#but i thought surely on a rewatch i would be mistaken

[pinktinselmonstrosity]

how can i communicate to you that this relationship in this silly little show is honestly sincerely one of thee most compelling and affective (and i do mean affective and not effective) relationships i have ever seen depicted on screen. can't even talk about it without sounding insane. i swear to god this is not a case of bad media that just scratches a brain itch, this is a genuinely incredibly well written relationship between two complex and compelling characters who just. happen to be stuck in a ridiculous detective show set in the 1920s. HELP

[mvltisstuff]

hi omg thought of this while rewatching s2 ep3 with the earthquake but okay so there’s the little montage of everyone being happy and eddie running to christopher - but what if there’s something similar for buck? instead of him being with abby he’s dating reader and reader has a lowkey job (maybe librarian at an elementary school?) so when he gets home the first thing he does is yell for reader and then holds them and they both shed a few happy tears just talking about how happy they are that the other is okay.

you’re honestly the bestest and i am saying this in advance that this is gonna be fabulous, as always. PLEASE AND THANK YOU!! <333

something in the orange - e.b

summary: request

evan buckley x reader

gif

a/n: the end of this ask was literally so sweet, i appreciate this so so much and i’m so happy you enjoy my works, that’s why i do them <33

buck was so sick and tired of watching everyone else have someone to run to. he hated having to see everyone in each others arms, watching a warm embrace ensue in front of him, just wanting it to be him instead. it was years on end of him watching kids with their parents, husbands with their wives, friends with their own friends. he always had the quick breakfast with a lay in bed, but he never had the long run of love that was supposed to come with it.

he thought his parents would be able to supply that love for him, but he must’ve been mistaken. they had no issue jumping out on every little thing in his life, nonetheless missing out on it. there was only so much love maddie could give, and he needed every drop of it. he thought maybe, someone mature like abby would come with the cherishing attitude to stay, but it left as fast as she did.

the earthquake had given a huge jumble to bucks brain, being able to save a bunch of people, but just wanted to go home at the same time. it felt selfish, and he hated himself for it, but how could he wish for anything else but just to be with y/n at home? he’s seen calamity and chaos the entire day, a constant strain of it into his shift. he’s seen death, broken bones, sobs, blood, anything that one doesn’t want to see. it took incredible pursuing to make bobby let buck take a break, but he could see he needed it.

he held his phone shakily in his hand, squinting over y/n’s name on the screen being darkened by the sunlight. he was nervous to even press the call button, not knowing if she’d be the one to pick it up, or an emergency responder who had her phone.

“hi, baby,” her sweet voice rang through the phone, leading him to sigh out and he couldn’t contain the light smile that formed on his lips. “are you ok?”

“i’m fine, i just wanted to hear your voice, make sure you’re ok.”

“we’re alright over here, there’s still kids here that need to get picked up, but they’re going pretty well with the evacuations.”

“i’m sorry i didn’t get over there, i got sent in the opposite direction.” y/n was working at the school on the other side of the city. buck was, of course, sent to work on the east side. he wanted to be able to save her, even if she wasn’t in trouble. he wanted to touch her so he knew she was breathing and alright, but he’d have to wait.

“don’t apologize, you’re doing amazing, buck,” she reassures him, letting his mind relax for a moment as she speaks to him. “go do your job, i’ll see you tonight, i promise.”

“i just want to see you.”

“i know, but you can in a few hours. do it for me, ok?”

“i love you, so much.”

“i love you, too, buck.”

the moment his fingers connected with the cold metal of the door, he instantly twisted it open to reveal the dim, yellowish lighting in his home. he felt like the introduction to his apartment felt like the ground stopped shaking. he was so excited to be able to rest, lay in his bed with y/n in his arms.

the thick soles of his shoes thumped against the ground as he threw his bags onto the floor. his shoulders instantly slumped and his feet automatically led to the stairs.

“hey,” y/n spoke, drying her hair with a towel to the side as it rested on her shoulder.

“hi.” he replied, slowly blinking his eyes.

“baby, you’re exhausted.” y/n steps forward down a few steps, standing a few inches taller than buck for once. her hands run over his shoulder blades, wandering over his skin and magically lifting the tension and stress from the earthquake.

“i know,” he says. “i just wanted you so bad today. there wasn’t a minute where you weren’t on my mind.”

“i’m here for good, buck. i’m not going anywhere, and i want you to get some rest.” she grabs his hand, pulling him up the steps and leading him to sit on the bed. he strips down to his boxers, leaving him shirtless as he puts on a warm hoodie that y/n handed him. he stops by the bathroom, washing his face as y/n prepares the bed for the two of them.

“i got you ice water, i left it on the nightstand.” y/n smiles softly up at him as he walks back in. “i turned the AC up, since you like it cold and i turned on the mattress heater.”

“you treat me too well, honey.”

“you did amazing work today, you deserve the treatment of a saint. come lay with me, please?”

“don’t have to ask twice.”

he crawls back into the bed as y/n dims the lights and turns their TV on. the white lights brighten their faces as he leans into her chest. his cheek rests right against the middle of her breasts, over her heart.

her arm is wrapped warmly around under his arm, the other hand rubbing his short hair. one of his legs lay between hers, his hands running against her sides. he breathes softly matching the rhythm of her, letting the noises of her gentle words and quiet noises from the TV lull him to sleep, allowing his deserving body to rest against the person he calls home.

[your-ne1ghbor]

Asha's Animal Side Kick

Now presenting...

the one...

the only...

BONSAI !!!!!!!!!

It was either between a possum, ferret, or a great eared nightjar/type of bird, but either way, I had to go with the possum.

I liked the light brown possum a lot personally since I thought it was really cute yk??

It was also based off of this possum:

OKOK, you may be wondering why I changed Valentino, or Bonsai into a possum.

There are 2 reasons:

Numero Uno:

VALENTINO IS FUCKING UGLY

I think my friend @sewerpalette said it best here:

Nothing can convince me otherwise. His design is just SO ugly to look at. It is not pleasing.

And it doesn't help that I wanna punch his stupid fucking face like it is so punch-able

OKAY SURE, the concept versions of Valentino is cute...but ever but I didn't like how I drew goats in my style. It could be just that I'm not good at drawing them, but I also didn't like my color pallet I did for him, which was a lot like what Bonsai has color pallet wise, and it fitted Bonsai more than Valentino.

Numero Dos:

ESMERALDA HAS A GOAT SIDE KICK.

OR BETTER YET, WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN IT.

It is basically a repeat of what we have already seen, which I didn't like.

Just because you aged down a goat does not make it ORIGINAL.

Its okay to have Asha have a pet goat in the other rewrites though I don't MIND AT ALL. ITS YOUR AU U DO WHAT EVER, IM JUST MAINLY TALKING ABOUT MY ICK WITH THE MAIN FILM. IT JUST REMINDS ME OF SOMETHING ELSE.

What I'm trying to say is that Valentino feels like a refrence to Huntch Back of Notre Dom, which this movie has a thing with adding stuck out refrences instead of making it subtle. I mean I know it was a 100 year aniversary, just make it more subtle though so people can rewatch it and find refrences they didn't notice first time watching.

Anyways....

Some fun Facts about Bonsai:

Bonsai is actually a little dwarf, and the runt of his family. Asha adopted him when she found out Amaya told Charo (Charo is a lynx btw) to get rid of them all since she thought they were rats (even though they are fucking HUGE) (PLUS IT IS TO EMPATHESE ON THE FACT THAT THEY ARE MISTAKEN FOR RODENTS WHEN THEY AREN'T, THEY ARE APART OF THE MARSUPIALS FAMILY AND THEY GET RID OF RODENTS/EAT THEM)😭

(I might actually make him slightly bigger than how I drew Bonsai, but who knows yk?)

So Asha took the responsibility of taking care of the little Possum, since she didn't want the possum to grow up alone, and so that she can have some company.

IT TOOK A LONG WHILE for Bonsai to warm up and trust Asha, but in the end, he saw her good nature and swore to protect Asha like how Asha protected him from getting eaten from Charo. Which is why he dislikes Star Boy A LOT (mainly because he doesn't trust how this creature can literally transform into anything and doesn't want him to end up being something like Charo 😭)

He is just a little guy that wants to make sure his friend doesn't get hurt by a celestial force.

This is basically how I imagine how they both would meet:

(Just wait till he finds out Asha likes him. He is going to be so judgemental)

To get this part out of the way, if I end up having Bonsai speak, it would sound like a child, since I DREADED when the goat started...TALKING LIKE A GROWN ASS MAN LIKE NO PLEASE NO. And it would be more adorable yk?? :3

Lastly, here is the first doodle I did of him.

(JUST IMAGINE HIM TALKING LIKE A CRAZY 7 YEAR OLD LIKE THAT WOULD BE SO FUNNY)

@oh-shtars @annymation @signed-sapphire @chillwildwave @spectator-zee @uva124 @rascalentertainments @tumblingdownthefoxden

I might also go with a different color pallet for Bonsai but idk yet

[ladyluscinia]

Organizing my thoughts on OFMD 2x01 - 2x03

Strong start to a season. I really enjoy the black comedy aspect of the show, and the "all these people are kinda terrible" aspect, so win for me! The opening scene gave me a lot of thoughts. Actually, lots of stuff gave me thoughts that I'm gonna dump here (as I rewatch the episodes since I spent the first go around whooping and cheering more than paying attention to details lol) so I can start picking through them more coherently.

---

Ok, first. OHMYGOD EDWARD AND IZZ- *I am yanked off the stage* Ahem. BlackHands thoughts will go into a different post, so as not to overwhelm the many other things going on worth discussing. (Link to post)

So. Real first point:

Kraken Era

Big thing I was absolutely wrong about was how dark Edward's Kraken arc would go. I was counting on a very handwavy resolution that would still let him do some fucked up shit, but I expected it to be mostly externally directed violence that toed up to a potential line but didn't quite cross it. Reminiscent of Flint's vengeance rampage after Miranda is killed. Self-destructive harm but only tangential harm of others in your social sphere.

That is... we did not get that. But what we did get I am very here for.

I'll be honest - I wasn't sure they were bold enough in a romcom to blast right over the line into horrifying and then be so audacious it looped back to funny, but they did. And I think the tone is working for them so far. Big saving grace is they went way further with Edward's cruelty but they counterbalanced it by going way further with the suicidal themes, which made the whole situation more extreme and sympathetic. He should still probably apologize tho.

The Breakup Boat

Frenchie my beloved! Also Fang & Jim & Archie & Izzy! Literally the breakup boat is a resounding success all around and I adore every second of their fucked up trauma bonding. Win after win after win.

Frenchie is repression king and it's hilarious. I love how he gets named first mate for presumably being the only one who sounds plausibly honest when getting interrogated, tries to turn the job down, and then doesn't follow a single order while vibing. Also the bonding with Izzy?!? He's steps in during the intervention. He hides him after Edward shoots him, and then later he's checking in on him and leaning against his leg in the cell. Please Frenchie get all up in that Edward and Izzy mess!

And I'm trying not to turn this into a breakup boat recap but also Fang sobbing through basically every scene. The wooden boy story. Jim's terrible voices. Izzy hiding in the walls. "He's our dick" to "He was your friend" holy fuckkkkkk. And the whole mutiny scene was amazing. Jim saying fuck this toxic bullshit and Izzy saving them all!!! (Sidenote: love how all the nameless extras got washed overboard in the storm. More bodycount!)

The tearing into a seagull like zombies scene - perfect. Archie recognizing Stede (did they tell her about Stede in hushed whispers or was it literally just Izzy's singular statement?). All backing each other up on the "retirement" story. Izzy taking the blame to motivate Stede in trying to defend the crew again.

Trauma bonding WIN!

Also sympathetic Izzy has been real forever despite misreads of S1 and the mistaken predictions they spawned, but once again... Izzy!!!

BlackBonnet "On A Break"

They are idealizing each other so fucking hard. Also Stede what on earth are you talking about in the first episode??? "He's just blowing off some steam." "I'm afraid that your life is better without me?" MY GUY are you reading that list of what Edward has been up to??? Denial so strong.

So we have Stede still full of self-loathing and simultaneously convinced Ed couldn't want him but also avoiding the realization that he hurt him really bad because Ed wanted him. And we have Edward actively suicidal over feeling unlovable and determined to murder-suicide his situationship and the kids, except he can't kill himself so he's trying to make everyone else do it.

(And, you know, Edward is very pointedly refusing to see how the people around him would care for and support him if he would let them - even when they straight up offer it to his face - because he is more concerned with the misery of his own twisted narrative about being fundamentally unlovable than whether or not that is a true statement. Stede doesn't want him and everyone else is just a prop for his depression's final act. Very "I don't have any friends" of him - shoutout to that flashback in his purgatory sequence too.)

Edward's self-loathing throwing him into the water, but Edward starting to save himself well before merman!Stede shows up. Because he does, deep down, want to live with or without Stede. Very strong. Like that. Also the idealization on Edward's end of envisioning Stede as a legit magical being of golden scales??? Fuck, you two need to get some perspective.

Stede's Crew

Trauma Lucius I was not counting on, but Lucius going from BlackBonnet supporter to FUCK YOU STEDE was fun. Also Stede offering to be supportive and then immediately trying to nope right out.

Sea Witch Buttons!!!!!! We're going to get naked Buttons charging into a scene screaming about how he's a seagull or something, aren't we?

Confirmation that Oluwande can't read in the funniest way. Well I guess on reflection the scrolls are probably in Chinese so reading wouldn't help, so maybe this point is null.

I did like the note of Stede knowing "The Soul Reaper's" real name. Piracy hyperfixation bonus.

JimOlu vs JimArchie... If we get another poly ship then I'm calling SteddyHands real. I'm just saying.

Oluwande taking initiative to step up and flex his boytoy powers to advocate diplomatically for the crew - very Captain material of him. Also conveniently doubled as a distraction so he was essential to the plan. Go Olu!

Antagonists New and Old!

Spanish Jackie was a treat. I enjoy that she still hates Stede. The Swede literally became a new man by marrying her. AND WE SAW THE HUSBANDS!

Prince Ricky is so far just kind of a shady classist scumbag - presumably that's going somewhere.

Zheng Yi Sao on the other hand... interested what's happening with this whole armada plan she's apparently enacting. The whole Olu boytoy arc was fun. I'm not as into the whole "girlboss" approach to every single female character in this show so far, so, uh, concerned about that. Hoping for more exploration of how she's doing Stede's version of piracy but what exactly is off about it? Because so far there's no real reason to resist her, other than maybe the whole "I didn't conquer China by listening to pirates ramble about their feelings" bit.

Hornigold. Yeah, I know he was a subconscious manifestation of Edward's self-loathing but I still have hope. "Last time I saw you, you said you were gonna flay my skin and feed it back to me." Does that not sound like a great foreshadowing for S3???

[e-writer]

Let’s Say Hello Again

“I love you, please don’t go” those were the words he wanted to tell him way back then. Paul was only 16 at the time, and his crush was moving away. “Good luck on your new school, call me when you can, I’ll miss you!” Those were the words he said instead, not wanting to end their friendship over his silly feelings. He was young, he thought, he might just be mistaken. This thought persisted as they texted each other every now and then. Though predictably life got in the way as Paul was training himself to be participating in magic brawls professionally.

A sport consisting of a three person team, the attacker, the defender and the support needing to work together to beat the enemy team with magic. The attackers were always the ones getting most of the attention and considered the leaders. Boy was he surprised when he spotted Ted among the enemy teams that he was supposed to fight against. His dread worsened once he learned that they were both attackers. That was the start of his losing streak against him. Of course Paul didn’t hold any hard feelings for his friend beating him since they were competing after all. However as this losing streak persisted it haunted him and Paul knew why, he always seemed to lose focus in those battles against Ted, and his feelings were to blame. 

Of course he was fine pushing them down, making sure that no one knew about what he thought of Ted, but he couldn’t drag his teammates down with him. Noticing this trend he decided it was best to distance himself from the male, do his best to focus on winning instead. With this he started to get better, though sometimes Ted would beat him it was a much closer match than before. All while ignoring those year old texts, his old voicemails asking why they didn’t hang out anymore. He was just putting his friendship on hold until these feelings would fade and he could get him out of his mind, but now nine years later Teddy is all he thought about nowadays. How could he not with the news of his apparent loss of magic and worse, his disappearance.

In that time they had built up an impressive reputation for themselves. Paul with his impressive output of power, meanwhile Teddy was known for always getting the jump on people with being able to use spells in impressive ways. The public seemed to think of the two as long hated rivals with rumors of them insulting each other every time they were about to enter a match. That Paul was perhaps even jealous of Ted, not even bearing to hear his name. However it was actually the opposite. Paul always had to rewatch their fights in awe, admiring how every move he made seemed pre-planned, his messy short hair being tossed around as he moved his perfect jawline, his beautiful eyes looking at his opponent with such intensity. Augh! Why did he have to grow up to be so hot!

Not like Paul himself wasn’t good looking, though his own long hair often needed to be tied back in a bun or braid for fights, his height was too big in his opinion at around six foot, even having a nice build of muscles as he had to be active for playing in this sport professionally. But did they really have to only pick the pictures where he looked like an asshole?! He swore he was only scowling in every magazine or newspaper he came across. It was worse to see him being described as self centered or even despising Teddy as they spoke of how he glared down at his opponent during his match. It wasn’t his fault he had a resting bitch face! He just hoped that Teddy didn’t see those articles about him.

Speaking of which, he really hoped he didn’t get to see him at all in this auction. Hearing about his old friend being missing, he had done everything within his power to find him. Hired plenty of private investigators to try and track him down, stayed up late at night waiting for any news or sign of them being safe. It wasn’t until one day one of the investigators turned up with an invitation for him. They had managed to convince one of the hosts that Paul was a darker person, more involved in drugs and crime with all the money he had earned from tournaments. Hearing this, they believed that the professional athlete would be very interested in their stock of humans, as one in particular might catch his eye. 

Everyone wore a mask, only being let in with the invitation given, the seats and area being rather high quality for what they were about to participate in. Human auctions were illegal of course, but those with money wanted to exert their magic and power more on the magic less people. Paul watched on in disgust as he watched those poor beings be showcased as if they were nothing but animals or items. People yelled around him, raising prices whenever they wanted someone, and one by one it went on. Of course the sorcerer had one of his private investigators ready to report to the police about this whole event when he was gone, convincing them to give him some time, as he had to make sure that Teddy wasn’t here, he had to get to him first. 

It seemed like it was about to end, and Paul was ready to press his buzzer to signal his P.I., but before he could even sigh in relief everything was interrupted when the host let everyone know of a special guest. Someone who was very popular and up for buying. In that moment Paul’s heart broke at the sight of Ted. Brought in with odd cuffs on his wrists, and what seemed to be a shock collar. He had a black eye, his body was visibly beaten and bruised.

He was made to kneel in the middle of the stage. Ted’s face was looking down before being forced up by the host, showing how terrified he was. The host invited everyone and anyone to buy this special guest. Reassuring all that they could easily be healed with magic if they wished to get rid of those bruises as if he was nothing but a damaged product

Paul was seething with rage, watching as the host laid their hands on him, and could only guess how his friend had gotten to this state. He never wanted to kill anyone more than now, but he had to focus as his attention snapped to someone shouting out their price, and then another and another. Ted really was popular it seemed as it easily passed more than half a million. Paul hated hearing those voices bidding on his friend, but he would have to join the fray if he wanted to get him home, crying out a price that doubled the last person’s. Only one or two people tried to raise the price after him, but Paul made sure to make it a bit higher. In the end it was announced that Ted was sold to him, and Paul couldn’t have hated this moment more. 

With the auction ending, he went on to claim his prize. Of course paying extra for them to hurry things up, making sure to pay it all in cash, using his magic to transport the amount, not wanting to leave a paper trail. Paul didn’t allow Ted to be healed by them, he didn’t want their horrible magic near him, not to mention any more seconds of the male not at his side were more seconds of him being in their grasp. Being thanked for his patience he was given a small gift wrapped box with holes, and told to enjoy his purchase. Looking at the box, Paul had enough of this place.

Of course they shrunk the humans sold! It would only add to their sick sense of power after all, and now he had something new he had to deal with. He pressed the buzzer as he left, trying to stop himself from stomping out, holding the box carefully against his chest as he made his way to his car. This type of magic was dangerous, and not surprisingly illegal, only used in certain professions and even then they needed a license to even learn how to use it.

Sitting in his car, he had a small moment to relax, looking down at the box he opened it. Looking down to see Teddy hugging himself in a corner, looking up at him with little sniffles. Paul wanted to say something, anything to try and soothe the other, let him know he was ok. Eventually what came out was, “I’ll get us to my place soon, and get you all healed up, does that sound good Teddy?” Though the other male didn’t give an answer as he stared up at him, seeming startled as he spoke to him. Paul gave a small smile and then gently placed the box in the passenger seat. Putting the seat belt around it as he began to drive home and played some old soft tunes he had remembered that Ted used to love.

[an-indecisive-mess]

Storytime! Part 2

I remember the first time I saw this movie. I was about 10 or 11 years old and I rented a dvd copy of Dark Crystal from a library with my mom’s friend, and I thought I was going to be watching some simple movie made by the Muppet man… I was very mistaken. This movie impressed and amazed me so much. I mean, it was the first movie to not use human actors. It was built on dedication, heart, soul, and it was Henson’s passion project. I respect that he wanted to make something more than what he was known for.

Now, watching the movie as young as I did is something that a lot of people would never do, mainly rewatching it, because I know a lot of things in it should’ve scared me, especially the Skeksis, but I wasn’t. Everything amazed me so much, and I’m pretty sure I watched the movie about three times before I had to return it back from the library I rented it from.

My only regret in life is not getting into its fandom sooner, but I’m glad I eventually did. May we have many more great years with watching and loving this amazing movie. Happy 41 years.

[gayofthefae]

Obviously a person can’t actually rewind time to when they had a different perception but...I am really good at depersonalizing super hard so I can get pretty damn close (this isn’t a good thing but we’re just gonna pretend it is and brush past it mkay?):

And I rewatched a scenepack thinking of how I was thinking while a general audience member and...I would have been bummed about how it was unrequited. Near the entirety of the season. The entirety of volume 1 for sure. Glad Mike was apologizing and treating him well again etc but overall bummed for Will in the longrun. BUT. 

The one thing that stands out from that. The exception. Is the van scene. Because of course it is. This is the scene where it is clear from how intently Mike is listening that he is hanging on every word Will is saying. Every word Will is saying. Not every word passed on from El. Now, we have no idea how much Mike knows. But emotionally, he was hanging onto every word Will was saying here. And this is the first moment to me that makes it explicitly clear that Mike has thus far been acting the way he was out of a lack of knowledge; oblivion. 

And most importantly: that provided the knowledge his behaviour would change. Including the kind, friendship behaviour seen in Will’s room and earlier in this scene itself. This scene being in his POV through his reactions the entire time is really what sealed the deal for me. Because, if I’m not mistaken, this is the only Mike and Will centric scene this entire season that has been from his POV and focusing on his reactions. Which is to say that he has a point of view; opinions, thoughts on the situation. Even if as soon as it’s over he stuffs it back in a box and goes “that was El talking not Will”, we got to see him during the moment so we know the truth. 

We get to see his POV for the first time here and that also implies that this is the first time he’s seen what we’re seeing in these scenes; the first time his point of view has mattered because it was at all different from any other platonic, day to day moment for him. You can see on his face that he is on the edge of absolute epiphany. It’s honestly sort of like a record scratch moment, the complexities of “oh my gosh I never realized to think of him this way he makes me feel so love *scritchrecordscratch* from El. This is from El, he is speaking from El. Ahaha what was I thinking? I sure don’t remember...”. Likely cut off just in time to keep it in that box in his head (or maybe not, who knows). And I know this has been a bit rambly and kind of repetitive the past few paragraphs but the point is:

This scene established that when Mike gets so much as a glimpse of what’s really going on, he is taken aback, he is hanging on every word, the look in his eyes is hopeful. Will’s feelings become more clear to the audience and when that happens, Mike’s reactions are different than they have been in the past. When Will’s feelings become objectively clearer, Mike. is. hopeful. And that is the distinct detail that stands out. The first one to really break through by saying “he only seemed uninterested because he didn’t know. Do you see how he didn’t know?” And even with the I love you scene; even with whatever is seemingly going back on it. It can be contradicted, but it cannot be rescinded. 

The seed has been planted for Mike. He’s opening his eyes. The general audience is seeing that that is the only reason he seemed to not reciprocate before. And I can’t wait to watch it grow next season.

Now, everybody say “thank you, gayofthefae’s dissociative disorder” :).

[sunmoonandsandsoundtracks]

I just rewatched Naruto classic and i wonder how would it be if shikamaru had a younger sister who gets a crush on Gaara, like she's like "what's the big deal about sasuke common hair colour , common eye color same village boring" but right after that sees Gaara. I find it sort of funny about how shikamaru always ends up at the wrong place at wrong time, like he just gets back from watching Gaara kill two people and sees his sister getting all blushy, cheering for gaara and fighting with ino.(1)

oh, boy. so, i read all your asks, and god knows you gave me plenty to work with. i've tried to include as much as i can, but it's all a little much for one request and i do have others.

that said, when i saw your asks, i swear to god that the clouds opened up and angels sang while heavenly light shone down on me as i thought MY TIME HAS COME! i have never met anyone else who has had this same idea that i've been holding onto for ten years. so i thank you from the bottom of my heart for this. it truly was a joy to write. like i'm super proud of it, because this premise is fucking adorable, and the reader being a nara is the only way i can use all the figurative speech that i do here. you can pry my metaphors/analogies from my cold, three times dead hands.

masterlist

spotify/youtube

word count: 1984 i can't guarantee that all my requests will be this long. it's a question of inspiration. and cut me some slack, this is gaara. if you haven't figured out yet, he's my baby.

enjoy!

i don't mind your shadows

You weren't sure what hurt worse. Your fingers, stiff from being held in the same position for hours as you practiced your shadow manipulation behind your home, or your heart.

"Gaara's engaged. The council arranged a marriage for him, and he's going along with it. He's okay with who they picked."

"Just okay?" You grumbled at the memory of Temari telling you the latest update on her brothers, one of which you were far more interested in. That had been over a week before, and you were still aching over it. "She's probably gorgeous and important. That's why he's okay with it."

You used your shadow to dislodge a kunai from a tree and throw it at another. "I'm sure she'll look great next to him. The picture perfect political wife."

You fell to your knees, suddenly realizing how low on chakra and strength you were.

"Shit," you mumbled and sat back. Hopefully your brother would come check on you and help you get back inside. You weren't one to lay down and take a load off like Shikamaru, being more like your mother while he took after your father, but you wouldn't deny that laying down and relaxing once in a while did have merit. Eyeing the clouds, you saw one in a shape that made you think of-

You groaned and looked away from the cloud that reminded you of Gaara's gourd.

"Hey."

You turned your head to see your elder brother. He had a little over a year on you, but you were often mistaken as the elder sibling because he usually went along with what you said.

"Hey. What's up? Did Mom send you out?"

"Not exactly. We have guests, so you need to get inside."

"Why?" You groaned. "Can't you tell them I'm not in the mood to entertain?"

"No."

You gave a weary sigh. "Okay, Tell them that I'll be in soon. I just need to catch my breath."

"Don't take too long. You know how Mom is," was all he said before leaving.

"This is one of those times when his reluctance to help does me good," you muttered, closing your eyes and draping an arm over them.

You only had a few minutes of peace before you heard someone approach. It was an unfamiliar gait, so you couldn't tell who by sound alone. The approaching foot steps stopped, and you were tempted to move your arm, but that felt like admitting defeat.

"Give me just a moment. I went a little too hard with my training," you explained.

"I don't mean to rush you," a low voice said, making you shoot up straight.

"What are you doing here?" spilled out, and you immediately winced in shame. "Sorry. Forget I asked. You owe me no explanation, Lord Kazekage."

"I thought we were past the formalities."

A surge of bitterness ran through you, and your voice betrayed you again. "That was before you were betrothed. Out of respect for your fiancée, until I meet her, I don't think I should address you in such a familiar way."

"Why not? Everyone else still does."

You bit the inside of your cheek as you got to your feet, trying to come up with a good answer. You didn't think "but how many of the others have been in love with you for years?" would fly.

"I just don't feel right about it," was what you settled on. "Is she here with you?"

"No, she's not," he replied cryptically.

"You left her back in Suna alone? Will she be all right?"

"She's not in Suna. Hakuto is no longer my betrothed. She had someone else, and I wouldn't enslave her in a marriage where she'd likely be unhappy for the rest of her life."

The name rang a bell. "Hakuto? I've heard that name-"

Your eyes went wide as you realized there was a lot more to the pair you helped Shikamaru get settled within your clan's protection than he let on. The bastard couldn't give even you a full disclosure?

"She was the one?" Your heart sank a little. She would have looked perfect beside Gaara, all right. Beautiful and regal in appearance, that's all many leaders needed, but you guessed there was more to her than that if he was willing to go through with the arrangement.

What would the next one be like? You didn't doubt that the Suna council would continue to badger their young leader.

"I-I'm sure you'll have no problem finding another one," you weakly offered some semblance of support, but it was so hollow.

"I'm not so sure. My past is still a bit of a deterrent to some."

"Some," you softly laughed. "They'd have to be insane to not give you a chance based on who you were all the way back then. You've changed so much from the boy I saw fighting Sasuke in the exams, and anyone who says differently is lying. If they really let that keep them back, then they have no idea what they're missing. I mean I'd-"

You cut yourself off before you could say anything that would be considered inappropriate. But you wanted to say it. You wanted to say it so badly.

I'd give anything to have that chance.

"You'd what?" He pressed.

"I'd say that there are still more women than you could possibly imagine that would line up just for the chance to stand at your side, and not because of your position. I just hope that the next arrangement I'm sure they'll try to force on you will be with someone that will enable you to find further happiness."

You offered him a small smile. "I'm sure the next one will work out."

"There won't be another arrangement."

Your eyes widened a bit. From what you'd heard, his council was downright tyrannical when they could get away with it, and they were obsessed with having an heir for him to pass the mantle of his title to.

"That's wonderful. You get to choose what you do. I think it's dumb that they were pushing that on you. None of the Hokage were pressured like that."

You cursed the way your heart leapt in your chest as his gaze swept over you, feeling like it was pulling at a leash. He may have been let off the hook, but that didn't mean anything for you. No, he was still the Kazekage, and most of the time, you just felt like all you would ever be was Shikamaru's sister at best. It wouldn't be right for you to make your feelings known. Powerless as you ultimately were, they were your burden to bear, and yours alone.

"Thank you," he said, to which you nodded.

"Well, you didn't come out here just to tell me that, did you?"

"No, I didn't, but it is along the same line."

You tilted your head a bit as your curiosity deepened. "Okay?"

He softly sighed, and for the first time ever, you saw him as nothing more than a nervous young man. Not as a great leader, or a strong shinobi. Just a man that couldn't help his apprehension.

"They presented me with a suggestion before Hakuto, and I said no. They actually really pushed for the first option, but I wasn't going to let them pressure her into it."

You weren't quite on Shikamaru's level, but your intellect was nothing to scoff at. Even then, it didn't take a genius to figure out what he was hinting at, and your mind blanked as you attempted to formulate a response.

"And what if they didn't have to? What if she jumped at the offer? What if she's one of the women I mentioned a minute ago?"

It all came out in a jumble, and you wondered if he even understood what you said. It was clear that he did as you swore you saw the fear flee from him, and he was suddenly the same man you'd always seen. It was a little disappointing as you realized you'd never seen him appear so human before, but it was minimally so.

"If that was the case, I'd say I still didn't want them to make the offer. I would wish to do it myself, after taking a little time to actually court her. The only arrangement I would agree to would be strictly between us."

All your previous exhaustion was replaced with an energetic charge that could have propelled you over the house.

"Why me?" You questioned, voice weak despite the elation in it.

"Because even though the first time you saw me was when I was at my worst, you never made me wonder if you were afraid of me. Any time those exams were discussed while you were around, the others would gloss over the darker details and glance at me, and I know they were looking to preserve my feelings. You... You never did. You're like Naruto, accepting all of me as I am and as I was with no judgment. Like just a moment ago, whenever you bring up that time, you don't change, except-"

A smile dominated your face as you reveled in his words. It was absolutely insane, but even with everything you'd heard about him from Shikamaru and the little you'd seen of him in that state... You just weren't afraid of him. Your brother claimed brain damage was involved, and maybe he was right, but every time you looked at Gaara, you could see past the mania to the heart that struggled so much. That first day, and every following encounter just showed you someone with a lot to give, but had a deficiency of the love needed to teach him how to do that. His willful transformation proved you right.

"Except?" You questioned, encouraging him to finish his thought.

He appeared purely human once again as he grew slightly bashful.

"Except when you seem to become happier by talking about it. When you saw me for the second time after we returned with Naruto and the others, it was like you were excited to see me."

You didn't know if you were embarrassed that he noticed or not. You'd say not.

"Either way, you've never shown any fear," he continued, and you saw a spark of emotion in him, as well as a little bewilderment. He seemed to get a little lost in his thoughts. "I know I never hurt you directly, but you still know what I was like. There are still some people who have as much experience with me as you do that can't look me in the eye."

"Gaara," you spoke up, voice soft but clear, drawing him back. "I deal in shadows. Literal or figurative, I'm not afraid of yours. Everyone casts shadows in one way or another, but when the light shines on them, they all disappear."

With a little smirk, you used the very last ounce of chakra you possessed to link your shadow with his, causing him to step closer as you did. When you were nearly toe to toe, you released him.

"And for the record, the darkest shadows are cast by the brightest light. Your past and any other shadows are always going to stand out when compared to who you are now. That doesn't mean they have any power. They can't do anything unless you put up obstacles to block the light and allow them to grow. You're not someone who does that. I know you never have been. You're so bright, and I'll gladly stand by you."

The ensuing smile from him lit you up like a lighthouse.

"Thank you," he said, barely above a whisper.

As you stood there, you noticed the shadows the two of you cast in the light from the lowering sun. They were unified, and you took that as a very good sign.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

TWD 11x19: Variant - Time and Clocks

@wdway: 

The big WOW for me was that time was moving backwards. I’ll show you below.

@twdmusicboxmystery:

Totally didn’t notice the time moving backward. Awesome! Already giving me some direction for my rewatch.

@wdway:

The most obvious one is with the 12:01, 12:00 clock.

@twdmusicboxmystery:

Yeah for sure. And that clock already felt very Grady-like.

@wdway​:

I thought I would give you the thoughts I was going to give the other night and got sidetracked with the walker images from the opening credits. This is me revisiting the clocks with a few changes in my initial reaction now that I've watched the episode a few times.

This scene is the first that we see a 10 something clock. I believe it reads 10:12 but I think the most important thing is that it's a 10ish something clock. I was mistaken when I first watched the episode that the time on this particular clock changed during the scene. I think it was just the angle that I was looking at. 

During the scene, Princess does make a comment that she had been at the station for 3 hours being questioned. I say that because there's also going to be a question about 10 am or pm. I assumed it was a.m. because we see that it is daytime when Rosita is brought in, and it seems they gathered a lot of people at the same time. Which would mean that they brought everyone into the station at around 7am.

This is the first shot of the clock in the room with Mercer and Max. The window in this shot makes it look like it's flooded with light. It is light from both windows; it just isn't as strong as it is seen here. Notice the clock not only the time of 10:09 but where the clock is placed on the wall.

Within the same scene but slightly later, a minute or so the time on the clock is 10:04. We have moved forward in the story but backwards according to the clock. The other question is is this a.m. because of the light or p.m., roughly 12 hours after he spoke with Princess in his office? 

We did see Max being taken in at night. I'm just pointing out inconsistency of the clocks/times and the light in the windows. Tptb is screwing with the time and leaving questions about the order of what we see and what that might affect the story. I will say that the clock itself and the time jumping backwards is related solely to this scene and these people because the clock doesn't appear in this room with Mercer and Rosita.

Rosita was the first person to be interviewed. We saw this scene before Princess’s or Max's. Are we seeing them in order in the episode? I don't know, I'm just saying that they've left us enough strange little hints to question the order of things.

I want to point out the empty chair across from Max. Mercer does eventually sit in it, but for most of the scene, it is empty. 

It made me think of the empty chair on the train platform near Dary in New Deal. The empty chair in both scenes made me think of Beth being present but not physically. Max has been a major Beth proxy since she was introduced and the combination of her and Eugene is probably the strongest parallel to how we will see Daryl and Beth as a couple. 

I also feel strongly that maybe we are seeing the foreshadowing of Beth not willing to leave the situation she is in because she wants to do the right thing by the people she's been working and living with.

Later in the episode Max speaks of her and Mercer's father, who was a moral and honorable person. It sounded so much like the way Beth would speak of her father, Herschel. These similarities, along with so many others, just seem too much to be a coincidence.

@galadrieljones​:

Love this, @wdway. I definitely didn't realize time was moving out of order. I haven't been able to rewatch, so I'm thankful for your keen observational skill!! That is so fitting with everything we've seen happening so far this season. 

A little while back I know I talked about Warlords, and how I think that episode is there to teach us about non-linear narratives and how tptb are willing to tell stories out of order, and how this is also informed by Eugene's novel, which contains many scenes that seem to "lack context"; however, said contextual information will be revealed in chapters that haven't been written yet. 

Tales episodes like Blaire/Gina and Davon are also asking us to grapple with time "travel" and non-linear narratives, when until "Find Me," we haven't gotten a ton of non-linear storytelling at all in TWD, unless you count 4b, but 4b isn't really non-linear. It's simply not on the timeline at all. Time feels "stopped." So I absolutely agree that tptb are trying to get us to question the order of events.

The whole timeline of TWDU is non-linear. The three shows we have, they're all in different slots on the same timeline. TWD is taking place about 12-13 years "after the fall." WB is happening two years ago, while Fear is operating like 6+ years ago. 

It's crazy to think that while all this has happened, a bunch of nuclear weapons have detonated in Texas. Everything happening with Morgan and Madison and the kidnappings is happening way long ago, and who knows what it's now become. 

Baby Morgan would be like 7 years old now, or more. She'd be as old as RJ. Sherry will have already had her baby, and her baby would be like 5 years old. Who knows where Alicia is by now, or Al and Isabel, or the Bennetts. Hope stayed in the northeast while Iris went to Portland. Did she make it? 

There are so many questions and open lines of storytelling that could reveal themselves at any moment and in any way, and maybe they already have. We just don't know what we're looking for, yet. It's very exciting. And most importantly, I think, is the Grady storyline. According to Greg Nicotero, everybody at Grady has died. Why would he say that? Why would there be ANY information about what happened to the Grady faction if it weren't somehow still in play? The Grady storyline left off like 10 years ago, right around the onset of Project V.

So, yeah. This stuff with time going all wonky is, I feel, definitely important!!

I also like your comparison between Max and her dad to Beth and Hershel. I did not think of that. I first thought of Tyreese and Sasha, whose dad also factored into their characterizations. And now I'm thinking about siblings, and their complex relationships to their fathers, and how there are a lot of examples like that: Daryl and Merle, Beth and Maggie, Tyreese and Sasha, Mercer and Max.

So, @twdmusicboxmystery​, I saw that ask about black/white and Snow White imagery on insta today and it reminded me of another element of Snow White that I was recently reminded of, in terms of Beth’s story. 

In Snow White, the original Grimm’s fairy tale and to some extent the Disney movie, when the magic mirror tells the Queen that Snow White is the fairest of them all, the Queen sends a huntsman into the woods to kill Snow White. In the fairy tale, she asks the huntsman specifically to bring her Snow White’s heart so that she can eat it and achieve immortality. 

Daryl is ofc a huntsman, but the heart thing is also really interesting to me. Beth as a character wears a lot of hearts, and she’s the only character who does. She has hearts on her necklace, her cowboy boots. There’s evidence that the answer to fixing the walker problem lies in the circulatory system, aka the heart. There was also the heartless walker in Joe/Evie while they’re camping near Toledo. I feel Beth’s hearts are important connective tissue here, linking her to CRM research and to the Snow White fairy tale.

But maybe Daryl as the huntsman is a red herring. In Coda, Beth is shot so high up on the forehead, I know it’s been discussed as to whether or not this was purposeful. What if whoever shot her did it on purpose, like if they were ordered to kill her so the CRM could harvest her heart for research, but whoever it was, the agent, couldn’t bring themselves to do it, so they shot her high enough on the forehead that she’d have a chance to survive. 

If that’s the case, the huntsman could be someone we know, or someone who met Beth off-screen, who we have yet to meet. Or maybe a CRM researcher who was there at the onset of Project V and who grew to like Beth. Pure head canon, but could be Lt. Colonel Kublek who would have seen in Beth some aspect of her daughter, with whom she shares a very fraught relationship. Anyway. Just something that crossed my mind.

Because I know we all agree that it’s hard to tell how much Beth knows in the end. During her final conversation with Dawn, Beth seems considerably jaded. Also why did that conversation take place in Carol’s room? And with Carol beginning to wake up in the end? To give opportunity in the future to fill in missing context maybe? 

Maybe Carol heard something that didn’t make sense at the time but will at some point soon. I think it’s possible Beth was onto the situation. She was so pissed off when Dawn took Noah back. It couldn’t just be about Noah and them being friends. Noah is even very cool about it. He doesn’t fight. But Beth is so angry. Maybe she knew something Noah didn’t.

Because clearly Noah knows nothing.

@twdmusicboxmystery​:

That’s about all I have for ep 11x19. I’ll post some outside-the-show stuff over the next couple of days. Then, we’ll have episode 20 on Sunday. How is everyone liking 11c so far?

[xyztrio721]

I’m a little over a quarter of the way done with Chapter 5 of Xenoblade 3, but I feel like I’m freezing, fearful of what’s to come… perhaps I can alleviate that by posting about my thoughts/experiences with Chapter 4?

Probably not, considering how Chapter 4 went from “Okay, this is a rather wholesome start. Bittersweet, but wholesome” to “Holy shit this is so FUCKED UP” by the time I was done, and here I will provide some moments that show the drastic shift in tone.

Warning: Spoilers for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Chapter 4 under the cut.

First off, I know I posted this screenshot already, but I NEED to post it again because HOLY FUCKILGEIHAIE IS IT ADORABLE.

Noah is so fucking adorable. I sure hope nothing bad will happen to him 🥲.

Next up is something… not so wholesome, but I do have a question about this dragon-like monster.

What was the purpose of this fight? As far as I can tell, it didn’t make that much of an impression on the plot, and it hasn’t been brought up again since. Maybe this monster was put here so you could practice using the new Ouroboros you got at the end of Chapter 3?

That has to be it, because I don’t see the point otherwise. Maybe I should rewatch this cutscene and one or two of the cutscenes afterwards to see if this dragon made any major impact on the story.

Next is a screenshot that I thought was adorable/funny. I call it “Mio braids Sena’s hair while Noah pouts in the background”.

I don’t really know what Noah was actually doing back there, but I like to pretend that he was a little jealous of Sena because she got to get her hair braided by Mio and he didn’t (which after progressing through the beginning of Chapter 5, I could see that being a canon scenario).

Speaking of which, I’ve noticed that Mio can braid Eunie’s hair and Sena’s hair, but I don’t recall her ever braiding the hair of any of the male protagonists. Can you get a scene like that at a Rest Spot, or does she only braid the hair of the female protagonists? I’m staring to think it’s the latter, but it’s possible that I just missed those scenes.

Okay, so while I didn’t take any screenshots of the encounter with Juniper or Colony Tau in general, I would like to talk about how liberating Tau was a shock to me. I was honestly expecting to fight another Consul member because that’s what I’ve had to do all other times before and after liberating Colony Tau, but as it turns out, that did not happen. At all.

Apparently Colony Tau isn’t of much use to the Consuls, as evidenced by the fact that it’s rarely ever visited by its Consul, so I guess we’ll never know which Consul member was associated with Tau (unless that gets revealed later on in the game). Thankfully I freed the colony just in time, because if I’m not mistaken, their Flame Clock was nearly gone, and that would have resulting in the entire colony being wiped out.

Also, quick question: I’ve heard that Juniper’s pronouns are they/them, but I want to make 100% sure that these are their canonical pronouns so I don’t mistakenly use any incorrect pronouns. So are they canonically nonbinary, or is this a misunderstanding on my part?

Moving on from Colony Tau, we have some screenshots of Maktha Wildwood, which I admittedly didn’t take that many screenshots of either. Really, this screenshot isn’t so much of a screenshot of Maktha Wildwood as it is a screenshot of Keves Castle from a distance. That being said, I thought this was a nice shot, so I wanted to take a screenshot of it.

And here we have the exchange of flutes between Noah and Mio, which you can barely see because a) the camera was too far away in some shots and b), because the sun was too freaking bright. That second point mainly applies to the second screenshot.

This was before the exchange.

This was during the exchange.

And this was after the exchange.

I loved this scene and the one preceding it. Mio talking about her impending death and the fear that comes from knowing that her time is running out, Sena telling Noah that she seems to be more open with him than anyone else in the group (including Sena herself), Noah and Mio coming to understand one another a bit more after talking about Miyabi… I don’t know how to put my feelings into words.

This entire scene is… beautiful, and I’m afraid that this will hurt even more later on in the game, which I’m 100% sure will be the case…

Speaking of beautiful scenes, the entire scene involving Cammuravi and Ethel’s final fight… it was powerful.

Powerful shot number 1 (and the only one I screenshoted sadly): this shot of Cammuravi after he poked his own eye out to resist being controlled by Consul O. I did NOT expect him to do that at all.

Like, holy HELL was he a brave man for doing this in the first place just so he can get one last fight in against Ethel. This was the first time a commander defied the Consuls, and while there may be others who will be brave enough to stand against them (and I think I’ve already met another commander who did just that, though they did not defy them the same way Cammuravi here did), I don’t know how many of them will be willing to act on their will to fight back against the Consul.

Powerful scene number 2: Ethel and Cammuravi continuing to fight one another even as their life force was being absorbed by P and O. They didn’t give a spark about their inevitable demise. They cared more about getting even with one another while essentially giving the Consuls a middle finger. Talk about bravery.

And, after they fell… this abomination showed itself.

You can’t see it in this screenshot, but this… thing has two heads, one for Consul P, and one for O.

This… is the result of two Moebius Interlinking with one another, and it’s not the last time you’ll see this either. In fact, it’s possible that you might have encountered something like this earlier in the game. I’ll get to that later, but for now, allow me to talk about my experience with fighting this thing.

This Interlinked Moebius took me two attempts to beat, and I think the reason for that was Rose Whip, an AOE Art that hits multiple times. That Art was a nightmare to deal with, especially if it took out one or all of the Healers (which I think is what happened the first time, but I can’t quite remember if this was true or not), but at least I was able to deal with it the second time around.

Also, Mio just straight up socked them in the face before the battle. She sent them flying into that rock, and that was with her bare hands. Clearly she was pissed off during that scene, and can you blame her? These two killed Cammuravi and Ethel right in front of them!

Don’t fuck with Mio, she’ll punch you into the sun (apparently)!

This shot was awesome. It’s three Ouroboros in one shot, and I believe this won’t be the only instance of a shot like this in the game.

After O and P died (I can’t remember if they died because of the annihilation effect or because they went over the time limit for Interlinking [which I think was the answer, if I remember correctly]), Noah and Mio sent off both Cammuravi and Ethel. Here’s three screenshot showing the off-seeing.

Rest easy, Cammuravi and Ethel… for now.

This next shot is really cute, but I kind of wish that it didn’t immediately come after the off-seeing scene.

This shot is actually fairly close to the one I took from the Xenoblade 3 trailer they showed during the Xenoblade 3 Direct to use as my avatar for this blog, and I think I’ll use to upgrade my avatar to a higher-quality image. That’s right, I’M TURING UP THE GRAPHIC SETTINGS!

I also love how Noah looks so shook in this shot. He has absolutely no idea what’s going on right now, and honestly, big mood.

And now for the really dark stuff… I didn’t get that many screenshots of Keves Castle, but I do have some screenshots of the bosses that I encountered there. First off, Consul D and J.

Yep, another Interlinking between two Moebius, this time with Consul D and Consul J/Joran. Not only is this the Moebius that showed up in Eunie’s memories of her dying on that battlefield from Chapter 3, which she talked about during the cutscene I took this shot from…

…but it looks eerily similar to the one that was encountered during Chapter 1. It’s entirely possible that this could have been the first Moebius you fought in the game, though that version may have been lacking the Interlinking portion of this Moebius.

Surprisingly enough, I beat Consul D and J in one try. You know who I also managed to beat in one try? The Queen of Keves herself.

Yep, this is the Queen of Keves, Melia Antiqua from Xenoblade Chronicles 1!

…or is it?

Nope, turns out this was merely a robotic replica that was what I presumed to be created by the Consuls to continue the never-ending war between Keves and Agnus.

And during this fight, N and Noah… First of all, Mio seemed to recognize N’s appearance and weapon (as did all of us, I’m certain). Second, N seemed to be doing something to Noah’s mind. As of right now, it hasn’t been explained, but what we do know is that it gave Noah a headache.

That whole thing with N and Noah… please tell me that I wasn’t the only one who thought that what N was doing to Noah was similar to what Sephiroth did to Cloud though out  the majority of FInal Fantasy VII.

If this is anything similar to Sephiroth and Cloud… I fear what N can do to and with Noah’s mind later on in the game.

And now… the reason why Mio felt as though she recognized N’s appearance and his weapon, and the reason why N could mess with Noah during their encounter. This is N unmasked.

It’s true…

N and Noah… they are connected. Perhaps they may even be one in the same…

And you know who also looks creepily similar to another member of the main six? Consul M.

It can’t be, can it…?

Is Consul M… Mio?

I’m sure that will be explained in Chapter 5, or maybe even Chapter 6, but for now… that’s everything I have to say about Chapter 4.

Now to work up the courage to progress past the first quarter of Chapter 5. I think I’m close to hitting the half-way point, but I can’t shake the feeling that my heart with be shattered soon…

[fandomscombine]

The Hargreeves Kerfuffle  Part 1 : Disastrous Childhood (Prologue)

TUA Series Part 1:  Disastrous Childhood

The Hargreeves siblings x Hargreeves!Reader (Familial Relationship)

An idea came to me at 2am after binging TUA S2 and rewatching S1 right after!

BG: The Reader is Number Eight. It follows how you fit into the structure of Season 1 and the family dynamic of the siblings.

This part follows when the young Hargreeves Siblings had their powers manifested and the development of The Umbrella Academy.

Contains: Sibling Angst and Fluff. Reginald being a crappy father but sometimes not really?

The series will consist of 10 parts. Where the reader would have a focused interaction with each sibling. (Eg. After this part, it would be Luther x Reader, then Diego x Reader and so on! –Yes Ben is included)

WC:2649

A/N: This is my first ever TUA fic and I’m doing a series. WOw ambitious I know. Anyways I hope you enjoy! And tell me how you feel about it!

>>MASTERLIST<<

>>THE HARGREEVES KERFUFFLE SERIES MASTERLIST<<

READ: [PART 2]  [PART 3]  [PART 4]

>>JOIN MY WRITING CHALLENGE!<<

~

On October 1, 1989, 43 women across the globe gave birth despite them not being pregnant when the day began. In news of this mysterious happenings, Sir Reginald Hargreeves immediately went out of his way to find as many of these special babies. He has successfully adopted 8 of these children and you were one of them.

One might think that when a person adopts not one, but eight kids would have so much love to give but they would be mistaken. Sir Reginald Hargreeves—Dad, was not a loving father. It would be a miracle for one to see the man show any other emotion apart from anger. Sir Reginald Hargreeves was distant and treated the children like they were experiments that the dynamic felt closer to a doctor/patient relationship. The children weren’t given actual names, only to be called by their numbers based on the order Sir Reginald Hargreeves had procured them. It was only when Grace, their robot mother insisted they have a real name, were the children given them. And so, the children were:

Number One - Luther Hargreeves

Number Two – Diego Hargreeves

Number Three – Allison Hargreeves

Number Four – Klaus Hargreeves

Number Five – Five Hargreeves

Number Six – Ben Hargreeves

Number Seven – Vanya Hargreeves

And finally,

Number Eight -  y/n Hargreaves

For 6 years, the only special thing about the children was that they were miraculously conceived and birthed within a day, the same day. However, on the 7th year , October 1 1996, more strange things started to happen to the children.

It first started with Ben at breakfast. Dad as usual is cold and strict more so in the early morning. ‘Sit up straight Number Six.’ He directed without even a glance up from his newspaper at hand.

‘Yes Sir.’

Beside him you place your hand on his and whispered, ‘You alright Ben? You look sick.’

He gulped. ‘Yea y/n.’ Wiping the cold sweat off his forehead.

‘You sure?’ you questioned, not buying it.

‘Umhmm never bett-----’

You expected vomit to come out but what happen next is something you would never though was possible.

Screams broke out everywhere.

You feel yourself being raised above the table. Looking down, you were 5 feet off the ground held by what seemed to be tentacles.

‘Take that!’ You hear some shout then a thud. Diego had brought down a knife to the tentacle that had suffocated him and in now laying on the floor covered in green blood.

The sight finally snapped you out of your shock, your fight or flight reflexes kicked in.

A quick sweep of your surroundings showed Five and Klaus on either side of you, they too are struggling with the ever-tightening grip of the monstrous arm.

While on the ground, Vanya and Allison are making their way to Ben in hopes of helping him control whatever all this that was coming out of his body. While Luther is fighting off the arms away from Diego who seem to have broken his leg from the fall.

Dad, Mom and Pogo are nowhere to be seen.

You move your head to the left, knowing that Klaus doesn’t do well in small spaces. ‘Klaus it’s okay buddy, Dad would find a way to fic this. Just breathe’ You choked out ‘Just breathe Klaus, everything’s gonna be alright.’

‘mmmm!’ That was Klaus’ only reply but you were thankful to see him to fidget less. He seemed to have taken your advice – how much of the second part of that advice be true, you genuinely don’t know.

You try to move your head to face the right towards Five but no dice. The arm was wrapping itself closer to your neck. ‘Five’ you call out, but it was barely a whisper. ‘five..’

‘Y/N!!’ Five’s scream was the last thing you heard before everything went black.

~

‘She’s broken a couple of ribs and sprained her neck. But’s she’s gonna be okay. Just needs time to rest.’

‘And how long would that time Pogo?’

‘She would need to say in bed for 2 to 3 months, Sir.’

You open your eyes and are greeted with blinding white light. Dad, Mom and Pogo surround your bed.

Grace tucks a stray hair behind you ear. ‘My baby, y/n. How are you feeling?’

‘Sore.’ You reply, noting the coarse sound of your voice. ‘How’s Ben? Klaus? Vanya?—’

Grace cut you off. ‘They’re all fine y/n. Though Ben is a bit roughed up.’ She says truthfully.

‘Number Six has appeared to have powers of summoning monsters with his body and he is currently under supervision.’  Reginald stated.

But something didn’t fit right. ‘But how did you calm him down? The whole fiasco back there was in total chaos?’ Voicing out all your thoughts and questions. ‘No one could get him to take back control, unless…..’ You couldn’t continue the thought. Your eyes go wide. There was no way. It was too harsh, but it was dad after all, he would do whatever means necessary to get what he wants.

Your dad smiles proudly ‘Ah yes. Y/n ever the cleverest of the bunch.’ You had observed that he had addressed you in your actual name instead of your number for the first time in your whole existence.  ‘Unfortunately, I had to sedate Number Six. You do understand that it was the only way.’

You open your mouth to argue.

‘No buts, Number Eight!’ Ah and now we’re back to number, you thought.

‘I’ll have Grace by you side whist you recover and Pogo here would relay your recovery progress to me daily.’

He was almost to your door when he faced you again. ‘Oh and Number Eight, When you feel something different or unusual. Do inform me of it immediately.’ And with that he left.

‘Pogo? What does he mean by feel different?’ Your nerves go up, worried about your siblings. ‘Is anyone hurt?’

Pogo sighs, after much contemplation he begins ‘Y/n dear. Today’s happenings uncovered that there are stranger yet special things about you children.’

You nod, not wanting to interrupt but also wishing he would hurry up and continue.

‘Ben isn’t the only one who have gotten powers today. During the kerfuffle, Diego has shown skill with a knife, Luther immense strength and Five had shown ability to teleport.’

Once again you found yourself in shock.

‘Your father has gotten the idea that you children have varying power wish are “activated” so to speak when reached the age of 7.’

‘Haha-OW’ You clutch your side.

‘Careful y/n, try not to do sudden movements—yes and that includes laughing too.’ Mom says, caressing your cheek.

‘When can I see them?’

‘I’ll try to persuade Reggie to allow them for a visit dear. But now I need you to rest.’

~

Sibling Visits are limited to 30 mins a day, right before the bedtime curfew.

All your siblings (expect Ben who was still under strict supervision and is recovering himself) came to see you the following night.

Allison was the first one through your door and ran to give you a hug. ‘Y/n! We are all so worried!’

‘Aww thanks—OW OW OW’

‘Oops sorry’ releasing you from her death grip of a hug.

Seeing that movements still hurt you. The rest opted not to hug you, Klaus and Diego held your hand, Vanya is sitting on the edge of you bed, Luther gave you forehead a quick kiss and Five being Five, greeted you with the typical sibling teasing. ‘Glad to see you not drop dead in front of me.’

Diego showed off his leg cast and asked you to sign it, which you happily did so. Signing ‘Badass as always. -y/n’ beside Ben’s note of ‘Diego is cooler than Batman’

The 30 minutes consisted recaps of what happened the day before, the gushing of the boys showcasing their powers and debating on who’s the most powerful.

And just like that, the time was up and each had to go to bed. Everyone kissed your head for goodnights, even Five.

‘You know I love you right?’ His eyes softer than you ever seen before

‘I know’

‘You really scared me yesterday when you blacked out.’ Five had his tough façade down. ‘I thought you died y/n.’

‘But I didn’t.’ You reach up to wipe his tears away. ‘It’d take something bigger, if you wanna get rid of me.’

He chuckled. ‘Night, y/n’

‘Good night, Five.’

~

3 weeks had passed, and your siblings never failed to visit you. Over that time, Klaus and Allison had manifested their powers. Klaus can conjure the dead while Allison could ‘rumor’ people to her will.

Ben came by 2 weeks later. His color is back to normal, not like the blueish tint it had the last time you saw him. Though he still had a few remnants of bruises and scars across his arms and face.

‘I’m sorry y/n.’ He said leaning on your door frame.

‘Ben!’ You exclaimed. ‘I’m so glad you’re back up and running!’

Ben was caught off guard. ‘You—You’re not mad at me?’

‘Why would I be mad at you?’ You questioned, genuinely confused at your brother’s words.

‘Cause, Cause I almost got you killed. I am a monster.’

You sat up straight at those words, your ribs hurt a bit at the sudden movement, but you didn’t care. Your brother was blaming himself for something he couldn’t have controlled.

‘NO BEN!’

Ben jumped from your sudden outburst.

You motioned for him to come closer.

‘Ben…’ looking into his eyes. ‘Ben you are no monster.’

‘But—’

‘uuh uh I’m not done’ You held his hand in yours. ‘You are no monster what happened then was an accident, nobody knew, heck nobody expected powers to just show up. It was beyond anyone’s control. It took us by surprise.’

His shoulders relaxed.

‘It wasn’t your fault. I don’t blame you for what happened.’

He gave you a bone crushing hug. ‘Thank you y/n. You don’t know how guilty I was feeling.’ Voice muffled by your shoulder, which is now wet with his tears. ‘I kept thinking about the pain I caused you and I wasn’t allowed to leave my room even when I begged dad to see you and say sorry. y/n’

‘Shhh shhh’ Rubbing his back. ‘It’s alright Ben. What’s important is that we’re all here now. Alive, Safe and sound.’.

~

You still have a month left for recovery.

Only you and Vanya are the one left who haven’t had their powers revealed.

Dad had created a group called ‘The Umbrella Academy’ in which he trained your super powered siblings. He even given them codenames to go along with their newfound powers.

Number One - Luther Hargreeves aka Spaceboy

Number Two – Diego Hargreeves aka The Kraken

Number Three – Allison Hargreeves aka The Rumor

Number Four – Klaus Hargreeves aka The Séance

Number Five – Five Hargreeves aka The Boy

Number Six – Ben Hargreeves aka The Horor

With this new training program comes with the downside of spending less time with your siblings. Your traditional Sunday afternoon sister bonding time Allison and Vanya is basically non-existent now. Sure the rest of siblings still drop by to check up on how you’re recovering but it is not as frequency as they once were- you totally understand though, it must be tiring to be part of ‘The Umbrella Academy’ but girl were you still hurt and wanted more than anything to be a part of it.

So, you spend most of your time with Vanya nowadays. You didn’t mind, it is nice to have someone along. Most of the time Vanya practices her violin in your room.

‘That was beautiful Vanny’ you commented after she finished a rendition.

‘Thanks y/n’ Her face flushed. ‘Maybe someday I’d be a famous violinist!’

‘I know you would.’ You say truthfully. ‘And I better get the best seats at your concerts okay? Nothing short of VIP treatment for your favourite sister!’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Allison would get that.’ Vanya teased.

Placing a hand dramatically to your chest ‘uhh I am offended! I thought I was your favourite sister!’

‘well... you thought wrong.’ Vanya tried to keep a straight face but failed. ‘You y/n are the VVIP guest!’

‘Now that’s more like it.’

~

That night you were tossing and turning in your bed.

In the training room, huge boulders were being tossed onto Luther’s back. He currently had 3 on him. ‘More’ he cried. It was an impressive feat to see. A 7-year-old carry the what had to be at least 5 times his weight.

It was at his 6th block when his legs start to shake.

‘Straighten up Number One!’ Reginald voice came through the speakers.

‘I-I’

‘Fix your posture! And stop babbling!’

He was trembling all over, the weight was far too much and carried far too long for just a young boy.

Any second now, he is gonna be crushed by the boulders.

‘LUTHER!’ You screamed. Cold sweat was plastered all over your face. You were still in your room- but it all felt so real.

You look over to your bedside table, 9:07

Training would have started an hour ago. You had time.

You took the stairs two at a time, bursting into the training room. ‘STOP’

Reginald stood from his seat. ‘Number Eight. What in the world are you doing here?’

‘STOP! Luther is gonna get hurt please stop it--.’ Ignoring his question.

‘Number Eight, what are you talking about? Number One is doing perfectly fine!’ He gestured towards the front.

He was right. Luther looks fine. In fact it looked like it was carrying a light backpack instead of 3 boulders. ‘But- But I saw—’ Then it hit you 3 boulders. 3 not 6.

‘More’ You heard him cried out, just like you had in your nightmare.

You stared at Luther, how could this be?

‘I saw him sir, he is gonna collapse from 6 boulders.’

At this, Reginald took interest. ‘You saw?’

‘Yes, I-I must have dreamt it.’ You slumped against the free chair, defeated. ‘but it felt so real.’

‘Let me everything you saw, and don’t miss a single detail’

And so, you did. By the time you finished, Luther was with his 6th block.

It was exactly like how things went down in your dream. ‘No No NOOOO!’

‘Release him!’ Reginald called at the last second. Standing he faced you. ‘Now y/n dear would you please come with me.’

He didn’t speak again until you were both in his office. ‘It seems to me Number Eight that your powers have finally manifested.’

‘what—’

‘A slight delay compared to your siblings, but I presume that it was due to you recovering from your injuries that your body had focus on your recovery first then powers.’

‘What about Vanya? Would she have powers?’

‘It seems that Number Seven has no powers gained.’ Standing in front of you. ‘But no matter now, what’s important is that you’ve got them.’ He placed his hands on your shoulders. ‘You would do great things Number Eight. To see into the future is a valuable asset to have indeed. For this I shall name you Foresight.’

This was it! You own codename!

Number Eight -  y/n Hargreaves aka Foresight.

‘I’m gonna be part of The Umbrella Academy?’ Overjoyed by your father taking pride in you that every other thought left your concern.

‘Yes Foresight. You will.’ Standing straight again. ‘However, your training would only start once you have fully recovered.’

‘Thanks Dad.’ Hugging him and for once showed the affection back.

You wish you could say that it was at this point where you and your siblings finally gotten a loving and healthy childhood. But you were wrong. Things only deteriorated from here on out with the Hargreeves household and by extension the dissolve of The Umbrella Academy.

END OF PART 1

READ: [PART 2] [PART 3]  [PART 4]

Taglist [All]: @gruffle1

Taglist [TUA]: @herecomesthesun1969  @ultraviolet-m​ @winterierwriter @lordofthunderthr​  @alabaster1223

[garrothromeave]

i was rewatching the later episodes of season 2 of mcd, and during one of aphmau's conversations with vylad, he says something that really interested me:

... and i just want to take this time to point how incredibly inaccurate this is.

garroth is not at all how vylad described him. garroth is very emotionally weak. in fact, i'd argue that he lets his emotions get in the way more than most of the mcd cast.

the only place where i could see him being mistaken as someone who doesn't let his emotions get in the way is early in season 1, when he seemed stoic and mysterious. back then there wasn't much to him, but i'm pretty sure that's just because the story hadn't really begun yet. as he actually develops character, we see multiple instances where garroth directly contradicts vylad's statement.

just to name a couple off the top of my head: - garroth failing to protect the village from zenix while aphmau was away. it's not that he couldn't fight, it's that his attachment to zenix was still there and he was too heartbroken to give it his all. zenix had been like a son to him, and he simply couldn't hurt him - that's not putting your emotions aside for the situation. after this incident, he then locked himself away out of shame and guilt and avoided everyone, aka, he didn't seek help from those around him. - during the malachi's castle arc, laurance provoking garroth with the whole, "don't talk to me like i'm some apprentice guard! ...because i heard you have such a reputation with those." out of complete impulse, garroth attacks laurance. a mindless act, one that he didn't properly think through, because he let his emotions command his actions. - the entirety of the last 10 episodes of season 1. when he saw that illusion of laurance and aphmau kissing, he let his emotions get to the best of him, causing him to lock himself away for days and not talk to anyone. then he proceeded to get his emotions manipulated by lilian/zane. - garroth sneaking off by himself to see his mother while him, aphmau and katelyn were in o'khasis, despite how much danger he could have put them in. when explaining himself later, he tells aphmau that he didn't want to "bother her" with his personal business - he recognized that he needed help, and yet he still avoided roping anyone into it. "but! what about his character development after season 1!?" hahaha yeah sure uh, 1) garroth is still very emotion-based in his actions in season 2 (see the last example i gave), and even then, 2) when does vylad ever get a chance to see this side of his character development? (or, lack thereof.) he didn't talk to his brother for like over 20 years and when he finally spoke to him again he doesn't stick around enough to actually get to know him. which brought me to another thought: "maybe that's just how he remembers garroth from back when they were younger?" which seemed farfetched, but was logical enough as to why he'd say that. since like... it makes no other sense otherwise. BUT THEN APHMAU AGREES? after vylad says that garroth doesn’t let his emotions get in the way, she says, “that’s true.” after the entirety of the season finale of season 1 happened? where he literally back stabs everyone because of the way he feels? don’t buy it. and like, back to vylad: he watched phoenix drop for a long while during season 1, so he was (most likely) there when garroth met zenix, grew attached to zenix, [he literally saved garroth from dying after zenix shot him], and watched garroth fail to protect the village against zenix. as for the other things, i don't know what else he's really seen? but either way like, where would he get the idea that his brother was so different than what he actually is? he's spoken to him only a few times since they've reunited, and you'd think that if vylad was really as observant and smart as he is he'd be able to recognize that garroth is in fact a huge heart-over-head guy? idk man, even if he hasn't seen the full picture, i don't know where he's getting that idea from? so i honestly think that this is less of a "how vylad perceives garroth vs the reality," and more of a writing inconsistency with jess. because i mean, vylad’s fuckin’ smart, y’know? it just kinda looks like she doesn't know her own characters all too well. i mean, not just with garroth either, she's always kinda done that. or like, maybe she does know her characters, and she just isn’t the best at conveying certain traits in them - which is also something that she’s always done. because honestly, like, jess tried to display garroth as this level-headed, reserved and observant guy - which, yeah, wouldn't be wrong because he typically is - but i think she jumped to a conclusion in the process, that because he was like this, he couldn't be quite as emotional. even though we know he very clearly is. something we gotta note: quiet, reserved and serious =/= emotionally in tact. i'm just saying, garroth is much more emotional than most fans make him out to be. he's constantly battling with his own emotions, which is so often overlooked by the audience. i encourage y'all to look deeper into his character, there's so much there that's hardly explored and he really deserves the attention :)

[pompompurin1028]

Haha yeah we’d better not disturb the op with notifs anymore😂

So in fact I don’t have a lot to add but I’m just shocked that I couldn’t think of that before, it makes total sense! Since (if I’m not mistaken) Kunikida was dealing with that case, he was the narrator of it and it just makes sense that his memories and narration are distorted.

The fact that he compares himself to the Azure King also adds up with his response to Dazai. It hurts me so much that he probably had always been aware of his resemblance to the Azure King and knew pretty well that he could easily become someone like that one day with his current mindset (kinda like the fine line between Fyodor and Dazai). This probably made him suffer so much for years, contributing to his sleeping problems as well🥺 (I don’t know if it’s canonically said in the manga but I heard he had problems with sleeping because of his past “mistakes”..?)

If this is the case, Dazai was surprisingly unaware of it as seen with his brief “lecture” on his ideals until Kunikida cuts him off, to be honest that scene lives in my head rent-free. It’s so bittersweet and painful because I believe this is the first time the “watcher” witnesses such a serious conflict between them, but it also proves that the comical moments apart, they have such a strong relationship that they are able to talk about stuff like this. I would’ve KILLED to see Dazai’s reaction to his abrupt cut and declaration of “Do not underestimate my ideals!” but it’s unfortunately not shown… Because it wasn’t a sentence that came from a man who ignores what Dazai said. It meant to me that he had already pondered for hours, weeks, months, years on the possible consequences Dazai was talking about. And a promise to his partner that he would do his best to not become someone like that was lying under that sentence.

Plus, it simply shows me that Dazai cares.🥺 He’s most definitely not someone who’d seriously warn someone he doesn’t care about. And this honestly melts my heart.😭

Summary: Kunikida sees the Azure King as a goal of who he should not be?

YES exactly! It totally makes sense, and I decided to rewatch this episode and it does feel like this interpretation may be true. I’m sorry this took so long😖

This is the first time Kunikida had a flashback about the Azure King, what I found interesting was the colour in this scene:

In this part we see Kunikida reminiscing about his deceased comrades that had gone through this operation, and we see that in this flashback, they are mostly dressed in black, white and shades of grey and brown, they don't seem to pop out very much. And yet when he remembers or imagines the Azure King...

What I thought was interesting was that he is in colour, a much brighter colour in comparison to his comrades. And we can see here as well that the Azure King in Kunikida's thoughts is blond as well, mirroring himself in a sense, probably because he recognized the similarities he holds between the Azure King and himself. But we also have to note the blue colour that also seems to dominate the Azure King, and this colour seems almost a juxtaposition to the red colour of Kunikida’s ribbon that we see him constantly wearing🤔 as seen here:

Is this his way in his mind to differentiate himself and the Azure King? I’m not sure but that could be a possibility? 

And you remember when he said “the first time there were casualties while on a job, I cried so much that I missed work without leave, but now I don’t shed a single tear”? I can’t help but think about how many times he rethought about this memory in his head, thinking about what he could’ve done and how he could’ve changed their fate. To the point in which the faces and colours of his comrades have become dull and therefore he doesn’t shed a tear anymore. And yet, the only colour that continues to appear in this flashback is the Azure King, showing that Kunikida still perhaps continues to think about and reflect on this event? (this got angsty I’m sorry😭) This along with the fact of him thinking about ideals and what it is probably also tells how much he had thought about this topic...

And as you said, these small details may prove how much Kunikida had actually thought about this, which as you said would explain the response would add up to his response he told Dazai. God, I keep on finding such little details when I rewatch these two episodes😣 And I keep finding more details!

And I think the reason that Dazai seems oblivious to this may be because this event had happened before he met Kunikida, so he probably only knows a bit of the details, but not enough to know about the whole situation probably🤔 And yes, his reaction, and his facial expression -- one of seriousness, and the lack of hesitation in his words show just how much thought he had put into this topic.

And yes, it definitely shows that Dazai care, and it warms my heart too😭

I hope this all made sense, I’m a bit tired haha

[franniebanana]

CQL Rewatch - Ep 24

Note: I will be critical of Jiang Cheng in these posts. If you can’t handle that, please feel free to scroll on.

From the last episode, we know that Jiang Cheng is struggling with out to respond here. But as I'm watching this, it looks like Jiang Cheng is a little annoyed or frustrated here because now it feels like it wasn't his own decision. He didn't want to have to make this decision, because of political reasons and obviously he cares about his sister. She still carries a torch for Jin Zixuan, but agreeing to the marriage makes it look like the Jiang Clan is looking to profit even further from the war. Declining could mean possible damage to the relationship with the Jin Clan. And then Wei Wuxian steps in and gives him a third option: leave it up to Yanli. I think Jiang Cheng feels uncomfortable even answering this question, but part of his discomfort seems to be in response to Wei Wuxian overstepping here, like Jin Zixun points out.

Yeah, even here, Jiang Cheng says that others shouldn't meddle in this decision that Yanli needs to make. He casts a glance over at Wei Wuxian as he says this, suggesting either that he's agreeing with him or a subtle motion that Wei Wuxian is also meddling where he shouldn't. I feel like it's a bit of both. It really was not Wei Wuxian's place to step in and talk over Jiang Cheng. He is treating Jiang Cheng as if nothing has changed, but he's the clan leader now, not the clan leader's son. I mean, I don't give a shit about that, but I can see why someone who cares A LOT about propriety and tradition, like Jiang Cheng, would.

Half of his thoughts are that he dodged a bullet and the other are unexpected disappointment. For one, I think Jiang Yanli really didn't want to give that answer. Not that she doesn't love her home and want to see it restored, but I think she really wanted to marry Jin Zixuan. No matter what Wei Wuxian and her brother said about him, she still persevered in loving that man--regardless of what Jin Zixuan himself said, she still loved him. At the same time, her duty does still lie in rebuilding Lotus Pier for future generations. Jin Zixuan here is always a bit puzzling. I'm not really sure when he starts to fall for her. It could be that after the soup incident, he really starts to think about her. Maybe he lies in bed and she pops into his mind. Maybe he finds that he can't stop thinking about her. I think he's just as shocked as she is when his father brings up the marriage again. He's young too, maybe he also feels a little unready for it. I think, ultimately, they both want to decide on their terms, and not someone else's.

I think it's important that Jiang Cheng is the one to knock down the Wen insignia. As I was watching this scene unfold, where the Yunmeng trio returns to Lotus Pier, I thought it was odd that they have a Wei Wuxian flashback as he's looking around. To me, that kind of loses the focus of the scene. It really should be Jiang Cheng's memories that we should get a glimpse into--he's the one who is so focused on Lotus Pier and his family in this adaptation. It's really his main drive (other than his bitter spite, of course). Of course Wei Wuxian is angry about what happened, but in my opinion, it seems a bit much. After all, the one who was so angry and then despondent was Jiang Cheng, not Wei Wuxian. When Jiang Cheng's core was taken, it was Wei Wuxian who simply wanted to make him better--it was not about revenge anymore. Actually, concerning Wei Wuxian, I don't think it ever was about revenge. I think there was anger and confusion and sadness, but in his heart, I don't think it was really about revenge. Jiang Cheng, on the other hand, well, his story does very much revolve around revenge. He carries this anger and bitterness over what happened to him and his family for years and years--probably his entire life, to a certain extent. He's one who holds onto grudges and doesn't let go easily.

Ah, this part. I have to admit, I'm not certain about the things I'm going to say here, but this is my feeling about this scene. I think Lan Qiren is concerned about Lan Wangji. I think he's worried he'll be influenced by Wei Wuxian. I think he's worried Lan Wangji will stray from the straight path. So his solution is to assign Lan Wangji to repairing the books that may have been damaged, forcing him to look at the disciplines again and again. But of course we know that Lan Wangji is not about to stray from any path--he is trying his hardest to help Wei Wuxian. And if I'm not mistaken, Lan Xichen is about to go to Yunmeng around here (I could be wrong--I don't remember all the details), and Lan Qiren doesn't want Lan Wangji to go with for obvious reasons. I think maybe Lan Wangji is torn here. He wants to do the right thing--he wants to help Wei Wuxian, he wants to please his uncle, he wants to honor the memory of his parents, he wants to be a good disciple of the Lan Clan. I think, most importantly, he doesn't want to lose himself and his own sense of morality, nor does he want to lose Wei Wuxian. His uncle obviously believes the two things are mutually exclusive, but I believe Lan Wangji thinks otherwise. I really like this scene because a lot remains unspoken and there is so much tension there. I like that Lan Wangji requests to go into the library two times, and refuses to answer his uncle's question. It shows a lot of growth that he can stand up to his uncle like that--and if you pay attention, that growth is progressive. The Lan Wangji from the Lan lectures would never think to ask for such a thing when he knows he hasn't done the necessary tasks to be granted access.

Gosh, this episode actually has a lot of good scenes that I kind of just forgot about! In my fic writer's head, I like to think Lan Xichen is here in part to kind of size up Wei Wuxian in his current state. I love that they're drinking together and that Lan Xichen kind of levels with Wei Wuxian here, they both share a chuckle at Lan Wangji's expense too. Also, my wangxian brain loves that Wei Wuxian, while he's basically shirking all his Lotus Pier duties, wants to go see Lan Wangji and gloat while he's copying out the disciplines! Wei Wuxian definitely has his priorities haha.

Of course, Lan Xichen is also there on serious business. Even he tries to get Wei Wuxian to come to Gusu so that they can help him. Wei Wuxian sees this as meddling too, but the brothers really have the best intentions. I don't think it's about power or control for either one of them, but instead a sincere desire to help him and save him from his own ruin. The Lans seem to be the least politically inclined out of all the clans, but I feel like Wei Wuxian doesn't really get that. His own clan doesn't meddle at all, which they should. Jiang Cheng doesn't seem to be concerned at all about what Wei Wuxian is doing to himself--he's just glad he's got someone powerful underneath him. Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen both are concerned about Wei Wuxian, the man. Regardless of his power, they just want him to be safe.

So, as Lan Xichen "expresses his thoughts", Wei Wuxian starts drinking more and more cups of alcohol--I'm surprised there's anything left. He's clearly agitated by what Xichen is saying, but it seems to be when Xichen calls him self-centered that he basically can't take it anymore: the idea that he's only thinking about himself despite his actions causing harm to others, including Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli, but also Lan Wangji, who is tirelessly trying to help him. He tells Xichen that he trusts them, but he doesn't want to pick up the sword again--he prefers the demonic cultivation is how Xichen must understand that, since he has no idea about Wei Wuxian's Golden Core. But it's interesting that Wei Wuxian will admit that to Lan Xichen but not to Lan Wangji. He intends to let Lan Wangji press on tirelessly, searching for a way to help him, learning new music to aid and heal him. To be honest, that is extremely selfish of him. Why can't he be honest with Lan Wangji? But I think that he can't be honest because he doesn't want to hurt him, and he only tells Lan Xichen because he's upset and just wants to drop the whole subject. The only way I can think to describe Wei Wuxian over the next few episodes is depressed. He drinks too much, he has nothing to occupy himself, he pushes people away; he is on this downward spiral that no one can pull him back from, not even the people who love him most. And I don't think it's lost on him that Lan Wangji is being deliberately kept from seeing him--he even likens what's happening to imprisonment. All around, this is a sad time for these characters with few bright spots, honestly.

Before I forget, I actually really love here that Xichen makes a point of saying that he's doing this for his brother more than anything. It's very sweet and it's very important for Wei Wuxian to know. It's not meddling to them. That's not at all how they see it, even though that's how it appears to him. They are trying to help him, and in particular, Lan Wangji is trying to help him. He's in fact made it his mission in life--casting aside anything else, to the point that his uncle has essentially had to lock him up to stop him.

I think, overall, Jiang Cheng is just really disappointed in Wei Wuxian. I think he thought he was getting something better when Wei Wuxian came back, all powerful, playing his flute, killing Wens left and right, taking revenge for the Jiang Clan leaders. And instead, he sees a lazy, drunk. Wei Wuxian seems pathetic and useless, nothing like his former self, except for his cocky attitude, which Jiang Cheng never liked anyway. He nitpicks about the sword, but never tries to get Wei Wuxian to change. He nags him, expecting that will be enough. He wants someone subservient who will look good and do all the right things, and also make him look good. So, when Wei Wuxian is none of those things, that would be very disappointing. He wanted a parallel of what his father and Wei Wuxian's father was--that's not what he got. Guess what? They aren't the same people. You know that, I know that--it's really only Jiang Cheng that struggles with that concept. He takes that promise Wei Wuxian made about them being the Twin Prides, grips it in his clenched fist, and never lets go. But people sometimes make promises they can't keep. What parent hasn't promised to keep their children safe only to find out that they can't control everything that happens to them? When Wei Wuxian said that, I think he did want that--at that time. But a lot of things changed after that--they all changed, and I don't think Wei Wuxian wants that anymore.

I feel quite bad for Jiang Yanli, you know. I think so much of her actions are driven by her desire to keep their family together in spite of what's happened. If her parents were alive, I have no doubt that she would have jumped at the chance to marry Jin Zixuan, and I think the only reason she didn't is because she feels an obligation to keep the peace in the family. She worries that Lotus Pier will fall apart, she worries Jiang Cheng can't handle it alone, she worries every time that he and Wei Wuxian argue. And Wei Wuxian barely lets her finish a sentence here. He again makes promises that he knows she wants to hear--promises that they'll be together forever. But even she knows that that's a promise that is meant to be broken. She wants to get married--in all likelihood, she will get married--and leave. She also sees how restless Wei Wuxian is. He may be lying to himself, but she can see right through him. I think this is a woman who knows that things are about to change again and she's trying to prepare herself for that.

When I first watched this scene, I immediately thought Wei Wuxian was talking about Jiang Yanli being in love with Jin Zixuan. It seemed the obvious catalyst, since she was engaged, then they broke it off, then it came up again in Qishan. But the second time I saw it (and watching it again now), I can see that he's talking about two different things: her love for Jin Zixuan as well as whatever is going on between him and Lan Wangji, because I don't think he rightly understands himself. He's just met up with Lan Xichen by chance, who has told him that he's going to end up hurting the people who care about him (oh and also Lan Wangji cares about him so much that he literally has done nothing but study music to help him). And then he likens what Lan Wangji is doing to imprisonment. And now he's comparing love to haltering one's own neck. Whether CQL is explicit or not about the romance, the dialogue doesn't lie. He's questioning why Lan Wangji would love him here. He's questioning why anyone would love anyone, when it means being chained to one person for the rest of your life, being at their whims, being hurt by them, sometimes hurting them yourself--he doesn't understand why anyone would want that. Why is that attractive? Isn't it better to just be alone?

Most frustrating thing is she doesn't even answer him.

I can't deny this scene is cute and puts a smile on my face. I actually really identify with Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian here, because they just don't deal with their issues. When my sister and I were growing up, we'd fight from time to time, but then after a few hours or maybe a day, we'd just be over it. We didn't apologize--we didn't feel like we needed to. It wasn't until I watched this sort of thing between my best friend and her siblings that I understood how kind of unhealthy that is. It's good to apologize. It's good to work your issues out. Pretending things didn't happen can just lead to a bad relationship. Now, I don't even remember what my sister and I would fight about, but mostly silly things. What Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian are going through is a lot different. Them ignoring their problems is harmful to their relationship. So, while it's nice to see them joking and smiling, I can't help but think about what they are ignoring.

Parallel time! Jiang Cheng says Wei Wuxian needs to be more respectful and mostly just stay clear of Jin Zixuan while they are in Lanling. Then he goes on to say that Jin Guangyao won't ever be anything more than a myrmidon to the Jin Clan. Obviously Wei Wuxian is not related to the Jiangs by blood--does that mean he also is far below Jiang Cheng and Yanli? Wei Wuxian get annoyed, and rightly so, at how dismissive Jiang Cheng is of Jin Guangyao, especially considering that Jin Guangyao did so much more for the cause during the Sunshot Campaign. The implication is that Jin Zixuan did very little, and we know his father did just about nothing.

Lan "I can do bad all by myself" Wangji

Other episodes: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | Or just check out the #CQL Rewatch hashtag

[ckneal]

I’m not particularly proud of this one, because I’m sure it’s not an original thought at all, but the fact remains that I cannot rewatch Gilmore Girls anymore without thinking about the fact that my very first Supernatural fan theory was thrown out as a joke--because my friends had sat me down and forced me to watch Supernatural immediately after sitting me down and forcing me to watch Gilmore Girls--and it still holds up.

Dean Forester is Sam Winchester’s son. 

I mean. . .that’s all there is to it. He’s named for his uncle and looks just like his dad. The kid standing next to Sam at his death bed, who might have easily been mistaken for Sam’s son? Obviously is actually Sam’s grandson. One of Dean Forester’s many spawn that were mentioned in the revival series. Dean III.

I remember telling my friends that that’s why we never see Dean’s father on screen. Last time he’s ever mentioned, to my knowledge, is when Dean says that the guy’s holed up in their basement and refusing to come out in season 5. At the time, Dean credited it to his father being so disappointed with him over his divorce, but of course, this seems inaccurate. Sam would be a lot more supportive. What seems more likely to be happening is that, seeing as Sam was wanted in several states and also legally dead, he might just feel safer down there ever since Lorelai started drawing in more out of towners with her fancy new inn that she opened in season 4. In fact, the whole reason the Forester family moved to Stars Hallow from Chicago was probably to lower the chances of Sam being recognized somehow by one of the many authority figures he’s lied to over the decades he spent posing as an FBI agent. 

And the reason the spelling of Dean’s last name changes from time to time (Forester vs. Forrester), is clearly due to Sam occasionally forgetting which one he originally settled on for his new life. 

That means that Sam Winchester became Randy Forester and his blurry wife is May Forester.

I’m really annoyed that I can’t stop thinking about this. 

[accidentallyadramablog]

Review: Down With Love (2010)

I felt a little nostalgic this week and decided to rewatch Down With Love, a romcom out of Taiwan featuring Ella Chen (from Hana Kimi) and Jerry Yan (Meteor Garden).

This is more of a brain dump as opposed to a real review. More below the cut.

Let me just start with the fact I love dramas with tomboys, gender benders, and gender non-conforming women and girls in general. I'm a 40 yr old gnc bi-woman, so some of these storylines really resonate with me - despite the trend of making those female characters glaringly stupid and pitiable.

Tags: Nanny, Love Square, Tomboy, Male Chases Female First, Sismance, Rich Man/Poor Woman, Pretends To Be Gay, Single Parent, Sisterhood, Boss/Employee Relationship

Our girl Ella Chen plays tomboy Yang Guo. Yang Guo works, has friends, and a shitty boyfriend of 5 years. She acts naïve, but she actually has a lot of life experience due to a *tragic backstory*. After her mother died, her father ruined the family business. Their family plunged from riches to rags and their father abandoned them. Yang Guo is 6 when this happens and it falls on her older sister Yang Duo to raise them both while homeless, starving, and navigating the homeless camps in the parks of Taipei.

Yang Duo (Kelly Huang) has raised her little sister by herself, beginning from poverty and homelessness to having a house and making a life for themselves. They bicker good-naturedly, but Yang Duo is very protective and supportive of her sister. She's managed to earn a job at a prestigious law firm as an admin assistant with strong accounting skills. She is seen as frugal, clever, and competent. Several characters make comments throughout the series about how it was a shame that she didn't go into certain careers because she's so accomplished despite not having a formal education. It's obvious that Yang Duo has put her own dreams and happiness on hold to make sure that she and Guo have financial security. Yang Duo is my favorite character btw. She is a supporting character that is multi-faceted and has her own character arc. I really like seeing her growth in this drama, and she gets some cute side couple action later in the series. Skip the last episode.

Due to growing up in poverty and scrabbling to lower-middle-class, the two girls work nonstop. After Guo is fired from her job waiting tables, Duo gets Guo a job as a nanny for her boss Xiang Yu Ping by lying and saying Guo is a lesbian.

Xiang Yu Ping (Jerry Yan) owns his own law firm and is seen as cold and overbearing. He is raising his dead brother's kids and none of the nannies he's hired have lasted either due to being chased off by the kids (a la the Sound of Music) or by trying to seduce him because he's a rich handsome lawyer. Relieved to have found a nanny who definitely wouldn't seduce him (because he thinks she's a lesbian), he just pays an unreasonably huge salary to keep her there with the kids despite their abuse.

Supporting characters: Amanda Chu as the best friend Yan Ling with the messy dating life is also delightful, but I've enjoyed all her roles. I may rewatch Lion Pride for her, now that I'm walking down memory lane. The office of 'just some lawyer dudes being dudes' are funny. I love when they gather around to watch drama and place bets on what's happening. They're also slackers. I would love/hate to work with them.

So that's the setup.

Honestly, I hate the 'pretends to be gay' plots. It's typically really offensive and this was no exception in a lot of places. (It's not at the same level as Personal Taste, but it's bad.) One of the cases Yu Ping takes on is unlawful termination and blackmail of a gay teacher and he asks for Yang Guo's advice to help the man. Taiwan was trying in 2010, but it wasn't exactly good representation to have a fake lesbian help an actual gay man faced with employment discrimination and blackmail over his orientation. When I compare this with Love is Science (2021 twdrama) that has two out lgbt characters employed in their office with significant roles, I'm just so happy that lgbtq media representation is still progressing.

I don't care about Yu Ping's best friend Qi Ke Zhong or Yu Ping's ex-girlfriend Ding Hui Fan because they're both terrible people that don't deserve forgiveness and their only purpose was to drag out our leads getting together. Since this was a rewatch, I knew how much I hated their scenes and skipped them as much as I could. You're not missing anything. Someone on YT needs to just make a Yang Duo/Xiang Yu Ping cut, tbh. Also? Go ahead and skip the deadbeat father.

The nanny bit only lasts three episodes (the kids are adorable), but it's long enough for Yu Ping to catch feelings and think his lesbian nanny is cute. He actually is not cold and overbearing as episode 1 makes him out to be. Yu Ping is supportive and tries to be a good friend to Guo. When he thinks her 'girlfriend' is cheating on her, he absolutely flips out because he feels she deserves to be respected and loved in her relationship. He learns about her family. He learns about her friends. He knows where to look for her when she's upset. He knows how to cheer her up and later, he knows how to make the perfect date. When he finds out she lied about being a lesbian, he's not even mad. He admits it was his fault for making certain demands in the employment contract. He's just upset that he's lost chances to flirt and court her.

Listen. It's a dumb premise in this drama and the misunderstandings suck. But it's so refreshing to see male leads be decent to women that are romantically and sexually unavailable to them. The bar is so low, in RL and in dramas, that Yu Ping belongs in the top tier of male drama leads. This dude was just going to continue in a supportive friendship for an undetermined time, both when he thought she was a lesbian and later when his shitty weasel of a best friend dated her under false pretenses. He didn't burden her with a confession until her relationship was over. And whenever she asked for space, he gave it to her. And when she confronted him on instances of jealously, he apologized and gave her space.

Yu Ping never tries to change Guo. He doesn't give her a makeover. She has a makeover scene that is instigated by another character and all he does is try to make her comfortable when she's so obviously uncomfortable. Then he cheers inwardly when he sees her overcome her awkwardness and have confidence. But by the end of the drama, she is still dressing and acting the same as in act 1. It honestly reminded me a little of Coffee Prince in that the fancy male lead is still just as enamored with his gnc woman by the end and the way she presents herself doesn't have an effect on their romantic relationship. Again, this is content catered to me as a bi & gnc woman in a relationship with a cis-het man. I often am mistaken for a man when I go out with my spouse and he's still super into me so let's normalize gnc people with gc people already it's 2021.

Anyway, if you watch romances for kisses, there's really only a couple of pecks and one nice passionate kiss and they're all in basically the last 3 eps of the series.

The last episode sucks. Stop at episode 15. Seriously. Don't watch episode 16. Why oh why do you let terrible people back in your life? Qi Ke Zhong and Ding Hui Fan are toxic and should but cut out of their lives. The end of ep 15 had a happy ending with a family-style breakfast for our two sisters with their boyfriends. Ep 16 threw in some more misunderstanding, jealousy, and separations followed by a time skip for no reason and brought back my two least favorite characters.

Anyway, I will live in my little world with Yang Duo and her sweet lawyer boyfriend Liang Zhi Hao (Ian Yim/Cyran Yan/Yan Yi En yeah, this actor has three stage names) that supports her interests and self-determination while they save money on mass transit by using his motorbike. And they build her dream home that she designs. Perhaps they put aside funds for her to pursue a degree in what she's passionate about.