#and episode 3 of before the storm comes out in like a week

[halfagone]

Is it Canon or Fanon?

A little over a week ago, I received a very thought-provoking ask that wondered whether the Fenton parents could be considered good parents after everything they've done throughout the show. I did leave a response to that ask, and you can find the original answer here. But even afterwards, it had me thinking:

Why did we start depicting Jack and Maddie as Bad Parents to begin with?

I aim to answer this question through canon evidence to see where this argument might have come from. Now, something to keep in mind is that we still tend to ignore canon a lot of the time, so there may be some people who won't take this meta to mean all that much anyways. But for the purpose of fanfiction, we have to acknowledge that there needs to be an in-universe explanation to these events and sadly, the 'it's a Butch Hartman show' or 'it's an early 2000s cartoon' excuses don't really cut it.

So let's start with some basic stats. There are 49 episodes to the Danny Phantom cartoon (we will not be using the Graphic Novel, A Glitch in Time, for examples); 20 for the first season, 17 for the second, and 12 for the third. If you looked this up on Google, you might notice that these numbers don't line up with the episode list provided. This is because I counted any two-part episodes as one for convenience's sake. Season 2 has three two-parters: "Reign Storm", "The Ultimate Enemy", and "Reality Trip". Season 3 has "Phantom Planet".

Jack appears for 43 of those episodes, although he does not have any speaking lines in the episode, "Frightmare". Maddie, on the other hand, appears in 40 episodes. The three episodes that Maddie does not appear in, but Jack does, are as follows: "Memory Blank", "Flirting With Disaster", and "Double Cross My Heart".

Let's Start with Season 1:

"Mystery Meat": Jack is shown as dismissive to Danny and his friends' preferences, telling them, "True, I've never seen a ghost, but when I do, I'll be prepared. And so will you, whether you want to be or not." Later on, when Sam and Tucker are visibly shaking and Danny is panting from exhaustion, he doesn't realize something is off about this. When Jazz offers to drive Danny to school, the Fenton parents quickly assume that she's a ghost and go off to track them down... even despite her previous argument that she was mentally an adult (should I be concerned that Jazz called Danny an 'abused, unwanted wretch' to make a point to their parents?) A POINT TO MADDIE, she worried about hurting Jazz if she really wasn't a ghost but Jack quickly dismisses that, as their ghost-hunting device only hurts when gets into human hair (spoiler alert, it gets into Jazz's hair). She also insists that Danny is not a ghost, but unfortunately she ultimately doesn't try to stop Jack when he insist Jazz is a ghost. Standing aside and letting abuse play out does not mean Maddie is innocent of hurting her daughter too.

"Fanning the Flames": When Jazz and Danny are struggling to study for an upcoming test, Jack decides that they should put their kids into the 'Fenton Stockades' which is basically an iron maiden. And yes, the Fentons have an entire floor that is meant to torture people. I feel like that should probably be addressed at some point. A POINT TO MADDIE, she stood her ground and refused to let him put their children inside, and even locks him inside instead.

"Teacher of the Year": After hearing displeasing news about the state of Danny's grades in a parent-teacher conference, Maddie lectures Danny by saying, "Get this straight Danny. You're a Fenton. Fentons get As. Or in your father's case, B minuses." Before this, when Danny tried to explain himself, Jack shuts him up with, "Now that's enough of your sass talk mister." Do a lot of parents act like this? Yes. Does that make this a good, conductive way to help your child improve their grades? No, it does not. In fact, Maddie's response in particular probably reinforces the idea that Danny doesn't fit in with the rest of his family and further proves that Jazz is the favorite child. Not a great parenting moment.

"Fright Knight": In this episode, Jack tells Danny, "If I didn't consider it a sign of weakness, I'd weep with joy!" Not a very promising sign when a parent tells their child that it's wrong to show emotion. It's especially telling, however, when it's crying from joy and not even sadness. Yikes.

"13": This is the episode where Jazz 'dates' Johnny briefly, and we see Danny stalking them on their dates. I've seen people give Danny a decent amount of flack for that as well, so this would be a good time to say that the Fenton parents were there too and even encouraged him to keep stalking his sister. Danny was wrong to ignore Jazz's privacy like that, but he definitely learned it somewhere.

"Public Enemies": Here we see more of the Fenton parents' aggression towards ghosts. We get a line from Jack: "I'm gonna tear that ghost kid apart into a million different-" Notice something here? He recognizes that Phantom is a ghost 'kid' and yet still fully intends to shoot at him with the intent to hurt if not straight-up kill him. The only time Maddie disagrees with him is to insist that she does the dirty work because she has better aim than him. These are not the type of people you should let children stay with.

"Maternal Instincts": Okay, I gotta say it, this is a really cute episode. We get to see Maddie reminiscing over how close she and Danny used to be and wishing they had that bond again. Unfortunately she does get some points docked off for deciding what they should do as a bonding activity instesd of asking what Danny wanted to do and maybe learning more about his interests and who he is as a person now that he's a teenager. But there is this really sweet moment where Maddie tells Danny 'I love you' at the campsite which absolutely melted my heart and then later on when she saves Danny from the ghosts, Danny tells her she's awesome and gives her a hug. So sweet. But then she kinda ruins it by asking her son to act as a distraction and- Please do not ask your teenage children to keep skeevy old guys 'entertained' when you know he's a creep. A POINT TO JACK, while all this is going on he's defending his daughter and even shouts, "Back off, she's a minor!" That's some Dr. Doofenshmirtz energy right there, I respect it. He also talks about making Jazz an action figure, which was a really cute moment amidst the chaos.

"The Million Dollar Ghost": This episode is filled with some great Danny-Jack bonding moments and goes to show how much Danny cares about his father that he's willing to get caught to make Jack feel better about himself. We also get to see how much Jack cares about how Danny views him and he wants to be someone in Danny's eyes. Unfortunately, this is the episode where Danny gets lectured for not doing all his lab chores, such as cleaning the beakers and changing the ecto-filtrator- despite knowing that the portal could blow up if they don't change in time and knowing that Danny is bad at cleaning his own room. And we literally get a scene where Jack knocks something over and tells Danny to clean it up because he was too busy running around to do it himself. Is it important to give children chores? Yes, it teaches them responsibility. You should not be asking them to deal with hazardous, dangerous chemicals that can literally cause an explosion capable of killing people. Something to keep in mind.

Now let's look at Season 2:

"Doctor's Disorders": In this lovely (sarcasm) episode, we have Jack saying to Danny's face: "Poor Jazz. She's always been my favorite." I don't feel like this one needs much more explanation for how horrible this is. Also, this isn't really too relevant to the bad-parent-thing and more to the "they wouldn't take Danny's reveal well under other circumstances" thing, because Maddie literally says to Tucker: "Everybody knows humans can't have ghost powers." Which would technically, probably, dehumanize Danny in their eyes.

"Identity Crisis": There's one line in particular in this episode I wanted to point out, which is from Jack where he says, "Safety features? Why, safety features are for punks." ...I know this is probably supposed to be a joke, but when you think about it, it's even worse than you might think. In fanon we do tend to stress how forgetful the Fentons are when it comes to lab safety, but it's one thing to forget and it's a whole other thing to purposefully dismiss it. I could even argue that we're doing the Fentons a service by characterizing them as simply forgetful.

"The Fenton Menace": This is one of the episodes I referenced in the original ask as well, for its... plethora of concerning material. There are lines such as, "Whether it's air land or sea I won't stop until we capture a ghost and tear it apart. Molecule by molecule." A POINT TO MADDIE, she told her family she loved them by saying, "Nothing like spending quality family time with the people you love." However she immediately loses those points when she and Jack attempt to 'spin the crazy' out of Danny. The episode transcript reveals Danny's reaction to this, which is described by, "Danny screaming, his face and hair flying around. Zoom out to show him strapped to a table, which is attached to a metal arm. Zoom out to show the metal arm connected to a centrifuge-like device on the ceiling." As well as, "Danny is shaking, hair sticking up with bags under his eyes." Is this supposed to be a joke? I wouldn't know because quite frankly, I'm not laughing.

"The Fright Before Christmas": So in this episode we learn why Danny hates Christmas! Which is because he got peed on by a dog. As a baby. What kind of parent lets their baby get peed on by a dog? Again, child neglect is a criminally punishable offense, and if they had left him out, in the cold, with dog piss on him, we could have had a lot bigger problems here. They also ignore both their children for most of this episode due to their arguing, although they go back later on and tell Danny that he shouldn't be alone for Christmas and where was all this concern before?

"Secret Weapons": Ah... This is the episode where it happens. Here we get the infamous interaction. Please note how a ghost is referred to as an 'it'. Not a person, not even a kid. But an 'it' that can feel pain that will go ignored.

Jazz: "Does it hurt the ghost?" Maddie: [laughs] "Oh, Jazz! You know your father and I don't care about that. Jack: "Yeah! If we hear it scream, then we know it's working."

"Micro-Management": At the very end of this episode, Jack makes a comment to Danny, "I'm so proud. Our boy finally has the physical prowess of a 60 year old president. Here's to you son." Clearly it's meant to be a compliment, but I don't know about you guys, but I wouldn't take this as a compliment.

"Masters of All Time": This one takes a more distressing turn, because after Maddie catches Danny for snooping around, she has his strapped down to a table and fires a laser at him to interrogate him, thinking he's a ghost (though the laser doesn't hit him, just threatens him, which... isn't much better). And this is after he's already insisted that he's her son. He is still very clearly a child, and even if she doesn't believe that he's her son (for admittedly understandable reasons, people usually remember when they bear children), the fact that she strapped him to a table at all does not look favorably on her. Especially when he very clearly believed that she was his mother, and he was her son. And she still did this to him. Yes, there were time shenanigans involved, but that doesn't make this any easier on Danny just because he knows the truth.

"Reality Trip": This episode showcases that the Fenton parents can actually be decent parents. While they have a hard time believing the truth at first, they do eventually accept it. However, it is still important to remember that Danny could have never known what their reaction would be, so his fear is understandable and rooted in real concern for his life. Here are some of the best points from this transcript:

Jack: "Imagine, our own son has had ghost powers all this time and has kept them a secret from us. [confused] But we love him! [turning to Maddie] I wonder why he didn't trust us enough to tell us." Jazz: "[sarcastically] Hmm, let me guess. [mimicking Jack] "Hey, Maddie, let's destroy the ghost!" [mimicking Maddie] "No, Jack, let's dissect the ghost." [mimicking Jack again] "I know, let's catch the ghost and rip it apart molecule by molecule!" [normal voice, sarcastic again] You guys are so understanding." [Jack and Maddie drop their gazes, ashamed.]

Moving onto Season 3:

"Eye for an Eye": This is more a passing mention, but Jack seems to be a little obsessed with the GIW and huge fans of their work, and you do see it some more in "Livin' Large" later on in the season as well.

"Girls' Night Out": We see Jack trying to make an effort with Danny in this episode again. I did point out in the original ask reply that Jack was obviously trying to be a good father for Danny, which definitely deserves some points. However, it is still important to point out how generally uninterested Danny was in the bonding activity. It goes back to how Maddie ignored the chance to give Danny a choice, and how dismissive they tend to be towards him. I still want to award Jack a point for looking for advice from 'Father/Son Relationships For Stupids!' but I do so half-heartedly. Their interactions in this episode definitely reek with discomfort, but considering everything that has gone down in between now and "The Million Dollar Ghost", that does make sense.

"Torrent of Terror": This is another instance of extreme lack of safety precautions- the airbags don't deploy? In the GAV??? Somewhere out there, OSHA is crying.

"Forever Phantom": Maddie and Jack show a lot of anti-Phantom rhetoric in this episode. So this tracks how uncomfortable and/or threatened Danny might feel at home. Some examples include:

Jack: "He keeps this up he's liable to make people forget he's nothing but a putrid rancid ball of self-aware protoplasm."

Maddie: "Don't be fooled sweetie. He's up to something. Remember that time he attacked the mayor? Or stole everyone's Christmas presents? Once a filthy ghost always a filthy ghost."

"Livin' Large": Something to remember, the GIW intend to fire a missile into the Ghost Zone after gaining access to the Fentons' portal. While they didn't have the password right away, it cannot be understated that the Fentons basically gave away their house in exchange for wealth. Thankfully the missile was just a fake and not a real weapon of mass destruction, but do not mistake this to mean that- had it been real- the GIW wouldn't have gone through with it. And the Fenton parents would have been just as responsible.

And that concludes our canon research for this argument! Let's wrap things up with some stats. Of the 49 episodes in the show, we have evidence in 21 episodes. That is roughly 43% of the show, and this does not include comments that Danny has made about his parents and how they treat him. Obviously, at the end of the day, human error is possible. There is always a chance that I could have missed another piece of information, or perhaps another thoughtful addition to this list. However, 43% is no laughing matter.

Yes, the Fenton parents had their shining moments, but with all the other evidence presented that overshadows those little gems, can you confidently say that they are good parents? And most of all, if you were in Danny's shoes, would you say the same thing?

It's easy to excuse this as a cartoon. When you're writing in this world, playing with these characters, that excuse instantly evaporates.

Thank you for reading, I hope you all learned something about the Fenton parents like I did.

[no-fate-but-what-we-make]

Behind Closed Doors | Fezco

Description: you’re with Fezco in bed when Rue shows up and bangs on his door. Set in Euphoria season 1, episode 3

Pairing: Fezco x Female!Reader

A/N: The moment I first saw this scene, I knew I wanted to write something with it, but I never got around to it until now. Gif isn't mine - all credit to the creator. Enjoy xo

Warnings: drug mentions, addiction

- - -

The sound of a fist banging on the door to Fezco’s house shook you out of your nap. “Mm, what is it, Fez?” You asked, still sleepy, stretching and turning over to face him.

“I don’t know.” Fez sighed, pulling you into him for a quick kiss. “Maybe they’ll go away if we wait long enough.”

The incessant banging continued and after a few more seconds, your boyfriend let out an annoyed grunt and shifted to get out of bed. You watched, a lazy smile on your face as he grabbed his shirt from the floor and threw it on. “Be right back.”

You didn’t necessarily try to hear, but the walls in the house could be thin so it wasn’t hard to eavesdrop on conversations. 

“Who is it?” You heard Fezco ask as he walked into the living room. The door squeaked as he opened it, and you could only imagine who was on the other side. One of his clients, no doubt. “Not today, Rue. Sorry.”

Rue. Your chest constricted at hearing the younger girl’s name. You’d seen her around school before you’d graduated, and had met her a couple times since whenever she showed up asking for drugs. From the rumors, her drug habit was one of the worst out of all of Fezco’s clients, and that was seriously saying something.

“C’mon man, don’t be a dick.” The window was open, a fact you hadn’t realized until now, and you could hear the hurt in her strung-out voice.

“Nah, I’m serious. You can’t come in.”

You and Fezco had just been talking about how he wanted to set firmer boundaries with his clients and you knew this was going to be one of the hardest. He saw Rue like a little sister, and always took special care when it came to her - any other girl would be jealous of the relationship, but you saw it for what it was: guilt mixed with some fucked up version of platonic love. When the news broke that Rue had been carted off to rehab after a very nasty OD where she almost died, Fezco had been inconsolable for almost a week. Ashtray had done a majority of the deals that week and you still weren’t sure what he’d told the buyers.

“Look, man, all I- all I need is just a few OCs-”

“Sorry, I can’t help you.”

“Fez? Fez? I’ve had a really fucked up day, alright? It’s been a really really fucked up day, so I need you to open the door for me, okay? Can you open the door, please?” The desperation in her voice had tears pricking the back of your eyes. You knew that tone of voice well, memory taking you back to your dead, alcoholic mother when she’d beg you to go buy booze with the fake she’d had made for you specifically for that purpose. Addiction was a hell of a drug.

“I ain’t gon’ help you kill yourself, Rue.” His silence was deafening. “I’m sorry but you can’t be comin’ over here no more. Just go home.”

“Don’t! Fez, don’t close the-” you heard the click of the door. “Fuck! Fez-” Rue banged her fist against the storm door, “open the fucking door, please? I’m begging you, just open the door.” In a flash, you were off your feet and heading down to the front door. When you got there, all you could see was his back, his forehead resting on the now-closed door. You wasted no time, coming up behind him and wrapping your arms around his waist, pressing your cheek in-between his shoulder blades as you held him tight. He took a shuddering inhale, bracing himself for Rue’s next words.

“Fez! You’re full of shit, man. You know you make your living off of selling drugs to teenagers, and now all of a sudden you wanna have a fucking moral high ground?! You’re a fucking dropout drug dealer. You know that? You’re a fucking dropout drug dealer with seven functioning fucking brain cells. OPEN THE DOOR! Fuck you! Fuck you Fez okay? Are you doing this because you care about me ? If you gave a shit about me you wouldn’t have sold me the fucking drugs in the first place but you did! You fucking did so open the goddamn door! Open the door!”

During Rue’s rant, Fez had turned around, his eyes meeting yours in one of the most tortured expressions you’d ever seen on his face. You hugged him again, your arms winding around his neck as you let him bury his face in the crook of your neck. 

“I can’t do it-” He whispered against your skin, and you couldn’t fathom how Rue had heard him, but she responded like she had.

“Open the door, open the door, open the door!” The silence was heartbreaking, but you were currently torn between comforting Fez and fighting Rue for what she’d said to him even though you knew it was no use when an addict was like this. “Open the door. You did this to me! You fucking- you did this to me, Fez. You fucking ruined my life. The least you could do is open the goddamn door! I’m so serious I’m so fucking serious. If you don’t open this door right now I swear to god, I will hate you til the day I fucking die.”

“I’m sorry.”

She let out a heart-wrenching wail and smacked her fists against the storm door. “You fucking did this to me! Open the door! Open the door, Fez! C’mon man…”

Wordlessly, you took Fez’s hand and led him back to the bedroom, the sound of Rue banging on the door for far too long until she tired herself out and left.

The two of you had laid in silence and you waited without expectation until he began to speak. “I just…don’t know how to help her, ya know?” Fez murmured, staring up at the ceiling. 

“She’s an addict, Fez. And you’re a dealer. You can’t control what she does and you have to let her fail on her own. It sucks but there’s only so much you can do.”

“I know.” He sighed, turning his head to press a kiss to your temple. “Thank you for being here.” After a while, Fez finally fell asleep in your arms, his breathing finally evening out after an exhausting encounter. You tucked him into bed, curling up into his side as you tried to get some sleep of your own.

[ecargmura]

Unpopular Opinion: I Liked The Hashira Training Arc! (Season 4 Review)

Unpopular opinion: I liked this arc! While the Entertainment District arc will always be a personal favorite of mine, the Hashira Training arc was fun for a majorly low stakes arc where there is no demon slaying. I liked seeing Tanjiro going through shenanigans with the Hashira and fellow Demon Slayer Corps. It was a definite calm before the storm before all the stuff that transpired at the end of Episode 7 and the entirety of Episode 8. It definitely got me engaged and anticipating the movie trilogy.

In the manga, this was Demon Slayer’s shortest arc with it only being 8 chapters, I believe. Ufotable expanding the training and also giving anime original content was a real treat to fans because fans of the Hashiras can have more content before the the depression that is the Infinity Castle arc (Yes, I read the manga and yes, I know how depressing the next arc will be). Sanemi and Iguro actually get a lot of action scenes because their skills weren’t revealed until the Infinity Castle arc, so it’s a treat to finally see them finally get some action, even if it’s anime original content.

I think the best part about the arc is the added content. In the manga, Tanjiro goes through each Hashira training in a page or two. That’s it. He just sweeps through them like that. Ufotable takes time to help both Tanjiro and the viewers see what he is going through for each training session. Some take weeks to finish.

The first two episode is mainly a rundown of what’s to come for the other episodes and a sneak peak at the Infinity Castle, which finally appears in the season’s finale. It’s mainly the Hashira learning that the Demon Slayer mark that Muichiro and Mitsuri temporarily got back in the previous season is an effective way to take down demons, hence why they decided to hold a training session so Hashiras and the corps can get a boost in power before the big fight. Giyu was the only one who didn’t want to participate in it, so the second episode was just Tanjiro trying to cheer him up and learning why he is detached from the rest—it turned out to be due to self-loathing over the fact that his friend Sabito died while trying to protect him during the Final Selection Exam. Fortunately, Tanjiro was able to get Giyu to cheer up and he recovers well enough to participate in the Hashira Training, which is from Episodes 3 to 7. Also, no one is harking on Shinobu for not participating in the training session; though, she has a reason to not participate…

What I liked about the Hashira Training is learning what Uzui and Muichiro have been up to since their spotlighted arc. In fact, all of the Hashira Training is to get attached to the Hashira before the big showdown. While Uzui has retired, he has been helping out with the training by making the corps do basic training like stamina building and endurance. His three wives Suma, Makio and Hinatsuru tell Tanjiro that Uzui does want to participate in battles again, which worries them. It’s nice to see that the Hashira has their own fair share of worries even after retiring. I don’t think Uzui wants to fight demons out of bloodlust, but it’s more like he wants to help out. Muichiro, after getting his memories and emotions back, is still the same in demeanor, but the way he’s super sweet to Tanjiro but super cold and condescending to the other corps members was hilarious. He clearly has favoritism. I think the best part of these two episodes is seeing Tanjiro motivating the other nameless corps members to work hard! Tanjiro will always be a ray of sunshine to everyone!

Episode 5 is where the Hashira spotlight sort of stops because Mitsuri gets the short end of the stick. While she is still the same after the Swordsmith Village Arc, it would have been nice to learn what has changed for her since then. Though, I would admit that her flexibility training is the scariest of the bunch because getting your legs stretched out all the way when it’s not used to it is terrifying. You need your legs, after all! After that, Mitsuri’s training is done and then Iguro gets most of the spotlight, which makes sense because Iguro isn’t really showcased as much in the manga. Giving him that extra spotlight is necessary. I honestly liked the Iguro training segment because of how it was animated. The first episode showcased Iguro’s Breathing skills and he is able to utilize that in a regular wooden sword. Though, I do admit that Iguro tying up the nameless corps onto poles does make me wonder if they were tied there afterwards on purpose or if they always angered Iguro. After Iguro’s training is Sanemi’s training where it’s just hacking and slashing, but Tanjiro gets the most fatal blows due to his dislike for him. After helping Genya and trying to stop an angry Sanemi, Tanjiro gets a restraining order and is suspended from doing Sanemi’s training. The backstory between Genya and Sanemi was shown in Season 3 and why Genya wanted to apologize. I know that Sanemi does have his reasons for getting angry at Genya and why he was telling him to quit the corps, but he’s not doing a great job on expressing it. I always saw Sanemi as a bit of a foil of Tanjiro in a sense as they’re both the oldest but their treatment of their only living family member is totally different due to how they process the trauma.

Episode 6 is where the comedy starts because it was the most hilarious episode. Just seeing Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke reunited to do Himejima’s training session was so funny. Tanjiro had to be the mom friend by saving Zenitsu and Inosuke from drowning in two different occasions. Also, learning about Himejima’s backstory in the following episode hurt a lot because the kid who ratted them out to the demon in order to survive was the kid who bullied Zenitsu in his flashback back in Season 1.

Then in the last two episodes, Muzan finally shows up. After making small appearances here and there with new Upper Four Nakime in order to search for Nezuko, Muzan located Ubuyashiki and entered the base. It was amusing that the penultimate episode had him walk for like 5 minutes. Muzan confronts the Master and after talking with each other, the Master launches the craziest bombing I’ve seen in an anime so far. He legit did a suicide bombing with Amane and his two daughters Nichika and Hinaki—if you saw the opening, the Master has 5 kids, so no, his entire family isn’t wiped out. Where are the other three kids? Well, watch the movies to find out.

I think the finale was very memorable because of how everything played out once the bombing happened and how every Demon Slayer Corps got sent into the Infinity Castle in hopes that Muzan will wipe them out for good. It does reflect on what Ubuyashiki said before with how the Demon Slayer Corps are eternity in itself in a similar way to Muzan. In order for Muzan to be eternity, he needs to wipe out his main obstacle so that he can find Nezuko without anything blocking his path.

The animation has been consistent with the quality getting an upgrade whenever there’s an action scene. However, the finale amps up the quality tenfold. The way Himejima attacks and also blocks Muzan’s attacks to seeing Tamayo’s expressions move around from anger to regret were seriously a visual treat. The music was really good too! The finale really amped up the soundtrack. Go Shiina really knows how to produce quality songs—I’ve always been a fan of his pieces as I am a big fan of the Tales series.

All in all, making the Infinity Castle arc into a movie trilogy is actually the best solution because the arc is very long and it mainly consists of fighting the remaining Upper Moons. Trying to condense the arcs into a television series might be difficult due to choppy pacing and untimely cliffhangers. While I’m not necessarily a big anime movie fan, I still do think this is the best route Ufotable can take with a big franchise like Demon Slayer. What are your thoughts for this entire season and your thoughts on the movie trilogy announcement?

[honeyhwaaa]

ateez - calling them by their full name (hyung line)

ateez x gn!reader

warnings: little bit of angst if you squint, other than that just fluff fluff and more fluff.

word count: 1.3k

note: this is my first post/writing ever! i am definitely taking any constructive criticism so please don't be afraid to lmk! all the love <3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

hongjoong: coming home after a long day of work and taking a long, and hot shower was originally the plan. pulling up in the driveway, you noticed hongjoong's car hadn't been there, meaning he was probably still stuck at work in the studio. brushing that thought off, you walked into yours and hongjoong's shared home to find his things by the door, and a trail of clothes leading to the bedroom.

carefully following the said trail, you walk upstairs inspecting the scene before you. hongjoong was covered in paint, head to toe, trying to make his way to the bathroom to (hopefully) wash it off.

"kim hongjoong!" you say, startling the poor covered man. "yah! you scared me y/n, what's with the full name card?" he asks, stripping the last of the paint covered clothing before stepping into the shower. you let out a slight chuckle at his current state, before joining him in the shower.

when you two exit the bathroom, both clean and dressed in clothes that didn't have paint on them, hongjoong proceeds to explain what happened.

"we were shooting a new wanteez episode, and i thought that we were just going to be playing another game like always. we hadn't even gotten ten minutes into shooting when wooyoung and san dumped buckets of paint on me!" at his explanation, you die laughing, holding onto the bed for support before going up to him and giving him a hug.

"as funny as that is my love," you say pulling away from the hug to face him, "i hope you know you are absolutely going to clean your paint trail up," he smiles and kisses you before going downstairs to clean his mess.

seonghwa: although you and seonghwa had been together for years, it just hadn't ever been feasible to live together given his schedule. your apartment was almost an hour from the studio, but regardless seonghwa always made the time and effort to see you.

it was a friday night, and the weekend was going to be the first one you've spent entirely with seonghwa in weeks. it was almost midnight, and he was supposed to be home hours ago. with the heavy thunderstorm brewing outside, you had grown worried whether or not your precious boyfriend was safe.

"hwa? you were supposed to home hours ago, are you okay?" you text him. after a few minutes he responds, "hi my love, i'm so so sorry for being late. we've been in the studio trying to get this choreography right for hours. i'll be home soon, i promise," he responds. keeping up your hopes of him being home soon, you stay awake waiting for him to walk through the door.

two hours pass, and it's pushing 3 am before seonghwa walks through your front door, drenched and shaking. you, still being awake, walk up to him. "park seonghwa! you had me worried to death!" you say, slightly panicked but upset at him for not keeping his word.

"baby i am so so sorry, the storm got so bad they wouldn't let us leave. the power went out and my phone died. please forgive me, i didn't mean to worry you so much," he says taking a step toward you. he looked at you before keeping his head down, and you knew he felt bad. "before anything, please go get in the shower so you don't get sick," you say before going to your room to bring him some dry clothes.

after he showers, you two sit on your couch. throwing on a movie, you brew him some tea and bring it to him. "please forgive me love, i really tried to get home to you," he says while scooting toward you on the couch.

"all is forgiven hwa, now finish your tea so we can go to bed," you say, cuddling into his chest.

yunho: sunday's were always cleaning days for you and yunho. you two always made sure to dedicate this day to keeping your shared house clean, and never skipped a cleaning sunday.

thankfully, yunho always found a way to make cleaning fun. with his golden retriever energy, he wasn't able to sit still or do some mundane task without adding a little bit of fun into the mix.

while you tasked yourself to cleaning the kitchen, yunho was busy in the living room. while putting away the dishes, you heard a small crash and an "ow!" accompanying it.

rushing to the living room, you find yunho on the ground behind the couch, rubbing his shoulder. "what happened in here?" you ask, before kneeling down to assist him.

"i was trying to dust the fan, but i lost my balance and fell," he says, looking sheepish. "jesus love, i thought you were really hurt," you say before helping him up and walking back to the kitchen.

yunho followed you, an idea popping into his head. he grabbed the duster, and stood next to you in the kitchen with it behind his back. "i believe you have a living room to clean mister, you're not getting out of your chores so easily," you say, glancing at him with a small laugh.

he then pulls the duster out, and begins to tickle you with it. laughing, you try to escape his grasp before he darts from the kitchen to another part of the house. "jeong yunho! you're not getting away with this!" you yell, before grabbing another duster of your own and chasing after him.

yeosang: yeosang was the loveliest person you've ever met. from his charms to his attentive personality, you loved absolutely everything about him. he only had one small flaw though, and that was never talking to you about his troubles.

you had come home from work early one day, after getting a call from jongho that yeosang hadn't been feeling well - physically and mentally. he didn't mention much aside from him thinking that yeosang hadn't been taking care of himself properly.

walking through the front door, you find yeosang laying on the couch, a cloth to his head and him in a bundle of blankets, obviously cold. he looked half awake, half asleep, and all you wanted was to take care of him.

walking up to his sleepy form, you touch his forehead - it's hot to the touch. "yeo? you awake honey?" you say, moving into his sight. he sits up, rather quickly, before looking at you. "oh, hey y/n. aren't you supposed to be at work? how come you're home so early?" he questions, looking genuinely confused.

"i got a call from jongho just a bit ago," you explain, "he told me you weren't taking care of yourself yeo. what's going on?" yeosang looks slightly uncomfortable, but doesn't voice it.

"i'm fine y/n, jongho's just being a bit dramatic is all," he says while moving to get up, and presumably head to the bedroom. "kang yeosang, get back over here," you say with your hand on your hip, looking at him expectingly.

he trudges back over the side of the couch, before casting his head down, not looking at you. you walk up to him, giving him a hug, but being careful not to squeeze too hard.

"love, it's my job to take care of you just as you take care of me. you know you can tell me anything, anything at all. i don't want you to hide things like this from me yeo," you say, your hands on either side of his face to get him to look at you.

"i know, i know. i'm sorry, i just don't want you to worry about me is all," he says with watery eyes. "it's okay, just come to me next time alright? i'll always take care of you honey," you say before leading the both of you to bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

thank you for reading! i'd like to start taking requests, so if you have any, please feel free to let me know!

[axtivaqe]

Life is strange Double Exposure is NOT canon

So its been getting around that Chloe isn't gonna be in Lis DE and I have never been more devastated in my life. Deck nine said they were going to respect the 2 decisions that players could've made, yet they practically said "fuck you" and took Chloe out of the picture. I just don't understand why though, like 50% of the fanbase picked sacrifice Arcadia bay and it was mainly because we are huge pricefield shippers (idk about y'all but I am). And their not stupid, they know about the pricefield ship and how much people wanted to see Chloe and Max in another game. They literally said they were going to follow through with the original games and the 2 decisions at the end, but then they completely scrap the idea of Chloe and Max being together, and they didn't even want to tell us. People had been asking about Chloes role in DE since the game first got announced, so why would they leave our questions unanswered for so long? It makes no sense on their behalf and its js overall bad marketing, They made it out that Chloe left Max because she didn't want to do long distance, but thats not Chloe at all. Chloe is the girl who dedicated her WHOLE journal to letters for/to Max in before the storm, Chloe is the girl who wrote "and she probably has all new friends up in fucking Seattle, i still miss her. if she came back tomorrow and said "hey Chloe, want to dress up like pirates and be stupid together?" i would take her back in a heartbeat." after she hadn't seen or spoken to her for 3 years, Chloe is the girl who told max that they would last forever and that she would never leave her. They completely mischaracterised her and made the whole sacrifice Arcadia bay option pointless, they spent 10 years together and Chloe throws it away because she cant do temporary long distance? Thats not like her at all. I see people saying "its realistic though, a relationship built from trauma isn't healthy" and it really annoys me, like yes their right, but thats in the real world, its a game about a girl who can jump between realities which isn't realistic at all. And don't even get me started on the rumour about Chloe flirting with VICTORIA.

But the game still isn't out yet, I mean we only have the first 2 episodes and I'm not sure if all of this is confirmed (if it is how do we know when we only have the 2 episodes?) or if people are just taking the 2 episodes and their story line, and then putting the pieces together. I was having a convo with someone in the comments under a yt video by Cucu on Games about how Chloe will be in DE (the video was made 3 weeks ago before all this info came out) and we both thought that maybe Chloe will come back into max's life in one of the last episodes, maybe she misses Max and hears about what happened with her friend Safi and comes to see her and reconnect with her, because surely Deck nine, a huge game company who know what their fanbase wants, wouldn't use false advertising by making us think Chloe is gonna be in the game only to scrap that idea after saying they wanted to respect and follow the two choices players could have made.

Its a really controversial opinion and I've seen a few people say it makes sense and its part of Max's character development, but Id say most of the fanbase isn't happy about this whole thing. I mean of course I'm happy to be able to see Max in another game, and we're lucky to even be getting another lis game. But to make us think we're going to see Chloe and then let us find out that we aren't is just bad marketing. If they never intended to have Chloe in the game then why wouldn't they answer everyones question, 'Is Chloe going to make a physical appearance?' (they would've 100% seen people asking because their social media pages are flooded with the one question about Chloe) Lmk what you think tho, and if you made it all the way through this then thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this long ass rant 😭

[theorphicangel]

𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫. | 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 |

tags: no warnings, fluff, crack, established relationship, gn reader

You had known for a little while that this had been going on. He didn’t even try to hide it.

Leaving his bed in the middle of the night, waking up early, always on his phone and when you asked him what he was doing it would always be the same excuse.

You didn’t know how to feel.

Anger was definitely one of your top emotions yet also betrayal. How he could easily go behind your back and come back to you like nothing ever happened.

You wanted to confront him about it from the first time you caught on but you knew he would immediately act all defensive about it.

You didn’t know what you did wrong, sure you had a lot more shifts going on these days but you tried to get along. However no matter how far you tried to catch up to him, he would hide away and continue to leave you behind.

Tired.

That was it.

You were tired. Of the lies, the betrayal and the hidden secrets.

But tonight you had the courage to finally confront him, figuring it would be better to tell him what you knew before he could break your heart.

The door creaked open slowly before you walked in, arriving from work earlier than usual. He shuffled to a comfortable position on the couch of your shared apartment, switching off the television immediately to then grab his phone.

You shut the door behind you.

“You’re home early.” he stated, trying to seem more interested in his phone than you.You hummed at him, “How was your day?” he asked.

“Good.” you replied bluntly. You eyed him up and down before walking over to sit at the other end of the couch. He could tell. He could tell by your body language that you were upset. The slight thought of you knowing crossed his mind and he nervously swallowed.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, praying that he wouldn’t know the answer. You looked at him with a sharp glare. His innocent eyes how they easily deceived you. But you weren’t stupid to fall for this trick.

“I know.” You said continuing to glare. “I know what you’ve been doing.”

He stopped his movements as his breath was caught in his throat. He knew he was caught, red-handed.

“Look-” he began to explain before you cut him off.

“No. I don’t want to hear your excuses. This has gone on for weeks and you thought I was stupid enough to act like nothing was happening.”

“I never thought you were stupid.” he corrected.

“So...why didn’t you just tell me. From the first time.”

He looked away as he hesitated, “I don’t- I don’t know. I guess...I was ashamed…”

You sighed, rubbing your forehead, “What episode are you on?” Once again he hesitated, you looked over at him. “Levi,” you warned, “What episode?”

He looked away in embarrassment, “I’m on season 3.”

Your jaw practically dropped, your whole body speechless. He called out your name as you stood ready to storm off. “Wait! Look, look I’ll stop watching until you catch up I swear.”

“No!” you cried out, “You told me just one episode and then behind my back you start binge- watching without me, hell you said the fucking show was shitty from the first episode!”

“I know, I know. But it was just one time and I got-”

“No. Don’t talk to me right now Levi Ackerman. I haven’t got time for cheaters.” You crossed your arms and turned away from him.

It was his turn for him to be speechless. “Oh so now I’m a cheater?”

“Yes, you are.”

A moment of silence passed. “Okay fine.” he said. “I guess I’ll watch season 3 without you then.” he sighed.

You gasped at his statement, “You wouldn’t dare.”

His grey eyes poured into yours. “Yes. I Would.”

You glared at him as he gave you the same identical look back, you broke away first once a smile started to appear across your face.

“I’ll make a deal with you.” He said. “I promise to wait for you to catch up only if you actually watch the episodes.”

“The fuck do you take me for ? Of course I’ll watch them.” you snapped.

“Funny you say then yet you were on your phone half the time, but go on... tell me...what happened last episode?”

Now it was your turn to hesitate and look away, “I can’t remember...a lot happened.” you mumbled in shame.

“Go hurry up and shower then. I’ll be waiting.”

You eyed him up and down in suspicion. “And I won’t start an episode without you.” he swore, rolling his eyes.

“Okay…” you agreed.

“Good.”

“Good.” you repeated. “But still I think once a cheater always a cheater.” you pouted walking away.

“Tell me that again once you’ve finally caught up to season 3.”

taglist: @notgoodforlife @youre-ackermine @lovolee3 @the-milk-anon @evas-leslas , @imkumichan @levi-supreme , @leviismybby @bejewelledd @searriously @luvjiro @secretmoneybearvoid @idkks4m

click here to join the taglist!

[self-spaghettification]

Looks like we’re getting a lot of crazy things in 6x05

which,

1. Considering the potential title “Moonless Night”, 6x05 will possibly be including Rayla being hurt or moon being otherwise metaphorically swallowed, (paralleling s3 swallowing/corruption of the sun’s power),

2. Considering episode 5 follows an episode titled “The Starscraper,” in 6x05 Aaravos is potentially freed at the end of 4 or during 5 and potentially possesses Callum which will lead to all sorts of trouble

3. Considering the connection of a scene between soren and viren with “until 6x05” and all the hints that the most impactful scenes between soren and viren were yet to come…. it seems likely that in 6x05 Soren and Viren will have a very emotionally charged moment together, also possibly with Claudia. Maybe with a confrontation of some kind, also involving the moon?

Let’s delve into this more though—As this potential title has ignited a spark to finally set ablaze and reveal the idea that has been percolating in my mind for months.

Moonless Night (and Why I Believe the Moon is Metaphorically Going to Be Swallowed) A S6 Speculative Meta

with arc1-arc2 parallels, norse mythology examination, reflections analysis and more

As far as I can see, the clue most directly points to Moonless Night. (Edit: which ended up being right!) And there are other reasons I’m on board.

I already went insane over this so let’s get started

A. S3-S6 Parallels

So, I’m a big fan of across arc season parallels as they’ve existed very overtly S1-S4 from the first moment, as well as some other things which in many ways are setup and reestablishment of dynamics (Rayla hesitating and breaking from her duty twice to help/see Callum instead, Harrow and Ezran respectively attempt to break free from the past but they have to acknowledge it, etc) as well as persistently in S2-S5:

and, it seems, *possibly* S3 to S6–

1. If we get another plot against Ezran that’s not a joke (as it is in s4 and many throwaway lines and jokes in tdp come back to bite us)—+“This coming season will test Ezran's pacifist instincts”

2. If Viren returns, something like this—

in contrast to the “I’m sorry it had to happen this way”/“No you’re not.”/“No, I’m not.” because Viren cannot doubt Ezran would be genuinely sorry

Viren would say I know because he gets it now, the new hesitant, less certain version who also feels bad for all he has done, but he wouldn’t have before.

SO… 3. If the Moon were to get metaphorically/literally swallowed on some level in S6, it would parallel 3x07, Hearts of Cinder.

Corruption via Aaravos’s…child.

which, coincidently, brings me to my next point!

B. Norse Mythology

I’ve briefly discussed this before here, but let’s review:

Aaravos’s similarities to Loki

Source: Twitter

But while we’re on Loki’s similarities to Aaravos, let’s consider what his other children are up to during Ragnarok, the end of the world in Norse Mythology, which seems fitting considering all the foreshadowing of what chaos Aaravos has wreaked in the past (Xadia) and present (Lux Aurea) and even future (ominous wording in the reflections) when given the chance.

Loki’s children during Ragnarok:

World Serpent — rises up from the depths, encircles the world and causes great waves and destruction (“The seas churned” 👀)

Hel — From the underworld, “leading an army of the dead, she marches against the gods, uniting with her brothers and other forces of chaos. This culminating battle signifies the cyclical nature of Norse myths; an end that's also a beginning.” [1] Speaking of which, sounds familiar, right? In Ripples:

“While one may say it ends with a sunrise, [beginning] another will insist it ends at nightfall. [end]”

“With its impact came a long and terrible night: The earth bled! The seas churned! The sun and moon hid for weeks behind the sky’s screaming storm!”

“And when the long, dark night had finally passed—for the sun must always rise, mustn’t it?—they gazed out upon an unfamiliar landscape.”

Fenrir— He was gagged with a sword and was destined to lie bound to a rock until the Ragnarök (Doomsday), when he will break his bonds and fall upon the gods. According to one version of the myth, Fenrir will devour the sun, and in the Ragnarök he will fight against the chief god Odin and swallow him. [2]

It’s interesting how Fenrir has even more parallels than Loki to Aaravos here. Trapped by a blade, chained against rocks like Prometheus (one of Aaravos’s primary inspirations) was when his liver (modern heart) was eaten every day, and when he’s freed all hell breaks loose, including swallowing people (see Zym and Aditi) and the sun. But was it him with the sun? Or…..

There’s something there about killing a god and being killed in return and making the stars fall and all the damage Claudia has suffered thus far, but anyway.

That’s right, Fenrir has two children, one who swallows the sun, and one who swallows the moon. During Ragnarok, while, also, the sea shakes. Ahem, back to this:

“With its impact came a long and terrible night: The earth bled! The seas churned! The sun and moon hid for weeks behind the sky’s screaming storm!”

So… earth blood?

Check… churning seas?

World Serpent — rises up from the depths, encircles the world and causes great waves and destruction

Check… sun and moon gone?

Check.

So, what do we do with this information?

C. Interpretation

So Aaravos with two children, one who swallows the sun, one the moon.

Swallowing the Moon

-Involving a Child

1. Most literally: Aaravos has that… homonculus child, which takes and poisons the power of the sun. Maybe we’re getting another of those? I’m honestly scared for what that actually means like is he having another kid for that because 😭

2. What I favor- a metaphor— If you can consider Claudia Aaravos’s child, well, child in law isn’t that far off for the sake of this theory I think it’s possible they team up and somehow metaphorically swallow the moon like Viren and Aaravos did in S3. ….Just taking the moon, corrupting it and using its power— like they did with the Sunfire power— to make troops invisible in their effort to conquer xadia part two (2!) (although this is probably like the nth time that Aaravos has attempted his plan.)

-not involving a child

3. it could also just be disrupting the moon nexus in some way. Aaravos tends to break reflections in one way or another, from mirrors to ripples.

in Ripples he talks about how he dislikes how the stars look down on their perfect reflection (the sea of cast out)

@parroset has written an excellent meta elaborating further on it here, but essentially, he breaks reflections. A reflection is key to the moon nexus, that lake is the moon nexus because it so perfectly reflects the moon. So… there’s something to that. And it would have to come in handy manipulating the veil between life and death.

4. Taking Luna Tenebris’s power in a flashback.

I’ve talked about why I think we’re finally getting Luna Tenebris content before here, but essentially we already got all the dragons in the 4 corners of the map via flashback or interaction, and now only she is left. A flashback on what really went down that day would be perfectly in line with us learning more about Aaravos’s past, perhaps interaction with Kim'dael as well as, hopefully, blood magic—and dark, star, and deep magic. It also fits in with swallowing the moon’s power, as she was a Moon Archdragon. Moonless night. This also ties back to the blood moon cult because they harvest the power of the moon to begin with.

Last but not least and most obvious and exciting to many,

5. Rayla= “Moon girlfriend.” Callum is already being targeted, and likely some terrible thing is going to happen to him up with the rating being up, creators crying over this episode and calling it “heartbreaking” and all of that, so swallowing the moon could be symbolism for her dying or something equally terrible (so he’s forced to exploit dark magic/Aaravos to save her.)

This also ties back to this being the episode following the star scraper and the theory that Callum is a Trojan horse and, once he’s there, all the shit is going down. Maybe Rayla gets in the way and tries to sacrifice herself. I wouldn’t be surprised. or maybe it’s an intentional harm so that Callum has to bring her back… who knows?

It is for you to think about as you see fit.

@beautifulterriblequeen also wrote about other possibilities for the Moonless night here!

D. Symbolism & Misc.

Now let’s talk about the other symbolic evidence pointing to the swallowing of the moon.

The first thing that got me hooked on this theory was actually this page, which we see Viren flipping through, and then in Callum’s sketchbook.

I already analyzed the markings surrounding Aaravos’s signature symbol, but I also found the eclipse and crescent moon especially interesting considering how important the eclipse motif has been in the series and uniquely tied to Aaravos.

Thus far I figured the moon also had to be significant right it also almost seemed to me as if both the sun and moon had a bite taken out of them.

Then, we have the Reflections.

After Darkness

“The writhing, tainted darkness of Lux Aurea’s night sky spread infinitely above him, the stars all swallowed up inside it.”

Ripples

“While one may say it ends with a sunrise, another will insist it ends at nightfall. ” (swallowed sun) (falling stars)

“With its impact came a long and terrible night/And in that endless dark the humans despaired. The humans huddled together, scarcely daring to breathe, awaiting the rise of the sun.”

which, side note- sol regem saying the sun will never rise again for me, karim saying the sun is setting on their kingdom, and aaravos telling viren that the sun will rise and he will not like augh.

Then there’s the more literal interpretations of swallowing the moon and or sun along with the stars - Consider

1, Aaravos is giant

2, Star eating sword

3, Star devourer dragons

And, let’s go back to the crescent.

Waxing Crescents are associated with growing power, which would also be fitting for Aaravos gaining power, possibly a literal powerup.

Let’s also consider what new moons mean- considering the possible name, moonless night, and all the swallowing of the moon, and starting a new cycle, new moons are certainly significant, right? Moonless night- A fresh start. Could be something!

In summary, I believe the moon will be metaphorically swallowed in S6 in one way or another.

I hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading my thoughts! Please feel free to share any insights or reactions of your own!

[chucksfavouriteprophet]

Not Waving But Drowning

Dean Winchester x Female Reader

Request: can I request a Dean x reader, where they get in a fight. Also where brothers and reader go on a hunt that involves drowning victims. They all separate and the reader is pushed/pulled into the water. Sam and Dean look for her but can't find her until a kid says something then they have the hardest time trying to revive her? Kinda like, but not exactly like "Drowning on Dry Land" Grey's Anatomy: Season 3, Episode 16. Angst please, if you're willing!

A/N: This episode is engrained into my brain along with most of Grey's Anatomy because it fulfils all my angsty desires SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS REQUEST!!! Also, the title is in reference to the poem and album of the same name, but the content is not.

Warnings: drowning, near-death experience, cpr, hospitals, suicidal thoughts, angst, lots of pent up feelings

Word count: 4,040

You hadn't spoken to Dean in the five hours you'd been driving, and you didn't intend to any time soon. It had been building up all week really; at first it was little things, like forgetting to ask for the tomato off your burger when he order take out, and when he actually took responsibility for the laundry for once but dyed all your whites pink. You'd been picking at each other for a while now, with Sam hovering uncomfortably as his brother and best friend bickered. But things had really come to a head that morning, when you'd had a sleepless night having been stuck on the rock hard motel sofa while the boys took the bed. As you pulled your things together, you did your usual count up of your weapons and froze. More frantically, you rummaged deeper, tossing things out of the little bag that you always carried alongside your gun.

"You alright, Y/N?" Sam quizzed as he sensed your panic.

"My bullet. It's gone. Did one of you take it? Dean?" You spun round with anger in your eyes as you stared down the elder Winchester as he emerged confused from the bathroom.

"Take what? Hell, what have I done now!"

You stormed towards him, refusing to take his attitude. "My bullet, you moron. Where is it?"

"Wow, chill out will you. Yeah, I borrowed a bullet on that last hunt cause I was running low. Why's that such a problem, you've got a shit ton of them in that weird little bag you carry round-"

Before he could even finish his sentence his head whipped round as your palm collided with his cheek.

"What the fuck Y/N?" Sam tried to intervene, but you shot him a look that told him to do otherwise.

"Yeah, I carry a bag of loads of random bullets so I don't run out. Because I'm not careless like you. But you didn't even think to look at what you were taking, did you?"

Dean squinted at you with a pout as he rubbed his red cheek.

"That wasn't just any bullet you stole, Dean. That was the one bullet I've never used, the one bullet I'll never use because its the one thing I still have from my dad. It's not for just using cause you forgot to top up your own stack!" You thrust your hand out, nodding towards it when he didn't get the hint.

"Oh you-you want it back?" Dean snorted before standing up straighter. "No can do I'm afraid. Used it on that demon to distract him before I used the knife. I gotta say, he did not see that coming," he spoke proudly, grinning at his brother who shook his head wide eyed in response.

You gulped back tears. "You...you used it? As a distraction? Are you fucking with me?"

Dean shrugged. "Oh c'mon Y/N, you've got loads of little things from your dad, it can't have been that special."

"Look, I'm sure Dean's sorry-" Sam tried to interject but you spun round on your heel and stormed towards the door.

"Don't you even start to defend him, Sam" you hissed. You had to get out of there before you lost your shit completely.

But of course, the motel was in the middle of nowhere and the only place you could go was the dusty parking lot where the Impala stood. Which explained why, five hours later, you were curled up in the back of her, gazing out the window, refusing to even acknowledge the boys.

Truth be told, you were looking forward to the hunt. It was a vamps nest, you'd concluded, which had taken a family hostage in an attempt to turn them. You'd been following the group across state lines as they added to their brood, and you had finally caught up with them just west of Yellowstone. Destroying them would be the distraction you needed from Dean and your feelings. Feelings which were driving you insane because no matter how hard you wanted to hate him for how he had been acting these past few days, you just couldn't. And that was part of the problem.

Locating the nest was easy; there were old caves situated between a group of lakes which often acted as a diving spot for kids during the summer. Now, in the cold depth of February, they offered a dark, quiet place ideal for a group of vampires.

As expected, things went smoothly. Until they didn't.

One of the younger vamps was on guard - you recognised him from the last scene when you'd just missed them. He was recently turned and it was the first time he'd been trusted to turn the next bunch but had made too much of a mess of it. No wonder the older vamps had regelated him to lookout this time round. You took his head clean off before Sam and Dean had even seen him, and you ignored Dean's huff as you stormed ahead into the cave. You knew he didn't like you going ahead, but right now you were not in the mood to stick to his petty rules.

The other four vamps were in the middle of the turning process, having just finished the draining process of their victims. A couple in their forties were slumped against the wall, while two kids were shivering with fear from where they were tied up still in their pyjamas. The younger boy was looking round frantically and caught your eye as you peered round the corner. Raising a finger to your lips, he nodded and visibly relaxed slightly.

With the brothers hot on your heels, you ran towards the group at full speed, each taking a vamp and finishing them off quickly. But with three of you taking the first three, that left one to react. You didn't recognise this fifth vamp and you guessed they must have been the newest turned from just a few weeks earlier. She was sharp though, and in her bloodthirsty desperation grabbed the boy and sped from the cave.

"Shit" you snarled as you kicked the head beneath your feet away. Dean went to run after her, but you got there first.

"I've got it. You deal with these three." Your tone told him not to bother arguing back.

As you sprinted out the cave, you blinked in the moonlight and walked tentatively, desperate for a sound. But it was silent. Not even a cricket buzzed and you gulped at the eeriness. You were a split second behind them so they couldn't have gone far.

You tiptoed cautiously towards the lake just meters from the cave entrance, hoping that the reflection of the moon would illuminate the immediate area some more.

"Hey," you whispered, not quite sure what you were trying to achieve. If the boy could hear you, the vamp most certainly could too. But you had to try something.

"Hey kid, where are you?" As soon as the words left your mouth, the crack of branches sent you whirling round, machete at the ready. Still you were met with silence, and the only thing that seemed to move was your frosty breath floating up into the air.

Except this vamp hadn't quite got the hang of one of the key parts of being a vampire: stealth. She giggled at your blindness, which gave you just enough of a hint to dive forward towards a bundle of ferns and grapple with your free hand to grasp onto a piece of material. With a tug, you hauled the boy up and out of the creature's arms, thrusting him behind you as the vampire jumped. Everything else was a blur; her hands tightened around your shoulders as you flung your arm towards her neck, slicing it off on the diagonal. As you did so, your whole body moved in that direction, and with the force of the vampire's jump landing over you, you lost your footing and tumbled downwards. Unsure if you'd even managed to successfully kill the thing, you tried to rip the body off you rather than grab onto something more solid, which only hauled you down further. In the darkness, there was no way of making out the edge of the lake. One second the air around you was dry and frosty, the next it was heavy and icy.

-

Dean didn't like that you'd just sped off towards the rogue vampire, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He knew he'd pissed you off royally, and as much as he was desperate to apologise and admit his wrongdoings, he knew doing so would for sure give the game away. He'd successfully been able to hide his feelings for you for years now, and suddenly acting differently even though he knew he'd upset you would make his feelings all too clear. Sam had been catching on, which was why he'd tried to be more careless with the little things like your take out order (which of course he knew off by heart), and your laundry (which he'd practiced breaking the news to you in the mirror). The bullet thing had been a genuine mistake and he'd barely paid any attention to the road as he'd kicked himself for being such an idiot. But that vamp was fresh blood and he couldn't let you go after it alone.

Kicking corpses aside, he hurriedly helped Sam pick up the rest of the family and guide them out as they started to take in all that had happened to them.

"Y/N?" He called out to you as they exited the cave, to which he heard a sudden squark in response and a 'plop' of water. Head snapping round, he saw ripples in the lake as the figure struggled to stay afloat.

Without hesitation, Dean gently dropped the figure he held and raced towards the water, diving in smoothly. He grabbed the boy, hauling him up out of the frigidity and onto dry land. Within seconds, the rest of his family had come out of their shock of the whole ordeal and were by his side, wrapping him up in their dressing gowns and inundating the brothers with 'thank you's.

But Dean could only focus on one thing.

"Where's Y/N?"

Sam shrugged and gestured to the dead vampire on the bank. "Not sure, but she got it pretty good. She's probably still pissed at you and gone back to the car. C'mon, we gotta get this family safe."

Dean wasn't convinced, but then again, when was Sam ever wrong? And besides, hovering and fretting would only raise suspicions that he had feelings for Y/N even more. So, helping the family back on their feet, the Winchester boys guided them back, offering them token pieces of reassurance that they would be okay now.

Only the young boy, soaked to the skin, remained where he was.

"Sweetheart, its okay, these kind men killed the baddies. We can go home now and get you warmed up." The mother bent down, reaching out a hand to try and coax the child back up the slope. But he wouldn't budge, standing stoic where he was shivering away. His eyes locked on Dean - he didn't even acknowledge his family.

"What is it kiddo?" Dean bent down gently, trying to see through the child's terror. But he just stared.

"He's in shock. Let's get out of this place," the father straightened up and strode towards the boy, scooping him up in his arms. But he cried out, wriggling all over the place and sending droplets of icy water flying.

"Woah, hey, do you see something?" Sam questioned, looking around to try and pick up what they boy was reacting to. When his father finally placed him on the ground again, he turned to face the water, lifting a pointed finger ever so slowly.

It was like time stopped. No one moved. Not even the group's cold breath drifted through the air. In that very second, it was like the whole world was collapsing for Dean.

"Y/N..."

-

Once you realised you had fallen into the lake, you instantly kicked your legs powerfully and pulled your arms to try and break the surface. But it was no use. Cramp ate into your muscles within seconds, and the darkness blended with the night sky so you had no clue which way was up. Whatever breath you'd tried to hold had been stolen from you by the shocking glacial temperature and your lungs were aching.

But still, you didn't panic. Instead, a moment of realisation hit you. Neither Sam nor Dean had seen you fall in. You didn't know if that boy had or if he had run for the hills the second you'd moved him out of the way. You were completely and utterly alone.

And it was peaceful. Here, you didn't have to pretend. You could cry all you liked, your tears mixing with the liquid around you and hiding your emotions. You no longer had to pretend to be mad at Dean, and you could scream that you loved him knowing the only thing that would leave your mouth would be bubbles. You no longer had to fight, to take on the responsibility to save the world. You no longer had to live in the brother's shadows, knowing they would always think less of you for not being a Winchester destined to succeed.

And so you stopped. You let your limbs float around you, you welcomed the warmth of fire in your lungs. You closed your eyes and accepted your fate as you lost all feeling in your numb body.

But Dean...

-

The second Dean entered the water again it instantly seemed colder. Unlike with the boy, he had no idea where you were and swum around frantically, his arms flailing as he tried to feel for you. After what felt like years he finally brushed his fingers against the skin of something smooth and cold. Without a moments hesitation, he dived down further, reaching out and pulling you up by the arms.

"SAM!" He shouted as he flung your slack body onto the bank. Sam had already thrust the Impala's key into the father's hands and sent them off in the direct of the car, and now he pulled you close while his brother scrambled out the water.

"Is she..." Dean panted, not sure if he even wanted to know the answer. Sam shook his head sharply as he came away from trying to find a pulse.

Forgetting about the cold, Dean clambered over your body, pumping down on your chest. As he blinked away tears mixed with lake water, he swore at your grey face and the way your eyes drifted lazily beneath blue lids. He hated how your body flopped below him but he refused to stop until you were alive and breathing again.

"Dean, let me. You've done enough." Gently, Sam eased his brother off you, taking his place. He hadn't failed to notice how distraught Dean was, and he knew that having been in the water twice already he needed to save all the energy he had left. Muttering a prayer as he issued CPR, Sam tried to block out the sound of your ribs cracking beneath his giant hands.

"Get the car. Take that family to hospital and call an ambulance." It was clear to Sam that he needed to be the big brother now.

"N-no" Dean coughed. "I'm not leaving her!"

"Well we can't both stay here and that family have lost a lot of blood between them. Dean, you need to help me. Help me help Y/N by helping them."

Stumbling up, Dean clambered up the hill to the car as quick as he could. He couldn't leave you, but right now he also couldn't think straight. He found the family huddled in the back of the Impala, scared out of their wits still.

Wordlessly, he jumped into the drivers seat, started the engine and raced onto the road. Ignoring pleas from the petrified family behind him, he sped away, desperate to get them to safety so he could return to you.

As the first flash of lights went by in the opposite direction, Dean realised what a mistake he had made. He had left the love of his life when she needed him the most. He skidded to a stop, brushing off the cries from the back seat, and blocking the road for the next car that skidded towards him. Leaping out, he gestured for the family to follow and clawed at the truck that had been forced to stop so abruptly by his actions.

"This family are hurt and cold, and this kid has been in the lake. You need to take them to a hospital."

He didn't even wait for a reply as he offloaded the family into the cab and sped back to the Impala. Dean made a point not to glance at the little boy one last time, knowing he would loose all composure he had left.

Within minutes he was back at the lake side, brushing off Sam's questions. To his horror, you looked even more lifeless than you had before. He took over from his brother while Sam checked again from a pulse, coming away swearing. It wasn't lost on him that you'd been down for almost ten minutes now, and neither of them knew how long you'd been in the water.

Just as Sam was about to say something, there was a splutter as water droplets flew from your mouth. Dean frantically rolled you over, guiding you to release the water that was coming up, while Sam fumbled with your wrist.

"I've got a pulse. We have to move now."

Getting back to the car again was a blur. Dean held you in his arms close, hating how floppy you were. Sam drove while Dean laid you in the back, gathering blankets from the trunk without taking an eye off of you. He rested your head on his lap, stroking your sodden hair with one hand, the other gently resting over your pulse point on your neck. His gaze switched compulsively from your near-translucent face to your stuttering chest.

"De..." he almost thought he had dreamt it if it weren't for the rough coughs that followed. He drew you in closer, not caring for the liquid that was released down his chest, stroking your back and encouraging you. You wheezed and he cradled your head, your eyelids fluttering and your cracked lips trembling.

"It's okay sweet, I've got you. You're gonna be okay, just hold on for me, alright? Y/N? No no no, stay with me Y/N, stay with me goddammit!" He cursed as your eyes rolled back and your head lolled against his chest. The movement of your body had made him lose your pulse but he panicked once the realisation hit that it wasn't him who had lost it, it was you. Dean felt the car speed up as he flung your body flat and knelt over it, one leg curled up against the backrest, the other planted in the footwell. Unlike his brother, his prayers were muttered out loud as he worked to get your life back.

Things remained like that for the rest of the journey. Neither brother was sure how long it took to reach the hospital, but once they got there they wasted no time. Dean refused to leave your side as you were wheeled away, machinery placed all around you, and it took Sam to shake him into reality and remind him that he was no good to you if he froze to death.

That was when the waiting game really began. Even after Dean had been checked over by a nurse and Sam had got him dry clothes to change into out of the trunk, there was still no news of your condition. The two of them sat on the floor, back to the wall, legs against their chests, refusing to move from outside your treatment room. Dean couldn't remember what he'd said, but he knew he'd been harsh because no one dared to ask them to move along.

-

The first thing you got back was your sense of smell. You knew you were at home, or in a grimy hotel because it smelt so clean. Not clean in a good way, though. Clean like bleach, like sterile alcohol. Clean like a hospital.

With a groan, you desperately tried to open your eyes, only to find them glued together by stickiness. You tried to open your mouth, but that too was stuck shut by dryness. All you could do was groan again and use all the energy you could muster to wiggle your fingers and hope someone would see.

After the smell came sound. And out of all the sounds, the best there was.

"Oh god, Y/N, can you hear me? It's okay, it's Dean, I'm here. Squeeze my hand if you can hear me, okay?"

Fuelled by his voice, you did as you were told, relishing the warmth of his hand in yours.

"I'm gonna get a doctor," you heard Sam's voice too, and as the door closed behind him, you forced yourself to push through the gunge and pry your eyes open.

Dean hovered above you, purple bags heavy above his hollowed cheeks. But still, his green eyes shone and his smile was broad and child like.

"The boy..." was all you could croak out and he nodded eagerly.

"He's okay. They all are. It was you we were worried about...do...do you remember what happened?"

It took you a second to catch up and comprehend the question, your brain still foggy. "The lake..."

"Yeah, the lake. We got you out as soon as we could, but doc said you must have been under for a good few minutes. You know, it was touch and go for a while..."

Dean squeezed his eyes closed as he started to choke up. Whatever happened he couldn't let you see him cry.

That went out the window the second he felt your cold hand brush against his ear. He opened his eyes to see you grinning lopsided at him, your arm shaking as you held it up to him. Quickly, he reached up to steady you, leaning into your palm with a sigh.

"I thought I'd lost you Y/N."

"You almost did," you whispered, still testing your rough throat. "I was going to let go. But I couldn't, Dean. I couldn't because of you.

I love you Dean Winchester. I'm sorry, but I just have to tell you and waking up from a coma heavily drugged with god knows what I think is probably the only time I'll dare say it out loud."

Tears were streaming down both your cheeks now.

"Fuck Y/N. I-I don't know what to say. I thought you - I dunno, but god I never thought you felt the same way. I thought you were starting to hate me."

You frowned. "The same way?"

"Christ sweetheart, I'm trying to tell you I love you too. I always have, and I think I always will. I'm so sorry I've been such a jerk recently but you've been breaking my heart. And the bullet...god I know I can never make it up to you but I am so, so sorry-"

He was silenced by your finger brushing across his lips. "Shut up and kiss me Winchester," you breathed.

And for once, he did as he was told, leaning forward and embracing you. Almost instantly everything in the world seemed better; it was just you and him, finally giving in to your true feelings and putting all fears behind you. Despite the burning in your lungs, you would have stayed right there, relying only on each other's air, if it wasn't for Sam chuckling away at the door with the doctor standing awkwardly behind him.

"If I'd have known it would have taken a drowning to finally get you two to admit how you feel about each other, I would have pushed you in a lake a long time ago."

Tag list

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(note: this is a forever tag list so if you’d like to be added/removed please let me know!)

[gffa]

It's been a month since I last did an update on where I am with The High Republic and it's slow going because I don't have a whole lot of on-line time lately (clean-up week is coming orz) and I like to read/listen to the books while I'm on-line, but I think I can still make it before The Acolyte comes out! MAIN STORYLINE NOVELS - PHASE I:

The High Republic: Light of the Jedi

The High Republic: A Test of Courage

The High Republic: Into the Dark

The High Republic: The Rising Storm

The High Republic: Race To Crashpoint Tower

The High Republic: Out Of The Shadows

The High Republic: Mission to Disaster

The High Republic: The Fallen Star

The High Republic: Midnight Horizon

MAIN STORYLINE NOVELS - PHASE II:

The High Republic: Path of Deceit

The High Republic: Convergence

The High Republic: Quest for the Hidden City

The High Republic: Cataclysm

The High Republic: Quest for Planet X

The High Republic: Path of Vengeance

MAIN STORYLINE NOVELS - PHASE III:

The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness

The High Republic: Escape from Valo

The High Republic: Defy The Storm

MAIN STORYLINE COMICS - PHASE I:

The High Republic (2021) - 15 issues

The High Republic Adventures (2021) - 13 issues

The High Republic: The Monster of Temple Peak - 4 issues

The High Republic: The Edge Of Balance - 2 manga volumes

The High Republic: Trail of Shadows - 5 issues

The High Republic: Eye of the Storm - 2 issues

MAIN STORYLINE COMICS - PHASE II:

The High Republic: The Blade - 4 issues

The High Republic (2022) - 10 issues

The High Republic Adventures (2022) - 8 issues

The High Republic: Edge of Balance: Precedent - 1 manga volume

The High Republic Adventures: The Nameless Terror - 4 issues

MAIN STORYLINE COMICS - PHASE III:

The High Republic: Shadows of Starlight - 4 issues

The High Republic (2023) - 6 issues [ONGOING]

The High Republic Adventures (2023) - 5 issues [ONGOING]

The High Republic - Saber for Hire (2023) - 1 issue [ONGOING]

MAIN STORYLINE AUDIODRAMAS - PHASE I:

The High Republic: Tempest Runner

MAIN STORYLINE AUDIODRAMAS - PHASE II:

The High Republic: The Battle of Jedha

ONESHOT COMIC ISSUES - PHASE I:

Star Wars Adventures (2020) #6 - “The Gaze Electric”

The High Republic Adventures: Free Comic Book Day 2021

The High Republic Adventures Annual 2021

The High Republic Adventures: Galactic Bake-Off Spectacular

Star Wars Adventures (2020) #14 - “A Very Nihil Interlude”

The High Republic Adventures: Free Comic Book Day 2023

ONESHOT COMIC ISSUES - PHASE II:

The High Republic Adventures: Quest of the Jedi

ONESHOT COMIC ISSUES - PHASE III:

The High Republic Adventures: Crash Landing

ANTHOLOGY NOVELS - PHASE I:

Star Wars: The High Republic: Starlight Stories

Life Day Treasury

ANTHOLOGY NOVELS - PHASE II:

Star Wars Insider: The High Republic: Tales of Enlightenment

ANTHOLOGY NOVELS - ALL PHASES:

The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life

EVERYTHING ELSE:

Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures - 25 episodes

Currently I am also 3/4ths of the way through Convergence (which I am enjoying very much, Path of Deceit is probably still my favorite of Phase II, but I think this one might be my second favorite, Lydia Kang's writing is really working for me here), halfway through Starlight Stories, and on episode 18 of Young Jedi Adventures. All of it continues to be fun and I'm still impressed by the sheer number of moving parts that feel like they all fit well together and there are few individual moments that I feel the need to yell about, but what I think I would recommend this project for most is that feeling of a large scope story that's told throughout so many mediums and gives a sense of satisfaction for it. I don't approach The High Republic in the same way I necessarily do the originals or the prequels, I'm not personally really into it for fanworks (though, some of the fanart really scratches a nice itch) or a ton of meta (I tend to have prequels brain so my meta does get filtered through the lens of 'how does this parallel the prequels'), instead it's more of a story to experience. A really, really big story with a ton of characters that come and go and some really beautiful art to go along with it. I have affection for it and I could see it being a fanworks kind of jam for others, but I think it's also okay if you want to get into it just for the experience of a fun Star Wars spinoff series, however you approach THR is fine! So, speaking of, how's everyone else's progress going? Have some of you picked it up recently? Made progress? Still in Phase I or are you caught up to Phase III? (Honestly, I think my favorite so far was Phase II, I feel like the world had settled into what it wanted to be and I liked the characters a lot in it, which makes me very curious how Phase III is going to go, now that they've had two phases to get their feet under them.)

[becauseimanicequeen]

4 Minutes Theories (Ep. 5)

In this post, I've compiled my theories from my initial reaction to the trailer and the teaser (which were kind of sweeping since the trailer and teaser didn't give me much to get super detailed about), the new ones I've written down after watching new episodes (episode 1, episode 2, episode 3, and episode 4), and some new wild-ass theories I've written in some scattered posts.

Just like last week, I will go through my theories one by one. Let's see how wrong I am this time, and how (un)likely the other theories are. Like last time, I might develop some of my theories and add some new ones as well.

Let's go!

Pre-premiere theory: The moments Great sees ahead of time are moments that might help him redeem himself from a past mistake/transgression. (Unconfirmed)

The first two episodes seemed to have a pattern where the 4-minute phenomenons (4MP) seemed to be moments for Great to do better or do "the right thing".

In the 3rd episode, though, it seemed like the 4MP pushed Great to tell Tyme that he could see 4 minutes into the future (with proof to make Tyme believe him). Perhaps it was to move things forward faster.

Then, in last week's episode, both 4MPs pushed Great to make braver decisions (offering to help Nan escape and stopping Samarn from shooting her), which made it seem like it was about character growth for Great.

His 4MP in this week's episode was a bit different than the previous ones. It seemed more forced than offering him a choice to do things differently. And I'm not even sure it was a full 4-minute jump (didn't it feel shorter?).

Interestingly, though, it felt like a self-fulfilling prophecy of some kind since Manee, who Great saved in his first 4MP, was behind the hired gunman who shot him (and his mom).

No matter what Great changed this time around, he would still end up at the hospital.

So...

As someone who believed Great's changes wouldn't have an effect on the outcome, I was pleased with what happened in this episode.

With that said, though, I'm keeping this theory for now since more info about this might come up in coming episodes.

There's a big chance I'll never get a real answer to this theory, but I don't mind marking it as failed if I don't. So, beloved show, prove me wrong... or right... or don't give me an answer at all... I'm fine with either.

Revised/developed pre-premiere theory: Korn will do some shady shit to prove to his dad that he can take over the family business. (Unconfirmed)

Korn is sinking deeper and deeper in the shit, and I'm waiting for the moment when he'll sink 6 feet under.

I've mentioned this in the previous posts; he's already done some semi-shady shit to keep his position in the family business, but I need more to mark this theory as confirmed.

I'm also curious to see what he will do now that he stormed out of his dad's office after getting slapped.

There's a dormant beast inside of Korn, I'm sure. I'm just waiting for it to wake up.

Pre-premiere theory: Title is involved with Korn. (Unconfirmed)

Before watching the first episode, I thought Title might've been a brother or that they had a boss/minion relationship (based on the similarities in their posters). But, Title is (most likely) not Korn's brother (but who knows how far Korn's dad has spread his seed...).

Since I got a hunch before the 4th episode that Title might be Fasai's brother and that his dad, then, is Police Colonel Warit, a connection might soon be revealed (especially if Title turns up dead). How will Korn react if Title is Fasai's brother and he shows up dead?

Should I specify something to make it harder for myself to get this theory right?

Well, why not?

Let's say that I will only mark this as confirmed if Title turns out to be Fasai's brother (which is his semi-connection to Korn) and if Korn gets involved in finding Title's kidnapper/killer (depending on what Tonkla does now that he's got his hands on Title).

So... I'm keeping this theory for now.

Revised/developed pre-premiere theory: Tonkla is at the center of it all. (Unconfirmed)

This theory was based on the background of the poster for Fuaiz/Tonkla. At first, I thought he had a target on his back (which could still be true considering he got his hands on Title now), but it's developed more into Tonkla being at the center of this whole thing.

After last week's episode, I felt like Tonkla might be the key to everything. What if his background is something like a spider's web rather than a target, and that he's at the center of it?

Perhaps because his timeline seems to be the real one, even though it seems like Great's changes started to merge with Tonkla's timeline in the 4th episode. But then there's also the cat that showed up at Tonkla's place (which was definitely killed way before Great started having his 4MPs).

So, unless that was a completely different cat Tonkla saw (because the one he saw didn't have the red collar on it, btw), perhaps Tonkla is the whole reason all of this is happening. I mean, he found the info about Title murdering his brother in some way (which might be through Win, or through talking to his dead brother, or because he has a time-traveling ability of his own, or... let's just stop...).

Anyway, I'm keeping this theory because Tonkla definitely feels like the key at this point.

Pre-ep. 2 theory: Tonkla will betray Korn. (Unconfirmed)

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm rooting for a betrayal. I don't really care if Tonkla reveals all of Korn's dirty laundry to Win or if he ends up beating the shit out of Korn with a rock. I just want him to fuck shit up.

Pre-premiere theory: Win is battling some contrasting, opposing forces (internal and/or external). (Unconfirmed)

This theory was based on the background of the poster for JJay/Win. I solely based it on the red and green contrasting colors.

Ever since it was revealed that Win works for the police, I've had the feeling that the contrasting forces he's battling are his attachment/feelings for Tonkla and his duty to uphold the law.

He's already struggling, but I need more to label this theory as confirmed.

Pre-premiere theory: Den has a situationship with Korn. (Unconfirmed)

I'm not keeping this theory because I want Korn and Den together (Den is too sweet for the dude with the daddy issues and two situationships already on his plate).

I'm keeping this theory only because I want to see Bas and Job together. This is such a delulu wish of mine, and I will keep being delulu about this until I get it. (And probably still when there's not even a snowball's chance in hell that they'll hook up. I'm still on my "Non is alive" agenda, so I can keep this alive forever, lmao.)

Pre-premiere theory: Fasai is the other character with a condition similar to Great’s. (Unconfirmed)

This won't happen (since the character they talked about in the trailer, which was where I got this theory from, was Lukwa). The only reason I'm keeping this theory is because I need the show to prove to me that Fasai doesn't have precognitive abilities so I can label this as wrong and move on.

But, thank you for giving me more of Fasai in this week's episode. It was short, but it was sweet. Keep it up, because I need more of Natty on my screen!

Pre-ep. 3 theory: Tyme has a precognitive ability similar to Great’s (or might develop one). (Unconfirmed)

I've been dilly-dallying about this since I saw the trailer. That's only because I believe it one second only to not believe it the next.

(This is a good example of how this show is fucking with my head. I love it, even though it's annoying. But it seems like I love annoying, so I only have myself to blame, lol.)

And now that Great is shot and in the hospital, I feel like we're going to get Tyme's OOBE timeline (which I've been waiting for). The question is if he's going to go back in time and start this loop over again (I mean, that last scene with the camera spinning as he was running through that place with the blinking lights might've sent him back in time, right? It looked like he was running through a wormhole or something, lol.).

If that's true, we'll get to see things from his perspective rather than Great's (which might explain why there's a moment in the trailer when Great is asking Tyme if he's following him).

So, now that he has his OOBE timeline, will his "advantage" be a procognitive ability, or will he just keep his memories from Great's OOBE timeline?

Questions, questions...

Revised/developed pre-premiere theory: Great is having an out-of-body experience. (Unconfirmed)

I previously called this theory a "dream world" after watching the trailer and teaser, but an out-of-body experience (OOBE) is a much better description of it.

I think I'm right about this, even though it could be Tyme's OOBE the whole time as well. But I'm pretty sure it's both of them. So...

I'm keeping this until proven right or wrong.

Pre-ep. 2 theory: Great's visions of himself and Tyme are his present self's memories of their time together. (Unconfirmed)

This is based on the OOBE theory being true. But this theory seems pretty obvious to me if the theory about Great having an OOBE is true.

I need it confirmed, though.

Revised/developed wild-ass pre-ep. 2 theory: Tyme is having his own out-of-body experience. (Unconfirmed)

I've had the theory that Tyme also has a near-death/out-of-body experience since after watching the 1st episode, but I developed it last week while thinking about what Den's patients were saying.

I don't think this is any less true considering that last scene in this week's episode.

Based on Den's research and the different versions we heard his patients talk about, it could be that:

Great is having the OOBE with the 4-minute phenomenon (which is what Den called it in his research).

Tyme is having the OOBE with the people all dressed in white (even though he doesn't seem like a religious person like the lady who talked about this version).

(There might be a possible third character who might have the OOBE where everything is black and they don't feel, see, or hear anything. Maybe Korn? Or Win? Or perhaps even Tonkla who also sees things that he "shouldn't" be able to see?)

This theory could be possible, so, perhaps it's not that wild after all...

Revised/developed pre-premiere theory: Fasai has a connection with Korn. (Confirmed)

Two weeks ago, I wrote that I would only confirm this theory if I could guess what kind of relationship they have (or half-confirm it since they clearly have some sort of connection).

I was right that they weren't engaged or married.

My guess was that they had a situationship going on. Fasai got the pleasure of power/domination (perhaps something else as well?) while Korn got access to a higher standing, more money, more support, more prestige, etc. Considering they basically confirmed that Korn comes to her when he has problems to solve, I could confirm this theory and be done with it.

But, should I? Do I need more confirmation? Should I keep the door open for this to potentially fall apart?

To confirm or not confirm, that's the question...

Fine, I'll confirm this theory and be done with it.

Pre-ep. 3 theory: Fasai (and/or her father) is in league with someone within the police force. (Unconfirmed)

This was actually confirmed a couple of weeks ago as I was double-checking the name of one of the characters on MDL.

It turns out Fasai's dad is the Police Colonel Warit. So, I'm kind of right.

But!

I won't confirm this theory until I see him abuse his power by, for example, making sure the police do something in his favor. Perhaps it will happen now that Title (who I believe is Fasai's brother and, therefore, the Police Colonel's son) is kidnapped/soon to be killed by Tonkla.

I need to hear about it or see it happen. So, I'm keeping this theory unconfirmed for now.

Pre-ep. 3 theory: There are different timelines at play. (Unconfirmed)

Well, this one is pretty obvious, right? I've also written a long ass post about my thoughts on the timelines that I keep adding to each week (or whenever I feel like it).

To summarize, I think there are:

The present timeline

The 4-minute timeline (previously called the OOBE timeline), which is where Great changes the events based on his precognitive ability

And the real past/Tonkla's timeline

I'm also super excited to see if we're going to get Tyme's OOBE now.

I probably won't confirm this theory until the show ends because I want to keep speculating about it. And I might not confirm it until I have at least the majority of the options above confirmed (the present, the 4MP, the real past/Tonkla's timeline, and Tyme's OOBE timeline).

Let's see how wrong I am about this (even though I'm pretty sure I am, at the very least, onto something).

Pre-premiere theory: Great’s (Bible’s) tattoos have something to do with the story. (Because I refuse to believe otherwise! lol) (Unconfirmed)

I don't think this is true. However...

Just like I wrote last week (and the week before, and the week before that): I swear I'm keeping this theory because it hasn't been confirmed (or denied), yet. That's the only reason I'm keeping this theory.

I swear I'm not keeping this theory to add this image to at least one post I write each week...

Pre-premiere theory: Great becomes Korn’s target because he can see ahead of time. (Scrapped)

I will scrap this theory because I don't think it will happen now that Great is shot and in the hospital.

Pre-ep. 2 theory: Great has a cardiac arrest/near-death experience at 11:00. (Unconfirmed)

This probably won't be confirmed until Great wakes up in the present (if he wakes up) or if we get another glimpse of the present as he's flatlining.

Unless I've been wrong about this the whole time...

In that case, I'll gladly move this theory into my failed/scrapped category (where most, if not all the others, will end up, lol).

Also...

Pre-ep. 3 theory: Great has 4 minutes to wake up/get his heart to start beating again. (Unconfirmed)

Great has 4 minutes (well, after the 5th episode, it's only 1 minute left) to wake up/get his heart to start beating again in the present before his brain gets damaged.

The interesting thing in this week's episode was that it also seemed like Great's flashback, as he lay there shot, indicated that the clock was progressing the more involved with Tyme he got.

It started at 11:01 after he gave Tyme his Line account.

Then 11:02 after their claw-machine date.

And 11:03 after they had sex.

Did he seal his own fate (his death) the closer he got to Tyme? Or was that inevitable while it's now up to Tyme to make sure Great wakes up before he dies?

Questions, questions...

Revised/developed pre-ep. 3 theory: Tyme is looking into the illegal gambling sites because his family fell victim to either them or Great's dad. (Confirmed)

We can call this confirmed now, right? Considering what Tyme told Great about his past.

Even if this just happened inside Great's head during his OOBE, he must've found this out in the real past as well, right?

Anyway... I'm marking this as confirmed.

Pre-ep. 3 theory: Tyme is getting close to Great because of Great's family and their connection to the illegal gambling sites. (Unconfirmed)

You know, this depends on what timeline I'm looking at. It probably happened in the real past. Perhaps that was Tyme's initial intention in Great's 4MP timeline as well. And perhaps it will be his intention if he is sent back in time now that it's his turn to (what I believe is his turn to) have his own OOBE timeline.

I don't know...

Maybe I should keep this a little longer just to make sure.

Pre-premiere theory: Someone will die/fake their death. (Unconfirmed)

As I wrote in the previous posts in this series on my 4 Minutes theories, this theory was pretty obvious from the start. Sammon kills characters all the time, lol.

But, I also mentioned in one of the previous posts that I won't confirm this theory until one of the major characters dies. And that's excluding Great and Tyme.

Technically, Dome has already been killed by Title. It's even been confirmed now that we've seen that he is Tonkla's brother and was killed (in the real past). But, I need more.

I've previously speculated on who would be killed and wrote Dome, Title, and perhaps Korn, which I still stand by.

Title might/will be axed soon. As soon as he is (or Korn is), I'll mark this theory as confirmed.

Pre-ep. 4 theory: Great's actions during his OOBE won't change anything in the present. (Unconfirmed)

I want Great to wake up and face the consequences of whatever he did (or didn't do) in the real past.

I would much rather have Great's OOBE be a learning experience for him and/or give him some information that will be vital for the future than have his OOBE magically change his current situation.

Pre-ep. 4 theory: The note saying "Can you forgive me, Great?" is written by the mystery woman in the gallery. (Unconfirmed)

I had this theory last week.

Did I base this on the tea being red and the woman (who we now know is Lukwa) sitting in a red gallery? Yes. Am I really admitting that I'm crazy like that? I mean... there's no point in hiding it.

Pre-ep. 5 theory: The bodies the police find are the people who died in the real past. (Unconfirmed)

Before the 4th episode of 4 Minutes, we saw two murders (if we exclude whatever Tonkla did in that cold opening in ep 2); Dome and the shareholder with the red umbrella.

Before the 4th episode, they also found two bodies.

Then we saw Samarn kill Nan in the 4th episode. Will the police find another body by that lighthouse soon?

Wild-ass pre-ep. 2 theory: Great will get Tyme's heart (after Tyme is shot). (Unconfirmed)

This is not the Transplant I want, btw. But it might be possible.

(Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional. I have no idea if this is medically possible considering where Tyme was shot and how far he might be from a hospital (since I know a body needs to be hooked up to a ventilator to be able to keep the organs alive if organ donations are to be possible). So, excuse my lively imagination, lol.)

I will develop this theory in a separate post (hopefully). I just have a feeling that we're sometimes getting a Last Christmas kind of thing, and I have so much to say about it (even though most of it will never happen, lol).

Wild-ass pre-ep. 3 theory: The number 4 marks a character with death. (Unconfirmed)

The number 4 (which in Cantonese is pronounced very similarly to the word "death") marks characters with death. Either actual death or something like a cardiac arrest (which can be saved).

Those characters are:

The patient at the beginning of the 1st episode who has a cardiac arrest. (I still believe this is Great, even though the bandages are on the same places where Tyme was injured.)

Great, who is surrounded by the number several times during his OOBE.

Manee, who is lying in room number 4 at the hospital.

View, Title, and Dome who are near the 4 on the trashcan in the 2nd episode. (It might just be one or it might be all three, my guess is all three.)

The elderly lady in bed 4 that Great had intubated even though Den said it might've been more humane to let her die.

And Tyme who is around the number several times at the hospital and on the escalator when he and Great were at the shopping mall.

Also, since I clearly believe the show is playing with several timelines, the number 4 might signify the characters that died in the real past/present:

Great, who was shot in this week's episode and who flatlines in the 1st episode (even though that might technically be in the present)

Tyme who was also shot

Manee, who Great hit and left to die

View, who might've been killed by Title if Great hadn't helped her escape from him?

Dome, who would've been killed if Great hadn't stopped Title

Title, who still has time to die (most likely murdered by Tonkla)

And the elderly lady in bed number 4 who will, most likely, die because of her illness

Let's see how wrong I am about this.

Well, that's it. I don't have any additional theories this week. At least not right now...

Results so far:

Total theories since the trailer: 36

Confirmed theories: 4.5

Unconfirmed theories: 24.5

Wrong/scrapped theories: 7

New theories after ep 5: 0

[emerynn]

MAX 🥺🥺🥺

(double exposure spoilers under the cut)

I knew episode 5 was gonna be a nightmare sequence but i still ate that shit up what can i say it's fanservice and im the fan lol

genuinely did get a bit emotional at the end like okay im HAPPY FOR HER

post credits scene was wild?? Not sure how I feel about them just handing out super powers like halloween candy but...okay? and MAX CAULFIELD WILL RETURN HELLO ???? part of me is sceptical and part of me is like yay more max hehe (fanserive, fan, etc.) - either way, guess im gonna be insufferable for a while then whoops

'will you ever go back to arcadia bay' 'one day' 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺girl i'll cry

lowkey the journal entries were nerfed. i mean i dont really care but still.

amanda max flirting scenes gave me major flashbacks to my own lesbian situationship so 10/10 points for accuracy on that one

i really enjoyed all the characters ngl!! and safi was so good and so intriguing i love that they let her be morally dubious oooo

'our lady of the storm' iconic. shes my fucking GIRL.

okay but is safi creating the lis avengers. like what is her plan. im concerned

how many endings were there because i strongly suspect there might have just been one and if that's the case that's hilarious but also like, come on

they kinda baited me with the "two maxes" bit at that one point i was like YES time travel bullshittery and max being a bitch to her alternate self EXACTLY WHAT I ASKED FOR and then i figured out the twist like 10 seconds before it was revealed and i was like well thats cool but.....i just wanna see max bully herself is that too much to ask for.....

'text from: chloe' like okay my heart did skip a beat lbr

okay so did max actually kill safi or what because that was never clear. like i think the polaroids were from the original timeline and then max shoots safi in that timeline leading to timeline 2 which is OUR original timeline i.e. the dead timeline and then...the living one happens asw? or was it like a pre-emptive timeline split did max ever actually shoot safi? i mean someone had to right? maybe this will make sense in the morning. or on the wiki. who can say

knew there was gonna be darkroom shit in the nightmare sequence fuck yeah (lowkey wanted more but hey im just being greedy now)

another tiny criticism but the krampus party did not feel like a college party lol like the vortex club end of the world party felt intense it felt dramatic it had stakes - krampus i was like oh this is giving me dead freshers week vibes guys just animate in some more extras please i know you can do it

music was amazing ofc

man i had this whole theory going on where max died in the "living" timeline at the same point that safi died in the "dead" timeline and that was why there was no alternate version of herself and it was some safis trying to save max while max is trying to save safi thing - obviously very wrong but i still vibe with it

i just really like max okay <3

To form something of a coherent conclusion: Really solid game, with some great scenes (the end of chapter 2 and start of 3 were def the standouts to me) and (in my opinion at least) really really good development for max - she was so clearly the same max as the original game but also she's grown up and she's grown into herself and ahhh it made me so happy to see!

I found some of the twists more effective than others and I think there could have been more build up to the storm (like in the original lis you KNOW it's coming for so long and there's this feeling of dread throughout whereas it kind of felt like we rushed to get to it here), but overall i had a good time, i really enjoyed getting to know the characters, and most of all, i really enjoyed getting stupidly attached to Max Caulfield again <3

7/10 looking forward to going down the rabbit hole with this one and i guess we'll see where we go next...??

[kokinu09]

Let Go of the Reins || Chapter 3

~*~

pairing seungmin x fem!reader

genre strangers to lovers, romance, fluff, slight angst later, happy ending, social media, not meant to be, someday

summary  Australia is considered home for two of the eight members. When two tour dates are scheduled for the land down under, the boys can’t help but want to spend a bit more time there to visit family and do a little sightseeing. So how do they convince the company that they need to stay a couple weeks? Filming some SKZ Code episodes.

A local riding school just outside the city with amazing reviews for their skilled instructors and beautiful horses is hosting a very popular kpop group to film their experiences. Y/N knows the group well and she just so happens to be their star working student. 

status ongoing

taglist OPEN

previous | masterlist | next

~*~

The getting ready part was easy. After Olivia spent a little too long on your makeup (and having to run through the barn to get everything prepped in time), you manage to have all 8 of your selected horses for the guys lined up before the film crew arrives. The other dozen or so horses for the crew were your other coworkers’ problems. You got to pick your lineup and you couldn’t be happier with your bunch. 

You finish securing the saddle on Storm’s back, the last one you needed, and shake out your shoulders. The nerves start to sink in as the seconds tick by. 

Storm nickers by your head, giving you a gentle nudge as if to comfort you. You giggle as your hands reach up to pat his neck, equally as comforting towards your equine companion. “Thanks Buddy. I’m ok,” you say with a smile. 

Your smile falters momentarily as you hear footsteps approaching. Swallowing down your nerves, you turn expecting the group of boys but instead, it is a couple of the staff members approaching with a mic and wires in hand. Right, you’ll need to be just as heard as they do. 

“Hello, are you Miss Y/N?” The young woman asks. 

“Yes, that’s me!” You brighten your smile and offer a polite bow. They both seem pleasantly surprised as they happily return the gesture, quickly getting to work mic’ing you up for the shoot.

“The crew should be over shortly.” The man informs nicely before they both bow and head back the way they came. Leaving you with your nerves to stew in your gut until the boys show up. 

Keeping yourself busy is definitely the best way to prevent a downward spiral into anxiety, so you double-check each horse’s equipment to make sure everything is secure and ready for the ride. Even taking the time to give all the horses a little pep talk. Maybe that was more for yourself but who’s to say?

As promised, it isn’t long before you hear the telltale signs that the boys are coming closer. The loud laughs and teasing bickers pulls an uncontrollable smile onto your face, a giddy feeling replaces your apprehension. This whole situation suddenly feels unreal. 

Yesterday, you’d been too worried about making sure they knew the dos and dont’s of safety to process the fact that you were face-to-face with your favorite group. Now, you just can’t believe you’re lucky enough to get to talk to them! Let alone spend the entire afternoon teaching them about a passion of yours, horses and riding! 

You turn just in time to see the same boy who you’d fateful met yesterday running towards you in the most adorable way; arms hanging at his sides, ‘running’ being a loose term, looking more like a happy trot just to get to you a little quicker than the others, and a huge smile spread across his face. And you can’t help but grin back, your excitement to see him just as high as his to see you it seems. 

“Hello again,” he says in a hushed greeting once he’s close enough. 

“Well hello there,” you return with a giggle. “Feeling up for being on the horse rather than underneath it?” 

Your teasing earns a smirk from the menace himself but he doesn’t get the chance to reply as the others finally have caught up. Chan comes up beside him and ruffles his hair, much to his displeasure. “Looks like you beat us here, Seungminnie!” He teases, turning to you without paying any attention to the glare from the younger. “And you must be Y/N! I’m Chan, it’s nice to officially meet you!” He smiles and bows respectfully.

“Yes! It’s nice to meet you too!” You agree, returning his respect. He grins wide at you then turns to the others. 

“Everyone say ‘annyeonghaseyo’ to Y/N-ssi!” He instructs. 

All the boys turn to you with their hands folded in front of them as they bow, saying in unison, “Annyeonghaseyo, Y/N-ssi.” 

A blush spreads across your face, eyes scanning over them bowing towards you while you catch sight of the cameras in the corner of your eye. Way too much attention is directly on you right now. You have to divert. You hastily bow over and over towards them with a loud, nervous laugh.

“Hello! Thank you!” You straighten up as they do and offer a sincere smile. “It’s wonderful to meet all of you,” you tell them, looking at each of them to show how much it really means to you. Another camera pointed at you catches your eye and your shoulders stiffen, nerves returning. “We should probably get started!” 

That sets the other Aussie member bouncing on his heels.

“Yes please! Which one is mine?? I can’t wait to pet them!” Felix’s excitement sends the group into a fit of laughter as they begin teasing the ball of sunshine in a mix of Korean and English. 

With the boys talking and distracting the cameras, you take the opportunity to turn away to act like you’re adjusting Storm’s harness. But actually, you inhale a shaky breath. 

“Hey,” the soft greeting still startles you slightly. You find Seungmin beside you now, one hand gripping the mic on his shirt, the other lifted to pet Storm’s snout. 

“O-oh! Hey,” your chin ducks in embarrassment. Now you’re stuttering? This is a disaster. 

“Don’t let the cameras scare you. You’re doing great,” he says. And when he looks over to meet your eyes, you can see his sincerity. 

You breathe out a sigh, relieved from the show of support. “Right, yeah,” after just a moment’s pause you add, “Thank you.” 

The smile that lights up his face sends a swarm of butterflies fluttering in your stomach. That expression makes it clear why he’s known as a puppy. You can practically see his proverbial tail wagging behind him and you can’t help but think it is absolutely adorable.

”Ah-yah! Seungmin~!” Felix whines, causing your spine to stiffen like you’ve been caught with your hand in the cookie jar. “You’re already petting the horses?! I asked first!” 

Seungmin releases his muffled mic and turns with that teasing smirk of his. “If you weren’t running your mouth, maybe Y/N-ssi would be able to introduce us to them.” He spouts in Korean. 

At the indignant cry from the younger Aussie boy, you wave your hands in front of you. “No, no! It’s alright! You weren’t interrupting anything! We aren’t in a rush!” You quickly assure…also in Korean. 

All the boys freeze to stare at you with wide eyes. The almost eerie silence from them all draws a cold sweat to your skin. 

“You…speak Korean?” Chan asks, his face reflecting the astonishment, almost skepticism, in his voice. 

“Well, I’m still learning… but I’m getting pretty good at understanding,” you say as your shoes become incredibly interesting. 

Suddenly, a different pair of shoes joins in your line of vision. Your wide eyes lift to find the maknae of the group standing there, looking at you with starry eyes, and before he says, “Noona is so cool!” 

A chorus of agreement from Han, Felix, and Changbin sounds behind the youngest causing your face to erupt into the color of a tomato. Chan, bless his soul, is quick to step in, settling the boys down and regaining focus to their task ahead of them for filming. By the way he talks, they’ll probably be editing a lot of that out. Which you’re beyond grateful for.

“Cool. Now, where were we?” Chan offers the stage back over to you. 

“I was just about to introduce you all to your horse partners for the day!” 

A few of the members can’t help their eager squeals as you go on, walking over to the first horse in line. A gorgeous black stallion. 

“Here at Hooves and Harmony Riding Academy, we’ve been very fortunate to raise a wide variety of breeds on the ranch. Some of those are particularly rare, like this boy here!” You explain, mostly for the cameras. “Chan, you’ll be working with Shadow today. He has high energy but is surprisingly patient with his riders!”

The eldest walks up slowly, his face showing his awe for the creature as he takes your place beside him as you move to the next. This stallion has a thicker build with an almost black mane and solid brown coat. His snout being the exception as it looks like he dipped it in white paint. “Lee Know, this is Copper. He’s big but a total sweetheart. I think you’ll work really well with him.” 

Minho’s lips are pouted in the shape of an O as he places a gentle hand on the white muzzle of the horse. You smile to yourself (so far so good!) before walking to the next. Changbin bounces on the balls of his feet in anticipation, eyes locked on the horse he knows is going to be assigned to him. One of the strongest horses you’d been allowed to pick from. His bulkier muscles covered with a beautiful red-toned coat with black tips to his ears and legs to match his black mane. “I can see you’re excited, so Changbin, this is Jersey. He’s our biggest bay boy!” 

The boy can’t help his ecstatic shout and he gets a few panicked looks that he’ll startle the huge animal. “Don’t worry, he’s super tolerant to noises so you shouldn’t have any issues with him,” you assure everyone with confidence. Changbin hurries over with the biggest smile you may have ever seen on him. 

“Y/N-ssi really has thought of everything!” He cheers, patting his horse’s neck as he takes his place.

You try to push down the blush that heats your face while you make your way over to the dark chocolate spotted mare. “This sweet girl’s name is Daisy. She’s a little dramatic at times but she is one of the most reliable of the bunch!” You explain, looking to Hyunjin. “I thought you’d enjoy this fun little fact too! Most people like to refer to horses with this pattern on her coat as ‘paint’ horses.”

Hyunjin’s eyes widen and sparkle. “Because it looks like she’s been splattered with paint!” He beams, immediately befriending the mare with chin scratches that there’s no way he could have known were her favorite.

You giggle, continuing on to the next; an older mare but no less beautiful. Her white coat littered with hundreds of little brown specks. “And this is Freckles! Our resident leopard! She’s the oldest in this group so she’s very laid back and easy to work with.”

Han gives you a skeptical look, knowing by the order you’ve introduced the members to their horses so far that this is his, then glances at Felix. Thinking you’d accidentally mix them up because they’re so close in age that they’re almost twins. You laugh a little at the subtle implication. “Even though her looks would make you think I’d pair her with Felix, I think you’ll have a lot of fun with her today, Han! She has been known to play little tricks on the other horses from time to time.” You say with a mischievous wink.

The rapper’s heart-shaped smile spreads across his face at this news and he greets the mare with hesitant hands at first. That is until Freckles presses her snout into his palms, impatient for attention. 

When you look over to Felix, you can see his excitement already bubbling over the surface. The boy basically vibrating with the biggest eyes and smile. You walk over to the beauty he will be handling for the day. Her cream-colored coat only a few shades darker than her white mane, the longer hairs adorning a slight curl not super common with their other horses. 

“Felix, I’d like to introduce you to Rosie! She is always so poised and calm, not to mention absolutely stunning! I think you two will have a nice relaxing ride together.” Having been the most giddy of them all from the get-go, it doesn’t surprise you when he sprints to take his place beside the elegant steed. 

Only two more. And so far, they’ve all been super happy with your choices of companions for them. But why are your palms sweaty and your heart racing even thinking about telling Seungmin about your choice for him? 

You manage to swallow the lump of fear in your throat and keep moving, avoiding lifting your head his way. Instead, coming up beside the chestnut spotted mare with more white than spots. You reach up and brush the fringe of her mane away from her eyes. ‘It’s her moment in the spotlight, gotta make sure she’s looking her best!’ The internal monologue makes you chuckle under your breath. 

It’s impossible to avoid the inevitable forever though, so you finally look over to Seungmin. His eyes are watching you. Your gaze meets his and it feels like the world is frozen. Or maybe it’s only you. But you also can’t seem to care. 

You don’t know how long you stand there just staring into his warm brown eyes, but the only thing that snaps you out of it is the smirk that tugs at his lips with a soft chuckle. Eyes blinking rapidly, you take a quick glance around to find everyone looking at you curiously. By some miracle, your face doesn’t turn beet red (at least you don’t think so) when you try to play it off with a little cough to clear your throat. 

“Sorry, uh, this next girl is very special to me. Her name is Pearl.” You say with a smile as you pet her soft nose. “She came to the ranch at the same time as my horse Storm did. And they’re best buddies, virtually inseparable! So, by association, we’re virtually inseparable!” The boys all join in with your laugh. “But I would trust this girl if I was riding blindfolded, so I know she will take good care of you.” You turn to smile warmly at her intended rider.

Seungmin steps forward until he is in your space, casually placing his hand on the horse’s neck. You vaguely hear the other members talking but you’re too busy fighting the racing of your heart. The pounding deafening to your own ears and you’re marginally worried that the mic pinned to your chest will pick up on all of it. 

“Thank you for entrusting me with her.” His voice just over a whisper. You let out a giggle. 

“Or I am trusting her with you,” you counter jokingly. “Can’t say you haven’t given me reason to believe you’ll fall off.” He breathes out a laugh, eyes sparkling with mirth and maybe something else you can’t quite place. All you know is that you’d give anything to turn the cameras off and get to talk to him without these extra nerves buzzing in your gut.

“I’ll try not to, but no promises,” he jokes. 

“I’m still going to hold you to it, Puppy Boy.” 

The two of you laugh a little too loudly and catch the attention of Felix next to you. You don’t see the knowing smile on his face before he gives the younger member a light shove, a gentle reminder of where they are and who is around. Both of you seem to sober up as your backs straighten and he offers you an apologetic smile. 

“Let’s move on while the staff are still distracted by my loudmouth brothers,” Seungmin says with a teasing eye roll. 

“Hey, I heard that,” Felix grumbles under his breath. You giggle at the baritone showing in his voice, the first time hearing it. Momentarily you wonder how many times you might be able to aggravate him enough to hear it during the trail ride. But you catalog that in the back of your mind for later. 

Making your way around the singer, with a shy tip of your head, you come to the last of their partners. The stallion growing excited as soon as he sees you approaching, his head bobbing dramatically up and down as a show. His black mane thrashing in the crisp February air. 

“Hey now, Monster! Behave yourself, we have guests!” You scold without any bite. You manage to catch his bridle and settle him down, rubbing a hand along his strong brown neck. He still attempts to wrap around your front to lay his head on your shoulder but you stop him with a laugh. You release the strap and ruffle his bangs, just over the single white spot on his forehead. 

“Last but certainly not least, I.N you will be working with Monster! He is such a jokester and so fun to ride. I think you two will get along really well!” You tell the maknae who looks giddy with his own excitement. 

The youngest trots over and the big brown horse immediately takes a shining to him, tapping his foot happily as he nudges his hand for pets. It feels good that everyone seems happy with the horses you’ve assigned to them. And the horses seem content with their riders, so you take it as your first win of the day!

You move back to the front of the line and untie Storm’s reins, leading into the space the boys had just occupied, where all of them can see you. “Now that we’ve gotten the introductions out of the way, let’s really get started!” You cheer, ready to get them mounted in their saddles and riding so you can all be back from the first trail by lunchtime.

~*~

taglist

@kangaracha @rainfallingfromthesky @puppysmileseungmin @defnotfertilizedtoesw @teenyfinds @bbokari711 @lakoya @keepswingin

[mystery0028]

Frieren Timeline/Pacing

(Manga Spoilers at the very bottom)

Rewatching Frieren made me realize just how much thought the writer put into the pacing and timeline.

It feels like a slow-paced anime, but also time passes by really quick? Like the first episode literally shows a 50 year time skip? But is this really true?

50 years, 20 years, 4 years, 2 years, 6 months, about a year, around another year, 6 months,(Story Starts), 6 months, 2 months, 3-4 months.

Notice anything?

These are the timeskips/timelapses in the timeline. And as Frieren learns more about humans and learns to appreciate the present, the gaps get smaller and smaller, with the everyday being elaborated on more.

Now maybe that's not on purpose, but it certainly seems like it is. The thought and care to create such a subtle way to show Frieren's growth and understanding and appreciation of the NOW - all the while still reminding us of how old she is and how these years really aren't all that long to her in the grand scheme of things? Beautiful.

Expanded Timeline Given Below:

The first episode (1st manga chapter) starts with first a 50 year timelapse (Himmel dies at the end of this), and then a 20 year timeskip, before we end with Frieren deciding to stay with Heiter to translate a grimoire even though it could take 5 or 6 years (barely any time at all for Frieren- over a 1000 yr old elf)

The next episode (chapter-2) starts after a 4 year timelapse (24 years after Himmel's death) to reach a point where we see Fern's progress on learning magic and also the deterioration of Heiter's health. Heiter dies and then there is a 2 year timeskip (26 years after Himmel's death) until we come across our first 'quest' (chapter-3) that we see Frieren and Fern undertake - the search for the blue moon weed flowers. There is a 6 month timelapse before Fern decides 'this is taking too long' and tells Frieren that she thinks its time to pack up and move on - they end up finding the blue mood weed right after that conversation.

The third episode (chapters-4 and 5) is set another year later (27 years after Himmel's death), and the 4th episode a year after that (28 years after Himmel's death) We spend 6 months of this year cleaning up a ship wreck (Episode 4, Chapter - 6)

This is where the present day storyline properly starts - 28 years after Himmel's death -with our party finding out about Aureole (Episode 4, Chapter-7) and picking up another member (Stark) (Episode-6, Chapter-10/11) as they head north.

After that its all small timeskips as we join the party on their 'quests' as they head north.

The next biggest one is when they are stuck in a blizzard for 6 months near the Schwer mountain range and so cannot move ahead. This is in the 2nd half of episode 11 (Chapter-24).

After this timeskip we find out it is now 29 years since Himmel died.

Again small timeskips (in days or weeks - normal for an anime) as we get to Ausserst (during which we meet Sein, spend a few weeks in his village, travel a bit, and then get stuck in a village for a month due to a snow storm - no major time skips here by the way), then 2 months timeskip between reaching Ausserst and writing the First Class Mage exam. (Episode 18 and Chapter 37).

The anime ends after the mage exam alongside Chapter- 60 of the manga. Keep in mind this is still 29 years since Himmel's died.

**Manga Spoilers Ahead**

We don't hit 30 years from Himmel's death until Chapter 70, and 31 years until Chapter - 105. There's a timeskip of a few months where they live outside Weiss with Denken, as Frieren analyzes a curse, and they deal with defeating a demon (Macht Arc - Chapter- 81 to 104), but you get the point.

The manga currently is on 31 years after Himmel's death. (Chapter-134 is the latest as of writing this)

-1.9.2024

[dalekofchaos]

Max and Chloe sequel idea. Life Is Strange:Stormbreaker

So my big idea for this sequel is to tie up loose ends, Max saves everyone from Chloe, Arcadia Bay and Rachel.

Before you play the game you are given a choice to input the choices you made in LIS.

Episode 1. It starts off with Max and Chloe having this slice of life moment. You do a task, look for something for Chloe to fix up the RV and they share a loving moment. Then suddenly. the sky grows dark. The storm is back. On the run, several segments of trying to outrun the storm, but it ends with Chloe dying and Max's powers going out of control. And suddenly. Max is back to where it all started, October 7th 2013.

Episode 2. Max is wondering "why am I back here? WHY???" She's trying desperately to get back to where she was with Chloe and to save her. So you as Max have to get through the five episodes of Life Is Strange to make the same choices. Sounds simple right? Wrong. Max completes the hellish week, gets back to Chloe and the Storm is still there and lands back where she was.

Episode 3. Suddenly Max notices things she hasn't before. Missing variables that weren't there. Nathan learning about the storm. Sean Prescott's larger involvement and the Prescotts gentrifying the Native American land of Arcadia Bay. This time Max tries to finish the story as it was originally intended with the Prescotts and Jefferson exposed and Chloe landing in the hospital. Only problem the storm still arrives. The week begins again.

Episode 4. Max is in a time loop and she is trying everything to save Chloe and even the town. This might be why she was brought back to the worst week of her life. She wants to try and save everyone. At one point she succeeds. Problem is it starts over again and she gets a nightmare to give her a clue. Rachel. She's in this nightmare because she has to save Rachel.

Episode 5. Half the episode would be Max talking to Rachel and learning about the events leading Rachel to the Dark Room. Max learns that Rachel had powers just like her. She could manipulate the weather around her. One incident she unintentionally caused an unstoppable wildfire. With Chloe, she quelled almost all of Rachel's violent storms. Then she was desperate to escape Arcadia Bay. There was something wrong with this town. Everyone knows everyone's secrets. The Vortex Club is the worst collection of scumbags when it used to be cool. Her parents lied to her for her whole life. The Prescotts own everything and everything gets buried and they are destroying the land. And all she had was Chloe, and for a while that's all she needed, but she needed to get out. She had to get out because it's throwing her powers out of balance and if left unchecked, Rachel could kill everyone and she did not want that to happen. She tried everything to escape. Coming up with schemes with Chloe. Using Frank until they can escape and then Jefferson happened. She confirms she did not love either man. She was groomed by two predators. She was still a child and was taken advantage by men twice her age. Then she discovered the dark room. At first it started as a "real modeling opportunity" to be photographed by a professional. It's only after Rachel looked at her binder. There were no photos. Then Rachel looked at the other albums. 19 young woman drugged, posed and all shown dead by the end of their session. Rachel planned on telling the truth, but Jefferson had cameras everywhere. “Not like Rachel, who was always looking in the wrong places. Poor Rachel.” Jefferson drugged, raped and killed Rachel Amber and posed Nathan to frame him. In her violent and disgusting death, Rachel created the storm. In her last attempt to save Chloe, Rachel's spirit turned into the Doe to guide Max throughout her journey. Max mostly succeeded, but all this could not be undone without undoing Rachel's death.

Max promises Rachel she is going to save her.

Max uses the photo of the day she took of herself the moment she came to Seattle(she definitely has one, this girl is obsessed with photography) Max uses it to stay into contact with Chloe. Max warns Kate to stay away from the Vortex Club. Max begins to make everything right. Warning Kate to stay away from the Vortex Club. Warning Victoria to make better choices and telling Nathan that he doesn't have to be molded into what his father wants him to be and he doesn't need to help Jefferson commit the murders. Eventually, Max sends evidence to David about where Rachel is. David busts in and arrests Jefferson, while Chloe unties Rachel, hugs and kisses her.

Mark Jefferson is brought to justice. The Prescott Foundation is shut down and Sean Prescott is imprisoned. Nathan gets therapy without Sean interfering with his mental health, Frank is busted for selling drugs to minors and the Vortex Club reforms into a better club. All is well in Arcadia Bay.

True Colors esque montage:Max, Chloe and Rachel friendship montage in the junkyard. "Max was here" breakfast time in Two Whales. Chilling in Chloe's room and just being super hella best friends and all three of them kissing each other.

Max Going Ape with Warren while Chloe and Rachel are there as "supervising chaperones" Max and Kate having tea dates. Max and Victoria doing photoshoot and shopping dates, Chloe and Rachel introduces Max to Steph, all 4 of them plays a DnD together.

Seeing Max, Chloe, Rachel, Kate, Warren, Steph, and Victoria hanging out and just living life.

Your final choice would be who you'd choose to have Max be partners with. The choices would be between Chloe/Rachel, Warren, Kate or Victoria

Choosing Chloe and Rachel:A montage of Max, Chloe and Rachel being a poly girlfriends. Sharing each other and just living their best lives. Max and Rachel graduates from Blackwell and Chloe gets her GED, Chloe and Rachel takes Frank's RV and Rachel adopts Pompidou. They go traveling like they always wanted to, As Max, Chloe and Rachel prepare to leave Arcadia Bay, everyone is there to see them off. Joyce hugs them, Chloe and David shake hands, Warren and Kate hug Max goodbye and it closes on Max, Chloe and Rachel driving off into the rainbow and heading towards Los Angeles.

Choosing Warren:A montage of Max and Warren watching movies on Warren's flashdrive in Max's dorm, Going Ape, having their first kiss(with Chloe and Rachel cheering and throwing confetti) their graduation at Blackwell, Max and Warren seeing Chloe and Rachel leave Arcadia Bay and the final scene would be Max and Warren moving into Max's childhood home and starting their new life together.

Choosing Kate:Max and Kate having tea dates with the slow realization that they love each other. One date at the two whales(with Chloe and Rachel supervising and cheering them on much to Max's embarrassment. Max and Kate having their first kiss. Graduating Blackwell. Max being there for Kate when she comes out to her family. Max and Kate settling down in Seattle with their plan to work on a series of books for children and gothic horror novels.

Choosing Victoria:Montage of Max and Victoria doing photo dates, Max and Victoria winning the Everyday hero contest and going to San Fransisco together, going to Vortex Parties, Vic, Taylor and Courtney dolling Max up, having their first kiss and going to Seattle together with Victoria inheriting the Chase Space and Max being her personal photographer.

[obislittleone]

Come What May

Episode 3/?

Obi-Wan Kenobi x Padawan!Reader (little one)

Warnings: relationship issues, ptsd, withdrawal, sickness and slight suicidal behavior if you really squint. Just a lot of angst with a small bit of fluff at the end

A/n: SURPRISE SHAWTIES but don’t expect the next one for a while ima be busy

It only took two days to set up the cavern, but it felt like eternity. The silence was deafening between you both as the work was done, but by the time it was finished, you still were unwilling to speak to Obi-Wan. He was sure that this was the right thing, to go into hiding in order to keep you safe, to keep Luke safe... but at what cost? Already you both had stopped meditating together, though by your defiance of the darkness, you refused to quit doing it on your own. He knew that the things you did were not out of anger towards him, but as the days went on that week, it felt more and more like you were drawing away from his presence. Perhaps it was simply his lack in using the force that divided you.

He knew you wanted so much more than this life, and by leaving him you could have it. You stayed by his side through so much but he wondered if this was the last straw, that if things did not reconcile that perhaps you'd be gone one morning and he would be left to wonder. This was not the life he'd planned to give you, and this was not the place he'd meant to build a home with you... but plans change, and unfortunately, the rapid spread of the empire would make it hard for a jedi to live anywhere desirable.

The day came to cut your braid, as though it could simply be unbraided and left with the rest of your hair, you refused to let go of that small ritual, one that would allow you to feel the smallest sense of normalcy. It would not be as you hoped, because you had wanted to take your trials, and to become knighted under the republic... you wanted to sit before the council and receive your title as Obi-Wan cut your braid. You wanted the jedi lifetsyle, though at some point in your life you cursed it for what it was. Oh, how your mind was changed. It always seems to go, you don't know what you have until its gone. And you'd lost damn near everything. You lost your best friend, you had lost the person you considered your sister, several people you had known your entire life in the temple, you lost your bond with the clones, who now only lived to kill you. You'd lost your way of life, and the chance to live freely. Most of all you'd lost your fighting spirit, the one that kept going in the midst of the storm. You lost your will to keep the battle going.

That's why you stayed with Obi-Wan, and clung to him through your harsh feelings. He was that which survived and you would be grateful every day that no matter what you lost, at least he was still here with you. You gave into his notions of forgetting about the Jedi way, and sat before him as he prepared to cut your braid. He'd kept doing it by your request until this incident, but now it was time to lose all reminders, and lose all peoof that you were once Jedi.

"Will you cut it with your saber?" You asked gently, those being the first full words you'd uttered to him in the last four days. He understood that you were coming to terms with this, with everything. He knew that the pain was subsiding and the instinct to survive was beginning to outweigh the emotional side of things. It hurt him to think you wete surrendering to defeat, but what other choices did you have?

He nodded, and did as you asked. It was hard to watch the longest strands of your hair become the same length as all the others... it was the end of an era in your life and his. He was no longer your Master, and you were no longer his Padawan. That had always been the foundation of your relationship, and though you loved one another enough to prevail, despite it being gone, the memory of times past would sting for years into the future.

The next thing to go was the sabers.

This weapon is your life...

You both rode the Eopie to the middle of the desert, where likely the only travelers were Jawas. It took little time to dig a small hole for the box to fit into, one containging both your saber, his... and Anakin's. You wanted so badly to keep hold of it, to take the crystal from it's flash chamber at least and to have it with you as a reminder of a boy you once loved dearly.

Watching the first shovel full of sand cover the box almost felt like a disgrace.

"He hated sand," you whispered, but he heard you, as the silence was loud before you spoke.

"He hated this planet."

You knew that perhaps that very reason was why you were here instead of a luscious green planet. This place was a wasteland, and so many people hated it. It was the perfect place to hide withour attracting too many unwanted visitors. Even though the hunt was fresh, the Imps on Tatooine would likely clear out and leave only the minimum required guards at each station.

After the sabers were buried, she snapped from her thoughts, climbing the animal they rode togetger and headed to their new home in the mountains.

-

The first day passed without meditation, and without using the force to connect with anything around you, and you had started to feel a weakness in your body. It was not harsh or painful, but it was noticeable after a single day.

You had not yet searched for jobs nearby, as Obi decided it would be wise to lay low for a week or two, just until the troopers near the city had cleared out. You passed the time by setting up the security system outside the cavern, and by trying to make the sandy home more livable. Your strength ebbed lesser throughout the day, and by nightfall you found yourself sick.

You woke up several times in the darkness to go outside and heave to release the contents of your stomach, and even when it was gone, you still felt the need to throw up the bile that remained. Your body was having horrendous affects, and by the time the suns rose, you felt every ounce of strength was gone from you, and you collapsed beside Obi-Wan's sleeping form and fell into a slumber yourself.

The force bond was broken, and he could no longer sense about you a great many things. There were perhaps physical gestures you made on occasion that he was always able to recognize... but his way into your mind was gone. It is why when you were sick in the night, he slept through it, and had no idea what was happening.

The sickness did not carry into the days, but left you feeling completely overwhelmed and without resolve. The love of your life had no longer a force signature surrounding him, and it pained you to think that never again would you feel it’s comforting embrace.

Being without that presence made him different. He was still Obi-Wan, but a piece of him was missing, and you couldn’t grab hold of it anymore.

You grew so tired after doing barely anything. Eating, drinking, and talking became hard as well, and soon all you could do was stay up during the night, and sleep through the day.

Obi-Wan tried to pull you from your slumber on some occasions, but often he felt it best to let you sleep, to begin to gain strength to face this new way of life. It was taking a toll harder on you than it was on him, though he could not tell why. Perhaps all the emotional stress your body went through before any of this mess happened was somehow intertwined with how your behavior came now.

He didn’t dwell on it, and did what he could to help when he felt he could at all. It was at this stage of time that he sought after new work, because the rations and credits to buy more were dwindling by the day, though you ate little and hardly got up from sleeping.

He returned one day to find you sat on the small cot laid upon the stone and sand, a blanket wrapped tightly around yourself as you tried to breath evenly. Your eyes were filled with tears and it was now that Obi-Wan was able to see this went far deeper than mentality. You were visibly shaking, and he figured it was due to your lack in appetite and other substance.

Now he understood, the physical withdrawal you were going through was something he had not taken into consideration before, and it shook him to his core to think he’d been so careless with the very person he held dearest to him in this life. You are a consular, the force made living… a powerful being that leans on the force as if it were your own two legs. Being without it so fast, so suddenly… it was like coming off of spice after years of doing it consistently. You were sick, and weak, and your body did not know how to handle not having even the smallest uses of it, whether it be to connect with him, or to pull an item to yourself. You were powerless to stop the after affects, lest you tap into that signature, with the glowing green waves of feeling in the air around you.

Obi-Wan didn’t think twice before coming to sit beside you, pulling you into his lap and holding you against his body. You could no longer feel his signature, but he was going to make you feel him somehow.

“I’m so sorry, my love,” he apologized, but realized it was too late to undo everything that had been happening to you on account of his foolishness. He hoped he could try and make up for it by being there for you now, to hold you and to listen and to help you through all of this. “Talk to me, please tell me what’s wrong.”

“I need help, Obi. I think there’s something wrong with me….” You trailed, and it sounded not only unsure, but somehow dark and cryptic. “I feel weak, my body aches, and my mind,” you paused once more, this time turning to look at him with eyes empty of expression. “It’s becoming hard to keep going.”

“Don’t say such things, we will figure this out, we always do.”

You shook your head slightly, holding onto him but just barely, as the strength in your hands was only a fraction of what it used to be.

“I am not myself anymore, I don’t feel like anyone at all,” you cried into his shoulder, and he didn’t respond this time, he just held you and stroked your hair on the back of your head. What had he done? In the last year, things had been rocky, sure, but with all the history of what had happened in the time before that? He would have considered the last year to be luxury compared to this. Compared to the fall of the order and now compared to whatever lies ahead.

You cried yourself to sleep that night, and he clung to you, hoping that you would not leave him in your sleep. He could not bear anymore loss, and neither could you. He didn’t sleep, because his fears of having his greatest nightmare come true were far too much to handle, and did not allow him a restful night.

By the first light of the morning, you stirred in his embrace, and he silently thanked whatever kept your life going through the night. You sat up of your own will, and looked down at him with sleepy eyes, but somehow it felt better than the horrendous day before. That was the first night you’d slept through till morning since you both arrived at this cavernous home in the desert.

It was slow, and without many words, but eventually you both got out of bed, and he convinced you to eat something. It wasn’t much, but after almost three days of barely touching your food, it was more than he could ask for. Sitting silently was becoming hazardous, and now that he’d realized that, he became instantly prone to striking up conversation. He understood that it was less natural now that your force bond was destroyed. It was almost like conversing with a new person for the first time, to not have the inner workings of their mind connected with yours to help you understand what they wanted to, or were trying to say.

“The things you said yesterday…” he knew it was a rather harsh topic to bring up so quickly, but it had been on his mind since the night before and he needed you to ease his mind.

“I should have told you sooner, I’m sorry to have kept it quiet for so long,” you knew he would probably only tell you not to apologize, but for this you really were sorry. “Obi, I’ve known you as long as I can remember, and for all of my life you have been a constant to rely on, and I’m grateful you are by my side…”

He nodded you on to continue, but you felt that perhaps you needed to think through your words a bit more carefully, as you did not want to hurt his esteem by them.

“From the time I was young, I never knew where I came from, only where you found me. I never knew my parents, if I had any at all. I don’t know if they loved me, or if they sold me to that camp on Mimban… I don’t even know my real name, just the one they gave me there,” he knew where this was headed, only by the words you’d uttered till this point. He knew it wasn’t his fault, none of it was, but he still felt responsibility for your happiness, and right now, you were anything but happy. “The jedi gave me an identity, someone to be, and an objective in my life. My way of life is the force, and without it, who even am I?”

“You will always be a Padawan… though you no longer train, that will not change.”

He was trying to reassure you, but you weren’t having any of this. For once you were going to say whatever came to you, even if it opposed him. You felt you’d earned that right.

“A Padawan without a Master will not succeed. You’ve cut yourself off from the force and it’s like you’ve left me, somehow. You’re different, in a way that I can’t explain or change. All of this that we’ve begun, cutting my braid, stopping our meditations, burying our sabers… it’s too much, Obi. I can’t pretend like this is all just one big mission anymore, and I don’t know what to do.”

“I understand your sadness, my love. Speaking to you has become different than how it used to be, and for that I am deeply sorry,” he cut himself off, but he wasn’t finished. He just wanted to let his words sink into you a small bit before he gave you his meaning. “It is for your protection that we now must learn this way of life. If the empire finds us and we’re separated from one another…”

Now, that was something you couldn’t bring yourself to think about. It would be the end of you if you should lose the one thing left. Without him, you have no reason to wake up everyday. Without him, you would gladly lie down and never get up again. Just as it was when you thought he was dead, your mind would succumb to the darkness, and not through the force this time. You knew that this was all in the best interest for you both, but it was just so hard.

“I know,” you looked at him, reaching out for his hand. Physical touch was nothing new to you both, but now it was like a lifeline, something to help try and fill the empty hole where your force bond used to be.

“You are so much more than what the Jedi made you to be. You are a bright and shining star of this galaxy, and no matter what happens, you will always keep glowing.”

But what loomed heavily in your mind, was that the biggest stars burned out the fastest.

-

After your talk, things started to get better. Obi-Wan was very attentive to your every move, helping you to wake up in the early morning, and making sure you were absolutely alright before he left for work. As soon as he returned, it was the same, keeping watch over you until you fell asleep. He always made sure you fell asleep first, for then he could rest himself as well.

He thought that perhaps his efforts alone were helping you to become better… what he hadn’t known however, and what you did not plan on telling him, was that you’d been using your spare time in the day to continue your own training. To use the methods he once taught you in both fight and meditation. You were careful to not use the force in front of him, or in front of anyone for that matter… but you were beginning to feel your signature become strong again, as it needed to be in order for you to survive.

He would probably disapprove of your own continuation in training, but he would not find out, as he could no longer detect your force presence anymore. He was powerless to know how strongly it surrounded his being everyday.

The time came, however, for you to begin work in anchor-head. You had far too much time on your hands, and it felt like you were becoming a recluse, away from human interaction aside from your husband.

You’d tended a rather popular bar in Mos Eisley for an entire year, you supposed a small saloon in Anchor-head would be easy work, and it was. There were no more than thirteen patrons throughout the day, and though they drank themselves into unconsciousness sometimes, they were harmless as far as you could tell. There was hardly ever rowdy behavior, and never any action to be had. It was quiet, and it was lowkey, and for someone in hiding, it was perfect.

Tags:

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[star-gazer101]

Ortho the Snooping Brother

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Pairing(s): Idia Shroud x Reader, Vil Schoenheit x Reader

Characters: Idia Shroud, Ortho Shroud, Vil Schoenheit

Warnings: GN reader, slight OOC, unrequited love, reader gets compared to an otome game heroine, slight misunderstanding on Ortho's part, one sided Vil x reader

AN: Sorry it took too long to update! I had a really hard time trying to do Vil justice on my part and I had to cut it short cause I thought it'd be too long! Hope you enjoy it! ^^;

-

Something was going on with Vil.

Not from the usual standard–mind you–it was just the way he started to act around his peers and club members.

During film studies, Vil was strict as always with running the club. Giving everyone the right amount of critique to make everything well-runned as possible. And Ortho is included in it as well…

It’s just…Vil has been smiling a bit more than usual, and the punishments were less harsh.

Everything about it felt…odd.

And then there was the Prefect…

Lately during their hangouts, the Prefect’s appearance was starting to look different each and every day. Their skin was starting to become less blemished, a bit of eyeshadow was there to add color, and weirdest of all, their taste in clothing has gotten a lot better!

His brother may not have noticed, for he was too busy gushing with them about this week’s new anime episode, but Ortho certainly did!

Something horrible is afoot, and he is gonna get to the bottom of this!

-

Or at least he was once classes were over, but had completely forgotten about film research. Curses…

And he was so close too!

Maybe he should stop moping around so much since Vil has been giving him the cold stare to finish up the stage’s final touches before the other club members reprise their roles.

Right. He really did not want to disappoint. Vil has gotten more irritable than ever these past few days and no one knew why. And Ortho did not want to be on the receiving end of it.

Fortunately for everyone, there was a silver lining and everyone sighed with relief when the Prefect unexpectedly showed up.

The Prefect was the moral support everyone needed at that moment.They gave out the best advice when needed for rehearsal and somehow soothed the brewing storm that was clouding Vil’s better judgment.

A breather was all he needed.

And when the third year’s eyes warmed at the sight of the Prefect’s smile did Ortho realize something.

A raise in body temperature, increased heart rate and a soft tone of voice?!

Oh no! Vil Schoenheit is in love with the Prefect!

-

This can’t be good! A sudden rival appearing out of nowhere was not on the checklist for a “Happily Ever After”!

And the worst part is neither you or his brother had a proper confession yet!

What if Vil decides to sweep you away from his brother before it even happens? The steps are already there, what if you decide all on your own that Vil is the better choice in the end?

And why is he of all people all that concerned? Didn’t he originally not want the Prefect and Idia to end up together?

…

Status: Unsure. Will need some time to rethink this before moving forward…

-

Brother’s happiness comes first. 

But ever since you came into their lives, your happiness became just as important.

What is he going to do?

“Complete and utter betrayal…” Was all Ortho muttered as he hovered around his brother’s room. What was he going to do once the Prefect breaks his poor brother’s heart? Then what? It’s not like Idia has any other options to choose from!

“Uh…trying to practice your lines again, Ortho?”

And then there was his brother: Idia Shroud; the smartest person in NRC. But instead of worrying about his doomed love life, he was laying in bed playing games! Because of course he is!

Ortho huffed, which quickly sent his brother to look back at his game. He flew over to glance at his brother’s portable screen, as if it was the cause of his dilemma, but froze in shock at what he saw.

Idia is playing another otome game. Not all too surprising there. It was the usual. However, there was something different about it.

The heroine of the game looks exactly like–

“Idia, why does she almost look like the Prefect?”

Almost on instinct, Idia tried his best to quickly hide the game, but it was already too late. Ortho saw everything.

“I-it’s nothing, Ortho! Really! W-when did you decide to get all snoopy?!”

‘Ever since you decided to date the Prefect, idiot!’ Is what he wanted to say, but decided to glare with irritation in his eyes and his brother’s name said as a warning.

Idia sighs in defeat and reaches for the discarded game to show his younger brother. “You see the male love interest I’ve been pursuing?”

“Yes?”

“The forums I’ve been looking at recommended his route to be saved for last. And since I’ve speedrunned the other six routes, I think I’m understanding why he’s important to the MC. She’s been trying to save him this entire time while collecting gems from other romantic routes. And once you have all of them, the dark curse in this timeline will finally be broken.”

“Sounds too overly complicated, big bro.”

Another sigh. “I have to agree it’s a bit cliched, but it is one of the OGs.” 

‘Originals, huh? Perhaps there’s some research to be done…’

“If it’s alright with you, big bro. Would it be okay for me to borrow this when you’re done?” Ortho innocently asked.

There was hesitation, but Idia relented. “Fine. Just be careful not to lose it. That limited edition cost a fortune!”

“Thanks Idia~! You’re the best!”

Idia only shook his head with a grin. “Look at you, Ortho. My little bro’s growing up.”

Unbeknownst to Ortho, Idia was already planning on giving out suggestions that would suit his little brother.

-

Everything about this game is seriously giving him deja vu.

A fictional game school setting that’s all about using magic, the main character with no magic of her own being forced to be there as the new exchange student, and seven love interests with tragic backstories that hit a little too close to home…

Was this a threat?

Should he be concerned?

‘Focus,Ortho.There’s no need to be alarmed. Only Idy has use of the school’s cameras. It’s not like he’s using the information from S.T.Y.X. to make this otome game…Right?’

Well, on the bright side, the Prefect hasn’t shown any signs that they can use magic yet. Yet being the key word.

Still, Ortho really did hope that this game doesn’t predict the future on what’s to come…Especially with the fact that one of the love interests who looks exactly like Vil was worrisome.

The character even showed up as a rival against Idia’s look-alike and it made it even worse!

��Aren’t you worried about the Prefect?” The younger Shroud had asked. “Have you ever once had fears that they might find someone else?” 

“All the time…” The eldest Shroud muttered as he continued his dailies. “I sometimes wonder why they chose a creepy otaku like me. But…”

“But?”

“I know they want me to believe that they actually care about me. We have to trust each other in order for this to work…Or else they’ll threaten to make me talk with all the normies IRL. And I don’t want THAT.”

“Idia.”

“Alright, I wasn’t being serious on that one. But I mean what I said about trusting them. I want to believe that they’ll always be there for me…It also helps to rub it in other normies’ faces fweehee!”

And that was the end of their conversation about the Prefect…his brother is doomed.

-

Ortho needed a break from his frustrations and somehow ended up in the Botanical Garden. An unlikely place for him to be suddenly in, but the silence of the garden’s atmosphere was a much needed welcome.

Maybe this will clear his mind…

However, it feels like he wasn’t alone…

There were sounds of footsteps and mutterings of a couple of voices.

And judging by the noise, there were two people. Possibly here for more than simply gardening.

And if Ortho didn’t know any better, the voices sounded very familiar…and they were getting closer…!

Quickly Ortho found a spot to hide as he watched the scene unfold: It was you! And Vil Schoenheit! 

What a coincidence seeing the both of you here…

You and Vil were in a very passionate conversation about life in general and the possible struggles of the upcoming future…

How strange to have this kind of talk in the deeper parts of the garden where no one can see you. And with the way Vil is talking to you it almost feels roma–

Oh!

Oh…

Ortho had heard rumors about this place from other first years. Rumor has it that if you have feelings for someone, the best thing to do is confess in the deepest part of the botanical garden where the flowers bloom the brightest. There may be a chance the person in question will return their feelings.

This what-if is becoming a real life nightmare come true!

He has to do something before you confess!

But for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to initiate his blasters.

If he interrupted now, both of you would know he was eavesdropping and everything would be ruined.

He didn’t want to disappoint Vil, and worst of all he didn't want to disappoint you.

Ortho was already walking on thin ice by just being here…

“If you really feel that way, you’re always welcome to stay with me in the Shaftlands. I’m certain my father would be overjoyed to meet you.”

There it is! The confession! If you return it, Idia’s doom flag will rise!

However, you look uncertain–a mismatch to Vil’s hopefulness. 

“I’m very flattered, Vil…Really. But…It feels so sudden. I don’t think I can accept it.”

“Why not? If you’re worried about money, then there’s no nee–”

“It’s not that Vil! You’re a really great friend and I’m happy that you helped me out a lot during this year! It’s just…There’s already someone else that I admire and I hope I can stay with him for as long as I can. Please don’t hate me for it…”

There was defeat in his eyes, but still held an elegant smile as he brushed a few strands of hair from your face to ease you from breaking down.

“Potato, you know I could never hate you for the way you feel.You should feel proud to have someone you truly care about. So tell me, does he know?”

You gave a wobbly smile before nodding. “I sure hope he does…”

“Then I will pursue you no longer. I pray to the Great Seven that if he finds a way to break your heart, there will be no mercy. I’d take it you’ve been improving on your poisons?”

“It’s getting better with thanks to you. Why?”

“Perhaps you would like to do the honors of taking him out yourself. Though I am only half joking about this.”

A nervous chuckle. “Half joking?”

“You know what I’ve implied, Prefect. Continue taking better care of yourself.”

The young Shroud heard you sigh as soon as Vil had left, leaving both you and him alone. Now if you can leave, he could get away without any con–

“I know you’re here, Ortho. You can stop hiding now.”

Shoot!