to render what made me question this into a cohesive meta.

So, a lot of this spec comes down to two factors - the continued importance of The Long Family in the RNM verse and the Alien Symbol that is Max's tattoo.

Let's start with factor one - The Long Family Importance.

From various conversations, apparently I am the only one bothered by there being 3 murder victims in the mystery that started us all off in the RNM universe but only having 2 of the deaths be connected to anything significant in the series. And it does bug me because why have 3 original murder victims at all if one is completely ignored? Why bother to invent Jasmine in the first place and then proceed to completely ignore her existence? She even has a last name - Frederick - but she might as well be Murder Victim #2. Part of the reason this bugs me is because of the Long family importance in the series. If Kate's family was equally unimportant, leaving the focus on Rosa it wouldn't seem strange to me that Jasmine's death is largely ignored. But instead, the Longs are continually brought up throughout the series. In a way, the fact that Jasmine’s family is never brought up accents how important the Longs are made.

We start that by introducing Wyatt Long and revealing he is Kate's brother as early as episode 2. We then are told how rich the family is as early as episode 3 (Actually, that might still be episode 2 now that I think about it). Then Wyatt is used by Noah to kill Grant Green and attempt to kill Liz. Followed by him being the one to draw the symbol so Cam can bring it to Max’s (and the audience's) attention.

Their significance continues to grow in Season 2. Wyatt returns, and then we're Introduced to Forrest. A random banner even shows the audience the family is involved in the town politics, supporting a Mayoral candidate. Then they are even made important in the flashbacks - their barn is what burned down; their farm is where Nora and Louise hid. Neither of which is a true necessity.  What does it matter that it was the Long Farm? Why make Forrest a Long?  Why not simply introduce a different family and have Forrest be their descendant since the family that owns the farm is never shown? It would make no change to the story as we know it so far if it was a different family. So why do they continue to spotlight the Longs?

I feel like all of this has to be leading us somewhere in the plot. Wyatt is a minor antagonist overall, so why is the importance of the Long family in the RNM universe being drilled continuously into the audience?

That brings me to factor #2: The Alien Symbol/Max's (& Michael's now) Tattoo

We end Season 1 believing/knowing these facts:

Max has a tattoo of it on his shoulder

The symbol was on an unknown dead female alien's hand

Michael drew the symbol all over the walls of the group home when they were children

Max makes the symbol appear on Isobel's pod by touching it

A random alien used to leave it in her wake on the reservation

Wyatt Long draws it after being mind-controlled by an alien (who we are later led to believe is Noah)

Noah (controlling Isobel) draws the symbol exactly once while talking to Rosa

Noah claims it's a map

But in Season 2, the meaning of the symbol begins to morph:

Michael never drew the symbol - it was always Max

It was no random alien on the reservation, it was Louise

At no time do we witness the symbol left behind by any other alien in the flashbacks - not even Louise

The symbol is the lock to the prison trapping The Stowaway

It takes three aliens to unlock the lock marked with that symbol

Noah could never have known about that lock - he was sealed in his pod when The Stowaway would have been locked up on Earth

As of the end of Season 2, the symbol that started in Season 1 as merely an alien thing, has grown less connected to all aliens. It has grown more and more connected to Max and The Stowaway.

That brings us to the question of - why was Wyatt Long drawing it? He is the only victim of mind control who does. Neither Isobel nor Maria ever draw the symbol while not controlled. Other than the one moment with Rosa, Noah never draws the symbol either. Nor does he ever create it with his powers. So why would that symbol be left behind by Noah in Wyatt's mind?

Unless it wasn't left by Noah at all. It was something Wyatt himself randomly drew, just like Max once did. And if that's true, then one possible explanation would be there is a connection between Wyatt and The Stowaway. A connection between the Long Family and The Stowaway. Such as Wyatt, and Forrest, being his descendants.

[hellzyeahwebwielingessays]

The Not-So-Amazing Mary Jane Part 4: The Death of Mysterio

Previous Part

Next Part

Master Post

Last time we began our look at the life of Mysterio. In this post we’ll continue our retrospective, starting with the 1990s.

The 1990s: Helping Harry

We come now to an event that chronologically would’ve happened in the 1990s but was retroactively established in 2009.

During Brand New Day (ASM #581 specifically) we learned via retcon that Mysterio was responsible for faking the death of Mary Jane’s close friend, Harry Osborn. He did this on behalf of his Harry’s, father Norman.

I won’t recount the entire Harry Osborn Saga for you, but suffice it to say that Harry’s descent into madness was incredibly stressful for Mary Jane and Peter.

In spite of what Harry had become the couple were grief-stricken by his death.

MJ in particular was so affected by his death she requested Peter take a temporary break from hero work.

That same day Carnage began a killing spree alongside several other highly violent super villains. MJ’s grief over Harry coupled with the anxiety that Peter might meet a similar fate contributed to straining her and her marriage further, albeit briefly.

At the time Peter and MJ were living in an apartment owned by the Osborns. Following the Carnage crisis, Harry’s widow Liz Allan evicted the Parkers as a direct result of Harry’s death. Obviously this added to the Parkers’ distress.

In general Harry’s death left short and long-term wounds for MJ and people she loved and Mysterio was directly implicated in that. As he had done with Aunt May he had caused entirely unnecessary pain and grief out of pure selfishness, even if he was merely a ‘hired gun’ to that effect.

We never see MJ learn this information but given how one of her friends seemingly came back from the dead  it’s something she’d obviously want to know about and since she is so close to Peter and Harry it’s extremely unlikely they wouldn’t have told her.

I will admit that this example is a contentious one as it doesn’t really make sense for a loooooooot of reasons and the story doesn’t 100% confirm that Harry (and by extension Peter and anyone either of them might tell) knows  Mysterio was responsible.

So it could be argued that as far as Harry knows an unknown ‘someone’ covered his tracks (presumably his father) but he’s in the dark regarding Beck’s involvement.

However it is food for thought, yet another thing that would realistically cause MJ to hold Mysterio in lowly regard.

Duel with the Devil

Lets move away from Beck’s encounters with Spidey and towards those he had with Man Without Fear, Daredevil.

The first of these occurred in Daredevil #358, set shortly after the Onslaught crossover. In the wake of Onslaught’s attack and the presumed deaths of the Avengers and F4 Beck set up a fraudulent insurance scheme to con people out of their money.  That isn’t too relevant beyond it once again proving what an exploitative dickbag Mysterio is. More importantly though, it sets up his next encounter with DD.

I am of course referring to the ‘Guardian Devil’ story arc that ran through Daredevil volume 2 #1-8.

This arc is the absolute nadir of Mysterio’s ‘bad behaviour’.

Developing terminal illnesses and with just a year to live, Beck sought to go out with a bang. Initially he intended to make Spider-Man the centre of his plan but due to confusion (arising from Ben Reilly’s tenure as Spidey) he targeted Daredevil instead. Learning personal details about Daredevil’s life (including his secret identity) Beck built a plan designed to attack Matt Murdock’s sanity (evoking his scheme in ASM #24). In particular his plan hinged upon Murdock’s Catholic beliefs.

A key component of his plan was the abduction, drugging, artificial insemination and gas lighting of a Catholic teenager named Gwyneth.

Although her faith led Gwyneth to believe her pregnancy was divine in origin, she was understandably emotionally distraught after discovering herself pregnant and her pregnancy caused major strife with her parents. To ensure Gwyneth’s parents wouldn’t get the chance to investigate the matter, Beck hired some thugs to murder them. Witnessing her mother being beheaded  over the body  of her father Gwyneth fled with her baby, terrified as the thugs pursued her.

Out of desperation she was temporarily forced to sleep on the streets with her baby. It was at this point that Beck used his illusionary skills to trick her into seeing a ‘divine vision’ that led her to Matt Murdock. Passing her baby onto Matt she fled again hoping to lay low. However Mysterio’s men found and promptly murdered her. Her body was buried somewhere it wouldn’t be found.

Just to bottom line things so far, Mysterio knowingly:

Abducted

Drugged

Sexually assaulted

Orphaned

Traumatised

Hunted

Distressed

Manipulated

And murdered

A TEENAGED GIRL!

Just saying…

Anyway, there was more to Beck’s scheme than just Gwyneth.

He also murdered an innocent old man and for his fortune and impersonated him to enact the next part of his plan. This entailed slipping Murdock drugs that made him susceptible to Beck’s cover story. According to this story Gwyneth’s baby was in fact the literal anti-Christ and misfortune would befall Matt the longer he was around the child.

To help make his story more convincing Beck began targeting Matt’s loved ones.

He hired a drug-addicted actress named Lydia Mckenzie to seduce Matt’s best friend Foggy Nelson, who was already in a relationship. On Beck’s orders she also slipped Foggy a drug that caused him to perceive her as a demon and believe that he had pushed her out a window. In reality Beck ensured she died of an overdose, shoved her out the window himself and over all framed Foggy for murder.*

He also posed as a doctor and (I am dead serious right now) tricked Matt’s girlfriend Karen Page into believing she had AIDs. Remember this story was from the late 1990s so this was a BIG deal.

As a result of these machinations and the drug Beck slipped him, Daredevil genuinely tried to murder Gwyneth’s baby.

Mysterio later hired DD’s long-time nemesis (and known psychopathic assassin) Bullseye to abduct Lydia’s baby. He cared little about the inevitable collateral damage Bullseye caused in pursuit of his target. And by ‘collateral damage’ I mean the serious injuries to several people (including Matt’s mother, the nun Sister Margaret) and the murder of 11 people. Karen was among the casualties, traumatically dying in Matt’s arms.

Matt was so distraught over Karen’s death that he briefly contemplated suicide.

Angry and determined, Daredevil zeroed in on Beck’s hideout where Beck had a gauntlet prepared for him. One of the obstacles Murdock faced was an illusion of Karen stuck in Hell. Undoubtedly this was the single most spiteful and hurtful of the things Matt endured in Beck’s gauntlet.

When Daredevil and Mysterio finally come face to face, Beck revealed Gwyneth’s baby trapped in a soundproof chamber where the air was rapidly running out.

So…Mysterio is a-okay with seriously endangering and potentially murdering a baby.

…Again…Just saying…

Mysterio finally revealed his master plan to Daredevil, intending to push a broken Murdock into murdering him.

When DD refused Mysterio opted to emulate Kraven the Hunter and blow his own brains out; a fact that became public knowledge.**

Now sure, we the audience might be aware of all these awful things Beck did in ‘Guardian Devil’; but how much does MJ  know about them?

The potential answer is all of it.

The definite answer is more than enough of it.

Towards the start of Daredevil v2 #8 Peter is shown watching a news report about Mysterio’s death. The report acknowledges Mysterio committed suicide and that the bodies of his criminal crew had been found. It also refers to ‘a related story’, that of Foggy Nelson being freed from prison after being framed for Lydia’s death. This implies the news were aware Mysterio was implicated in Lydia’s death.

During this scene MJ is not only within earshot of most of the report, but she even consoles Peter that Mysterio was (in her own words) ‘a lunatic’. She acknowledges he was responsible for the deaths of ‘all those people’. She continues by saying Beck doesn’t deserve Peter’s ‘pity’ and that he should ‘not mourn for Mysterio’. She concludes by telling him to mourn someone ‘who deserves it’ instead.

Then they go to Karen Page’s funeral, which they were clearly preparing for during the news report.

Their attendance of the funeral and the scene leading into it heavily implies that Peter and MJ were aware that Mysterio’s was implicated in Karen’s murder.***

Later in the issue Spider-Man talks to Daredevil in order to fill in the blanks.

We do not know for sure if Spider-Man relayed any of this information to Mary Jane, but it’d be highly likely.

He typically confides in her and uses his conversations with her to process things. MJ herself often asks him to share if she sees something I bothering him.

In this case Peter would especially want to inform MJ of what happened and MJ would especially want to know.

This is because the incident entails one of Peter’s foes essentially manipulating and killing the lover of a fellow street level hero. In fact the only reason Daredevil was targeted at all was because Beck didn’t realise Peter was still around as the original Spider-Man. In other words Peter and MJ could very well have been in Matt and Karen’s shoes.

For the sake of future reference and general safety it’s totally unbelievable that Peter would not have told MJ about this at some point. After all, forewarned is forearmed and MJ has found herself targeted by people with powers of deception like Mysterio in the past, e.g. Venom and the Chameleon.****

I admit there is no hard proof that MJ knows all the details about Mysterio’s actions, but it’s rather unlikely that she wouldn’t if Peter did; it’s just common sense. Therefore we don’t need to see such a scene any more than we need to see the characters going to the bathroom or paying their taxes. It’s just such basic common sense we can presume it happened.

Even if you don’t think so, at the bear minimum Mary Jane definitely knows Mysterio is guilty of murder, accessory to murder (of someone in a similar relationship to herself), gas lighting and mental abuse. The result was that she personally regarded him as mentally unhinged and unworthy f sympathy.

If you only bear in mind ONE of the stories we’ve looked at so far, remember this one. In particular because the story is explicitly referenced in Amazing Mary Jane #1.

The 2000s: Rebirth of Berkhart

As far as those in charge of Marvel were concerned, Beck was genuinely dead and that was the status quo throughout the 2000s.

Nevertheless there are two very noteworthy events from MJ’s point of view that should be taken into account.

The first occurred in ASM v2 #7-8. In this story ‘Mysterio’ abducts the Parker family along with some of their friends and plugs them into a virtual reality machine because the Matrix was really popular back then. His intention was to deduce Spider-Man’s true identity by monitoring their interactions in the virtual world.

This virtual world happened to be shaped by the subconscious of Flash Thompson, meaning everyone was contorted to fit into his wish fulfilment fantasy. This included MJ’s friend Jill Stacy becoming a seemingly resurrected Gwen Stacy, MJ herself being gaga over Flash and wanting to marry him (the climax actually occurs at their wedding) and MJ’s husband being wheelchair bound.

Realistically the fantasy world (along with the realization they’d been abducted) would’ve obviously been upsetting for Mary Jane. Indeed it would’ve been upsetting for everyone else too (including fragile old Aunt May) even if it didn’t leave long-term scars. With no equivocation, this upset was directly ‘Mysterio’s’ fault.

I say Mysterio, but in actuality (and due to retcons) it was Beck’s ‘apprentice’ Danny Berkhart. However, Mary Jane couldn’t have known that (even the writers didn’t!), so from her point of view it would’ve seemed likely that Beck was responsible and merely faked his death once more during the ‘Guardian Devil’ arc.

Later during the ‘Mysterio Manifesto’ mini-series Spidey and Daredevil discovered the truth behind Berkhart’s scheme. This is tangentially important to bear in mind because of what we are going to look at next, namely Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #12.

The specifics of this story aren’t all that relevant. All you need to know is that following Spidey publically unmasking Midtown High (where he worked as a science teacher) was besieged by three Mysterios. One was a new villain named Francis Klum, who had a vendetta against Spider-Man. Another was Berkhart who took issue with Klum’s claim to the Mysterio mantle. And the third was Beck himself, literally sent back from Hell.

After deducing an illusion of MJ as a fake Peter calls the genuine article to confirm her safety. During their conversation it’s revealed that MJ believes Mysterio to be dead.

First of all, this scene establishes that MJ was definitely aware Mysterio had targeted her husband (again!) and potentially endangered school children  in the process.

Second of all, from her point of view it’d seem likely that Beck would be behind this. I grant you that's a point that can be debated. However in her conversation with Peter he seems to imply to her that it is the original Mysterio.

Finally (and most importantly) MJ’s dialogue reveals that previously believed Beck was dead. Between ‘Guardian Devil’ and ‘Beck’s’ presence in ASM v2 #7-8 Mary Jane would have no reason to believe Beck hadn’t simply faked his death again. That is unless Peter told her otherwise.

Remember, Peter learned the truth in the ‘Mysterio Manifesto’ when MJ was believed dead, which occurred after  ASM v2 #8. This means that Peter must have informed her of this discovery after she was revealed as alive.

This is a point less about how bad of a person Beck is and more about proving that Peter keeps MJ abreast of noteworthy events in regards to his villains. Thus it is absolutely illogical to presume MJ wouldn’t similarly be in the know about most events Peter experiences pertaining to his villains; or at least the really noteworthy ones.

Let’s leave it there for now. Next time we will finish our coverage as we enter the 2010s.

*‘Fun’ fact. In addition to her close friend/ex-boyfriend Harry Osborn struggling with a drug addiction (which indirectly led to Gwen’s death) another of MJ’s friends was well acquainted with drugs.

Her name was Lorraine and she helped MJ learn the ropes when she was first getting into modelling. Unfortunately after overdosing in the Parker residence, MJ learned Lorraine had a major cocaine problem. MJ was so upset by this she asked Peter to sort out Lorraine’s dealer, only to be distraught when Lorraine simply went to someone worse and very nearly died as a result.

Lorraine survived and MJ was determined to help her through her problem.

Oh and MJ herself struggled for a little while to kick cigarettes.

All of which is to say Mary Jane is definitely going to take major issue with someone exploiting someone else’s drug addiction for their own ends. Which is exactly what Beck did with Lydia McKenzie.

Not to mention Lydia was someone in the exact same profession as Mary Jane, which might incline further ire from MJ.

**Remember this is not the first time Mysterio has been publically declared dead. It first occurred in ASM #141, which I discussed in the last instalment.

***Not to mention how it’d be common sense to ask how someone so young died if you are going to their funeral.

****And as food for thought she has literally armed herself with guns in the past. As such the idea she wouldn’t make a point of getting practical information for the sake of safety is highly unbelievable, even if she didn’t live in a city where super villains are commonplace.

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[okaybutlikeimagine]

Harringrove + Live Aid

Okay (this is so long) but IMAGINE a pre-S3 situation (where Billy and Steve got together some time after S2 bc Billy found them and helped them fight while he was looking for Max)(bc MONSTER FIGHTING BOYFRIENDS and that’s all i have to say on that) and imagine Billy hearing about Live Aid and NEVER having been to a concert before (“Seriously? Never?” “I’m poor, Harrington. I tried to sneak into a Grateful Dead concert once but the police were crawling all over the parking lot busting people with weed.” “... Grateful Dead? Really? Aren’t they like… an old hippie band?” “Shut up, Harrington.”) and he starts absolutely GUSHING over the idea of being able to see Black Sabbath and Judas Priest and Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin and yes, even Santana (bc he kicks ass) and Bob Dylan and Joan Baez (bc his mom was a hippie and even though he has some deep-seated anger and sadness in that department, he grew up listening to the ~~classics~~ of the hippie generation and he can appreciate their presence greatly)

And Steve… Steve listens to Billy gush and complain and whatnot about this for maybe… a day? before he’s figuring out how to get tickets. He’s figuring out how to get tickets before he even knows the rest of the line up, which he’s actually very excited about once he sees it. Simple Minds? Madonna?? The Cars??? Duran Duran????? Fuck yeah.

and tickets are….. expENsive. Steve only gets paid like $3 an hour so he’s gonna have to start saving now but maybe by the time they come out, he’ll be able to buy tickets. He doesn’t let on to Billy that he’s gonna do it. but he does. it’s $35 for random tickets but $50 for tickets with better seats and, call Steve crazy, but he wants to get Billy those better seats bc the boy has never been to a concert, plus some of his favorite bands are playing???? he’s getting them those good seats. He doesn’t need those new ray bans coming out on Friday or that new stereo he was saving up for. and when they come out he rushes to the ticket place nearest them, sending apologies into the ether to Robin who’s gonna have to work by herself for a little bit bc the tickets came out by surprise and he needs to go if he’s gonna get them. and when he finally comes into work, 2 tickets to the biggest concert in their lives in his back pocket, he immediately grabs a grumpy and confused Robin into a hold and spins her around, singing Don’t You (Forget About Me) and ignoring Erica Sinclair’s irritated yelling in the process.

and he does the same thing with Billy when he sees him next. he grabs him and he spins him around and he kisses his cheek and his forehead and his nose and he kind of misses on a few and gets his closed eyelid but it’s fine bc every bit of Billy’s precious face is kissable and they’re going to the biggest concert in their lives! But he doesn’t tell Billy. he just lets Billy get irritated and push him off. he lets Billy call him crazy right before Steve pecks his nose. he lets himself admire the blush that crosses Billy’s face.

But when… when the damn monster comes back; when Steve gets stuck in that weird underground basement of the mall being sought after by Russians; when Steve gets his face smashed in by them; when Billy incurs some serious injuries after that monster tries to basically eat him alive…. Well… 

Steve tells Robin about the tickets first. Robin’s heart lurches for him but she pokes Steve’s shoulder gently and calls him a sap for doing that for his ~~boyfriend~~. She says he HAS to tell Billy, even though it might break him even more, bc keeping it a secret is only going to eat away at Steve and hurt Billy if he finds out. She helps Steve sell the tickets after Jonthan and Nancy refuse to take them, saying they’d feel way too bad about going when he and Billy can’t.

Steve tells Billy the next time he goes to visit his near bedridden boyfriend and Billy is quiet and doesn’t talk much for the rest of the day but what he does say is: Hey… now we get to watch Queen on TV.

Steve smiles sadly.

But as soon as Billy gets enough strength, he basically attacks Steve with kisses and hugs and the cutest fucking nuzzles and Steve doesn’t think it’s real for a second but Billy Hargrove is nuzzling his nose into Steve’s neck and the space behind his ear and thanking him a million times over. 

And when it comes time for Live Aid, the boys are a touch sad, but only a touch, bc Steve has invited everyone over to his house to watch it on his big TV screen bc his parents are STILL away on vacation. So everyone is here, even Hop and Joyce and Murray and Alexei bc this is the biggest concert in decades (and yeah, Hop and Joyce saw bits and pieces of the coverage on Woodstock but LiveAid is massive) and…

It’s so fun. It’s more fun than Billy has had in a long time and he’s spent the better portion of the last year getting fucked into oblivion by King Steve Harrington, so that’s definitely saying something.

And as the broadcast goes on, as El and Max and Nancy jump and dance to Madonna, as Joyce tears up over Joan Baez and sings along with her, as Hop sings all the words along w/ Crosby, Stills, and Nash, as Alexei shows a very surprising interest in Run D.M.C., as Robin shushes everyone during Elvis Costello’s version of All You Need is Love and sings the little “babadadada”s along with him, as Mike and Lucas serenade El and Max VERY LOUDLY w/ “Can’t Fight This Feeling” along w/ REO Speedwagon, as Steve joins Dustin and Will in an air guitar contest along to Bryan Adams’ “Kids Wanna Rock” that Murray is the judge of, as Billy nearly cries over every Beach Boys song bc it reminds him of warm, summery beach days w/ his mom back in San Diego, as Steve gives a very heartfelt performance of “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” to which Lucas and Mike and Max and Robin throw pillows at and boo (and which Billy gets irritated at bc he wants to watch his boyfriend sing and dance, goddamnit)...

As they have more fun than Billy thought would ever be possible w/ all of these typically irritating little losers… Billy completely forgets that they had a chance to be there and see half of these people in person.

It’s not until Queen comes on that Billy is actually glad they weren’t able to make it to the concert. Billy is on the couch w/ Steve, Will, and Jonathan. Max is at his feet. They’re all glued to the screen and by the time Freddie starts singing, so is everyone else. Will is breathless through Radio GaGa. Joyce gasps when everyone in the audience starts clapping in unison. They all yell along with him when he starts his call and response. Billy is tearing up and Max gives him shit for it. Billy kisses Steve during We Are the Champions. Max and El make gagging noises and Jonathan covers Will’s eyes in jest. Steve apologizes to Billy that they couldn’t make it to the concert, and Billy admits quietly that this is better than seeing it live. When Steve asks him to repeat that Billy tells him to shove it.

Billy and Hop shush everyone as Eric Clapton plays. Jonathan nearly hyperventilates over every song by The Who. Robin pulls Billy and Steve up to dance with her and Will and Max and El when Elton John comes on. Joyce and Nancy fangirl together over Hall & Oates.

And when it’s over, the kids start to argue about their favorite parts.

Dustin: “I think the best part was-”

Max: “If you say anything other than Queen, you’re wrong”

Mike: “C’mon El, Rick Springfield isn’t that hot…”

El: “He has a pretty face and his hair is fluffy.”

Lucas: “Jonathan, who was that band you were super invested in??”

Jonathan: “The Who? I have all their albums if you wanna borrow some.”

Will: “Tommy is the best one, Lucas. For sure.”

Lucas: “Yeah? Can we listen to it? I liked the pinball song.”

And Billy’s heart is full and he can’t believe how fun this was and he slips out the backdoor to the porch w/ Steve and makes out with him against the wall bc “fuck Harrington, that was amazing.”

“Music really turns you on, huh?”

“Shut up, I can’t kiss you when you’re talking.”