#arc 1 is too far gone
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currently how long are bdor and its prequel when combined wordcount wise
you brought up 200k and i am both terrified and intrigued. like thats impressive. i am in awe. i can barely put a sentence together much less that many
Okay let me give you a lay of the land. And before we begin, I just have to say that I am so, so sorry. I gave you such a wrong number.
BDOR Arc 1, as of its official word count right now, is 152,892 words. Itâs completely written and ready to be published save chapters 15, 18, 20, 24 (12,000 word chapter that has to go đą) ch 27-29, and then itâs pretty much smooth sailing (with a few minor edits in there and a few scenes to add) until ch 75-76, which need some tweaking, and then the final ch 78 needs a bit of an adjustment as well, and I may delete it completely. All of these chapters specifically mentioned above are in various stages of editing, but generally the story at this point is solid. The final chapter count will probably be 80-82, because there are a few beats that need to be hit that havenât been, some characters to flesh out more, and lovely beta reader @needfantasticstories revealed some logic errors that I need to spin up some bullcrap to coverđ. I have 9,000 words of notes for things to change in pages, and about that amount of changes in google docs as well. So Iâm estimating 160,000 words for the final product there, if not more.
Arc 2 is where it gets SO dicey. My word count in my final doc right now is 44,424. I have another 6,000 ish words of notes in pages to change/tweak scenes/general scene layouts. I have another 15,884 words that have been digitized but havenât made it into the final document because they need editing. Add onto that about 30?? Pages handwritten that havenât even made it that far. I usually get about 600-750 words per page, so letâs tally that up to a generous 45,000 since I write front and back. There is leeway of about 20,000 words in there too, because thereâs a big chunk of time (heh) I am considering only hinting at happening, but I have written out in their near entirety.
The thing is, Iâve probably written about half of arc 2 with all of that.
So assuming I keep that 20,000 chunk, and assuming I double my word count as I think I will, the final tally here is nearly 110,000 already, which will probably grow to an estimated 200,000 if not more. I am working on cutting this down XD, so stay tuned. The main plot is generally solid, but thereâs a LOT of little subplots I need to wrap up lol.
Prologue: this is a little side thing I meant to just be cute little scenes from Twi and Wildâs past and it got away from me. An official 28,424 words of this are written. Iâd say I have another 15 handwritten pages (front and back counted, i should clarify) in various stages of editing, so letâs say a generous 11,250. The thing is, I have a LOT of ideas, and once I finalize arc 1 and arc 2, Iâm going to have a lot of free time to dig into this while the other story comes out (I probably need to start updating multiple times a week if I want to get this story out before I turn 90 XD). So this number will most definitely grow, but for now it is an estimated 39,674.
Final estimated word count (if I did the math right and also didnât underestimate my ability to purple prose), everypony?
396,174 words!!
Oh Lord I donât think Iâd realized before I tallied everything up that it was actually this long. I think this project has run away from me. I just wanted to play with my blorbos not write the next Ancient Greek Epic. What the heck. I need to go lie down.
Also just took 3,500 from the final count because I realized I had double counted a chapter sorry ignore that.
But yeah I am hoping to cut down arc 2, so maybe 350,000? Thatâs being optimistic in my ability to not be longwinded though.
#should I like#update my status on ao3#I think I have in the notes that itâs 120000#I was in denial when I wrote that#and actually hadnât tallied it up#but going through it like this?? Iâm scared#all I can do now is hope and pray that arc 2 doesnât get away from me#arc 1 is too far gone#I kinda hate that you asked this question#youâre making me face my own hubris huh#linked universe#lu#linkeduniverse#ao3#cheetoanswers#BDOR#blooddropsonroses#Iâm so sorry everyone#Lu Wild#wild linked universe
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Hey so do you know where I could find this acting manifesto of yours?
I usually try and avoid publicly expressing my opinion on things like this but I recently saw some people commenting negatively on his acting again and Iâm starting to doubt my own judgement.
Iâve truly never had a huge problem with his acting but I keep seeing people using really harsh words to describe his prior and current work. I genuinely think heâs doing a good job in THK but these comments sometimes make me think Iâm missing something.
That conflicts with the fact I know at least three people he worked with on THK specifically had positive things to say about his acting too and I trust people who do this for a living to know what theyâre talking about for the most part.
I guess Iâm just looking for your post to have a more detailed perspective of the opposite viewpoint to âheâs a terrible actorâ to help affirm some of my thinking so Iâm more confident in my positive opinion of his acting.
Overall though Iâm enjoying everyone in this show but for me Iâm specifically enjoying the four mains the most. Kudos to them honestly.
(Disclaimer: Obviously everyone is entitled to their opinion but the harshness of some of the opinions took me off guard a little.)
fuck these people. they don't know shit.
(mind you. this manifesto was written based on his performance in just star in my mind and hidden agenda. his 2024 shows weren't even out at that point. in fact, thk hadn't even been publicly announced yet. you can see from the start there is talent in this boy if you actually know what to look out for)
bonus: i rant some more in the last reblog
#''i trust people who do this for a living to know what they're talking about'' <- yeah. exactly#i'm only semi-qualified bc i don't actually do this for a living#(yet. not yetâ hopefully)#but i do have a diploma in acting#and i had two fantastic teachers who made a point of teaching us students how to analyze acting performances#on my last class with one of these teachers he actually told me i'd make a good director based on the feedback i'd give my peers in class#i'm not saying you need to trust my acting opinions and that they are the only correct⢠ones (god no)#but my opinions likely have more legitimacy than those of the majority of fans (and haters)#anon you mind collecting some of the harsh things that are being said? i wanna know if they even come with receipts#asks#anon#airenyah no. 1 dunk defender#dunk natachai#adrm#yeah istg. if i keep hearing (about) people talking shit about dunk's acting#i may write a part two of this manifesto once thk is over and i'm done with my weekly style meta project#also!!â sometimes he DOES mess up!! sometimes things don't go that smoothly!!#BUT SO WHAT#it's mostly individual instances#like his monologue in the thk ep8 crying scene#that was the first time in the entire series so far where i was like ''kid this is not your finest moment you can do better than this''#(the build up was wrongâ he stayed on the same level and acted out mostly the obvious)#(it would have been more interesting if he hadn't gone into the monologue with a whiny voice from the first second on)#(the emotional arc would have been more interesting and the drop down to the crying would have been bigger and more effective)#anyway. he's ACING this role and my style metas are basically a love letter to his acting too#because i wouldn't be able to write 10k(+) words on style every week if the things weren't there in his performance#anyway fuck these people i think most of them have decided to hate dunk from the start or are parroting their friends' words#they'll just hate whatever he does on principle bc they don't actually care#and they don't care to look at his improvement either bc they just hate him on principle#anon don't let their words drag down your enjoyment of dunk's performance!! because i'm telling you there is SO MUCH JOY to be found!!!!!!
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Spend the Night with You, Spend My Life with You
summary: sex, snow and three little words
warnings: SMUT 18+, strap use
a/n: these two are so hopeless it hurts
word count: 3.5k
part 1
-
The edge of the kitchen island bites into your stomach as Alexia pushes you forward, her hands gripping your hips with a steady, deliberate pressure. You splay your fingers across the cool marble, desperate for purchase, but the smooth surface offers nothing to hold on to. When her hips snap forward, the shock of it ripples through your entire body, a gasp catching in your throat.
Your hand shoots out instinctively, grasping for anything to ground you. It lands on the hammered copper bowl at the edge of the counter. The movement sends it spinning off balance, and a dozen oranges tumble onto the floor, rolling in lazy, chaotic arcs. The bowl clatters noisily, a sound that echoes off the tiled walls. Neither of you reacts. Youâre too far gone.
Alexia leans into you from behind, her chest pressing against your back as her hands slide up your sides, over your ribs, her touch both reverent and possessive. The weight of her against you is grounding, her skin hot where it meets yours. Her lips find the nape of your neck, and she bitesâhard enough to sting, hard enough to make you gasp again.
You feel her breath against your ear, hot and ragged. âYouâre perfect,â she murmurs, the words almost swallowed by the sounds of your own shallow breathing.
Your head falls forward, your forehead brushing the cold marble. You squeeze your eyes shut, focusing on the weight of her hands on your hips, the way her fingers dig into your skin like sheâs afraid youâll slip away.
âAlexia,â you breathe, her name tumbling out of you unbidden, as if itâs the only word youâve ever known.
Her answer comes in the way her hips press harder against yours, the rhythm sheâs set becoming a language all its own. Thereâs nothing else, nothing outside the space youâve carved out together. The world could be ending, and it wouldnât matter.
Her movements are sure, deliberate, her hands sliding from your hips to your stomach, then lower, fingers brushing over the heat of your skin. You shudder beneath her, your legs threatening to give out, but she holds you steady, her strength a reminder of the control she wields effortlessly.
âLook at me,â she commands, her voice low but firm, cutting through the haze that clouds your thoughts.
You lift your head, craning your neck to meet her gaze over your shoulder. Her eyes are dark, endless, and they pin you in place more effectively than any touch ever could. Thereâs something in her expressionâa tenderness that feels at odds with the raw, almost brutal edge of whatâs happeningâand it makes your chest tighten.
âI love you,â she says, and the simplicity of it leaves you breathless.
Itâs the first time sheâs said it, the first time either of you has dared to name this thing between you. And even though youâd already come to terms with your feelings in the quiet of your own mind, hearing it out loud is like a punch to the gut.
You turn your head back, pressing your cheek against the cool surface of the counter, unable to face her for more than a moment. But her hands are insistent, guiding you upright, pulling you back against her chest. One arm wraps around your waist, holding you close, while her free hand tilts your chin up, forcing you to meet her eyes again.
âSay it,â she whispers, her lips brushing against your ear.
You hesitate, the words lodged in your throat, but the way her eyes softenâhopeful and unrelentingâundoes you completely.
âI love you,â you admit, the words breaking on a gasp as her hand slides lower, her touch erasing any lingering doubts.
The air between you shifts, heavy with something unspoken but deeply understood. Her mouth finds yours, the kiss urgent and messy, teeth clashing and tongues tangling as if sheâs trying to devour the words youâve just given her.
Your legs shake, and she senses it, so she pulls out and scoops you up with an ease that borders on arrogance. Your thighs lock around her waist instinctively, the movement both desperate and defiant, and your arms loop around her neck like you might otherwise drift away. She doesnât falter, doesnât pause. She carries you as if you weigh nothing, as if your feverish kisses and clumsy, grasping hands donât threaten to frustrate her with every step.
Youâre not sure where sheâs taking you; thereâs no plan, only the friction of her fingertips digging into the backs of your thighs and the insistent pressure of her mouth on yours. You lose yourself in the motion, in the heat of her skin beneath her shirtâa cotton button-down you vaguely recall unbuttoning in a fit of impatience. Itâs pale blue, maybe linen, and creases easily, but somehow, on her, even its rumpled state looks deliberate. The kind of effortless chic that you hate to admit you envy.
The bedroom is the goal, you think, until it isnât. Until the two of you crash onto the rug in front of the fireplace. A soft furnishing you remember buying on a whimâhand-woven by a fourth-generation family in the Atlas Mountains, the kind of purchase that implies youâre a person with taste, with distinction. Itâs soft in some places, coarse in others, but all you can focus on is the way Alexiaâs body moves against yours, her breath hot against your neck, her hands mapping out territory she already owns.
âGod, youâre perfect,â she murmurs, her voice rough, a little breathless, and itâs absurd how much the words undo you. You feel her lips against your collarbone, then lower, her tongue tracing a line along the curve of your breast before she takes your nipple into her mouth. Your back arches, your breath catching, and youâre distantly aware of the way your legs tighten around her waist, pulling her impossibly closer.
The fire is building, frantic and all-consuming, and youâre helpless to stop it. Not that you want to. Not when her hands are on you, coaxing, demanding, grounding you in a way nothing else ever has. You lose yourself in her touch, her voice, her everything.
Time becomes a blur after that. The weight of her body, the press of her hands, the sound of her voiceâlow and rough and threading its way through the space between youâitâs all-consuming. You donât remember when you stopped thinking, when you let go of the need to control the situation, or her, or yourself. But itâs somewhere between her mouth finding yours again and the sheer mess of your limbs tangling together, her strength pinning you exactly where she wants you.
When itâs over, when the storm of her finally settles into something quieter, her head resting against your shoulder and her breath warm against your neck, you remember.
âWeâre late,â you announce, your voice cutting through the silence with all the grace of a car alarm.
Alexia doesnât move at first, her body still draped lazily over you, hot breath tickling the damp skin of your neck. âWhat?â she hums, not lifting her head.
âSkiingâ you say, as though itâs obvious. âThe booking. The gear hire. The⌠everything.â You gesture vaguely toward the coffee table, where your itinerary sits, printed and highlighted and unnecessarily laminated.
She looks up then, and for a moment she just stares at you, blinking, as if she canât quite believe what sheâs hearing. Then, to your utter dismay, she starts laughing. Itâs not a small laugh, either. Itâs full-bodied, rich, and entirely at your expense.
âYouâre joking,â she says between breaths, though itâs clear she knows youâre not.
âIâm not,â you insist, pushing her off you, though the movement feels like betrayalâlike cutting the power to a film just as the climax hits. âThe lift tickets were pre-booked. Thereâs a window. A strict window that were going to missâ
âAnd whose fault is it that?â she asks, raising an eyebrow.
âYours,â you reply, deadpan. âYouâre the one who decided to⌠well, distract meâ
Alexia laughs again, a soft sound thatâs warm and infectious and entirely too easy to forgive. âDistract you? Thatâs rich, coming from the person who couldnât keep their hands to themselvesâ
âDonât deflect,â you say, sitting up to make a point this is in fact very serious. âDo you know how much coordination it took to set this up? The calls? The emails? The back-and-forth with their useless website that doesnât recognise international postcodes? And the ski instructor alone was a nightmare to book. Heâs apparently some kind of legendâteaches everyone from A-listers to politicians to royalty. His nameâs Pierre, which is almost too on the nose, but I digress. The point is, heâs probably been standing there for twenty minutes now, wondering if weâve been mauled by wolvesâ
She grins, shaking her head, and thereâs something infuriatingly fond about the way she looks at you. âYouâre very dramaticâ
âNo, Iâm being organised,â you counter, scrambling to your feet and reaching for your discarded shirt. âThis was your idea, remember? âLetâs try skiing,â you said. âItâll be fun,â you saidâ
âIt will be fun,â she says, still seated on the floor, her hair dishevelled, her shirt hanging off one shoulder. She looks maddeningly good like this, like she belongs in some high-end editorial spread titled Après Passion.
âNot if we miss the slot,â you mutter, pulling your shirt over your head and avoiding her gaze. âDo you know what happens if youâre late? They give your spot away. To people on a wait listâ
She doesnât move immediately, instead she sits there on your hand-woven rug watching you with an expression thatâs equal parts fond and exasperated. âYou know, youâre kind of cute when youâre like this,â she says, her voice teasing.
âLike what?â
âFrantic. Bossy. Pretending you donât care when you obviously doâ
You roll your eyes, but thereâs no real bite to it. âJust get dressed. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can go back to not caringâ
-
The beginner slopeâcharmingly nicknamed âBunny Hillââis far steeper than Alexia had anticipated. She stands rigidly at the edge, her boots clipped into rental skis that are alarmingly bright, the sort of neon green you associate with aggressive cycling brands or obnoxious trainers. You wonder if theyâre intentionally loud, designed to help instructors spot the inevitable bodies sprawled across the snow.
Beside her, youâre dressed in a Moncler ski suit so pristine it practically sparkles in the sunlight. The stitching is quilted in perfect geometric diamonds, and the fur-lined hood is deliberately oversized, framing your face like the edges of a Vogue cover shoot. Your skis are top-tier: Fischer RC4 World Cups, chosen partly for their reputation and partly because the matte black matches your poles. Youâve already waxed them twice this season, though they probably didnât need it. Your goggles, Oakleys with custom polarised lenses, sit snugly over your face, and youâre already warm, thanks to the base layer that cost more than the deposit on your first flat.
Alexia is, as always, frustratingly nonchalant. Her goggles, brand-new Oakleys youâd insisted on buying for her, sit slightly crooked on her face, the strap twisted in a way that makes your fingers itch to adjust them. The matching jacket, a sleek, insulated Patagonia shell in a shade of deep red that complements her complexion, fits perfectlyâthough she wears it like itâs just another hoodie tossed on before training. The trousers, Arcteryx, are so crisp they almost crackle, the tags having been snipped off mere hours ago. She looks every bit the part of a seasoned skier, though her posture suggests sheâs waiting for the whole ordeal to be over so she can sit by the fire with a hot drink.
She shifts awkwardly, her poles dragging in the snow. âThis is steeper than I thoughtâ
You glance at the slope. Itâs a nursery hill. Literal children are whizzing past with confidence, some barely old enough to tie their own shoelaces. A mother is halfway down, calling encouragement to a toddler in a lime-green snowsuit who is spinning in place, his skis forming an accidental snow angel.
âYouâll be fine,â you say, perhaps too casually, because she turns to look at you, her eyes narrowed.
âIâm not used to this,â she says, gesturing vaguely at the expanse of white in front of her. âYou didnât mention it would feel so⌠exposedâ
You shrug. âYouâll pick it up quickly. Youâre an athleteâ
âExactly, I donât want to break my leg before the season startsâ
Her caution surprises you. This is Alexia Putellas, who spends most of her life hurling herself into situations where bones break as casually as fingernails. But now, faced with the prospect of skiing, sheâs hesitant, almost timid. Itâs endearing, if not mildly irritating.
Pierre, your instructor for the day, is waiting at the bottom of the hill. His presence alone feels like an Arian tourism advertisement: flaxen hair, sharp cheekbones, and a jawline you could slice cheese on. His ski suit is a garish shade of blue, the logo of a the resort emblazoned across his chest. He waves at you both, teeth so white they practically refract the sun.
âEveryone is going to laugh at me,â Alexia mutters, her grip tightening on her poles.
âMaybe, but Pierre doesnât count,â you say, ignoring the way she winces at the name. âHeâs Swiss. Theyâre born on skis.â
She takes a deep breath and adjusts her goggles, the anti-fog coating catching the light. âAlright. I can do thisâ
She canât do this, you quickly learn.
The moment she pushes off, itâs clear sheâs underestimated the logistics. Her knees are too stiff, her weight too far back, and the skis seem to have a mind of their own. She picks up speed alarmingly quickly, her arms flailing in an almost cartoonish attempt at balance. You watch in horror as she veers toward the edge of the slope, narrowly missing a child who stares after her with wide-eyed bewilderment.
âBend your knees!â you shout, though itâs futile.
Somehow, she manages to slow herself down enough to come to an abrupt, awkward halt halfway down the hill. Sheâs breathing heavily, her face flushedânot from exertion but from what you suspect is a mix of terror and mortification.
âWhat was that?â she calls up to you, her voice high-pitched.
âYou were leaning back,â you reply, sliding toward her with an ease you know she finds infuriating. âYour centre of gravity was offâ
âNo shit,â she mutters, bending over to adjust her boots.
When you reach her, you make a show of stopping gracefully, your skis forming a perfect parallel line. You stand over her like an insufferable authority figure, which, letâs be honest, you are.
âLook,â you say, your tone breezy. âItâs all about weight distribution. Shift forward. Use your knees to absorb the movement. Itâs physicsâ
She looks up at you, incredulous. âAre you seriously quoting physics to me right now?â
âWould you prefer I quote Pythagoras?â
âIâd prefer you stop being smugâ
You grin. âIâm not being smug. Iâm being helpfulâ
She scowls, but thereâs no real venom in it.
Eventually, she makes it to the bottom, though not without incident. She topples twice, once taking out a marker pole and once nearly colliding with Sven, who watches the whole debacle with the stoicism of someone whoâs seen far worse.
âIâm retiring,â Alexia declares when she finally comes to a stop, her skis splayed at an awkward angle.
âYouâre fine,â you say, brushing snow off her jacket.
âIâm not fine. My pride is in piecesâ
âPride heals faster than a broken leg,â Pierre says, his tone unhelpfully chipper.
-
The lodge, when you finally retreat to it, is a welcome reprieve, a perfect clichĂŠ of alpine charm. The interior is all dark wood and exposed beams, the kind that might be reclaimed or might just be faux-rustic, itâs hard to tell. Roaring fireplaces anchor every corner, their stone mantels adorned with garlands of holly and pine cones sprayed with artificial snow. The air is thick with the scent of mulled wine, damp wool, and wood smoke, mingling in a way that makes the space feel both comforting and mildly suffocating.
Alexia slumps into a seat near the fireplace, tugging off her goggles with the dramatic sigh of someone whoâs just endured a life-altering trauma. She drops them onto the table, where they skid across the varnished surface before coming to rest against a cast iron candleholder.
âI hate this,â she announces, slouching low in her chair like a moody teenager whoâs just been told to tidy their room.
âYou donât hate this,â you say, sliding into the seat opposite her and unzipping your jacket with far less fanfare. âYou hate not being good at itâ
She glares at you, her jaw tightening in that way it always does when youâve hit the mark. Itâs the same glare she gives referees when a call doesnât go her way, and itâs just as ineffective now as it is then.
âAdmit it,â you press, unable to resist poking the bear. âYouâre annoyed because skiing isnât something you can dominate after five minutes of practiceâ
âIâm annoyed because skiing is stupid,â she retorts, though the defensive edge in her voice gives her away. âWho even decided sliding down a mountain with sticks strapped to your feet was a good idea?â
âNorwegians, probably,â you say, leaning back in your chair. âBlame themâ
She grumbles something in Spanish, too low for you to catch, but the sharpness of her tone tells you itâs probably an insult aimed at both the Norwegians and you.
Before you can tease her further, a server appears with hot chocolates. Theyâre obsceneâdecadent monstrosities served in oversized ceramic mugs. Each one is piled high with whipped cream, dusted with cocoa powder, and garnished with sugar-dusted gingerbread stars precariously balanced on the rim. A stray marshmallow floats in the froth, its edges beginning to dissolve.
Alexia stares at hers like itâs personally offended her.
âWhat?â she demands when you burst into laughter.
âNothing,â you say, though your smirk gives you away entirely. âItâs just⌠not very you, is it?â
âWhatâs that supposed to mean?â she asks, narrowing her eyes.
âNothing,â you repeat, though you canât stop yourself from glancing pointedly at the gingerbread star perched on her mug like itâs auditioning for next year's John Lewis Christmas advert.
âYouâre enjoying this too much,â she mutters, picking up a marshmallow and lobbing it at you without warning.
It hits your sleeve, leaving a faint, sticky smudge of melted sugar on your Moncler jacket. You look down at it, then back at her, your expression perfectly deadpan.
âChildish,â you say, flicking the marshmallow back at her.
She dodges it with the expected reflexes of someone who captains her national team, though the movement is so exaggerated it draws the attention of the couple at the next table. You give them an apologetic smile, but Alexia just grabs her spoon and scoops an alarming amount of whipped cream off her hot chocolate.
âDonât you dare,â you warn, raising a hand in mock surrender.
Her smirk is pure mischief as she leans forward, balancing the spoon precariously. âYou started itâ
âAnd best believe me, Iâll finish it too,â you say, though your tone lacks conviction.
She takes this as permission and flings the whipped cream in your direction. It lands squarely on your shoulder, and the entire room seems to pause as you stare at the mess now streaking your ski suit.
âYou're five,â you say flatly, reaching for a napkin.
âYou deserved it,â she replies, utterly unrepentant, leaning back in her chair with a victorious grin that makes your stomach flip in a way youâre starting to find annoyingly familiar.
You shake your head, suppressing a smile as you wipe the sticky smudge off your sleeve. The lodge hums around youâsoft chatter, the occasional clink of glasses, the crackle of the fireâand yet it feels like the world has narrowed to just this table, just her.
Sheâs still grinning when you glance back up, like she knows exactly what sheâs doing to you. Itâs infuriating. And addictive.
âYouâre a pain,â you mutter, more to yourself than to her, but she hears it anyway.
âYet, you still love me,â she quips, her tone light, teasing, but thereâs something in her eyesâsomething unguarded and fleeting, like a glimpse of light through a crack in the curtains.
It makes your chest ache, but not in a way that hurts. Itâs the kind of ache you feel when youâre exactly where youâre meant to be, when everything finally clicks into place.
You shrug, trying to play it cool even as your pulse stumbles over itself. âMaybe I doâ
Her grin softens, just slightly, and for a second, it feels like the world pauses. The fire crackles, the snow falls softly outside, and all the noise of the lodge blurs into background static.
Then she picks up her mug, takes an exaggerated sip of her hot chocolate, and smirks. âLucky meâ
Lucky her indeed.
#alexia putellas#alexia putellas x reader#fcb femeni#fcb femeni x reader#espwnt#espwnt x reader#woso#woso x reader#woso imagine#woso community
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I get that in general a lot of kids shows do utilize the protagonists ('good guys') in ways where they're supposed to be role models, particularly because some do have a "lesson of the week" where the character does bad things, then clearly learns and explains what they should've done instead by the end of the episode.
That has just... never been how TDP has operated, and I don't get how and why people think we're supposed to take what anyone does in the show as being unilaterally good or evil. Particularly in arc 2; any moral simplicity that was hanging on by a thread in arc 1 has been taken out back and shot numerous times by now.
TDP very rarely calls anything Evil or Good, and when it does, it's always filtered through the characters' biases, and rarely does more then 2-3 characters ever have the same opinion on something for the same reasons. Soren and Rayla, who have inverted character arcs, are some of the only characters to ever use the term villain / good guys or bad guys, and are two of the most staunchly black-and-white thinking characters, heavily to their detriment, I might add, in terms of coping with the increasing complexity of their lives. They have cognitive biases. They're not always right, and are frequently wrong. This is true for everyone in the show.
The show refuses to condemn murder, indirectly and directly condemns the expulsion of humans from Xadia routinely (Evrkynd being a city for everyone, Ezran arguing with Karim, who is the most wrong about the most things), and shows a variety of viewpoints on all things.
The show understands that the choices people makeâwhether the same character trait is a flaw or a strengthâas well as 'moral' choices are all circumstantial.
Are you wrong to burn people alive? Mostly yes (2x07, 6x08) but also no (3x09). Are you wrong to kill people? Sometimes yes, sometimes no, sometimes whether it's 'wrong' or 'right' doesn't even factor in. Are you wrong to use dark magic, or use the dangerous Staff of Ziard, or coin someone and condemn them to a 'fate worse than death'? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Is lying or hiding the truth to protect someone wrong? Sometimes yes (1x06, 2x03, 3x03, 5x01, 7x04, 7x06) sometimes no (1x02, 2x03, 6x06, 5x08, 7x08).
Are you doing the right thing?
Do you have no choice? Is that true, or is that just what you think, or how you rationalize it yourself?
When is it right or cowardly to leave (Viren, Lissa, Rayla, Callum, Ezran, the Cosmic Council, the offer made to Karim's troops)? When should you stay? When do you decide to share resources (2x05) to your potential detriment or withhold them in the name of protecting yourself and your own people (Xadia and magic)? At what point(s) do you prioritize your own pain and grief, or someone else's (i.e. the Keeper vs Callum vs Ezran)? At what point is someone too dangerous or 'too far gone' to keep alive (Runaan about Harrow, Ezran about Aaravos)? At what point do you decide someone cannot change? When do you refuse to change (Karim, Terry) who you are no matter what happens, and when do you decide that you must (Ezran, Soren)? When is it wrong to use illusions to trick someone (3x09 and 7x06) and when is it more reasonable (2x03)? When should you be willing to sacrifice others (Rayla with her family, Runaan and Rayla with Callum, Soren with Viren) and when should you refuse? When should you sacrifice yourself, and when it is wrong to? Did you betray them, or did they betray you, or both (usually both)? When should you betray or stay loyal to your family? What is the right thing to do?
The show, tbh, doesn't know, at least 90% of the time. It's not interested in knowing. It's interested in exploring. That's the whole point. At most, it says you should work towards harm reduction, but what constitutes harm, and what peace looks like, is also something that greatly differs for all the characters.
Rayla is willing to sacrifice the love of her life, Ezran is willing to create weapons of mass destruction and wield one, and Callum used a torture spell on someone when he absolutely did not have to. The idea that any of the protagonists are meant to be paragons of unblemished virtue who are always 100% right, or that any of the antagonists do not canonically have a good point of contention with anything that's happened and are always 100% wrong, is reductive to everything the show is and explores, because it is Quite Literally not what the show does, ever tbh.
They literally spelled it out this past season as a core theme; I don't think they needed to have a character directly point it out every time a main character did something that was Kinda Fucked Up or Complicated But Understandable to know that the show knows it was Canonically Fucked Up or Complicated But Understandable.
There is not a single character or action in TDP that is always right, and there is not a singular character or action in TDP that is always wrong. Hell, even narrowing it down to "this is 'right' or 'wrong'" feels counterintuitive because it's so subjective within the narrative.
Every choice the characters make is often well reasoned, aligns with their values and world views, and fits into how they work through problems. Every choice has benefits and consequences, for them or for others. That doesn't mean it's Right for everyone involved. That doesn't mean it's Wrong for everyone involved. That's what makes the show interesting. Everything has nuance. Everything has Complexity. I'm not interested in a simplified version of TDP. I'm interested in the show as is.
I hope you are, too.
#tdp#the dragon prince#analysis series#analysis#mine#im so tired#s7 spoilers#like i truly cannot fathom watching viren walk away from claudia or the illusion plan in 7x06 and thinking#'the show wants us to think this was 100% the right thing to do no ifs ands or buts' like. what#like rayla thematically has always been an antagonist#it just always seems like ppl are like. the show doesn't know the magic system is unfair#or the cosmic council are gonna be good guys. and it's like. the show has known the magic system is unfair since s2#that's the point of s2. the cosmic council will be dismantled. they have to be. that's why they're there#it's a hand of god narrative structure. they executed a child for no reason. where else would we go#have a lil faith#'humans can do whatever they want bc they were oppressed' that's not how life & morality works#just look at world affairs (atrocities in gaza)
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Hi! Just curious. What exactly is that you didn't like about Viktor's arc? I've seen a few people saying the same thing and idk if I'm missing something or I'm just too over the moon about him that my brain has gone smooth haha.
oh no oh no i'm probably going to write like a whole dissertation about this I am so sorry I'm literally cracking my knuckles I have so many thoughts and not all of them I'll even get to articulate here.
Saying this upfront: you aren't smooth-brained for disagreeing with me or liking it. I want to say that outright as I'm a very opinionated person and I am going to state my very strong opinions very plainly.
That being said : I genuinely feel like season 2 needed like... character writing 101 for a lot of these characters, especially the two characters whose names start with a 'V'. I'm so serious if one of my students brought in a story like this, I would (gently) take it apart.
If you don't want to read the whole thing I'm about to unleash, the crux of it is this for me:
Throughout the course of the season, it's very hard to discern how many of Viktor's decisions are his own. He lacks the baseline autonomy that's necessary for satisfying development. The magic of the hexcore becomes a shiny distraction that makes meaningful development impossible. Additionally, season 2 forgets so many of the themes and threads they explored with Viktor in season one explicitly in terms of class and his position on war and weapons manufacturing.
And, like almost everything in season 2, these issues are compounded because his story is done at a pace that's completely lightning-fast and prioritizes the wrong things.
Here's my thesis:
How Does a Man Like Viktor Become the Machine Herald? Arcane's Answer: Magic orb or vague sadness or something idk.
Harry Lloyd said in a season 1 commentary somewhere that one of the main appeals for Viktor is knowing who he is in the game and wondering how you take a man like him, who is so kind and has people's best interests at heart, and see him slowly become the machine herald.
I agree 100% that this is part of the story's appeal for players. And it would be a delight and surprise for non-players.
We... get that very juicy premise ripped from us. We don't see him making decisions grounded in the character they set up in season 1 at all, really. And its very unsatisfying seeing him be rendered a mere victim of circumstance with vague attachments to his past self.
This is not necessarily a complaint about arcane herald vs machine herald (I did not play league and am not attached to the lore) but a complaint that a lot of what happens with Viktor in season 2 seems very unattached to his psychology.
Christian Linke himself said (and I forget where, so I am sorry if I'm paraphrasing terribly) that part of the question he wanted the audience to ask with Viktor is how much of this is really him? Bluntly. That is incredibly silly. It's such an important question that it makes all other interesting questions one might have about him really hard to parse.
That's not compelling. That's a mistake. That's not rooted in character anymore but a vague magical orb.
Here are some questions that would have been more interesting for us to ask, Christian.
How does his desire to tamper out human emotion prompt him to do the unspeakable? What leads him there?
How far is he willing to go to take away human pain and suffering?
Is his version of pacifism really, in actuality, a form of violence?
Will his connection with others be enough to bring him back to his humanity? (this is a question we were not prompted to ask, and if we were, it would have made the final scene (which I love regardless) a lot more satisfying.
What is the root of his hunger for power? How much of his quest is a hunger for power and control over others (rooted in a fractured and tragic sense of self)? and how much is it rooted in his desire to help? Where is that line?
Any of these questions or any other questions we could enjoy exploring with Viktor become tampered with and weakened by the fact that a vague magical entity is controlling him in a vague and unrelatable way.
In short, 'How much of Viktor is still Viktor?' is a far less interesting question than. 'how is Viktor going to act, change, and learn? ' We are forced to ask the first at the cost of the second. He clearly is not fully himself this season.
The Dropping of Themes and Traits
Season 1's exploration of Viktor was multi-layered and fascinating. I feel like we got to see the establishment of a kind-hearted, sometimes awkward yet quite funny, passionate scientist.
I don't feel we see much of any of this in season 2. The stupid fucking orb overrides a lot of the traits we've come to know and love. This would have been cool if done with an ounce of care, understanding, or autonomy.
In season 1, we see Viktor in a position of powerlessness over and over. We see Viktor ignored and looked down upon by those in power both for his disability and, crucially, for his status as a Zaunite.
We're introduced to him as someone who is desperate to prove himself and carve a place for himself. He knows he's brilliant. And he knows he can help people with that big brain of his. That's all he wants. And he wants to make his mark (something I theorize is rooted in his loneliness as well as his ambition)
(Side note: I find a lot of the debate on whether or not Viktor is insecure a little silly because you can be both confident and insecure. He's incredibly secure in his abilities as a scientist, but I fully do believe he places all his worth on his work because he's not as confident in other places - represented visually by him trying to point out his boat when Sky is looking at him in the flashback. A 'don't look at me look at what I've made' type thing.)
Anyways. Viktor is willing to risk his position as an assistant and, honestly, his position at the academy and in Piltover as a whole to help Jayce. This is not just because he's 'lol so chaotic' or whatever. This is actually quite calculated. He knows he will get nowhere in Piltovian society without bending rules, because Piltover was not built for people like him.
"Do you think it was my life's ambition to be an assistant?"
But even in taking that huge step for himself, his new role is complicated.
We see him sit through meetings where his people are talked about like burdens. We see his closest (and honestly only) ally and partner speak over him in meetings and overrule his desires and wants when it comes to the future of hextech in massive ways. We see Jayce call all Zaunites 'dangerous' (I love jayce... don't shoot me please. But we do often forget that this does canonically happen and what makes Jayce so incredible is that he grows from this point)
The moment on the bridge directly causes him not to tell Jayce about what he's doing to himself. Jayce apologizing right after doesn't matter so much as it reinforces one of Viktor's fears: he is alone.
We see his illness, !!!!caused by Piltover's oppression!!!!, take over. We see him and Jayce grow apart. We see the way his loneliness impacts his desperation and the way his desperation impacts his loneliness and we see the way he's so damn afraid and just wants to live. We see how much he wants to help people, and how even though he's tried so hard he never got to achieve that because the limits of this society just don't allow for it.
Season 1 Act one is Viktor taking action for himself. season 1 Acts 2 and 3 are a brutal reminder that no matter how hard he works. No matter how hard he claws. He will always be who he is. And that makes him Powerless in this society. I honestly find it a really compelling storyline in terms of the 'bootstrap theory' and debunking that - but a different topic for a different time!
At the end of the season, he's able to gain a huge amount of power - speaking at the council about freeing his city - through Jayce's platforming and allyship. But at the end of the day it doesn't matter, because what the council is doing is too little too late - people in Zaun are too tired and too hurt - and he gets caught in the crossfire.
Despite all this, Season 2 does not engage with Viktor's being a Zaunite outside of the fact that he returns to Zaun first. But the themes explored related to class and power are gone - as they are with everyone else really.
It makes sense to me that one of the first things Viktor would do when granted a new body and new power would be to go and try to help people in Zaun, but the ambiguous mechanisms of the magic inside him, the immediate divorce with Jayce, and the bizarre way he goes about it don't make this land.
And even the return is rendered sort of meaningless. Where is the personal connection to this place? Why are we given no details related to his past here? Why doesn't he return to somewhere more personal for him?
He speaks in this cold, unaffected monotone. This healing ability seems to be the 'recursive impulse' - so him finally getting to help people just like he wanted feels rooted so much in the arcane influence it becomes murky and strange.
This is more nitpicky, and I'd be okay with it being ignored in the right context - but another aspect of his character that gets dropped is his work as a scientist. His desire to help people not through magic, but through invention. This would have been fascinating. (They try to keep this alive through vague allusions to 'look at what I've created' blah blah but again, so much of it is all ORB)
What inventions would a fully autonomous Viktor who decided to leave Jayce and return to Zaun of his own fruition create? Would they toe the line between inventions of progress and inventions of destruction?
Guess we'll never know!
Speaking of weapons. Let's talk about weapons. Let's talk about Viktor's vehement opposition to weapons not being explored within the context of his relationship with Jayce or outside of the rule that there are none allowed in the commune - which becomes quite meaningless when he agrees to work with Ambessa. Yes - he saw those blueprints on the table. But that's all we get.
Also, the fact that Jayce just unquestionably builds hextech weapons in the finale, and they're used as a good thing and a way to fight off Noxus, makes me want to claw my own hair out. Like - my themes ! Not my precious themes !
Let's also talk about him working with Ambessa. There's no build-up to that decision, not near enough character work to make that believable and considering the way the plot is written elsewhere, I fully believe this is a huge part of the problem of the writer's room dropping the issue of class. The idea that Viktor, the character that they set up, would ever willingly work with Ambessa is laughable. There are so many other ways he could have gotten to the hexcore in his fully evolved form, easily bested Jayce, and evolved. And they did absolutely nothing in the writing of season 2 to make that an interesting or satisfying choice.
An arc is only an arc if there is substance between point a and b. There's no substance here. There's vague orb. There are little glimpses of the pain he's in because of his separation from Jayce. Teeny tiny allusions to him trying to shut down his emotions. That's simply not enough.
You cannot bring a character who values choice and autonomy, whose been made to feel so powerless and is empathetic, to "choice is meaningless" without a deep study of his psychology and pain. Viktor taking away the autonomy of others, inhabiting their bodies. Being super chill with it. Okay. Coo.
Where does his desire for evolution even come from? For real? Because they seem to mistake Viktor's ambition with his desire for perfection, which is something that was never really... brought up? It could be believable that he felt this way. But where were the signs of this? Not just in season 1 but in season 2. He always wanted to help, not make humanity perfect. Because this is grounded in so little emotional logic I assume we're supposed to be satisfied with the idea that magic orb + machine herald form = ??? this ??? like ??? why???
If he wants to create a world where nobody can feel pain or complex emotions of any sort anymore, which is not psychologically where he was at the end of season 1 at all despite all he went through, you have to give us an event (ideally multiple) in season 2 that could break his mind this badly. Jayce killing him could have been this, but it happened so fast and was executed so impersonally that it doesn't work. He doesn't really acknowledge it happened the next time they see each other. Which... would probably be important to do... again emotional logic where?
His entire speech about humanity at the end of episode 6 feels like it's trying to be a catalyst. But it also feels... incredibly generic and impersonal. It felt written to play over a flashy montage of all the other characters fighting. Not for Viktor. If this was Viktor's moment where he finally snaps, we should probably focus on Viktor. And, of course, it doesn't help that he has this odd monotone this whole time, as if he's not fully in control of himself (this is not a rip on Harry Lloyd at all. He did what he was told and did it very, very well.)
Because remember. They wanted us to ask this. They wanted us to ask how much of this was orb. I think because they knew on some level they could not create a compelling enough story to get viktor where they wanted him to be for some reason without orb. That none of this would make sense without the vague spice of the arcane. And guess what it still doesn't.
Becuase people will not relate to a vague arcane influence. Connect to it. We would want to see what actually in his life made him become this. What in his psychology outside of magic orb made him do this? They provide vague tastes of this in the same way La Croix flavors its drinks.
Brought Back Wrong Can Work: Here's Why This One Didn't
I also really hate the trope of killing off characters only to bring them back. And back again. And... again. Because guess what. It takes one of the core elements of the human experience - death- and cheapens it. This for sure happens with Viktor the second time he dies.
But what i do like about bringing someone back from the dead is when you consider how doing so can bring someone back wrong. Or changed.
But because the orb is so impersonal. So bland. Such a vague sinister force that has very little to do with character, it doesn't... work. It doesn't hit. Viktor doesn't really grapple with being brought back from the dead against his will in a meaningful way.
Timing
You can see concepts of a plan, if you will, within this story. I can see how Viktor would naturally go to the undercity after waking up changed with new healing powers. But it happens way to fast. So bizarrely. I can see how he would build a society like this (of course, the power of that is dulled because orb and by the fact that we don't see it happen). I can see how the pain of being rejected and left behind by the only person who made him feel like he wasn't alone (Jayce) could have lead to a category 5 'make me evil' sort of meltdown.
Becoming the Herald, asking Singed to begin the transformation, is the only true time in this show in act 2 (before his final moments) where it feels like he's making a choice for himself. But again, we get so little time with him. To see his emotions. To elegantly point from that moment with Jayce to Viktor's need to transform and in doing so rid himself of emotion (something that they did not expand on enough ) Like oh my god, how much more satisfying would it have been to see Viktor torn apart by his own emotions - in his own viktor way - and to have singed offer him a way out of his pain - and then have viktor take it. There are certain things that should be obvious.
But It's both the timing of and the structure of the story - how quickly we cut between plotlines - that makes this really hard to follow. That makes moments that could be something feel rushed and sloppy.
Let's Talk about Sky
Viktor's guilt over sky was absolutely reasonable to explore, but it was not.... all that haunted him. To make Sky the sole guide/companion to him in the astral/arcane headspace I found to be a bizarre and honestly kind of offensive choice.
Amanda overton said she was used as a "Jayce substitute" essentially. And... why? Literally why. Why would you write a character whose sole deal is having an unrequited crush on a man only to bring her back to be 'the embodiment of his guilt and loneliness' as well as a 'substitute' - it feels... icky to me? Just in a writing women and especially women of color point of view? And it didn't feel true to Viktor's character either.
I think if we actually got to know sky better in season 1, this would have worked because it would have been obvious how different she was, how she was a product of his mind or the hexcore or whatever (the lore being vague here doesn't help...)
Plot Twist because I keep hating on Orb: They Could Have Made The Orb Really Cool
Here's the thing. Magic influence on its own can be used to write extremely compelling plots. Walk with me.
Imagine Viktor wakes up. Immediately knows something's wrong with him. That something inside him is toying with him. Making him see things (visions of not only sky, but maybe his parents, Jayce, Heimer). He wakes up earlier in act 1. Despite his anger, he stays with jayce in order to better understand himself and his powers. All the while, he is haunted by whispers and visions of the hexcore. What if it whispers to him of his own insecurities and failures?
What if Things with Jayce are tense. Jayce has to admit to making weapons again, in an argument leading to more haunting visions from the hexcore offering him an out: emotional numbness. You would never have to feel again Viktor. If you let me in fully, you would never have to be alone again. You'd be more powerful, Viktor.
Imagine Viktor is there during that attack ambessa orchestrated. That he has the horror of witnessing Jayce wield his hammer in a genuine attempt to defend himself and the people he loves. He sees first hand how hextech is being used for destruction in a way that horrifies him.
Imagine him being accused of being a part of it because he's a Zaunite - humiliated in some way. Publicly. Imagine the emotional trauma of this resulting in a falling out so devastating he embraces his visions of the hexcore - gives into the numbness. And only then leaves. With the hexcore... he feels better than he has in years. He hopes he can give the gift of this to others. Now he is under orb influence, but now the way he's gotten there is more satisfying to me at least.
Now imagine him fighting the orb influence in key moments. Imagine the color in his eyes coming back. Imagine Viktor's relationship with the arcane being more of a dance than a vague entanglement. Imagine its influence haunting him in the same way Jinx's visions haunt her. Imagine it being personal rooted in his character.
Old Man Viktor
Listen. I am the old man Viktor connoisseur. I love him. I love the idea of him. I wrote a whole fic about him, during which I had to spend a lot of time with the story. It's sort of... very much impossible to make much sense of?
I'm not mad at the fact that it's an obvious retcon. Honestly, because I think from a storytelling perspective, it worked a lot better than most of the decisions they made this season.
But I'm not a fan of (shocking) how little time we spend with him. How little chance we get to understand his motivatons. And also. What the fuck he said to Jayce to make Jayce's first line of action killing him? In my fic, I made it that Jayce needed to shoot Viktor to get the hexcore out, so he could communicate to viktor without influence. But that felt like heavy lifting I shouldn't necessarily have to do for something so important. It also doesn't feel like a compelling or satisfying question to make your audience have to wrestle with.
The Final Scene
Want to say upfront I am not one of the people who did not like Jayce's speech.
I was quite moved by it. And aside from the perhaps out of place mention of the illness brought on by Piltover which I can understand the criticism for, I felt it was beautiful. (I am disabled btw)
That being said. I think i'd be a sobbing mess on the floor if the themes Jayce is presenting in his speech were more present throughout season 2. Because we really don't see this enough - the desire for perfection.
I'm also not one of those people who thinks Viktor's insecurities weren't present in season 1. To me, they were and were obvious, but not enough in his motivations and actions in season 2 to make Jayce's speech land like it could.
I really loved Jayce's arc in season 2. Him immediately embracing Viktor after he woke from the goo was surprising but felt right. But I wish they had more genuine conflict rooted in their conflict in season 1 that would allow their final moment to land even harder.
I really liked the final scene, and it made me an emotional mess. But weirdly, I'd almost like it as a short film removed from the context of the season two, which says just how little Viktor's arc this season contributed to the moment.
Final Thoughts
I'm so sorry I went so in-depth. I just love him as a character and feel he was very much not done justice.
We can attribute some of this to the lack of time. But when you know you have a lack of time, you need to write with that in mind instead of trying to do it all. And ultimately, I found a lot of scenes this season a waste of precious time. They had so many characters alone contemplating something intangible or alone and trapped for episodes. They didn't plan this with the care and precision needed to pull it off.
I also want to note that I know I say here a lot that there's a lot they needed to make "more obvious". This is not because I'm stupid. But when you're a writer, you need to know what to highlight and what you can leave vague so you leave your audience exploring the right nuances and asking the satisfying questions.
Anyways umm. The end. Holy shit, I'm so sorry I wrote so much.
#i literally typed this in a caffine induced frenzy#oh my god its so long kldfjashdlkfjsd#im sure there are things i missed or did not explain well#ask bee#how many times can i hate on orb#SDKLFJD#its not even an orb#i know this#if someone reads this whole thing they deserve a cookie or something#see this is why tumblr might be a problem for me actually#no character limit DKJFHSDLKF#if you keep reading this could very much be like a do you like the color of the sky situation#where you have to just keep scrolling and scrolling#god i need work to start back up again KLDFJSHDFLK#side note one of my twitter moots got a strawpage anon that was like#you hate his arc you must hate viktor#which is so funny because#i literally love him so much#that's why i hate his arc KLDFJHSD#one thing i do like about viktors storyline and i still dont think it fully works#is how many of his principles he clung to even under magical influence#at least at the start#bee talks arcane
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The Lightning Scene, How Azula Targeted Katara (of All People), and the Doylist Reason Why That Matters
Mention Zuko's sacrifice for Katara in Sozin's Comet Part 3 as part of a pro-Zutara talking point, and invariably you'll get a Pavlovian response of:
"But Zuko would have taken the lightning for anyone."
(Not to be confused with the similar-sounding Pavlovan response, which is "Zuko's sacrifice ain't shit compared to a mouth-watering, strawberry-topped meringue dessert"*, which is actually the only valid counter-argument to how the lightning scene is a bona fide Zutara treasure, but I digress.)
Now, I've talked in depth about how the lightning scene is framed far more romantically than it had any right to be, regardless of how you might interpret the subject on paper; this is an argument which I still stand by 100%. That Zuko would have gotten barbecued for anyone, and that he was at the stage of his arc where his royal kebab-ness represented his final act of redemption, doesn't change the fact that the animators/soundtrack artists decided to pull out all the stops with making this scene hit romantic film tropes bingo by the time it played out on screen.
(I mean, we stan.)
There's also a deeper level to this conundrum, a layer which creeps up on you when you're standing in your kitchen at night, the fridge door open in front of you, your hungry, sleep-deprived brain trying to decide on what to grab for a midnight snack, and quite inexcusably you're struck with the question: Okay, Zuko may indeed have taken the lightning for just anyone, but would Azula have shot the lightning at just anyone?
But there's yet a deeper layer to this question, that I don't recall ever seeing anyone discuss (though if somebody has, mea culpa). And that is: would you have written Zuko taking the lightning for anyone else?
Or in other words, who Zuko would have taken the lightning for is the wrong question to be asking; the question we ought to be asking is who Zuko should have taken the lightning for, instead.
Get your pens out, your Doylist hats on, and turn to page 394. It's time to think like an author for a hot minute.
(If you don't know what I mean by Watsonian vs. Doylist analyses, and/or if you need a refresher course, go have a skim of the first section of this 'ere post and then scoot your ass back to this one.)
So. You're the author. You've written almost the entirety of an animated series (look at you!!) and now you're at the climax, which you've decided is going to be an epic, hero-villain showdown. Classic. Unlike previous battles between these two characters, your hero is going to have a significant advantage in this fight - partly due to his own development as a hero at the height of his strength and moral conviction, and partly because your villain has gone through a bit of a Britney Spears 2007 fiasco, and isn't quite at the top of her game here. If things keep going at this pace, your hero is going to win the fight fairly easily - actually, maybe even too easily. That's okay though, you're a talented writer and you know just what will raise the stakes and give the audience a well-timed "oh shit" moment: you're going to have the villain suddenly switch targets and aim for somebody else. The hero will be thrown off his groove, the villain will gain the upper hand, the turns will have indubitably tabled. Villains playing dirty is the number 1 rule in every villain handbook after all, and each of the last two times your hero's braved this sort of fight he's faced an opponent who ended up fighting dishonourably, so you've got a lovely Rule of Three perfectly lined up for the taking. Impeccable. The warm glow of triumph shines upon you, cherubs sing, your English teachers clap and shed tears of pride. (Except for that one teacher you had in year 8 who hated everybody, but she's a right bitch and we're not talking about her today.)
Now here's the thing: your hero is a hero. Maybe he wasn't always a hero, but he certainly is one now. If the villain goes after an innocent third party, there's basically no-one your hero wouldn't sacrifice himself for. He's a hero! Heroes do be like that, it's kind of their thing. The villain could shoot a bolt of lightning at Bildad the Shuhite, and the only thing that'd stop our boy Redeemed Paladin Bravesoul McGee from shielding his foxy ass is the fact that Bildad the Shuhite has the audacity to exist in a totally different show (disgusten.)
But. You're holding the writer's pen. Minus crossover shenanigans you don't have the licensing or time-travel technology to achieve, you have full control over how this scene plays out. You get to decide which character to target to deliver the greatest emotional impact, the juiciest angst, the most powerful cinematic suspense. You get to decide whose life you'll put at risk, to make this scene the most intense spine-chilling heart-stopper it can possibly be.
This is the climax we're talking about, after all - now is not the time to go easy on the drama.
So.
Do you make the villain target just anyone?
Or do you make the villain target someone the hero cares about?
Perhaps, someone he cares about... a lot?
Maybe even, someone he cares about... more than anybody else?
You are the author. You are the God of this universe. You get to choose.
What would deliver the strongest punch?
If you happen to make the inadvisable decision of browsing through these tropes on TV tropes, aside from wasting the rest of your afternoon (you're welcome), you'll find that the examples listed are littered with threatened and dead love interests, and, well, there's a reason for that. For better or worse, romantic love is often portrayed by authors, and perceived by audiences, as a "true" form of love (often even, "the" true form of love). Which is responsible for the other is a chicken/egg situation, one I'm not going to go into for this post - and while I'm certainly not here to defend this perspective as objectively good, I do think it's worth acknowledging that it not only exists but is culturally rather ubiquitous. (If you're playing the love interest in a story with a hero v. a villain, you might wanna watch your back, is what I'm saying.)
Regardless of whether the vibe you're aiming for is romantic or platonic however, one thing is for certain: if you want maximum oomph, the way to achieve that is by making the villain go after the player whose death would hit the hero the hardest.
And like I said, this doesn't have to be played romantically (although it so often is). There are platonic examples in those trope pages, though it's also important to note that many of the platonic ones do show up in stories where a love interest isn't depicted/available/there's a strong "bromance" element/the hero is low-key ace - and keep in mind too that going that route sometimes runs a related risk of falling into queer-bait territory *coughJohnLockcough*
That said, if there is a canon love-interest available, one who's confessed her love for the hero, one who has since been imprisoned by the villain, one who can easily be written as being at the villain's disposal, and who could quite conveniently be whipped out for a mid-battle surprise round - you might find you have some explaining to do if you choose to wield your authorly powers to have the villain go after... idk, some other sheila instead.
(The fact that this ends up taking the hero out of the fight, and the person he sacrifices himself for subsequently throws herself into the arena risking life and limb to defeat the villain and rescue her saviour, also means the most satisfying way this plays out, narratively speaking, is if both of these characters happen to be the most important person in each other's lives - at least, as of that moment, anyway - but I think this post has gone on long enough, lol)
This is, by and large, a rebuttal post more than anything else, but the tl;dr here is - regardless of whether you want to read the scene as shippy or not, to downplay Zuko's sacrifice for Katara specifically as "not that deepâ˘" because "Zuko would have taken the lightning for anyone anyway", suggests either that a) nobody should be reading into the implications of Katara being chosen as the person nearest and dearest to Zuko, so that putting her life in jeopardy can deliver the most powerful impact possible for an audience you'd bloody well hope are on the edge of their seats during the climax of your story or b) the writers made the inexplicable decision of having the villain threaten the life of... literally who the fuck ever, and ultimately landed on someone who's actually not all that important to the hero in the grand scheme of things - which is a cardinal writing sin if I ever saw one (even disregarding the Choice to then season it with mood lighting and sad violin music, on top of it all), and altogether something I'd be legitimately pissed about if my Zuko-OTP ship paired him with Mai, Sokka, or just about anybody else đ
Most importantly c) I'm hungry, and I want snacks.
*The Aussies in the fandom will get this one. Everyone else can suffer in united confusion.
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LOVE ON THE COURT | 16 LOVERBOY #1 & #2
SYNOPSIS | every college student has their struggles, but raising her younger brother has Y/N top of the list, struggling her way through college whilst balancing her academics and basketball captaincy is difficult no doubt and with Jaemin, her ex best friend and captain of the guys basketball team, and his growing one sided hatred towards her, it doesn't seem to be getting any easier
WARNINGS | sexual innuendos, swearing, mentions of sleepwalking
NOTES | written cut ahead!! followed by more smau slides :) jaemin redemption arc is about to be in full swing but trust that does not mean sunshine lollipops and rainbows for our girly y/n also I'm actually a sucker for dystopian movies, like the maze runner trilogy??? đđđđ i feel like I've watched every dystopian movie out there but if anyone has any recs send them throughhh or just to geek over the movies then my inbox is open đâźď¸
Minjun was nothing short of everything to y/n.
When she woke up to find him gone, her front door ajar, she felt the room close in on her. Her heart raced like a runaway train and panic gripped her chest. In no less than a few seconds, beads of sweat formed over her forehead, her breaths shallow and rapid.
She had rushed out of the apartment in a frenzy, calling out his name like her life depended on it. Constricted for air, her body ran on autopilot, down the dimly lit hallway and then down the stairs to search each floor the same way she had searched her own. To no avail. With each step her stomach churned further, sinking, overwhelming. The feeling of nausea ran deeper, stronger, her heartbeat beginning to sound in her ears. Loud and so painfully unforgiving.
She couldn't lose him. Not now, not like this.
Every noise seemed amplified, every shadow morphed into a lurking threat. She felt trapped in a whirlwind of far too many emotions she couldn't recognise. Her mind had become a storm of what-ifs and worst-case scenarios. Time seemed to slow down as her panic escalated, consuming her every thought and sense.
Where could he be?
Useless, she felt so utterly useless. She had raced a thousand times, millions of laps of the track during practise and yet when it really mattered, she couldn't find her feet moving fast enough, she couldn't run with the same speed no matter how hard she urged herself to. Her life was on the line, her everything, and her attenpts seemed futile as she raced up the stairs again, across each floor and down again, over and over. How could she have been so careless?
Her pants grew in their depth, the lack of oxygen getting to her brain and causing her vision to blurrâ mixed with the tears that overcame her vision, y/n was struggling to keep going.
She couldn't breathe.
Her legs threatened to give way beneath her and yet the determination that coursed through her veins wouldn't relent.
There was no way she would give up without finding him. She wouldn't be able to live with herself. Her motivation, her happiness, her reminder to keep going and keep trying, Minjun had been every single one of those things and more, her family, her best friend, so utterly irreplaceable that she already felt the hole within her heart widening.
Circles. She felt like she was running in circles, searching the same corners of the same floors she had already looked over a hundred times, desperation evident in her frantic movements, worry painting her features.
It had been 20 minutes and she hadn't found him, not a single sign of himâ she'd lost him. She was so sure. He was gone and it was all her fault.
Y/n had given up on far too many things in life, but if there was one thing she knew she couldn't give up on, it was him. Minjun was her purpose, in every meaning of the word. She could give up on herself, but she could never give up on him.
She forced herself to think, though her thoughts had become slow, foggy as she repeated the words in her head, think y/n think.
Where could he have possibly gone?
When she finally arrived on the 7th floor again, ready to search her apartment, considering the small chance he may have returned, y/n felt her heart drop. The feeling of inadequacy overcame her beingâ unable to stand her body found the floor.
And the feeling of relief, though present was so agonisingly fleeting that she couldn't push herself any further.
There he was, sleeping peacefully in Jay's arms, safe and sound. The Park let his eyes land on y/n, sleepy gaze softening at her panicked state. desperately wanting to ask if she was okay but not knowing how to.
He was barely conscious himself, struggling to make sense of the situation in front of him. All he knew was that he'd found Minjun banging against his door no less than a few seconds ago. The traces of slumber were still visible in his squinted eyes and messy hair.
He couldnt find himself to care, not when she was like this.
"Y/n what hapenned?" his voice was hoarse, but soothing, "are you okay?"
The words rested at the tip of her tongue but she couldn't bring herself to speak, shaking her head. She took ragged breaths and gasps for air, a broken eyed stare on the younger boy, her hand clasped across her mouth for the fear of waking him.
Jay found himself conflicted, at an inner battle with himself, not wanting to leave the girl in this state for even a second, but not wanting to wake the sleeping boy in his arms either.
"He sleepwalks" was all she could breathe out, her voice cracking sharply. How he had made it out of the front door in the first place, she had no idea. It had never been this bad, but she knew it was no excuse. If only she had been more careful, none of this would have ever hapenned.
Jay's mouth fell open, finally piecing together the information as he crouched down beside her, cradling her head in his free arm, rested against his chest
Her tears flowed so incessantly, pained and burning against her cheeks, the bitter feeling of guilt caught in her throat, heavy. Shoulder slumped as her body rested against the railings of the staircase behind her, her soft cries echoing throughout the empty space, loud enough for the door opposite to swing open to reveal a concerned, but equally as confused jaemin.
"I've got her" jaemin said, immediately letting his arms wrap around her, rubbing small circles against the small of her back, her tears soaking through his shirt. And though hesitant, Jay nodded, earning a puzzled look from jaemin when he stepped into y/n's apartment to tuck minjun back into bed.
But that was the least of jaemin's worries when y/n, the girl he had always seen so strong, unbreakable in fact, now shook in his hold, suddenly seeming so fragile.
"It's okay peach, I've got you, let it all out"
Something about his voice, his presence, something about that moment washed over her like a gentle wave, soothing the knots of worry that had twisted tight within her. And though nothing could negate the pain, the disappointment and the thoughts of self doubt playing in her mind like a broken record, his hold had offered her worlds of comfort. Even if for a second, y/n felt the weight lift off her shoulders and her racing heartbeat began to settle.
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TAGLIST (open): @jenobubbles @justalildumpling @nanawrlds @222brainrot @sungookie @pepperedthot @dinonuguaegi @haechansbbg @90s-belladonna @bath1lda @jeongintwt @daegalfangirl @ahnneyong @jammingjaem @paper-boats-rose @iraa567 @errrrrat @kyusqult @suzayaaa @jising-jisang-jisung @soonyoonswoo @nctrawberries @wonbin-truther @sunghoonsgfreal @lotties-readings @onlyhyunjin @swee7dream @girlz4jaem @beomgyusonlywife @nanaxwi @nosungluv @tommina @sinisxtea @20sdiary @otblous @p-d1ddy @lostinneocity @soobs-things @odxrilove @buns-inhiding @busy-daydreaming02 @starfilledgaze @papichulomacy @grassbutneo @iwilleatyourgod @jeeluv @mystverse @meowtella
#jaemin#jaemin smau#nct jaemin smau#jaemin social au#jaemin social media au#nct smau#nct dream smau#nct jaemin#nct dream
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i think the main feeling i have about this season so far is that i crave to see MORE, but not in a good way. i love the themes this season is working with, i love the conflicts, i love the characters but it feels like i don't see enough of the story playing out and it leaves me feeling like something is missing.
I wanted to SEE and experience the underground resistance growing, i wanted to actually see how Jinx became a symbol and how that united the underground. I wanted to see the process of it and how it affected her! I feel like the writers really should've gone with the traditional show-don't-tell rule here instead of just showing us the aftermath which left me with exactly zero emotions about such crazy impressive and important events. The entire Underground got united (!!!!) but we saw zero of the unification process and got like two scenes before they were all arrested, released and then the entire revolution idea was completely forgotten and not addressed once in the rest of the act (as far as I recall).
Jinx was clearly struggling with the newfound worship, so much so she went into HIDING. how must've she felt knowing that so many people find hope in her when she sees herself as a literal jinx? how did she deal with becoming people's hope instead of their curse? I wanted to see her work through this so bad since that is what Arcane has always been good at, it's what season one did so well - it walked you through the emotions and motives and therefore, the conclusion to personal plot lines felt SATISFYING and left massive impression. this was completely missing for me this act for most plot lines
Same goes for pitfighter!Vi and her descent into self-destructive hell. We don't get to see the emotional fall out of her being fucking punched and left lying on the ground by the only person she thought she had left - we just got a montage showing the aftermath of her spiraling. which is cool but it left me with feeling pretty much nothing about it all because seeing the conclusion to her struggling without the build-up just fell flat for me. i was looking forward this specific internal conflict of the protector archetype with nothing left to protect and therefore completely losing themselves before finding their purpose again SO much and it ended up being completely brushed over. i wanted to be able to pick Vi's thoughts apart when she was at her lowest point in life since her time in the jail and see how her behaviour and relationship with people/alcohol/violence changes in the process. like later in act 2 when she punches Isha, she doesn't even react (holy shit?). that is SO far from the Vi we saw in act 1 of this season and it feels super out of character because we did not actually get to SEE her behaviour and priorities changing - we can obviously figure out the reason and understand why she ended up this way but since we weren't actually shown how it happened, it still initially felt like it came out of nowhere and majorly ooc for the character we've known so far
and don't even let me start with Cait and her dictator arc. I was getting ready for the emotional fall out and internal conflict and the political powerplay with Embessa but we got SO LITTLE of it. i could go on and on about this but i feel like a lot of people might agree her dictator arc was pretty underdeveloped so I am not going to discuss it further (plus the immediate switch when she met Vi again was just ??? because we can't really see how she feels about this entire thing with the exception of her thinking Embessa is too brutal and that it seems to be weighting on her. PLUS she has at least a situationship with that sunshine enforcer and even tho she is clearly mentally elsewhere, we have no reason to think she is still pinning after Vi?).
I'm not even going to address Jayce because What.
On a positive note, I think Victor's arc has been handled pretty damn well. But aside from that, this season just leaves me craving more and it is quite clear to me the writers absolutely did not have enough time (nine episodes is not a lot) to develop the story they wanted to portray in full.
Now, I watched the latest three episodes while on a plane and since the act is so plot heavy, i might have totally missed or misunderstood something, lemme know if that is the case
i am super interested in how's everyone feeling about this so feel free to add your thoughts!!!
#arcane#now don't get me wrong#despite this long ass rant#i am still having a good time and there's a lot i like about it#but especially after act 2#the pacing and lack of personal focus is getting to me a bit#arcane spoilers#arcane season 2#caitlyn kiramman#vi#jinx#powder#discussion#critical#i guess?#arcane critical
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Whoops, you got hit by a bus, and now you're in the world of One Piece. But not everything is quite as you remember it...
General Tags: afab reader, she/her reader pronouns, isekai, monsterfucker reader, vampire!kid, werewolf!killer, wyrm!heat, minotaur!wire, everyone has a human form, smut heavy, unhealthy relationships, dubious consent, serious violence, spoilers for Wano arc, starts pre-timeskip. There will be a lot of more intense kinks, please check AO3 for all current tags.
Chapter 2 - To The Brig With Ye
Step 1: Get Heat on your side.
WC: 4.5k
Masterlist | AO3 | Chapter 1
You were surprised to wake up at all when you came to, in what you assumed was some sort of infirmary. The room tilted back and forth slightly, so you assumed you must still be on the ship at the very least. Your eyes fluttered open, finding a face suddenly far too close to your own.
âAHH!â you and Heat both shouted at once, the blue haired man scurrying backwards.
âHeat, for fucks sake I told you not to hover in her face like that!â A feminine voice scolded. You groaned as you tried to sit up, seeing a blue haired woman, her hair wild with spikes that looked like horns, a small set of round glasses, and a black dress bearing some sort of stylized cross. House. She was using a pipette to drip some sort of dark red liquid onto your exposed wound, which looked and felt nowhere near as bad as you thought it would, considering how deep the knife had gone. Your confusion was explained away as the red droplets hit your skin and you watched the flesh begin to sew itself closed, but it only brought up more questions in its place. You'd never seen something like that in One Piece, but then again this world was vast and strange, and people did always seem to heal fast here.
âSorry, one more minute,â House spoke to you, drawing up more crimson into the pipette and dripping it onto the wound, the last sliver of open wound mending itself closed. âOkay, all done.â
âUh thanks, House right?â You asked her, running your hand over the healed flesh, not even feeling a scar. It was like nothing had happened at all, save for the rouge red drips of whatever she'd used that remained on your skin before she hurriedly wiped it away with a damp cloth.
âUm, yes,â she replied unsurely, looking to Heat for clarity as she removed her latex gloves and threw them in a nearby bin. She'd seen the entire exchange on the deck, nobody had told you her name, and yet you somehow knew it. House didn't have a bounty poster, as the doctor of the Kid Pirates she hardly ever left the ship, so while it was understandable that you knew who the big four were, there shouldn't have been anyway you knew her name. âI'm gonna go let the captain know she's awake,â she addressed Heat, a distinct nervous tone to her voice, before scurrying out of the room, leaving you alone with the tall man, who shifted his weight between his feet awkwardly.
âWhat's your name?â He asked shyly.
â[Y/n],â you smiled.
â[Y/n]...â he repeated to himself, a slight blush to his cheeks, âDid you mean what you said?â
âWhat bit?â You rubbed your eyes with the palm of your hand, trying to piece together what had happened between getting hit by a bus and getting stabbed. âOh, the sex dream stuff? Absolutely, babyâ you winked at him, making him blush even more.
âNo!â He choked on his breath, hands waving in defence, âI meant- the isekai bit!!â
âOhhhhhh,â you blinked slowly, âI mean it's my best explanation for what happened. I'm like ninety-nine percent sure I got hit by a bus, and now I'm here. This whole world is supposed to be fictional, if this is just a dream then I shouldn't have been able to feel pain, but I certainly fucking felt itâ
âAnd that's why you knew House's name?â He asked, stepping a little closer to the edge of the bed.
âOh, it didn't even occur to me that I shouldn't know it,â you hummed, taking a moment to properly observe the room you were in now. It was darkly decorated in blacks and forest greens, the occasional violet pop of colour, none of the usual sterile whites and creams you'd expect of an infirmary, with two oversized beds (likely meant for larger crewmates), one of which you were currently laying in. Each bed had a side table, a table on wheels that fit over the bed, and a small plain chair for visitors. The whole room was almost a semi circle, save for the section missing on one side where you could see a door, likely to a bathroom. The opposite corner along the flat wall held cabinets and a counter, probably filled with medical supplies, with a small desk in front of it, a chair either side likely for doctor and patient. The beds were also along the flat wall, with a door to your left and another door in the centre of the curved wall in front of you, a small, green velvet couch to its left. The anime and manga had never shown the internals of the ship, but the curved walls and round portholes along them made you wonder if you were inside the forecastle, just behind the large dinosaur skull that acted as a figurehead for the ship. Your eyes came back to Heat, who stood next to your bed, waiting expectantly for an answer. âYeah I mean, she's not really a well known character, but I guess you could say I'm a big Kid Pirates fan, so I remember a few more obscure characters.â
âFrom⌠a manga, you said, right?â
âYeah. You're familiar with the isekai trope?â you didn't feel like explaining that it was an anime too, you weren't even sure if this world had cartoons.
âI am,â he mused, âand I guess weirder things have happened in this world. But we're gonna need proof, and I don't know how I'm gonna convince Kidâ
You thought on that for a moment, âI think I can provide proof,â you mused, âhas the crew been to Sabaody yet?â
âNo, we're close though,â he told you hesitantly, not sure how much information he should reveal while he not so subtly eyed your body; you'd all but forgotten you were naked. You probably should have covered yourself up but it felt like a bit of a too little, too late situation. The whole crew had probably seen your tits at this point, not that it bothered you much. It wouldn't hurt to placate him either, it would be good to know at least one person on the crew had a fondness for you when it came to convincing Kid to keep you alive. If things really went tits up here you could always try your luck with the Straw Hats, but given the timing that would be difficult, you would have to stay on Sabaody for two years before you could try and join them. Maybe Shakky would let you stay with her in the meantime. Your preference though was to stay with the Kid Pirates, your favourite One Piece crew, and usually the subject of your sexy dreams and explicit fanfiction searches.
Heavy footsteps outside caught both of your attentions, Heat taking a few steps back to stand at a more respectful distance as the infirmary door flew open. Unsurprisingly, Kid stomped in, followed by Killer, and Wire, who shut the door behind him. Kid stood at the end of your bed, looking at you discerningly, an angry scowl on his face.
âTalk,â he said plainly.
âBoss, I think I can explain,â Heat told him, âwhat she said about isekai, I don't think she's from this worldâ
âThe fuck is âisekaiââ he growled, billowing his cape up so he could sit on the couch without catching it underneath him. Killer and Wire stood at either side of him like guard dogs, unsure of your capabilities, weary given the fact you'd appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the sea without a devil fruit power to get you here. There was no way of telling what powers you had or how you might suddenly use them.
âIt's a trope, in manga,â Heat tried to explain, âthe protagonist is sent to another world. Usually they die and get reincarnated, or some sort of god sends them there, to a usually fantasy world. I think that's what happened here, she claims she knows us because we're fiction in her world, and that she appeared here after she died in her world. Its a classic isekai premise.â
âBullshit, she knows us from our bounty posters,â Kid huffed, unconvinced by Heats explanation.
âShe knew House's name,â Heat replied. There was a pregnant silence as Kid considered that, his eyes flicking between you and Heat.
âOkay, so she's⌠from another world. If I chose to believe that,â Kid grumbled, âand she knows us because what? We're a comic book or some shit? They got comic books about the great Eustass âCaptainâ Kid over there?â
âWell⌠they're not really about you per say,â you replied delicately, knowing the truth would piss him off.
âThen who the fuck could they be about?â Kid puffed up his chest, âwhy would they write about anyone other than the future King of Pirates?â
âThey're uh⌠about Monkey D. LuffyâŚâ you replied quietly. âNot that you're not also a very popular character!â You quickly added.
âSTRAW HAT?â Kid roared, spooking you as he suddenly stood, âfucking STRAW HAT gets a comic book? Nah, fuck that, put this lying bitch in the brig.â
âWait! Wait!â You quickly shouted, climbing further up the bed to avoid Killer's reaching hands, âI can prove it! I can tell you what'll happen when you get to Sabaody!â
âSabaody is weeks out,â Kid huffed, âI ain't waitinâ for your lyinâ ass to be proven wrong so you can sit around in the meantime and find an opening to kill one of us. Devil fruit or no, you were obviously sent here to stop the best competition for finding the One Pieceâ
âReally? You think someone sent me here naked? Slammed me against the mast, no weapons, no devil fruit, no fighting skills, to kill you?â You rolled your eyes, âI can give you other proof, I canâ
âThen fucking give me your proof, mouse,â Kid growled, the bed creaking as he leaned over you, his hands either side of your body. He probably wanted to intimidate you with his large form, but really it only served to make you a little horny.
âKiller wears purple lipstick,â you hurriedly shouted, the first thing that popped into your head as you searched for information only they should know. The room went silent before Kid suddenly wrapped a hand around your throat. He squeezed it threateningly, then he threw you back with a frustrated growl, letting you go as he moved to leave the room. He gave Killer a knowing look before turning back to Heat.
âChain her in the brig,â Kid hissed, âI don't know where she learned that but I don't fucking trust her. Put her in iron too, there must be some trick, witch or some shitâ
There was a flurry of movement as you were again left alone with Heat, Killer sparing you an unreadable look before slamming the infirmary door, clearly angry. You didn't like that you had to expose him like that, even if everyone in the room likely already knew that information, but it was him or you, and you had to act in self defence. Not that it'd helped in the end though either, as Heat apologetically dragged you off the bed and clamped your arms behind your back, wrapping one large hand around both of your small wrists at once to secure you as he led you out of the room.
Eyes followed you silently as you were led across the deck, still naked as the day you were born, revealing you had in fact been in the forecastle. Heat took you directly across to the rear of the ship, opening a door and leading you through a galley. The short view you got of the galley revealed a long room, with a serving window and counter on the left that peeked through to a moderately sized industrial looking kitchen. On the right was some sort of stage at the very end of the room, short stairs on either side leading up to the platform that currently held a long table surrounded by six chairs, a small liquor bar behind it. On the main floor between you and the stage were five long tables, a bench style seat along either side. The walls were decorated in band posters, bounty posters, photos of the crew together, newspaper clippings and all manner of souvenirs pinned to the walls, covering them in what spoke of a crew that acted more like a family, with many happy memories together all memorialised along the dining hall walls.
Heat led you to a staircase at the left of the room, following you down into a hall that was noticeably colder than above, likely due to being particularly below sea level. There was a short hall that split into two longer ones, they looked as though they made a loop around a center set of rooms, the walls lined with doors, no doubt bedrooms and storage rooms. He didn't lead you down either of the long halls, instead taking you to the end of the short one where a steep staircase, practically a ladder, led even further down to the hull of the ship. Heat gave you a little shove forward and you took the hint with a sigh, at least thankful that he'd let go of your wrists now so you could climb down.
You waited patiently at the bottom of the ladder beside a closed door as Heat climbed down after you. He fiddled with a set of keys that hung from his belt, unlocking the door and opening it, beckoning you to pass through. Inside was a series of cells, four in total, with iron bars at their fronts, each with a set of bare bunk beds with thin, stained mattresses, and a metal bucket in the corner, likely in lieu of a toilet. Unexpectedly, each cell was also trimmed in what looked like some sort of ancient symbols written along the floors and walls, a dark rusty colour that made you wonder if they were written in blood. The writing looked like something straight out of a dark fantasy show, with the occasional recognizable pentagram or latin in neat cursive letters. The doors to all four cells were open, seemingly unoccupied, and Heat gestured for you to enter the second, which sat directly across from a small desk, decorated only with a plain wooden chair and simple lamp.
You stood inside the cell, shivering as the air was considerably colder now that you were well under sea level, chilled by the cold ocean around you. The walls and floors offered no warmth, plated in what appeared to be stone, seastone perhaps. The wall behind the desk was lined with hooks holding multiple sets of cuffs in different styles. Heat selected a set of iron cuffs, with only three links between each wrist, and you sighed as you willingly held your hands out for him. There was no point fighting it, and forcing Heat to subdue you would only go against your plans to bring him to your side.
âSorry about this,â he said softly as he closed the cuffs around your wrists. His hands were so warm against yours, reminding you of your current frigid situation.
âCan I have a blanket or something?â you pleaded, giving him your best puppy dog eyes.
âI.. I don't know if I'm allowed,â Heat replied, a tint of sadness to his voice.
âMaybe we can trade?â You offered, âI.. I only have my body, but maybe I can give you something in return for a blanket?â Was whoring yourself out a good idea? Probably not, given the circumstances, but you'd freeze to death down here if you didn't at least try. Besides, its not like you didn't want to fuck Heat. At this point you didn't have high hopes for surviving this world, but if you got laid with one of your favs then maybe it'd be at least a tiny bit redeemable.
âA trade?â He raised a brow, âlike what?â
âWhat do you want?â You asked him, using your best sultry voice, experimentally pressing a hand to his chest and running it down slowly, pleasantly surprised when he didn't shy away from you. He shivered at the touch, your skin bare against his as your hand reached the bottom of his corset.
âFuck, okay,â he growled, looking back at the door to the brig to check he had shut it, âon your knees, for a blanketâ
âYes sir,â you purred, perhaps a little too eager for Heat's dick. You would have traded a blowjob for a corn chip, if you were being honest with yourself. You fell to your knees slowly, trailing your fingertips down his midriff till they caught on the belt of his baggy pants. Raised on your knees, you could barely reach the flesh of his abdomen with your mouth as you hooked your fingers in the metal loops on his belt and used it as leverage to lower his pants, pressing your lips to the newly exposed flesh. He made a sharp exhale as your tongue came out to run over the V that led to his cock, pulling his pants down teasingly slowly and looking up at him with sultry eyes as his hand buried in your hair. Finally his pants lowered enough to expose his cock, long and girthy even at half mast, slightly more bulbous at the end with a set of three piercings along the underside, another at the tip, and a base of blue public hair, slightly darker than the hair on his head. He shivered as the cool air touched his exposed cock, quickly overruled by a groan as you took it in your bound hands and pumped the base, promptly becoming erect from your firm, warm touch.
âYou have no idea how badly I've wanted to do this,â you purred, pressing your tongue to the tip, playing with the piercing and rolling your tongue over the fat head of his dick. He groaned as you took the end in your mouth, only taking a third of him as you began to bob your head, stroking the rest with your hand as you slowly adjusted and took a little more with each movement.
âOh fuck, that's good,â Heat groaned, his hold on your hair tightening as you slowly worked towards taking all of his impressive length into your eager mouth, drool starting to drip down your chin as you focused on not gagging, breathing through your nose to suppress your natural urges. Your eyes watered as he started to hit the back of your throat, his hips making small thrusts in time with your movements, trying his best to hold back from just grabbing your skull and face fucking you. He'd been pent up for a while now, with a long stint between islands with working women, and a distinct lack of women in the meantime who were willing to risk their safety to sleep with the tall, stitched up man. By all accounts he looked terrifying to most women, so your willingness to get on your knees was certainly a nice surprise, seemingly having no issue with the way he looked. He felt bad at first for taking advantage of you, but the way you kept eye contact and hollowed your cheeks around his cock told him you wanted this, that the blanket was just an excuse to get in his pants. Really he should be the one feeling used, but he couldn't bring himself to feel anything but euphoric with the divine way your mouth was working his cock.
You paused as your nose hit his pubes, your now idle hands coming up to play with his balls, gagging a little as you swallowed around his cock. âOhhhh fuck,â Heat groaned, looking down at you with his dick fully burried in your hot wet mouth. âLook at you, taking it like a proper slut, you like that huh? Like having my cock down your throat?â
You pulled off his cock with a pop as your thighs rubbed together in a desperate need for friction, you wouldn't be surprised if you were dripping on the floor at this point from how wet you were. âI'd like it better in my cunt,â you replied, stroking him with both hands, hoping above all that he'd take the bait and fuck you silly.
âYeah? And what would you want to trade for that, huh?â He growled, wondering what game you were playing to be so willing, questioning whether this really was just a trick.
âOne of your blankets,â you purred, running your tongue up the underside of his cock and feeling the piercings roll against it. âI want one that smells like youâ
âWhy are you so obsessed with me?â Heat replied, genuinely taken aback by your answer. He'd never known a woman to want him that bad, let alone just want something that smelt like him. It was making him feel sparks of something unfamiliar, possessiveness perhaps, fondness definitely.
âBecause you're sweet, and you're sexy, you're one of my favourites,â you shrugged, âare you gonna fuck me or not? The stone is hurting my knees and my cunt is fucking drippingâ
âFuck,â Heat huffed, pulling you by your hair to stand and crashing his mouth against yours, groaning as he found you more than willing to return his affections. He walked you backwards until your body was flush with the cell wall, nipping at your bottom lip before he pulled away and spun you to face the wall. You arched your back and stuck your butt out for him, your tits squished against the stone as Heat admired your round ass. He gave it a playful spank, making you whine, before he grabbed handfuls of your ass cheeks and pulled them apart to admire your soaked pussy. âFuck, you weren't lying, you're really fucking wetâ
Unable to resist a taste, he knelt behind you and buried his face in your center, motorboating your cunt, your slick coating his face. He groaned against your pussy as his tongue zeroed in on your clit, making you moan and push back against him. His hands held your ass firmly, squeezing it to keep you in place as he sucked and lapped at your clit, before standing back up, running his tongue over your entrance and asshole as he moved.
âSo fucking wet for me, so sweet too,â he groaned, taking his cock in his hand and lining it up with your needy entrance, your hips wiggling as you whined pleadingly. âHold still, fuck,â you only managed to still for a moment before he pressed in, bullying his tip inside you and stretching your underprepared cunt wide. âAh fuck, so tight,â he grunted as he slid inside you, bringing one hand to your mouth to clamp over it and muffle your sounds as you began to scream at the stretch.
His fingers slid into your mouth and you sucked them greedily, moaning around them as he bottomed out inside you. âGood girl, fuck, good little slut,â he groaned, giving you only a moment to adjust before he was dragging back out again, leaving only his tip inside you as he slammed back in. His fingers left your mouth so he could hold your hips firmly, fucking you hard and fast with the intention of making you both cum quickly before anyone caught you in the act, his cock heavy against your g-spot and stimulating it deliciously with every hard thrust he made. Your palms were flat against the wall, holding you steady as your body took the brunt of each impact, breasts grazing on the stone wall and drool transfering to the cool surface as Heat fucked you mercilessly.
He pulled you a little away from the wall, your tits now bouncing with every thrust as they hung freely until Heat reached underneath you and grabbed them, pulling you up and holding you with your back flush to his chest, one hand groping your tits still while the other wrapped around your throat, slowly travelling upwards till his fingers were buried in your mouth again, muffling your moans against the wet slapping of his body against yours. His teeth grazed your neck, wishing he could sink his fangs into you as they grew in his mouth, canines extending unbeknownst to you and running over your skin, knowing if he made a mark he would be caught. He was having trouble keeping in control of himself as you sucked on his fingers and your pussy fluttered around his cock, gummy walls clamping down around him as your eyes rolled back and you came on his cock without warning. A creamy ring formed around his base as he kept fucking you hard, chasing his own high now and trying to figure out where would be appropriate to cum.
âGet on your knees again,â he ordered, pulling his fingers from your mouth and withdrawing his throbbing cock from your cunt. You dropped to your knees willingly, opening your mouth invitingly for him with your tongue stuck out. He considered just jerking himself off over your face, painting your pretty fucked out expression with his cum, but worried about your inability to clean yourself off down here, so instead he shoved his cock down your throat, holding your hair with both hands as he began to use you rougher than he intended. You moaned around him at the surprising treatment, eyes streaming with unintentional tears as his cock gagged you with every hard thrust, until he finally stilled with his shaft balls deep in your mouth and you felt the hot cum pouring down your throat, his hands pulling your hair while he grunted. You shivered at the feeling, almost cumming again from it, playing with your oversensitive clit as he unloaded in your mouth. He pulled away slowly, the last drops of cum spilling against your tongue as you licked the tip. He slapped your cheek with his softening cock, giving you an appreciative grin as he slid his finger into your still open mouth and played with your tongue.
âI hope Kid decides not to kill you,â he mused as he helped you to your feet, pinning you against the wall again, his hand running up your thigh and hip till it came to rest at your waist. âWould be a real shame to waste a good set of holes like thatâ
âTell him to come try me himself, maybe that'll convince him,â you suggested, âunless you wanna keep me all to yourselfâ
âMm, tempting,â he mused, running a thumb over your bottom lip, âI don't mind sharing though, besides, I doubt I could keep you to myself even if I wanted to if one of the others decided they wanted a turn. Maybe we'll make you our ship whoreâ
âI'm not opposed to that,â you purred. Heat made a huff and started stepping away.
âFuck, you really are a Kid Pirate fan huh?â He laughed, âI'll get you your blanket, but be a good girl and behave yourself until I can convince Kid to let you goâ
âI'll be on my best, naughtiest behaviour,â you winked, shivering a little now that you didn't have his warm body to keep you heated. He frowned as he watched you shiver, realising how much you really did need the blanket.
âI'll find you some clothes too,â he said softly before turning to leave, disappearing before you even had a chance to respond.
[Next Chapter]
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#one piece fanfiction#one piece smut#one piece x reader#kid pirates#kid pirates x reader#killer x reader#heat x reader#killer one piece#massacre soldier killer#heat one piece#kid one piece#eustass captain kidd#kid x reader#eustass kid x reader#wire x reader#wire one piece#monsterfucker#monsterfucker smut#monster au
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TimeBomb (Fix-It?) Fic with a side of Zaun Revolution
The inspiration really hit today, I feel like I blinked and all of a sudden I had 7k of a new fic.
what is it about? WellâŚ
Whilst I really enjoyed s2 of Arcane and I loved almost everything about it, I will admit there was one specific plot point I was really disapointed didnât go anywhere and one character decision that I just couldnât get behind.
First off; watching Arc 1/2 and especially episode 4 I was fucking pumped at the idea of a Zaun revolution plotline, and, since i watched the seasons back to back, Iâll be honest, watching episode 4 combined with the fact that in the opening credits we see Jinx waving a flag, my immediate thoughts were OH MY FUCKING GOD JINX IS GONNA LEAD A REVOLUTION AND FULLFILL SILCOâS DREAM OF AN INDEPENDENT ZAUNâŚ
Obviously I felt like a clown when that did not happen
and then for the character decision⌠Iâm not really a fan of the âyouâre too far gone the only thing you can do now is sacrifice yourself for the greater good/to save someoneâ character arc. Especially because I really wanted to see Jinx get better since, at the end of s1 her identity crisis is over, she choses Jinx and then I thought that maybe we could get maybe not a redemption arc but at least see her get better whilst staying partially chaotic
A part of me really likes what they did (up until her sacrifice) but a greater part of me is just- disappointed. Especially after the whole âNo matter what happened in the past itâs never too late to build something newâ bit. It just felt a little cruel.
And i know of the Jinx is alive theory and I believe it but still- I just donât like that this was the end for Jinx in Arcane, I wouldâve loved to see her and Cait having to come to terms with both their crimes and what they allowed their respective grief to turn them into.
also Ekko didnât deserve to end the series alone, not after everything he did and everything he gave up.
and so, with these two specific things in mind, pondering on it I found myself writing a little smth.
A fic that takes place right after the Stillwater breakout BUT- Jinx, Sevika and Isha escape before the Beast gets there AND Ekko returns from the alternate timeline early, pushing Jinx along with Sevika to convince her to be a part of the rebellion.
So far, Iâve got 7k words on this and Iâm thinking on how to involve Vi (another thing is that I felt we shouldâve gotten a bit more time with her) since, in my mind, the revolution of Zaun shouldâve been led by Vi, Ekko and Jinx.
Ekko to represent the fight for the future and as the face of the Firelights.
Jinx to represent the fight for the present (since her arc would involve starting to heal and finding smth worth fighting for) and of course to also represent Silco and his dream
And Vi to represent the past (since a big part of her character is being stuck in the past) and Vander
Jinx and Vi get to right the wrongs of the past and join forces like Silco and Vander never got to! (Because why include that letter if nothing really came from it?) also, as a sister whoâs had a lot of ups and downs with her big sister, I wouldâve KILLED to get to see more of their new dynamic âHereâs to the new usâ.
Also Isha lives because she deserved better and also Ekko gets to be her dad.
still unsure on how/if I incorporate Cait cause I LOVE her arc and would love to write her and Jinx/Ekko interacting
but yeah basically, this is a Timebomb fic with a heavy focus on Jinx becoming the leader of a revolution (since at first itâs more, Jinx is the symbol, Ekko is the brains. And maybe at some point itâs more like; Ekko is the heart, Jinx is the symbol/leader and Vi is the strength OR Ekko is the leader/brains, Jinx is the symbol/leader/face and Vi is the heart, you know cause- YOU HAVE A GOOD HEART DONâT EVER LOSE IT)
Also a big part of chapter 2 somehow wound up being a look into Sevikaâs mindset and why sheâs lowkey the biggest supporter of Zaun? So if you like Sevika I got you!
so uhh⌠yeah.
iâm thinking on the name and just to know what yall think, knowing what the focus would be what title do you think would work best?
Will prob start posting once Iâve got 5 chapters, which, if I keep up the pace will prob be in 2 or 3 days
also, should i tag it as Fix-It? Not sure if I should tbh
Hereâs a few little peaks! A tiny part of Ekko convincing Jinx to be a symbol (that was a LONG scene)/Part of the speech that starts it all/Isha being adorable in the Firelightâs base
Ekko adjusted his coat on her, she hadnât really noticed him getting close enough to do so, âI fought so long to make the undercity a better place, or to at least create a safe place in it, but I got so wrapped up in all the ways that weâve been screwed over, failed, in all the ways that it wasnât even half of what Iâd dreamed of no matter how hard I tried that I was starting to lose hope. But seeing that world⌠it helped me realize that⌠no matter what happened in the past, itâs never too late to build something new.âÂ
Jinx forced herself to met his eyes, unsure of what to do under the weight of his soft eyes and the careful way heâd somehow gotten his hands in hers, stopping her from digging her nails into her palms.
ââŚsomeone worth building it for.â
Jinx felt something in her starting to crack, âI donât know if I know how to build anything.â
âThatâs alright,â he quickly assured her, his own eyes glittering with tears, âwe can learn. This right here Jinx⌠this is our chance. I saw the murals, the posters, what you said back in the airshaft- if Piltover is targeting us⌠then maybe- just maybe, this could be our chance to bring all of the undercity together. To stand against Piltover, make them finally see us. Iâm not saying we burn them to the ground but- we can fight back, fight for respect, for a seat at the table.â
Jinx took a step back, shaking her head, âI canât- Iâm not like you- Iâm not a leader or- or some inspirational figure. Theyâre just desperate for anything to believe in. Iâm not- I donât deserve their faith.â
âBut youâre the first to take a real stand in a long time. Sure it was an⌠explosive stand but a stand regardless. Directly against the Council, the people who have passed all the laws to try and make us less than them in the past. Who have had no trouble ignoring our struggles and claiming blissful ignorance when they screw us over. You have the chance to help bring people together. If we can stop killing each other over Piltoverâs scraps and for territory⌠we can stand our ground. This could be the start of a rebellion. A revolution.â
ââŚIâll screw it up. I always do.â
âYou wonât⌠and if it does go wrong⌠it wonât be on you. We can do this Jinx, together.â
Jinx looked back out to the city line.
Itâd been Silcoâs dream.
To be recognized by Piltover.Â
He hadnât been able to bring Zaun together, sure, but everything heâd done had forced Zaun into progress⌠even if it wasnât always in the best of ways. His biggest dream had always been of Zaun being itâs own nation.
It was the dream thatâd been within his grasp, close enough to touch but that he had meant to reject in the end.
For her.
Sheâd bombed the Council as a way to honor him.
To finally show them all.
Everything had gone to shit the moment he was gone.
But now⌠now all of Zaun had a common enemy.Â
There had been no singular group in Stillwater. Instead a coglamoration of Jinxers and Firelights and members from every gang Jinx knew of.
That meant that there had been no division at Sevikaâs rally.
That for once, every part of Zaun had been open to the possibility of fighting for the same cause and had been promptly punished for it.
Jinx slowly turned back to Ekko.
Building something knew⌠heâd said Powder used her abilities to create instead of destroying⌠could she do the same?
Someone worth building it for⌠she thought of the hopeful look in Ekkoâs eyes. Of the way the people of Zaun had, for a moment, embraced her, wrapping her in gratitude and misplaced but real hope as they passed by her. And of course, she thought of Isha, who deserved so much more than⌠this.
âIâm not saying Iâll be good at it⌠but I suppose I could give it a shot.â
Ekko reached out quickly, Jinx barely having time to flinch before he was tugging at her and-
Pulling her into a hug, all but crushing her against him, arms wrapped tightly against him.
She exhaled, falling against him, hiding her face against his chest.
They stayed like that for what was possibly an embarrassingly long time.
When she eventually managed to pull back, she turned away to wipe away her tears.
âSo⌠how exactly does one start a revolution?â
��ââââââââ
âThis is the time to stand together!â Ekkoâs voice came as he stepped out from the crowd, wearing his firelight mask, going to take it off as he went to stand next to Sevika, âTo leave aside the labels and separation and to work together, itâs the only way weâll survive whatâs coming next. Piltover wants us divided. They have always benefited from us killing each other, being at each otherâs throats, fighting for territory and for their scraps. Not anymore! We need to stand together! To show them that we will not backdown! That they canât invade our streets, our homes and expect us to just lay down and take it! That-â
âWhere is Jinx?!â Demanded a voice, thought she couldnât tell exactly where it came from.
Ekko sighed, casting a glance her way, waiting.
Jinx took a deep breath.
âRight here!â She called out as she went to take off her cloak, the people around her quickly going to clear a path as she sauntered on forwards, stopping next to Ekko for a moment before going to stand on the metal box Sevika had left on the floor, âYou wanted to see me? Well here I am!â
Most of the crowd gathered around her, after a moment of stunned silence, started applauding, whilst some other looked like they wanted nothing more than to shake her and ask her what exactly her plan was.
Jinx glanced to Ekko, who gave her a quiet encouraging nod.
Welp, she didnât really have anything to lose.
âNow⌠I donât know much about leading, or about being some- revolutionary⌠but I do know about fighting. And I know about Piltoverâs crimes.â
She recalled all of Silcoâs sermones and every story and complaint he ever told her about all Piltover had and constantly took for granted.
This had never been her dream. But it had been her dadâs. And maybe it had started becoming her own the moment Isha had dropped into her life.
âI know that Enforcers have killed hundreds of us, a lot of times, for no good reason other than to show us that we are lesser than them, for us daring to stand up for ourselves, for doing what we gotta do to survive. That they have thrown dozens of us in cells without a trial just because they can. But the second we lay our hands on a single one of their precious Council members they suddenly have the right to invade our streets? To cry for justice to be delivered? Itâs bullshit!â
A lot of them started nodding along, she could see the anger rising up in them.
ââââââââââ
Jinx took a deep breath before gently placing Isha on the railing, keeping a hand on the back of her vest, âLook at that kid. You like it?â
Ishaâs eyes widened in a way that wouldâve been comical if it werenât heartbreaking. This was probably the first proper tree sheâd ever seen.
Jinx set her down on the floor and the girl started jumping from foot to foot, clearly thrilled.
Ekko chuckled as he went to crouch down, âYou see that platform to the right?â He asked as he pointed, Isha following before nodding, âThatâs where the kids we have here play. We even managed to get our hands on some Piltover toys if you wanna go check it out. Jinx and I will be by the base of the tree if you need us.â
Isha hesitated, going to grab Jinxâs leg.
The girl had gotten a lot more confident since Jinx had first met her but it was obvious she had some anxiety about being apart.
Jinx went to crouch as well, gently running her thumb over Ishaâs eyebrow before playfully pinching her cheek, Isha trying to act annoyed and push her away but smiling, âYou should go kiddo. See if they got any good stuff. Iâll be right down there, Iâm not going anywhere without you.â
Isha inspected her for a long moment before nodding along, adjusting her metal helmet as though it were armor before starting to make her way towards the platform.
âShe seems like a good kid.â Ekko said.
âShe is. Sheâs the best.â
#arcane#jinx arcane#ekko#jinx#arcane violet#vi and jinx#ekkojinx#ekko and jinx#timebomb#arcane s2#sevika arcane#sevika#Cait? Maybe?#I feel like Iâm on shimmer#arcane vi
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Aha! I have now read the last (??? probably?) chapter of Mha. Thoughts to this chapter and the whole ending itself, and obivously spoilers under the cut!
Ok so first, I don't think it's a bad chapter per se? There are some pretty cool pages in there, and I love seeing the grown up characters! Whatevery happened to Monoma and Denki, they are looking GOOD. I love the little scene between Tsuyu and Ochako, just because we get to see that they are besties, hanging out and telling each other about their lives!
Also Kacchan got a racing car (or something fancy at least)? I didn't really expect him to go for such appearance-things, but maybe just because I'm not a fan of cars myself. And hey, despite the threat Kiri gets to eat in his car, look how far he has come *sniff*
Now coming to the obvious, the Ochako/Deku part. I love Ochako as a character, and I think Ochako/Deku is still really cute. It's a sweet pairing, it has just never been my main interest because I always found the dynamic between Izuku and Katsuku so much more compelling. ^^ I would have preferred not to conform any ships though- I thought the last chapter was ok as an ending, with the way you can now make up your own ideas about how and where everyone will end up. As it seems, Hori did have other plans for Izuku and wanted to close that ambiguous, open Izuku/Ochako part. It's his character, and he can do that.
But there are some things that do leave me unsatisfied, from the ending in general and this chapter.
First- what do you mean Izuku won't join Katsuki's hero agency??? Like----what? And not just from a shipping perspective, but from his whole character arc? I'm not sure if I read too much into it, but over the course of the whole manga, Izuku's main rival has been his friend, and they have been shown again and again as acting as this hero duo - winning to save and saving to win. That was a whole theme!! Where has that gone? Which leads me to my second and biggest unsatifaction with the ending: Where is that important talk between Katsuku and Izuku? Look, I don't need any romantic special talk. What I want though is some kind of closure of their whole dynamic. It was a big fucking plot point that Iuku would go beserk if something happened to Katsuki, a way he didn't react to for anything else. And that happpened not only once or twice but at least three times- the kidnap, the stabbing 1, and the death scene. For heaven's sake, Izuku saw his best friend laying on the ground. That stuff does something to you!! And the only thing we get is a (sweet, but still) hospital scene. And, during all these interactions (at least later, not the fight on ground beta): the hospital at the end and the apology of Katsuki, Izuku only ever reacts but doesn't really say much aside from that? He doesn't start and look for any conversation, and he doesn't really tell us what he feels in these moments. I as the reader would at least expect some kind of talk between them how that last battle made them feel. But no- so now, it leaves me with the feeling that Izuku is either A) not actually that close to Katsuki which however contradicts everything we've seen until now, or B) emotionally really really repressed and oh my god get that boy some therapy and help him figure out his stuff. Or, C) they did that talk behind the scenes which would really suck. Izuku is still the main character. You want the reader to identify with him and confront complex emotions that result from all those hardships together with him- how are we supposed to do that if HE NEVER FUCKING TALKS ABOUT HIS FEELS. I mean, this is kinda what Kacchan gets at in the car. Another interesting scene!
Is this a confession or a push for Izuku to notice potential feelings from Kacchan? Well, we don't know. That's left open and I guess we're really free to interpret. It would be a Kacchan thing to say I guess, and we also have that offer to become hero partners (which you didn't accept Izuku because you have brain damage). Also possible is that the intention of this is that we get that Izuku/Ochako scene. They might be fucking with us and it could be both, because you still can't have someone openly declaring any gay feelings in a shounen manga. I don't want to speculate too much, it's of no use anyway *shrugs shoulders.
So yeah...what I'm miffed about is not really the confirmation about a the Izuku/Ochako pairing. What really bugs me is that this special relationship that exists between Izuku and Katsuki, where they both kind of motivate each other to be the best they can be, in such an intense way they we don't see them have with any other character- that THIS never gets addressed and that we're left hanging in the air, not really knowing what the relationship between these two is now- THAT pisses me off. (again: if you best friend died and came back, you would maybe want to address that in some way?) It feels like the writer left one big theme of the series infinished, and now with this chapter, it feels kinda dismissed to the side. I love Izuku but that passiveness and the lack of insight to his feelings during those last volumes (for the reader and by himself too) does make him feel...a bit hollow at the end to me. Last short topic: I'm also just a tiny bit disappointed that the only conclusion of the quirk theme was that they now start early to teach kids and help communication. Good thing of course, but with the way we heard "Quirks are getting stronger by each generation" and the quirk evolution, I thought there was something bigger coming, so that's been a bit of a let down. Nothing big, just an "oh, that's all?" moment)
But yeah...I think that kinda sums up how I feel about this now. Anyway, no hate for the IzuOcha part, they're pretty cute together!
#sorry I kinda started swearing halfway into this#this is not all about the last chapter#bnha#mha#mha 431#bnha 431#mha spoilers#bnha spoilers
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Sunlight and Stars in the Sky III - Astarion X F!Reader
The third, and last, part of a little arc about Astarion's confession.
Part 1 Part 2
Astarion has confessed everything to you, to try to make your relationship real. When he discovers it isn't as easy as he thought, he's determined to make things right between the two of you.
Astarion was happy, the happiest he could remember being, as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you tight against his chest. You cared about him and, impossibly, you forgave what he'd been trying to do to you. Snuggled into your hair, he breathed you in, wildflowers and sun-warmed forests. It wasn't what he expected at all. He'd thought you'd scream and curse him, say you never wanted to talk to him again, maybe even force him to leave the camp.Â
But you hadnât. With soft words and the sweetest embrace, you'd told him you cared and would wait for him to be ready for anything more. His Sunlight, you were so good to him. And it was real now, what the two of you had, you had told him that. "Will you still share my tent?" His hand in yours, his voice caught in his throat as he asked. What if you didn't want to without the promise of intimacy?Â
âOf course Love,â youâd smiled warmly, âI wouldnât want to be anywhere else.âÂ
Thatâs what led the two of you here, cozily cuddled together, your fingers entwined in his as you lay with your back against him. âNo hunting tonight?âÂ
âIt can wait, thereâs not much out there and I want all the time I can while youâre awake.â His lips brush your ear, the tiny half-elf point is a bit of a fascination of his, the way sometimes it makes you either giggle or make one of your happy little noises depending on just how it's touched. Tonight you sigh softly, you must be tired.Â
Astarion waits until youâre completely asleep to go out hunting, even then heâs loath to disentangle himself from you, afraid you could somehow just vanish. It still stings when he thinks of that first night you stayed in his tent, you were gone when he came back from hunting. Laying there alone in the dark, it was like he had been robbed of something he hadnât even known he had, and he couldnât fathom why. Later he learned you still thought you were unwanted at his side. Heâd make sure you never thought that again, you were his and he was yours.Â
Hunting doesnât take long, thereâs really nothing about, a stray bird that found its way through the curse somehow. Once you all made it to Moonrise heâd make use of some cultists. Besides, thatâs all the sooner he can have you back in his arms. Soft steps approach the tent, he doesnât want to wake you. But something draws his attention, a sound, hushed sobs from within. Frantic that youâve been harmed somehow, he hurries through the opening only to find you curled up on your side, face hidden in a pillow. Visibly unharmed, it's only your feelings that seem to be wounded by something. âDarling, are you alright?â Settling next to you, he hesitates before reaching over. Is this what heâs supposed to do? Or do you want space? His hand hangs in the air far too long while he tries to decide.Â
You shift and he loses the opportunity, sitting up a little to rub your eyes and try to hide your tears. âIâm fine, nothing to worry about.âÂ
Awkwardly, he puts a hand on your shoulder. âYou can talk to me. Please?â Thatâs what couples do, they talk to each other, but youâre holding back, and his doubts are starting to claw their way into his mind.Â
His eyes meet yours and the sudden realization knocks the air out of him. Itâs him, heâs the reason for the tears. How he can see it, he doesnât know, heâs sure all the same though. But still, you force a little smile for him. âAstarion please, I promise itâs fine.âÂ
It would seem itâs your turn for pretty lies, and he wants to go along with it with all his heart. Let it go, wait for it to pass, bury it and never look back. But that wound will stay there, unresolved, festering. With a shaky hand, he cups your face gently. âLove, please, IâŚâ He doesnât know what more to say, so he lets you go and hangs his head. Perhaps he's not meant for this afterall.Â
âItâs justâŚa lot to take in. And it hurts to have been lied to.â Even with your eyes still watery, youâre so gentle with him. Far too gentle.Â
Arms move, reaching for you, but he stops, unsure if you'd want the comfort of the one that brought you pain. âI thought we were alright.â He hurt you, his Sunlight, his Darling, his Love, and everything in him wants to run, to get away before this all can go even worse, before he has to hear you say you've changed your mind.
âWe will be,â you say, voice worn from crying.
Hells, he canât let you do this again, be the strong one, put yourself to the side for someone else. Moving closer, he cautiously wraps his arms around you, still not knowing if it's what you want. âIâm sorry. I was so afraid, I didnât think about hurting you.âÂ
Returning his embrace, you nuzzle into his neck, an affectionate gesture he couldnât even conceive of a few days ago, and now heâd die a thousand deaths to keep feeling it. âI know, Iâm not mad.âÂ
âGods, perhaps you should be. At least if you took it out on me, weâd be even.â Astarion gives a shaky laugh, plunging ahead despite his doubts, because youâre still there, still holding him even after everything.Â
You answer with a peculiar little snort-laugh, a sound heâs never heard from yoy. For a fleeting moment he ponders how many more little facets of yours heâll get to learn about in the time that he gets with you. âPlease, if I yelled at you, youâd sulk for days.âÂ
âI said weâd be even Darling, not that Iâd take it gracefully.â Kissing the top of your head, he smiles, grateful youâre playing along.Â
âIn that case,â you sit up and give him a serious look, which is immediately undercut by the grin you're suppressing, âyouâre awful, you have bad hair, and youâre a messy eater.â You gesture to the recent puncture wounds in your neck for emphasis. Â
His jaw goes slack and he puts a hand over his heart in mock shock. âI didnât realize you would be so ruthless about it. Why, if I still could, I would walk into the sun and burn myself out of pure heartbreak.âÂ
Both of you dissolve into laughter and he scoops you into his lap, lingering giggles dying away as he covers your lips with his. âThere, weâre even.â Your head comes to rest against his chest as his fingers trace small circles on your back.Â
âIn all seriousness, Love, I need you to talk to me. I donât know how to do any of this, give me a fighting chance.â At the last word, his voice cracks in a way that he abhors, not only does his pride shudder at the thought of breaking in front of you, he still wants to be the strong one right now, to give you that.Â
âYou really mean that, donât you?â Turning in his arms, you kneel in front of him, eyes locked to his, hands on his shoulders.Â
Thereâs a different kind of intimacy to this, to looking you in the eyes and giving you the truth without obfuscation or embellishment. His first impulse is to look away, but he resists, keeping his gaze steady. Hands come to rest on your waist, a look of peace crossing your face at his touch. âWith all my heart, Sunlight.âÂ
Lips press to his, fervent but not demanding of anything more. With a swift motion, he pulls you down into the blankets, causing you to gasp in surprise. âAstarion!â You try to sound exasperated, but sigh happily as he wraps himself around you. âIâm glad we talked about this, thank you.â
âI mean, I am incredible in every other way, of course Iâm a wonderful partner. Now I believe I am owed one overly-sappy term of endearment or Iâll be deeply hurt.âÂ
âMy Starry Sky.â The silly little nickname has a way of making everything inside him flutter somehow, but the way your voice was right now, soft and affectionate, warm, like a home he didnât know he had, heâd die if you asked him too. Or at least strongly consider it.Â
After pulling some of the scattered mess of covers over the two of you, lips brush yours one more time , and you tuck your head under his chin. Exactly where you belong.Â
#bg3#astarion#baldurs gate 3#baldurs gate 3 fanfiction#astarion x tav#astarion x reader#astarion x f!reader#x reader#my writing#my fanfic
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EMH Marble Hornets AU!!
ok i know im not creative when it comes to aus but i thought itd be interesting to tell the story of MH through EMHâs story? IF YOU GUYS HAVE THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS PLS LEAVE SOME IN MY INBOX!!! :-]( or even questions for the MH!EMH characters heh)1
Basically its just marble hornets told through EMH, for example instead of âtapes i foundâ story telling theyd open a youtube channel for tips and tricks on making your own movie while they make their own called Marble Hornets! EMH/MLA spoilersish up ahead
Heres the character correspondences:
Alex-> Jeff
Jay-> Vinnie
Tim-> Evan
Brian-> Michael!MLA
Jess-> Alex!EMH
Amy ->Jeffs GF(so sorry i forgot her name đ)
âMaskyâ->Habit(which makes sense depending on the theories you go with for either series)
âHoodyâ->Patrick (same as the last one)
Characters in cant figure out an association with:
Steph, Jess(Evans bestfriend) Shaun So they might just not have a place in this story idk
Since Mlanderson and EMH are in the same universe i thought id make Brian the Michael/Patrick of this story, except more involved. Instead of their being a shaun i think id like Brian to just go to MH crew, if ykwim. I did this cause the only other character i thought could fit Brian was Alex!EMH and I didnt like that.
My take on Masky is that hes just a more aware Tim, not a separate being (tho i do like to think of it that way for fun sometimes ha ha). Masky in my mind was in a battle against the operators control and was ultimately trying to help Jay. I think Masky would br Habit in this series cause of the theory that Habit is one of the first few iterations of Evan, thats why theyre similar and so compatible etc if you know the theory you know. That does mean that Tim isnt gonna act all ha ity, just more erratic i think, i havent gone tooooooo far into a characterization(or even a name) for Emh!MH Habit yet
âHoodyâ I see as just brian and he was just disguising himself. in this au âHoodyâ would be patrick. Let me explain,
Frim what i gathetef through my second watch of EMH and, my first of MLA , patrick is just Michael but remembers every single iteration, hes a similar being to Habit, thats why he has powers ig? Look i havent gotten too far into theories fir MLA the fandom is so dead i never see any đđ. I dont want to get to far into theories on other series anyways cause rhis is about my AU so ANYYYYWAYS i think brian would fit that its just brians story doesnt fit entirely with Michael, actually Tim would probably fit more now that i think about it. Oh god now im thinking of switching them again uhm wtv
I think the rest of the correspondences make sense if you think about it a bit. Jay as Vinnie makes sense to me because of boths compulsive need for answers even though its destructive to those around them. Jay wouldnt be as much as a villain in this like vinnie is (or maybe i havent decided muahaha). I also thought they fit cause they both do that weird thing where they constatly have to document everything.
I thought tim eould fit Evan just cause of the whole habit arc.
Alex as Jeff was more of a fill a role thing that eventually made sense to me. I did think of making him Evan and Tim Jeff, and im still thinking of doing this, but i thought the whole finding the gf arc would fit alex more. Alex would still be one of the villains i think. Like i said this would be marble hornets told through EMH lol. I might even switch it up and assign a habit type role to Alex instead and there be two patrick characters who knows!
As you can tell im still thinking this through so maybe mext post i make about this will be more solid. if youre interested to talk about this kore with me(obv my inbox) or i have a slenderverse discord i made with my friend heh tik tok smug emoji. come join if youre looking for more slenderverse friends(and if youre interested in darkharvest and mla especially cause i need more people to talk about that to đđ)
#first time drawing brian sorry that he looks wonky đ#actually really liked these(except brian)#probs cause its detached from my main style a lot đ#art#artist#digital art#artwork#doodles#art work#fanart#mlandersen0#emh#everyman hybrid#marble hornets fanart#marble hornets#masky marble hornets#jay merrick#alex kraile#brian thomas#tim wright#marble hornets AU
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I make four Milf Models on the list (and a Fifth on in Shiranui) and then I go and find Six more 'Mature' Gems! Dammit...
Anyways let me introduce the Six new candidates.
1.) Cattleya (Queen's Blade)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/3c426f56a32e683e24df2cfafe7ad5dd/ac86518b55376f84-f0/s540x810/3cbac2345fbaaff4a27bba6ef932caa3d82f514b.jpg)
Not gonna like, I know noithing besides that she has huge tits, glasses and is a blacksmith with hella muscle... That is more then enough! I would make her son and Jaune friends, and Cattleya is the only woman the Arc trust to forge their weapons and upkeep them. Her son Rana is one of the only people Jaune trust around his sisters.
2.) Kie Kamado (Demon Slayer)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/eb6a046e59a3ae5d9cb510fba64ddee5/ac86518b55376f84-3a/s540x810/485720c85351875f82194f466ddd9c80ec98855d.jpg)
So truth be told, I have not watched Demon Slayer... And this woman and her four dead kids are why! Like THE FUQ!? Jesus man this crap broke my heart, I... I just moved right along to happy anime cuz that shit makes me sad as fuck... So yeah they would live in Ansel, and she would be Juniper's best friend and one of the very few women he can understand the sheer difficulties of raising a small team of children. But worst, because she has to do it alone... Then Grimm attack, and while everyone else is trying to protect their own. Little Jaune rushes to help his best friend Tanjiro and his siblings! Auraless and with only his families sword in hand that he can barely wield the two boys actually manage to kill a Beowulf and proceed to get them to the safety of the Arc House.
3.) Shizu Shinazugawa (Demon Slayer)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/402ce693668bf89ca3920978fb8e699c/ac86518b55376f84-fc/s540x810/0f6e59e4a7088eb8e75f066c04e9455cb9db5b05.jpg)
DUDE WHAT THE FUCK!!! Seriously this woman somehow had a worst death then Kie! SHE ATE HER KIDS!!! WHAT IN THE FUCKING HELL!!! OH! AND LETS NOT FORGET THAT SHE WAS GETTEN BEATEN BY HER HUSBAND!!! God Dammit, at this point I'm starting to think it's a good thing pig boy was raised by boars. If his mom had been with him instead of abandoning him in thew woods (I assume) she'd probably be dead too! Much less lightening whiney bitch I swear don't give him a tragic backstory too! I do not want to like him... As for shizu, Imma play the Cardin card, and say the two older brothers are bullies in Ansel. Lashing out at others because of their abusive father and of course Jaune is a very ripe target, the envy of the pair because of his kind strong father. Jaune is mad, but after talking to his sisters he decides to invite the boys over to dinner, and try to be friends, after all like his mom says, friends are just strangers you haven't met yet. And besides... Their like him and Tanjiro, he heard they have a lot of siblings too. They should make a club together! It is as little Jaune is having these thoughts that he stumbles upon it... then father beating them, them and their poor mom! And much like with the Ursa Jaune rushes in. And gets beaten within a inch of his life, but doesn't stop, grabbing forks, spoons anything he can get his hands on... Telling them to run, to get his dad. Papa Arc does come forward and what he finds is his son, bloody, beaten barely able to stand, but standing he is, and protecting the poor lady with a broken leg from her evil husband... And then the man is gone, his head taken, the Arc Patriarch not hesitating for even a second.
4.) Ruka Rengoku (Demon Slayer)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/70697808b984e31141c1dfd1a3208d1c/ac86518b55376f84-77/s540x810/f3b12ab5e48581047630fa24ffec2d52150ab1f3.jpg)
'It is the obligation of those born strong to defend the weak. Don't ever forget that..'
That Fucking Line! That Fucking Line Right There Makes Her Hotter Then The Other Two! Oh and what do you know, another piece of shit husband!
Okay, so I get he only turned piece of shit cuz she died bu-NO! You Know what, Fuck that Your Son Died Cuz You Couldn't Step Up And Live Up To Your Wives Words! Fuck You!!! That Drunk Bastard Insulted her memory and made her have to suffer meeting her son FAR TOO EARLY!!!
There is no way this woman doesn't hate her husband from beyond the grave! So here what would happen, Shinjuro would snap earlier then like when his wife is first diagnosed with the disease. At first he tries to stay strong but then begins to drink, then gets pissed when told nothing can be done!
And then in his denial he tries to force them to leave to Atlas, to hopefully find a cure or way to treat her... But Ruka refuses, Ansel needs them, negativity has been on the rise and Grimm have shown up more often. So he begins to drink and rant, and rave and Ruka watches her husband betray both himself and her faith in him.
And then he leaves, taking her with him one night, in desperation kidnapping his own wife against her will, her body far too weak to resist to take her to Atlas forcibly if needed. He uses a favor Papa and Mama Arc owe him to watch his kids while he's gone (Lying and saying he convinced Ruka)
And it is as he was gone that Ansel was attacked, his sons forced to fight, children like them, Jaune, little Tanjiro and the Shinazugawa brothers barely managing to take his place, but not without injury.
When he returns, he isn't met with scorn, nor blame... Not from anyone, except his wife! Ruka will not forgive him, and would rather die alone then married to him... He leaves, bitter angry but knowing she was right. And it was as this was happening that her son brings Jaune to her, the boy noticing several cuts and bruises she'd received from her forceful travels... He reaches out, and uses the power he discovered while the held off the Grimm.
The power that let mere kids like them fight and barely make up the difference her Ex-Husbands absence... His Semblance, Aura Amplification, every doctor had told her her disease wasn't treatable because her body simply lacked the strength to fight it, her immune system was too too compromised and her body too fragile by that point to maintain.
But Jaune's power, it's strength was one of a nature to empower others, to share with them his strength, his vigor, his will and soul, and Jaune wouldn't stop sharing his strength until it was enough to save her!
It was the logic of a simply youth, if he could kill monsters as big as Grimm, he refused to let small ones so tiny and weak take one of his friends moms! The same woman who told him he could be a huntsman! No! That said it was his duty to be one! Well What Kinda Huntsman Couldn't Save a mother!
5.) Rinko Iori (Gundam... Apparently -///-)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/33d459346224e97a311def7a37519d7b/ac86518b55376f84-5e/s540x810/65d2652180ffcf63670c97073cfc7586ba122573.jpg)
I...I did not know she was from a anime... I firmly thought she was a hentai mom... But no, apparently she is from Gundam. Well, I think I've said enough and these pictures hopefully speak for themselves...
I'd say she is a Argus mom, and helped Saphron and Terra navigate raising their first kid.
6.) Mirelia Q Melromarc
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/f3004bef1b3e8d03157d042a1d2dfc50/ac86518b55376f84-1b/s540x810/f749d1238302f854db2e9943527d105f6f8f4b78.jpg)
She Is A Queen! (Literally!) but no... Like seriously she is best girl, she showed up and everything, oh everything just turned pure euphoria for me. And God Damn She hated her husband! I wish they went more in on how thoroughly pissed she was in the anime like they did in the light novel.
Seriously a fucked up daughter and husband... just... Fuck man, and seriously FUCK BITCH For What She did! (If you read the Web Novel you know what I'm talking about) And fuck Trash too! Y'know it was so he could have a redemption Arc.
Fuck that, as far as I'm concerned those two need death like I need air. Naofumi is her (Only) daughter's fiancÊe. Which means she's in need of a new consort, a noble, strong, kind one who has a sharp wit.
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What do you think of season 2 of arcane? i've seen quite... a contrasting reaction from the public when compared to the reaction that s1 got
[cracks knuckles] ok, first some context: I was, and still am, largely unfamiliar with the League of Legends video games, which probably colors my perception of Arcane as a whole. The first season was incredible. 10/10 no notes. It's a masterpiece of animation hands down. One of its many strengths is that it sticks to a self-contained story that does not require lore knowledge or even knowledge of who the characters from the games are. It's a character drama wrapped in a steampunk/sci-fi/fantasy aesthetic. It tells a grounded story that follows its characters as their arcs play out all the way through to the end. I love it and habitually rewatched it while waiting for season 2.
...And then season 2 came and it kinda went. I enjoyed the season. The animation, music, voice acting, all incredible and it's what makes the season a joyride. But that's pretty much what it is. A joyride. That grounded story and character drama was largely dropped for bigger stakes and it feels like the season lost the plot. You were invested in the Zaun/Piltover conflict? Let's have Jayce give a half-assed speech about working together to defeat a common enemy and give Sevika a token seat at the councillors' table. You wanted to see how Jinx and Vi's relationship developed after the bombing? Well, Vi says "my sister is gone." Until Vander/Warwick shows up. But they don't really talk about their relationship or how much they've both changed. They're just cool with each other know.
Did you want to see how Jinx deals with the fallout of killing her father figure and embracing the role of the Mad Bomber? Well, she kinda mopes for a bit. Finds a street urchin that magically cures her of her mental instability. oops, street urchin is dead. Jinx is depressed now. fun. It's not like the marketing lead us to believe that Jinx was going to be an actual antagonist, right?
youtube
right?
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/7d188428a1b0e60460f5785525338058/9f0bc3def6caa9c4-38/s540x810/eeed864738bf04ce433f3e95118f34cc3176bc8c.jpg)
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/6850ef9708680bf4197d28c9d75d0c77/9f0bc3def6caa9c4-7e/s500x750/6e11c379fee2c6d943ba4218129ca545b9200b4c.jpg)
Now, I know trailers and posters can be misleading but come on. Season 1 ended with her fully becoming Jinx and I feel like she was more Jinx-like there than in season 2.
We got less of the sisters than in the first season despite being the emotional core of the story. Part of that is the escalating conflict and having far too many antagonists. We have Ambessa, Viktor, and the Black Rose and they all take up too much screen time (this last one was a huge ??? for me as a noob to the games. Actually, Mel's whole arc in season 2 was so divorced from season 1 that it feels like they just gave her magic powers just so she could participate in the fight). The other part is that when the sisters are together, they don't really say or do anything meaningful. The dialogue is rather boilerplate and there's no emotional weight to their scenes. It's just there.
That's really my problem with season 2 as a whole, it just feels like it's ticking off boxes to get to the big action sequences, and even some of those felt superfluous (did we really need a fight scene with Smeech? Smeech? Who the fuck is he and why should we care?). The funny thing is that, there are a lot of good ideas here. Jinx feeling conflicted about suddenly being seen as a symbol of the people? Awesome! Caitlyn falling under the sway of Ambessa as she mourns her mother and gasses innocent civilians in her mad pursuit of Jinx? Great! Viktor slowly losing his humanity and becoming the Machine Herald while Jayce struggles to right what they have wronged and get his friend back? Excellent! The problem is that they're all crammed together and don't get room to breathe, so everything is rushed and unsatisfactory.
When your first season ends with four people at a dinner table that explores their character dynamics and your second season's climax looks like a Marvel movie, there's a problem.
(also, side tangent: Silco and Vander's backstory was shoddy and contradictory. Making them BFFs with Vi and Jinx's mom was a bad idea. It cheapens Vander's decision to leave behind a life of violence and adopt two orphans. It introduces a plot hole that Silco wasn't around for the kids' childhood and makes that moment when he tries to kill Powder extra weird. PLUS, we have the ever lovely trope of fridging a woman and making her the catalyst of conflict between two male characters đ
although this season did make me ship these two, so there's thatđ)
(another mini tangent: I'm not fond of making a time traveling Viktor the one who gave baby Jayce the rune stone. That scene was one of my favorites from season 1 and the mage actually being Viktor just makes the world feel smaller and less enigmatic YMMV).
So there you have it. An overall okay season but one that pales in comparison to its predecessor.
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Can you do the g1 atobots with a human buddy that makes very comfy ânestsâ around the ship?
YES!
Also I made Buddy a toddler for this one, if you didn't want that please let me know.
Hope you enjoy!
Human Buddy the toddler making 'nests' around the ship
SFW, Platonic, Human reader
G1
Buddy was a toddler whose parents were close friends with the Autobots.
They often brought Buddy to the base while they helped around.
The bots loved seeing the little one around the base.
Buddy was always a little treat to have around.
Sure, they had their tantrum moments as any toddler would, but they were mostly behaved.
Spike looking under the control panels.
Sideswipe and Sunstreaker walk in to see Spike.
âWhat ya looking for Spike?ââSideswipe
âDid you loose that pen again?â--Sunstreaker
âI canât find Buddy!â--Spike
âWhat!?ââSideswipe and Sunstreaker
Sideswipe and Sunstreaker start looking for Buddy.
âBuddy! Buddy where are you!â--Sideswipe
âThey couldnât have gone that far, right?â--Sunstreaker
âNot with those tiny feet.â--Sideswipe
Meanwhile on the other side of the ArcâŚ
Buddy on the top shelf of the tool shelf.
âReady Mr. Warpath!â--Buddy
Warpath at the bottom holding a mattress.
âLetâs go Buddy! When I say BAM! You jump!â--Warpath
âOkay!â--Buddy
â1⌠2⌠3ââ--Warpath
Ratchet walks in.
âWarpath what areâOH PRIMUS NO!â--Ratchet
âBAM!ââWarpath
Buddy jumps off the ledge with a huge smile on their face.
âWWWWEEEEEEEEE!â--Buddy
Ratchet kick drops Warpath and grabs Buddy midair.
Buddy waving their arms up.
âAgain! Again!â--Buddy
Sometimes if they were extra good, they were allowed sleepovers at the base, with Optimusâs and their parentsâ permission.
The sleepovers soon became more and more common as Buddyâs parents were leaving and coming back home too late from work.
Buddy didnât mind that too much, they had their friends to keep them company!
They ended up finding many little nooks and crannies on the Arc.
Thank you hide and seek games!
On the times that they did go home, they made sure to stuff their bag to the brim with pillows and blankets.
The bots are confused when they see Buddy with a determined look on their face going somewhere in the Arc.
Powerglide and Bumblebee looking at Buddy hauling three backpacks filled with stuff along the hallway.
âHey Buddy! What ya got there?â--Bumblebee
âStuff!â--Buddy
Buddy continues to lug their things.
âYou need help with that?â--Powerglide
Buddy looks at their stuff then at the long hallway.
âYes please!â--Buddy
Bumblebee grabs the bags while Powerglide grabs Buddy like a paper airplane.
âAnd AWAY WE GO!â--Powerglide
Ratchet turning the corner with his data pads.
âBumblebee have you seen myââ--Ratchet
Looks at Powerglide holding Buddy like a paper airplane.
âPOWERGLIDE! WHAT IN THE NAME OF PRIMUS ARE YOU DOING?!â--Ratchet
âLook Ratchet! Iâm a plane just like Powerglide!â--Buddy
âYes, but a certain plane about be grounded for the next month if he doesnât fix the way he handles certain peopleâŚâ--Ratchet
Buddy now has several well-hidden spots for them to nap during the day.
No one notices them for months.
Jazz and Prowl are the first ones to find one of Buddyâs hiding spaces.
âBuddy? What is this?â--Prowl
Buddy patting proudly at the blankets and pillows.
âMy nest!â--Buddy
âYour⌠nest?â--Prowl
âYep! I have a whole bunch! That when I wanna take naps and play games!â--Buddy
âHmmâŚâ--Prowl
Jazz recognizes the look of disapproval and tries to help Buddy out.
âYou know Prowl, these places are much safer for Buddy to be in than randomly walking around the Arc. And they do like napping randomlyâŚâ--Jazz
Prowl pause considering the possibility.
âAnd if thereâs an attack on the ship, Buddyâll have a place to safely hide!â--Jazz
Prowl pauses before sighing.
Win for Jazz.
âBuddy, can you show us where else you have these ânestsâ?â--Prowl
âNo.â--Buddy
âNo?â--Prowl
âNo!â--Buddy
âWould you tell us if Prowl lets you ring the police siren?â--Jazz
âJazz!â--Prowl
âDeal!â--Buddy
Jazz gives Prowl a proud look.
Prowl just turns back to Buddy.
Buddy brings out a map of the Arc doodled in crayon.
âThese are all the places!â--Buddy
â⌠Do you think you can tell the others about this?â--Prowl
âNo!â--Buddy
âAnd what if we promise to take you out on patrol?â--Jazz
âJazz! We canâtââ--Prowl
âReally!? Deal!â--Buddy
The next meeting Buddy is explaining the concept of the nests with the help from Prowl and Jazz.
Some of the bots praise Buddy for their idea.
Some are a little disturbed at how long they didnât know about this.
The others just want to see these places themselves.
Now with most of the places Autobot knowledge, many bots go and visit any nests they find.
In the case they donât see Buddy, they might poke around the nest a bit.
Maybe fluff a pillow or move something around.
If they do find Buddy sleeping, they are defiantly taking pictures and fixing their blanket.
Ratchet walks by one of the ânestsâ.
He hears light snore and goes to look.
Buddy is in a tangle of limbs with hair and cloths looking like they went through a hurricane.
Ratchet just chuckles a bit and readjusts the blanket and Buddyâs position.
Buddy yawns quietly before snuggling deeper in the nest.
Ratchet smiles and continues his way.
182 notes
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