#her face in this sequence kills me XD | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

igotanidea · 3 months

Text

(5) Cheater: Dick Grayson x reader

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

A/N: bit of a filler, but I promise we'll get more action in the next part, so deal with me here guys XD

***

„Is it done?”

„Yes. Yes, it’s fucking done. Hope you are fucking happy.”

“You don’t see the bigger picture now and-“

“Fuck the bigger picture! And fuck you! I hurt two people because of your stupid plan!”

“Be careful with how you talk to me.”

“I’m talking to you exactly the way I should!”

“You act like a moody teenager. All that rebellious attitude and for what? In the end, for obvious reasons you are going to do what I tell you.”

They both knew that was true. But it did not lessen the pain of what happened merely hours ago.

***

There was no way in hell Y/N was going to forgive him. Ever.

He did the unspeakable. Promised her his love and then took it away to another woman. The women he allegedly had no ties with.

So it not only made him a cheater but also a liar.

And all of that right after she had the most amazing intimate experience of her life.

The second she fled his and Sienna’s apartment and found herself in her own four walls, Y/n made a promise to herself to tear it from her mind. However, it seemed like her body had quite a different plan.

For some reason everything felt different. Her skin. Her belly, her breasts, her legs, her—.

No, no, no…

They say you always remember your first time. That it tends to haunt you and everything that follows is forever tainted with the way you’ve been treated then.

For Y/N it felt like the memory of Dick’s tender touch, gentle movements and passionate kisses would forever be overshadowed by the heartbreak that came right after.

So he made her a woman by both taking and breaking her.

***

While Y/N took the easy, if not cowardly way out, Dick and Sienna were rooted to the ground watching each other in the silence that was deafening.

What now?

Who was supposed to say something first?

And say what?

What words could possibly mitigate the situation?

The truth?

He couldn’t tell Sienna that it was all fake, that he never did and still does not love her. Enough damage has been done. Besides, there was also “the plan”. The great fucking batman plan to get to that stupid villain and prevent harming people.

Dick has already sacrificed so much for “the plan”. Losing Y/N. Causing her pain. Making her believe like he didn’t care. That he just wanted to get her to bed, fuck and toss her away. It truly should have been Jason to get assigned to this mission. He would just barge inside, force information out and kill whoever needed to be killed.

Boom! Mission completed with no girls with broken hearts.

But no.

Instead it was Dick with his conscience stained. Watching the woman he loved running away with tears and the woman he was using with a blank face expression.

“Sienna…” he started with a shaky voice, taking one step forward, expecting her to start screaming or pull back and move out of his reach. But she didn’t.

“Are you done now?”

“Done?” He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You had your fun?” the woman asked and much to Dick’s shock there was not much anger in her voice.

“I—um. What? Aren’t you mad?” It was most probably idiotic to ask her that, but Sienna’s casual approach to the situation was quite disturbing and the words left his mouth before he could think them through.

‘Mad?” she looked at him with wide eyes. “No. No I’m not mad, baby. A little disappointed maybe. But not mad. I mean, you were just lonely, right?”

“Um—.” What the hell was happening here!?

“Come on. Y/N is a wonderful person, but she also seems lonely so—”

“You were wrestling with her minutes ago!” Dick exclaimed. Now it started to feel like he was functioning in a different reality. The one where everything was abstract, the sequence of events made zero sense and women were strangely understanding when it came to sleeping with someone else. But it could also mean that in that reality he had a chance of having Y/N forgive him, because clearly logic was non-applicable.

“Sure. Can’t have her thinking like she can just barge in and take what’s mine.” Sienna stepped forward, smiling sadly “but right now, she’s the one gone and you’re here with me. So it’s what speaks volumes about who you love.”

“Yeah.” He sighed, looking down, his hands shaking, heart racing.

“I’m still hurt though… After all, you slept with another girl while thinking I was away.”

As much as he wanted to tell her to shove her hurt up her ass, he couldn’t. And this time it was not only because of the plan, but also because Sienna deserved better from him.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered earnestly. He was sorry for the entire mess up, but not sorry for taking things further with Y/N.

“I know.”

“What can I do--?”

“I don’t know. Not yet. But I do want us to work through it. Okay?” The woman smiled softly, giving him the vulnerable look that always softened him, no matter if it was a girl, child or stray cat.

“Okay…” He promised, pulling Sienna to his chest, feeling her arms wrap around him, hating his life, Nightwing, Batman and everything In between.

***

He stayed home that night. Purposefully putting his phone on silent mode, giving no shit about whatever Bruce might want from him and he was now probably planning next steps of putting the mission to the end.

He stayed with Sienna.

Laying on his side of the bed in the darkness with a broken heart.

***

His arms were around her, but Sienna knew that his heart was aching for Y/N.

She could have had him next to her, she could have him staying instead of chasing after the other, but she didn’t have his heart. It was forever out of her reach.

But that was something she could live with. Sacrificing her dignity and self-esteem as long as he was physically here. And while she was in deep emotional pain, she was going to endure.

Laying on her side of the bed in the darkness with a broken heart.

She had to.

***

Y/N was tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Emotions clouding her judgment making her unsure whether she was the victim or the culprit. Or maybe both. She never should have believed him. She never should have done this to another girl. And to herself.

She only had herself to blame.

Laying on her side of the bed in the darkness with a broken heart.

***

“Now that we made them break—”

“You are a monster, you know that?”

“Even a monster has his reasons for doing things. Or should I remind you what’s on stake here?”

“No. No you don’t have to…”

“Good. So you listen carefully, because your input is crucial in putting this thing to an end. You are going to go on a date that will be the final piece in the puzzle. Then you’ll be free.”

“Yeah… free… right after ruining everything…”

To be continued.

@miraculous-panic @fullbelieverheart @xlatinaaxx @ietss @arfrona

@gracescor3 @jaysgirlx

#dick grayson x reader #nightwing x reader #dick grayson smut #nightwing smut #dick grayson x oc #dick grayson imagine #dick grayson x you #dick grayson fanfiction #dick grayson #nightwing x y/n #nightwing x oc #nightwing x you #dc dick grayson #dc smut #smut #dick grayson angst #nightwing angst

138 notes · View notes

orifumioshi · 10 months

Text

ASDFGJDLIABAIDUIRUWBKWISHDKVDAUZHDEHF HSDJFAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHNALSJEBSOSJSBFNDDJKWFJDOFHAK!!!!!!!!!!????!!!)($2+$9@+$(_2(#!!!!!!!!

*ehem* Sorry. I'm ok. Anyway... Digimon Survive uwu and as an extra: I, myself, was supposed to be born on Feb 29 but I went ahead of time and ruined my mom's telenovela finale by being born on Friday 23rd (ง ื▿ ื)ว

Ok so, I just came back home from watching and I'm still shaking.

02beginning SPOILERS AHEAD!

Because I went to the very first screening at 12 pm, we were only 6 in the room and one guy went cosplaying as Dukemon (was too shy to ask for a proper pic because he was with his girlfriend).

*ehem* well, onto the movie... THANK GOD HERE IN MEXICO FOR THE LATAM SPANISH DUB WE NEVER GOT THE EVOLUTION SONGS DUBBED BECAUSE LISTENING TARGET AND BEAT HIT IN THE CINEMA WAS SUCH A DELIGHT AND A BLESSING I COULDN'T STOP SHAKING and yes, I cried a bit.

The experience of being welcomed with Bolero with an overwhelming audio is something I'll never forget but onto the plot.

Because I thought I would have to wait years to watch it, I actually looked for spoilers but nothing very explicit tbh, I also saw people saying there was body horror but honestly, Ghost Game had it "worse" xD so I wasn't that bothered by what Ukkomon did; he never did it with malice anyway, of course it was kind of... wrong? Awful? But he did it because he genuinely wanted for Rui to be happy; no one told them they had to talk in order to have a healthy relationship.

I don't think I ever felt so close with Daisuke before despite being a Dai oshi; I felt so angry with how Rui's mom treated him, being a 4 years old baby... this was the second time I cried in the movie (the first being listening target and don't believing that I was there watching xD) and I swear I wanted to cross the screen and scream at her a couple of things. Rui was genuinely a good boy (still is), going to talk to his sick dad about their day, I thought that was very sweet.

At the end, the "time travel" didn't really felt like that to me but rather a very immersive memories.

The evolutions sequence were beyond amazing so, nothing to say really xD just thankful that XV-mon and Stingmon were actually "drawn" rather than staying as CG and even so, the CGs were very neat.

I was quite worried about the dub but it seems the dialogues were done properly, at least taking in consideration what I remembered from the PVs. Thankfully we got Hikari, Iori and Ken having their same VA from Adventure along with the Digis; Daisuke and Takeru had their same VA from Lastevo and Miyako got a whole new voice but they did decent, they actually got quite well how the 02 gang is.

And Daisuke, oh my boi being the man I trust to ruin it with the police xD "why didn't you stopped me?!", I love you uwu and how he was the only one to tell Rui right to his face what he had to do.

The battle sequence was nice as well, I was worried for a moment to be honest and loved that scene where Miyako "ships" Daisuke and Ken-chan uwu

I knew we had to go in a big fight but I genuinely felt bad that the only solution was to defeat Ukkomon. I actually stayed until the post credits scene and I was happy to see Rui smile ;w;

So, in my humble opinion, it's a very good movie to add to the Digi Lore, it's very enjoyable and was what I needed for 02.

I saw people say that the movie doesn't solve the losing partners issue presented in Lastevo but I think that's not the case: Ukkomon gave the chosen children the Digivice via Homeostasis; considering that this "superior being" is indeed Homeostasis, this giving the partnership a tangible item to tie Digimons with Humans but, is that all?

I personally think that Takeru being anxious over losing their partners was justified after all, Yamato lose Gabumon so I understand why he would hesitate to kill Ukkomon; at the end, the Digivice was just that, a tangible bond but, they don't really need it, do they? Just like how in Adventure, Taichi and co. didn't needed the crests to evolve because their hearts were the actual crests.

The Digivice ties Digimon and Humans, yes but even without it, the bond is there so how does this solves the partners loss? As long as they have a bond, they will come back I mean, Ukkomon is coming back and Rui's Digivice is no more plus even after losing their D3s, Daisuke and co. still had their partners, right? This just shows that Digimon Survive was right in not giving their protagonist digivices: KIZUNA. We don't need the bond to be tangible, right?

Also, I almost screamed when Wallace was on screen with Terriermon and Lopmon ;w; it was nice to see Chichos too xD How did your dubs named her anyway? Here in Mexico it was changed to "Guadalupe"; Chichos sounds like "chichis" and that's a way to say "boobs".

Anyway, because I want more cards, I'll go to watch it again on Sunday because it's the only day I have free ;w; hope they don't run out of them, I want all my kids OTL

#02beginning spoilers #02beginning #digimon adventure 02 the beginning spoilers #just a txt #txt from the megane madao #png orders #spoilers

5 notes · View notes

junsei-draws-rotasu · 2 years

Text

Monkie Kid: A Hero Is Born Live blog rewatch

Before I can go to S3, the season I left off and avoided for sometime until it’s available to watch, I needed to refresh my memory.

Oh wow straight to the intro

I also forgot that this has the same studio that animated ROTTMNT cuz the animation is sick!

Fun fact I only started to watch this because of a TIKTOK video of Macaque

The fight sciences scenes😍

Not SWK trapping DBK under a mountain just like Buddha did to him 🙂

Is this how the Journey to the West really ended? I really want to read but I don’t have it in me to read it. I’m just waiting for Overly Sarcastic Productions to make their video

Wow, sick translation Narrator

Ngl I forgot how Monkie Kid characters sounds like. With the fanfics I had read I genuinely written off Tang having a smooth gentle voice

Although MK’s voices caught me off guard

!!! I never noticed this!

This is a nice wallpaper

A warthog vs a pig in cooking… not sure who’s going to win this one /s

M.K. has some nice jams to listen too

M.K. is like me with phone screens. Never bother fixing them :,)

There's our impulsive Monkey!

How does M.K. do that?! How did he climbs—ah anime cartoon logic combined together is dumber than normal

You know I just realized. If this was an anime, you know they would put fan service on Iron Fan Princess

Even SWK was surprised at MK

Is that bull a robot or those arms are just prosthetics?

Oh, it is a Robot… you would think the Robots they created wouldn’t have this much emotions in them.

“Deemed worthy can hold it” what is this? Excalibur?

Just what kind of mystic did you infuse in that gauntlet?

Oh wow, Red Son you actually did it! Didn’t remember that

Can you even call that a mountain anymore? It turned into a hill!

Ooooo, didn’t remember that broken horn on DBK

“I had returned to the world of the living!” You didn’t die DBK, just sealed 😒

"No go away" *proceeds to peck* SWK you little shit

Aw, Red Son’s little face when DBK said excellent 🥹

What’s nothing more romantic than having your first meeting of your partner than landing on them… literally

I’m just giddy and amused by Red Sons antics on trying to look cool and impress his father

“Noodle boy” Oop, he said it!

Really want to put ADHD on M.K.’s character sheet cuz he just zoned out by looking at SWK staff

The two kids in the room having exaggerated expressions while the adults are just there with tired and confuse expression XD

Ah, I seem to forget that M.K. is also a little shit

With DBK’s exaggerated movements, I think I know where Red Son’s love of theatrics came from

The vehicle looks out of place

Not the noodles!

Red Son, why are you always ready to combust?… actually wait, don’t answer that

Oh that poor women’s apartment! How will she pay for it???

“Pigsy going to kill me🥹” Not if Red Son kills you first

Does the actual toy of the car really have a motorcycle inside?

Now how did Mei know M.K. was in trouble?

Ows, the property damage 😬

We all need Mei as a friend. I would know, because I am her

Something rare and expensive… go to a museum, but remembering the plot, it has to be a shoe

I'm sooo using this as a reaction

Props to the cashier to tell an intimidating person to go back in line

This feels like a fever dream but it's not

They’re immediately got to Flower Fruit Mountain?! Where’s the gag of day and night cycles going too fast?! Missed opportunity really

Technology defeated magic, oh how Rise!Donnie would be so smug

Here’s the cliche protag team thinking the MC is dead but they’re really not

Aw 🥺

You know they’re really angry when they’re smiling instead of raging

To think that staff used to be a pillar of a Sea Dragon God

Not my boy M.K. releasing the recent traumatic event he went through

Comparing Sha Wujing and Sandy… they look nothing alike… is this why people likes to write fanfics where Sandy killed Sha Wujing?

Yeah I don’t recall this magical sequence…

Aw, M.K. 🥹

Once again, I’m taken back at the voice

And here I thought it was fanon that SWK had his eye on M.K. as his successor for a while

Man, I would be mad at SWK for thrusting this kid into this situation but I remember now SWK is sooooo

“You believe in ourselves” that… does sound like a good plan

Convenient

Wow M.K. got rebirth into a stone egg

I was about to comment on how history going to repeat itself then I remember the future episodes I’m going to watch and DBK clearly not trap under something

Ow, that’s going to hurt

I’m having severe flashbacks of Krang vs Leo fight here qwq

Here’s the toy shot

I finally get it! Red Son's nickname for Mei! It's because Mei represents the dragon that turned into a horse in the Journey to the West! Wow!

And finished!

#Monkie Kid #SeiWatch #SeiTalks #Monkie Kid SeiReact #rottmnt movie

10 notes · View notes

walkingstackofbooks · 1 year

Text

DS9 3x19 Through the Looking Glass thoughts (I'm re-watching, so there may be future spoilers)

Q: "If you don't believe me, ask Chief O'Brien." O: "When I came in, he and Morn were painting numbers on the voles backs." Miles was what now?? Chief?! [Just reread the script, I definitely misunderstood that XD The he meant Quark 😅]

"A vole fight? I'm appalled. Do you really think that was what Morn was up to?" I really love Quark's transparent lies.

I see that they still read Alice in Wonderland in the mirror verse, too.

Tuvok!!!!! I do not remember him being here but then I don't think I'd started Voyager when I last watched this?

Bashir's grumpy face when Sisko takes over XD

Man, Sisko acts as his mirror counterpart so accurately - how much did Kira or Julian tell him about Mirror!Sisko for him to be able to just launch in like this?

Oh I LIKE Jadzia's haircut

Bashir is sooooo different 😅

Rom's a traitor?!!! What even is this???

"What about Sisko?" "Take me to the Intendant's quarters." Oh, he's gooood!

G: "Intendant, I demand that this man be-" I: "You demand???". I LOVE the Intendant, and the way she takes this Garak down.

Oh. Sisko's look upon seeing Jennifer <3

J: "Then why did you leave me to go run and play pirate for the Intendant?" S: "That's a good question." I guess Sisko would like to ask his counterpart that too, not being able to imagine why he would leave Jennifer.

This mission would have been a failure if Mirror!Sisko had tried - there's no way he could have succeeded the way our Sisko can. ...Although he may not even have cared enough to try and save her rather than kill her - unless out of spite that Bashir doesn't think it a good plan.

J: "You have a subdermal communicator?" S: "Courtesy of the Ferengi." Oh noooo, if that's through Rom he betrayed you, they'll be listening in 😬😬

J: "I still hate you." S: "I know." Ouch. But also, expected. And I love her for choosing what's best for her without capitulating to who she thinks is her lousy ex.

J: "Now what?" S: "Uh, I'll think of something." His confidence!

Love seeing the whole evil gang just standing there, the framing is great!

"That was very clever, Benjamin, having one of your own men betray you so you could get aboard the station. I was completely fooled." - I was fooled too!!!! I'm glad Rom isn't a traitor in this universe either... even if he's dead :(

"I came a long way to get you out of here and I'm not going to leave without you." Jennifer's expression of :o

Garak's unhinged cry of "Pursue!" - what even was that? XD

I: "In fact, I can assure you that your husband will never annoy you again." J: "Actually, for the first time since I've met him, he's not annoying me." That's because he's not actually your husband XD

J: "I'm a Terran." Sisko's proud smile <3

"Computer, disengage self-destruct sequence. Authorisation Kira... alpha nineonesevenfiveblue." The way she says that last bit so quickly, hating to admit he got it right XD Also I love the continuity this part has with Civil Defense, great way to work it in.

"Authorisation denied." "I changed it!" Gotta love Sisko's sing-song "I've won!" voice

J: "Thank you for rescuing me." S: "It was my pleasure." the way he flinches and closes his eyes when she kisses him. He really takes a lot of emotional punches this episode.

"Take me home, Smiley." Oh, Sisko, that tone in his voice that doesn't quite want to leave 💔

#ds9 3x19 #ds9 through the looking glass #benjamin sisko #andi watches ds9 #WSB

3 notes · View notes

asoulofatlantis · 6 months

Text

Here we go again...

Sometimes you just need to take a break from the game to get things rolling again.

I would have prefered to do it Clouds was and just kick this man in the butt... but I feel like Aerith would not have agreed to that XD

Rushing through a game was never harder as in this one...

At least it was somewhat worth it... not that I plan on going back any time soon.

After this hassle, lets take a moment and enjoy the view...

There is a freaking bounty on us.

I am stuck in the fishing town for some reason... urg. Why must you make it so hard for me game? T.T

Oh look who I've found, now that talking to Barett finally moved to story forward... I think that in the original game, she was optional.

If anybody dares to hurt that Dolphin, I am going to kill that person. Very painfully.

Okay... the Monster hurt the Dolphin. Now I am going to kill the Monster. Cloud! Do your job!

I set the difficulty higher for training purposes but forgot to lower it after training was done ^^'

The difference a change in difficulty makes is simply amazing...

S-She is? Really? Why? We are a bunch of random losers ^^' I am serious. Speaking of our part of Avalanche, we haven't exactly done anything big - especially nothing GOOD. Even if you are a hater of Shinra, our little attack on Shirna was only to save Aerith to begin with and it was a huge mess, that would have killed Berette if it would not have been fore the Deus x machina Wispers ^^'

I can still not believe that this is the right answer... but almost all the walkthroughs say it is so... it must be true, right? Also... the question was if he can remember the first time they meet. "Nope" was obviously the wrong answer XD And "The Church" was also not right, because it was the second time they meet. So... yeah... I really had no other choice then tell her that she shoved a flower in his pretty face XD

I saw people complaining about this on YouTube, because in Remake, she didn't seem to mind at all that he gave the flower to another girl, even tho he was very much aware that in hindsight it wasn't a good idea when Aerith asked what he did with the flower. I think there are two reasons for this. First of all: It has been a few days since then and A LOT has happened in the meantime, so her feelings might have changed and developed a bit. At first she might have not minded it mush or enjoyed seeing him squirm at the question while she acted as if it was fine for her, but now... she realized that she has feelings for the guy and of course then it bothers her if he gave the flower that meant "lover reuinted" to Tifa, after she gave it to him. The second one, was an explanation I found on YouTube. It says that when she asked for the flower, she still had her memories from OG (that she likely got through the lifestream from OG-Aerith - if you think this is complicated, trust me, it will get worse later on) and knew she would die eventually, so understanding that falling for Cloud would only lead to pain for both of them, thus supporting Tifa, who had been there for Cloud after Aeriths death. Which is also why we got the "don't fall in love with me" situation in the Dream sequence - which contradicted itself with the touching of his face, BUT apparently that ALSO was OG-Aerith, so likely trying to keep Cloud from feeling too much pain when losing her, but also unable to stand the temptation of touching him again? (I am not even making this shit up by the way... they say it was confirmed in the Ultimania or something?) ANYWAY, Remake-Aerith lost those Memories when the Wispers took them from her and thus now, she doesn't know any reason why she shouldn't be pursuing a relationship with Cloud. Lost me here? Don't worry, I've already seen like 5 or so explanations of which Aeriths is which and where Zack came from and went to and what happened to Cloud when... you don't know that yet, so lets move on, but let me tell you half of the time, I have no idea whats happening here either XD

I actually love how he doesn't even try to save his ass anymore by making some excuses or says something stupid like he didn't care about the flower but just says "Noted." and accepts the lecture.

Das Smiley muss hellblau sein, um das volle Golden Date zu bekommen. We still have a long way to go guys...

Sorry Tifa... but I shouldn't talk with you. You know... keep your smiley dark, if you get me ^^' That aside... it was about time they talk about their argument. Its been some time since then. I mean... not really. Its a day or so. But still!

I am glad that you two are making up but... the thing is... you know... you were actually right... or at least not so far off with doubting him and you actually do know that.

I feel sorry for both of them. At first I wanted to just say "Poor boy" and say that he is trying so hard, even tho he does not actually care, but I also feel sorry for Tifa. She just wanted to have a nice little casual chat and he... didn't look like he is interested at all and now she knows he just listens because he doesn't want to hurt her - yes, that is good, because it means he cares, but its still not what she wanted.

#ff7r mona version

0 notes

yuuana · 8 months

Text

youtube

Music Monday #236: ATEEZ - Youth release: December 2023 genre: Kpop cw: violence, implied abuse, arson, flashing, unsteady cam

I did say I was going to keep featuring my best boys until they ran out of unit MVs, so if you're surprised I'm still on my ATINY bullshit, then shame on you, no cookies for you. XD

In the past, ATEEZ's members have often commented about how it's a shame ATINY don't get to hear Mingi singing more often, both because Mingi has a great voice and because singing makes Mingi so happy, but was something he'd thought he wouldn't be able to pursue after his voice dropped in puberty. As one of ATEEZ's main rappers, that is what audiences hear from him most often. And with him being paired with his BFF (and main vocalist) Yunho, it was initially expected that Yunho would lead the singing and Mingi would add some rapped verses here and there. Instead, Youth is the Mingi Show with Special Guest Yunho - Mingi does all the rapping (of course) and the larger share of the singing and while Yunho does have some lines to himself, mostly he turns up in the color lines, offering those high notes Mingi can't hit and harmonizing beautifully. And in my opinion, it's the perfect balance as Mingi's voice, especially when in the upper end of his range, infuses a certain wistful longing into a song about why being young isn't as easy as people think and the pressures of life, along with the importance of not facing it all alone.

This video, unlike the MV for IT's You, has a lot more storytelling elements to it. Of course there's still some amazing dance sequences, because Mingi and Yunho are both main dancers, but other than the few group dances, most of the scenes are dedicated to forwarding the story of the power of youth. It's was also mostly shot outside, in cold weather, so that final fire probably felt nice.

If it's been awhile since you last watched ATEEZ's Inception, now would probably be a good time to do that. Don't worry, I'll wait. ;)

Back? Good. While IT's You's callbacks were more in effect than story (since IT's You had very little actual story movement), Youth is much more direct - the scenes are unreal, of course, but still continue the story of Yunho's grief for his elder brother, killed in a horrible car crash, and Mingi's decidedly unhealthy home life. This makes a second suggestion that we're returning to the A 'verse close to the events of Inception, though of course even that is a bit of a herring - Inception is dream sequence upon dream sequence in the first place, with scenes mostly showing the members' backstories, twisted with grief, rather than current events. The "current" of Zero Fever part 1 is Hongjoong getting the team back together, but since the storytelling abruptly jumped to Z for part 2, what happens next is ... what we'll find out in the next major release, I suppose. ;)

THE WORLD EP.FIN: WILL continues to kick butt and now ATEEZ are making history as the first male kpop idol group to have stage time at Coachella. On my birthday. The universe is a cruel bastard. XD

Want to see Music Monday deep dives more often? Sponsor a song selection! For the low, low price of one (1) KoFi, I'll write up the song of your choice. ANY song of your choice. Yes, even that one that's been played to death. Yes, your obscure faves too. With sponsors, I can stop skipping weeks and falling further and further behind in the releases! Sponsor a current CB for the next open Music Monday slot or sponsor a throwback for a Thursday feature! But seriously, if you've been enjoying my selections and analyses, we (me and the foster kittens) would love a KoFi in thanks. DW | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky | Ko-fi | Patreon | Discord | Twitch

#music #music monday #kpop #ateez #Youtube

0 notes

semimedieval · 1 year

Text

who hasn't straight kissed on their evil father's front lawn? (what's the main plot, some kind of furniture?)

against my better judgement, i'm writing another extranei writeup post before i dig into this summary of contributions. please clap.

this entire 'oh noes monoceros's headquarters' sequence is so lame it's unreal. just really really lame. no clue what monoceros wants. he says he'll keep them prisoner until midsummer's day (are midsummer's day AND the full moon both macguffin dates here? incomprehensible.) then he says "get out of my house." then knights (there's knights now i guess) grab everyone except lupus which is such an obvious setup by Me, Guy Who Controls The Villain, to do this -

A knight appeared and pulled Max away, others held all of them back, except for Lupus. Monoceros walked over to him. "Max!" Ky screamed pulling against the grip of the guards. Lupus didn't think, didn't wonder what happened. He only froze his approaching father, then threw a snow ball into a knight's face, grabbing Max. "Maximus!" he called. "I know you only obey Ky, but please fly away?" He then pushed the other knights back with a wall of ice. "Leave my friends alone," he said, and his voice echoed around the hall. Max flew up, up before anyone could grab him again. How he hated those knights. Ky watched Lupus, admiration in her eyes. This was the Lupus who loved everyone, who really cared. Lupus and Ky. Ky and Lupus. They belonged together.

Wow! So glad that got resolved really really fast <3 this is wildly "unhealthy" but i DO think it was also deeply unfair of me to hold ky and lupus to standards of Healthy Relationship that i was absolutely not holding chuji and obsidian to. god. all for the crime of getting together really fast.

They flee the hall on unicorns. "Rim comes crashing into the hall, sitting on a wave", so the favor of "hey hope we don't mind if we resolve your My Character's In Danger Arc while you're not even onscreen <3" that moopy and i did to spark is now repaid to rim. they all get on unicorns and escape. and now, of course -

"I'm here, Ky," he said, dropping out of the sky without warning. (XD wth?!) "I'm sorry," he said, then his subconscious took over and he kissed her." He felt his cheeks redden. She hated him, and now he'd resent him more. They were over. How could he have done it? "Forgive me, Ky, I, I shouldn't have..." he said, close to tears. Ky put a finger to his lips and kissed him back. Loop's eyes widened. How could she have changed her mind so suddenly. "When you saved Max....it showed me that you cared for everyone not just me. You risked your life for us." "I...uh...we all do it for each other, every day." he stammered. "Thank you Lupus." She said in a sweet voice. "Don't look now, but there's a knight right behind us, about to stab you."

(there are some peanut gallery comments in there from the rest of the gang that i omitted, including quartz saying "this is slightly annoying" in a moment of uncharacteristic bitchiness)

the marvel movie dialogue of the last line is killing me. horrible. so is lupus 'falling out of the sky' (huh???) and so is the fact that i was wrong, ky in fact gives no indication that it's ok to make out with her now, as evidenced by the fact that lupus in the next line feels that he has made a horrible mistake (he is correct). in my defense my gender politics TENDED to be better at this (not when it comes to dunking on girls for being girly, but when it comes to appropriate occasions to kiss someone) but i was good at giving the people what they wanted.

chuji ends up "blasting the knight with fire" which is definitely scary but maybe not a guarantee of death (perfectly possible that it forces him back!), though i sure do read it that way when i have lupus say fucking uh

"Thanks for killing the knight, Chuji," Lupus smiled.

WHICH IS JUST SO COMPLETELY DERANGED. So much for my fucking musings on mortality at fort donelson earlier that year. Take a child to a civil war battlesite and they will have epiphanies about the permanency and seriousness of death for one whole day before completely failing to apply these lessons to their fiction.

and the silliness is not done yet, as we have to get hit with THIS deeply unfortunate scene

Spark looked at the two. "I wish Chuji and Obsidian would do that." Obsidian raised his eyebrows. "I heard that." Chuji walked towards Spark "Sooo. You wish Obsidan and I would practicly french kiss in front of everyone. Huh?" Quartz giggled. Tozi smirked. Obsidian blushed. ”When me and Chuji kiss, we do it in style," "Ha! Like, you know... privatley." "And not so enthusiastically. And with warning." "We never have time to do so... we'll have fun on the beach." (oh my god chuji! *nosebleed*) Tozi's ash turned red. And with that, the conversation ended.

Can you tell the children writing this are coming into their adolescence in catholic school? Does this detail surprise you? Because it's true! Augustine, as ever, is slightly ahead of the curve from me, hinting at a SCANDALOUS case of chuji and obsidian Kissing On The Beach, Nosebleed. Meanwhile, in gabe's words, "not so enthusiastically" is not the flex Obsidian thinks it is.

Jack is conspicuously absent, having termed this conversation way too inappropriate for his endorsement. Also, Obsidian's "Chuji and I are totally kissing a lot!!! Just privately where nobody can see!!" is immediately shut down by Chuji's "We never have time to kiss." (Insane thing to say, but they're an insanely dysfunctional couple.

If you (the nonexistent audience) are wondering if this made it into 2.0, the answer is a resounding YES:

Obsidian coughed politely. “Carry on,” he said cheerfully. “We’re here all day.” “No we’re not, because we have to rescue Tozi,” said Spark pointedly, but she was holding back a smile. “That was very romantic, though. I wish Chuji and Obsidian would do that.” “Do what? Passionately kiss in public?” Chuji asked, raising an eyebrow. Obsidian had never mastered the art of raising a single eyebrow, so instead he raised both. “When Chuji and I kiss, we do it in style.” Quartz had to giggle at the entirely uncharacteristic phrase, but Chuji was playing along. “Like, you know, privately.” “Not quite as enthusiastically.” “With a bit of warning.” Ky and Lupus were blushing, but his hand was on her waist and his on his shoulder in a way that made Quartz suspect - and god, there was a thought - that the two of them were quite eager to get home.

Sigh at that last line. Such was the nature of Me Being Fifteen And Trying To Look Cool that my inherent assumption was "well if you're fifteen and dating you're obviously having sex!!!!" and like a) i don't wanna think about it. these kids i wrote when i was fifteen are still fifteen, and i'm not anymore. b) i failed to consider that ESPECIALLY in the Semi Medieval nature of this universe, something "we should wait!!" coded is perhaps more likely, maybe not til marriage but til they're older or certain about each other or confident with each other or whatever. i am obviously not against teenagers having sex or this being the case in fiction, i just think i was writing about them with the standards of adult relationships when they are not that. Also, shoutout to me for keeping "not quite as enthusiastically." Do you think Obsidian and Chuji have a "WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT" fight offscreen after this exchange? vote now on your phones.

Before we close off and get back to work, a reunion.

Suddenly, Lupus saw a grey unicorn in the crowd. "Twink!" he yelled, practically jumping onto the unicorn's neck. "Twink?" Ky gave him a strange look. "What the heck." said Obsidian casually. To see cold, calculating Lupus cuddling a regal-looking unicorn who was whinnying happily was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. He stood up, embarrassed. "Twink is my old unicorn. My father named him, if you're wondering. His full name is Rainbow Twinkle, but..."

haha yeah yeah twink the unicorn we've all giggled about it but more pertinently: HORSEBOY HORSEBOY HORSEBOY

anyway the gang gets home and is setting off for the sea tomorrow. as a final note because this inexplicably takes place before the timeskip tomorrow: i'm apparently getting insecure that extranei hasn't been misogynist towards quartz specifically enough lately because i bring back the running gag about packing

Quartz grinned. It was going to be a fantastic day. Obsidian had packed this morning. Putting on his backpack, he went through Quartz's stuff and discarded a pair of sequined high heels. Where did she get these things? Obsidian came out and handed Quartz her bag. "Here you go, smuggler. And get yourself a ponytail or something, your hair is going to be in a terrible state later."

Why is he such a straight up freak all the time. MY Quartz would first degree murder knife chase for him and he would deserve it

Quartz to lupus all the time would be like "you never played first degree murder knife chase?" like penelope and azalea after them. some things never change <3

#og rp lb #rereads

0 notes

kitkatwinchester · 1 year

Text

EVERYTHING ABOUT THE ENDING OF THAT EPISODE OMG!!

Okay first of all, you can tell I'm not Scott OR Stiles, because it took me until seeing Rhys with the burn bandages in the hospital bed to realize that RHYS was the one the Nogitsune possessed, and it took me until she said "Eichen House", plus the accompanying visual, to establish that the Eichen House is on the same plot of land as the Oak Creek Internment Camp was. XD

ANYWAYS!

That's so freaking sad, and I feel so bad for Noshiko, because in a rage over what had happened to Rhys, she invoked something even worse, and she regretted it instantly, and now there's no coming back from that. And the fact that he said "coup de foudre" right before he died I CAN'T. :( :( :(

THAT SAID!

The f*cking looks and emotions and lines in the rest of those sequences I CANNOT.

Okay since we're here, starting with Scott, Kira, Ken, and Noshiko.

The fact that Kira looks over at Scott when her mom says it can mean "love at first sight" just SENT ME omg. And then on top of that, the way they keep exchanging looks, and she keeps looking at him for comfort, and he keeps nodding and encouraging her along, and then when he looks at her in just utter awe and amazement and pride when she manages to put the sword back together (also as an aside, Kira's bad*ssery and sass with the "I just found out your 900 years old. I don't think I'll ever trust you again." we love her. <3 <3). And then, after all of that, Noshiko, having been angry at Scott's presence and bitter at the idea of wolves to begin with, ends with looking at Scott with "And maybe seek out a wolf to help you." I CANNOT! I LOVE SCIRA SO FREAKING MUCH!! WHEN DO THEY KISS?! I WANT THEM TO KISS!!

And then, in all of this, Noshiko only further confirms that, as far as she's concerned, the only way to save Stiles is to kill him, and Scott is having NONE of that, and the LINES, dude.

"Sometimes, history does repeat itself, Scott." "Only if you don't learn." "But sometimes even then, fate conspires against you."

I mean, D*MN.

That said, I am obviously with Scott in not killing Stiles, and I fully support this plan, which is why I love, with every fiber of my being, the anger and determination in his face when he says "There's a way to save him. There has to be." Because that is his BEST FRIEND, his BROTHER (Noshiko even admitted that herself), and the last thing he will do is resort to killing him. Never in a million years.

And then we have our little group of four. First of all, that transition was EPIC, going from the sword lighting up to the chess board. I was all for that, OMG.

Secondly, that whole sequence was so good. Everyone working together to figure out Void Stiles' message, but Noah being the one to ultimately break it down and acknowledge that there's more to it than meets the eye, because he's RIGHT. The Nogitsune is a trickster, not a killer, and there HAS to be more to it than just wanting to trap them and kill them.

"All we have to do is come up with a new punch line."

I FREAKING LOVE YOU NOAH!! YES!! LET'S DO THIS!!! LET'S GO TRICK THE TRICKSTER AND FIGURE THIS THING OUT AND SAVE STILES!!!

And then that ENDING. The transitions. OMG that set-up was terrifying, but so f*cking beautiful and well-done.

With Noshiko narrating as it goes through her flashback of hiding the Nogitsune in the nemeton, and then the transition to Scott, Stiles, and Allison coming out of the tubs after their sacrifice, and all the little clips of the nemeton falling apart until it eventually released the Nogitsune, all leading up to Stiles in the loft, with his dad opening the door behind him.

"They let the demon out of its cage."

And Void Stiles turns, and Dylan's got that extra little darkness in his eyes that shows he's not the Stiles we know and love, and you get...

"Hi, dad."

OH MY GOD THAT WAS SO GOOD.

And now we immediately watch the next episode because I cannot possibly leave off on that.

Let's f*cking go, because I'm ready (but also so not ready) to see how all of this goes horribly wrong, since we're still two episodes away from the finale...

ANYWAYS!

(I feel like they're gonna find a way to somehow parallel this exact scene, but then alter it somehow because Scott and Kira will NOT repeat history and kill someone they care about, and I can see the integration of that being so cool and I'm honestly so excited. <3)

1 note · View note

featherssideblog · 2 years

Text

Feathers Reacts: Motorcity - Episode 13 (kind of) - Reunion (definitely)

Hey howdy hello! I'm swapping onto the new viewing order as mentioned in my last post! So this episode is Reunion, labeled Episode 15 in the old viewing order.

Also, I figured out that it's stupid easy to take screenshots using VLC media player (shift + S) and consequently I have a bunch of silly photos to illustrate my ramblings, which brings me great joy.

Episode 13 (15) Thoughts:

Lemme start off by saying that I love sharp-toothed propaganda!Mike. Take your sharp-angled cartoon boy and give him even more angles. A+

Kane is pretty angry at being . . . kidnapped? Dictatornapped? Anyway, his anger seems genuine, but it cannot possibly be this simple. Is he acting??

Oh I guess not, but now we're gonna see more of Deluxe!

Julie, to Mike: In the meantime, be careful up there! Mike: Aren't I always? Everybody else: *VIGOROUS DENIAL*

And he's so surprised by their response, look at that face! XD

Dutch, to ROTH: Stay out of trouble! ROTH: *Happy whirr* *Salute!* I love this little robot so much. (●´□`)♡

I wanted to take a screenshot of Mike with his hand covering Chuck's mouth but I caught a really goofy moment where Mike is in the middle of making a "th" sound and his tongue is sticking out. 🤣

Deluxe is really not very pedestrian friendly; somebody needs to tell Kane about designing livable urban environments.

Looks like Julie isn't the only one with strained family relations! Oh boy, Dutch!

These wanted posters sure are something! Sharp teeth for Mike and Dutch, but what, no fangs for Chuckles?

Chuck: *having a full-on panic attack, gasping for breath* Claire: Is he okay? Mike, oblivious: Yeah, he does this sometimes. :) Uhhhhhh Mike??? Did Chuck tell you that this was just something that happens sometimes and not to worry about it???

Hmmm the Gordy family politics are super interesting. The parents don't support Kane, but they "believe in Deluxe." What does that mean?? It seems like they believe that in the future the people of Deluxe will overthrow Kane. But, uh, are they working towards that in any way? They apparently didn't have contact with Dutch for over a year - which, you know, maybe they couldn't figure out how to get in touch, that's totally plausible.

Claire, you half-hearted revolutionary, how I love you!

The elevator music while they're sitting in Claire's pod is killing me XD

Mike: Your pod won't get a scratch, alright, I'll treat it like it was Mutt! Claire: Wait, doesn't Mutt get wrecked all the time?? Mike: . . . well, yeah . . . but we always fix her up better than before!

Tooley has Kane dolls?? Oh my god

Dutch talking to Dar - oh man - I think the experience of losing a family member off the conspiracy deep end is something that a lot of people find relatable, possibly even moreso now than when this show came out.

Chuck, I really don't think Claire is interested. Chill, please. Don't make her uncomfortable.

Aaaaaaand Dar is playing Rolfe to the Burners' Von Trapps.

Well, if the whole Deluxe grid is down due to power surges, is it too much to hope that all of the bots are down as well?

Mike is a much more successful version of Captain Von Trapp in convincing Dar to abandon his alliance to the military regime.

Aaaaand now Mike is flying a cube hooked up to Mutt. This can only end in EXTREME SPORTS.

Mike just referred to Motorcity by its initials, M.C. I don't think I've heard anyone else do that in the show so far - maybe I missed it!

YEAH JULIE!!! The countdown here actually created a lot of tension, the whole sequence was fantastically well done!

Holy shit, Dutch had to beat up Dar in order to give him a cover story. That's . . . kind of dark if you think about it too hard, actually. Ain't that just the way with most children's cartoons, though?

Texas, to Mike and Dutch: If you two chicks are done holding hands and whatnot, howbout you help me with the new and improved Stronghorn cannon? Texas, be a dear and unlearn some stuff. Cripes.

Can we appreciate how fantastically evil Kane looks in Dar's posters?

And now we get much better décor. :)

Concluding Thoughts:

I'm glad we got some more insight into Dutch and his backstory! The whole Gordy family and their political views are kind of fascinating. I don't necessarily think we were meant to dive too deeply into the implications of their beliefs, but I'm here ten years late with popcorn and living in a political climate that has been dramatically altered by events within the past decade, so let's have fun with it!

Unlike Claire, Mr. and Mrs. Gordy actively denounce Kane (at least, to Dutch) and do perceive the laws of Deluxe to be infringing on the freedoms of its people. However, from what we can see, they've arguably done less to support the resistance.

Now this is partially because Dutch deliberately fell out of contact with them, whereas Julie sees Claire every day. Thus, Claire has more opportunities to passively help the Burners than Dutch's parents. Also, it's not like political opposition to Kane is easy - it would risk their lives, and the life of their youngest son.

The thing that really interests me, though, is the phrase Mr. Gordy used: "I believe in Deluxe." I interpret that as a belief in the people of Deluxe, a belief that they will rise up and overthrow Kane. Leaving aside the question of how or when, it's an interesting thing to say when only part of this show is focused on the internal politics of Deluxe - a lot of it is focused on Deluxe's outwards aggression towards Motorcity. And yet ultimately they're sort of the same city? There are some real life analogies I think that could be drawn here, but I'm gonna leave that for some other time and some other format than my stream-of-consciousness reflections.

#motorcity #dutch gordy #dar gordy #mike chilton #chuck motorcity #julie kane #texas motorcity #ROTH motorcity #motorcity episode 15 reunion

12 notes · View notes

wesimpforxiao · 4 years

Text

Say My Name and I’ll Be There: 5.2

Author’s Note: I saw this on pinterest and thought it applied to Xiao XD P.S. Do you readers like that the story is in 2nd POV, or should I change it to 3rd person? My thinking is this POV allows me to get away without mentioning appearances or a chosen name so ya’ll could be put in OC’s shoes?

..............................

Is it just me, or is he looking my way? You caught Childe in the act while you and your team retreated into the opposite tree line after Aether had taken the dragon tooth. Something didn't feel right. The trees seemed to close in on you like tunnel vision. Was he planning on attacking you with the skirmishers at his side? Was he going to show his true colors now? Is it time to face death?

He dismissed the soldiers and retreated from the direction you had all spotted the skirmishers in the first place. He made a point to cast a meaningful glance your way.

I can't let it happen now, you looked to each of your teammates as you all ran through the snowy woods. If he brought all of those Fatui agents on board with taking you out, the entire group would be overwhelmed. The sheer cold puts us at a disadvantage. Bennett could get hurt. Xiao can't fight with his full strength. When was the last time Aether and Childe sparred? I can't rely on those results to protect me either.

No one was paying attention; you could slip away and try to strike a deal with the Harbinger. Bargain for Xiao's freedom and safety. You were hypersensitive to the weight of your coat on your shoulders, and the crunching of snow beneath your boots. He can't hurt us now...not now!

You peeled away from the group and they continued to run towards a cave several hundred yards from their current position. No one had heard you. When you finally reached the first firepit, you found Childe waiting next to it.

"Oh there you are, ojou-chan! Did you get the tooth? Where are the others? They didn't run into trouble, did they?" He greeted you with his signature friendly stature.

"Drop the act, Childe." You came to a halt maybe ten feet from him, with your back to the firepit. It warmed your body significantly and you could finally feel your fingers and toes again. He was on the far end of the open area.

"Whatever do you mean, ojou-chan?" The mask didn't crack.

"We're alone now. Is that what you wanted?"

Childe stared at you for a moment before breaking out into a loud fit of laughter. "Oh ojou-chan, you know me so well〰" He took a couple steps toward you. "You should know I've been meaning to talk to you."

"That's close enough." He stopped. "I know what you're after."

"Oh?" A dangerous glint sparked in his eyes, one that you've never seen before. "Enlighten me then."

"I don't want Xiao dragged into whatever mess you brought upon us. Whatever your plan entails, it ends with me."

"A noble sacrifice for a man that will not love you," he smirked. "Why do you try to protect him when he can clearly fight for himself?"

"He's been through enough already," your hands closed into fists as you recalled his horrific past. "I'll go with you, but only if you give me your word you won't take him too."

"Ha! I feel no need to fight you, ojou-chan." The sincerity in his voice attracted your gaze back to him. "I don't wish to hurt you."

"Huh..?" That's out of character. Is this some sort of trap?

"I...have other goals in mind. They require your cooperation, of course. And your cutting of ties with the adeptus."

"Cutting ties? Why would I do that?" Your brows furrowed.

"My loyalty lies with the Tsaritsa, but I have a special interest with this mission after meeting you, ojou-chan," he made his way closer, and you stood in total confusion. "I will personally see to it that you will not get harmed at all in Snezhnaya. It all depends on your answer."

"You...I don't get what you mean. What answer? What exactly are you asking of me?" Whatever it was, you sure as hell weren't going to agree with it. But as soon as the questions left your lips, you knew.

He does like you.

Childe took note of the realization--and the fear--on your face and continued. "Surrender is a valid option, I promise I'll be gentle. This is a simple route that avoids all the fighting and pain. All you need to do is allow me to love you, and I won't harm your friends. You have my word."

"L-love me?" The words left a terrible taste in your mouth. "I...I could never! I could never love you, either! You killed my Granny...you stole her house from her frail hands. You...You!" Your sword made a metallic sound as it was unsheathed.

Childe inhaled and manifested his bow. He nocked an arrow onto his finger and drew the string to his cheek. "A most expected answer, ojou-chan. Thank you for strengthening my resolve. This will be much more enjoyable now." Whatever turmoil that shone in his eyes was long gone and replaced with pure malice. "Let's make this a fair fight." The arrow shot into the fire and extinguished it.

"Tch." You ran toward him as fast as you could in the snow, and crossed sword with lance.

"Not bad," your opponent grinned with satisfaction. "Where'd you learn this technique from?" You somehow managed to keep up with his unrelenting blows thanks to the muscle memory that belonged to Xiao. "I don't recall the adeptus ever training you."

"Ngh!" He landed a kick to your stomach and you fell into the snow. Childe let you get back up, completely high on the thrill of fighting you and more than intent on dragging it out so he could watch your fighting spirit diminish. I may be keeping up with him, but I can't land a solid blow like this. You slowly removed your two remaining jackets and tossed them into the snow next to the extinguished firepit. If I can somehow finish the fight quickly...You knew it was a hopeless battle. A fight between a non-vision wielder and a harbinger that wields both vision and delusion? Complete and utter self-annihilation will ensue.

"I admire your tenacity, comrade," he watched the jackets fall. "But now that I have my answer, there's no reason to wait any longer." He shoved his lance towards you when your guard was down.

"I won't let you hurt him!" You swung your blade to parry, and a sudden blast of material sent the two of you flying backwards into the snow. Your vision was suddenly looking into the tree canopy. "Ugh, wha--?" You sat up to find ice shards scattered across the snow. Something cool and metallic sat in your free hand. You opened your palm to reveal what you least expected.

A vision.

You stared at your hand with bewilderment while Childe rose to his feet with a mixture of shock, admiration, and annoyance. "I see. An unexpected development," he remarked with cold eyes. "It's a shame you won't have the chance to wield it properly against me. He drew his bow and aimed for your chest. Another block of ice manifested before the arrow could pierce you.

You placed the artifact into your jean pocket, and you rose to your feet with a newfound confidence. Maybe you could beat him here and now. Images of Xiao's fights involuntarily crossed your mind, and a lance of ice materialized in your hand. You held it so that the tip pointed directly at Childe.

Another clashing of blades, this time converting Childe's into an ice sculpture. But not before you had managed to freeze his leg into the snow for a hot second. You ducked at his swings, parried his attacks, and followed through with a sequence of your own--or rather Xiao's--attacks. It looked like you were gaining the upper hand until Childe caught your blade in his gloved palm.

"Thank you for the entertainment, ojou-chan," he growled. "But this is where it ends for you." Did you really think he hadn't studied your newfound techniques during your previous fighting session? So naïve of you, ojou-chan. You can't use the same tricks twice.

You retracted your weapon and lay waste another blow. He easily parried it. You engaged in a combo before swiping your feet at his legs; he leapt away before you could knock him down. You were frustrated now, your movements becoming sloppier with each passing movement.

There's the real you, he mused. His frozen blade dug into your dominant shoulder with such force that he had you pinned to a tree. He felt nothing but sadistic pleasure course through his veins at the sight of you squirming in pain.

"Gah!" A shriek escaped your lips and your lance dropped from your hand. You tried to claw the spear out of your body as he stalked ever closer to you.

"I don't even need Foul Legacy to kill you. You could never defeat me, not even in your wildest dreams," Childe stalked towards you as he twirled a new hydro polearm behind his body, stopping once its blade pressed against your neck. He could kill you in an instant, and he would if he wasn't required to bring you alive.

You were seething with anger and hatred. It was stupid of you to go after him on your own, to seek a peaceful resolution to this conflict when you knew all along that there wouldn't be one. It didn't matter now. Your anger subsided, shoulders releasing themselves from the tension in your muscles once you thought of an idea. Even the pain in your dominant shoulder seemed to subside a bit. Your sudden change in demeanor made Childe's grip loosen for a moment as he questioned the newfound peace emanating from you.

Your eyes closed and your lips curled into a smile. Adeptus Xiao, you called to him in your heart.Please hear me and answer my prayer for protection.

A sudden gust of wind blew against your back, and Childe faltered. He looked to you for an explanation, and you met his gaze through his mask. "I know, but he can."

Xiao burst into Childe at an incredible speed, knocking him square into another tree. The trunk splintered in half from the force. He conjured his polearm and held its blade at Childe's throat. "Why the sudden politeness in your prayers?" He called out over his shoulder without taking his eye off the Harbinger. I'm cursed with hearing her rambling whenever I'm gone, and only now she speaks politely to an illuminated adeptus? Despite that thought, he actually loved hearing your voice reach his ears.

"I-I don't know.." WAIT, he COULD hear me all this time?! Blush further tinted your pink cheeks that were red from the sheer cold.

"Tsk," Childe spit blood onto the snow and glared at the yaksha.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't decapitate you here."

Childe wasn't going to give him a reason and debated on conjuring his polearm instead. Here he was, about to die at the hands of the damned yaksha, and all because he had decided to give you a chance to 'escape' a portion of the hardship that awaited you. Signora would lose what respect she had for him if she ever found out. Oh well.

"Ngh," you writhed against the tree. Your feet were just inches from solid ground, making this injury all the more painful as you hung from the lance. You couldn't move your dominant arm anymore. Xiao let go of Childe's collar and moved to your aid. He slipped your other arm over his shoulder so he could relieve the pressure off of your injury, then yanked the spear out without warning. Your shout of pain scared the nearby foxes away.

Xiao gave the Harbinger one last glare before he lifted you in his arms and took off at an incredible speed. It was only a matter of seconds before the two of you caught up with the rest of the group, who were waiting just inside a small cave that held mysterious lab equipment.

"Be careful," the yaksha set you on your feet but refused to remove your arm from around him.

"There you are! W-where'd Childe go?" Bennett paled when he saw your injury. "Here, let me see that." Aether, Paimon, and Xiao exchanged knowing looks while Bennett examined your shoulder. "You should sit down. This isn't anything I can't fix!"

"What happened? Did Childe...?" Aether trailed off once he returned with a bowl of water from a boiling pot.

"Mn," you winced when Bennett peeled your shirt off of your bloody skin. "I thought he was conspiring with those agents when we were making a run for it, so I followed him."

"A foolish decision," Xiao grumbled. He took the water from Aether and held it to your lips.

"Were you at least able to find anything else out about his plans? Or Signora?" Paimon spoke up. "It's not worth getting hurt over if you just throw yourself in harm's way like that."

"I thought he was going to..." your eyes flicked to Xiao's for a split second before they fell to the ground. '--Hurt you,' you wanted to say. But the yaksha would not hear of it if you said something so foolishly naïve. You were just a measly human after all, with little knowledge of fighting and a large heart that wanted to protect those around her. A big heart could only go so far; it proved useless in your battle today. Or did it? You nearly jumped up when you remembered, "I have something! I got something from this!" Your loud yelp scared the daylights out of Bennett, and he nearly yanked the stitch out that he had just put into your skin. You dug into your pocket and pulled out the artifact.

"Is that--?!" Paimon and Aether sprung to their feet simultaneously.

"A vision?" Xiao's eyes widened slightly. And a cryo one, at that.

"So cool!" Paimon spun around with excitement. "You're officially one of us now! Er, not that you weren't to begin with--"

"Congrats," Aether nodded and flashed you a toothy grin.

"Yeah, congrats!" Bennett also flashed you a bright smile and observed the trinket in your palm. "Wow, we're like, polar opposites!"

"Heh, yeah," you nodded with a faint smile. Your eyes found Xiao's, which were locked onto your vision. "Xiao?"

"You received a blessing from the very god that's hunting you. Do you not find that odd?" His lack of enthusiasm made your chest ache in disappointment.

Was he not proud of such an accomplishment?

"Yeah now that you mention it," Paimon held her chin and thought. "It is really weird. Why would she make her target more powerful? Wouldn't that just make it more difficult for her to capture you?"

"Did Childe say anything about it?" Aether prompted.

"No," you shook your head slightly and pursed your lips. "He seemed as surprised as I was."

To be blessed with the cryo vision, one must commit an act that revolves around love, Xiao's brows furrowed. Had she done something on the behalf of her grandmother, or is this all in the Cryo Archon's plan? It never crossed his mind that you had gotten it on his behalf.

#genshin impact #xiao genshin impact #genshin impact xiao #xiao x reader #fanfiction #xiao fanfiction #xiao one shot

311 notes · View notes

robininthelabyrinth · 4 years

Note

Now I want the story where NMJ is half war god and NHS is half fox spirit, thank you so much xD

based on this tumblr post and Lao Nie’s decision to refer to WRH as A-Han in this one ficlet

on ao3

Nie Zonghui had long ago suspected that his Sect Leader was a madman, but he didn’t really know it for certain until the first time he lost the man while on a bodyguarding mission – his first, and a great honor.

Supposedly.

“It’s all right,” his father said, looking long-suffering, when he reported back in distress. “He’s an adult, our sect leader, and this is a small city with no major threats in the middle of some idiosyncratic festival celebration for some goddess or another. How much damage can he really do before he sobers up?”

Nie Zonghui stared at his father, then turned to his mother, who was also staring at her husband with an expression of sincere incredulity.

“Lots,” she supplied. “Lots and lots and lots, and that’s assuming he doesn’t get himself killed in the meantime. Why would you even say that?”

“He’s our sect leader, have some respect.”

“I respect the boss bull of the herd, too, but it doesn’t mean I let it go wandering around the fields wherever it pleases!” She shook her head, snorting in a manner not entirely unlike a bull herself. “Well, if we’re very lucky, maybe our cousin will knock up a cow while he’s out and about rather than just breaking things. We could use a direct heir already; he’s not getting any younger.”

“We could use him being properly married is what we could use. I don’t understand why he’s so resistant – ah, Zonghui, you’re still here? Go gather some cultivators and go look for him, but don’t kick up any fuss, and worry too much if you can’t find him at once. He’ll be back to business soon enough.”

He was, if by “soon enough” one meant “after nearly ten days” and by “back to business” one meant “still drunk off his ass and waxing rhapsodic about some girl he met and possibly married”.

“Yes, yes, I’m sure the sun shines out of her ass,” Nie Zonghui’s father said, his face stormy. “You still could’ve told us where you went. Look what you did to poor Zonghui, he’s been wearing down his heels pacing in worry over you!”

“Oh, heels, yes, did I mention that my gorgeous goddess had amazing legs, too?” their sect leader asked with a soppy smile and stars in his eyes, totally uninterested in any of their petty complaints. “She could kill a man with them – oh, but I would die a happy man between those thighs…!”

“Zonghui, go guard the outside door,” his mother told him. “Also, tell his younger sister that she might need to be sect leader sooner than she’d hoped, because I’m going to murder this fucking –”

Nie Zonghui was there, too, when ten months later his new little baby cousin was (metaphorically) ditched on their doorstep.

The entire thing was entirely too dramatic for his taste, and yes, he was aware that as a person who chose to dual wield sabers he had very little room to criticize others for being overly dramatic, however correct he might be.

They had been fighting bandits – barely disguised mercenaries, really, probably paid off by the Wen sect to harass them – in what had turned into a particularly bad situation. Three separate regiments had joined together to take advantage of a terrible thunderstorm and ambush them at all once and them with their backs against a raging river, swollen with rain to the precipice of flooding, with no way to retreat except by fleeing on their sabers, abandoning the common people they were protecting and losing all face.

The sect leader had been raging on the battlefield, saber in hand, but even he had seen that they would need to shortly choose between death and dishonor; Nie Zonghui, close by his side, had seen how his face was split with a terrible scowl as he wracked his brain for more options.

Then there had been a terrible roar of thunder, and then a flash of light that had blinded them all.

Nie Zonghui had immediately noted the anomality of it, thunder first and lightning second, and wondered it if it was some sort of array working against them, especially when the light had not faded away but grown brighter, causing searing pain in his eyes that made him fall and clutch at his face. But he was a good soldier, loyal and true, and he forced his eyes open to squint into the night, looking to see he did not know what.

Through his sun-blindness, he vaguely thought he could see a silhouette not unlike that of a woman, ten feet tall and radiant as the sun, wearing a dress of nine colors and carrying a guandao in her hand that seemed to reach the clouds, but when he blinked again he saw nothing at all.

Or, well, he did see something: all of their enemies were headless, no matter where on the battlefield they were, their bodies dropping like a loosened string of coins where they had been standing and splattering anyone they were fighting with blood as they gawped at the sudden corpses.

Also, the sect leader was suddenly holding something in his arms when he hadn’t been before.

“What’s that?” Nie Zonghui asked, and the sect leader turned towards him. Nie Zonghui squinted, and suddenly wondered if this entire battle had been a very bad dream. “…is that a baby?”

“Yes,” the sect leader said, grinning broadly. “He’s my son!”

“He’s your what,” Nie Zonghui said.

“My son! I didn’t know about him, of course – apparently he came as something of a surprise to her as well – but anyway she thought that it would be more appropriate for me to raise him, all things considered. A baby doesn’t quite fit her lifestyle. What do you think of ‘Mingjue’ as a courtesy name? Good, yes?”

Nie Zonghui suddenly understood why his parents were always cursing all the time.

“I don’t see why I need another wife,” the sect leader said. “I already have a son.”

“Don’t you want to give said son a mother?” Nie Zonghui’s mother asked, her arms crossed. “One that isn’t the Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens, the war goddess you somehow managed to knock up without getting killed?”

“She never specified that she was –”

“Someone needs to be Nie-furen,” the sect leader’s younger sister interrupted, “because I am sick and tired of doing the job, and it’s a little difficult to ask a goddess to do it. So you are going to find yourself another one that’s a little closer to the ground this time, you understand me?”

The sect leader nodded and agreed, which was universally agreed upon to be the only appropriate reaction when his beloved meimei said something in that particular tone of voice.

(He did, after a suitable period of time, state that he wanted to make clear that there was no actual evidence that he had knocked up Jiutian Xuannü and that it was quite plausible that the mother of his heir was nothing more than a rogue cultivator of particular strength and possibility even immortality. If Baosan Sanren had managed it, why not someone else?)

At any rate, they brought him several pictures of women that might fit the bill and who would not be too offended at being asked to be a secondary wife – their sect leader swore up and down that he had performed bows with the mother of his first son, rendering him legitimate, and anyway no one was in the mood to see if the maybe-a-goddess would take offense to someone calling her child a bastard – but none seemed to catch their sect leader’s interest.

“Consider visiting a few brothels,” Nie Zonghui’s great-uncle suggested. “Anything to get you back in the habit of thinking about women of a less divine nature – though of course we’d prefer that she be literate.”

The sect leader scowled and stalked off to go night-hunting instead.

“I don’t like brothels,” he said to Nie Zonghui as they made their way through an especially deserted mountain valley in search of something that had murdered all the local mensfolk in the surrounding villages with especial viciousness. “Surely there’s an option in between.”

Nie Zonghui preferred his sabers to either men or women, but he obediently wracked his brain to think of where people in stories and famous songs found their wives. “Innkeeper’s daughters?” he finally suggested.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” the sect leader scoffed, but the very next day, he decided to break his usual habit of staying out in the wild no matter the weather in favor of taking shelter from the encroaching storm in a small inn right at the base of an especially lonesome and nasty-looking cliff.

“We’re always happy to have guests,” the innkeeper said with a somewhat sinister smile – he was pale as a ghost in the guttering candlelight, and his lips looked very red. “My daughter will show you to your rooms.”

The daughter in question was inhumanly beautiful: small and graceful, with a fox’s face and dark hair that fell to her knees.

“Wow,” the sect leader said, staring at her. “You know, I think you could kill me with those nails of yours.”

Nie Zonghui took a look and agreed with the sentiment, seeing that her nails were as long as claws and looked just as sharp, but apparently he and the sect leader had somewhat different interpretations of this sequence of events and plans on how to address it.

Namely, Nie Zonghui pointed out that the lady was obviously some sort of yao or maybe a gui and that she was probably the one seducing the local mensfolk, draining their yang energy and then slaughtering them, and therefore that it was undoubtedly their duty as cultivators – and cultivators of the Nie sect in particular – to put an end to her vile deeds through the swift application of their sabers. Furthermore, he explained, they should take care never to allow themselves to be alone with her in the process, lest she seek to entrance them with her seductive magics and lure them to their undoubtedly violent deaths.

The sect leader’s rebuttal to this line of logic was limited to “I’m the sect leader and if I want to bang the probably-a-ghost, I’m going to bang the ghost and there’s nothing you can do to stop me”.

Amazingly enough, the sect leader did not end up dead the next day – the innkeeper looked just as surprised as Nie Zonghui felt – and instead announced, very happily, that he was planning on marrying her.

“You what,” the innkeeper said, staring at his very smug-looking ‘daughter’. In light of dawn, she was wearing a dress of many colors with a foxfur ruff, and her beauty was almost painful to behold.

“You why,” Nie Zonghui moaned.

“You shut up,” the sect leader told him. “I’ll have you know that my lady here is very clever, literate and well-learned, and she doesn’t at all mind being the second wife. Weren’t you one of the ones on my case about getting a Nie-furen to help managing things back home?”

“I didn’t think we needed to specify that the person in question didn’t murder a lot of people!”

“Isn’t his first wife supposedly a war goddess?” the lady inquired, her clever eyes dancing in amusement.

“Well…yes…”

“Also, all those men deserved it,” she said. After a brief pause, she added, “In my opinion as a totally unrelated observer, of course.”

“See?” the sect leader said, putting his arm around her waist. “No problem. Anyway, she’ll stick to killing bad people from now on, it’s fine.”

The lady smiled. There were many teeth in that smile, and they were very sharp.

“If she doesn’t, I’ll have my first wife discipline her,” the sect leader added and her smile abruptly disappeared.

Nie Zonghui coughed into his hand, but reluctantly admitted that maybe this wouldn’t turn out to be as bad as all that.

“Huaisang is a lovely name,” Nie Zonghui’s mother said, being the best of them at diplomacy when she put her mind to it, although admittedly it was something she did only very rarely. “I think we were just expecting something a little different, that’s all.”

“Possibly something a little more fox related,” Nie Zonghui’s father said.

“Please,” the sect leader’s second wife said. “That would be gauche.”

They looked at her.

“…all of my suggestions along those lines got rejected,” she admitted, and glared at the small shrine in the corner as if it had personally wronged her. In this context, it very well might have.

“Is there anything we should keep an eye out for?” Nie Zonghui said, watching his little cousin carry around his even littler cousin under his arm as if he were a sack of potatoes and not a baby that hadn’t yet had its first month celebration. He would have interfered but for the fact that little Nie Huaisang seemed to be notably more in control of his various limbs than the usual infant. “A tail, for instance?”

“Oh, no,” the second lady said. “Nothing like that.”

“Great,” Nie Zonghui said. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“It’s very rare for fox children to achieve a grand plot worthy of a tail in their first lifetime.” A pause. “From what I understand, that is.”

“Great,” Nie Zonghui said. “…great.”

“You’ll take good care of him when I’m gone, won’t you?” she asked, and when they all looked at her, smiled. “Not for another year or two, don’t worry, but I really can’t stay here that long. Sometimes, a girl’s got urges she has to take care of.��

“The sort of urges where we’d need to hunt down a mysteriously appearing fox yao for having murdered a lot of people?”

“I already promised to stop killing people,” she said sulkily. “Although I do think I made some plausible arguments in favor of a little bit of entirely justified murder in connection with the Jin sect and maybe the Lan sect and, oh, the Jiang sect –”

“Please don’t.”

“It’s not my fault your Great Sects are all headed by men who wrong women.”

“You’re not wrong,” Nie Zonghui’s mother said, and Nie Zonghui’s father looked alarmed. “But still, don’t.”

“You’re such spoilsports. But no, as it happens, it’s getting to that time when I need to return home for a while to pay my respects to the older generation.”

“How often does that happen?” Nie Zonghui’s father asked. “Once a century?”

“A gentleman shouldn’t ask a lady her age,” she sniffed. “At any rate, my family home is rather far away and they’re fairly insular, so I’ll probably be gone for at least a decade or so. I’d take the baby with me, but, well, you know, long travel and all. He’s better off sticking with his father.”

“All right,” Nie Zonghui’s mother said. “We understand, and we’ll help take care of him as best we can.”

“I’m glad.”

“We have only one thing to ask of you in return.”

Their second lady arched her delicate eyebrows.

Nie Zonghui’s mother smiled. “You be the one to tell your sister-in-law that you’re leaving your post.”

“…you know, on second thought, maybe I can push my departure out a few more years…”

“Before you say anything, I want to be clear right now that I don’t need a third wife,” their sect leader said. “I’m fine.”

“Sect Leader,” Nie Zonghui’s mother said, not unaffectionately. “You’re not allowed a third wife.”

“And therefore – wait, really?” he asked, a little skeptically. “You’re not concerned about me?”

“Oh, we’re very concerned about you,” Nie Zonghui’s father said. “But not in that specific respect. Some celibacy would probably be good for you, at least in terms of increasing your life expectancy.”

“…my sister is lying in wait with a cleaver to make sure she doesn’t have to take on the duties of Nie-furen again, isn’t she.”

“I’m not discounting that possibility, but don’t worry about it, it’s fine, we’ll talk to her. The Lan sect haven’t had a proper hostess in years either, we can just say we’re following their example.”

The sect leader eyed his cousins beadily. “They haven’t had a proper sect leader in years, either.”

“No, you don’t say,” Nie Zonghui’s mother said dryly. “What a coincidence -”

“You have two fine sons,” Nie Zonghui’s father said hastily. “That seems like enough, really.”

“You don’t think they need a mother…?”

“Sect Leader,” Nie Zonghui interjected politely. “While we admit that it may be within your capabilities to be able to find a mother willing to deal with one step-son who has been waiving around a saber taller than he is since he learned to walk and has a penchant for the unyielding, unmerciful and very violent application of the norms of divine justice –”

Nie Mingjue’s presence bolstered the spirit of good men, while his gaze seemed to make evildoers itch. He was the most earnestly good person Nie Zonghui had ever met, and also one of the most stiff and unbending in respect to what he believed should and should not be done.

Unfortunate that his standards didn’t seem to match up to the needs of either human law or diplomacy…

“– as well as another who can scheme circles around anyone and persuade them of anything as long as he puts his mind to it and only doesn’t because he’s too busy lazing around in the sun to bother –”

Nie Huaisang liked to file his nails down to something that looked quite normal, but they grew sharp quickly enough if he wasn’t paying attention, and he had a penchant for pranks. There was nothing quite as unnerving as running into a sudden and unexpected ambush and then suddenly hearing the shrill peal of a fox’s laughter, hidden behind a scholarly fan.

“– but all things considered, we’d really rather you - didn’t.”

His mother and father nodded fervently.

“Good,” the sect leader said, though he still looked suspiciously at them as if he thought they were hiding something. “Good. As long as we’re agreed.”

Nie Zonghui walked in on his sect leader pinning the Wen sect leader to a wall, murmuring something in a low voice with a very particular smile on his face, and then he turned around and walked right back out again.

The sect leader of the Wen sect might appear beautiful and young, but he was at least a generation older than the Nie sect leader. Not that that had stopped the latter from relying on their respective positions to refer to him in startlingly intimate terms – my dear A-Han, the sect leader would say with a touch of wickedness that reminded one of his second son and the tiger gall bravery of his first – and while at first the Wen sect leader had taken it as a challenge to his authority, an act of brash insolence, it appeared that they had progressed beyond that.

That the Wen sect leader already had three wives and two concubines apparently didn’t present any obstacles either – except perhaps in what those poor women might have to endure from their husband when he returned from the wretched teasing he was enduring. Nie Zonghui felt a bit of pity for them.

Shortly thereafter, he felt a bit of pity for himself. The Wen sect had long dreamed of dominating the cultivation world and sought to increase their influence with the other sects through underhanded means, with the Nie sect opposing them at every turn. Even if war was not on the immediate horizon, the wise could smell its distant approach in the air - the best estimates said that it would take another decade or two to arrive, unless the Nie sect leader took an especially hard stance.

It appeared, however, that the Nie sect leader had chosen to take a different sort of…hard stance.

Ugh.

Maybe Nie Zonghui could conspire to throw his sect leader into a cage with a live tiger in heat next time he felt in the mood. It’d probably be less dangerous.

Nie Zonghui had assumed that the first person to talk to him about what he had seen would be his sect leader, even if it was only to remind him of the general rule that the sect leader had ultimate power and therefore could exercise his own bad judgment in deciding to fuck whoever he wished, but instead it was the Wen sect leader that found him later that afternoon.

A flush had yet to fully fade from his cheeks, and Nie Zonghui raised his eyes to the ceiling to avoid looking directly at the man in front of him.

He did not want to know. Others might, given that no one had ever complained about the looks of either party, but he himself had realized long ago that he had no interest in matters of the flesh under any circumstances; he was very content with that conclusion.

“Is there some service this one can provide to Sect Leader Wen?” he asked politely, and it was only when the sect leader flushed again that he realized belatedly that his words could be misconstrued. After all, his own sect leader had probably already made a similar offer regarding the provision of services…

“Your sect leader has a sister, doesn’t he?” the other man asked, his voice tight and his hands in even tighter fists. “I’m not misremembering that?”

“He does,” Nie Zonghui responded honestly, and not without sympathy for the Wen sect leader’s position. He was given to understand that making certain belated discoveries regarding one’s own preferences could be highly disconcerting, particularly later in life. “But she’s rather different in kind than what you may be thinking, so it won’t work out that way. It wouldn’t work even if she wasn’t already married, which she is.”

After a moment of thought, he added, “Also, consider your predecessors.”

The Wen sect leader’s eyes narrowed.

Really, it was the sect leader’s own damn fault that he got himself murdered.

#mdzs #lao nie #nie zonghui #madame nie 1 and 2 #wen ruohan #my fic #my fics #the alternate name of this fic was #a goddess a yao and a tyrant walk into a bar to bitch about their boyfriend #but I refrained #atwitchofthewrist

334 notes · View notes

wacky-nameless-inventor-24 · 2 years

Note

For abandoned fic- Anxiety

Oh gosh I'm assuming you're specifically asking after a Blue one-

Unfortunatelyyyyyy though I think I'm out of Blue Phantom ones, except for one more that (is actually finished) I think I want to save for whenever I post my Negaverse stories. XD SO INSTEAD here's my original clone bonding story (before I decided to sneak that into 'Where's My Mind'). It's a sequence of Mads and Webby somehow accidentally running into each other before Webby gets up the courage to ask him about clones. Their first meeting is in the woods around McDuck Manor, Webby's out training and ends up falling out of a tree, right next to where Mads was hiding to spy on the Ducks.

~~~

He could’ve turned around and left. Frankly, he should have. Webbigail was extremely loyal to Scrooge, and a powerful fighter. Having her taken out would make it much easier for Mads to kill Scrooge.

But she was also only twelve, and probably couldn’t make it back on her own. The mansion was over half a mile away, through thick woods, and her ankle looked swollen already.

He was about to step away when a small sob escaped her, and that was it.

Mads stepped out of the bushes, walking towards her. “What's going on?”

Her head jerked up, her expression surprised, before hardening to a scowl. “Mad Ducktor. What are you doing here?”

“Coming to kill Scrooge, the usual.” He waved a hand. He wasn't the subject of attention here. “What are you doing here?”

“Like I’d tell you.” She looked away, beak in the air.

“You fell out of that tree, didn’t you.” It wasn't a question.

“...Yes.” She admitted it quietly, her face turning red. “Don’t tell anyone?”

He snorted. “Like anyone would believe me.”

A moment of awkward silence, neither of them looking at each other.

“So, are you going to kidnap me or something? Or kill me?” Webby asked suspiciously.

Oooh, he could get quite a big ransom for her, but money wasn’t what he wanted. He could get a lot of that quite easily, the Beagle Boys robbed the banks enough, he could just steal it from them before Gizmoduck arrived.

Or maybe, he could get Scrooge to hand himself over for her. He might do that.

But no, that wouldn’t work. If he wanted to attack them it would have to be through more stealth than that. Kidnapping Webby would bring the entire Duck family down on him, and he wasn’t sure if he could manage to hold them all off.

But with proper planning he could… Though it wouldn’t be very beneficial to kidnap her right now. He had to prepare more before he could do that, she would be the last thing he’d need before demanding a ransom.

So he shook his head. “No. I just saw you out here and wondered what you were doing.”

“Well I was doing some of my samurai training before one of the stupid branches broke and I fell.” She scowled. “It didn’t even look dead! Ugh, I should’ve been watching better though.”

He nudged the nearest branch with his foot. “This one? This one was clearly dead.”

“No, not that one, that one.” She nodded at a thicker, much more alive-looking branch.

“Huh.” He paused. “Well, uh, do you want help with anything?”

“What? From you?” She looked startled, then suspicious. “How do I know this isn’t a trap?”

“You don’t,” Mads said truthfully. “But if you need help…”

“Not from you,” she said, frowning. “I can make it back on my own perfectly fine. I was just… resting.”

“Okay then,” he said, and promptly turned on his heel and left, leaving Webby behind, extremely confused.

But Mads didn’t go far. He slipped out of earshot before doubling back around to the other side, as quiet as possible.

She was still watching the place he’d disappeared to, her feathers ruffled as if on edge, waiting for some kind of attack.

Mads was sure she was too paranoid for someone her age.

It almost made him feel bad.

Almost.

She sat there for a moment before gingerly trying to pull herself to her feet, using the tree as support, not putting any weight on her right ankle, which was very obviously swollen and very red.

Mads watched silently as she tried to walk, hopping along on one foot. She was very good at balancing, but the forest floor wasn’t a great place to hop on one foot barefoot. She stepped on a branch and squeaked, falling to the ground.

Webby’s eyes filled with tears as she looked around, her legs gingerly crossed. “Oh no oh no oh no…” She said.

He didn’t know why he was still there. He could help, but she’d turned him down… So why did he stay?

There came a huge boom of thunder from above the trees and Webby jumped, her feathers on end.

It was going to start raining soon,

And she was stuck out here.

Webby slowly pulled herself backwards so she was leaning against the tree, carefully inspecting the cut on the bottom of her foot. Mads couldn’t see it from where he was, but he could tell the way she gingerly looked at it that it was pretty bad.

The first drops fell, before eventually morphing into a full-on downpour. Mads didn’t want to get wet, but he didn’t want to leave Webby out here by herself.

Shouts echoed through the woods. Mads looked up, startled a little. He'd been watching Webby for just under an hour by now, and she hadn't moved.

“Webby. Webby!”

“Webby! Where are you?”

They were far off though, and Webby was either asleep, or unconscious from blood loss.

But either way, she wouldn’t be able to answer.

For a moment, Mads considered calling out to them, but then decided that he didn’t want to give up the fact that he was on the McDuck’s property.

The calling went on for nearly an hour, the cries getting desperate. Finally they stopped, and from overhead came the noise of the Sunchaser flying just above the trees.

But they wouldn’t be able to see her from above, huddled under the tree like she was.

After several minutes of that Mads stood, and walked over to the duckling, who was curled on her side, soaking wet and shivering.

“Why am I helping you?” He asked her, picking her up. She was even lighter than she looked.

He wasn’t expecting a response, and he didn’t get one. Webby just unconsciously curled closer to the warmth of his body, and he sighed.

It was a little tricky, carrying the limp body of a duckling through the woods in the middle of a rainstorm in the near dark, but Mads managed it. Webby shivered uncontrollably the entire time, teeth chattering.

One time Mads nearly slipped in the mud, just barely catching himself with his hand. The bottom of his cloak was completely covered in muck.

Finally, they made it to the front door of the mansion, Mads using the small EMP wave built into his hand to black out the cameras.

They were in the middle of a thunderstorm anyway, no one would suspect a thing.

Mads walked up the steps and set Webby down on the porch, then reached for the doorbell, ready to bolt.

As he did though, there came a small voice from his feet. “...You?”

Mads jumped, then looked down to see Webby’s eyes open, looking up at him. “Don’t do that!” He growled. “Yes, me.”

“But… why?”

“Well, I couldn’t just leave you out there, could I?” He shook his head. “Well, whatever. See you later.”

Mads rang the doorbell then dashed off before she could say or do anything else.

~~~

The second time they met was at Gyro's house, Mads accidentally crossed Glomgold, and Glomgold had some goons that attacked him. He went to Gyro's to recover, and Webby happened to be there around the same time. That's as far as I got in coming up with scenarios tho. XD

#thanks for the ask!#shychick-52 #mad ducktor #webby vanderquack #ducktales #ducktales 2017 #DT17 #duckverse #wacky writes #ONCE AGAIN I ANSWERED THIS AND THEN SAVED IT AS A DRAFT AND DIDN'T POST IT DX

5 notes · View notes

alirhi · 3 years

Text

This is oddly fun lol

Let's see how many of these I can churn out before I get distracted or need a break! (pff. like I need an excuse to watch the show again. Despite its flaws, I really, really love TFATWS, guys)

Without further ado, let's get down to it!

Episode 2: The Star-Spangled Man

I'm pretty sure I'm on record when it comes to my undying hate for John Walker, yes? So obviously, Bucky's grumpiness 100% stays 😂

I'm not really a fan of how much emphasis they put on the shield. I can see it as a catalyst for Bucky to go confront Sam, yes, but he wouldn't keep going "shield shield shield" like a broken record. Bucky has consistently been shown to be an empathetic man. I can't believe for a second that he'd be barking at Sam about having no right to give up the shield; he'd ask why. Sam's got shit to do, so he'd get impatient and not answer.

"Why'd you give up so easily? If you were overwhelmed, I could've helped you-" "You've been ignoring me. Like now, how you're ignoring me walking away from you." "Well, you weren't texting me about this." "You think I needed your permission?!" "No, but I was right there with Steve while he was learning what it meant to be Cap. I wouldn't mind helping you get used to-" "Then go teach him." A vague gesture toward the "Cap is back" posters. Bucky makes a face. "Steve passed the mantle to you. You fought with him. You earned it. That little shit didn't." "What do you want me to do about it?" "Just tell me why, Sam. I mean it. I just wanna understand." "Not now, Buck. I've got shit to do. You see me heading for a plane right now, right?" "This is important!" "So is this." Sam tells him about the Flag Smashers, we get our silly Big Three/Gandalf conversation.

I'm sorry, but that whole jumping from the plane scene is funny as hell, and I love all the nods they added in to jokes from the press tours that brought us this show in the first place (like ripping the sleeve off his jacket lol). I don't think I'd change a single thing from the Big Three convo to Bucky joining Sam in the warehouse.

"You're doing the staring thing again." "You're staring at your watch," Bucky points out. He knows it's linked to Redwing, he's just pointing out how dumb that line is in that situation. They're there for recon lol. They're meant to be looking around.

I don't...particularly care about the other common gripe here? Meaning, "Bucky's a civilian, so why is he allowed to randomly jump in on a military mission?" Bucky's also known in this universe as an Avenger, just like Sam, so I don't think anyone would really bat an eye at him joining. Also, I have my own agenda related to Bucky's apparent freedom to walk in and out of military/government things.

What does bug me (as funny as it is) is Bucky's animosity toward Redwing. Again... Bucky is a certified nerd. Always has been. If anything, he'd be fascinated by Redwing and Sam would constantly have to slap him away because he's leaning in too close trying to see the tiny watch monitor. "I don't trust Redwing" is just old man griping "I don't trust your newfangled technology" and that... that's not Bucky.

And that "we're not assassins" dig, and then laughing when Bucky gets upset? That's not Sam. Both of these men have shown a remarkable amount of empathy, and Sam has a background in helping traumatized vets. If he cared enough about Bucky to be texting him after Steve left, he'd care enough not to make callous jokes about his time as The Winter Soldier, whether he knows the full story or not.

The fight on top of moving trucks looks cool, but makes no logical sense. I keep trying to think of a way to explain this from a story perspective, rather than a lazy "it looks cool!" filmmaking one, and I'm coming up blank. Anyone with half a brain would have pulled over, had the fight, and then taken off. It was a fun sequence, though... Eh. I'll leave it.

When Karli breaks Redwing, Bucky doesn't say "I always wanted to do that." Again, it's funny - I love the jabs about that stupid robo bird XD - but not Bucky. In my version, he smirks and says "You're so gonna regret that."

"You were kinda getting your asses kicked before we got there." Is immediately followed by Bucky staring him down and asking, "And... how did that fight end for you?" Sam adds, "I don't see them in custody. Are-are they following in a van?" He looks around, sarcastically searching for another vehicle. Walker and Hoskins grimace at each other, grudgingly conceding that point.

credit to @dailycelebs

Seeing Walker, and having to listen to his stupid pro-government rhetoric, makes Bucky think about Steve. When we cut from the Flag Smashers back to Bucky and Sam and the closeup of Bucky's pensive face, we hear 1940s Steve angrily telling 1940s Bucky about how the higher ups in the army had already written off the POWs and were going to leave them to die. "I love our country, Buck," he laments, "but what do I do when I'm not too sure anymore about the people who run it?"

"What you always do," is young Bucky's answer, "stand for what's right, not who's in power."

Perfect lead-in to the conversation about handling things themselves.

When Sam meets Isaiah, and hears his story, not only is he horrified and heartsick for him, but he also begins to see Bucky in a new light. He's seeing Bucky's face, the way he tries to hide his emotions and not make this conversation about him, and he's putting things together. He's still upset at being out of the loop, but he's seeing more of the situation than just "omg black super soldier". When Bucky says "he'd already been through enough," Sam asks quietly, "like you?"

The racist cop comes back before Bucky can answer, to arrest him for missing his appointment with Raynor.

ngl guys, I was so moved by the difference in how that cop treated Sam (before knowing he's Important) vs how he treated Bucky (knowing that the government views him as a violent, if pardoned, criminal). He approaches Sam with his hand on his gun, eager to defend Bucky; "is this guy bothering you?" Just because they're having a heated conversation. Then, when he sees that there's a warrant for Bucky, he approaches timidly, apologizes, treats him gently and politely. By "moved," btw, I don't mean "it was so sweet." I mean "this is fucking sick, and very, very realistic." White cops see a white guy and treat him with respect regardless of his actual criminal record, while being openly hostile towards an innocent black man without even knowing who he is, just because he's black. Moments like this made me applaud Spellman.

"You, too, Sam - That wasn't a request" is Sam's first sign that there's something off about Raynor.

Look, again... The couples therapy banter is funny because Sebastian and Anthony are funny, but that scene, from a storytelling and a mental health standpoint, is atrocious. Without some underlying reason behind her actions, Raynor is just a pointlessly terrible therapist.

Rather than insulting Bucky from the outset, Sam is angry with Raynor for violating Bucky's privacy by not only introducing herself as his therapist, but forcing a "couples" session without her patient's consent. With his background pre-Avenging, he knows this shit shouldn't fly. He immediately points out how unprofessional she's being.

Raynor doesn't bother listening - the fuck does she care, really? She shrugs and casually admits it's "slightly unprofessional" but proceeds anyway.

"Whatever's eating at him?" Sam scoffs. "Did you really just say that to a WWII veteran and the world's longest-serving POW with complex PTSD? Did I hear that right? I've had, maybe, like five conversations with this man since we met, and even I know he's been through some shit and-" "Sam," Bucky tries to interrupt, looking uncomfortable. With his crushing guilt, he has an easier time dealing with insults than someone coming to his defense. "No," Sam snaps. "If the HIPAA Slayer over here wants to drag me into this, she's damn well gonna hear what I have to say!" He turns back to Raynor and demands, "Is this how you've been treating him this whole time? Downplaying what he's been through and making a grown-ass man sound like a sulking teenager?" Raynor keeps her cool, but barely. Visibly frustrated and annoyed, she ignores Sam's tirade and tries to force the conversation back onto the track she wants it on. Bucky's embarrassed and doesn't know how to react to any of this, so he still makes that little "he would talk less" jab. Sam, seeing that he's not going to get anywhere with him until they're away from this bitch, glowers and plays along. We get our silly/angry banter.

After their argument with Walker, Sam finally confronts Bucky about what really happened to him.

"He meant HYDRA; HYDRA used to be my people." "Were they?" Sam asks, stopping him and looking him in the eye, not letting him look away or deflect. "Steve was under the impression that they were your captors. I was under the impression that the Wakandans spent two years deprogramming you so no one could use you the way HYDRA did ever again." "I-" Startled, not expecting that, Bucky stutters a little and admits, "Yeah, I... That's true, I guess." "You guess?" "Does it matter? Sam rolls his eyes. "I dunno, does it matter that you were a slave for most of the 20th century?" "I doubt it matters much to my victims." "HYDRA's victims," Sam corrects firmly. "Just like you." Bucky fidgets; he doesn't know what to do or say. No one since Steve has even so much as insinuated that Bucky wasn't 100% culpable for what he did while under HYDRA control. "Look," Sam sighs, "I don't particularly like you. I don't hate you, but I'm not your biggest fan." "...Thanks?" "I just need you to know where I stand-" "Yeah, got it-" "-So you know I'm not biased like Steve when I say you had no choice. I don't know your story, but I know no one flips on a dime from docile and plagued with guilt to an unstoppable killing machine and back without some serious psychological damage behind that. I'm not saying you're an innocent little bunny, but I don't think you're a monster." "Thanks," Bucky croaks, more sincerely this time, and a bit choked up. He clears his throat and looks distinctly uncomfortable as he grumbles, "but to catch these guys, we may need to talk to a monster." Sam cringes. "I was afraid you'd say that."

#sebastian stan #anthony mackie #tfatws #tfatws critical #fan ramblings #show rewrite #if i'd written it #episode 2

19 notes · View notes

gem-rewatch · 4 years

Text

SU rewatch- S1E11- Arcade Mania

Hey, long time no see!

I’m desperately bored in solitary quarantine at university right now, and decided to try and pick this SU rewatch series up again for fun. It’s been a while since I’ve watched through the show in order. Plus, now that this show is completely finished, there’s plenty more connections to make. I can’t promise I’ll be consistent with this, but at the very least I can have fun trying to make a few more posts at my leisure.

Anyways. With that business out of the way. Let’s get right on to the show!

We begin with yet another mission Steven’s guardians have brought him along on! I believe this is the fifth mission we know of that he’s accompanied them on so far. (Lunar Sea Spire, Inverted Pyramid, the unknown mission he returns from in Tiger Millionaire, the desert, and now this one.) It’s really sweet seeing the Gems begin to trust him tagging along more often. There will come a day in the near future where missions become routine for Steven, but in these early episodes, you can really tell that each and every one is a brand new adventure.

In terms of plot, though, this episode is honestly Future Vision: The Prequel.

We learn a lot about Garnet’s abilities and her role in the team here, even if all of these details aren’t spelled out word-for-word quite yet. Hints towards her future vision we see this ep include:

Garnet moving ahead of the group to be in the perfect spot to catch Steven when he falls.

Her flawless moves while fighting and dodging the monsters.

Her becoming a master at the rhythm game later in the episode.

Like, damn. Look at this.

Look at her go.

My Q U E E N!

I had to gif all of this just because it’s such a beautiful and smooth sequence of animation.

If there’s one thing all of the Crystal Gems can 100% agree on, it’s that Garnet is friggin’ amazing.

Garnet: “Let them go. They’re just parasites. If they want to be a problem, they’ll have to answer to me.”

So, does this statement mean that- at this present moment- her extended stay at the arcade was entirely beyond her future vision? That the only futures she saw were ones where she was actually present to deal with containment of the Gem parasites? Given that later scenes insinuate she’d never been to the arcade before, and would have no “data” about its games to factor into her internal understanding of the world, this seems likely.

I adore the gradual palette change here, from shadow, to setting sun. It’s a nice detail that adds so much more life to what could otherwise be a rather mundane transition scene. It seems like unique palettes were more common in early SU- I wonder why Crewniverse stopped implementing these as often later on?

Pearl, entering the arcade: “Humans find such fascinating ways to waste their time.”

Thanks, Pearl. Love you too. <3

This sequence of Pearl failing at playing a car chase/road rage game hits so much different knowing what happens in Last One Out of Beach City. It’s genuinely radical how far she grows in confidence from this point, because here, she seems so shackled to rules and guidelines. Now that we know about her rebellious past, it might be tempting to write this characterization off as “early series weirdness,” but... I don’t think that’s what’s happening here.

Instead, I wonder if she’s working through grief-related regression.

Think about it... the pain of Rose’s passing is still so fresh for her. She was a rule breaking rebel once, yes, but she spent all of those days at Rose’s side. And I get the sense that she’s poured so much of herself into keeping Rose safe, into the rebellion against Homeworld, that without those, she’s caught in a vacuum. What IS her purpose now, when the very person she rebelled for is gone?

So she slips back into old pearl-like habits. Chronic rule following, and a fear of deviating from norms. How familiar. Thankfully, much of her arc throughout the show is her directly growing beyond these habits to live boldly as her own Gem.

The friggin video game when Garnet knocks its head off: “TELL MY WIFE I’M SORRYYY!!!”

Yo, what the fuck. This line is both hilarious and messed up, all at once. Please tell me the game isn’t sentient.

Aaaand here we finally introduce Garnet to the video game sensation that is Meat Beat Mania! This game is perfectly suited to her and her power of foresight because its patterns are algorithmic and not vulnerable to spontaneous deviations, and thus easy to predict, with enough input. She’s probably getting a quick rush of satisfaction with every correct move, and she barely has to exert any energy with her future vision to get that rush. After years and years of wading through endless possibility at every avenue, this video game’s patterns must be a rejuvenating breath of fresh air.

It’s addicting.

...Kinda makes me think of how I get sometimes when I play solitaire on my phone for an hour straight. After a while, I barely even think, I’m just shuffling through my deck and moving cards almost on automatic. I don’t have to use much energy to play, and it gives me animated fireworks every time I finish a match. It’s a win-win.

Amethyst: “I’MMA WIN AN AIRPLANE!”

I don’t know what it is about the way Michaela Dietz says the world “airplane,” but this makes me laugh every time. Does... does she think she can win a genuine airplane here because she saw Onion win a tiny motorbike from the ticket booth?? Amethyst, oh my god. XD

She’s got the spirit, this wild child.

So, moving on- we meet up with our crew later the next morning, Garnet nowhere to be seen. There’s an interesting exchange I’d like to highlight real quick-

Pearl: “If we’re supposed to fight a giant foot, Garnet would let us know.” Amethyst: “Yeah, Garnet’s the boss!” Pearl: “Well, we’re all a team. Garnet just has heightened perception that guides us towards our mission objectives.”

Considering the specific phrasing Pearl uses here- “heightened perception” instead of “future vision-” did Garnet outright tell the two of them to not explain her powers, just like she told them not to mention she’s a fusion? Because I’m pretty sure no one ever uses the phrase “heightened perception” again in reference to her powers.

Given the fact that Garnet chose to keep the knowledge of Ruby and Sapphire under the table until she felt Steven could understand her better, my guess is that this is a similar scenario.

Ahah, I genuinely can’t tell if this is Steven being gullible, or just impulsively playing along with Amethyst’s antics. Still- gross, kid. Don’t wipe your wet cereal face on your shirt! Ew! :O

When he goes outside and starts to use a kiddy metal detector to scan for quarters... so THAT’S where he finds his arcade money! Because I can’t imagine Greg is financially able to give him that much to spend on non-essentials at this point in the show.

Okay, so... I just want to bring light to the fact that Garnet has literally been in this arcade ALL NIGHT LONG.

It was evening when she first arrived here- the sun was visibly setting in the background, and when Steven, Amethyst, and Pearl left, the sky was dark. But now it’s morning. Steven was just seen eating breakfast. And Garnet is STILL HERE.

Does this mean Mr. Smiley locked her IN? I have so many questions... Did he try to get her to leave, only to be intimidated by her complete lack of response? I would kill to know more about this interaction. Poor Mr. Smiley. That man deals with so much bullshit in this town, huh?

Geebus, is Garnet a solid wall. Previous episodes have shown Steven forcibly shoving whole tons of food, and swinging a mini-freezer over his head, and yet he can’t get her to budge even an inch.

I absolutely adore how he climbs up her frame like a koala, though, ahah. Cute.

Meat Beat Mania announcer: “That’s rare!!” Steven: “Oh my gosh...!”

I take these two lines as evidence that this is the first time Steven’s ever seen Garnet’s eyes. Specifically, the fact that there’s three of them. Which, makes sense- since Garnet is still really reserved emotionally at this point, and is only begins to get in the habit of taking her visor off to show Steven her full face later on in the show.

This expression deeply hurts me.

Steven’s so distraught here- because the others are in danger, the town is in danger, and he doesn’t have his trusty, dependable guardian who catches him when he falls and beats up scary monsters for him. Without her, the whole team is vulnerable and blind.

He feels alone. He feels... powerless.

And so he responds to that confusing, powerless feeling by trying to compensate with his own power. When all other routes he can think of fail, he smashes the video game console.

It... uh, it works... but once again, Steven entirely fails to consider the consequences, huh? He experienced a little bit of character growth in this regard in the episode Serious Steven, but even past that it’ll remain an recurring issue for him. Hell, his impulsiveness is a general character flaw even stretching into SUF.

In summary, though:

Poor Mr. Smiley. He works so hard, and doesn’t deserve this BS. ;-;

#su #su meta #steven universe #arcade mania #garnet #amethyst #pearl #mr. smiley #jen rewatches su

121 notes · View notes