#arc 3 flashback one-shot

[altruisticlighthouse]

Okay

Fine

I’ll re-listen to Lathe’s Letters and cry

[edmundosmustache]

best buddie episodes and why:

2x01 under pressure- duh. buck’s bi panic was so funny to watch and him folding immediately after eddie looks at him with his big brown eyes is peak

3x03 the searchers- the tsunami arc has always been that girl. the christopher eddie reunification scene paired with “there’s nobody in this world i trust with my son more than you” like pls just kiss already IM TIRED

3x15 eddie begins- i’ve been watching since the show has been on air, and there has been maybe two episodes that top this one. this was the episode when i started seriously shipping buddie. buck going absolutely apeshit when eddie got buried and most of eddies flashbacks including buck was what really sealed the deal for me.

4x03 future tense- this one is just so domestic. the scene where buck and chris are playing video games on the couch and buck buying an expensive coffee maker solely to prank eddie… they’re so married it makes me sick

4x14 survivors- this is top 3 buddie episodes of all time. sniper arc you will always be famous!!! eddie asking buck if he’s hurt, the physical touch, BUCK CALLING EDDIE “EDS” oh that boy is down so bad. the will scene takes the cake though. I think this episode is the best one in terms of buddie’s relationship progression.

5x06 brawl in cell block 911- the main parts of this episode that i really love are when buck gets very protective over christopher OR when he thinks eddie gets shot (again.) season 5 was probably the slowest buddie season, but there are still soooo many good moments sprinkled in

6x10 in a flash- again, very obvious. “alright cowboy go get em!” kills me every time. this episode is why i can’t decide whether i want a buck nde or an eddie nde in 8b. i want to see eddie DISTRAUGHT again… him trying to pull buck up towards him screaming is just too good

7x04 buck, bothered and bewildered- another peak buddie episode. even tommy knew that buck was trying to get eddies attention the whole time. i’m honestly surprised that this wasn’t bucks realization arc. The entire episode was focused on eddie. even when tommy came over to flirt with buck he STILL found a way to talk about eddie, multiple times. bi buck canon was also life changing and this episode is top 3 for that reason.

7x05 you don’t know me- season 7 has banger after banger episodes. watching the trailer for this episode and seeing eddie crash bucktommy’s date was the icing on the cake tbh. this ep is how i knew marisol and eddie were not going to last. eddie stop terrorizing the women of LA challenge (level: impossible.) the coming out scene is also just one of the best buddie scenes they’ve ever done, it’s so raw and emotional and captures their characters so well.

7x06 there goes the groom- another season seven episode but it has to be included because of the bachelor party. bachelor party buddie is going to be nearly impossible to top. it’s also cute how they don’t leave each others side for most of this episode.

8x06 confessions- i think this episode is top 3 for buddie relationship development. it’s very bucktommy centric but we get hot priest talking to eddie and bucktommy bones. AND how could we forget the risky business scene. i think this episode is when they put buddie canon in motion. eddie dealing w his catholic/regular guilt and saying he’s straight smells like a gay arc to me. buck immediately going to eddie after breaking up with his boyfriend, AND interrupting eddie’s activity that is supposed to bring him pure joy just seems too obvious. at this point we are past subtext and now getting into true buddie canon territory.

anyway! hope this was enjoyed. if anyone has other episodes they think should be added please share!!! there are so many good episodes i probably missed <3

[neominthe]

SPOILERS FOR SCTIR FOR +CH 200

CW: (possibly) Eating disorder ED, depression

Something that keeps me awake at night: at the beggining of the story, Yoohyun's death isn't so painful for the viewers, because we only see what is on the surface of the Han brothers' life. It's through memories and flashbacks that we get to learn 3 facts: Yoojin dedicated his entire life to Yoohyun, they parted ways and in the end they reunited, only for one of them die. That's the introduction of SCTIR for us. Moreover, Yoojin is desesperate to leave the past behind, so he doesn't linger on his traumatic memories for too long, hence why the pain of reading SCTIR isn't instant.

It is gradual.

Yoojin and we learn that the past was never erased. It still happened, and exists in the form of Yoohyun's body out in the cold. Gradually, it becomes more apparent how Yoojin is still so affected by his previous life, despite his fear resistance skill. It starts with small things like him avoiding eating unless someone tells him to do so, always occupying himself with tasks that could be handled by someone else, negative thoughts about himself for every single action he takes and so on. I love, with all my heart, the manhwa, but the novel makes it so much more apparent how Yoojin loathes himself, to the point he keeps wishing he wasn't a human being, rather an item for his brother to use. It's so messed up to want to abandon all your humanity, feelings and concept of self just so you can be of help.

SCTIR is fun to read, but even more so with the unreliable narrator that is Yoojin. He sees what he does as nothing impressive, considering the people he is surrounded with, despite running the kisengsu facility, negotiating with the hair loss company to develop a new product, managing Seok Hayan's research team, mantaining diplomatic ties with Japan, training and helping other hunters and, most importantly, caring for all the S classes. He worries for their well-being because it's only natural for him to do so, as the Perfect Caregiver.

And, in the middle of it all, the only thing Yoojin spares for himself is hate. He doesn't want to live long for himself, but rather for Yoohyun, even though Yoojin already has been through the pain of loss. When Yoojin died in chapter 241, the first thing that he thought was Yoohyun. He didn't even think about how much it hurted dying (with a freaking shot on the head)! He just wanted to reunite and soothe Yoohyun that he was okay.

Speaking of which, in Sigma's arc, as Yoojin was alone, he really stopped caring for his well-being, so Sung Hyunjae took that role and did everything he could to help Yoojin. But, for him to even have to create a quest just so Yoojin could eat is what sparked my lizard brain to write this post.

My point is, there isn't an arc dedicated for recovery (at least until the chapter I have read that is like, ~300) and that is beautiful, because Yoojin is still processing what he went through, and we get to see that. Yoojin has such an interesting character arc as he begins wanting to forget the past, as it is too painful, to start running after it. He can't let go of it, because letting it go means letting his little brother go too. Which is why he says he will never be okay again in chapter 278.

[space-blue]

Arcane 2 Trailer time!

Imagine this chick comes into your office and tells you what to do? What are you gonna do?? Tell her no?????

Overall Ambessa and Sevika are really making this season MILF o'clock.

It would seem that early season will focus on Jinx terrorist time...

This is sadly the only LoL skin she could afford...

If you like Cait AND you like your women in pain/getting squeeze like they're a pineapple in the werewolf fucking press, then it seems this season is going to be for you. But Cait isn't the only one having a bad time, seems like Heimerdinger losing his day job led to some relaxation of his principles:

Now focusing on Ekko, who we know is helping Heimer:

This has a chain to pull a mechanism, and we see some similar thing being pulled by an unknown character, just a much thicker chain.

These shots of the Firelights attacking AMBESSA's people lead me to believe that the story may look like > Councillors listen to Ambessa > The tensions with Zaun escalate > Jinx terrorism instead of resolution > Vi sees this as failure and returns to Zaun to try another way > Ambessa doesn't take no for an answer > everyone teams up against Noxus, bringing Zaun and Piltover together again.

By hair alone we can see a timeskip here. Love Ekko's outfit. Vi's simpler style with just a bit of Piltie chest armour gives me hope that she transitions away from being a Piltie Enforcer and more of a Vander style character, trying to mediate.

Notice how dark her roots are???? I am wondering because LOOK:

She has black hair!! With reddish tips?

SO THIS MEANS THIS IS VI'S NEW LOOK:

And this last shot confirms it! RHEA RIPPLEY makeover!!!!

PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLESAEPLEASE BE REAL please don't be an inforcer don't be a cop please be cool please have an arc learn progress return to your people don't be a class traitor I beg I begwaah

My only criticism of this is that we now have 2 options: Either Vi is entering her goth era and is actively dyeing everything sloppily so that bits of Pink remain, or she has always been black haired, and has been dyeing her hair AND eyebrows pink her whole life, even as a child.

I get that it could be a cultural thing parents do, as my friend En suggested. I'd like this, if it weren't for the fact she was in stillwater for YEARS and I don't see them providing pink dye and a nice setup to bleach and dye safely...

Curious to see how it goes.

At this I screamed "Silco????" But not sure now. Seems too far off to be a Jinx vision.

There's also fucky things going on with the Arcane. We're told it's "waking up", which is curious because I was assuming mages across Runeterra were using the Arcane lots for their own magic, so very happy to learn more about it.

Also very cool to see a return of the wizard guy from Jayce's backstory:

Very excited for these depictions of magic :

Free feet included.

I'm pretty amazed that we have seen Zero Mel and Zero Jayce, and just 2-3 frames of hinted Viktor. Nice to see he'll go through with the transformation, but I'm curious as to why they're keeping the jeyvik divorce era so out of promo. Some of my friends feeling very edged right now.

Wondering if this is baby Powder flashbacks, or if we're going to get little kids getting dyed blue in celebration as we see adults do when they team up with her. I suspect if this is a kiddo who wanted to be blue like Jinx, this will be used as a parrallel, with them being caught in an attack that harkens back to the bridge.

The visual effects look insanely gorgeous, and also Jinx's very bad time tm is always on the menu. Very exciting!

[starlightshadowsworld]

Some of my favourite little details in Bungou Stray Dogs (contains manga spoilers)

In terms of ying and yang, tiger and dragon are opposites. Atsushi’s a weretiger and Akutugawa’s first name is Ryuunosuke with “Ryuu” meaning dragon.

And their hair and clothes colour schemes are the same as each ying yang symbol.

As a teen Chuuya kept his hands in his pockets as a teen to remind him not to lose himself. Something he seems to replace with wearing gloves as he takes them off before using corruption.

And when he’s pretending to be a vampire the gloves stay on because he’s still himself.

The painting that Hirotsu insults when meeting with Dazai at the end of the Guild arc is one that the real Osamu Dazai painted.

In Kunikida and Katai’s brilliant days, someone breaks into Katai’s house to try and kill him. And in the present day Katai has a hidden camera in his room.

Demon Snow resembling Kyouka’s mother, her original user and the one who passed the ability onto Kyouka.

Dazai meowing at Fyodor in Dead Apple in response to being compared to a rat like him.

Atsushi gets kicked out of the orphanage because the tiger escaped and ate their livestock. In the orphanage flashbacks, we only ever see Atsushi imprisoned but never the tiger.

Showing that they are one and the same.

The incident that awakened Kenji’s rage state was his best friend being killed. He awakens that same state in the present after being told Atsushi’s going to die.

The necklace Shunzen Tachihara wears in the war with the engraved message of being saved by Yosano is in the shape of a coffin.

Fitzgerald wanting to get the book to bring back his daughter for his wife and naming the Guilds Headquarters after her. And when he’s defeated it’s his wedding ring that saves him.

In Dead Apple during the Dragons Head incident, Dazai says that he was shot 3 extra times. To which Chuuya says “aw you poor baby, want me to pick up when he left off?”

And in Mersault, Chuuya “kills” Dazai and then proceeds to shoot him 3 extra times.

Also shooting someone 3 times is part of the Port Mafia’s method of disposing of traitors, like Dazai. But Chuuya never completes the method which could have hinted at Dazai being still alive.

The move Kunikida shows Atsushi, taking his hand and flipping over onto the ground is the same move he uses to take down Hirotsu during the raid.

The line Dazai says to Fyodor at the end of the Mersault arc, “even all your strength can’t kill me” is the same thing Dazai says to Atsushi during their fight in the first episode.

Akutagawa’s orders in the DOA arc were to not to intervene unless he saw a smoke signal. When he returns to aid Atsushi at the airport it’s after Kunikida sent out a smoke signal.

Akutugawa knowing the true power of Atsushi’s claws because they’ve cut through Rashomon.

Adam (Stormbringer) is the first artificial creation of his kind. And he reaffirms Chuuya’s humanity, even being referred too at one point as speaking to him as parent would to a child.

In some respects making Chuuya a son of Adam.

The Port Mafia has a tradition where those who mentor / are responsible for you give you a piece of their clothing. Every piece of Atsushi’s uniform is something owned by a member of the Agency.

The scene in the anime where Dazai leaves the Port Mafia and the scene where Mori and Fukuzawa make their deal are alike.

Chuuya always stands on the side that Dazai has/had his eye covered. And after the events of Mersault he stands on the side of Dazai’s broken leg.

When Poe recalls losing Ranpo he is in darkness while Ranpo’s in light. But when Ranpo recalls the event he envisions them both in the light.

[pixi4]

**OBX SPOILERS**

Can we talk about the fact that Obx4 is not about good plot, writing or character based story. It's about shock value and fan service.

JJ Maybank, who literally hasn't had a moment of happiness in the 4th season, gets killed by the end so that were shocked and hooked for the next season.

We get one shot of him dead, his friends barely even crying and them BOOM gets buried in the fucking ground in the place that's not even his home, literally plopped into the fucking ground like a piece of rock. Audiences don't even get time to process his random ass death and suddenly John Bs stupid ass monologue shows the flashbacks of JJ and how he was a good friend and all that shit.

If people who WROTE this fucking show can't understand that JJs character goes FAR beyond just being a good friend, then I guess I'm not even surprised by the end.

We were CONSTANTLY shown aspects of JJ that in some other universe would've been properly explored. He's clutches his chest constantly, perhaps suggesting he's got a heart thing or breathing difficulty, his home life is shit and not a single adult gives a fuck. John B is practically stalked by the CPS in season 1, but no one bat's an eye at the fact that Luke abuses JJ. He's got dyslexia and kleptomania which is only ever played for laughs meanwhile Cleos kleptomania is regarded as a serious thing she had to do to survive. He can never sit still and constantly switches back and forth, obviously ADHD coded. Whenever gang argued before, JJ used to pace around and put hands over his ears suggesting he has some bits of PTSD from unstable home environment.

All of THAT exists and is true about JJ yet in John B fucking monologue he's reduced to just "a good friend" ????

Literally NOTHING of his trauma is explored or even touched upon aside from that bit in season 1. NO ONES trauma is explored except for Sarah's (no hate to her) and John Bs.

Fuckin bs.

Imagine being given up by your dad (who killed your mother btw) to a morally questionable man such as Luke, who then proceeds to beat you and emotionally manipulate and torment your for years, neglecting you and abusing you. To then suddenly being told you're not actually his and that all that beating and abuse COULD'VE been avoided had someone actually wanted you. Then you meet the said biological father only for him to lie to you, manipulate you, gaslight you, scam you, attempt to kill you once and then fucking succeed in killing you..... The amount of disrespect for JJs character.

Fuckin Luke, the biggest abuser is JJs story is alive and well and FUCKING JAIL FREE??? WHILE JJ IS IN THE GROUND???

The angry faces of others and Kiaras "revenge" implies that season 5 will be about seeking revenge and sinking further into darkness in order to right the wrongs of JJs murder. But guess what?? Sarah's pregnant. That storyline itself is basically ensuring that happy ending is in sight. For basically all of them, because as Kie said: takes a village (to raise a baby). Motherly vibes are gonna spread their positive energy and then they'll heal and John B will most likely give another boring ass monologue about how People die but they also live and heal and shit and how everybody deserves happiness with shots of the gang raising the kid and riding off into the sunset....

Guess who fucking deserved happy ending THE MOST out of all of them???

JJ fucking Maybank.

Every season of obx focuses on on Pogue. 1.- John B, 2.-Pope, 3.- Kie. Imagine waiting for your own season only for your character to constantly be dealt the worst of cards, be perpetually disregarded and have shit go from worse to worse to in the end fucking die randomly???? If I was Rudy Pankow I'd fuckin sue.

The shit that pisses me off the most is that it's so painfully obvious that Rafe will inevitably get a redemption arc and his own happy ending, possibly even with Kie since people love to ship her with a man who's a) mentally and emotionally not at all alright b) is a murderer who never served his time and got one of her friends framed for it causing him to literally be chased out of his own home for crime he did not commit while he was still a minor c) has tried to kill her d) has tried to kill her best fucking friend, who is his own fucking sister

Infatuation with sociopath men in media HAS to stop. But it most likely will not stop any time soon and JJ is yet another victim of shipping wars.

I can't even read stupid ass fanfics anymore because I'll always remember that JJ is not alive in the Canon anymore.

Who ever gave the green light in the making of the end of season 4, sincerely and disrespectfully, I fucking hate you.

My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

[silvergreenseraphim]

The Relationship Between Glenn and Rufus

[Ultimania Screenshot Removed Until Square Enix Lifts Copyright Strikes]

Glenn, a messenger from Wutai, appears often before Rufus. Though their conversations suggest that the two were old acquaintances, the exact nature of their relationship remains a mystery. Here is a summary of their meaningful exchanges and the relationship between them and Wutai as depicted in related works.

In the small box, it has some information on Rufus and Team Glenn’s connections to Wutai.

In "FVII Before Crisis", four years ago, Rufus lent a hand to the Wutai-based Avalanche.

Glenn comes into contact with Sephiroth, who was dispatched to Wutai seven years ago, in the opening of "The First Soldier" arc of "FFVII Ever Crisis".

Matt and Lucia, who were Glenn's colleagues (introduced by Yuffie in CHAPTER 7 as the "three ex-soldiers"), appear as captains in flashback scenes of the original Avalanche soldiers.

A small text wall next to Glenn’s death scene says:

When Rufus heard Glenn's name in Junon, a vision of him shooting a man flashes through his mind.

Text wall beside the “Please contact Captain Matt” dialogue says:

It appears that Matt and Lucia were participating in the operation to attack the Shinra Building.

-

Examples of Important Conversations Between Glenn and Rufus

[Ultimania Screenshot Removed Until Square Enix Lifts Copyright Strikes]

Rufus: "You're alive?"

Glenn: "Most certainly dead.”

(This was a bit of dialogue in the game that was difficult to translate. If anyone has a correction for it, please let me know. It appears that Glenn says he is “Dead, of course” to Rufus’ statement).

Rufus is surprised at Glenn's survival, and Glenn responds with a laugh. It sounds like a joking response, but based on his later words and actions, it may not be a joke at all.

-

Rufus: "The Governor will not stand on such a poor set.”

Glenn: "I see! Growing up a young master/rich kid is so bothersome.”

Rufus said these words as if he knew Sufur’s personality well. Glenn calls Sufur a rich kid/brat, but in Junon, he also mocked Rufus, saying, “Fond of (drawing) visions as ever, young master/rich kid).”

(I once again have been trying to receive help on this specific line because the connection here is how Glenn calls both Sufur and Rufus “Botchan,” which is an interesting term for a rich young master or boy. More in this in another post).

Glenn & Sephiroth: "Our 'Promised Land' will be born." Good (for you), you’ve succeeded your father.”

In the commentary scene, Sephiroth's appearance and voice overlap with Glenn, implying that Glenn's actions up to that point were in line with Sephiroth's intentions.”

Glenn: “As good at shooting people in the back as ever.”

A line that suggests that Rufus once shot Glenn in the back. It is also revealed in this scene that the person who had been thought to be Glenn was one of those in the black cloaks.

-

My translations are rough at the moment because I am hurrying, but I trust that I was able to get the essential parts accurate.

This is not much new information but I would say it confirms some things.

-

1. Glenn is dead.

2. It was a black cloak in line with Sephiroth’s intentions. Based on the other instances where black cloaks interact with Cloud with Sephiroth’s intentions, it is safe to say that this was also Sephiroth. A part of his will perhaps.

3. There is nothing suggesting that this was Jenova, as some were saying.

4. Sephiroth heavily mocks Rufus at every chance he gets and appears to hate him passionately.

5. Glenn came in contact with Sephiroth 7 years after Sephiroth was dispatched to Wutai. This is the opening of the First Soldier.

6. Rufus and the Before Crisis plot of his involvement with Avalanche has been confirmed.

-

[nekohime19]

Macaque study # S4

So here we go for Macaque in season 4! There will be a lot to say this time too. Especially since season 4 offers us very interesting flashbacks about the brotherhood and how they interacted together!

We established that after season 3 Macaque did right most of his wrong by accepting MK's offer. I do think a verbal apology would be good, and that's probably why a lot of people feel like Macaque didn't redeem himself, but actions also spoke volumes. Macaque saved MK twice and his character arc is not over yet!

S4 ep2

In this episode we get our first flashback of the brotherhood. It's rather interesting to see how Macaque was in the past.

With the first frames of the flashback we already know that Macaque was rather reserved contrary to the other member of the brotherhood.

In those two very similar shots we see how Macaque is totally obscured by Yellow-Tusk bulky form as they burst out laughing. This tells us Macaque is a rather quiet individual who isn't as loud as the others and perhaps that he doesn't have a place yet within the brotherhood.

Macaque is also the only one who expresses his worry about the brotherhood plan. I think it's a great callback to his JTTW counterpart and his ability to hear the future, because we know that Macaque is right here. Macaque has always been a very cautious individual with a very good foresight, but he wasn't listened to. We see how Wukong prefers to goof around rather than listen to him.

I think it's also interesting to see how Macaque doesn't answer to Peng's quip about his cowardice.

He's angry about it, like we can see in this shot, but he's still in the background, obscured by Yellow-Tusk form, and he doesn't say a word back. This shows how Macaque wasn't a very confrontational individual. He didn't like to argue or fight. Maybe he didn't even want to bother himself because he knew changing Peng's mind wasn't possible.

In the same scene, Macaque is the only one who doesn't applaud or doesn't give any praises to Azure Lion when the others insist that Azure should be on the throne. But he also doesn't say anything or does not express any validation when Azure says Wukong should instead be on the throne.

Macaque is the only one here who doens't raise his glasses or burst out laughing.

I think it tells how Macaque doesn't believe in Azure ideals, but he also knows Wukong and doens't expressly thinks Wukong is a good choice for the throne.

In the end, the only one capable of changing Macaque mind and stopping him from worrying is Wukong.

Wukong : relax bud. When this is over we'll be back here basking in the sun and getting fat on fruits for the rest of, well, forever ! Like we always wanted.

Macaque : whatever you say, Wukong.

I think it's interesting how Macaque smile the moment Wukong says “like we always wanted”. Because that's probably what is the most important for Macaque, their shared dream. Not the brotherhood dream but the dream he shares with Wukong and only Wukong. Macaque is probably reassured by this, reassured that Wukong didn't lose sight of their shared desire and didn't let his quest of power blind him. Here Wukong shows that even though he let Azure feeds his ego, his dream is not the throne but a peaceful life with his bud.

And so Macaque abandons the subject, not because he's convinced that the brotherhood ideal is good, not because he believes in Azure's dream, but because he believes in Wukong. Macaque is in the brotherhood for Wukong, for this peaceful dream he shares with Wukong, he was never instered by anything other than Wukong and that's probably why he doens't even try to befriend the brotherhood.

But at the same time, Macaque is too quick to abandon the subject. He never put himself forward, maybe he's not even willing to oppose Wukong. He's putting himself in Wukong's shadows, perhaps even unconsciously.

The phrasing “Wathever you say, Wukong” does have the underlying meaning that Macaque would agree no matter what Wukong says, because he believes in Wukong more than anyone else in this world, he probably believes in Wukong more than he believe in himself.

I would like to point out that while LMK do takes a lot of liberties with JTTW, the Six-eared Macaque being a part of the brotherhood was actually a theory discussed before LMK even came out by Lam (2005). The Six-eared Macaque would be in fact the Macaque King seen in the beginning of the novel and one of Sun Wukong sworn brothers (In Anthony Yue traduction of JTTW the Macaque King is translated as “Monkey Queen” but that's just a matter of traduction, in the French version I've read the Macaque King is indeed male.)

Here is a very interesting article if you want to know more about JTTW Macaque :

S2 ep5

Macaque appears briefly in this episode, once again in a flashback taking place in the brotherhood era, presumably after the battle with the Jade Emperor and their inevitable loss.

Yellow-Tusk and Peng are discussing Wukong's betrayal and how he chose the other side, but we can see that Macaque is physically away from them, there is a distance between them that indicates a conflict of opinions. Macaque doesn't think like them.

Peng : You're characteristically quiet, Macaque

Macaque : I just think we should consider all our options before we-

And Peng cut him before he could end his sentence. Once again, Macaque is never listened to, his opinions are brushed aside (interesting to notice that Wukong wasn't the only one not listening to Macaque, everyone was constantly ignoring him despite his good foresight). Moreover, Peng confirms Macaque's quiet nature when they calls him “characteristically quiet.” But I do think it's interesting to see Macaque lingering with the brotherhood, he probably joined them only because of Wukong but still he's part of the group and does not abandon them once Wukong is captured, he still tries to talk and reason, even if it leads to nothing.

Macaque probably walked out of the brotherhood after this exchange. Fueled by DBK example who most likely left once he met PIF on the battlefield, Macaque decided that, since nobody listened to him, he would go search for Wukong himself.

The brotherhood was a toxic group where nobody truly listened to the others.

Yellow-Tusk, while wise at times, never stepped up until it was too late.

Peng only wanted to prove their strength and kept insulting Macaque (perhaps by fear of Macaque surpassing them or by frustration of Macaque potential being wasted in Wukong's shadow).

Azure was blinded by his admiration of Wukong and put him on a pedestal without considering his flaws. If Azure saw Wukong for who he truly was instead of his idolized version, he would have known Wukong wasn't meant for the throne.

Wukong joined only to feed his ego and got lost in his search for power.

Macaque never stood up for himself and quieted himself by fear of opposing Wukong.

All in all DBK was the healthiest out of all of them and that's probably why he walked out of this toxic group the moment he met someone who truly cared for him : PIF.

S4 ep 9

Macaque appears at the end of the episode and it's the first time in the whole season that we see him in the present, and not just him through a flashback.

MK is talking about Wukong to a lil monkey after his outburst, very much projecting onto him.

MK : Do you think Monkey King ever felt like this? Maybe that's why he stayed on this mountain, just having a good time with you guys. Cause you know he'd be out of the way where he couldn't hurt anyone he cared about.

Macaque : Or he was doing his usual Wukong thing being a lazy peach eating idiot, ignoring all the world's problems.

It's interesting to notice that Macaque appears throughout his shadow powers, MK's surroundings turn purple and Macaque figures slither in the darkness without really revealing himself. His voice also echoes all around the place, making him seem everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Something that gives him a very menacing feeling.

And once again, even if he's “redeemed” , Macaque 's spite towards Wukong didn't lessen and he does whatever he can to darken Wukong's image. After we saw how Macaque treated Wukong in the past and seemed to greatly admire him, I think it's not far-fetched to suppose Macaque sees himself in the way MK idolizes Wukong. And that's perhaps why he tries so hard to break this image MK has of Wukong, because beyond the obvious spite, Macaque doesn't want this image that betrayed him to persist. But at the same time, Macaque is building another image of Wukong who is as twisted and false as the idolized version.

When someone hurts you it's always easier to tell yourself this person never cared about you, because in a way it's more terrifying to admit people who care about you can hurt you willingly. I think that's mainly why Macaque is trying so hard to keep this image of Wukong, the image of someone lazy who doesn't care about anything but power, because it's easier for him to process, it's also easier for him to hate Wukong if he sees him in that light.

I think it's also important to notice that Macaque came for MK, it portrays a certain amount of care from the reserved monkey.

Despite being “redeemed” in the previous season Macaque is still portrayed as an ominous figure. MK's reaction is also a testament of how Macaque's character is not blindly accepted by the “good guy” team.

MK : stop if you're here to mess with me then… Go for it guy. I don't care anymore.

MK first took a defensive pose before giving up and letting Macaque do whatever he came here for. This shows that while very forgiving MK didn't forget Macaque's past as a villain (and perhaps the betrayal he went through) and is still quite cautious around him.

But still there is a certain amount of trust between them, Macaque still proved himself last season and that's probably why MK abandonn his defensive pose so fast.

Macaque : You know it's not fun when you say it loud. Nice tail by the way, that's new.

MK doesn't answer Macaque's light taunt and keeps staring in the distance. Once Macaque sees that MK is going through a very odd and straining situation he stops trying to question him and instead choose to show MK something :

Macaque : Come on, misery kid, I got something to show you.

I think Macaque lil pun on MK's name (Misery Kid) is quite funny considering the situation but also shows a certain amount of familiarity.

This scene is important because it shows the ambiguity of Macaque character. Despite being redeemed, he didn't become a “good guy” and instead still sticks to his taunts and ominous entrances. Macaque is not blindly accepted by the team, he's not an enemy anymore, but it would be far fetched to call him an ally. It's a natural progression of his character after last season.

It's also interesting to notice that Macaque is probably lurking on FFM, he could have stayed in his dojo (which we saw in s1) and yet chose to stay where his “enemy” (Wukong) rules. Macaque undoubtedly cares for this place and might even consider it home despite Wukong presence. And Wukong probably knew Macaque was lurking on FFM and didn't do anything to throw him away, this is a silent olive branch in its own way. Wukong accepts Macaque presence on his land but doesn't go all the way to welcome him either.

S4 ep 10

The episode starts with MK playing a video game created by Macaque. I think it's really funny how Macaque's video game is very similar to Wukong own video game that we saw in the earlier season. It makes you wonder if Macaque snopped around Wukong's house, saw the video game and decided to do the same.

They're also both in Wukong's house as we can see in this shot :

Macaque obisouly came here before if his video game work so well on Wukong���s consol, this shows a certain amount of familiarity. I personally think Macaque lurked around and inside Wukong home while Wukong wasn't here. The lil monkey is also very familiar with Macaque. I think it's a neat lil detail considering Macaque in JTTW wasn't very upcoming with Wukong's subject (he ate one after Wujing killed it, and while carnivorous tendencies can be common within monkey, macaques are not known for this. I personally think that, more than an act of cruelty, this act was made to contrast with Wukong pure breath stated in the previous chapters of JTTW. A show of how JTTW Macaque didn't want to pursue Buddhism for its teaching but only for glory).

Gotta love how Macaque is so proud of his anime-style drawings. Also did Macaque voice everything in his game? Cause I can't get over him saying “How would I provide for my starving family now??”, 😭😂.

Obviously the video game doesn't catch on with MK, and he leaves the house feeling even more frustrated. I do love the way Macaque rolls his eyes at MK's dramatic way of leaving, like you aren't dramatic Macaque. But beyond that it does show us a more genuine side of Macaque, he's a grumpy dude.

Macaque : Alright Misery Kid, you were supposed to realize by now that the choices the game is giving you aren't the only choices you've got. Life isn't some pre-written thing like a video game where you have to do what the tutorial says.

MK : ok, well, kinda a weird convoluted way to make a point don't you think?

Macaque : Whatever, point is it's time to start making your own choices. Something I wish I learned a lot sooner than I did. You don't want to fight Azure cause people might get hurt, you don't want to not fight him cause people might get hurt. Then do something else. Only you got to decide who you are kiddo.

Lots to unpack there!

First, I can't help but think Macaque’s video game is made to mirror Wukong's. In Wukong’s game, MK learned his lesson (that sometimes you can't rush into a battle and you can use something else than brute force) through the tutorial (the game figure of Wukong). And here Macaque specifically says “life isn't some pre-written thing like a video game where you have to do what the tutorial says”. I do think it's on brand for Macaque to create an entire game to challenge Wukong's way of teaching. Besides the spite, I do think Macaque is right, MK doesn't have to follow the tutorial (Wukong), he can make his own choices, he can separates himself from the idol he's been chasing for so long and stop putting himself to the same standard, because he's not the same person.

Second, I like how MK's sarcastic remark can be linked to Macaque's very shady lesson in season 2. Macaque really is not very good at being upfront with his teaching (probably because he's always trying to spite Wukong while doing it, one way or another, and it makes his teaching confusing).

Third, oh boy, Macaque saying that you have to make your own choices with a faded drawing of Macaque and Wukong in their respective drawing style.

Macaque indeed never truly made his own choices in the past. He always chooses to follow Wukong rather than his own instinct and opinions. Wukong was the one to lead, and Macaque was the one to follow. I think it's telling how Macaque says “something I wish I've learned a lot sooner than I did”, he regrets how he was in the past, how he never stood up for himself. And at the same time, he's reaffirming that he changed, that he's not like that anymore. He's not following anyone anymore, everything he does, he does it because he wants to.

But at the same time, I do think Macaque is trying too hard to not be like his younger self, to the point where he's constantly trying to oppose Wukong (a contrast of how he was in the past). While conflicts can be healthy, too much conflicts are very much not, especially when Macaque keeps feeding into this false image he's building of Wukong, to push himself to hate Wukong even more.

We'll return to this point in the season 4 specials because there will be developpement on Macaque part.

So I've reached the Tumblr limit for images yet again. I'll do a separate post for the season 4 specials like I did with season 3.

Hope what I'm saying is not that oblivious 😅, really those posts are just me rambling on Macaque.

Anyway, like always, you can disagree with me, no hate.

S1 / Previous / Next

[miyakazashi]

The M family Age question

Ever since Akira-sensei revealed Ron's age, I've always been curious about the other characters ages, especially the M family, since they don't even have an age range to go off of, however in some chapters from part two of the series, we finally get some clues to use...so here are those clues and my little analysis

*If I get anything wrong in this analysis, I apologize in advance

*Beware of spoilers (ch.96 and onwards)

I'm focusing on Mylo, Winter and Alice, since they're the ones currently alive in the series, and also the ones we have more info about.

First is to make sure we're all on the same page, even if most people probably know this

From Chapter 72

Mylo's the first child, Winter is the fourth, and Alice is the fifth and final one, with 5 of them (plus teo and the other one who died in a feud or something), for the ages to make sense, there atleast needs to be a one year age gap between each of them (because it wouldn't make much sense for their parents to give birth twice in a year, and we're counting 9-10 months as a year btw)

Next is...

Alice Moriarty's age reveal

From Chapter 115

From here we can tell that, she's probably 16-17. she says that she was going to take over the M family at age 17, but "six months before that" Mylo got defeated by Ron.

With that, now is the time to pinpoint where we are in the timeline right now, first is when the cruise incident happened

From Chapter 96

October 25th would've been when the cruise arc ended, aka the "six months before that" Alice mentions, with the "that" meaning the day she turns 17. With all of this we can assume her birthday to be around April, which is close enough to Mylo's birthday(March), so it's probably okay to not take their birthdays into consideration, since they would turn one year older around the same time.

*Assuming she's roughly 16 years and 9 months old, we can round that up to 17 since we don't need to consider the months

In conclusion, Alice is probably 17 years old

From the same panel from Chapter 115, the line "That's the same age as when you became head of the family", tells us that, Mylo was 17 when he became the head of the moriarties, in a later scene we learn that, that's the same age he was when he shot Alice dead (or rather, attempted to do so)

From Chapter 115

Even though this doesn't really help us right now, I still thought I should mention it, just in case it was ever mentioned at what age did Alice supposedly "die". Though I don't recall it ever being specified.

With Alice's age and the one year age gap between all siblings, we can get a rough estimate of-

What age do each of the Moriarty siblings need to be atleast?

*Basically, the youngest they can possibly be

Mylo 21

The second son 20

Teo 19

Winter 18

Alice 17

It would look something like this, but then in a later chapter, this is said

From Chapter 146

Mylo is confirmed to be the one behind the bloody field trip (the one in charge of it), which means, atleast 5 years would have had to pass after he became head of the M family, which would make him atleast 22 in the current timeline

Finally, Winter being the 4th child, would need to be atleast one year older than Alice, and atleast 3 years younger than Mylo, which would make Winter around 18 or 19 years old

From Chapter 72 (this isn't important,I just think they all look adorable in the flashbacks)

In conclusion,I think that Alice is 17 yrs old, while Mylo is probably 22 yrs old, and winter's probably 18 or 19 yrs old.

Than again let me remind you all, that except for Alice, these are just the ages they atleast need to be

However I think there is definitely more to this, since I don't actually think only 5 years passed after Mylo became the head of the M family, I mean it's hard to believe that the first thing he did after becoming the leader, was to make Ron's life miserable, not to mention since Ron is canonically 23, this begs the question, is Mylo older than Ron or younger than Ron ? And also, is he older than Toto ? Or maybe even Spitz ?

That's when you come in, if you have any thoughts about this, whether you have evidence from the manga or if it's just a headcanon, I'd like to hear what everyone has to say about this, so please share your thoughts

[armageddon-generation]

The Bear Season 3 is a bridge season that feels weird on purpose, but also has some big problems: A review/ramble

Season 3 is clearly a bridge season, and suffers from having been written & shot alongside season 4. As a result, unlike the seasons 1 & 2, it doesn’t feel like a distinctive or complete chapter of the restaurant’s life. Just half of one.

This is partly because there’s no ‘end-goal’ like in S2, or clear progression/visible improvement to the restaraunt like in S1. Season 3 is about stagnation. Most of its storylines are left unresolved- the review, Sydney’s job offer, Tiff & Frank’s wedding, Marcus being inspired by his mother’s death, Tina and the dying farmer’s market, Carmy’s conflicts with both Claire and Ritchie. All these threads will roll into Season 4, and Season 3 suffers from that.

PACING, FLASHBACKS AND TONE: FORM REFLECTING FUNCTION

HOWEVER. This being a ‘bridge’, character-focused season isn’t inherently bad. Individual episodes of The Bear still tear when they want to. Episodes 1, 2, & 3 are a very strong setup for the season and establish good momentum. Episodes 6 & 8 are fantastic character pieces, and 8 in particular made me bawl. Even the finale, though bogged down by masturbatory celebrity chef cameos, was a strong episode.

The problem is all the stuff in-between. The actual day-to-day running of the restaurant feels hollow and empty now. There’s a distance between the characters and it feels like they don’t interact as a group anywhere near as much.

Part of this is absolutely deliberate. People joke about S3 'method acting' its way into bad reviews to reflect the restaraunt, but losing steam and the connections between characters is genuinely a formal reflection of the kitchen crew's moods, as the day-to-day grind of running the restaurant wears them down.

The use of flashbacks in 3x1 is excellent, but Season 3 quickly becomes way over-reliant on them (episode 9 especially, oh my god). Again, this feels like a conscious choice to reflect Carmy’s state of inertia/the fact he’s perpetually trapped in the past. It makes sense, but that doesn’t give the show a pass for being boring, and 3x9 was the first time I’ve ever felt genuinely bored by this show.  

FUCK THE FAKS & NEGLECTING POC CHARACTERS

My other problems are much more clearly the fault of the show; I do not give a flying fuck about the Faks. Neil is cute in small doses. The brothers are great as soundboards for other characters; Theo getting Sweeps to talk about his backstory in baseball, the brothers comforting Donna at the end of 3x8 Ice Chips, or the haunting argument finally forcing Carmy to talk about Claire.

But on their own? When they’re just bouncing off each-other? These guys aren't half as funny as the show seems to think they are. And their scenes drag on so long. For example, the B-plot of 3x5 Computer wastes half of an otherwise strong episode with pointless fucking around, propped up by a pointless celebrity cameo. I do not Give. A. Fuck about haunting, Mr. Cena, why the fuck are you here.

The aggravating time-wasting is made worse by The Bear continuing to neglect and underuse its POC characters. This is the second season in a row where I’ve felt Syd only got the bullet-points of an arc. She is the LEADING LADY. Ayo is now the show’s biggest breakout star. USE HER.

I really enjoyed Tina's focus episode, but unlike Forks and Honeydew last season it doesn't move the plot forward, and unlike Fishes the flashbacks don't contextualize Tina''s actions in the present because she's barely doing anything in the present, despite the show setting up her struggles in the kitchen early in the season.

Meanwhile, Ebra got crumbs again and Sweeps got a single scene, which is tragically at least better than he had last year.

Marcus’ arc this year is a fascinating microcosm for the show’s themes, but it barely gets a second to breathe because we have to cram in another five minutes of the Fak brothers arguing about that time Neil got taped into a cardboard box. It’s ridiculous. And then they showcase Nat being all protective of Marcus in an episode he’s barely in, when she barely interacts with him. It feels unearned & disingenuous, using Marcus as a prop for a Hell Yeah gotcha moment.

I liked Josh Harnett though, that casting had purpose, and both Chef Terry and Luca were used excellently.

CAMEOS

The surprise celebrity cameos this year felt distracting and indulgent in a way last year’s didn’t. In Fishes the slew of cameos were a dramatic tool meant to disorient the viewer. This year, John Cena is here to distract you from how pointless this B-plot is, and we've brought in a bunch of famous chefs to tell you direct-to-camera why cooking and the service industry are so important.

The chefs in particular are bizzare after season 1 spent most of its time telling us how evil and toxic the fine dining industry is. But now it's actually just the fault of a few bad apples, and these guys are really rad actually?

CLAIRE

Much has been said about how Claire was an underwritten archetype for Carmy to project onto. Now, I don’t much give a fuck about shipping in this show, but it’s clear Claire & Carmy’s romance didn’t connect with most people. It felt hollow. At the time, I thought this was deliberate, like the tone and flashbacks this season; Claire’s writing reflected Carmy’s perception of her as a saintlike childhood daydream who could deliver him from all the stresses of his life.

But this season, not only does the show refuse to let Claire go, it doubles down on objectifying her as a prop for Carmy’s self-loathing, trapped in his memory.

Again, this might work thematically if I knew Claire as a person, or was at all invested in their romance, but I don't and I’m not. As it stands, the multiple extended flashbacks with Claire feel like futile attempts to plug the holes in Season 2's weakest storyline, and drag their episodes down. If we’re supposed to root for Carmy to find happiness outside the kitchen, this is having the opposite effect, and it’s made worse by it all being left unresolved by the finale.

Either do something with this character or move on, because right now every time Claire appears I clock out emotionally, and that’s not her fault, it’s the way the show treats her.

CARMY THE ASSHOLE

All this contributes to an overriding problem that I again think is deliberate, but risky; Carmy isn’t likeable this season. He causes his conflicts with Ritchie and Syd, to whom he has passed down his generational trauma. Carmy's menu is the biggest thing dragging the Bear into bankruptcy. Carmy has stopped working to resolve his familial trauma like in seasons 1 & 2, just as Nat starts making headway. He functionally doesn’t exist outside the kitchen, entirely preoccupied with the past & a girl the audience doesn’t care about.

Unlike previous seasons, the few times Carmy is called out for his bad behaviour he doesn’t make much effort to listen or improve. Again, I get that this is the point. Carmy is on a low, self-destructive ebb, and hopefully when things start resolving in season 4 he’ll snap out of it. But him dragging the show down with him has consequences.

EPISODE COUNT & FINAL THOUGHTS

A lot of people are saying that S3 only had enough plot for 2-3 episodes, and while I think that’s disingenuous- The Bear has always been a character-focused, vibes-first show- I do think it should've returned to the 8-episode count of season 1. You can consolidate the same amount of ‘plot development’ into fewer episodes while maintaining the deliberate sense of inertia. Cut back on the Faks and flashbacks to give more time to the kitchen crew, and many of the complaints would disappear.

Anyway, all this to say that The Bear season 3 is not Bad like some are saying, but it is a step down from its first two seasons. It feels like it’s got lost in its own head and lost a part of itself along the way, and while a lot of that is deliberate- formally reflecting Carmy’s internal conflict- it exacerbates existing problems (underwritten POC, Claire) and creates several new ones (celeb cameos, overusing flashbacks, unresolved plotlines) previous seasons were able to sidestep.

[elderwisp]

My 𝐓𝐨𝐩 24 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 from 2024 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

I was tagged by @mikachusblog @aurorangen and @moonwoodhollow however I put together a recap earlier this month! Instead I'll pick about ten story moments I enjoyed from this year under the cut as well as a very special screenshot. I did want to make sure I tagged some people as well! :D

I tag: @acidheaddd @likelyamused @pink-chevalier @changingplumbob @salemssimblr

@matchalovertrait @lre333 @swiftviolets @sirianasims @lynzishell

1. January 8th: Kai shares a secret

⋆ This was a really fun flashback scene! We got to see Kai, Frances, Dan and Atlas in the earlier years of high school as well as learn that Kai has romantic feelings towards Atlas, who happens to be his first kiss! This is also where his arc officially begins in my mind!

2. March 6th: Taryn's skepticism

⋆ I remember being so proud of this scene because it was one of the first scenes I fully posed the conversation. I really enjoyed of Atlas and Taryn's mannerisms peaked through. I think this conversation while it focuses on a different subject, the nature of it shows their personalities. Taryn struggling with self confidence while Atlas's facade starts to unveil just a bit.

3. March 12th: Frances's solo

⋆ I was really proud of these poses as well as the shots. The shots of Icarus and Frances while romantic do say a lot about how each views each other. Your greatest heartbreak being how Frances feels and the deepest regret being how Icarus feels. For the cello poses, I did reference through watching performances but also real life so it was neat combining the two. I am excited for Frances's future in De Sol Valley especially when new faces are introduced to the cast. It might be similar to Atlas's prologue where Frances is the focus but just in a shorter interval.

4. March 9th: A rose and it's bumblebee

⋆ March was a good month. Maybe not for the characters, but a good month creatively for me ! I'm gonna sound so toxic but I love the tension between these two so much like hold out a bit longer please JUSTKIDDINGPFFTorami? anyways structuring taryn's monologue came out of order. the frames where she says "A stubbed toe. A scraped knee. A fall." came first. Everything else was built around those three sentences. The scene following that was fun to put together because Atlas really does struggle to apologize and take ownership over his fuck up that he tries to smooth things over by being charming but Taryn, getting more comfortable, shows her newfound skill of setting boundaries (courtesy of Atlas LMAO) and calls him out on the bullshit.

5. August 9th: Theo's official introduction

⋆ Much of Theo's life is hush hush as following after the WR arc we dive more into their lives but I do want to talk more about them. I liked following their life throughout the day and the general reclusiveness they have in a new city. Their only friend at the time is Gabriel and with no goals of going back to their old life, the only way forward is through. I will say, something about the city has a way of helping people find themselves.

6. August 8th: Of course I had to freaking include this scene

⋆ Gonna be so real right now but I was terrified to post this. Terrified. We see the chaos of Atlas's vices revealing a very important detail, one Rowan reminded us all and that is, Atlas seeks out trouble. The most curious and pressing part is why and how does it end? Any scene with Atlas is scary for me because he leaves a lot of subtle little hints but the extent of his nature is like slowly pulling off a band aid. Are people gonna like what's underneath? I'm never really sure but I do enjoy exploring his character quite a bit.

7. September 3rd: Ojitos lindos

⋆ First, I love Jules. Dude was literally supposed to only be in the one scene and... He wiggled himself into a handful. Second, was very proud of how the dance came out, with Taryn teasing Jules and Jules chasing every second of it until the kiss. OUGH! The little fiend in me blurred out "tu y yo" in the kiss scene to sorta symbolize Taryn beginning to move on from Atlas but as we see later, that was short lived. Taryn's monologue was the easiest to write and it comes from a person struggling with the bitter emotions of heartbreak.

8. October 8th: A formal introduction to Ares's life

⋆ Little lore drop but the Langs have been longtime characters of mine. In fact, longer than everyone else. Chase, Ares's father, was a main character of a youtube series I made long ago over the summers of my school days LMAO! So to revisit and restructure them as has been... WOW ! I wanted everyone to feel like they were a plant on a shelf observing the dynamics of specifically the women in Ares's life as well as the structure of his home. It felt subtle but good :)

9. October 18th: Kai's revelation

⋆ I think I have one more scene left for Kai's arc. I specifically wanted to focus on the concepts of jealousy, cognitive dissonance and religion coupled with Kai being a closeted man. I will say in the beginning, I did struggle to connect with this character. While some elements I can totally relate to, writing about it is different. Envy can be classified as an ugly feeling. It isn't palatable to most and is quickly shood away but because of that, we don't talk about it enough. So I wanted to go into this really humanizing this common emotion but not making it as some caricature of an emotion. I do love Kai's growth, I wanted to make sure he earned it and it sure feels like it.

10. November 23: The freaking arts festival

⋆ There's still like four-ish more posts to go. Those will be a bit less crash-out packed but I think it ends on a high note. There's a lot in these six posts. Some of it slightly nudging certain characters arcs, other parts deepening your knowledge of other oc's. I wanted to start out on the disappointment that Atlas faces seeing that the only person supporting him there is Daniela and how he copes in the only way he knows how. The arts festival is something he helped put together but it seems to be a reoccurring theme that any accomplishment he ever has is always overshadowed. It's always something. Each frame, every detail, to the dialogue in these two posts are intentional. The following scenes after that have some really cool conversations. I think the last post also has some unique dialogue as well but we'll pick back up on January 2nd! :)

Also a bonus! I wanted to show one of these first photos of Tessellate. It's no longer on my blog after the reboot but I wanted to show how much has changed in two years.

[tremendouskoalachild]

Doctor Aphra reading guide 2025

we are nearing 10 years of having our favorite doctor in star wars! before A New Legacy comes out in a couple weeks with anniversary stories featuring Aphra, let's run down all her many many comics :)

(there are a few guides online, but mostly outdated or don't include everything i feel they should)

(includes Aphra's comics storyline. issues of other comics that feature Aphra as a cameo but don't really fit anywhere into her story are summed up at the end, same with non-comic material.)

Vader - Darth Vader (2015) issues 1-6

Shadows and Secrets - DV issues 7-12

Vader Down - Vader Down one-shot -> DV 13 -> Star Wars (2015) 13 -> DV 14 -> SW 14 -> DV 15

Rebel Jail - Star Wars (2015) issues 16-19

(optional) The Shu-Torun War - DV issues 16-19

End of Games - DV issues 20-25

Aphra - Doctor Aphra (2016) issues 1-6

The Screaming Citadel - The Screaming Citadel one-shot -> SW 31 -> DA 7 -> SW 32 -> DA 8

The Enormous Profit - Doctor Aphra Annual 1, DA issues 9-13

Remastered - DA issues 14-19

The Catastrophe Con - DA issues 20-25

Worst Among Equals - DA issues 26-31, Doctor Aphra Annual 2

Unspeakable Rebel Superweapon - DA issues 32-36

Rogue's End - DA issues 37-40, DA Annual 3, The Empire Ascendant one-shot

Fortune and Fate - Doctor Aphra (2020) issues 1-5

The Engine Job - DA issues 6-9

War of the Bounty Hunters - War of the Bounty Hunters 1 -> DA issues 10-11 -> WotBH 2 -> DA 12 -> WotBH 3 -> DA 13 -> WotBH 4 -> DA 14-15 -> WotBH 5

Crimson Reign - DA issues 16-21

The Spark Eternal - DA issues 22-25

Ascendant - DA issue 26 -> Revelations (2022) -> DA issues 27-29 -> Hidden Empire 5 -> DA issues 30-31

Ripple Effect - DA issues 32-34

Dark Droids - DA issues 35-40, Tall Tales story in Revelations (2023)

(War of the Bounty Hunters, Crimson Reign, Hidden Empire and Dark Droids are all bigger crossover events as well, which can optionally be read in their entirety. all content relevant to Aphra is included here.)

(for big-picture timeline purposes: arcs 1-14 take place between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back; arcs 15-22 between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.)

additional Aphra-featuring issues outside this timeline:

flashbacks in Galaxy's Edge issues 3-5, set sometime between Vader and Remastered.

Bounty Hunters (2020) issue 1, set sometime between Rogue's End and War of the Bounty Hunters, probably around Fortune and Fate. conflicts with pre-established character dynamics a bit.

Darth Vader (2020) issues 35-36, set sometime between Ascendant and Dark Droids.

Dark Droids issue 5, difficult to reconcile with the rest of the Dark Droids Aphra arc, but taking place during it.

Battle of Jakku: Republic Under Siege issues 1-2, set after Return of the Jedi and thus after everything in this guide.

extremely minor cameos and mentions in other comics:

multiple flashbacks in Sana Starros miniseries (issues 1, 2, and 5)

mention in Star Wars (2015) issue 61

non-comic media starring Aphra (recommended for sure but outside this reading guide):

The Trigger - short story from the anthology From a Certain Point of View (2017). takes place shortly before Vader.

Doctor Aphra audio drama and/or its script (2020) - adapts the first six arcs of this guide, with additional material, including backstory aspects that are later incorporated into Aphra's comics.

[ennn]

The kiss did kill Agatha but it was because she made it happen. "That's cute, but you know that [absorbing Rio's powers] would kill me" they had that line for a reason and having the line again on the previously on was to remind the audience of that. So a normal agathario kiss wouldn't cause death, but Agatha actually absorbing Rio's powers while kissing definitely would.

That being said, I agree with all the things you highlighted that you liked. May I ask which things you would've done different or didn't love as much, maybe?

Also, from the most neutral point of view, do you think Agatha still loves Rio? Did she ever?

I agree with that read! Note: this also means Rio would have needed to let her magic go into Agatha. Agatha can only take when blasted with magic, not by touching people, so Rio was aware she was killing her but it was Agatha's choice to take it on the mouth

Ooh good questions, time to play editor / script doctor for a bit. This is probably going to be long... and can be negative so I'm keeping it under a cut.

Things I did not love / would have done differently — not comprehensive — just off the top of my head:

For the love of god use a different ghost SFX. I hate the current one with the fire of 10,000 suns. It makes it hard to see the actor's performance, their outfit, and it messes with their body language as well. Outside the fantastical reality of the Road, it's too distracting.

Burn that white-grey wig for ghost!Agatha. Between this and the SFX I was struggling to focus on the scenes and their pathos. I think Episode 5 wasn't so bad because Evanora didn't really do much except float around in a smock and say some mean lines but Agatha's moving around, talking a lot, and trying to land some emotional beats.

The whole showdown in the garden feels weird to me, and I think you can tell that they only Aubrey Plaza for a limited time: she barely seems to be in the same frame except for the kiss? I suspect that's why we have shots focused on Billy hitting the greenhouse, Death on the house, and a very very short magical fight. You also don't get proper reactions from Rio on what could have been a couple of revealing beats like when Agatha initially offers Billy up and walks away.

The big one: I'm not convinced Agatha had a proper arc here. If it was planned I don't think it landed for me. You get a hint of Agatha making some peace with how death just happens at the end of the earth trial: "Sometimes boys die" – beautiful moment -– but it doesn't seem to follow through? Yes, she ultimately makes a choice that allows Rio to continue pursuing her (because Rio would have kept her word if Agatha handed Billy over). But coming to terms with her grief and Nicky's death? Has she forgiven Rio? Has she forgiven herself? It feels unresolved to me imho.

Agatha being protective of Billy is... some development I guess but she was already instinctively protective of him in like Episode 3, and by then she already knew he wasn't Nicky. I needed more growth from Agatha, I think?

I'm not sure about the whole mental messaging power of Billy's. Is it supposed to imply he's also reading Agatha's mind? Did he not say it out loud because then we'd have to get a reaction from Rio and Plaza isn't available?

Cast a younger kid for Nicky lol. I know there are production limitations but to me that kid looks too old for a 6-7 year old. Is it just me? I don't usually hang out with kids.

Streamline the flashbacks with Agatha and Nicky. We get it: she loves him, it's their song, he's not a fan of the murdering, he dies. I'd fit in a scene (it can be a short one) to underline how Rio did care about Nicky (she visits him?) and show Agatha having conflicting feelings about loving but fearing Death.

In an ideal world, not have Billy in his superhero outfit because that should have had some build-up for a reveal. I know it's Marvel and they need to sell merch and stuff but there really was enough stuff going on and how the hell did Billy get that suit anyway? The crown I can overlook but the rest is weird to me. --

For your last question about Agatha loving Rio I'll tackle it in another Anon Ask coming up that's similar!

[send-me-a-puffalope]

genuinely curious, but for the second fnaf movie, what would be like. your ideal movie. like beginning middle end kinda deal. what would be the main conflict. that kinda thing :D

God, what a loaded question. I genuinely don't know. I know the FNAF 2 movie would probably have to hit the main 3 points: Mike, Abby, and Vanessa going to another Freddy's location with haunted murderous animatronics, flashbacks to the MCI/general Afton backstory, setup for Springtrap to come back for the FNAF 3 movie. And I'm like confounded how that would work in a way that is satisfying character arc-wise, since I already went on a ramble a few asks back about how conclusive Mike and Abby's story arcs have felt to me, and how there's no more interesting internal conflict for them to be addressing in the second movie and they have no connection to Afton other than Garrett's death.

I'm sure Mike's story in the FNAF 2 movie will still be following him coming to terms with Garrett's death and perhaps getting closure by meeting Garrett's ghost in the puppet, but man, they already addressed the fact that he can't change the past in the first movie. I want Vanessa to be the main character so bad but I feel like the movie wouldn't be complete without Mike and Abby being there in some way. Okay I'm about to go on an incoherent ramble that has very little structure and I'm just gonna need you to bear with me alright.

I'm thinking a new Freddy's location opens---a shock to everyone, especially Mike and Abby, considering the fate of the previous Freddy's---and new "Toy" animatronics are taken out of inventory to perform there. There's rumors that the animatronics from the collapsed Freddy's location were dug up and were now being repurposed from parts. Mike is perfectly happy having nothing to do with Freddy's again but Abby is talking with her "imaginary" friends again, unbekownst to him because she's scared of ruining the smooth sailing they've been in. They're asking her to come help them, that they're hurting them by taking parts from the suits (don't ask me how none of the technicians found the dead bodies, idk man its fnaf) and Abby sneaks out to get to the pizzeria.

Mike discovers that Abby is missing but sees her latest drawings, which feature the ghosts again and goes to find Vanessa, who he hopes has more experience with. uh. dead ghost children. I'm just really obsessed with this screenshot from Unintended alright, I just really want a shot of Mike knocking on Vanessa's apartment door and for the audience's first look at FNAF 2 movie Vanessa to be her at basically rock bottom, her hair greasy with heavy eyebags.

I think act 2 starts here. Where we then cut back to what Vanessa's days have consisted of in the past few weeks. Essentially, she quit her job and has lowk been rotting in her threadbare apartment fighting with the guilt of betraying her father. Doing anything would bring about memories. washing her clothes would remind her of how her dad had taught her how to remove bloodstains, cooking was too overwhelming because she hated the feeling of the kitchen knife in her hand, and I want to kinda use how Scott intended Burntrap to be in SB -> Vanessa's paranoia and terror manifesting as her father/Springtrap/maybe even Shadow Bonnie in the corners of scenes, always watching her. When Mike shows up to her apartment saying that Abby was missing, she takes the chance to get out of those four white undecorated walls and try to "redeem" herself by finding Abby. Prove to Mike (and moreso herself) that she was a good person.

I want Mike and Vanessa to show up the location, it's late but it's still open. There wasn't many people left. Mike's hesitant to get too close to the animatronics but Vanessa is oddly facinated by them. They looked like her father's designs but there were design details that felt foreign to her. Toy Chica is the first one who begins to act oddly. She mentions Mike having a sister despite Mike not ever mentioning having a sister. She's the one who brings them to the back to find Abby. When they eventually do, Abby is chatting happily with the toys. Mike ends up taking her home but Abby bargains to let him bring her after school. He hesitantly agrees, mostly because he's disconcerted about these animatronics also being possessed.

Lowk don't have too much more fleshed out rn but I'm thinking maybe on the fourth day/night, that it's revealed that the toy animatronics were not actually programmed by William but rather Henry Emily, who shows up for the first time right as one of the Gang is about to be murdered by one of the animatronics. I'm thinking Henry is Mike's dad, who "ran off" according to the movie novel.

He'd set up this pizzeria as a way of always being close to his dead son (Garrett) while also luring William back and but it didn't go to plan because he doesn't know William is dead. Even after finding out William is dead, he wants to keep the business going to give the dead children a "happiest day every day." Mike's childhood memory is unreliable. A big reveal is that while Mike has been guilting himself for so long over not being able to remember Garrett's kidnappers face, Henry has known all along. He knew who killed his son and he never told Mike because he never had enough evidence to get Afton convicted.

But he's not a fully good person either, he treats the children haunting the animatronics like they're dogs to help him reach his goal. He controls them similarly to how William did, which rubs Vanessa the wrong way. We get flashbacks here about William and Henry's relationship, we witness the kidnapping of Garrett from William's POV, we witness Vanessa seeing a glimpse of Garrett when she was younger before his death. Abby get close to Henry, though Mike is still weary because this is no longer the same man he remembered and feels betrayed. Vanessa slowly withdraws from the group, only slightly motivated by the fact that she resented that Mike and Abby had a second chance to reconnect with their father, and she gets closer to the ghost children (lowk feel like theres too many ghost children in the FNAF 2 location to make this impactful but whatever). We get a flashback to Vanessa witnessing the MCI here and a heart to heart with the MCI victims about how she'd always stuck by them even as she grew up and they stayed forever young. She apologizes but they don't blame her for surviving and what she did under the thumb of William. After all, they were controlled by William to do awful things too. Also there's a Garrett and Mike + Abby scene in here somehwere. Vanessa begins tampering with the animatronics, severing Henry's control from their wiring.

Vanessa and the children plan to set the place ablaze. Henry is furious when he finds out that his own son was working with Vanessa to burn down the Freddy's -> allow all the spirits to move on in the fire by burning all the suits. He grabs Vanessa by the collar and yells at her, revealing that he worked more closely with William than any of them knew and that he had even helped William with his haunted animatronic experiments before his son had become a casualty to William's obsession. The reason he never reported his son's murder was not because of a lack of evidence, but rather fear that his accompliceship would be discovered. The children respond that this isn't freedom to them. This isn't happiness. They were tired and they wanted to move on. I'm thinking none of them die in this fire but none of them trust each other any more because they were all chronically bad at communication and keeping important information from each other.

Henry, Vanessa, Mike + Abby all go their separate ways and the children get to move on. Freddy's 2 burns down. Post credits scene is Vanessa back in her apartment. She opens her closet door and stares at the dead body of her father in his Springbonnie suit, immobile and staring at her with glowing white pupils. Not really sure where this would go in setting up a FNAF 3 movie but I was kinda just thinking morally gray Vanessa who no longer has a support system -> a chance to build up to a Vanny arc or smth. I haven't read through any of what I just wrote so this could make 0 sense whatsoever. Would it be a good FNAF 2 movie? Maybe not. Would I enjoy it? Maybe yes. Some things sound cool on paper but would be ridiculous/too crowded for a movie.

[late-to-the-party-81]

Love, Lies & Electricity - Chapter 3

AN: Here we are - week 7 of @buckybarnesevents Hot Bucky Summer. I hope you’re all enjoying this story. Revisit part 2 here.

Additional thanks and kisses to @drabbles-mc for beta-ing this

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Moodboard by me and dividers by @firefly-graphics

Likes are loved, Reblogs are golden.

Master List | HBS Master List

Challenges and Bingos: HBS week 7 - Put this on for me

Summary: If someone had told you yesterday that you’d be having sex with your ex so you could escape the bad guys you’d have said they needed their head examined, yet, here you were….

Relationship: Bucky Barnes x Enhanced Reader

Word Count: 2.8k

CW: Sexual Content, Dubious Consent, Angst, Imprisonment, Drugging, Forced sex, canon typical violence, Flashbacks, hand-wavy science.

For some reason, it was as your hand gripped his cock that Bucky regained some semblance of lucidity, albeit momentarily.

“Stop,” he said, and you stilled, looking at him with confusion, the fire of unnatural desire heating you up from the inside.

Bucky shifted underneath you and you climbed off him, still baffled as he crossed the small space to the pallet you’d woken up on and pulled the sheet from it free. He returned to your side and passed it to you, before sitting back down and staring back up at you with wide eyes.

“Put it on for me, sweetheart. I don’t want anyone else to see you.” There was something in the possessive purr that ignited a spark within you, and you couldn’t say it was entirely caused by the drug in your veins. 

Meeting his gaze, you wrapped the fabric around you, tucking it in across your chest before resettling on his lap. Bucky’s hand was immediately on the back of your neck, holding you as he kissed you with ferocity he’d never shown before, even in the initial days of your relationship. Your hands gripped his shoulders for balance as your wet folds slid over his cock. The want - the need - for him was burning through your veins and only a minute or so later you were reaching between you, holding him steady in your hand, and sinking down.

The pair of you gasped and trembled in tandem as your body took him in. It hadn’t forgotten the feel of him, how goddamn right he felt inside you. You’d always thought that he’d been made to fit you perfectly, like a matching puzzle piece. It was one of the reasons why his betrayal had hurt so much.

“Fuck,” Bucky grunted out, and you were inclined to agree. He leant his head back against the wall, his eyes hooded and his hand now on your waist to steady you as his hips jerked in time to your movements. “This isn’t how I wanted this to happen,” he added. “Us being together again.”

Pleasure shot through you, but it didn’t stop you from saying what you were thinking. “I didn’t want this to happen at all.” You shuddered atop him as his cock brushed over that spot inside you. “I’m only doing this so we can get out of here.” 

Hurt flashed in his eyes and stabbed you in the gut. “I’m so sorry for everything, doll. I’ve missed you - missed us - so much.”

You closed your eyes, screwing them up, unable to look at him. “Please don’t,” you whispered. “I can’t talk about this right now.” Then, to make sure he got the message, you leant forward and kissed him, halting the conversation entirely.

It was the feeling of being sprayed with water that woke you. Bucky sat up from behind you with a start. “What the fuck?”

You couldn’t say you were surprised at this turn of events and moved to a sitting position in a far more dignified manner as water came down from sprinklers in the ceiling. At least the effects of the drug appeared to have worn off both of you.

“They’re literally damping my powers,” you said with a resigned sigh. You lifted your right hand and a pathetically small crackle of energy arced across your palm. The action caused you to wince.

With a furrowed brow Bucky rose - naked and completely nonplussed - to his feet and strode across the room towards the door. He pulled back his right arm, ready to punch at the sheet of metal separating the pair of you from the outside world when you became aware of something.

“Don’t!” you cried out. “The door’s electrified. I can feel it in the air.”

Bucky halted his movement, leaning his head closer and cocking it to the side, as though he was listening. Maybe he could hear the current? The pair of you had never really talked about the extent of his abilities. He looked down at his feet where they were placed in a small puddle of water and snorted. “They’re using electricity to control the both of us.”

“But on the plus side, neither of us is being driven to distraction by hyper-arousal.” 

“For now, at least,” Bucky added pessimistically. Or maybe it was realism? “If they’re set on this plan, they won’t just drug us once - they’ll do it over and over to make sure that you get pregnant.” You pulled a face, and Bucky laughed dryly. “The thought of having my baby is really that bad?”

“The thought of having any baby. It’s not for me right now. That’s why I had the implant put in.” You jiggled your arm at him - an arm that now had a healing incision wound on the bicep. 

With a wry smile, Bucky returned to your side, leaning against the wall. You watched the light spray run down his face before turning away to look down at your own body. The swathes of white cotton hadn’t turned completely translucent yet and still hid your body from the view of anyone who might be watching.

“It could take months.” There was a quiver to your voice that you didn’t want to analyse too much. “And what then? What would they do with you?�� Neither of you turned to look at the other, but when his hand brushed against yours, you let him interlace your fingers together.

You sat like that together, watching the mist of water in the air until Bucky spoke again. “We’ll get out of here, doll. I promise.”

You didn’t know why, but the way he said it brought a lump to your throat and you drew your hand away. “You promised me things in the past, Bucky. Look how that turned out.” You heard him sigh as you laid down, your back towards him.

The spray of water stopped, and despite the fact you’d not long woken up, you drifted back to sleep.

It was a blithe remark by Sam that brought it all crashing down. A comment - a question - about whether Bucky had managed to persuade you to join the Avengers yet.

“It’s not something we’ve ever talked about,” you replied as you sat next to Sam in the bar while Bucky and Torres were off getting the next round of drinks.

Sam frowned, looking perplexed. “What, not even when you first met? Because that’s what I asked him to do. Ask you, I mean. You could be a real asset to the team with your powers.”

It was your turn to be confused. You weren’t completely stupid - Bucky obviously knew about your powers, but when you’d first met it had been as one Hydra survivor seeking out another, offering support now you were back in the real world. But he’d never asked you about the extent of your powers, or told you that he’d been asked to recruit you.

You were quiet when Bucky returned and placed your drink in front of you, but if he noticed your uncharacteristic sullen-ness he didn’t mention it. When you both returned to your apartment - a place that was beginning to feel like a home for the pair of you - you feigned tiredness and went straight to bed.

It was the middle of the next morning when Bucky asked you what was the matter. He came up behind you as you did the washing up - your hands protected from the water with thick rubber gloves - and wrapped his arms around your waist, kissing the sensitive spot behind your ear. “You okay, doll?” he murmured. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

You’d pushed your way out of his embrace and put space between you, feeling suffocated by your swirling thoughts. Bucky had looked at you, brows pinched, gun-metal eyes questioning.

“Did Sam tell you to recruit me?” The words tumbled out in a rush and your boyfriend blanched. 

“Sweetheart, I…”

You cut him off, eyes wide with disbelief. “He did, didn’t he? Before you even met me.”

Bucky winced, but didn’t say anything - which told you everything you needed to know.

“That's why you approached me, isn’t it? Not to give me support, or help me adjust. But to get me to agree to be part of the team. To use my powers in your fight. Jesus Christ…” You turned away, eyelids blinking rapidly to hold back the tears threatening to spill down your cheeks as your heart, so newly repaired and fragile, started to crack again. You peeled your gloves off your hands, wiping your fingers on your jeans to get rid of the small amount of moisture that transferred. 

“Were you waiting for me to fall in love with you?” Your voice was low and surprisingly steady. “Were you hoping that I’d just fall in with your plans when I was too besotted to think straight?”

The continuing silence made rage build inside you, and you spun back around, launching the damp gloves at Bucky. They connected ineffectively with his chest and landed on the ground at his feet with a splat.

“How could you do that? How could you be like them?” There was pure vitriol in your voice. “How could you use me? After everything they did to me? After everything they did to you?” Bucky opened his voice, but your powers crackled threateningly around you and he seemed to think better of it. “I trusted you, Bucky. I thought we had something real, you and I. But it was just a lie. A ploy.” Hysterical laughter bubbled up your throat. “Well, fuck you! Fuck Sam. Fuck the Avengers. And fuck whatever this was.” You gestured between you, electricity arcing out. Bucky’s hair was starting to stand on end from the current in the air and the lightbulb above you started to pulse. “Get out. Before I fry you.”

He stepped back, an unreadable expression on his face. Again, he looked as though he wanted to say something, before changing his mind once more. He moved to the front door, and gave one last look over his shoulder before walking away.

As you dropped to the floor, arms wrapped around yourself, the tears now flowing down your cheeks, your powers diminished too and all the lights in your apartment went out with them.

The next time you woke it was to something that felt a lot more pleasant, but was still no less unsettling - Bucky kissing the back of your neck. His warm body was pressed up against you, and in your half asleep state, with what you suspected was a drug induced ache between your legs, you pressed back against him.

“‘M sorry, doll,” he mumbled. “They released a gas while you slept and I tried to fight it, but it’s too strong.”

“‘S okay,” you soothed in return, reaching behind you to run your fingers through his hair, unable to fight the desire inside you. “I need it too, Bucky. Wanna pretend. Let me pretend.”

Cool air ran over the backs of your thighs and ass as Bucky lifted the sheet up, and you angled your upper leg to give him space. When he sunk into your body you felt a combination of pleasure and relief, and stuttered out a groan. You also pretended not to hear him state, “It was always real to me, sweetheart.”

You felt like a wet cat, and probably had the personality to go with it at this moment in time. Time had passed in a cycle of drugging and soaking, and you weren’t entirely sure how much time had passed since you’d been caught in Hydra’s trap. Food had appeared at random intervals, coinciding with both of you passing out post enforced mating, and there was a lidded plastic bucket so you could relieve yourselves.

During one lucid moment, Bucky had torn your sheet down to a more manageable size and constructed himself some kind of loin cloth from the remnants. If it were any other situation you’d have cracked a Tarzan joke. Instead the pair of you were trying to keep sane by playing games of tic tac toe using little balls of torn threads from the sheet and buttons pulled from the mattresses. It felt rather futile.

“How the fuck do we get out of here?” You couldn’t keep the question internal any more, despondency starting to set in.  

Despite your earlier warning to Bucky, he hadn’t been able to refrain from trying the door when you’d been sleeping. His cry of pain as the current had surged through his body had woken you, but he’d just shrugged when you’d run to his side. “I had to try,” was his response to your scolding. At least the serum meant that the burn on his hand was now mostly healed, something which you were grateful for.

Bucky placed down one of his buttons, blocking the row of three you’d been about to make with your fabric scraps. “If only there was some way for Sam and Torres to track us. Like a signal.” He pursed his lips. “They’re probably trying to search for my arm - Shuri has technology that can identify Vibranium - but if it’s not in the same place as us, or we’re too far underground for it to be detected, then it won’t work.”

“What type of signal,” you asked. “Do you mean like a radio signal? We could do that.”

“Hate to break it to you doll, but we don’t have the equipment in here.”

You gave him a scathing look. “Get me a bit of metal to act as an antenna and I am a radio. Doll…”

Bucky looked perplexed and gestured at the mist in the air. “But your powers don’t work.”

“Not true,” you replied with a shake of your head. “They don’t work fully, and it hurts like a bitch to do anything when I’m this damp, but I could send some kind of signal.”

“We’d need something that would make sense to Sam, but look random to others.” 

“A short word. The letters transmitted out of order, but over and over.” A bubble of hope was forming in your chest.

“But what if he’s not looking?” There was doubt in Bucky’s eyes - a hint of vulnerability that you’d never seen before - and you reached out to cover his hand with your own.

“Buck, he’s your friend. Of course he’s looking. Torres too. And what other choice do we have? We have to try.”

Your words seemed to give him a boost, because Bucky pressed his lips together in a firm line and gave you a small nod. “So you just need a piece of metal?”

“A wire really.”

He gave you a smile then, and a theatrical wink. “Got it, doll. Leave it to me.”

For a moment you almost forgot that you hated him.

It didn’t take Bucky long to come up with a plan. In your opinion it was a stupid plan, but it was a plan nonetheless, and the only one you had.

After the next dose of the drug - after you and Bucky had done what you had to - and you’d fallen into an exhausted sleep, Bucky pulled on his Winter Soldier training and forced himself to stay awake.

Waiting.

You might not have had the energy to keep him company, but you didn’t sleep through the altercation. Well, not all of it.

Assuming that you were both asleep, two guards had come in to leave new food and replace your bucket. However, Bucky had rushed them, making it look as though he intended to make a break for the door. Despite being taken by surprise, the guards recovered quickly and retribution was swift. The pair of them used cattle prods on him, and it was his screams and the smell of burning flesh that woke you.

You couldn’t help but spring to your feet, a desperate cry leaving your throat and your meagre powers crackling painfully in your hands. You tried to shock one of them as you hung off his arm, but rubber clad as he was, your attempt had no effect. The guard pushed you to the floor and the level of water cascading from the ceiling came down heavier. You couldn’t do anything but watch as Bucky collapsed under the onslaught, helpless as his eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out from the pain.

The guards left, laughing to each other, and one even spat on him. As soon as the door clanged shut you scrambled over. There, clutched tight in his hand was the curly wire of one of their ear pieces. Just what you needed. Quickly you tucked it into one of the folds of makeshift clothes then pulled Bucky’s head into your lap, stroking his wet hair and hoping that he woke up soon.

Chapter 4

Tag list: @christywrites, @alexakeyloveloki, @wolfsmom1, @doasyoudesireandlive,

@sonatabee-blog, @goldylions, @galactusdevourerofworlds, @apenny4thots,

@crayongirl-linz, @nicoline1998enilocin, @king814318, @blackhawkfanatic,

@loreniscrying, @scram1326,

@km-ffluv, @wheezy-stucky, @kmc1989, @kombatfather1796

[sixlane]

Life and Death

Jegulus microfic | 1.2k words | Mr & Mrs Smith au pt. 2 | pt. 1, pt. 3

The mission hadn’t exactly gone according to plan. It should’ve been a routine package transport, nothing out of the ordinary, except that when they arrived at the dropoff location, they’d been met with 10 armed operatives hell bent on killing them and stealing whatever it was they were transporting.

That’s how James finds himself bleeding out in the backseat as Regulus pushes the gas pedal to the floor, trying to get them somewhere safe while simultaneously losing their attackers.

“James I swear to god if you die I with fucking kill you,” Regulus yells over the roaring engine and squealing tires. “Keep pressure on the wound you fucking idiot!”

James groans as he presses harder on his leg where the bullet entered. Everything’s going a bit fuzzy so he keeps forgetting what he’s doing. If they hit his artery he’s screwed.

“Come on, James, eyes open!” Regulus snaps his fingers, flitting his eyes back and forth between the road and James in the rearview. His brows are pinched in concern and his eyes are shiny with unshed tears. James is pretty sure he’s hallucinating at this point, though. 

“Keep your eyes on the road or you’ll kill us both,” James grits out. They’re speeding around sharp curves on the outskirts of a town in the Italian countryside, but it’s not somewhere James recognizes. He stopped hearing gunshots about five minutes ago so he’s pretty sure they lost whoever was chasing them, but if James doesn’t get sewn up soon he won’t make it out of this one.

Regulus lets out an incredulous laugh, “you’re really going to critique my driving skills right now? Unbelievable.”

“Sorry, love, you’re doing gr— FUCK!” They hit a bump that jostles James’ leg and it feels like he’s on fire, burning up from the inside. It’s all a bit too much. He’s fading fast. 

“James?!” Regulus calls out. “James don’t you dare pass out we’re almost there just hang on five more minutes.” 

“Just gonna take a little nap, love,” James slurs, not totally in control of himself. “You’ve got me.” It’s the last thing he remembers before it all goes dark.

When James cracks his eyes open, he’s met with crimson-stained porcelain. He’s in a bathtub, he thinks, and there is blood… everywhere. That’s when the panic sets in.

James can feel his heart rate spinking as his breathing turns short and shallow. He’s alone in a bathroom he doesn’t recognize and he needs to get his feet under him but god why does his leg feel like it’s been put through a woodchipper? He looks down, taking stock of his body.

He’s naked from the waist down, and there’s a hastily sewn up hole in his upper thigh. It all comes back to him then. 

Fuck

Where is Regulus?

All of a sudden,

Footsteps down the hall.

Scissors on the counter.

He doesn't think. 

He just grabs and throws.

The blades arc through the air and imbed themselves in the wall centimeters away from a head of black curls. If Regulus didn’t have the reflexes of a cat they’d be in his eye.

He stands there for a moment, one cup of something hot in each hand. He looks at the scissors, then at James, who is half propped up on the edge of the tub and breathing hard. “Glad to see you’re feeling better,” he deadpans.

“Shit I’m so sorry, are you oka—”

“It’s fine, James,” Regulus interrupts. “You’re in a heightened state of awareness and your adrenaline is doing the thinking. I would’ve done the same thing. Sit back down.”

James collapses back into the tub and his leg throbs in protest. He bites down on his bottom lip to hold back a whimper. He’s been shot a few times before but it never gets easier.

Regulus sits on the edge of the tub and offers him a cup. “Tea?” He’s so calm. Always the one holding it together for the both of them. James has a brief flashback of the car chase, Regulus on the verge of tears, but he pushes it away.

“Thank you,” James croaks, reaching to take the cup. He wraps his hands around the warm drink but he’s shaking too badly to keep the liquid inside. It sloshes over the edge, burning his fingers. “Shit.”

“Let me,” Regulus says, taking the cup back. He holds it to James’ lips before tipping it slightly.

James makes an obscene noise when the warm liquid slides down his sore throat. In this moment it’s the best thing he’s ever tasted.

Regulus sets the cup down, then reaches out to run his thumb across James’ cheekbone, trying to dislodge some dried blood, probably. The concern from the car is seeping back into his features and he runs his eyes over James from head to toe, a reminder that James is completely bare apart from his blood soaked t-shirt. Oh well, Regulus can look if he wants to.

“How bad was it?” James asks.

Regulus’ eyes snap back to meet James’ and he schools his features into something more neutral, but James doesn’t miss how he’s twirling his wedding band with his thumb, a nervous habit he’s picked up recently. “Pretty bad. The bullet missed your artery, thankfully, but you lost a lot of blood. You’ve been out for two hours.”

“Right,” James says, looking around. “And where are we?”

“Safe house. Should be okay to stay here a few days while you recover.”

James nods. “Thank you for uh… for taking care of me.” He can feel his cheeks heating as he says it. He’s not usually one to get flustered, but something about Regulus watching over him while he’d been unconscious is making him feel gooey inside.

Regulus just shrugs, not breaking eye contact. “You’d do the same for me.” They share the look for a few more seconds, something behind it that neither of them wants to name, before Regulus looks away. “Let’s get you cleaned up, okay?”

It takes the better part of an hour because James can’t stand without Regulus supporting his full weight, but he finally makes it to bed, clean and wearing new clothes Regulus found in a drawer somewhere. Regulus gave him a few pills to help with the pain and they’re making him sleepy already, the world blurring around its edges.

“Need anything else?” Regulus asks as he fluffs James’ pillows behind him.

“Mm good,” James responds, though it’s barely audible. 

“Alright, I’ll come check on you in a few hours. Try to get some sleep.” Regulus moves toward the door, but before he can get too far James catches his wrist.

“Stay? Please? Don’t wanna be alone.” 

Regulus turns, his expression soft. “Yeah, James, okay. I’ll stay.”

He moves around the bed to come up behind James, but he doesn’t get under the covers. 

After a few minutes, when he thinks James is asleep, Regulus runs a delicate finger down his back, tracing the hills and valleys of his spine. He lets out a shuddering exhale, one he’d been holding back for a while it seems, and James finally drifts off to soft touches and Regulus’ warmth at his back.