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shima-draws · 4 years ago

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Tell us abt the story, Shima. I would D I E for your stories (also, an ATS game would make my entire LIFE I would be so broke on it)

[[Anonymous said: hey- hey shima.... what;s ur new story about?]]

uwu

So this is based off of Arthurian lore and has some elements of it but it’s mostly (?) original!

It starts out in a normal high school setting, centered around these two kids named Elin and Niro. Niro’s had a life of total misfortune—his parents died when he was little and there was nobody else to take him in, so he was forced into foster care, and has switched schools so often that he never really got to make any permanent friendships. He’s a quiet guy, sort of weighed down by all of the loss he’s experienced, so that sort of makes him a mysterious and attractive sort of person, which gains him immediate popularity as the school’s handsome new kid. (He’s in his senior year, now, and has been at this school for almost the full year.) Despite his withdrawn personality Niro actually gets along well with his peers, but mostly because he’s a very agreeable sort of person that just goes along with what he’s told to do to fit in. He’s just going through the motions at this point, trying to survive and figure out what he wants to do in life. It isn’t really working out too well because Niro has major depression so every day is a struggle, but his current “guardian” at the foster home he’s staying in helps a lot with that, and Niro views her as sort of a mother figure to him, and it’s soft :’)

Elin, on the other hand, is the school’s laughingstock, and gets picked on a LOT by his classmates. He never fights back and tries to stay out of everybody’s way, so people think him even weirder because of it. He rarely talks and is always found with his nose stuck in a book, which has also labeled him as a major geek, so you can bet he gets targeted a lot because of this;;

Unfortunately, the kids that Niro’s friends with are the group that picks on Elin the most, and it always makes Niro uncomfortable but he’s too hesitant to really speak up about it, especially since Elin just. Sort of takes it and never outwardly complains. It’s basically just Niro making excuses to himself, and whenever he DOES try to talk his buddies out of it they’re like come on man we’re just joking around it’s not a big deal. So that sucks. One day when Niro’s walking to school he notices he’s being followed by a weirdly dressed girl. Eventually she corners him and she’s like “Merlin’s been taking too long to find you so I took things into my own hands since we’re running out of time” and Niro’s like ???? Excuse me? But she doesn’t explain and literally yanks him into a portal and that’s that. LMAO

When they emerge, the girl introduces herself as Lunete, and reveals that she’s taken Niro to the world of Avilion, in the kingdom of starlight called Inlustria. Niro’s still processing that he’s been pulled into another world entirely when Lunete begins to escort him to the castle, and pretty much dumps the world’s lore and his Destiny™️ on him on the way.

Rest is under the cut to save space because it is loooong lol

Lunete explains that there have always been two central figures in Inlustria, for many centuries across many generations. Those figures are Merlin, the wizard, and Arthur, the king meant to wield the holy sword and unify the five kingdoms on the continent together. Currently there are two Merlins, with the second being younger and newer to the position, still in training. However, she adds that this particular Merlin is the most powerful they’ve ever seen in the long history of Merlins to exist, and that he’s basically a child prodigy. It is Merlin’s task to watch over, guide and protect Arthur, so that peace can remain and the cycle can continue anew. The current Arthur is sadly old and very ill, practically on his deathbed, so the process of choosing a new Arthur to replace him had to be rushed.

Lunete then tells Niro that the Arthurs are chosen by fate before birth and are always humans from the other world. Arthurs are always loyal, confident and kindhearted, so there’s never a chance of an Arthur going astray (unless their Merlin purposefully leads them down that path). Niro’s like why are you telling me all this and Lunete goes well isn’t it obvious? Why else would I be telling you. And then Niro realizes that he has been chosen as the new Arthur, and immediately goes into panic mode. Lunete apologizes for the abrupt introduction and Avilion crash course lol but she says that usually it’s the Merlin’s job to remain in the human world, scout out the new Arthur, and bring them to Avilion, since they’re naturally drawn to them by their magic. But this Merlin is particularly stubborn and wants nothing to do with Arthur or his born duty to essentially serve the king, so he’s been stalling on locating him out of sheer spite.

Lunete and Niro arrive at the castle and she leads him into the grand library, where Merlins usually spend most of their time. Niro is shocked to find out that Elin is Merlin, and Elin immediately goes “You have GOT to be kidding me” when he realizes that the new Arthur—who he has to spend the rest of his life with btw—is Niro.

Niro’s even more shocked to find out that Elin is a completely different person than how he is at school. Elin is witty, arrogant and very sassy, and constantly throws shade at Niro for doing nothing while he was being bullied. (Niro then accuses Elin for not standing up for himself when he’s CLEARLY capable of it with both his silver tongue and his knack for magic, but Elin explains that it’s a rule for Merlins not to make a big presence of themselves in the human world. Then Niro feels very guilty.) Elin swears off of accepting Niro as the new Arthur and says he can protect the kingdom all on his own.

Naturally Niro is very reluctant to take on the position of Arthur and become the ruler of an entire kingdom, but Lunete tells him he doesn’t really have a choice, and that all Arthurs fall into the role eventually, so it will be something he’ll automatically adapt to because he’s The Chosen One and it’s meant to be. Niro continuously tries to reach out to Merlin, but he’s notoriously stubborn and refuses to acknowledge Niro.

Eventually Lunete lets slip that Merlin had a complicated history with another human in his childhood that ended...not so well (and no it’s not Esca lol), hence his general distaste towards the other world and humans in general. Ofc that’s not all Merlin is hiding, there’s another enormous secret he doesn’t want coming into the light. And you bet Niro’s going to discover them all ;)

So yeah there’s obviously a lot more that goes on after that—Niro trains to fit into the Arthur role (with a lot of sexy swordfighting training montages), Merlin eventually accepts him and they grow closer (yes. In that way ;D), Merlin shows off how skilled he is with his magic and Niro goes oh no I think I might be in love with him, there’s trouble with the northern kingdom they’re trying to deal with involving a new villain that’s popped up, Niro gets to meet a king from the southern kingdom who sort of becomes his father figure/mentor so that’s cool? Niro finds out exactly what sins Merlin committed in the past, and that past sadly catches up with him and nearly ruins everything so that’s fun. Niro finds out some shit and almost abandons his role as Arthur but eventually returns to Inlustria and obtains Excalibur to save Merlin’s ass, etc. etc. I think after the “main” story ends I’m going to send them out to sea so they can go on an epic magic pirate adventure, because when Niro was a kid he was super into pirates and treasure hunting and the ocean, he was never really a “magic and kingdoms” type of guy which is super ironic. Merlin’s excited about traveling but it turns out he’s really seasick and it’s hilarious. Somewhere down the line they’ll probably find out why there’s always been a “Merlin” and “Arthur” role in their kingdom as well. So LOTS of fun stuff is in store! And my brain hasn’t been shutting up about lore and worldbuilding for this story ever since I came up with it >;)

#I STILL DON'T HAVE A NAME FOR THIS YET SO.#And now you guys can send me asks about this ;))))))#Shima answers questions #Long post #Shima's OCs #Anyway yeah there's a LOT going into this but that's just the basic plot #Esca is involved in a big way but I won't say how yet ;)

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0veil-ablaze0 · 3 years ago

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Boboiboy AU time, crossposted from my now inactive Wattpad.

Okay, so, Boboiboy and the elementals are siblings, okay? Got it?

Boboiboy is older by a year and the elementals are septuplets. Because I said so.

But plot twist, when the septuplets were born, they were deemed too weak to survive and Amato, who was excited to be a father of eight, is having none of that shit.

And yada yada, plot point, found ochobot, elemental powers and shit, y'know, the fun stuff.

So the elements acts like a life support, how? Idk either man.

One night, uhhhh, the septuplets got kidnapped and Amato angst ensue.

So, Boboiboy, our beloved powerless babey, is our protagonist, if it weren't obvious enough.

Amato in this AU could be a king/hero like in the original series and that makes Boboiboy the prince/son of the hero no one knows about because of the tragedy that struck boy.

Okay, yeah, Boboiboy, never found out about his missing brothers until like, ten. Of course, being a little ten year old and really wanted to be like his father, he wanted to search for them, but Amato's like, "no son, maybe when you're older."

And he did.

At four fucking teen.

He was sent to visit his grandfather, Tok Aba for one, to check on the old man, and two, protection. Boboiboy found Ochobot one fateful night and ye, insert Boboiboy and Gopal adventure music.

So, other main cast introduction:

• Gopal.

Friend of Boboiboy since he was ten, because fuck you, that's why. The only person who knows that Boboiboy is Amato's son, but ends up almost forgetting that.

Powers: Molecular Altercation

We all know how this powers works, and yes, first one to get their power from Ochobot is this guy bc we met the rest mid story.

•'Lightning Thief' or later known as Ada Da

A kid who kept on stealing from the neighborhood, including Tok Aba bc cocoa? Idk.

Powers: Elektrokinesis

Uh, since he never had proper guidance like Gopal, his powers only appears under distress. The only thing he can do at will is shock people. That is, until the duo met again and well, looks like the lighting thief got a new name and a better control over his powers and such.

•Yaya

A lovely girl next door, or town, I guess.

Powers: Barokinesis

After finding out that her powers are barokinesis rather than just, superhuman strength and flight, she could just force you to bow down to her if she wanted to. She might as well revoke your gravity privileges and float you off to space.

•Affan

Yaya's neighbor next door. A cheerful boy, but sometimes ends up being insensitive sometimes.

Powers: Aerokinesis

Lmao he's literally Aang but waking up and choosing violence first thing in the morning. In all seriousness, keep the boy in control.

•Ying

Some sweet, shy girl that the gang collectively decides to adopt. Ends up being the baddest bitch in town, girlboss moment.

Powers: Chronokinesis

We all know how this works, originally mistaken as super speed, she can alter time at will at a fair range, but since it's literally time powers, it takes a lot of energy. Puts you in a mini time loop bc you were talking shit about her friends.

•Fuchsite

Adopted grandson of one of the seven elemental heroes who decided to join Boboiboy's little found family while searching for his bio family gang

Powers: Geokinesis

Power is the most stable and controlled out of everyone because he was trained under his grandfather, when not relying on his powers, he could stand on his own using hand to hand combat.

•Fang

A mysterious boy once rival, now ally, adopted noble/child of hero Maskmana (s-shut)

Powers: Shadow Manipulation

Obviously not as strong as Molecular Altercations, Gravity, or Time. But he makes up for it with being a master shadow puppeteer, from tiny rats to dragons, the shadows of the galaxy is his personal kingdom.

•Brazen

A foreign boy known for his recklessness and rude tongue.

Powers: Pyrokinesis

We all know this, fire powers, one of the classic powers anyone has think of, though the same case as Ada Da, his powers only respond to emotions, this time: stress and pure jealousy. Jealousy to whom? You'll see.

•Geary

Brazen's younger, more 'perfect' twin. Not much to say other than the constant targeting of his dearest brother left him, kinda hurt, but easily brushed off.

Powers: Hydro/Cyrokinesis

Water and Ice, two sides of the same coin, just, depending on which surfaces first. His powers are a lot more stable considering, liquid and stuff like that is very flexible on surroundings, yeah, nothing else to add.

•Ochobot

Their robot friend from the beginning to the end.

Powers: Power Storage and Transfer, Teleportation

Nuff said

•Acacius

A pirates apprentice of the Sparo crew, naive and cute, but with the ability to kill you.

Powers: Agrokinesis

Unfortunately, not being able to harness it properly with the lack of plant life in the ship. Of course, he adapted by stealing some plants and practices with them, only for the plants to be thrown away by Captain Separo directly, his supposed father.

•???

A wise, quite egotistical, socially awkward young boy, being the book keeper of the ancient library of the past months after the library was left, abandoned

Powers: Photokinesis

Never finding out about it until the library, he trains until he reached perfection. The light shines through him like he was a prism, living life with fractured hues to fill his monochrome life.

I'll write extra stuff about this AU later, I'm lazy or asked.

#boboiboy #boboiboyau #gopal #ying #yaya #fang #mechamato #amato #since he's literally was mentioned #ochobot #kokotaim gang #boboiboy elementals #Lost but Found au

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taeyongdoyoung · 4 years ago

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summary: the forest is your only escape from the everyday troubles with your family until you find danger lurking behind the trees. or rather, danger finds you. your fateful encounter with the vampire ravn leaves you wishing for a different life. you strike an unexpected deal with the stranger that will soon turn into something more…

pairing: vampire!ravn x reader

genre: vampire!au, humour, fluff

warnings: unresolved sexual tension, a lot of shakespeare lmao

word count: 2.2k

part one 🌙 part two 🌙 part three 🌙 part five 🌙 part six 🌙 part seven 🌙 part eight 🌙 part nine 🌙 part ten🌙 part eleven 🌙part twelve 🌙 epilogue

A month after you started living in Ravn’s castle and you were getting anxious to go out. Not that you weren’t doing fine inside. The vampire was treating you great and you were happy to read books together, feed each other (literally) and have interesting conversations. However, you missed the fresh air outside, you missed just walking around aimlessly and wandering to new places. You didn’t want to risk your parents spotting you so the village was out of the question. The forest, though…

You wondered how to bring it up. Ravn had initially said that he doesn’t expect you to stay trapped in his castle forever, but he never mentioned it after. Maybe, he enjoyed just chilling at home. You did, too. But your adventurous spirit was eager to try something new.

As you were lost in thoughts, Ravn touched your shoulder and you jumped at the sudden contact.

“Sorry, did I frighten you?” he asked gently and sat down next to you on the couch.

“N-no, it’s fine, I was just thinking.”

“You do seem a bit antsy. Anything bothering you?”

“Why? Everything is peachy,” you quickly responded, because you still hadn’t figured out how to ask Ravn if it was okay to go out without upsetting him. You didn’t want him to think that you were ungrateful for everything he had done for you.

“Don’t lie to me, Y/N,” Ravn said in a serious tone, which made shivers run down your spine, reminding you of the first time you met him. “I can’t take that.”

“I’m s-sorry,” you whispered. “I was…hoping we could go out sometime? But I didn’t want to seem unappreciative of your efforts to make me feel at ease. Which is why I had no idea how to ask for it. I’m so sorry.”

Ravn smiled softly.

“Is that it? You didn’t have to lie. I told you that I won’t keep you prisoner, didn’t I?”

You nodded slowly.

“I know you did, but still, I’m so used to being a burden that I don’t know how to act around…around someone like you.”

“A vampire?” Ravn laughed ironically.

“No. Around someone who doesn’t judge everything I do or say.”

“Oh,” Ravn was surprised at how you viewed him. He was supposed to be the monster in the story. So, why did you treat him like a saviour of some sort?

“I mean it,” you insisted once you noticed how unsure he was.

He shook his head. This emotion thing was too new and too scary for him and he didn’t know how to deal with it.

“Where do you want to go?”

“Maybe the forest?” you asked quietly.

Ravn was shocked at your choice.

“Haven’t you been there a lot? Don’t you want to try something new?” he suggested casually.

“As long as it’s not anywhere near my parents, I’m game,” you chuckled.

“Do you want me to surprise you or would you rather know where I’m taking you?” Ravn teased, a wonderful idea already forming in his mind.

“Surprise me, then,” you lifted your chin and looked at him boldly.

“You trust me?” he repeated the question you had so far responded to negatively.

“I do, actually,” you decided to be honest for once, because he had warned you not to lie to him ever again. He was obviously taken aback by your answer.

“You stupid lamb,” Ravn chuckled and placed your hands around his neck. Then, wrapped his arms around you and lifted you up. “Hold on tight.”

And he began running at a speed that shouldn’t have been humanly possible. But yet again, he was no human. At one point the accelerated motion made you so sick that you closed your eyes and hid your head in his chest. You had no idea where you were going but the realization that it didn’t matter amazed you. He didn’t scare you. But this terrifying journey did. You probably should have warned him you had never travelled with anything faster than a bike. You had spent your entire life in your small village and the forest nearby. You were pretty sure you would pass out soon, but before that happened, Ravn stopped running.

“You may open your eyes.”

You did as he said and looked around. The first thing you noticed was how big everything around you was. The buildings, the towers, the cars, the bridges, the river. How…magnificent. And not in the way his castle was. Ravn’s home felt familiar in a way you couldn’t quite put into words. This place, wherever it was, felt so strange. But in a good way.

“Where are we?” you murmured nervously.

“Can’t you tell?”

You shook your head in embarrassment.

“Welcome to London,” Ravn informed you of your current whereabouts.

“You’re kidding!”

“Nope,” he laughed. “I thought you were into Shakespeare. How can you not recognize where we are?”

“I only managed to borrow and read some of his plays in my village. I’ve never seen…”

“Pictures of London?” Ravn helped you out when he saw you were struggling to find the right words.

You nodded, suddenly feeling intimidated by the vampire’s vast knowledge of the word.

“I’ll be your guide, then,” Ravn offered you his hand like a gentleman. “Do you want to visit the Globe Theatre first? It’s a reconstruction of-“

“I know what it is,” you responded. “Again, I haven’t seen pictures, but I read about it in one of the introductions to the book of plays.”

Ravn smiled proudly.

“That’s my girl,” he smirked.

First, he’d called you his human and now this? You could swear Ravn was going to kill you. Not with his fangs but his words.

The two of you spent the morning visiting many interesting places. Starting from the Globe Theatre, where Ravn showed you around like an expert, pointing out curious facts about Shakespeare that got you staring like a wide-eyed puppy. He also led you to a couple of lovely vintage bookshops and insisted on buying you some of Shakespeare’s plays you hadn’t read.

“But you have these already in your library!” you reasonably argued.

“Yeah, but I want you to have them. Besides, they’re different editions.”

“Ravn…you really don’t have to,” you were ashamed that he was spoiling you so openly.

“Y/N…please, let me,” Ravn whispered in your ear. It was like he was asking you to get him something and not the other way round.

You finally conceded and once the two of you left the bookshop, you found yourself clutching a paper bag with Shakespeare plays. You weren’t sure how to thank him properly for doing this for you and you couldn’t exactly offer him to drink from you in such a public place, so you did the one thing that came to mind. You lifted yourself on your toes and gave him a quick but heartfelt kiss on his cheek. Ravn seemed flustered and you could swear you saw his usually pale skin turn red for the briefest of seconds.

“Thank you,” you told him, your smile full of gratitude and affection.

“It’s nothing,” Ravn coughed and suddenly found the ground beneath you very amusing. You smiled when you reached the conclusion that he could get so easily embarrassed.

“It means everything to me,” you confessed. “No one has ever given me such a precious gift.”

“Come on, we still have many places to see,” Ravn grabbed your free hand and pulled you along.

You were lucky enough to see a couple of museums associated with famous British writers. The afternoon was dedicated to the more “basic tourist destinations” as Ravn called them such as the Big Ben, Tower Bridge and the River Thames. Everything was so grand that you couldn’t help staring at it like a lost puppy. Finally, as the sun was setting, Ravn suggesting going to the London Eye, which was most magnificent at night. Its lights shining through the dark, you were completely awestruck. Suddenly, you remembered a story you must have heard around the village.

“Wait, how did you survive throughout the day?”

Ravn laughed.

“Funny, it took you so long to notice. And if you’re referencing the foolish myth that the sun harms vampires, fear not, my lady, I am perfectly immune to daylight.”

You were relieved to hear that but a large portion of your mind was choosing to focus on the part where Ravn called you my lady, which was honestly making things to your heart that you couldn’t quite control or comprehend.

“I’m sorry for being such a dim-witted person,” you looked down in shame.

“You’re the brightest person I’ve ever talked to,” Ravn reassured you.

You faced him in the dark; the London Eye lights were giving his features a mystical, supernatural glow. He was so beautiful. You wanted to trace your fingertips down his porcelain skin and tell him how much you ached to touch him. It was insane, you knew. He was supposed to embody everything little kids were taught to fear, every dark fairytale, every warning whispered before midnight, to force the kids to finally go to bed or the scary vampire would take them away. But he was nothing like the stories. In the brief time of your acquaintance you’d seen nothing but tenderness. Who were you supposed to believe? These foolish myths or your own eyes, your mind and your heart?

“Shall we?” Ravn urged you to approach the London Eye, thus, breaking the spell he held over you. You followed him in a rush.

“Oh no,” you mumbled, pointing to a sign. “It says here it’s closed.”

Ravn smiled devilishly.

“When has that ever stopped me before?”

“Ravn…what are you planning?” you asked cautiously, but it was already too late.

His hands were already on you and the next second you had somehow ended up on top of the London Eye, with a view to the whole city, its lights making it look even more beautiful at night.

“This is…insane,” you gasped, holding tightly onto his shirt for support.

“Yeah.”

“Bite me,” you requested out of nowhere, looking into his dark eyes.

“W-what?” Ravn choked.

“Bite me, so I know I’m not dreaming.”

He laughed, amused by your reaction.

“If I bite you, we’ll both fall from here.”

You scoffed lightly.

“Thus with a bite I die,” you joked, slightly paraphrasing Romeo’s last words.

“Rawr,” Ravn teased.

You looked around the city street lights. Everything seemed so tiny from up here. And there you were, a human and a vampire on top of the world. It felt surreal.

“It’s so beautiful,” you said, completely stunned by the view.

“It really is,” Ravn confirmed, only you had no idea it wasn’t the city he was staring at…

🌙🌙🌙

Once you were back in Ravn’s castle, you walked to your room in a daze, still finding it hard to believe how you’d spent the day. But the paper bag with Shakespeare plays in your hand was the material proof that it had, in fact, been real. Ravn followed you silently and the minute your back hit the bed, he tucked you in gently.

“Good night, Y/N.”

“Aren’t you hungry?” you asked sleepily.

You were so exhausted from the journey and you still found enough energy to care for his needs. Ravn couldn’t believe he’d met such a selfless, precious human.

“I can manage a couple more hours,” he chuckled.

“You’ve given me so much more than I deserve,” you murmured weakly.

“That’s not true,” Ravn said. “You deserve all the stars and the moon.”

“O, swear not by the moon, th’inconstant moon,” you were still able to recite Shakespeare despite being so tired and it was only fitting, considering today’s adventures.

“What shall I swear by?” Ravn played along and you could feel yourself falling, not only asleep.

“Swear by thy gracious self and I’ll believe thee.”

🌙🌙🌙

You woke up to the smell of something delicious. Eggs? Bacon? What was this enticing odour? You hurriedly put on a robe and ran down the stairs and towards the kitchen. You were struck to find Ravn cooking human food!

“What are you up to?” you asked, sneaking up behind him. To your further astonishment, he hadn’t heard you, maybe because he’d been so focused on the task at hand.

“Nooo, you should go back to bed!” Ravn scolded you. “You ruined the surprise.”

“This all for me?” you inquired curiously and wrapped your hands around his waist, which made Ravn jump in shock.

“Duh,” he replied. “I can’t eat that.”

“So, you’re just fattening me up so that you can eat me later?” you admonished him playfully.

“Oh, no, you’ve uncovered my evil plans!” Ravn groaned dramatically.

“What shall we do, then? Do you think I’ll be so easily tempted?” you continued to joke around and ran your fingers down his back, making him slightly tense under your timid touch.

“I think,” he started. “That after you try my eggs, you’ll be begging me for more.”

“Yeah?” you giggled at the double entendre. “We’ll have to see about that.”

You were still trying to distract him from cooking when Ravn turned around swiftly, grabbing your hands.

“Don’t play with me,” he hissed, aiming to sound threatening but you were having too much fun to feel any fear.

“Why not?” you pouted adorably.

“Because you’re making it really hard for me to resist you.”

“You can have me whenever you wish,” you pointed out. That was your arrangement, after all.

“Not like that, I can’t,” Ravn whispered, almost too quiet to hear. Key word: almost. “The eggs are ready. Eat up.”

You didn’t question it, because you were too hungry to care what exactly he meant by that.

To be continued…

#oneus #ravn #ravn x reader #twilight #oneus fanfic #kim youngjo #fluff #vampire au #ravn fanfic #vampires #kim youngjo x reader #writing

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herakosmos · 4 years ago

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matchup for @miffythoughts! 𐐪𐑂

“Hi there! HQ!! Matchup, please? I'm a straight, 5'3 Gemini ENFP girl who's slightly chubby with tan skin, black wavy hair, and glasses. I may come off as slightly haughty, but I'm generally a talkative and curious person who loves discussion. It's also very easy for me to cry, either because of a movie or when I'm mad or overwhelmed. I'm not good with tangible gifts to show how much I love someone, so I show it through words or actions. I'm also a worrywart and it messes with my stomach (1/2)”

“(2/2) often. Some of the things I'm passionate about include visual novels, singing, psychology, and just talking to others in general. I love rabbits, pastel colors, and pop/folk/acoustic music. In my friend group I tend to be the more chatty and dreamy one. In relationships two things I prize highly would be honesty and communication. I usually end up falling for people who I deem worthy enough to be my "rock". Thank you so much!”

it was really hard choosing between two guys, but i finally made a descion to choose the guy who would look perfect with you! sorry tsukki-

ty for requesting and i hope you enjoy! 🥺 <3

i match you up with . . .

keiji akaashi!! 𐐪𐑂

✰ you and akaashi would definitely meet in a gaming store by fate since bokuto dragged his ass with him😭 both of you guys would be reaching out for the same item at the same time and your hands would touch (PLS IM SOFT)

✰ akaashi would immediately pull his hand away and let you take the visual novel instead because he’s such a gentleman like that🙈

✰ AND THEN when you’re just about to leave, our trustworthy wingman bokuto swoops in to save the day

“hey! my dear friend over there doesn’t have the balls to do it himself, so could you please give me your number for him?”

✰ he then tilts his head towards the same guy that let you have the item

✰ being that his first impression for you was so gentleman-like of course you let him! akaashi would probably be too embarrassed at what bokuto was doing, so he’ll definitely be facing the wall and with a tint of red showing through his cheeks

✰ your curiosity is honestly so adorable in his eyes. whenever you would ask questions whether it’ll be about the movie you guys are watching or the visual novel the two of you are playing, he’ll always come up with an answer for you

✰ akaashi could listen to you talk for hours tbh

✰ he loves the discussion you guys talk about at night. he is more of a listener, so it really balances out what roles you guys play out for conversations

✰ HE’S DEFINITELY THE SMALLER SPOON

✰ (even though he doesn’t want to admit it he is)

✰ whenever you would display affection in public this man would be stiff asf at first. one touch from you and he wouldn’t know what to do. don’t worry though this guy will get more comfortable with giving and receiving affection!

✰ one thing i can say is that he LOVES to cuddle with you. especially when it gets really cold, he’ll want to snuggle up against you🙈

✰ worrying about communication and honesty won’t be a problem with akaashi because he’s a fairly honest guy himself! whenever there’s a problem, he’ll definitely point it out and tries to find a way to solve it

✰ something i can imagine is you two watching a pretty sad movie and the water works are going off for you😭 before you could even ask akaashi for a tissue he’ll already have grabbed it since he knows how emotional you can get

“ba-”

“i know love, i got you tissues. now blow your nose before it gets too runny”

✰ his hand would make its way towards yours and intertwine. he’ll start to squeeze them a little for reassurance because he knows how these types of genres can take a toll on you

✰ CUE HALEY SIMPING FOR AKAASHI🥺🥺

✰ dates for you two are taking trips to a small local gaming shop and coming back home to play it together

✰ he honestly wasn’t too big on these games until he started playing more with you

✰ (we’ll never know if it’s because he’s playing it with YOU though🌚)

✰ akaashi would want to play it with you under a blanket to keep warm and snuggle🥺 then afterwards would wanna hear your opinions on the visual novel because bb loves listening to you talk

✰ if you feel like going outside for a date, he would get you tickets for your favorite artist’s concert. he’s a nocturnal kinda guy, so these dates at night are suited best for him haha

✰ i just KNOW he has a million pictures of you in his gallery and if you’ll ever find out, he’ll probably die of embarrassment

✰ one time he accidentally left the flash on and boy knew he was over with

“baby why are you taking a picture of me?”

“……cause can?”

✰ AKAASHI HAS LEFT THE PREMISES LMAO

✰ his cheeky side will definitely show more around you and laugh more with you!

✰ 100% would buy a rabbit for you🥺

✰ he knows you aren’t good with gifts, so he won’t mind not getting anything in return

✰ and this rabbit would honestly be your guy’s own baby. he would help take care of this rabbit so much it would probably make you want a kid with akaashi

✰ FATHER MATERIAL 🥺🥺🥺

✰ akaashi, a very observant dude, would obviously know how much you worry a lot. he would give you small pecks onto your temple and give back rubs to make you less tense :((

✰ his pet names for you won’t be a lot since he isn’t too big on them, but he occasionally calls you “love” or “darling”

✰ has a playlist full of all the pop, folk and acoustic music you’d love! he’ll give you so much song reccomendations and ask you shyly to sing for him since he loves your voice🥰

✰ OK THIS IS RANDOM BUT

✰ i could just see how bad akaashi was with words in the beginning of your guy’s relationship. like he would wanna say how beautiful you look, but ends up saying something like:

“i like your face”

✰ KSBWXHWBXHWB

✰ he honestly envies your way with words since you compliment him 24/7 to the point where he’s a blushing mess (don’t tell bokuto that)

✰ you being a gemini and him being a sagittarius means opposites attract!

✰ they’re both changeable, quick-witted and lighthearted. gemini is a gatherer of ideas while sagittarius is a seeker of truth through experiences. together they move fairly quickly and enjoys adventures!

✰ looking into ENFP’s and INTJ’s compatibility…it’s once again a great match!

✰ ENFPs helps INTJs better grasp their own feelings, values and emotions. ENFPs are drawn to INTJ’s resolve, intellectual passion and drivenness

bonus!

heres an anime relationship type gif that i just think you two would do 🥺

#haikyuu!!#anime matchup #haikyuu matchups #haikyuu headcanons #cute #anime matchups #akaashi haikyuu #keiji akaashi #akaashi matchup

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superfreakerz · 6 years ago

Photo

So, this is a request from @ccrispy asking me to write a story for my favorite artwork of hers! And lemme tell you, it was so hard to choose one because ccrispy is my fav artist on tumblr so I love literally everything she posts lmao. BUT! I have to say that this one is my favorite because it literally made me CRY seeing it the first time! So, without further ado, here it is! :D

Also, I really wanted to post a link to her post but I can’t find it on my laptop for some reason. So I’m sorry if the pictures are out of scale or something! I’ll try to add another link using mobile after I post this!

“So Long, Happy”

Rated K.

Summary: Saying goodbye hurts, especially when it’s to one of your closest friends.

So Long, Happy

All that could be heard were the muffled sobs as the three walked to their destination. Nobody said a word, their throats tight and constricted from all of their crying. Their steps were slow, as if trying to postpone the inevitable, which in truth they might have subconsciously doing. They wanted to turn around. They wanted to go home and laugh, tease each other, and continue their never-ending adventure.

But they couldn’t.

Not when Happy had a mission.

After the battle with Zeref and Acnologia, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy had found peace in their lives. They went on jobs together, messed up Lucy’s apartment together, and shared each day like it was their last. They had been through so much over the past couple of years, they very much needed the serenity.

Not long after, however, two strange people entered the guildhall. One was a girl with blonde hair, lighter than Lucy’s and not as golden. It fell in waves, a little bit past her shoulders. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of blue, similar to Mira’s. Next to her was a boy with black hair, not unlike Gray’s. His eyes were dark and slanted. There was a small bandage over his cheek.

Before anyone could speak, they both dropped to their knees and bowed.

“Please,” the girl spoke. Her voice was strained, cracking as if she had been crying recently. “We… We need your help.”

Everyone in the guild shared a look of concern. The one who spoke next was none other than Natsu, who had walked closer to the strange pair.

“Then you came to the right place!” he said, giving them a wide grin in hopes of lightening the mood. “Fairy Tail never backs down from a job!”

“What is it you need?” Erza chimed in.

“We need your help,” the strange girl answered, her gaze still glued to the floor. “Our world- or worlds, I should say- is in danger of destruction.”

“What do you mean by worlds? Who are you people?”

“My name is Rebecca, and this is Shiki. We come from a different planet in another dimension of space.”

“A different dimension of space?” Lucy repeated, her mouth opened wide. “Is this like Edolas again?”

“I don’t think so,” Makarov answered. “Edolas was another world, but it was connected to ours. If their world is in a different pocket of space, then it would be different entirely, is that correct?”

Rebecca nodded. “There are multiple universes. We come from the Sakura Cosmos. I know it may be hard to believe but-”

“After everything all of us have been through, there’s really not much that’s hard to believe,” Natsu interrupted, giving the girl a grin. “So, what do you need us to do? Head over there?”

“Well… it’s not that simple. We can only take one of you. Coming from different universes, our bodies are made up of different materials. Ours are made up of something called ether, while yours are made up of something foreign to us. In order to get here, one of our friends back home had to create these devices that are inserted into our bodies and converts our ether into what is known as magical power over here. The parts needed to make them are rare in our world, so he could only make enough to bring back one person.”

“Just one?” Lucy asked, a frown spreading over her face.

“Don’t worry, Lucy,” Natsu said, nudging the girl and flashing her a reassuring grin. “I’ll go. And I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Actually…” Rebecca started, biting her lower lip. “There’s a specific person that we came for.”

“Huh? Who is it?”

Rebecca glanced behind Natsu, pointing at the blue exceed behind him.

“We came for Happy.”

The cat’s eyes widened. Pointing at himself, he asked, “Me?”

“Yes. I used to have a companion like you,” Rebecca started, her voice cracking. Her eyes pricked with tears, but she blinked them back. Now wasn’t the time to cry. She had to save the world. “But, umm… He didn’t make it in our last battle.”

Lucy’s hands flew to her mouth. It was that bad over there? Sure, she’d had more than a few close calls with her friends, but she’d never had any of them actually die.

“You look and sound just like the Happy from my own world,” Rebecca said with a sad smile. “And in order to use my powers, I need Happy. We’re running low on fighters, I can’t be put on the sidelines now.”

“So Happy will help you use your powers?” Erza asked. “How?”

“Well, once we insert the conversion device into Happy, his body will have ether that is compatible with my own. He will be able to transform his body into my weapon. That is, if he chooses to come with us.”

Everyone turned towards the cat in question. He shrugged.

“Sure. Why not?” Happy said with a grin.

Shiki frowned, shaking his head. “You should take some time to think about it first.”

“Huh? Why? All I’m doing there is helping you win and then coming back, right?”

“It’s not that simple,” Rebecca said, her frown growing. “While having you around will help our efforts, it won’t change the tide of the battle overnight. It’s a long and dangerous journey. In fact… It could take up to years.”

“Years!?” Lucy repeated. “But… But Happy…”

Natsu’s eyes were wide, his stomach filled with dread. The thought of going without one of his best friends for so long made him sick. Happy had been there for him through everything. He was there to help look for Igneel, there when Igneel had died, and was there to help with Zeref. Happy was his partner in crime, his confidant.

Happy frowned, glancing up at Natsu. It was clear that the boy wasn’t processing the information well.

“I’m sorry,” Happy said, turning back towards Rebecca and Shiki. “I don’t think I can be away that long. This is my home, and all of my friends are here…”

Rebecca nodded, but she couldn’t fight the tears that slipped down her cheeks. Happy was her only hope, and while she understood completely, it was devasting to know that he wasn’t going to help.

“We understand,” Shiki said. “Thank you for hearing us out.” He picked Rebecca up from the floor and went to lead her out of the guild when Natsu spoke.

“Wait,” he said, swallowing thickly. He crouched in front of Happy, ruffling his fur. “Don’t worry about me, buddy.”

“But-!” the cat started, only to be interrupted.

“I’m not gonna force you to go or anything, but these people need your help. I’m not gonna selfishly keep you here either. We’re Fairy Tail wizards, we don’t give up on jobs that we accept, right?”

Happy nodded, tears welling in his eyes. “A-Aye…” Before he could get discouraged and change his mind, he turned back towards the two. “I’ll go with you.”

After that, they were given one last day to hang out together. Many tears were shed that night, knowing that it would be their last time seeing each other for a while. Still, they made the best they could out of it.

But now that the fateful day was upon them, their feet felt like bricks and sorrow was heavy in their hearts. As selfish as it was, they didn’t want to let Happy go. They wanted him to stay with the guild, laughing, eating fish, and trying to win Charle’s heart.

Reaching Hargeon, the place they were told to meet up with Rebecca and Shiki, their sorrow intensified. This was the place Natsu and Happy had met Lucy. It held wonderful memories for them, as it was the beginning of their adventure. Ironically, it was also the end of it as well.

Soon enough, they could make out Rebecca and Shiki standing by the pier. A large, metallic ship rested in the water behind them. It was clear it wasn’t an ordinary ship, but they didn’t care about that at the moment.

Reaching the pair, the trio started their goodbyes.

Lucy watched, her heart sinking in her chest as Natsu crouched beside Happy, scooping him into his arms in a tight hug, his hand cupping the back of the exceed’s head. Tears washed over his face and sunk into Happy’s fur. The two cried together, uncaring of who saw.

Lucy crouched beside them, poking the back of Happy’s head. Her eyes stung with tears and her throat was dry. She hadn’t been able to stop crying since yesterday. Still, she wanted to be strong for her friend.

Forcing a smile to her face, Lucy held her arms out in front of her. Happy choked back a sob, launching himself into her chest for a final hug. No longer able to hold it in any longer, Lucy broke down, her cries loud enough to gain the attention of people passing by. She wept and wept, expecting her tears to run out eventually, but they didn’t.

It seemed Happy wasn’t faring any better, his claws digging into her sides as he cried. How many times had they hugged like this before? It was too much to count.

Trying to regain control of herself, Lucy pulled away.

A shaky smile spread over her face. “Be good, okay? D-Don’t give these guys too much trouble.”

Happy nodded, burying his face into her chest again. They held onto each other for a few more minutes, but their time was short. Happy had to go soon, and Lucy knew that his next goodbye meant even more.

Gently carrying Happy, Lucy handed him to Natsu. Without saying a word, the boy held Happy close to his chest. He wanted to say goodbye, but he couldn’t speak. The words wouldn’t come to him and his throat felt like it was getting tighter by the second. He felt sick to his stomach, so sad that he thought he might throw up. The only other times he’d been this sad was when he saw Igneel die or when he thought Lucy had died.

Still, he needed to be optimistic. He knew Happy better than anyone, and if he continued to act like this, then Happy would change his mind. And even though a large part of Natsu wished he would, he knew that there were people that needed him. People were dying, even if he couldn’t see it happening with his own two eyes. The thought alone was to galvanize him to speak.

“It’s okay, buddy,” he started, his voice just above a whisper. It was hoarse, cracking under the pressure of his emotions. “I trust them.”

“A-Aye,” Happy replied, his voice muffled as his face was buried in Natsu’s scarf.

They stayed like that in silence, as if scared that their time together would end if one of them spoke. Knowing that their time together was coming to an end soon, Lucy hugged them both tightly.

“I love you, Happy,” she whispered, unable to speak any louder. “Be safe, got it? You make sure that you come back to us.”

“Aye,” Happy replied with a nod.

Natsu smoothed a hand over the cat’s head one more time before pulling away from the hug. He knew that he needed to be the one to act, for if he didn’t, nobody else would. He had to be strong.

“C'mon, buddy. It’s time for you to go. A new journey for you begins,” he said, wiping away his tears and smiling at his friend. His lips quivered, and the smile didn’t reach his eyes, but it was enough to reassure the cat that what he was doing was the right thing to do.

Shiki picked up Happy, admittedly feeling guilty for being the one to take him away from such a loving family. He loved making new friends, but doing it like this wasn’t satisfying. His heart broke for the three of them just watching them say goodbye.

“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of him,” Rebecca told Lucy, a smile on her face in hopes of cheering the other girl up.

Lucy gave a wet smile in return, tears streaming down her face. “I’m sure of that.”

Natsu swallowed thickly, ruffling his hand through Happy’s fur one more time. This was it. This was goodbye.

“So long, Happy,” he choked out. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Aye,” the exceed replied with a nod. “Soon.”

With that, Rebecca, Shiki, and Happy headed towards the ship, ready to start their new adventure.

The weight of Natsu’s emotions at the sight of Happy’s retreating form brought him crashing to his knees and clutching his scarf for support. His breathing was staggered, unable to be calmed even as Lucy wrapped her arms around him. Together, the two cried, knowing that their lives weren’t going to be the same without Happy there with them. The three of them were the original Team Natsu. Until Happy returned, there was always going to be a hole in their hearts.

But they had faith in their friend. Happy was a strong cat, stronger than he looked. They knew that he would help Rebecca and Shiki, just as he had helped them. Then, he would return.

“H-Happy!” Natsu cried out.

Happy turned around to find Natsu being held in Lucy’s arms. The boy’s body trembled as he brought a shaky hand into the air. Pointing his index finger and thumb out, he gave the cat Fairy Tail’s signature salute. Lucy smiled through her tears, raising her hand and doing the same.

For the first time that day, Happy smiled back at them, finally feeling ready to follow through with his decision. Raising his paw in the air, he mirrored their form. With that, he boarded the ship with the others, not turning around again to check on them. He knew that they were distraught. He was too. But he was going to see them again, he’d make sure of it.

Because even if they couldn’t find where he was, they would always be looking his way, just as he would with them.

#fairy tail #nalu #lucy heartfilia #natsu dragneel #ftfanficton #ccrispy #requests #slh #so long happy

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the-potter-analyst · 5 years ago

Text

Chapter 16 - Through the Trapdoor

Harry Potter and the Sacred Text word of the day: Destiny

Tbh I don’t know if I believe in destiny or fate at all. I have an odd level of belief in fate, like sometimes I think things are meant to happen but other times I don’t lol. Though it might be more accurate to say that I believe that our actions today outline what will happen in the future... kind of like a choose your own adventure in a way. But enough of trying to wrap my mind around what I think of destiny lol, the main question for this chapter is: was Harry always meant to go through the trapdoor?

It’s interesting to think about since Harry had promised himself he wouldn’t meddle in anything that wasn’t his business after the Norbert mess, but then he found himself caught in the Sorcerer’s Stone business again soon afterwards because of the events in the Forbidden Forest. Harry didn’t have to meddle more and instead just trust that the professors knew what they were doing, but he made it his concern when he found out that it was Voldemort who wanted the stone. It’s like whenever Voldemort is involved, it automatically becomes Harry’s business. Funny how that works out ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

I wonder why McGonagall never pressed the issue of how the trio knew about the stone, because that’s a serious break in confidentiality to whoever told them, assuming only those Dumbledore trusted to protect it know. The trio telling her what they know potentially could have avoided the necessity for them to go down the trapdoor too. It just reminds me of current events of how children are taking things into their own hands to make governmental changes, like with gun violence and the climate crisis. While it’s amazing that they’re doing this they shouldn’t have to. Children shouldn’t have to be in the front lines when it is the responsibility of the adult be there instead.

Back to the topic of destiny, we also have to consider that Firenze asked Harry do you know what’s hidden in the school right now like he already knew that Harry knew about it, as if the stars foretold that Harry would go through the trapdoor. The various tasks protecting the stone were also perfectly catered to the trio. Flitwick’s challenge with the flying keys was simple for Harry the Quidditch Prodigy, McGonagall’s transfigured chess challenge was perfect for a chess master like Ron, and Snape’s potions puzzle was easy logic for intellectual Hermione. I liked the point the hosts of the podcast made about the defeated troll, how the trio already beat one together so they didn’t need to do it again. It feels like an accumulation of their newly built friendship that began with a troll attack, having a similar challenge already completed calls back to that moment which started it all.

The Devil’s Snare one is an interesting one to pick apart. This took all three to complete: Hermione, because she isn’t great at doing things with immediate dangers around her, could only remember that Devil’s Snare likes the dark; Harry then suggests to use fire; and Ron reminds Hermione that she can use magic lol. But the hosts mentioned something that I never thought before: what if Neville was meant to go with them and this represents a destiny unfulfilled? Neville confronted the trio as a final show of his growth in his first year (as is said later, standing up to your friends is a lot harder than to do so to your enemies), and the trio have the option to take him with them, but they choose not to. It’s known that Neville likes herbology, so the Sprout’s challenge would have been perfect for him. But maybe this instead means that Neville isn’t ready for these kinds of adventures yet since we don’t know how he would have reacted to landing in Devil’s Snare or to the other challenges. For all we know, he could’ve frozen up like Hermione at that moment. Maybe Neville just always represents what could’ve been, because he also had the potential to become the Boy Who Lived.

Since the hosts talked about the chess pieces and their meanings, I wanted to look them up to see if I can find anything else. Harry is a bishop, the third most important piece after the king and queen but it has limited movement which leaves it vulnerable to attacks from straight on. In Medieval Europe, the bishop was second in line with the king and queen, so in this line of thinking, Dumbledore could be considered the king. Bishops are usually considered stronger pieces toward the end of the game, which makes me think of Harry’s role in defeating Voldemort being more and more in the front lines with each book. Ron is a knight, who protect the king, queen, and bishop. The knight in chess offers the most chance for variety and uniqueness and is the most unpredictable because of how it moves, which allows them to cover any weaknesses. Ron is Harry’s right hand man, the person who stands by and protects him. Hermione is a rook, which represent the castle's walls that protect the king, queen, bishop, and knights and they are stronger than a bishop or knight. Hermione is an incredibly powerful witch and she is also the glue that keeps the trio together. Also interesting is the role of the pawn, which can be promoted to another chess piece if it reaches the opposite side of the chessboard. I would say that Neville represents a pawn, seemingly disposable at first, but can develop into something greater if you hang on to it.

I also want to take a moment of appreciation for Ron, since he didn’t skip a beat to say “will it cover all three of us” when Harry said he’d use the invisibility cloak to get to the third floor corridor. Harry’s instinct is (and continues to be) to do things on his own, since he had to grow up relying on himself alone. But Ron is almost always there to be like dude we’re doing this together.

Small things:

Harry totally guessed what would happen to Hogwarts if Voldemort comes to power lol

I will always love the interaction between the trio when they’re facing the Devil’s Snare, like

HG: it likes the dark?

HP: so use fire

HG: but there’s no wood?

RW: then use your fucking magic

I also really like how this chapter transitions to the next. Talk about a page turner lmao

Special shout out to Fluffy.... I wish I could fall asleep that easily sometimes.

Previous: Chapter 15 - The Forbidden Forest

Next: Chapter 17 - The Man with Two Faces

#one more one more #hp #hp meta #hp analysis #the sorcerer's stone #sorcerer's stone meta #harry potter #ron weasley #hermione granger #neville longbottom #minerva mcgonagall #albus dumbledore #voldemort

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tsundere-model · 6 years ago

Note

Date? :3 ((IbaFuuka, Mikaigis, and any brocon ship of your choosing))

Meme: Send “Date?” and I’ll answer || Accepting

me replying to this like

Ibafuuka

@techiepriestess Ibara’s sweet sweet first love

Who asks for it:

[x] Your muse asks mine (she has already invited him for cake!)

[x] My muse asks yours (It takes him a while to realize he is in dokis with fuuka but he is very straightforward about wanting to spend time with her!)

Type of date:

[x] Platonic Date (friendly dessert eating lol)

[x] Romantic Date

[ ] First Date

[ ] Double date with: ____ & ____ (ibara doesn’t want anyone getting in the way of his date lbr)

Location for the date:

[x] Movies• [x] Romantic Comedy (according to my investigation on dates, romantic comedies are the go to)• [ ] Adventure Movie• [ ] Animation (Pixar/Disney)• [x] Horror (he probably finds horror movies laughable)• [ ] Drama (he can’t understand them and might make insensitive comments so best not)• [ ] Buddy Movie• [x] anything fuuka wanted to watch he’d be happy to watch with her!

[x] Restaurant• [x] Expensive/High Class (only the best for the best girl=• [x] Small and familiar (i feel this would suit her better)• [ ] Fast Food

[x] Nature• [x] Beach• [x] Park• [x] Forest • [x] …and having a picnic (if she cooks for him he dies of happiness)

[x] Visiting a Museum

[x] Visiting an amusement park (again that’s what his info on dates says)

[ ] Visiting a haunted location

[x] Staying at home• [x] Watching movies (cuddles included)• [ ] Playing Video Games• [x] Reading (they can both spend some nice quiet time together)

[x] going for spare parts for computers maybe

[x] going for drinks/desserts after working overtime

The date might hopefully end with…

[x] …holding hands

[x] …a kiss

[/] …in bed (someday hopefully)

[x] …knowing each other better

[x] …sleepover between friends (they would do this! Ibara would let her sleep in the bed and would stay in the couch himself)

[x] …a marriage proposal (EVENTUALLY!!!)

[ ] ___ (other options)

Should you reblog this?:

[x] Yes. I want to send you one.

[ ] Yes.

[ ] No.

Mikaigis

@kimixnoxkioku is Mika’s world

Who asks for it:

[x] Your muse asks mine (I feel like she would when mika falters!)

[x] My muse asks yours (he shy but he tries. Once they start dating he finds it progressively easier to do)

Type of date:

[x] Platonic Date (lots of them before they realize they in loves!)

[x] Romantic Date

[ ] First Date

[x] Double date with: Part of me finds amusing a Mikaigis Izuruby double date lmao, but they probably just like to have their dates on their own privacy

Location for the date:

[x] Movies• [ ] Romantic Comedy• [x] Adventure Movie• [x] Animation (Pixar/Disney)• [x] Horror (they are big fans of the genre and do movie marathons)• [ ] Drama• [ ] Buddy Movie• [ ] ___ (other options)

[x] Restaurant• [ ] Expensive/High Class• [x] Small and familiar (they spend some time talking there)• [x] Fast Food (mika loves cheap food full of sauces so he’s always eager)

[x] Nature• [/] Beach (i don’t think they like the idea much but aigis in a swimsuit is good motivation for Mika to insist)• [x] Park• [x] Forest (he makes her a flower crown) • [x] …and having a picnic

[x] Visiting a Museum

[x] Visiting an amusement park (he fears the rides but loves the ambiance)

[x] Visiting a haunted location

[x] Staying at home• [x] Watching movies (horror marathon until morning, bundles in covers and eating popcorn)• [x] Playing Video Games• [x] Reading

[x] Going to buy materials for their costumes!

[x] Library date!

The date might hopefully end with…

[x] …holding hands

[x] …a kiss

[x] …in bed

[x] …knowing each other better

[x] …sleepover between friends

[ ] …a marriage proposal

[ ] ___ (other options)

Should you reblog this?:

[x] Yes. I want to send you one.

[ ] Yes.

[ ] No.

MikaRuby

(I made it random and fate picked him lol)

Who asks for it:

[x] Your muse asks mine

[x] My muse asks yours (i can see both happening! He loves spending time with his sister so he’d try to cling to her and be very cutely insistent lol)

Type of date:

[x] Platonic Date (lots of siblings date before love appears)

[x] Romantic Date

[x] First Date

[x] Double date with: (honestly the bros just wanna tag along lmao specially izu)

Location for the date:

[x] Movies (i think ruby would get touchy with him tho, so maybe just the less crowded movie lol... not that he minds~he loves when oneechan pays attention to him and says he’s cute~)• [ ] Romantic Comedy• [x] Adventure Movie• [ ] Animation (Pixar/Disney)• [x] Horror• [ ] Drama• [ ] Buddy Movie• [ ] ___ (other options)

[x] Restaurant• [ ] Expensive/High Class• [x] Small and familiar• [x] Fast Food (he eats one serving of fries and she eats like 4 hamburgers)

[x] Nature• [x] Beach• [x] Park• [x] Forest • [x] …and having a picnic

[x] Visiting a Museum (maybe a weapons or clothes exposition?)

[x] Visiting an amusement park (if she wants to)

[x] Visiting a haunted location (he’d like it!)

[x] Staying at home• [x] Watching movies (netflix and chill with more chill than netflix)• [x] Playing Video Games (he isn’t very good tho lmao)• [x] Reading

[x] Making clothes together!

[x] Walking around the city to model the cute dresses and mini-skirts Ruby makes for him

The date might hopefully end with…

[x] …holding hands

[x] …a kiss

[x] …in bed

[x] …knowing each other better

[ ] …sleepover between friends They live together!

[ ] …a marriage proposal

[x] an orgy with the other bros lmao

Should you reblog this?:

[x] Yes. I want to send you one.

[ ] Yes.

[ ] No.

#meme: answered #((i wuv our ships so muhc //sobs #huntingroses

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hopevalley · 7 years ago

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5.8 Weather the Storm (Thoughts, Part III)

I was going to keep this to two parts, but after I put so many images in a post it starts getting laggy, and frankly...I’m not willing to lose a post to Tumblr’s lag-and-crash system. Not when it takes me as long as it does to type these up!

Navigation:

Harper and Emily (Part I)

Carson, Rhonda, Faith, and the Brain Surgery (Part I)

The Bank Issue + Greta, Elizabeth, and Duncan (Part II)

Bill & AJ and Our Friend the Rattlesnake (PART III)

Welcome to Cheese City. Is it any more cheesy than Greta getting a talking-to by Elizabeth and Abigail? Or Carson miraculously pulling off a successful brain surgery in rustic, quaint little Hope Valley? Well, maybe not. But it’s still cheesy. Let’s get to the last part.

4.) Bill & AJ and Our Friend the Rattlesnake

Bill and AJ’s scenes actually start with Abigail, who comes to the jail. Not to see Bill, but AJ.

Not gonna lie, that was pretty funny.

Abigail is there to thank AJ one last time for helping out the town and giving them an idea of what to expect from Baxter. She’s probably relieved she had time to at least try to prevent the deal happening between Baxter and Mr. Jenkins, which...you know, without AJ’s help they might not have had at all.

AJ is, of course, glad she could help. But she’s got a favor to ask, too.

And of course, most people watching were kind of like, oh boy, what kinda off-the-wall crazy thing is she going to ask of Abigail... What kind’ve cringey thing...

But it’s nothing crazy. Actually, it’s kind of sad.

She helped Abigail out more or less in exchange for this dress...and she knows it, but she still wants to return it.

Abigail is, understandably, a bit confused. Hey, you don’t have to return that? It’s a gift. You know. That you said you wanted before you’d help us out.

This is also when Bill starts paying attention to their conversation (you can see him lurking in the background, no longer dutifully packing bags).

Her nose is wrinkled up and she sounds a little nasally. Girl’s getting emotional over this. And she’s probably feeling pretty scared.

I think that’s why they show Bill paying attention. He’s feeling something watching this, and I’m mostly sure that what he’s feeling is his brand of Crushing Catholic Guilt. Namely for leaving her in the dark about what her fate is going to be.

I like that AJ isn’t delusional, though. She knows she’s going to prison and she knows that without some interference it will be for a long time (10+ years). Unfortunately, she doesn’t have anybody to speak favorably on her behalf about her character because nobody trusts her. She thinks she knows her fate...and it’ll be bad. It’s not the kind of place she’ll be wearing that dress at.

So it’s nice that she tries to do the right thing and just give back this really nice dress she otherwise couldn’t afford and probably wouldn’t be seen wearing.

And hey, not to eyezoom in on little details, but back in S4, this is shown in her cabin:

That there is a skirt hung up to dry (which implies a recent wearing). So it’s not like AJ doesn’t have any feminine sense at all! It’s just, you know, very obvious that her “really good job” allowed her to be independent, not wealthy. The dress Dottie gave her is probably the nicest dress she’s ever worn. And it’s painfully obvious that she doesn’t really want to give it back, but feels she should.

The sad, desperate little “Please?” comes with a bit of a glassy-eyed expression, too. I’m glad Abigail just takes it from her.

Listen. I’m not saying I live for AJ and Abigail interacting, but I do. A little bit. I’m glad that we got this scene because I think AJ likes Abigail quite a bit and it’s good for her to feel appreciated. If nothing else, Abigail going out of her way to say thank-you makes AJ feel that way and she deserves that. It also has the added side-effect of telling her indirectly that, hey, maybe she wouldn’t be unwelcome in the town after she gets out of prison. At least, not unwelcome by Abigail.

Bill, on the other hand, is another story. She can’t quite look at him. Her gaze goes all over the place after she hands that dress over. It’s obvious she feels really awkward----maybe nervous about her transfer.

I guess you could interpret Bill watching her throughout this scene as him having told her to give the dress back, but that doesn’t really make sense for the characters. I think he’s just observing and she’s deeply uncomfortable because he seems to suddenly hate her and acts only too happy to toss her in prison, which is obviously something she’s terrified of having happen to her???

Anyway, she listens to him talk to Abigail and then after Abigail leaves, she starts up her fidgeting again.

Bill watches her do it, pretty much with the same expression that was on his face when he watched her give the dress to Abigail. It’s hard to say what he’s thinking but I’m sure he’s feeling conflicted about making her worry about her fate when he knows better than she does what it’ll be (and that it’s not as bad as she’s dreading).

An indeterminate amount of time later, they’re riding together through the forest.

AJ isn’t particularly chatty... In fact, she’s a bit subdued compared to what we’ve come to expect of her. That usually means she’s up to something or, well, she’s pouting. In this case, she’s probably still dealing with hurt feelings.

So it starts pouring and she and Bill erect a tarp to kind of protect them from the rain until it lets up...and AJ awkwardly tries to make conversation.

OF ALL THE QUESTIONS TO ASK.

It maybe wouldn’t be so awkward if it wasn’t such a personal question. And if, you know, it wasn’t a little extra personally hurtful for Bill to be thinking about. But hey, it’s not unreasonable for her to wonder. And of course she doesn’t know anything about his marriage to Nora.

Bill doesn’t even hesitate. He’s savage.

AJ, knowing she’s going to trial and to prison and feeling determined to see that through, probably sees no reason why, out here, away from other people, she can’t push him a little harder. What’s she got to lose?

She shoulder-bumps him gently in frustration.

Bill, probably bored and also sensing maybe she really is just trying to pass the time, bothers with an answer:

She immediately has an assumption in her head about his marriage, because it doesn’t take her long to respond with a kill shot.

Considering the reality of what ended his marriage (you know, the death of his grown son), this is awful. He asks her why she thinks he messed it up and she tells him it’s ‘just a wild guess.’

Bill could have really made her feel terrible by telling her that his marriage ended because his son died, or he could have deceived her the way he deceived Abigail by saying he “lost” his wife, but he doesn’t bother to try and make her feel awful. Not directly. No.

He says this:

Which...should sound familiar as it’s something she said to him last episode:

I’m pretty sure this is an intentional parallel, and it’s one that makes a lot of sense. They’re both refuting incorrect assumptions about themselves that the other makes.

Fortunately the rain stops and AJ feels shut down enough by Bill’s response and nature’s inability to buy her more time that she doesn’t ask any more questions. So they get up and get ready to get moving again only to find...

AJ’s horse is gone. Bill gets exceedingly upset about this and immediately goes on the offensive, accusing her of not tying it up, and then (basically) of lying when she says she did.

She tries to take the high road by making the best of it:

And then he accuses her of letting her horse go on purpose for some higher aim (i.e., riding with him). To which she says:

AJ starts getting things ready to go and Bill...

Well, Bill wishes for death. (Don’t worry, pal, you’ll get your wish sooner than you think.)

I resent the implication that AJ is silly or foolish enough to let her own horse loose on purpose, least of all just so she can sit all pressed up against Bill. She obviously still has feelings for him, but he’s done nothing but shut her down and put her down since she got back to Hope Valley. She can’t even say one joking comment without him getting defensive and making her feel bad about herself. Every time she seems to be doing okay, he swoops in out of nowhere and swats her back down again.

AJ might be a little thoughtless with the things she says (for example, not even thinking maybe Bill’s wife could be dead), but I don’t think she’s stupid enough to intentionally let her horse go. She’s just not. That thing costs money, there were supplies... Ugh.

I personally view this as it being more of an accident. Maybe she’s the one who was spooked by lightning and tied it up poorly in her hurry to get back to Bill, which enabled it to get away. Of course he’s not going to believe anything she says, so she might as well make light of it. At least this way she has some semblence of control. (It’s not much, but still...)

Sometime later, they’re slowly meandering their way through the woods (exceedingly slow because you can see too much sky at low points, which means this isn’t a very heavily wooded area/not a very big area for filming lmao).

She tries to talk again and brings up them riding double as “being like old times.” AKA, about a year ago when he was trying to drag her back to Hope Valley. Bill sort of starts to relax a bit and seems to kind of admit that, if nothing else, that whole debacle was “an adventure.”

AJ chooses this exact (terrible) moment to be like, “SO UHHHH do ya think you could...maybe put in...”

AJ...your timing could not be worse. You finally got Bill 4% relaxed and then you throw this at him. Something I’m pretty sure he suspected you were doing the whole time, it’s just...you’ve finally said it.

He doesn’t hesitate to try and call her out for it, either.

Except...her response is to sound confused. She even lifts her hands in a kind of “I don’t know” gesture. AJ has proven thus far to be a pretty terrible liar, so it’s safe to say she really isn’t connecting the dots, here. The flirting was a separate occasion, the conversation here is a separate occasion, and so in this moment she honestly has no idea what he’s talking about. She’s not linking all those occurrences.

I feel bad for her, too. She has no idea what’s about to happen.

And look, he’s linking everything together like it’s all some grand master scheme of hers. So the flirting, her attempts at small talk and asking him about his past marriage, her asking if he’ll speak to the judge...They’re all part of the same scheme. So he just lays it all out there for her about as plainly as he can:

You can see by her face she’s honestly trying to process what’s happening right now. The progression of her expression is amazing.

“But--”

“What did I say what’s happening???”

“Oh brother.”

She tries to get her two cents in, but Bill doesn’t even give her a chance to talk. Personally, I kind of wanted to know what she was going to say. Was she about to try and convince him there is something between them? Or was she going to go another route, like trying to say it was genuine on her end? We’ll never know because Bill intervened.

And at first you can see she’s not exactly... that perturbed by what he has to say.

But it’s quickly obvious to her that he’s not going to just state this again. He’s going to rant. And make sure she gets it. I mean, she’s obviously upset. And hurt. But go off I guess.

Ouch. I mean, the point of this is to more or less call attention to the fact that he assumes she’s not actually feeling anything (and is making it up) while also refusing to acknowledge the fact that if he just didn’t return her sentiment, he could just say so à la, “You like me but I don’t feel anything for you.” His approach is definitely more of a two-way street kind.

Poor AJ.

This is a call-back to the S4 episode, too, where he says something very similar:

I don’t want to get into a women’s studies reason why these two scenes make me cringe a little (or why they’d parallel the S4 scene again in the first place), but let’s just say it’s a little uncomfortable. The S4 scene was kind of amusing: AJ tries to escape, Bill is annoyed that she’s not letting him do his job. But the parallel here in S5 isn’t. Maybe we’re meant to feel that it’s over-the-top, that Bill’s doing that to cover up for the fact that he does feel something and believes she’s making a mockery of it by pretending on her end to use him to her advantage. (Her advantage being getting a reduced sentence.)

Anyway, my issue with the S5 scene is that he just...shuts her down so hard. He may as well hate her for the way he’s treated her since she turned herself in. And that behavior never gets addressed. It’s just passed over like everything that happens afterward somehow retcons it? Nahhh.

Anyway, two seconds later Bill’s horse gets a stone in its shoe and he’s still aggravated at AJ but they manage to speak civilly enough to one another. AJ hops off (all but hanging off of Bill on the way down lmao) and Bill checks the hoof while she goes for some water.

She sees movement seemingly before the rattlesnake makes its presence known, and tries to warn Bill about it, kind of pulling him back toward her.

Let’s not get into specifics about the breed of rattler, here, because this one wouldn’t ever be anywhere near Western Canada, especially not in October. Too cold for this breed, there.

They...could have done this better. It looks like he’s reaching for the snake when in reality his reaction (as a trained law officer) might be to throw his arm out to protect himself. It’s kind of the opposite reaction you want in this case, but 30 years makes it a habit he might not be able to avoid engaging in.

Worth noting is that he says, “Watch out!” to her even though she’s the one who saw it first. Because of that, I’m sure we’re meant to think he protected her from the snake, and due to the camera angle that makes sense; it’s supposedly next to them (and not in front of Bill/the horse). Still, I wish this scene had been more nicely done. I guess I’m just glad they didn’t make the bite itself AJ’s fault; if she’d wandered around off the path or something fidgeting/pacing while she waited for Bill to dig the stone out and he’d had to come and help her (while getting bitten in the process), I don’t know that I could forgive it. She’s had it rough enough IMO.

Anyway, Bill our hero tries to kind of push AJ back with one arm while throwing his other out to protect both of them, and in the process gets bitten.

It’s worth noting that AJ watches the snake leave, and I know the reason is so, you know, the audience notices it’s a rattlesnake, but for the context of what she does later, we have to assume she took the time to try and identify the breed of rattlesnake, since...you know...antivenom isn’t a catch-all thing; there’s one for each poisonous snake out there.

The horse spooks for Reasons and doesn’t exactly gallop off but whatever, it’s a Hallmark show. I assume they did their best. Bill, kind of in a panic, tries to run after it, and AJ stops him.

Or...at least...we’re meant to think she does. In reality she probably couldn’t; he’s proven he can solidly outmatch her physically. IMO, he just realizes it’s foolish and stops on his own. It’ll speed up his heart too far and that’ll just push the venom through his bloodstream faster.

AJ asks the question nobody can really answer:

Bill’s sure to tell her he’s got about a day before he DIES, and while that’s not entirely accurate, given his age and lack of supplies on-hand, it’s safe to say if he doesn’t get help in 24 hours, he might not be able to recover, at least not fully. So the time frame isn’t a bad estimate for how long he has to find help before there’s no turning back.

He also sums up their situation in case she doesn’t know: they don’t have a horse and therefore have no way of getting help.

Was it really necessary to pin all that on her? She feels responsible. Which I’ll bring up more in a bit. The worst part is that it doesn’t feel pointedly said at AJ, which means...it’s for our benefit? Trust your audience, Hallmark; they can figure that out on their own.

Okay, so Bill decides he should cut open his wound, probably to help the poison drain out. They say if it’s bleeding, let it bleed out. He sort of eyeballs his injury and grips his knife in his left hand. Awkwardly.

The implication here is that he’s not as dexterous with his left hand so AJ offers to do that for him so he doesn’t, you know, do some irreparable damage to his hand or something.

I shrieked at this (apologies to my dear husband)! I called it in a private chat but didn’t think they’d actually follow through. I couldn’t believe they included THE SUCC. Well, it’s not like it’ll hurt to try. For all anyone knows, it could have bought him time.

The reason they tell you not to cut it open is to avoid infection later; the reason they tell you not to suck the poison out because then it can get into your mouth which...you know, if you’re the one that was bit, just helps the venom spread faster.

AJ’s probably safe in doing it since she’s not the one who was bitten, and in this case it’s not like there’s much of a choice. Again, maybe it did help. At least she tried.

Hours later we can see it closed up.

And AJ didn’t overdo it with her own inflicted injury upon his hand.

She asks how he’s doing and hey, ‘cause he’s dying he’s pretty cooperative with answering her without being mean.

AJ accepts this answer (which is obvious, seeing as how he is shaking pretty badly), but still frets.

Bill tells her he’s heard that you could mix charcoal up into a paste and put it on there and maybe it’ll help absorb the venom.

There’s some truth to this, but it’s been hours so it won’t work. AJ doesn’t know that, though, and has obviously never heard of this, so she just tries it anyway. It’s possible if she reopened Bill’s injury and smeared it all over it, it would do some good, but...again, it’s been hours. Not just one.

Bill just watches her work.

In his defense, venom is usually pretty damn painful. For rattlesnakes, it isn’t instantly The Worst, but in 30 minutes the swelling can get pretty bad. A couple of hours in and you’re looking at some heavy sweating, numbness possibly in your face...and it doesn’t take a whole lot longer to get nauseated enough to throw up, to see double, have your vision fade to black, and various other complications. The pain from the swelling tends to be intense.

They’re obviously not capable of showing every symptom with Bill (such as the swelling), but with that in mind, his acting probably isn’t too over the top right here, especially in a situation where he knows he’s gonna die without help.

Anyway, hours later...

He’s sweating up a storm because his body’s trying to fight the venom (to no avail), but he tells AJ he thinks the charcoal maybe bought him some time, and hey, in the morning as soon as it’s light again, they’ll try finding help on foot.

She’d have to all but carry him, and I mean, she could maybe do that out of sheer determination, but it wouldn’t be fast and they don’t have the luxury of a slow pace. Also, with him in constant pain, he’d be hard to carry.

I’m pretty sure Bill doesn’t mean this seriously; he just kind of blurts it out.

But she takes it very seriously.

This help imply that rattlesnake was maybe closer to her than Bill to begin with, and if he hadn’t put himself in front of her, it might have gotten her instead. (That would still be more ideal as he can at least carry her.)

I was glad AJ acknowledged the fact that Bill was mean to her, but I dislike the “I don’t know why” bit mostly because there’s something that attracts you to him and, you know, he’s dying, so maybe say it? Of course they’re not gonna let it happen that easy, though. They’re not in Hope Valley anymore! So she just doesn’t know why she bothers caring about someone who seems to hate her.

Bill seems to be vaguely aware of what’s going on and only responds to the idea of her shucking her coat to give to him.

It’s a silly thing to worry about at this point but it’s exactly the sort of thing Bill would do.

She tucks him in good with her coat against his protests and frets over him a little more.

She’s probably worried half to death because, well, she feels somewhat responsible for everything that’s happened and if he dies it’s gonna be on her conscience. Let’s not pretend this is all 100% selfless. Even if her horse getting away was an accident, it still happened because she did a sloppy tie-up job.

(This is why I loathe the idea of her letting it go on purpose, because that renders all of this completely pointless; it looks more like it comes from nothing but obligation/guilt, which Bill’s dealt with plenty in his life already. If it’s at least an accident, then she’ll still feel some responsibility, but it leaves a lot more room for genuine care/consideration on her part.)

And we are led to believe she cares about him.

Bill, dying from fever and probably hallucinating from the pain of his messed up arm, loses his entire mind at being fussed over.

I scREAMED. It was just as jarringly awkward as it was in the preview from the week previous. It CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. WORSE???

(CC mess-up: it’s Adeline, not Adelaide.)

But AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I cringed. My husband and I were laughing so hard it wasn’t funny. I felt like menopause hit a few years early and I was having a terrible hot flash. My face was beet red. I was so embarrassed by this stupid scene. COME ON.

I think my biggest irritation with these two lines is that there’s not a good build-up to them. Up to this point there’s only one reason for us to think that AJ matters even a little to Bill, and that’s his conversation with Abigail (where he kind of seems to want to make sure AJ eats well).

I guess the point of them is that maybe they’re supposed to stand out as weird because he’s like...dying or whatever, and therefore easily blamed on that and/or him being excessively feverish.

But when you’re watching it, it’s just so cringey that it takes away from the entire plotline! And that’s not doing anyone any favors.

But hey, the rest of it was kind of cute.

She gives him an out with the fever-talking line. And then he takes it and says, yeah, probably, because he’s still taking her to stand trial. And she tucks him in with her coat and tells him for the moment he’s not taking anyone anywhere.

And this part was honestly kinda touching, and maybe worth having just to see the kind of person Bill is when he thinks he’s dying, because that’s certainly what’s happening here:

Look, the man doesn’t tell her he loves her. He doesn’t say he has feelings for her. He doesn’t apologize for being mean to her earlier. He thinks maybe he’s going to die within the next day and certainly feels like he’s dying now, and all he does is tell her thank-you for staying with him. Like he thought she’d just abandon him and run off or something. The fact that she’s staying with him probably proves to him she has changed; she genuinely did want to turn herself in, even though it’s going to mean bad things for her.

And hey, it seems he’s afraid of dying alone and her staying with him mean something to him. She takes his hand in both of hers to reassure him and takes the time to respond sincerely to his thanks.

Josie’s delivery of “You’re welcome” here should win a prize. It’s emotional! She probably knows he thinks he’s going to die and he’s relieved he’s not going to have to be alone for it. She’s a lot more empathetic and understanding than she’s been given credit for.

And hey, he gets a forehead kiss out of this deal.

I doubt it’s enough to combat the sheer amount of pain he’s in, but I can pretend.

The next morning, Bill wakes up alone.

And he’s definitely much worse than before, as would be expected.

He gets to his feet, kind of tries moving a bit...

And goes down like a bag of rocks.

I think the acting here was overdone, though there’s no doubt in my mind that it was part of directing’s idea to do it. Little is much, Hallmark. Unfortunately they wanted Jack Wagner groaning every other second, which made the scene a little awkward to watch and...felt out of character.

Look, a person can’t help if they’re gasping for breath or shaking because they’re having a terrible reaction to, you know, venom in their body, but Bill isn’t the sort of character who likes to admit he’s not feeling well or doing okay, so I can’t picture him intentionally making noise. I feel like at this point in his life he’d be suppressing it to the best of his ability. Maybe something would slip out here and there, but...this scene is like 20 seconds long and it feels as if he’s groaning in pain for 19 of those seconds.

And when it’s overdone it just makes it harder to believe?

I guess I can appreciate/enjoy that his first thought is AJ, which means he’s not completely out of it. I wonder what went through his head, though. Hurt that she left him to die alone? Feeling abandoned by her after she acted like maybe she did care? Worried something might have happened to her? Fearful she ran away to continue life as a fugitive and feeling desperate to find her and finish his job?

It has to be something because, completely out of it, a short while later, he’s wandering around again.

Luckily, AJ shows up.

With mounties in tow.

She did an okay job of sounding pretty frantic, and the slower horse pace makes sense because he’s so weak if he made a sound she’d never hear it if she was riding at a dead gallop.

She rushes over to him and falls down on her knees and checks on him. Asks him why he left the camp... how he’s feeling...

Tells him she found a doctor with antivenom and that he’ll be okay. And she just keeps telling him he’ll be all right, petting his hair while he holds onto her jacket. Which, actually, is just about the first thing he does when she gets close enough to him to touch. Who knew Bill would be the sort of person to seek comfort when he feels miserable?

That last little whispered, “It’s gonna be okay” is so good.

It’s a little cheesy but hey, I’m okay with a little cheese. This part was, at least, believable. He probably feels so far beyond miserable he almost wishes he was dead. If this were a cold or something, he’d never be like this, but we’re talking an event that has a high pain level and disorientation involved. He probably needs the comfort.

And hey, AJ’s pretty good at comforting! Who would have guessed it?

She’s also pretty good at finding help for Bill in the dark, on foot, without her coat. I wonder what she said to get those men to come so fast.

Later in the morning, Bill is doing a bit better, but AJ had to ask so the implication is that she was removed from his presence until just a moment ago.

It makes sense. She is a fugitive set to stand trial.

Something that bothers me about this is that these mounties are just staring at her and Bill. There’s no privacy. They’re not even talking to each other and keeping an eye on her. It takes away from the scene between them because we know they’re being watched and I find it hard to believe they’d be okay with them kissing. What kind of a lawman is he, anyway, kissing on the person he was taking to prison???

That just brings his retirement into light as maybe more of a forced retirement. And other things. So much for Bill’s good reputation?

Anyway, I frowned at this, not because they let her stay long enough to make sure he’d be okay (because that isn’t so very far-fetched when you think about the fact that she got him help), but because the scene is otherwise dead silent and so all of these men are just...staring at them. While they have A Moment.

And I had the awful gut feeling that it’ll be brought up to her as soon as Bill’s out of sight, and not in a pleasant way.

AJ tells him it’s time for her to go but before she can move very far he stops her by, surprise!, grabbing the lapel of her jacket. (Hey, Bill, you left her coat in the woods somewhere... She’s gonna freeze in a work camp or something thanks to you.)

He tells her he knows the prosecutor in her case and that when she arrived, he may have wired ahead to call in a favor. (May have. Bill, just say you did something nice.)

To this she says, “You did that for me?” in this kind of...awed tone. You know she didn’t think he wanted to help her even a little. I kind of get the feeling she assumes now that he’s feeling better and doesn’t need her, he’ll start being mean to her again. Of course it’s surprising to her.

Bill gives her the telegram.

The prosecutor is the same one who prosecuted Gowen (Georgia), and I feel sure that, since she wanted Gowen down and out, she’d be very willing to take pity on AJ (who was more a criminal of circumstance and fear than, you know, blatant choice).

Josie’s “thank you” here is so gentle. I mean, it could have been this overjoyed excited response, but...this means so much more and I love it. She’s genuinely touched by this. Maybe more-so because she doesn’t feel that he even likes her, so for him to do that anyway...sends a very strong signal about the type of person he is. He tries to be fair. At least...in this. -_-

Bill watches her and seems to see something he likes, maybe the sincerity that he’s refused to believe in up ‘til now. And when she turns to go he stops her again.

And there’s this short little moment where she’s obviously confused about what’s happening, but figures it out as he tugs her closer. You know he probably wouldn’t have much strength to do this with, but rather than intervene and take over the situation, AJ lets him follow through with it.

She lets him kiss her.

And I mean, it would have been so easy for her to lay one on him the moment she realized what he was aiming for, but she doesn’t. She lets him lead.

And let’s be real, it’s nice for her to feel that this time, he initiated.

Also, make no mistake, the jacket-lapel-tugging kiss is Their Thing, now.

This line was so sweetly delivered that I can’t help but like it. I view it as...kind of an affirmation of her own trust in herself and not as her gently scolding Bill for denying feeling anything for her. She’s just quietly pleased that it’s real and it’s not just on her end. Or at least, seems not to be.

She scoots on over to her horse and he kind of smiles at her and she definitely smiles at him, and that’s it.

A decent end for them with the potential to bring her back again for S6 if they so choose.

All in all, the plot wasn’t bad. It just...took liberties that didn’t quite feel right, and was more than a little over-the-top in trying to force these two into the circumstances necessary to make the plot happen.

(The thing is...it could have happened even with a horse. But I wont talk about how, here.)

Not to mention my annoyance at the fact that so much went unaddressed. Bill was CRUEL to her, especially in the last episode, and he acted that way even in front of Abigail! He didn’t apologize for acting that way, didn’t bother to explain himself so that she at least understood why he was mean...

And there’s no way she knows exactly. It’s just...he’s being nice to her now, and she can probably only assume it’s because she did something for him.

So what’s her takeaway here, huh? That...if she’s useful he’ll want her around and treat her well? But then the second she’s not useful anymore...what happens? He just throws her away? Treats her like a nuisance?

I know Hallmark wants us to think the roadblock in their relationship is her prison sentence, it’s not. It’s at least ten different things.

And hey < a year in prison/work camp/detention center isn’t going to last that long. Considering Bill got Henry out of it for the holidays, I kind of expect that for AJ, too (and if it doesn’t happen, it should at least be mentioned as an attempted thing). That means the REAL issues are something to contend with...as early as the Christmas special.

Lookit, I’m not here for Round 2 of Treat AJ Like Shit. I don’t want it. Their banter in S4 was funny, but most of their S5 banter wasn’t banter. It was AJ trying to engage in banter/flirting and Bill smacking her down like the hand of God.

AJ isn’t a dangerous, violent criminal; she’s mostly a victim of circumstance. And it’s like...so few characters acknowledge that. Henry might refuse to because, well, he’s Henry, but Bill should know that better than literally anyone after a 30-year career in the law! Doubly so after he quit because the law wasn’t fair.

But here we are at her last appearance in S5 going, “But hey, what about all those things that weren’t discussed and may come up again later.”

Or, “What about the things that should come up later?”

Hallmark doesn’t care. They want us to think if AJ wasn’t going to prison right now, Bill would just about marry her. Which is absurd. They don’t know each other that well (total they’ve had a week or so together), and they haven’t even managed to communicate their feelings effectively for a full hour. Huh-uh. If AJ comes back in S6 at all (even in the Christmas special), there had best be some serious relationship talk involved.

'Cause hey: AJ barely knows Bill. Why would he trust her AT ALL after the stunts she pulled? You can argue that she was just having harmless fun flirting with him, but she wanted to discuss whether or not there was something between them, or could be. At a point when:

she spent a few days in his presence previously, and

he swiftly rejected her advances and locked her in a jail cell just hours earlier.

AJ hasn’t been written to be unreasonable at all! So why is she so attached to the idea of Bill feeling something for her?

It doesn’t make sense.

And what we end up with is AJ being a clingy unreasonable woman and Bill being the poor put-upon man who has to deal with her ~unwanted (or are they?) advances.

MISS ME WITH THAT.

Like, what does she like about Bill? What in S4 made her think, hey, if I wasn’t a fugitive I could have a future with this man? It can’t have just been that kiss. It wasn’t like he kissed her back so hard he pushed her up against the nearest wall and really let loose. It was a short kiss. Yes, he returns it, he reacts to it, but she’s sensible enough a person it feels silly to think she spent the last year obsessing over it and what it might mean.

(Just because he returns a kiss doesn’t mean he’s into you, let alone wants you moving to his town.)

And then, too, why does he like her?

I can’t even get into all that because I just have to shrug and say, “Because the actors have chemistry, duh!” Nobody’s surprised. Hallmark uses that as a cheat code instead of, you know, showing anything that might demonstrate actual attraction.

For example, having Bill say something that resonates with her in S4 to give her a reason to admire him.

But therein lies the problem with this pairing. It could be really fun, really sweet, really touching. But Hallmark wants the reward without putting in the effort to develop the characters and make them feel like individuals.

Again, back to the “I’ve never met anyone like you” line. It’s so awkward. Why does he say that? What are we, the audience, meant to infer by it?

It’s easy for me, a writer, to come up with an answer, but it should be obvious to almost everyone. That it’s not--that most people think it came out of nowhere--says Hallmark did it poorly.

The words make sense if you take his meaning to be an expression of attraction. He was in a presumably loveless, vaguely unhappy and obligatory marriage for 20 years. That he might now be feeling an attraction for someone (a strong one, no less) would be highly confusing. What do you do about an attraction when you feel it so late in life? He didn’t go through courtship with Nora. He isn’t very good at it. Heck, we watched him flub it bad with Abigail (and what was that based on, anyway? They had no chemistry). But for him to feel a sudden strong attraction to AJ? Man, that’s terrifying and weird and AWFUL not just because he doesn’t know what to do with it, but because she’s a criminal and he can’t!

But then he can honestly say: “I’ve never met anyone like you.” He’s never found someone who sparked a feeling like that in him.

But again, it’s not obvious to everyone. It sounds like he’s saying he’s never met anyone who cared about him before, and that’s not true. Martin cared about him. Jonas cared about him. Abigail cared about him. Dottie cared about him. Lee cared about him. Jack cared about him. He has plenty of friends and acquaintances in Hope Valley.

The timing of this moment tells us it’s supposed to be special but...it doesn’t feel that way. It feels awkward.

Why? Because we don’t get to see that attraction at work. I mean, sure, he got flustered seeing her dressed up nicely, but she doesn’t look like that now (and he’s seen plenty of pretty women before--what makes AJ special?). Besides, Hallmark is all about romantic attraction, not the physical. What makes Bill feel more than a physical attraction?

We don’t really have a reason. Hallmark said, “Hey the actors have chemistry together!” and left it at that. We can imagine it’s AJ’s dazzling wit or her pretty smile or her weird mannerisms that charm him against his better judgment, but the series never QUITE manages to hit on anything that we’re allowed to see.

Hey, maybe they cut a scene out. Who knows? I feel like if we’d had at least one more scene of Bill showing he cares (or being honestly gentle or kind to her while she was in jail), then it’d be easy to say, “Oh man, here when he thinks he’s dying, he wants her to know she’s special in some way to him.”

But without it, it just falls...flat.

Here’s to hoping S6 doesn’t drop the ball with them, if they bother bringing Josie back at all.

#when calls the heart #aj foster #bill avery #bill x aj #character studies and information #analysis and meta discussion #season 5 spoilers #season 5 shenanigans

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