#and also. this is absolutely a reference to the last scene in the park of hxh 1999

[mysandwichranaway]

"it's over now"

[youryurigoddess]

A nightingale sang in the London Blitz

When exactly was that certain night, the night Aziraphale and Crowley met — and spoke for the first time in 79 years in the midst of the London Blitz?

And what’s the deal with the nightingale’s song, really?

Grab something to drink and we’ll look for some Clues below.

The night they met

The Blitz, short for Blitzkrieg (literally: flash war) was a German aerial bombing campaign on British cities in the WW2, spanning between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941. The Luftwaffe attacks were carried out almost non stop, with great intensity meant to force a capitulation and similarly strong impact on British life and culture at the time.

Starting on 7 September 1940, London as the capital city was bombed for nearly 60 consecutive nights. More than one million London houses were destroyed or damaged, and more than 20,000 civilians were killed, half of the total victims of this campaign.

The night of 29 December 1940 saw the most ferocity, becoming what is now known as the Second Great Fire of London. The opening shot of the S2 1941 minisode is a direct reference to recordings of that event, with the miraculously saved St Paul’s Cathedral in the upper left corner.

The actual raid lasted between 06:15 and 09:45 PM, but its aftermath continued for days. The old and dense architecture of this particular part of the city turned into a flaming inferno larger than the Great Fire of 1666. Multiple buildings, including churches, were destroyed in just one night by over 100,000 bombs.

Incendiary bombs fell also on St Dunstan-in-the-East church that night, the real-life location of this scene as intended by Neil. It was gutted and again claimed by fire in one of the last air rides on 10 May, when the bomb destroyed the nave and roof and blew out the stained glass windows. The ruins survived to this day as a memorial park to the Blitz.

Such a delightfully Crowley thing to do: saving a bag of books with a demonic miracle adding to the biggest catastrophe for the publishing and book trade in years. 5 million volumes were lost, multiple bookshops and publishing houses destroyed in the December 29th raid alone.

Even without this context, judging by the seemingly unending night, overwhelming cold and darkness, broken heating at the theatre, and seasonal clothing (like Aziraphale and Crowley’s extremely nice winter coats), it’s rather clear that it was the very beginning of the year 1941.

Everything suggests that Aziraphale and Crowley’s Blitz reunion happened exactly 1900 years after their meeting in Rome — which, according to the script book, took place between 1 and 24 January 41 (Crowley was right: emperor Caligula was a mad tyrant and didn't need any additional tempting; there's a reason why he was murdered by his closest advisors, including members of his Praetorian Guard, on 24 January 41).

Interestingly, both events involved a role reversal in their otherwise stable dynamic, with Aziraphale spontaneously taking the lead instead of letting the demon be the one to do all the tempting and saving, and ended with a toast.

The S2 Easter Egg with the nuns of the Chattering Order of St Beryl playing table tennis at the theatre suggests that the Blitz meeting happened on a Tuesday afternoon, which doesn’t match any of the above mentioned days, but sets the in-universe date for 7 January 1941 or later.

The Chattering Order of Saint Beryl is under a vow to emulate Saint Beryl at all times, except on Tuesday afternoons, for half an hour, when the nuns are permitted to shut up, and, if they wish, to play table tennis.

The nightingale

January means one thing: absolutely no migratory birds in Europe yet. They’re blissfully wintering in the warm sun of Northern Africa at the time. But, ironically, when the real nightingales flew off, a certain song about them suddenly gained popularity in the West End of London.

It might be a shock, but A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square wasn’t a hit from the start — even though its creators, Eric Maschwitz and Manning Sherwin, were certainly established in their work at this point. The song was written in the then-small French fishing village of Le Lavandou shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War with first performance in the summer of 1939 in a local bar, where the melody was played on piano by the composer Manning Sherwin with the help of the resident saxophonist. Maschwitz sang his lyrics while holding a glass of wine, but nobody seemed impressed. It took time and a small miracle to change that.

Next year, the 23-year-old actress Judy Campbell had planned to perform a monologue of Dorothy Parker’s in the upcoming Eric Maschwitz revue „New Faces”. But somehow the script had been mislaid and, much to her horror, replaced with the song A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square. She had never professed to be a singer but even so, she gathered her courage and went out onto the moonlit set dressed in a white ball gown. Her heartfelt rendition of the now evocative ballad captured the audience’s imagination and catapulted her West End career to stardom.

It was precisely 11 April 1940 at the Comedy Theatre in Panton Street and the revue itself proved to be a great success — not only it kept playing two performances nightly through the Blitz, but also returned the next year. And the still operating Comedy Theatre is mere five minutes on foot from the Windmill Theatre, where Aziraphale performed in 1941, and not much longer from his bookshop.

Now, most Good Omens meta analyses focus on Vera Lynn’s version of the song from 5 June 1940, but it didn’t get much attention until autumn, specifically 15 November, when Glenn Miller and his orchestra published another recording. And Glenn Miller himself is a huge point of reference in Good Omens 2.

According to the official commentary the infamous credits scene is establishing Aziraphale and Crowley’s final resolve for the next season using the same narrative device The Glenn Miller Story (1954) does in its most crucial scene. It starts with the tune (and audio in general) totally flat, then adds a piano on one side, and gradually becomes fully multidimensional. The Good Omens credits not only emulate the same sound effect, but bring it to the visual side of the narrative by literally combining the individual perspectives of the two characters together. Even though they’re physically apart, their resolve — and love to each other — brings them even closer than before. Aziraphale smiles not because he’s being brainwashed, but because he knows exactly what to do next.

Some of you might have noticed that Tori Amos’s performance for Good Omens is actually a slightly shortened version of Miller’s recording — much less sorrowful than Vera Lynn’s full lyrics that include i.a. this bridge:

The dawn came stealing up

All gold and blue

To interrupt our rendez-vous

I still remember how you smiled and said

Was that a dream or was it true?

Which is a huge hint when it comes to what we can expect from the main romantic plot line in the Good Omens series. The original song introduces an element of the doubt — it seems like there was no nightingale at all, only the mirage woven by the singer clearly intoxicated with love, much like Aziraphale and Crowley for the length of the last six episodes. Crowley’s comment in the season finale might allude to that interpretation, stating that there are no nightingales — never have been. It was all a dream. But the version we’re working with here is short and sweet, and devoid of that doubt. In the Good Omens universe angels were actually dining at the Ritz, the streets were truly paved with stars (or will be shown as such in the next season), and a nightingale really sang in Berkeley Square, as the omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent narrator, God Herself, had shown us.

All in all, it’s not an accident that the “modern” swing ballad activating Aziraphale’s memory and opening the 1941 minisode is the Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller. It’s a track naturally associated with A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square when it comes to music style and the sentiment in the lyrics.

But why the sudden popularity? In the great uncertainty and hardship of the Blitz, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square provided solace and escapism for listeners, offering a glimpse of hope and love amidst the darkness of war. It became a universal anthem of resilience and a reminder of the power of love transcending difficulties. By January 1941 the whole city knew this tune by heart, including a certain West End aficionado with a cabinet full of theatre programs in his bookshop. Thanks to Maggie’s grandmother, he most probably had a record at hand to play during his spontaneous wine night with Crowley. We can only suspect the details, but it was was mutually established as their song exactly at that time or soon afterwards. Pretty sure we will see a third installment of that minisode for many, many reasons, but especially because of this “several days in 1941” answer by Neil:

The Man Hunt

In 1941 A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square gained even more popularity as the romantic theme of the Fritz Lang’s newest film Man Hunt. The 1939 story by Geoffrey Household first appeared under the title “Rogue Male” as a serial in the Atlantic Monthly Magazine where it received widespread comment, soon becoming a world-wide phenomenon in novel form. Its premise criticizes Britain's pre-war policy of appeasement with Germany, ready to sacrifice its own innocent citizens to the tentative status quo. Sounds a bit like Heaven's politics, right?

Yes, I'm trying to make you watch old movies again — like all the other classics, Man Hunt (1941) is easily available on YouTube and other streaming websites.

The next part will include spoilers, so scroll down to the next picture if you prefer to avoid them.

The plot of the movie seems simple enough: the tall, dark, and handsome Alan Thorndike, who nearly assassinates Hitler, narrowly escapes Germany and back in London continues to evade the Nazi agents sent after him with the help of a young trench-clad “seamstress” named Jerry, bridging the class divide and becoming unlikely friends-partners-romantic interests. It doesn’t end well though.

Jerry's small London apartment serves as a hideout for Alan when he was being followed by Nazis, similarly to how Aziraphale's bookshop is a safe haven for both Crowley and Gabriel in S2. She helps the man navigate the streets and eventually out of London — by sacrificing herself and getting forcefully separated from him by a patrolling policeman. The last time they see each other, Alan watches Jerry look back at him yearningly and disappear in the fog, followed by the elderly officer.

Unfortunately in the next scene we learn that the latter is a Nazi collaborator and helps the agents apprehend Jerry in her own flat. Staying loyal to her love and uncooperative, she’s ultimately thrown out of a window to her death, but posthumously saves Alan once again — through the arrow-shaped hatpin he gifted her earlier that is presented to him as the evidence of her off-screen fate.

Long story short, thanks to Jerry’s sacrifice Alan not only survives, but is able to join the war that broke out in the meantime and go back to Germany, armed with a rifle and a final resolve to end what he started, no matter how long will it take. The justice will be served and the dictator will pay with his life for his sins.

I wouldn’t be myself without mentioning that the main villain has a Roman chariot statue similar to the one in Aziraphale’s bookshop, an antique sculpture of St Sebastian (well-known as the gayest Catholic Saint) foreshadowing his demise, and a chess set symbolizing the titular manhunt/game of tag with the protagonist.

Aziraphale’s song

Will Aziraphale sacrifice himself as well? Or has he already? If his coin magic trick can be any indicator, we should expect at least a shadow of a danger touching the angel’s wings soon.

Let’s sum up the 1941 events from Aziraphale’s perspective: the very first time they’ve interacted after almost a century, Crowley actively sabotaged his entire existence twice by stepping onto a holy ground and by being outed by agents of Hell, both on the very same night and both because of his undying dedication to the angel. That’s enough of a reason not only for performing an apology dance, but also maintaining a careful distance for Crowley’s sake for the next 26 years. Only when he heard that his idiot was planning to rob a church, he gave up since he “can't have him risking his life”.

That’s when Crowley, sitting in a car parked right under his bookshop, offered him a ride. It wasn’t even subtle anymore. It was supposed to be a date, this time both of them understood it. But Aziraphale wouldn’t risk Crowley’s safety for his own happiness, especially not when he can name his feelings towards him and knows that they are reciprocated — the biggest lesson he learnt back in 1941.

So he did what he’s best at, he cut Crowley off again, but this time with a promise of catching up to his speed at some point. Buddy Holly’s Everyday, which was originally planned to play afterwards instead of the Good Omens theme, adds additional context here:

No, thank you. Oh, don’t look so disappointed. Perhaps one day we could... I don't know… Go for a picnic. Dine at the Ritz.

Aziraphale, carefully looking around and feeling observed through the whole conversation in the Bentley, consciously used the “Dine at the Ritz” line from A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, from their song, as a code only the two of them understand. Not as a suggestion to go out for a meal, but a promise. A hope for the privilege of being openly in love and together — maybe someday, not now, when it’s too dangerous — even if it leads to a bad ending.

Fast forward to 2023 when for one dreadful moment Crowley’s “No nightingales” robbed Aziraphale even of that semblance of hope. He looked away, unable to stop his tears anymore. Only their kiss helped him pull himself together and make sure that a nightingale did sing the last time he turned — just like in their song — this time without a smile, as a goodbye.

[actual-changeling]

if god did not want me to over-analyse a two second video clip she would not have given me video editing software, so welcome back to alex's unhinged meta corner with me, alex, as your host.

we're going off the deep end with this one.

let's have a look at a. well, you cannot really call it a scene at this point. more of a collection of frames - aziraphale's face right after crowley leaves but before the bell above the door rings. this has been on my list of metas to write anyway, but someone kindly pointed it out which gave me incentive to make this post.

now, my leading theory is that much like his mouth movement before saying "i forgive you", which looked and sounded a lot like the beginning of "i love you", aziraphale is mouthing a silent "don't". presumably, the complete sentence would have been "don't leave".

first things first, why do i think he would say it? well, if you look back at their breakup in the park in season one, aziraphale calls him back when he says he will leave.

"you can't leave, crowley, there isn't anywhere to go".

then, after the fucking mess that is "nothing lasts forever", aziraphale also calls out. "come back". it is also perfectly in line with his previous behaviour to try and keep crowley from leaving again. especially because he almost tells the metatron he will stay just a few minutes later.

some other important things to keep in mind: aziraphale is shaking and about to cry, and also probably still in shock. so his face is doing a number of things and any words he may or may not mouth are slightly skewed due to that.

the first few frames are him taking a breath, so far so good.

this is the part where it looks like he is about to say something and silently begins to mouth don't. if you pay very close attention to his lips, you can see that they get pushed forward just a little bit as one does when saying "do".

you can try it yourself to confirm, i certainly did several times while rewatching the same two seconds like an absolutely sane person.

the last few frames are him closing his mouth again and breaking off whatever he was going to say, but in my opinion, you can still see the ending of that "don't".

alex, you might ask, how do you know that's what he was trying to say? i don't, although i hope once the strike ends someone will ask michael sheen some much needed questions. however, i wouldn't be a scientist if i didn't have evidence to present nevertheless.

i compared two of the frames from above, one from the "do" part and one from the "nt" part with another instance of michael/aziraphale saying "don't" - "i don't think you understand what i'm offering you".

the mouth shape and the movement of his facial muscles looks very similar even taking the whole sobbing and crying business into account.

interestingly enough, once the bell does ring, signaling that crowley has left the store, he not only closes his mouth but also physically steps back even more. he almost says "don't leave", restrains himself by physically pulling back, and then inches even farther from the door.

that is also when his face shifts from completely openly heartbroken to angry/spiteful and heartbroken.

the camera angle changes a little bit but not enough to explain the discrepancy, so yes, he steps backward before turning away and touching his lips. that pillar is honestly a very helpful point of reference. also completely unrelated but the face he makes at the end cracks me up it is LITERALLY >:(

to summarize: someone get michael sheen on the fucking phone before i lose my mind. also you can pry this meta from my dead, cold hands, he almost said "don't leave" and i will die on this hill.

lastly, said two second clip at half speed if you want to have a look for yourself.

[suzukiblu]

Winner of the "👾❓" poll: 🐦💗🐈‍⬛, which is a new AU/WIP I started recently that we're calling "stray cat strut". All you need to know is it is VERY wildly AU and not remotely superheroism-focused, but the Batfam is still a thing and the Superfam is NOT still a thing. Also it's the one y'all voted to be Timberkon, lol. Or, like, WILL be Timberkon. Once Tim and Bernard actually, you know, find out Kon exists and all. Funnily enough, this WIP won like three of the "what to work on?" polls out of the set of them that I'm currently queuing up, despite me never actually mentioning it before said polls went up or identifying it past including a reference to cats in some way, hahaha. ( possibly everyone just assumed it was more CrypTim after the "kitten" thing happened last installment; possibly that's a reasonable assumption all around, hah. )

Tim is sick to death of charity events, but today he's at a charity event. The third one this month, for the record. 

This is absolutely Dick's fault, because Bruce is busy socializing with the other donors and Jason's not an option and would be too “dead” even if he were and Cass and Steph are running a mission for Babs and Duke is just a weird enough person to be able to just say “no” and actually get listened to about it and also, obviously, Tim and Damian hate each other, so Dick was supposed to be the one doing this. 

Dick, unfortunately, got punched in the face on patrol last night and cannot show up to a public event for a charity that the Wayne Foundation is donating to with a black eye and a split lip. Especially not one happening in broad daylight with a bunch of people with cameras all over the most pretentiously-landscaped park in Gotham. Ivy dreams of tearing up all the paved paths and fountains here and reseeding the whole place with native plants, Tim is sure. 

Unfortunately, she’s not currently doing that and Dick, again, got punched in the face, so Tim is still stuck at this event in a grudgingly tailored polo shirt and khaki slacks that cost as much as his last set of upgrades to his bike, because god forbid anyone show up to a Gotham society event in anything that wasn’t stupidly expensive. He is not ending up on Gotham’s latest “worst dressed’ list over a stupid polo shirt, of all things. 

So now Tim is stuck in the middle of another annoying charity event with the sibling he is least capable of getting along with, because Duke knows how to say “no” and be listened to and he does not, and Dick is too bruisable, and someone needs to make sure Damian isn’t gonna make a scene at said event. Mind, Damian doesn't actually need anyone to “translate” his manners. The kid's lived in Gotham since he was ten and didn’t exactly show up unprepared; he knows its high society etiquette backwards and forwards. 

He just doesn't give a shit about it, so Tim’s gonna be smoothing ruffled feathers all day no matter what. 

Admittedly, this specific charity event is for a nonprofit pet rescue center that recently opened downtown–“Paradise Rescue”, according to the invites and the branding that’s all over the park right now–so Damian isn't as likely as usual to offend anyone. But also, someone might annoy him or be a dick to one of the pets in front of him, so Tim's here anyway. 

Damian's eighteen next year, Tim reminds himself. No one can make him babysit a damn adult, no matter what. 

. . . he really hopes no one can do that. Probably literally everything about the way he ended up joining this damn family in the first place is a bad sign for that, in retrospect. And just . . . everything about Robin. Just all of it. 

Dammit. 

No wonder he can’t get away with saying “no” in these situations. It’s probably, like, karma or whatever. 

[vint-knight]

Epic The Wisdom Saga Ranking:

SO I really loved this saga so here's my ranking and if you guys want to, you can add it your list by rebloging as well!

1: Little Wolf: Just from the start with Antinous being cold and vicious, Aryon killed it as always, I thought it would just be a long fight of Tele vs Antinous until it would end with either Penelope or Athena (perhaps both saving him in the last moment) But I was genuinely surprised to see Athena appear and aid Telemachus, also their dynamic is cute, and the animation, Liam Davidson delivered it with the videogame aspect of it and Luzia coming with the absolute beautiful animation and expressions, especially Telemachus, and Teagan just throws it out of the park here, I really love her voice that she has been doing since the rereleased Troy/Cyclops Saga albums and how it goes from a Tele getting his ass kicked, to Tele getting some aid but still getting beat up, while leaving some bruises to Antinous and how the Little Wolf taunt was more used like a compliment.

2: Love in Paradise: I would have thought this was gonna be like at the bottom (not in terms of bad, but just not quite top tier) first off the Time-Dive by Mircsy was absolute mind-blowing, from Aeolus, to Poseidon which I really liked because of how quick the "Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves" to Circe, Tiresias, Sirens, Scylla which has a really cool shot! and then ending with Thunder Bringer, then we have Gigi! her animation was amazing as always, we get introduced to Calypso who is played by the wonderful Barbara Wangui! she sounds so fun and playful but I like the general creepy vibes given to Calypso, then the cliff scene this absolutely shocked me then I remembered it was accurate to how Homer's Odysseus felt almost sucidial during his time on Ogygia, the belting Jorge lets out, letting out every single part of Odysseus's anguish before screaming for Athena, absolutely gut-wrenching it almost made me tear up

3: We'll Be Fine: I love this song so much, the absolute feels you can feel from Teagan's Athena, the guilt she feels that she can't even sleep, also noticed some lyrics were changed like "When I'll never left home shores" which I find intriguing, the growing friendship between Tele and Athena is just so wholesome and love the ending with him trying to lean his head on her shoulder then falling on his face lmao

4: Legendary: This was absolutely a great start, MICO as Telemachus was absolutely incredible and very proud of how he portrayed Telemachus, nice that Argos is shown following (sad that he was failing to catch Tele because he's a very old dog who's sick) a perfect song to show how a son wants to live up to his father that he never got to meet, the "Man of The House" callback with the suitors and Antinous being an absolute asshole, "DON'T YOU DARE CALL MY MOTHER A TRAMP" from Tele was delivered so well, showing how much respect and protectiveness he has for his mama.

5: God Games: Honestly I would have thought this was going to be at least at the top 1 or 2 for the list, obviously everyone did great, Brandon as Apollo was amazing, love how nonchalant he seemed, wish his part was a bit more longer (but he is LVL1, so it makes sense in video game terms) Hephaestus was quite good, Jorge's dad did amazing and the fact he's also a builder is very ironic, I was quite fine with his part being short because if the "Odysseus took Achilles's armour that Hephaestus specifically made for Achilles" because EPIC doesn't stay too long on the Trojan War (besides references and callbacks etc etc) Janani K. Jha and Earle Grensham Jr did SO GOOD as Ares and Aphrodite, love the fact that Aphrodite's love domain isn't just romantic or lustful love, it's motherly love as well, then we have POSEY as Hera!, love the disco music part of Hera's music, also Anniflamma's animation was so cute and funny! with Athena awkwardly dancing along with Hera, then we have Zeus's part.... alright first off Luke Holt POPPED OFF on this one, his voice was so intimidating here then in Thunder Saga or Troy Saga, the "Thunder Bringer" being brought back with that deep tone he brought in, but I do have some criticism which is I wish Zeus had more words to say, also did not like how he came off like a sore loser (he can be that in the myths sometimes) But I thought it more off like he was actually ashamed of Athena trying so hard to defend this "man full of shame" which in my opinion makes me think that he also felt shame was gonna be brought upon him for the fact The King of Gods's daughter basically going all this way to free one mortal man, besides that I love the small flashback with Athena and baby Telemachus which shows how determined that she is not only doing this for Odysseus, but for his son, then the end was okay, nice to see Ares was genuinely concerned for her, same for the other gods and it ending with Athena being unconscious (also the red blood is kinda explained as her becoming more human by Gwendy who did the last animation for God Games) still like the song but wished it was more longer

[mercurygray]

I'm still trying to figure out whatever Cord and Bucky's deal is, and @basilone suggested a slightly different perspective on the scene.

May, 1943. First impressions, as they say, are everything, and Harold Huglin is not impressed.

--

His mouth still tasted like chalk.

Colonel Huglin breathed in deeply through his nose and tried not to notice the aftertaste. It was nearly lunchtime, and he was simultaneously hungry enough to eat a horse and not in the mood to eat anything at all. His doctor had him on the most bland diet known to man, for the sake of the ulcer, but the milk and calcium carbonate he was also being prescribed wasn’t doing anything to help his appetite. He’d been managing pretty well for the last few days on dry toast and stewed vegetables, but it was May in England, and the chill of springtime was still hanging around the crabapple trees and absolutely cutting through his overcoat.

“It would appear our new Air Executive is late,” he said, testily, glancing out over the field for some sign, any sign, that Egan had remembered that they had a meeting scheduled this morning with the RAF, in advance of the official hand-over of the station.

“Would you like to go inside, sir?” Callaway looked worried about him, even though she herself was in even worse shape than him, out in her service skirt and stockings. “It’s still a little cold out here.”

She said it as an observation, not a complaint, or a request for special treatment. She hadn’t complained once, since they’d arrived - not on the drive over, even though the Jeep was open to the air, and not in the twenty minutes they’d been waiting in the wind. Huglin admired that, even if he didn’t have a way to say it. The lieutenant from Ohio was going to do all right, he thought. Captain Brennan had made a good choice to send her to the meeting today. A good head on her shoulders - a clear eyed way of seeing things that would serve her well, in the control tower. She’d shown up for their meeting on time, in perfect order, and even had a pad of paper to take notes. On the safety of that part of the venture he was perfectly sure. Of everything else?

Well, his Air Executive was late. That was about all he needed to know.

“No, thank you, Lieutenant. We should go in together.” A united front, he wanted to say, even though the Brits were their allies, and this was supposed to be the friendliest of friendly meetings. They were here, and making good on Roosevelt’s promises to Churchill to deliver the full force of American air power to the continent, all for the low, low price of several extra airfields in Norfolk and other points south. But Huglin already knew what the British thought of them - four years late to a show that had started in 1939 and had hardly stopped hitting them on the chin since then.

Four years late - and now late to this, too.

John Egan had come with the greatest of references from Kansas - a glowing career that had started well before Pearl Harbor, an officer who’d worked his way up from the bottom, been a valued instructor and a fixture to his unit. So just who the hell was this man who couldn’t show up to a meeting on time?

The familiar whine of an engine came roaring up from the road, and Huglin and Callaway turned to see a single man drive up in a jeep, crusher cap rakish on his head. He threw the shifter into park, turned off the engine, and pulled his rather tall self out of the Jeep, bounding over the still-thawing mud with his greatcoat flapping open as he went. Disorderly uniform, Huglin thought to himself, observing the way he’d already started shaping his hat. Well then.

“Colonel, hello.” The Major had something of the overgrown schoolboy about him that even the carefully cultivated mustache couldn’t hide. “Sorry to keep you waiting - got stuck behind a herd of cows on the road on the way up here.”

“You’re late, Major. I hope you won’t make it a habit.”

“Of course not, sir. Won’t happen again.” He smiled broadly and turned to take a good look at Callaway, his smile changing pitch a little. “Good morning, gorgeous. I don’t think we’ve met. John Egan. My friends call me Bucky.”

Huglin watched Callaway freeze in place, her expression hard to read. Was that embarrassment, or fear? He couldn’t tell - all he felt at the moment was a rising sense of anger. She had a bar on her shoulder and an eagle on her hat the same as his - so why address her like she was nothing more than the secretary? “Major Egan, this is Lieutenant Callaway, one of our flight control officers. She'll be in charge of the first shift, so she'll be sending the group out most mornings. She’ll be inspecting the site with us this morning.”

Callaway found her voice and held out a gloved hand to shake. “I believe protocol says I should address you as Major, sir.” Huglin smiled at that, the appreciation faint but there as he watched Egan’s smile falter a little as she failed to respond to his charm. At least someone around here knows how things ought to be done.

He glanced again at his watch and swallowed, still tasting chalk. “Right. Let’s go in.”

“After you, sir,” he heard Callaway say behind him, as the two of them fell in behind their CO. “Rank first.” Smart girl, Callaway. Keep that one where you can see him.

[happy-beeeps]

Body Shots

Pairing: Rex x socialite!reader

Summary: Rex gets absolutely sloshed drunk with the help of the 501st, this is like partly crack partly fluff partly hysterics

WC: 2.3k

Warnings: language, alcohol, nothing explicit but there's some references to NSFW content so minors plz stay away ty, also I lifted like 4 sentences from an episode of Parks and Rec because it just made sense

You weren’t sure what you were expecting when you came to 79’s tonight, but it certainly wasn’t this.

You’re in an impossibly tiny two piece set, nearly dripping in glitter and diamonds, catching the eyes of almost everyone in the bar. You never mind the attention you get here, but especially not here, amongst so many people you’d consider friends. Sure, some of the Shinies might not know who you are yet, aside from what they see on the holomags, but for the most part, it’s all smiles and waves before you find the booth your boys have occupied. Today, though, it’s a different scene than normal. “Come quick,” the message from Kix had said, “The Captain is in rare form tonight.”

Rex is sitting in the center of the bench with a few empty glasses directly in front of him. The boys are smushed in beside him, and you realize you couldn’t even sit if you tried. “Hi boys!” You shout and they whoop and shout your name in response. Rex looks up at you from his glass and his eyes widen, he goes slack jawed. 

“Kriff, you look incredible,” he swoons, eyes threatening to bug out of his head as he brings his fist up to his mouth. “‘M the luckiest guy in this bar.” He mumbles, and he’s fighting a losing battle trying to keep his eyes from floating down your chest to the miniscule collection of diamonds that you’re wearing as a top. Ah. Rex is getting drunk. You smile at your Captain and blow him a kiss, before leaning down and dipping your head over to Tup, seated at your left. 

“How’d this happen?”

“We got lucky on sabacc, thought we oughtta treat our captain after that last trip off system.” He grins and pumps his hand in the air, and the rest of the boys lift up their glasses of beer in response. “He’s still got a ways to go, but when the captain finally does cut loose, he cuts loose.” 

You smile, and look back at Rex, who's fallen into conversation with Jesse as he nurses a drink that from the looks of it is definitely not beer. He sees you look at him and cuts Jesse off mid sentence to address you, smiling the whole time, “I told them it was ok, I mean, I didn’t think. We don’t have anything tomorrow do we? I can stop right now.” He sputters, and you find it so very endearing. 

Reaching across the table, you go to cup his cheek and he leans into your touch. Not normally one for PDA, he’s like a loth cat now practically melting into your hand. “Honey, the only thing you and I have planned for tomorrow is going to be some very greasy breakfast delivery.” 

You realize now that you’ve never seen Rex drunk. Buzzed? Sure. But it’s normally you he’s hauling over his shoulder and pulling into a cab before you wrangle him to bed. He deserves this time with you and this time with his brothers, to just relax and enjoy leave. You haven’t gotten to talk to him about their last mission, but from what he said, it didn’t sound great. 

You’re simmering with excitement as you back away from the table, make a show of walking over to the bar, swaying your hips and nearly skipping the whole. You approach and get the attention of the server, a sweet Togruta woman you’ve gotten to know well. “Those boys over there?” you point to the booth the 501st is occupying, “tonight, they’re drinking on me.” You slap the heavy metal card on the table, as well as a fair amount of credits for the woman who will be inevitably dealing with more than just your drunk clones. She grins and starts pouring a round of shots, before handing you the drink you ordered, a sparkling mint green in a glass with a long stem. She follows you back to the table and Fives and Kix move out and make room for you to sit next to Rex, his hand making a beeline to rest on your thigh. You set the drink down in front of you and look at them, “drinks are on me tonight, consider it a thank you for getting this one to loosen up.” You wink, and the air is suddenly filled with the sound of clinking glasses, cheersing, and expletives. 

“I’m the luckiest Captain in this whole karking bar!”

“This is a nice touch,” Rex says, fiddling with the dark blue bracelets you have stacked on your wrist. 

“Just like these boys to know where my loyalty lies, Captain.”

He throws his head back and chuckles, before it rolls back around to rest on his shoulder. The rest of the boys have made their way to the dance floor or the bar, leaving you and Rex alone. This mission wasn’t nearly as long as others, maybe a week, but you both seem so needy for each other right now, it’s taking every fiber of your being to not climb into his lap. Rex is feeling it too, you can tell, his longing stares and wandering hands are proof of that. You’ve both drank a fair bit since you got here, and you’re beginning to wonder how you both are getting home. Rex is toying with the hem of your skirt under the table, mumbling under his breath about the fabric. 

“What did you say?”

“I said it’s shiny,” he says, before shimmying up out of the booth and stretching an arm out to you. “Would you like to dance?” He asks, and nearly jumps at how fast you shoot out of your seat.

“With you? Always.”

Rex isn’t shy. He’s tall and proud and has a laugh that sounds like a canon if you can get him going. He likes to order extra hot sauce at Dex’s (you think he likes the attention) and no one can tell you that scratching hash marks into his armor for the number of battles he’s won isn’t asking for a little pomp and circumstance. Still, he doesn’t usually indulge in PDA aside from a hand on the small of your back or grasping your hand under a table. Once, after a really rough mission he met you in a room off the landing pad, placing kisses all around your face, and someone might have walked by. That’s about as much as you get, but you’re okay with it, because the second the doors shut you know you have his complete undivided attention. Now, on the floor of 79’s, he’s different, like he’s been stuck in Jakku with no water and you’re an oasis. His hands are roaming your body, pulling you close to his chest as he presses warm kisses down your throat before landing at your jaw. “Eager today, aren’t we?” You laugh as you turn from him, taking a step back to shimmy your body and lift your arms in the air. He sighs and stumbles back a step, clasping a hand over his heart before reaching for you again, to which you happily oblige. 

“I missed you, you know.” He murmurs, hands grabbing at the exposed skin of your lower back.

“I know, I missed you too,” you sigh as you press against his plastoid covered chest.

“Need to be better. About telling you how much you mean to me.”

“Rex, you already tell me plenty-”

“Nah, I don’t,” He takes a hand of yours and lifts it up, giving you just the right momentum to spin in place before he stops you, catching you in his arms. “Girl like you should be reminded of it every day.”

There’s a small movement to respond on your part, a slight opening of your lips that he takes an invitation, catching your jaw in his gloved hand and pulling you into him, his lips crashing on to yours. You move together like two stars drawn together in orbit, the familiar feeling of his mouth against yours the brightest beacon to home you’ll ever need. He pulls back, leaving your lips swollen and red, before placing his forehead to yours, searching your eyes for the words he’s saying in his head. I love you.

Forget seeing Rex drunk, you’re now seeing Rex plastered. Or are you? You stopped counting your own drinks when Jesse came back from the fresher claiming a stomach ache and promised he’d make sure the two of you got home. You’ve both drank more, you beat Fives at a drinking game so complicated you were convinced he made it up on the spot. Kix has already cried into your shoulder about how pretty he finds the stunningly violet Twi’lek standing at the bar, and you’ve already stumbled over to them and dragged them to a table with Kix, “You’ve gotta meet me friend, ‘s so sweet.” Fives and Rex are back at it, playing a drinking game that involves a tossed credit and a bunch of dares. You’re sure you’ll never forget the image of Rex singing Sy Snootles’ newest song to the whole bar, and Fives is sitting with one of your large, dangly earrings on his ear, fished out from the purse you left at the booth. Funnily enough, you don’t remember him having any piercings. You walk over just as the two of them have flipped the credit and watch as it lands face up, a sight that makes Rex’s skin pale and brings a sparkle so bright to Fives’ eyes you barely even hear what you’re agreeing to.

So that’s how you found yourself here, surrounded by the Republic's finest, laying on a grimey table in the middle of 79’s while the 501st hollers as Rex holds the shot glass next to you. You’re tingling, and you can’t help but giggle as you look at Rex’s face, his drunken lopsided grin as he holds it up to you. “We’re gonna regret this in the morning.” He slurs and you shake your head, or the whole top half of your body, your fine motor skills aren’t what they were two hours ago. There’s one or two civvies mixed in with your crowd, an absolutely towering Zabrak woman and the Twi’lek from earlier is standing with Kix. With a nod from you, the captain pours the liquor into your naval and deftly brings his mouth to your stomach to slurp it out. You don’t miss the kiss he presses to the side of your stomach afterwards, and you roll your eyes as he puts his arms in the air. 

“THE 501ST ARE BACK BABY!” One of the troopers shouts, and Rex pulls you off the table before carrying your bridal style in his arms towards the door. Jesse runs to follow you out the door, grabbing your card, purse, and Rex’s helmet in his hands. He flags down the first cab he sees and deposits you both in it, before handing the driver a bunch of credits and reminding him to “hose down the backseat.”

* * *

“Are we dead? I think we’re dead.”

“I feel okay actually, I went and finished a mission report this morning and went on a run with General Skywalker.”

“Really?”

“No. I threw up in the bushes outside your building last night.”

You open your eyes and carefully roll over to face Rex, who’s running his hands across his face. 

“Anyway, good morning princess,” he breaths, stretching his arms and then motioning for you to move in. You happily oblige, finding a home in the crook of his arm and leaning your head on his chest, soaking up the warmth and the sound of his heartbeat. “What did we drink last night?”

“What didn’t we, remind me to murder Tup” you scoff, and push yourself up to swing your legs over the bed, reeling a bit as you do. You stand slowly, finding your way into the kitchen and not stopping until you’ve found two glasses of water and CeeDee. “Please order us every breakfast item on the menu at Dex’s for immediate delivery,” you say to your droid, and before she can respond you speak again, “CeeDee. I mean everything.”

This is how you find yourself less than an hour later sitting perched between Rex’s legs in bed, slicing away at flatcakes and eggs, pieces of bacon and warm toast with saltberry jam, and greasy starch fries. There’s caf too, and you’re both clinging to each other and the cups like your lives depend on them.

“I’m getting too old for this.” Rex groans, leaning back to rest his back on your headboard.

“Please, when you get to be my age,” you joke, following his lead and leaning back on his chest. He rolls his eyes and laughs before taking the caf out of both his and your hands, closing his arms around your shoulders. He puts his head on your chin and you shimmy a little to press a kiss to his cheek. “I like waking up with you.” you sigh, and relax a bit.

“Me too,” he squeezes you tighter, “like going to sleep with you too.” He smirks, and memories of the night come back to you in flashes. Wandering hands on the dance floor, a kiss in the backseat of the cab, the disappearance of your sparkly top on your bedroom floor.

You both stay like this for a while, just enjoying the early morning sounds and the quiet company of your lover. You reach your arms out to scratch an itch on your chest when you feel it, the stick of the shirt you’ve stolen from Rex on your stomach. You reach your hand underneath and tap the offending area, and realize that your stomach reeks of liquor.

“Rex… why does my stomach smell like a liquor cabinet?”

He’s silent for a beat, as if wracking his brain to remember spilling on you when he freezes around you, the memory of the game, the credit, you lying (very elegantly, he’ll tell you later) across the table. 

“I’m gonna kill Fives.”

[missacidburn928s-heathenhideaway]

Strings Attached

Mechanic!Biker!Sy x POC!Reader

Summary:

You could turn a good boy nasty. And Sy wouldn’t have it any other way.

Warnings:

18+ Only. MDNI. SMUT, Inappropriate use of a motorcycle, Porn without a plot.

Notes:

Hello Heathens! Sometimes I hear a song and then BAM a scene unfolds before my vary eyes. The urge to bring said scene into existence becomes overwhelming until I flesh the damn thing out and bring it to life. That’s what happened here. I was working on another fic, trying to clear out some of my WIPs and well now were here.  (I have an overwhelming need to call Sy Beasty in reference to the Beast. I will not apologize for it. Don’t like it? Feel free to pick another nickname when you read.) Happy reading!

Divider by @firefly-graphics Banner by @cafekitsune

We made it home just as the last rays of sunlight disappeared and the moon began her ascent into the diamond filled sky. I watch as Sy, bathed in moonlight, unloads his black on black Harley Road King into the garage.

Once he has her parked in her new home, he returns to the truck to close the tailgate and lock her up for the night.

I couldn’t help sauntering over and getting a closer look of the powerful machine. “She really is a beauty.” I state, bending over to run my hands along her leather seat.

“She absolutely is.”

I turn my head over my shoulder to look at Sy. His eyes remain on my bent over frame. Not once glancing at the magnificent machinery in front of me.

“Did you know that I have this recurring fantasy to be fucked on a bike? Forced to be all quiet so no one catches us with our pants down.” I confess.

“Well that's interesting, Peach. Because I have a fantasy of bending you over my bike and fucking you until you soak the leather so good that I smell you every time I ride for days.” His voice has taken on that gravelly tone that makes my panties damp.

“So what are we going to do about that?”

He closes the space between us in three quick steps. Causing me to quickly turn and sit back on the bike. Reaching forward, he wraps his massive hand around the base of my throat and carefully pulls me up to stand.

“Undo my belt and unzip my pants.”

Keeping eye contact, I extend my hands forward and blindly unbuckle him before pulling down his zipper as requested.

“Good girl.” He gives my neck a tiny squeeze. “Now yours. Except I want you to also pull both your pants and panties down to mid-thigh. Understand?”

I nod my agreement and slowly push my pants down my thighs.

With the hand not holding my throat, he runs his fingers up my inner thighs until he reaches my dampened center.

“Always so wet and ready for me.” He growls out. “When I let you go, you’re going to walk to the back of the bike and bend over. I want you to stretch forward until your hands can grip the handlebars.”

He releases his hold on my neck. My weakened knees somehow manage to make it over to the end of the bike without falling flat on my face. I proceed to bend over and push up onto my tiptoes so that I can reach the handlebars.

My breathing begins to pick up as I feel Sy move in behind me.

He has removed himself from his undone jeans and is now teasing his bulbous tip along my vulva. “You look like heaven bent over my bike, cunt dripping, waiting for me to fill you up. I could bust right now from this image alone.”

“Don’t.” I whimper. “Please. I need you to come inside me. Always inside me.”

“Fuck, Peach.” He grinds his pelvis forward, gliding his dick between my cheeks. “You know what hearing you beg like that does to me.”

“I can’t wait anymore Beasty. Please fill me up. Make our fantasies come true.”

“Shh. I got you, baby girl.” He coos. “Now hold on tight and keep that pretty mouth shut or I’m going to have to do it for you.”

I feel the heat of him leave my skin momentarily before he slowly guides himself within my slick walls. He takes his time, giving us each a chance to catch our breath as my body reacclimates itself with his thickness.

When his pelvis is flush against mine he gives his hips a swivel. Eliciting a groan of pleasure from the both of us.

“Gotdamn, you feel so tight right now babygirl. I don’t know how long I’m going to last. Your sweet pussy is trying to fucking milk me dry already.”

“Don’t care. Just need you to move.” I whine.

“You’re a needy little one tonight.” He grits out. “Remember to stay quiet Peach. Wouldn't want to alert the neighbors now, would we?”

I have no chance of responding as he pulls his hips back and thrusts them forward. Gripping my waist tight, he sets a hardy pace. I bite my bottom lip to keep from screaming as his weight pushes me down against the leather and metal beneath me.

He slaps my ass, making me cry out, before clamping my mouth shut once more. “If your pussy keeps squeezing me like that Peach, this is going to be over sooner than I would like.”

So of course I purposely do exactly that. I clamp my walls around this girth and circle my hips as best I can in my current position. Rubbing my clit along the leather seat. I can feel a tingle begin to move up from my toes into my core. I’m right on the precipice of ecstasy and I want to take Sy along with me.

“So close.” I whisper out.

“I know, baby. I know.” He groans. “Be a good girl and come for me so I can fill you up. Wanna watch my cum drip out of you onto my seat.”

He picks up the pace and suddenly I feel like I’m flying. Goosebumps erupt along my skin, and I forget all about staying quiet as I come around his cock.

“That’s it, babygirl. Fuck you feel so good when you come on my dick baby.”

I lay there, riding the waves of pleasure as Sy fucks me through my orgasm. Just as the last pulses ring through my body, he thrusts in as deep as he can go. With his tip notched at my cervix, he growls and groans as he unloads inside of me. Hips twitching until the last drop is spent.

He slowly pulls out of me. Reaching forward, he spreads my cheeks. Admiring his seed leaking from my abused hole. “One of these days I’m going to have to film this. My mind never does it justice. And you really need to see just how damn sexy you look all swollen and dripping of me.”

“Why not just do it now? I won’t be moving without help thanks to that orgasm. Enjoy the fruits of your labor Beasty.”

I observe him reach into his pocket and pull out his phone. Taking his sweet time, he snaps pictures and even takes video from practically every angle.

Next thing I know his screen is before me with a video playing. My pussy, front and center, spasms. An aftershock most likely, and a fresh trickle of cream trails down my lips. I’m a mess, but I have to admit, he’s right. I do look sexy with his claim painted on me.

“Fucking perfection.” He whispers in my ear. “Now let’s get you inside and cleaned up, baby. I’m going to push my cum back where it belongs and pull your pants back up. Then I’m carrying you to bed.”

“Such a chivalrous beast.” I giggle.

“Only for you, Peach. What can I say. I’m attached. Strings and all.”

[neversetyoufree]

in the last ep of the anime, i noticed that it cut out to the ending directly before vanitas could actually take noes hand, and i wondered if that was referencing what noe said about vanitas at the beginning.

Oh that's such a good catch! You're absolutely right anon, and I think we can take your idea even further than that.

I've talked about this in a previous post, but VnC's running refrain of Noé reaching for Vanitas's hand is really symbolic. Noé has saved Vanitas from literally falling multiple times, but their entire relationship is also one big metaphorical outstretched hand. Vanitas is "falling" down toward his inevitable doom as he self destructs via his revenge, and Noé is grasping out desperately as he tries to catch him and save him from that fate.

"That day when I didn't grab your hand" (which I assume, along with killing him, is what you mean by "what Noé said about Vanitas") might refer to a future event in which Noé will literally fail to catch Vanitas. But more importantly, it's a reference to the larger truth. By Noé's definition of salvation—in terms of preventing his death, Noé is going to fail to save Vanitas. No amount of reaching out can prevent his ultimate fall.

Within this metaphor, then, the scene on the rooftop after the amusement park can be summed up simply. It's the scene where Vanitas finally lets himself reach for Noé's offered hand.

I mean this in three ways.

The first way is the literal way. The scene ends with Vanitas reaching up to take Noé's hand and be helped to his feet. And despite the sheer frequency of Noé reaching out for or trying to catch Vanitas, this is only the second time we see Vanitas actually reach up and take Noé's hand to be helped of his own accord. The only other time is in the catacombs, right before he decides to tell Noé about Doctor Moreau for the first time.

In the catacombs, Vanitas taking Noé's hand works as a symbolic gesture of trust and an acceptance of Noé's help with the Moreau case. Noé has been forcing his help on Vanitas up until this point, staying up late by the door just to follow him out, but taking his hand is the moment that Vani starts to willingly bring him into the fold. The literal is never just literal with these guys.

The second way comes when Vanitas tells Noé that he's "given up on making him do what he wants." As I said, Noé has spent the entire manga reaching out and trying to save Vanitas from his "fall." One major facet of that is his recurring refusal to let Vanitas isolate himself. He makes a willful declaration of staying by his side when Vanitas tries to dismiss him in the bell tower, and when Vanitas tries to cut Noé out of his life by the blade of a knife, Noé comes back with "I will never set you free." Vanitas wants, or at least claims he wants, Noé to leave him the hell alone, but Noé says no every time.

"Giving up on making Noé do what he wants," then, means that Vanitas has finally let himself accept that he wants Noé by his side. There's no more pretending he doesn't want his help or his presence. No more trying to shove Noé away every time he's upset. At least in this moment (though we'll have to see if he holds himself to it), Vanitas has admitted that he wants Noé and Noé's supportiveness in his life.

Mochijun even uses a flashback panel to be sure we know exactly what Vanitas means here. It's that important.

Giving up on trying to push Noé away is one very significant way in which Vanitas has accepted the metaphorical outstretched hand. He's admitting he wants Noé, and Noé's presence means the presence of love and help. It means the end of self-isolation as a maladaptive coping technique. Of course he's going to reach up and accept Noé's literal offer to help him to his feet in the same scene that he finally tells Noé he'll stop trying to get rid of him.

The third way is, of course, when Vanitas says that he wants Noé to be the one to kill him.

Now, this is not how Noé wanted Vanitas to interpret his outstretched hand. Unlike his loved ones, Noé does not see killing and being killed as a way to show love or to save someone. His offer of salvation is meant to be an offer to save Vanitas from his self-destruction. But Vanitas does not want to be saved that way. And given that the manga begins with the statement that Noé will kill him someday, we know that Vanitas cannot be saved by Noé's definition.

However, Vanitas does not share Noé's definition of salvation. I don't know if Vanitas himself could even put words to his personal idea of salvation. But we know from multiple examples that it can sometimes include the gift of a kind death to prevent a worse life. That's the kind of salvation he offers when he returns a curse bearer's True Name despite knowing that it will kill them.

I have a lot of thoughts about the kind of salvation Vanitas could find in Noé, but for the purposes of this scene, this idea of a preferable death is a big one. Vanitas would rather die than lose his humanity, and this is an extremely vulnerable thing for him. Saying that he wants Noé to kill him is, in his own way, accepting Noé's unspoken offer of salvation. He's saying "I want you to be the one to save me in the one way that I can accept."

Vanitas cannot envision a life for himself, and thanks to the way Luna's Mark is rewriting him, it's likely that a long life as his human self would be impossible even if he weren't suicidal. But though it's still not healthy behavior, his request for death is, in his own terms, taking up the hand that Noé has extended. It's a grasp for salvation by a man that cannot admit that he wants to be saved.

And that brings me back to your original point, anon. Because Vanitas reaches up for Noé's hand, and that is incredibly important, but in both the anime and the manga, we do not get to see him take it. The meaning of this depends on what definition of salvation you analyze the scene through.

By Noé's definition, we know that Vanitas cannot and will not be saved. As he says in the beginning, Noé is going to kill him someday. There will be a day when he will fail to grab his hand, and Vanitas will finally fall to the gravity of his doom. So in that way, it makes sense that even in the most optimistic of scenes, we have to cut away before Vanitas can actually take Noé's hand. He might be letting himself reach for it now, and that's a good thing, but Noé is never actually going to be able to pull him up. To show us otherwise in a scene so full of symbolism and foreshadowing would be a lie.

However, as I keep saying, Noé's definition of salvation isn't the only one at play. As much as Vanitas's death will not be prevented, the fact remains that he is still finally letting himself reach for salvation in some form. So perhaps we can cut away as soon as he starts to reach not because he'll never be saved, but because the thing that matters in this scene is the reaching itself. Noé has become a supportive constant in Vanitas's life. He's just reaffirmed that he won't change, that he'll continue to support Vanitas from beside him.

We don't need to see Noé take Vanitas's hand once he starts reaching because that is a foregone conclusion. It's Vanitas's decision to reach that needs the emphasis of being the final shot, because that's the heart of the moment.

In the manga, Vanitas reaches up, and we cut to the sunlit sky. This whole scene, in addition to the running thread of reaching hands and salvation, has an overarching symbol in the end of the rain. Vanitas and Noé's horrible fight was in the storm, the rain patters to its end as they make up, and the sun breaks through the clouds as they reaffirm their pledges to one another and Noé re-offers Vanitas his hand. It's simple but effective pathetic fallacy.

So to that end, Vanitas reaches up to take Noé's offer to help him stand (reaches up to take some version of his promise of salvation), and we cut to the sunlit sky. Noé has brought the sunlight back as he offers his hand to Vanitas. Joy and light and hope return as Noé's love for and desire to save Vanitas are reestablished. Then Vanitas reaches toward that light, and we cut to the sunbeams to make sure you know just what he's reaching toward.

This works well for the end of a story arc! The weather symbol has been a constant throughout the whole amusement park arc, so of course the chapter that marks its end has to be capped off with an image of the clouds breaking. It's a closing note that pulls together Vanitas's reaching for salvation, the weather symbolism, and 55.5's general tone of relief.

Meanwhile, the anime switches things so that we see the sunbeams first, and then Vanitas reaching for Noé's hand is the final shot of the whole entire show. And for once, I actually really like this little change! The manga's order of images works well as a resolution for its chapter and its story arc, but the anime's version works really well as a possible end for the story overall.

The VnC anime may or may not ever get another season, so for the foreseeable future, Vanitas reaching for Noé's hand is the end of the show. This gives that shot a lot of emphasis. In fact, it kind of makes it the meaning of the whole thing.

Noé spends the whole anime reaching out and trying to offer a hand of salvation to Vanitas, and the final shot of the whole thing is Vanitas letting himself reach up to take it. We don't end on the shot of their clasping hands, but the shot of the reaching, because Vanitas's decision to accept some form of salvation is the thing the whole show has been building towards. It's the decision to reach up that makes the whole story.

So though they go about it in very slightly different ways, the manga and the anime are still both making meaning out of the simple act of Vanitas reaching. That's the core of the whole thing.

And overall, though I've framed "we cut away because Noé won't actually be able to stop his fall/grab his hand" and "we cut away because the decision to reach is the important part" as two opposing interpretations, I actually think their co-existence is key. Vnc's whole story is a conflict between Noé and Vanitas's definitions of salvation. The tension of their relationship isn't "will Noé find a way to save Vanitas from death?" (He won't). The tension is "will Noé find some other way to save Vanitas before his death?" and "will he be able to recognize that alternate salvation as salvation if/once Vanitas claims it?"

VnC is a story about a doomed man who might in some way be saved. Chapter 55.5 cuts away before we see Vanitas actually take Noé's hand because he is doomed to fall someday and not reach that hand when it matters most, but also because the thing that matters in this scene is that he decides to reach up at all. Vanitas is going to die, so any hope and optimism in his story must make peace with the doom of him. His healing from his trauma and accepting love and help happens while he is hurtling rapidly toward his ending. That's the beauty and the tension of Vanoé's relationship (and the beauty and tension of VnC as a whole).

So to answer your question anon, yes. We cut away before Vanitas reaches Noé's hand because, as we're told in the beginning, he will not ultimately reach Noé's salvation. But at the same time, the whole point of the rooftop scene is that Vanitas does want to accept some kind of salvation, and he just might manage do it. It all depends on how he can be saved.

[kanerallels]

Okay here are my many, many thoughts on Jedi Survivor. I'll keep the spoilers beneath the cut, so all who venture forward have been warned!

The way the game started out was so fun!! The stealth heist! The crew members Cal was teaming up with! Being on CORUSCANT of all places!

I really, really love the gameplay over all. It felt like they took the last game and just improved these tiny little details that I remember from the first one. Tiny things that would seem stupid but also made the game play that much smoother!

KOBOH MY BELOVED IT'S SO MASSIVE SO BEAUTIFUL SO GORGEOUS I LOVE IT THERE VERY VERY MUCH

Also I don't know who decided we should get Fast Travel but I would die for them

I'll probably make a separate post about this, but Cal introduced BD-1 to almost everyone he met-- ALMOST. Not Dagan, and not a couple other people that it was clear he didn't trust. And I for one LOVE that detail

Jedha was so fun other than the fact that I almost died every fifteen seconds

CERE!!!!!!!!! AND MASTER CORDOVA!!!!! WORKING TOGETHER!!!!! WITH THE HIDDEN PATH!!!!!

The Merrical was *chef's kiss* absolutely amazing. They are so April and Andy from Parks and Rec I love them

As a fan of the High Republic books, I thought the Nihil references, along with Dagan Gera and Santari Khri, were pretty neat! He was a fun villain to fight

I really really loved... pretty much all the Greez content? How happy he was to see Cal, and the fact that he had a room set aside for him, and the fact that he ventured back out into the fight just to keep Cal safe. I was mostly neutral on him during JFO, but Battle Scars made me really, really love him, and this game definitely built on that! Also I love that he named his saloon after his grandma (I think?)

Rayvis was an interesting villain! I liked him a lot, especially the final battle with him. They did a good job developing his character

Speaking of villains... I do be feeling some emotions about Cal's fight with Masana Tide. I'm a redemption arc girlie at heart, what can I say? But I see why they did what they did

RICK THE DOOR TECHNICIAN MY BELOVED

THE PONCHO!!!!!!!! THERE WAS A PONCHO!!!!!! I GOT TO WEAR MY BOSS BATTLE OUTFIT TO THE FINAL FIGHT!!!!! IT WAS AMAZING

That one scene where the whole crew was at the campfire together and for like five minutes it felt like everything was going to be okay warmed my heart so much

Yeah I don't remember what happened after that (obvious lie)

I like the new open world features, and the bounties you get to hunt, and the customization and stuff! And those Force tear things are terrifying, but I've completed two of them, and plan to do more as time goes on!

Kriff. Okay I gotta talk about the Horrors at some point. Thanks to my lack of self control, I'd seen some spoilers and knew that Bode was gonna betray us. I didn't know about Cordova (sad) and I didn't know about Bode's secret (SO MUCH SHOCK THAT WAS AN AMAZING PLOT TWIST)

I will say, Cere's final battle against Vader was SO FREAKING COOL IT WAS AWESOME PLAYING AS HER

I also love the fact she set Vader on fire. It's ironic

AULSDKFJLSDKJFLSDKJFLSDKJF AND HER LAST WORDS REALLY JUST SHOT ME IN THE CHEST I'M FINE OKAY I'M FINE (more lies)

Uhhh the Tanalorr plot line was pretty cool! I like the idea of there being somewhere safe from the Empire, to prevent Cal from being killed for plot convinience

Bode's betrayal... yeah I'm not gonna talk about that. I'm not ready, and honestly I have an objectively awful take on the whole situation that no one will like

OKAY THE SCENE WHERE BD-1 REUNITED WITH CAL AFTER HE CHASED AFTER BODE AND JUST LAUNCHED HIMSELF INTO CAL'S ARMS I DON'T THINK ENOUGH OF YOU GUYS KNOW THAT I WOULD DIE FOR THIS DROID

The part where BD-1 was going to scan the trontoshell, and Cal called him BD and THEN BD-1 like he was his mom, full naming him into safety. I love it so much

OH ALSO BD AND KATA'S DYNAMIC IS SO HECKING CUTE

(can you tell I love BD-1?)

I also really, really loved Merrin's entrance. Ten out of ten, the only thing I would change is that Cal should have immediately proposed

Oh! And Merrin and Kata's relationship is so fun I really really like it

Ummm yeah I think I've addressed everything there is to talk about (the most obvious lie yet) so yeah! The brainrot is still strong with me so I might end up posting some screenshots and more thoughts later on!

[aceofnace]

Nace is truly my biggest ship loss. I was baited into watching this show for them and they have only 1 real kiss and might not even get together until the last minute. 0/10 would not recommend.

Hey, Anon, I feel your pain! I'm not counting it as a total loss just yet, because who knows what the remaining 4 episodes have in store for us, but I do understand the urge to consider them a loss. Why? Because think of all the things we could've had with them and most likely never will:

-Slow dances. Nancy's had them with two love interests, Park and Tristan. Ace had one with Laura. Slow dances are a staple for any good ship. They can be romantic. They can be angsty. They can be tension-filled. They can just be sweet and cute. And Nancy and Ace have danced together zero times in the four years we've known them (about only 7 or 8 months for them). Now, am I hoping there will be a flash-forward epilogue scene in the finale of Nace on their wedding day slow dancing with each other as newlyweds? Or maybe dancing together on their first trip to Paris during a sunset? Absolutely! Do I think we will get either one of those? Of course not!

-Dates. Could you imagine how AMAZING Nace dates would've been? Just the two of them out to dinner. Or having a nighttime picnic under the stars like Carson and Kate. Or hell, even just them sitting in the front seat of Florence while on a midnight stakeout trying to catch Chunky Velez. Nace dating era would have SERVED.

-Fun, flirty moments. Quick—name the last time Nancy and Ace flirted with each other. Or, rather, name any time Nancy and Ace flirted with each other. They never have. But had we gotten to see them in a relationship, they would've been flirting all the time. I could just picture Nancy sitting on Ace's lap while he's hacking. Or her lovingly teasing him over every little thing he does. Or the two of them acting so over-the-top in love with each other in front of George to annoy the hell out of her. I would've loved to see flirty Nace, because it would've involved lots of smiling and them being HAPPY.

-Kissing. Lots of kissing. I can see why Nancy referred to her kiss with Ace in 4x03 as the best kiss of her life. It was EPIC. When Nancy and Ace's lips meet in a kiss, they are both ALL IN, whether it be in a dream or real life. Those two certainly know how to kiss, but mainly just each other. After observing them kissing their other LIs throughout the seasons, you can see a major difference in how they kiss others vs how they kiss each other. And while I'm certain they will have one more kiss, maybe even two, before the end, it won't be enough. Because as much as I love epic kisses (and I think their last ones will be that), I also love the simpler ones. The forehead kiss. The "see you later" peck on the lips kiss. The kiss on the cheek. The kiss on the chest before getting out of bed to go get breakfast. I would've given anything for a whole season of Nace kisses as they tried out every single kind. How sweet would that have been?

I could keep going, but I won't because I'm making myself sad. We could've had it all, but instead we'll be left with next to nothing in the end. And it breaks my heart. Now, whoever "baited" you into the watching the show I'm sure had no idea things would end up this way, so definitely don't blame them! I've been with this ship since the day the show premiered in 2019. And personally? I don't regret loving them, no matter how their story ends. I do think you should wait 4 more episodes before giving it your final "recommend" rating, but sadly it probably won't make much of a difference. Nace will most likely be rushed at the very end. We'll collect our endgame but have very little to show for it. I'll still always love them, though, and they will continue on after the finale to live a long, happy life together in my head, and that's gonna have to be good enough for me.

[tomwambsgans]

⭐️ i would like to hear anything you have to say about miracle on 5th avenue!! it’s definitely one of my fav tomgreg fics and i have it saved to my phone :3

OMG i'm so glad that it's someone's fav bc i think it's one of my best works too :')

so firstly i'm really particularly proud of how comprehensive of a piece of Christmas Media i made it, with overlapping lore and classic pop culture references, and all the while keeping it in line with the nutcracker ballet. i really wanted to make it feel like there was a tangible magic to christmas (bc i think there is), and a very tangible history imbued, too.

on that vein, i forget if i've said but that ballet tg art that i drew for the fic is essentially what's going on in my mind's eye during the final scene of miracle on 5th avenue. i really wanted their conversation to feel like the pas de deux - like the music was swelling, and like they were literally dancing around a confession. if i was to make a movie out of the plot of the fic, that scene would absolutely be cutting back and forth between what's "really" happening and the two of them dancing on a ballet stage, kinda like in The Shape of Water.

also something i've never had anyone outright mention but which i really hope ppl notice is the connection between greg and the german nutcracker lore specifically:

"That looks antique," comes Shiv's appraising voice, to Tom's surprise. It's followed by a spiking urge to let go of the nutcracker that caught his eye. But he resists. "I'm surprised that Dad would let that be put out..." "That's because it's mine, Siobhan," Marcia calls from across the room. Tom does let it go carefully, then, and turns to see her patting Greg on the back. "It was made in Germany during the... second World War, I believe. But I've never used it to crack any nuts, so it's remained in fair condition. I see no reason to hide it—particularly, as I've been told that they originally served as a protector of a house. The soldier's little teeth, you see. He bears them and scares evil away."

because not only does greg protect tom but he's so integral to succession's plot that he lowkey does "protect the home." at least symbolically. he brings logan his slippers in 1x2 and wakes sleeping beauty up from his coma, so to speak. and greg is very pointedly not on the plane when logan dies. js.

also i don't think i've ever said this - the idea for a very depressed tom going to a midnight mass was lowkey inspired by the end of the movie The Boys in the Band (1970). nothing else from that movie influenced miracle on 5th avenue, it was really just that that specifically felt so tom that it got me out of a writer's block and lowkey spawned like half the plot of the fic. also i highly rec that movie, it's not about christmas at all but it's a very significant piece of gay cinema.

ANYWAY my last thing is that like a month after writing that fic i visited nyc (for unrelated reasons) and went to gapstow bridge as well as the ice rink in central park mainly so i could be where i'd written them. lol

[piastrinorris]

but it rains, and i rise — a stranger things summer camp au

Camp Hawk, est. 1953 in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, was designed to ignite the spark of creativity in young teenagers in the hopes of keeping them off of the streets. As years go by, one of the great consistencies throughout generations of Hoppers is their belief that if schools were to take the arts more seriously, kids would go on to live more enriched lives.

And what better example to lead by than the constant flow of counsellors that opt to graduate from their years of being a camper themselves? It's tough to get the campers that grew up with them to refer to them by their counsellor names, but the Eagle himself, Jim Hopper, sees for himself year upon year how well the kids take to respecting their peers once that extra boundary is in place. It's not just former campers, either - despite it being so small and discerning, Camp Hawk is one of the most sought-after for counsellor applications.

Argyle - Canary: A newbie fresh in from Lenora Hills, California. Rocking up in a beaten-up pizza delivery van, blasting reggae music, Hopper was about ready to turn him away before his tyres could track through the parking lot, but his partner, Joyce, insisted Argyle be given a fair shot. Hopper doesn't care much for Argyle's laid-back approach to life, but his offer to create the brand new role of cooking tutor impressed the camp operator enough to hire him. Argyle's always been the kind to throw caution to the wind and let it drive him, but now that he's graduated, he's got to prove himself. He thought getting his job at Surfer Boy Pizza would prove his responsibility, but no dice there. Perhaps this job will help him get taken seriously.

Nancy - Oriole: Hopper's never played favourites, of course not, that wouldn't be fair - but relief certainly swept through him when he saw the name Nancy Wheeler amongst counsellor applications. She was whipping her team into shape even as a young camper - though that started to waver once Steve Harrington came on the scene. Every year became the same - a whirlwind summer romance that lasted from the moment their feet would touch camp soil, only to break each others' hearts on the last day, just to pick up where they left off a year later. However, as Nancy matured over the years, Steve certainly didn't, driving her out of his arms and into the far quieter ones of fellow camper-turned-counsellor, Jonathan Byers.

Jonathan - Finch: It was Hopper's ability to find a talent in young Jonathan which brought him out of his shell, that ultimately brought his mother Joyce closer to the camp operator. It was no skin off Jonathan's back - it practically guaranteed him a spot on the counsellor team without having to interact too much with his fellow campers, at least. But he eventually learned the benefits to socialising when being an ear to listen to Nancy's troubles soon became a shoulder to cry on, which snowballed into a friendship that hinted at far more. Though the two live in completely different parts of the country, long distance seems to suit Jonathan just fine - in fact, better than being in each others' spaces for, say, weeks of their summer vacation.

Chrissy - Parakeet: Chrissy hated camp at first, but she'd never tell her parents. She'd made such a big deal about wanting to go, despite them telling her she wouldn't handle being away from them. That wasn't why she hated camp - that could be boiled down to two words. Steve. Harrington. Every year, without fail, he'd do the absolute most to try and make her life hell. She hated to admit to it, but this rivalry did build character for her. She wants to be as much of a role model to new campers as her counsellors always were to her, and at least she also managed to get her best friend from back home a job, too.

Eddie - Kingfisher: One half of the self-proclaimed Team Newbie, Eddie needed something to pad his resume with now that he'd finally graduated high school alongside his best friend two years his junior, Chrissy Cunningham. Another hesitant hire from Hopper, except beyond the anarchist persona the man could tell that there was a softer side to the boy, crying out for a little bit of order, a little bit of responsibility to prove himself. If Hopper plays his cards right, Eddie has all the makings of an ideal counsellor.

Vickie - Parula: Vickie had lived in close enough proximity of Camp Hawk all her life, and while she begged and begged her parents to sign her up, they insisted on summers being for family vacations. She celebrated her 18th birthday by sending her application for counsellor eight times over - one for every year she wished she could have attended. Of course, she'd done her research. She knew the culture of Camp Hawk inside out. She knew that almost everyone there would know someone, except her. But perhaps that's the unique take she can bring to the camp. If she can show one kid who's struggling to make friends, that even the adults need to start from scratch sometimes, she'd be satisfied.

Steve - Robin: Steve was by far Hopper's proudest achievement. Turning Robert Harrington's spoiled little brat into someone who enjoyed being in a place of structure so much that he was begging Hopper to come back as a counsellor. Just one problem - Steve Harrington doesn't have a creative bone in his body. That's a slight lie, there's one way his creativity shines, but the last thing Hopper needs is Steve teaching more kids how best to prank Chrissy Cunningham, even when his on-and-off girlfriend Nancy was desperately asking him to grow up and settle down for her. Still, Hopper couldn't resist creating another brand new role just for Steve. He just hopes that having a responsibility for something that he cares about will be the final flame under Steve's ass that he needs.

Robin - Cardinal: Robin has spent her whole life being the black sheep of everywhere she goes, and now that she's supposed to "go out into the world" and "find herself", she has no clue where to even begin. She's more than happy to sit back, play second fiddle to whoever needs her to, and let someone else dictate her life for her for as long as possible. Anything that allows her to procrastinate from having to face the realities of all the burdens of reality: not knowing what direction she wants to live her life in, though the pressures of college sure want her to; coming to terms with having finally come out to herself, and having to face the ultimate dread of figuring out who would ever possibly be safe to come out to.

these were made using this template from ana-makes as a base!

[rainbluealoekitten]

What Do Cars Symbolise in Arctic Monkeys' 2022 Album: The Car?

By me (hi)

The Car, Arctic Monkeys’ 2022 album, is all about nostalgia and feeling stuck in the past. The idea of a car is a staple symbol of this as the album cover, the name of the album, the title of one of the songs, and a recurring mention in other songs (There’d Better be a Mirrorball, Hello You, and The Car). This essay’s purpose is to discover exactly how the idea of a car represents the theme of the album by exploring its symbolism each time mentioned.

To begin with, let’s take a look at the album cover:

This is a picture taken from a vantage view of a lone car on a parking lot, overlooking other buildings and the road. There are so many possibilities for car pictures, so the choice to use this one must have been deliberate. First of all, it is all alone, symbolising perhaps a disconnect from other people and the busy world around us. Secondly, because of its placement, the fact that it looks over the world could further reinforce this idea, and also illustrate a feeling of being stuck, instead of in the loop, so to speak, as this car is not driving along with others. The angle the photo is taken from echoes these ideas, suggesting a theme of dissociation from the actual situation Alex Turner, who wrote this album, is going through. In addition to this, the picture resembles an urban desert. Deserts tend to be very bleak, isolated, and uncomfortable, as well as almost impossible to escape from, just as being stuck in nostalgia can be.

Secondly, in order to further understand this, it is vital to see how the car is referenced in songs, such as in the first track, There’d Better be a Mirrorball. The song’s chorus goes as such:

So if you want to walk me to the car, You oughta know I'll have a heavy heart. So can we please be absolutely sure That there's a mirrorball?

The first two lines reference the ending of a relationship, and Turner asks his ex-girlfriend to say the final goodbye before he drives away. Driving away symbolises choosing to move on from the past and getting away from it, but this idea is immediately contrasted in the next lines. A mirrorball is often viewed as the symbol of the 70s and 80s, which when referenced today, are often brought up with a theme of nostalgia and regret relating to supposedly ‘better times.’ Turner uses this to show that even if he drives away, he is not ready to completely let go and forget, asking to ensure the presence of a mirrorball, or really the presence of nostalgia and old memories to shift through later on.

In the 8th track, Hello You, this nostalgia for past relationships is brought up again with a scene in the car. The chorus shows the main idea of the song, stated as:

Hello you, still draggin' out a long goodbye? I ought to apologise for one of the last times.

The second verse continues,

As that meandering chapter reaches its end And leaves us in a thoughtful little daze This electric warrior's motorcade Shall burn no more rubber down that boulevard Read the message I left on the thank you card Overtaking the tractor Waitin' for sets of winds and bends to level out again Pickin' your moment along a country lane The kind where the harmonies feel right at home

Turner shifts perspectives, writing about a lover who is driving away this time. The pair cannot fully force themselves to say goodbye, yet the relationship continues to reach its inevitable closing. Again, the idea of driving away is seen, but remnants of the past remain, for example in the referenced thank you card. Cars in general tend to symbolise freedom and figuring out your identity, and here the ex-partner drives out into the countryside, where things are often viewed as slower and more peaceful, for example seen in the tractor that gets overtaken. Additionally, Turner states that the ex is “Waitin’ for sets of winds and bends to level out again,” showing how she drives away to escape the turbulence of her life and past relationship, seeking out peace and healing.

Finally, the other song in which cars are referenced is obviously the the sixth track, The Car. This kind of nostalgia differs from the other two, as this one is more about childhood memories. The song references a holiday and family members, but the short chorus is about a car.

But it ain't a holiday until You go to fetch somethin' from the car.

Going along with the previous explanations of what the car symbolises, it is possible to make the conclusion that Turner is essentially stating that it is not a holiday until you revisit memory lane. When having to fetch something from the boot of the car, as most people can probably guess, it means something important was forgotten before going to, for example, the beach or someone else’s house, depending on the kind of holiday. It shows that Turner is trying to enjoy his life and the present, but it is incomplete without this memory. Again, he finds it impossible to fully move on from the past.

To reiterate, The Car is an album about nostalgia, and one of the ways this is expressed is through the imagery of a car in the cover, the title, and lyrics. While cars usually represent freedom, in this album it is used to represent attempting to drive away from the past but continuing to linger regardless.

[arvandus]

Ramble about Gojo x F!Reader ficccc (it’s happening!)

Alrighty, I finally have some time to myself to really dig into this.  Sorry if it’s long, I just... I need this here.  For... reference.

Before I start, manga spoilers abound, DO NOT TREAD HERE if you don’t want to be spoiled.  Also, ironically, I am notoriously behind on the manga (honestly can’t remember where I left off...), so don’t expect accuracy.

ANYWAY.  Let’s get started.

Reader is Nanami’s wife, who’s kept secret from the Jujutsu society.  Reader doesn’t know about curses and sorcerers, and they don’t know about her. Nanami went through a lot of effort to keep it that way.  The only one who does know is Gojo, who reader has met here and there sporadically during her time with Nanami.

Angsty start: Reader is pregnant with their first child when Nanami dies during the Shibuya Incident.  What’s worse, is that because Gojo was the only one who knew of her, and he gets locked away, Reader has no idea what happened to her husband.  One day he just.... doesn’t come home from work. No matter how hard she tries, she can’t find him.  She calls hospitals, the police, his work... who oddly states that he hasn’t been an employee there for some time... she even called Gojo, a contact that Nanami emphasized was only for the most dire of emergencies. But he’s not answering his phone either (since, y’know, he’s sealed and all that...)

It completely throws her world upside down.  She hears nothing, can find absolutely nothing.  He’s just... gone.

Imagine her shock when Gojo shows up on her doorstep 20 days later.  He looks... different, from when she saw him last, even though it’d only been a few weeks ago.

Gojo is the one to tell her that Nanami is dead. He makes up a well-practiced lie, concocted with Nanami in case this exact situation ever happened.  He tells her that Nanami had actually worked for the government and had gotten killed on a secret mission.  It was enough to explain away all the strangeness she noticed before; the nights he’d come home late, sometimes with small injuries, the ‘business trips’ he had to take from time to time, etc.

She’s utterly heartbroken, devastated, angry.  In her woundedness, she blames Gojo for not protecting her husband and essentially kicks him out, telling him she never wants to see him again. He obliges, and tells her to call him if she ever needs him.  But of course... he’s never entirely gone, not really.  He keeps an eye on her in secret, ensuring she’s always safe.  Nanami had been very meticulous in ensuring she’d be provided for if anything were to happen to him, and Gojo had been a part of that agreement.

Gojo keeps his distance well enough to not be seen by her, but he keeps an eye on her, checking in on her periodically...

Still working out some plot stuff, but some things I know for sure: Nanami’s child is going to have jujutsu powers, and when they finally manifest, it’s going to pull reader and her child into the Jujutsu world.  And Gojo is going to HATE it because it’s going to put them in danger when he’d sworn to Nanami he’d protect them.  Also, the child will have something “special” about them that will make them a target (thus upping the stakes and tying into a greater plot besides Reader and Gojo).  Of course, during this time, Reader and Gojo are going to have to learn to put their history aside and work together, and through that, are going to grow closer and closer, where feelings are going to naturally develop (and yes there will of course be steamy scenes).

Things to decide on: Does reader not contact him at ALL until the child’s power manifests?  Or does she contact him before that, during some key life events (e.g., going into labor and giving birth to her and Nanami’s child, maybe a situation where the child is lost at a park or a mall, etc.)?  If she does call on him, does he keep coming back or does he vanish again, popping in and out of their lives only when he’s most needed?  If he lingers, they’d likely start to get closer to each other, and Reader might start to develop feelings.  Driven by guilt, she’d push him away again, and cut off communication with him.  So when he finally shows up to help her with her child’s manifested abilities, there will already be a wealth of history between them. OR just have it be 0 contact and let feelings develop once she’s inside the JJK world. Hmm, choices...

Y’all, there’s gonna be so much angst, drama, and sexual tension, LET ME TELL YOU.

[ekholocationn]

I BEAT PORTAL REVOLUTION, HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS

Here are ALL of my thoughts about the mod, good and bad! If you want the TLDR, it was a really great experience and I would definitely recommend it to fellow fans of the portal franchise!! Gonna give it a solid 8/10! It's just that there were a lot of things about the end that bugged me ^^;

SPOILER WARNING FOR THE MOD BELOW

So, let's start with the good. This mod was STUNNING visually. The graphics were incredible and very true to the game, and the added touches just brought a personal feel to it (such as a glow for the light bridges. I absolutely loved that!!!). All of those massive rooms with dynamic lighting, getting to see the surface, and getting to see the moon was cool (though the rest of the ending... i'll get to that). I had fun with all the environments and got wowed numerous times! So many moments where I would just stop and take in the scenery <3

The test chambers were also all incredibly fun to figure out, and not so difficult that I had to constantly be checking a walkthrough for how to solve something. I adored all of the new mechanics that were used, such as the vents, the waterfalls, and those laser cubes!!! Those were so much fun and brought such a cool twist to the lasers auuugh

I also ADORE the music. It feels very Aperture, and I liked how the mechanic of the different test objects playing music was implemented for this too!

And don't get me started on the characters. Sterling was a lot of fun when he was introduced (I'll touch on him more later though) but EMILIA. oh my gosh i LOVED her character so much. I loved how she touched on the AI backup thing aperture had going on, and her personality was generally just a blast to have around. Out of the two new characters in this mod, she takes the cake for favorite by far.

Last but not least on my list of positives, the callbacks. All the little references and easter eggs to Half Life and the official Portal games had me in a vice grip dude. Like that one overgrown version of a momentum chamber from Portal 1 that you got to go through top-down, I loved seeing that ;;; And Emilia's talk about how Caroline never consented to being put into GLaDOS, or how it's mentioned that GLaDOS' pieces got scattered all across the parking lot XD I always love when fan games call back like this!! Really shows the love for the source material!!!!

Now, for the things I didn't like. And tbh, a lot of these have to do with Chapter 8.... actually, all of them have to do with chapter 8 i think

What was that ending? You go through all of this trouble, all of this buildup.... just to end up in stasis again on the moon forever? That feels so fucking pointless? Like what was the point of doing all of this and going through all of this trouble other than shutting the spire down? Our original goal was to rebuild the facility, and then it gets changed halfway through...... idk, doesnt sit right with me. Im all for a story that ends the way it begins, but.... eeeeeeeh.

Also, what was the point of making Sterling a twist villain? It felt so unnecessary? 'Lol you're not doing what I want anymore, soooo I'm gonna kill you now.' Like there was no impact. There was no grand scene for it like there was with Wheatley. There was no feeling of 'oh shit, oh fuck, this is bad, what the hell is happening' that you SHOULD feel when a twist villain is announced. It just kind of.... happened.

Sterling's character just felt like a joke to me by the end. Finding out he used to be Emilia's vaccum cleaner robot? Like that's silly and all, but it felt so sudden. It felt like the devs wanted there to be some connection between these two characters, some witty banter at the end of it all, but it felt so.... forced.

Also, this might just be me having trouble, but that last momentum fling you have to do to reach the last button is so infuriating to accomplish. I could not for the life of me figure it out. I kept knocking my head on SOMETHING on the ceiling whenever I did place the portal on the wall correctly. Idk. That specific fling just upset me so much and left me with such a sour taste.

The ending of a game should stick with you, but this one just.... didn't. I feel like I could replay this entire mod but skip chapter 8, and still feel fulfilled. The ending felt rushed, it felt pointless. It felt like they were trying to build to something and then just. Fell short.

Overall, this mod still has a lot going for it. In terms of Portal mods I've played, I don't think I rank it above Mel, but it's still definitely something I'll be replaying in the future. Even with my thoughts about the end, I give it a solid 8/10 because everything else was super well done! I can tell that there was a lot of time and love put into this mod, and I seriously commend the devs for creating such a love letter to the Portal series. I truly hope that this mod lands a spot in the hall of fame alongside Mel someday, it does deserve it <3

If you're a Portal fan looking for a fresh challenge, I do highly recommend it!! It's a great experience and easily completable in a single day, the five to seven hour estimate on the steam page ended up proving pretty accurate.

Had a lot of fun with this mod and I could probably say more, but my fingers hurt so Im gonna end the post here lol. Thank you for coming to my ted talk, its 2am and im going to sleep