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loveroftoomanyfandoms · 1 year ago

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Cooking Up Love, Chapter 11

Pairing: Chef!Matt Murdock x F!Journalist!Reader

Rating: T

Story Summary: Here

Warnings/Tags: Hallmark levels of fluffy, cheesy goodness (and speed that their relationship develops, lol), no use of Y/N, Matt is not a vigilante, idiots in love, Kelsie is her own warning 😈

Word Count: ~1k

A/N: Super short but super important chapter here! This is setting up our Mega Angst for the story, which will be coming next! 👀

As always, thanks to @theradioactivespidergwen for the stellar divider! 🥰

Tag List: @yarrystyleeza @hailey-murdock @mattkinsella @bellaxgiornata @danzer8705 @chezagnes @shouldbestudying41 @thepunisherfrankcastle @mattmurdocks6thscaleapartment @roseslovedreams

Ugh, why isn't this coffee kicking in, you thought to yourself while you sat at your desk attempting to proofread several articles for the Thursday digital edition of the paper later that morning. I've read this same sentence no less than 5 times.

You shook your head, trying to clear it. The unusual quiet in the normally bustling office definitely wasn't helping your sleepiness. Maybe some stronger coffee will help.

You stood up and walked towards the break room. Skyler had brought a bag of espresso roast coffee in the previous week and you were pretty sure there was some still left.

You paused as you spotted Ellison at the Keurig. "Copier's on the fritz again," you said, walking over towards the cabinet that held the coffee mugs. "Thought you should know."

Ellison nodded as he waited for his coffee to finish. "Hopefully there'll be enough money in the budget to replace it next year. Damn thing's probably older than I am."

He looked over at you and squinted. "No offense, but you look like shit."

You huffed out a laugh. "Gee thanks, Mitch. You sure know how to make a girl feel special."

"Rough night?"

You shook your head. "Just tired. I only slept about an hour last night."

Ellison studied you for a moment. "Look, why don't you take the rest of the day off? Go home and get some rest."

You opened your mouth to protest, then thought better of it. You were still exhausted and a nap honestly sounded wonderful at the moment. "Are you sure?" you asked instead. "I was just going to get some more coffee and try to power through the rest of the day."

Ellison nodded. "Absolutely. It's been a slow news day, and besides, you've been working your ass off lately and deserve a break."

You smiled. "Okay. Thanks, I appreciate it."

Ellison shrugged. "Eh, don't get all sappy on me. I just don't want you burning out on me, otherwise who else would tell me if my editorial column sucks or not?"

You grinned. "Oh I'm sure people would be lining up for that privilege."

Ellison chuckled. "Seriously, go get some rest."

You nodded. "I will. Thanks, Mitch. Really. I'll see you tomorrow."

You walked back out to your desk and gathered your things, then stopped by Skyler's desk. "Ellison gave me the rest of the day off, so I'm heading home. I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?"

Skyler nodded. "Okay. Get some rest."

As you headed down to the first floor and out the door, you considered stopping by Daredevil on your way home so you could apologize to Matt in person.

You headed towards your apartment building, sighing happily when you finally walked in the door.

You shook your head. You were so tired that you honestly weren't even sure if you could come up with a coherent apology. I'll talk to him after my article is turned in.

You peeked in your pantry and refrigerator, wrinkling your nose at the paltry options you had for dinner that evening. Instead of a choice between boxed pasta, instant ramen, or leftover Chinese takeout you wished you had Matt's spaghetti carbonara, pesto-parmesan linguine, and tiramisu. Maybe I could order something for delivery later, try something else on the menu.

You headed into your bedroom, changing into something more comfortable before climbing into bed.

Your mind drifted to your article. You really didn't want to have to replay the last few minutes of the blind tasting yet again, but you needed to add a bit about it at the end so you could give it a quick read-through then send it to Ellison.

You sighed. You were a professional, dammit, and no matter your feelings, you were going to write a damn good article about Matt… Even if you never spoke to him again after it was all over.

I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable last night… No, take responsibility for your actions, Matthew.

I'm sorry for trying to kiss you last night… Actually, no, I'm really not.

I apologize for my behavior last night. I must have misread the situation and… Ugh.

Matt sighed as he rode the elevator up to the Bulletin offices, wishing he would have had time to make a fresh tiramisu for you.

He stepped off the elevator, unable to detect your now-familiar heartbeat among those of the rest of the Bulletin staff.

"Can I help you?" said a woman's voice to his left.

"Uh, yeah." Matt turned towards her and asked to speak to you.

"She's not here."

Matt sighed. Damn it. He probably wouldn't have time to come back later and based on what Foggy had said about you looking miserable he wasn't sure if you would be willing to come by the restaurant either. "Do you know when she'll be back?"

"Actually ," the woman continued, "she's out on assignment for the rest of the day. You know those investigative types, always looking for their next big scoop."

Matt furrowed his brow. That had been the exact opposite of the type of stories you had told him you were interested in writing. "I thought she was in Features."

"Oh, yeah, she is, but she really wants to be an investigative journalist, you know, digging up the dirt on people, finding out their deepest, darkest secrets and publishing them for the world to see." The woman paused. "Nothing nor no one is going to stand in the way of her and a good exposé… even if she has to make one up."

She made a dismissive sound. "Anyway, would you like to leave a message for her? I'll make sure that she gets it."

Matt shook his head. "Oh, uh, no, that's okay. I'll… catch up with her another time. Thank you."

"Sure thing. Have a nice day!"

Matt walked back to the elevator then headed down to the first floor. He had thought that he was getting to know you, but after that surprise revelation from your coworker he wasn't so sure.

He shook his head. Could you have been lying to him this whole time?

#lotmf writes #Cooking Up Love Masterlist #Chef! Matt Murdock x Reader #matt murdock x reader #matt murdock x fem!reader #matt murdock x female reader #matt murdock x you

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em-prentiss · 15 days ago

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nothing in the world belongs to me (but my love)

----

“Hypnos is the Greek god of sleep. He’s the son of Nyx, the night, and the twin brother of death. His sons are the bringers of dreams; there’s Morpheus, Icelus, and—”

“Are you telling me a story?” JJ interrupts.

“It’s a Greek myth,” Emily corrects demurely.

Or, 5 times the BAU was a little in love with Emily, and one time she was a little in love with them.

Word count: 5k

----

Penelope

Penelope Garcia doesn’t often have bad days.

It’s not a stroke of luck, she’s not chosen by the universe. It’s an amalgamation of her best efforts to keep them away. She does what she can, with figurines and and bright colors and pictures of her family forming a protective bubble around herself, but she’s not immune; still, the bad days come. They creep up on her, often catch her off guard. Sometimes, however, she can feel them coming.

This time her period arrives in stormy shades of blue. A darkening cloud hangs over Penelope’s head, growing heavier the more the hours tick by. She dresses herself in her usual color and cheer, holding out a mild hope in finding comfort from the bubbliness of her wardrobe, but try as she might she can’t absorb the same brightness in her voice. Good morning’s are mumbled, her eyes glazed with a thin layer of tears as they skip over her monitors. They dampen her lashes, but she wipes them away before they can stream down her cheeks.

It’s a rough morning, to say the least. The only positive is that the team isn’t on a case, which allows her to sink further into the shadowy depths of melancholy without anyone blowing up her phone. She locks herself in the dark cave of her office and doesn’t come out.

When she’s finally home, she changes into her pink fur pajamas, orders herself a pizza, turns on Titanic, and bawls her eyes out. Her fuzzy blankets and stuffed animals accompany her on the couch, silent companions to her tears that flow in rivers. There’s a heavy weight pressing down on her chest, one she can’t decipher. It’s suffocating and bone-deep, and crying eases the horrible heft from her lungs, so she cuddles a teddy to her chest and watches the movie with blurry eyes.

The sound of her sniffles almost drowns out the ring of the doorbell. Penelope wipes at her damp eyes and grabs the money, opening the door without looking through the peephole. Her wet lashes feather across her cheeks in confused blinks.

Emily Prentiss is certainly not the delivery guy.

Penelope wants to say that, but she huffs out a sniffle instead. Emily’s dark eyes jump over her and before Penelope can ask what she’s doing here, she’s slipping herself past the crack in her door, sympathetic arms reaching for her.

“Oh, babe.”

The thing about Emily is that she’s more affectionate than she looks. Nobody expects her to say soft words like babe, and nobody would imagine that the lithe lines of her body are really very good for a hug. Her hands are firm as she brings Penelope into her, looping her arms around her shoulders and letting their temples softly knock together. She smells like expensive perfume and though she’s cold, the outside chill lingering on her skin, her embrace is a stellar place to be. The money crumples in Penelope’s fist as she sniffles wetly into her neck.

“Y-You’re not m-my pizza guy.”

“I’m not, sorry,” Emily murmurs. She rubs circles into her back. “But I did bring ice cream. And chocolate. I hoped you’d have whipped cream.”

She does have whipped cream.

For some reason, that makes Penelope cry harder.

Emily hums in return and squeezes her, but they only last so long in front of the door before she voices her concern over the melting ice cream. Through the fog of her tears, Penelope agrees. They shuffle to the couch—littered with crumpled tissues and overlapping blankets and a colony of stuffed animals—and though Emily’s expression doesn’t shift, Penelope offers a hoarse explanation.

“Sad movies help me cry it out,” she warbles, throwing away snotty tissues as Emily toes off her shoes and takes out two containers of ice cream from her satchel.

“It’s a good strategy,” she says, cradling the tubs against her chest and flashing Penelope a soft smile. “Cookies and cream or praline?”

Penelope feels her heart tug. The tears still stream hot down her cheeks and she blinks to sharpen Emily’s silhouette, finding patience in her eyes, the small crease of concern above her brows. It makes her want to cry harder. A few months ago, she was fighting tooth and nail to get behind Emily’s steel walls, prodding and nudging to get her to join her and JJ for a quick round of drinks. Now her socked toes tap against Penelope’s rug as she waits for an answer, and the small smile that pulls at Penelope’s lips is the most genuine burst of happiness she’d had all day.

“You’re not gonna tell me not to eat ice cream before dinner?”

Emily’s nose scrunches playfully. “People generally consider me a bad influence,” she says lightly, “so no.”

Penelope wipes her cheek with her sleeve pulled over the heel of her hand. “I don’t think you’re a bad influence.” She rasps, patting the couch as if Emily is a cat.

Emily smiles, her brows rising slightly beneath her bangs. She gives a small nod and hands Penelope the ice creams. “I’ll get spoons.”

By the time she comes back—with whipped cream—Penelope has already claimed the cookies and cream as her own. Emily hands her a spoon and makes herself at home in the midst of the stuffed animals. She crosses her legs and takes the praline, shooting whipped cream on top as Penelope restarts Titanic.

The violin music hits and tears drop off her chin without pause. Emily steadily eats her way through her ice cream while Penelope’s tears soak hers, turning the Oreo as salty as Emily’s occasional commentary. Penelope is too busy crying to hear her. She’s a blubbering mess even before the credits roll, half her tissue box littered across her lap in crumpled balls.

When Emily—dry eyed, perfectly composed Emily—hands her another tissue to wipe her eyes, Penelope gapes through her tears.

“You didn’t cry, how come you didn’t cry?”

“I’m emotionally constipated.” Emily retorts around a mouthful of ice cream. “You want me to cry, put on ET.”

Penelope does.

By the end of the movie, they’re both crying into their pizzas.

Reid

Spencer’s mind quiets.

His shoulders weren’t tense to begin with, but they slump further at the sound of the music, his arm pressing into Emily’s. Warmth spreads from that point of contact, through her silken blouse and his starched button down. The piano bench beneath them almost fades away with the walls of Rossi’s living room; his eyes continually jump from Emily’s face to the fluid, spidery movements of her hands.

“Where’d you learn how to play?” He murmurs quietly, almost afraid to break through the tranquility of her music.

Emily’s brows tick the slightest bit upward. “Mother hired tutors,” she says, not taking her eyes off the keys, though Spencer gathers she’s skillful enough to play for at least a few seconds without looking. Her shoulder presses further into his when she shrugs. “I didn’t have much of a choice.”

“But you liked it enough to continue practicing on your own.”

Emily nods. “It…it makes things go quiet.” She says slowly, almost an admission. It gets swallowed up by Für Elise. “Y’know?”

“Yeah,” he breathes, the collar of his shirt tightening and loosening at the thought of being understood. It’s still an uncommon enough feeling that his heart picks up its pace. Spencer gathers his knees on the too-small bench, letting them knock together through his slacks. “Yeah, I listen to them before bed. They help. Not, uh…not many things can make my head go quiet. This does.” He thumbs lightly at a key far away from Emily’s reach, careful not to interrupt her playing. She hums next to him, barely louder than the music, and his body flushes with warmth again. “Hearing it in person is so much better.”

Spencer watches as Emily’s bitten nails press down on the keys, pulling music from the piano as familiar to him as his own heartbeat. Her fingers dance, a few shades darker than the ivory, and though there are stutters and kinks he knows the piece too well not to notice, her music is for the most part faultless.

It feels almost too personal. For her to know the composition of the exact thing that makes him go still, his mind quiet. It’s like she’s cracked his chest open and peered into his heart, the ragged edges of her nails getting caught on the muscle, drawing blood as she traces down the length of it.

He’s suddenly overwhelmed, something getting stuck in his throat and lodging there. Only air passes through, and a genius who’s never at a loss for words finds himself speechless.

“You could learn,” Emily says, finally glancing at him. The brown of her eyes is like the shock of bitter coffee. “It won’t be easy, but you’re Reid,” she nudges him playfully, her music stilting as her body weight forces him to curve, “you could do it. And I could help, too.”

He gapes, the breath returning to his lungs. “Really?”

“Sure.” Emily stops playing. The echoes of her music hang in the air, threaded through the atoms between them. “With practice and time. Maybe we could rent this from Rossi”—she cracks a grin and Spencer laughs as she gives a small shrug—“it’s not impossible.”

“Yeah.” He’s beaming at her, an excited buzz in his blood even though he knows their schedule doesn’t really allow for what she’s suggesting. “Yeah, that’d be great! Can we start now? I know the beginning of this piece is actually really easy and digestible for beginners because—”

Emily laughs. She shifts on the bench, facing him. “Slow your roll, hotshot. How about twinkle, twinkle—”

Her mouth snaps shut when a callused hand lands on both her head and Reid’s. Reid frowns; he glances up to find Rossi, pressing a kiss to Emily’s forehead and then his, whispering something suspiciously like bless you little nerds.

JJ can’t sleep. She doesn’t know if it’s because of the cold or because of the ludicrous amount of coffee she drank in the past few hours; it doesn’t matter, because it’s frustrating all the same. She can fall asleep practically anywhere, so long as she’s wrapped in a blanket.

Not tonight, though.

She sighs and shifts on her other side as quietly as possible. As soon as her head turns Emily’s eyes flutter open, her lashes casting shadows on her cheeks when she blinks.

“Did I wake you?” JJ whispers, guilt slow to rush to the surface.

“No.” Emily shivers. “It’s fucking freezing.”

“Yeah,” JJ says. They’re both in sweaters, but she’s in shorts and Emily’s in sweatpants. However, she has fuzzy, calf length socks on and Emily doesn’t. They would balance out, except they’re both shivering beneath the covers.

JJ fists the comforter with icy fingertips and curls her knees into her chest. The cold sheets make goosebumps rise on her skin.

“Come closer,” Emily says.

“Sure?”

“Unless you wanna die of hypothermia.”

JJ rolls her eyes. She doesn’t think they’re at that point yet, but a little warmth does sound nice. Emily is the perfect candidate; she’s a clingy koala. That’s what JJ’s learned after countless shared beds and alcohol-soaked girl’s nights.

They huddle closer and meet in the middle, Emily’s leg worming its way between JJ’s thighs. JJ stifles a sigh at the warmth of her sweatpants against her bare skin, the added body heat leaking tension from her shoulders. Their chests press together; heat pools between them as JJ’s head settles halfway between Emily’s pillow and her own. She relaxes despite—or maybe because of—the intimate position, her arm hooking around Emily’s waist as Emily’s hooks around hers. They’re a little too close, sure, barely a few inches between the tips of their noses, but JJ’s too cold to care. She closes her eyes and her muscles loosen back into the bed.

Until Emily’s cold foot touches her skin.

“Hey!” JJ jerks her leg back.

“Sorry,” Emily laughs breathily, the sound intimate and soft. “I don’t like wearing socks to bed.”

“Even in 40 degree weather?” JJ grumbles, silently cursing herself for not checking the forecast before flying out. Goosebumps still litter her skin, the cold slithering in through the walls and the sheets.

Emily hums in answer. Silence settles again as she quiets, presumably going back to sleep, and JJ tries to follow her. She closes her eyes, tries to clear her mind, to no avail. The dark is thick, the bed is decently comfortable, and she’s starting to regain the warmth in her fingertips, but still, sleep doesn’t come.

It takes less than five minutes, she miserably notes, before Emily goes slack against her, the fingers wrapped up in her sweater starting to lose their grip. She’s still holding on to the brunette’s hoodie, her nails sinking into the thick fabric. They grow warm as she forces her thoughts to clear.

JJ tries for another five minutes before she opens her eyes and huffs out a frustrated breath.

“What’s wrong?” Emily mumbles. “Too close?”

“No. I just can’t sleep.”

“Mm. Thinking?”

“No.”

“Restless?”

“No.”

“Cold?”

“Not anymore.”

“Well, shit,” Emily says.

JJ laughs humorlessly.

“What about some sleeping pills?”

“Don’t like those,” JJ chews on her lip. If this crappy motel had something that resembles a gym she would’ve gone to it, but it barely has rooms enough for the team. “Whatever, it’s fine, you go to sleep. I’m sure I will soon.”

Emily doesn’t answer. She’s quiet for so long, JJ thinks she’s fallen asleep. But then:

“Hypnos is the Greek god of sleep. He’s the son of Nyx, the night, and the twin brother of death. His sons are the bringers of dreams; there’s Morpheus, Icelus, and—”

“Are you telling me a story?” JJ interrupts.

“It’s a Greek myth,” Emily corrects demurely. “And yes, I’m saying it in a manner which will hopefully put you to sleep, because we’re snuggling, which means if you can’t sleep I probably won’t, either. And I’m tired. And I’m finally warm enough, and it’s an interesting story.” She scolds, her voice sleepy and muffled half between JJ’s skin and the pillows. “It’s rude to interrupt, Jay.”

Light bursts in JJ’s chest. Somehow this warms her up more than anything. Emily’s attempt at helping though she’s barely hanging on, the slightly chewed sound of JJ’s nickname on her lips. Nicknames are common within their circle—Jayje, Em, Pen—but hearing it like this is weirdly special. Stopped at the one syllable, warm with love. JJ’s heart expands, squeezing out a few quick beats for her drowsy friend and the story—myth—she’s trying to tell her.

“I was just checking,” she says softly, chewing back her smile, “no need to get your claws out. Continue.”

“Thank you.” Emily grumbles. “Anyway, Hypnos was the personification of sleep itself, so he was able to induce sleep in humans and other gods…”

She’s been telling the stories for so long that she’d forgotten how nice it is to be told the story for a change. Emily’s voice is sleepy, a little mumbled, but it’s good for storytelling. Rich and low, raspy around the edges, like honey with bits of gravel swirled in. It’s almost hypnotic.

Bewitched—and properly warm now—it hardly takes a few minutes before JJ’s eyes grow heavy. It’s disgustingly cliche, but it turns out there’s some wisdom in being wrapped up in someone’s arms, being told a story. The warmth of Emily’s voice is steady next to her ear and JJ swiftly sinks into the dark relief of sleep, still twined around her.

Morgan

Morgan likes building things. Fixing things, restoring the old into the new. He’s good at working with his hands—cooking, refurbishing. Building IKEA bookshelves. Which is why he’s currently cross-legged on Emily’s living room rug, surrounded by screws and wooden slabs and an annoying black cat that keeps swatting at his tools.

“Hey Prentiss, get this damn cat out of here!” He yells to Emily, who’s somewhere, doing something useless while he does all the hard work.

“You’re in his home,” her mild voice comes from behind, startling him as she gracefully steps between the screws and sets down two glasses of red on the coffee table. The cat abandons Morgan’s tools and trots to her, his tail in the air. Emily smiles and scratches behind his ears. “He rightfully belongs, you don’t.”

“Oh, well, I’ll see myself out then.”

“Nah, you don’t have it in you,” she calls out as she once again leaves the living room, trailing deeper into her apartment, “Derek Morgan never leaves a job half finished.”

Morgan chuckles to himself. It quickly turns into a grimace when the cat pounces in the middle of the rug, sending the screws rolling again. “Man, get out of here,” he tries to shoo it with the blunt end of the screwdriver. The cat swats back, its claws catching the back of his hand. Morgan hisses.

“Son of a—”

“Don’t tell me you’re fighting with him,” Emily says, her voice a little more strained than teasing. He turns to see her carrying a stack of books half her height, her laced hands flexing under their heft.

“He scratched me.” Morgan says flatly, sounding more annoyed than he is. The back of his hand stings, but at least the stupid cat hadn’t drawn blood.

Emily drops the books on the floor and blows hair out of her face. “He did? Sorry,” she says, unapologetic. “He does that if you annoy him.”

Morgan rolls his eyes, unsurprised that she’s siding with the damn cat instead of him. “Yeah, yeah. Go get the rest of your books, you nerd.” He shoos her away.

She flips him off and turns on her heel.

Morgan turns back to his unconstructed shelf. The cat is further away now, and there’s a decent pile of screws left that he’ll put to use before going after the missing ones, so he gets to work.

“Sergio, huh?” He mutters to himself. “That’s too human of a name for a damn cat.”

As he attaches the bottom shelf, he hears multiple thuds weaving through the sound of Emily’s footsteps as she drops stacks of books on the ground. They work in unison; thud, turn, thud, turn. He’s already moved on to the third shelf when a final, lighter thunk sounds on the floor.

Emily drops down next to him and breathlessly whispers done. Morgan looks up. Bangs have strayed from her ponytail, framing her face in wisps of black. She breathes a little heavy, a shine to her face as she flexes her fingers with a slight wince. Her exertion hardly seems proportional to her small task; Morgan grins.

But the witty comment on his tongue falls away when he finds them surrounded by a labyrinth of stacked books.

Morgan had known Emily was a bookworm. The woman already has two crammed bookshelves and brought him in to build her a third—which won’t fit half her leftover collection, if the stacks on the floor are any indication. That in itself is astounding, but then his eyes catch the foreign titles, the spines etched with strange letters he can’t decipher. He feels his brows raise, admiration taking root as he tries in vain to read them let alone guess what they mean. Morgan counts one, two, three languages—by the time he reaches six he’s wide eyed, practically gaping up at Emily. His heart whispers, woah.

Morgan realizes, with no small amount of pride, that she could give Reid a run for his money. The thought of a comfortably curled up Emily, her eyes hungrily absorbing words in languages he can’t imagine, sends a curious twinge through his stomach. He imagines her reading aloud to herself in the whispered way Reid does sometimes, and the twinge deepens into a pit.

“Damn.” He says mildly.

The faintest of blushes colors her cheeks. “You don’t read?” She demands.

“I read,” Morgan grins, pointing a finger at her, “and I think you might be Reid.”

Emily swats his hand away. She composes herself quickly, but not before Morgan enjoys the way she stumbles, flushing darker as she tries to deny the obvious.

Hotch

The girl still hasn’t let go of Emily. Or maybe Emily is the one still holding on. There’s a protectiveness to her gaze, her hands—though gentle on the toddler’s body—acting as a shield to keep her safe behind. From the moment they found her in the unsub’s house she had clung to Emily, all throughout a checkup in the back of an ambulance and the car ride back to Quantico. Hotch knows well the slow ache that settles from carrying a growing child for too long, but Emily doesn’t set her down. They’re still attached as she perches on her desk, slowly rubbing circles on Sofia’s back as they wait for her parents.

There are crumpled candy wrappers on her desk. Remnants of sugar remain in Hotch’s teeth; he couldn’t refuse when Emily offered out her palm, both her and Sofia staring at him expectantly until he plucked a taffy and squished it between his molars. The sweetness of it lingers, and he shakes his head when Emily holds out her hand again, letting her and the little girl deplete her small collection.

Silence settles over the bullpen. Sofia had been mostly quiet ever since they found her, despite his and Emily’s gentle prodding. Now her forehead is buried in the crook of Emily’s neck, her small fists tangled up in her sweater.

“Emily,” she says suddenly.

“Yeah, baby?” Emily looks down at her. Sofia doesn’t say any more, but she shivers and huddles closer. Emily swipes the frizzy hair from her face in a tender touch. “Are you cold?”

The girl nods meekly into Emily’s chest.

“I’ll get her a blanket,” Hotch offers.

Emily flashes him a smile as he shoves off of Morgan’s desk and straightens, making his way to his office. His steps echo as he walks up the stairs; the bullpen is deserted, everyone gone home for the night. Hotch is glad about that as he grabs the blanket he keeps in his office. Sofia had been antsy, tense in the midst of the buzz, but now she seems mostly okay.

Which is why he’s surprised to hear a small giggle as he walks back down the stairs.

“—ends to be grumpy, but really he just wants all the cuddles. He’s a big softie.” Emily is saying. One of her arms is secure around Sofia’s back, the other holding her phone as they both look down at it.

“He’s silly.” Sofia says.

“He is, isn’t he?” Emily murmurs. She looks up at Hotch as he approaches, and though he’s been witnessing it for over an hour now, he’s still struck by her gentleness. Usually she’s blunt, even her humor carrying a sharp edge, but all the sharpness has been sanded down. Ever since they found Sofia she’s been rounded edges and soft hands and coaxing voices.

He almost feels like he’s intruding, watching her lay her walls down for a small child; like she’s opened the door only for her and he’s shoved his way through. But she smiles at him and he gets the feeling that this past hour has shown a side of her that’ll stay between them.

He can’t help but give her a small smile back.

As Hotch tucks the blanket around Sofia’s shoulders, he catches a glimpse of a black cat on Emily’s phone. The need to smile wider grows, but he stifles it. Hotch drops his gaze to the little girl now burrowing in the blanket. She’s peering intently into Emily’s phone, reaching a finger out to swipe at the screen, but her eyes are drooping closed.

“She’s getting tired,” he notes softly. Emily tries to peer down at Sofia, but she’s huddled too much into her. “Her parents will still be a while, maybe she can lie down a little bit?”

“On your couch?” Emily asks.

Hotch nods. “What do you think about that, Sofia?” He murmurs, practically kneeling to meet her tired eyes. Hotch offers a hopefully warm smile, his voice softening further. “There’s a comfy couch upstairs, you can lie down on it and close your eyes while we wait for Mommy and Daddy to come.”

Sofia blinks at him. “With Emmy?”

“With me,” Emily adjusts the blanket around her body, “and Mr. Hotch too?

Hotch waits until Sofia nods to say, “Mr. Hotch, too.”

Emily is exhausted. She drags her feet across the tarmac, a heavy weariness pressing down on her bones. Her wrist throbs dully beneath her bandage—it twisted when she fell during the chase, her boots slipping on gravel and her hand bearing the brunt of the fall.

The weight of her bag almost drags her under as she climbs the stairs. She blinks and the warm lights of the jet overthrow the darkness of the night outside.

The tips of JJ’s fingers gently press down on her shoulders as she nudges her to the couch. Emily’s tired body obeys. She slumps down on it and drops her bag on the floor, her head falling back as she closes her eyes. All around there are the sounds of the team as they settle down, drop their bags and slip into their seats with a heaviness that matches her own.

Her eyes remain closed until something drops on her lap. Emily frowns and opens them, first finding JJ in her line of sight first before her gaze slides down to her lap—and the blanket suddenly covering her thighs. Emily hazily rubs the soft fabric between her fingers, unlocking her jaw to say thanks when JJ speaks first.

“Lie down,” she says.

The groove between Emily’s brows deepens. “Well, okay,” she murmurs back, though she makes no move to do so. She should, though; her body is stiff and she could do with the sleep before having to drive herself home. “Anything else?”

“Listen to the woman,” Morgan says. The curtains of the kitchenette flutter closed behind him. In his hands is a mug, and Emily distantly wonders how he’d made tea this fast. He holds it out to her. “And drink this.”

So she really does look as shitty as she feels. Shame.

“I’m sorry, did I do something?” At this point, she fears her frown closely resembles Hotch’s. It’s a little difficult for her to digest—both of them hovering over her, JJ’s blanket in her lap and a mug of tea that Morgan has apparently prepared for her in his hands. Yes, she was the only one hurt today, but a sprained wrist hardly calls for all this coddling.

They both roll their eyes, but JJ is the one who speaks. “You’re tired. Lie down before you collapse.”

“Why are you all gathered around Prentiss?” Rossi asks.

“We’re trying to convince her to lie down.” Morgan supplies.

“Lie down, Emily.”

“Okay,” Emily mumbles with an eye roll. JJ’s not wrong—her muscles are practically fusing with the couch. She toes off her boots, accidentally kicks Morgan, and gives them a flash of her—unplanned—mismatched socks before laying down and throwing the blanket over her feet. “Everyone happy now?” She calls out, her head thudding back against the hard armrest of the couch.

JJ nods, satisfied. Morgan raises a brow and holds out the mug.

Emily takes it with her unbandaged hand. It’s chamomile, she discovers. This time she gets the chance to thank both of them without any interruptions, her lips curving up in a wan smile. She drinks from the overflowing tea as they finally leave and sit down, a hum leaving her at the sweetness of Splenda on her tongue.

She swallows the mouthful and feels its heat spread to her chest. It’s good, almost softens the throb in her wrist, and though Emily knows it’s phantom, she drains half the tea in too-hot sips. The thought of Morgan pouring Splenda into it flits through her head; her chest both tightens and expands all at once.

She doesn’t see Hotch over the rim of the mug until he’s also hovering above her.

“I’m lying down,” Emily says, draining the tea and blindly reaching for the table behind her.

Hotch takes the mug from her hand and sets it down. “Put this behind your head.” He says softly, holding out something dark and crumpled—his jacket.

For a moment she stares, confounded. But Hotch’s expression doesn’t shift; he stares back, expectant, and the armrest beneath her head is too stiff for her to refuse. Emily takes the balled up jacket and uses it to cushion her neck.

“Thanks, chief,” she murmurs.

Hotch nods again, the briefest pinprick of a dimple poking through his cheek. He tells her to get some sleep before sitting back down in his chair. Emily hums an affirmative and tugs the blanket up above her eyes, letting the darkness press down on her lids as she finally relaxes back on the couch. But she doesn’t sleep, though her body screams for it. She’s too warm, her skin flushed with the attention she’s been given for no apparent reason.

The plane takes off and she gets two more visitors. Reid gives her his eye mask, mumbling about improved sleep quality in total darkness, and Rossi hands her a strip of Advil she didn’t ask for but sorely needs.

At the latter she smiles, because she’s said thank you more times than she can stomach. Emily pops two pills into her mouth and swallows them dry, the bitter aftertaste lingering on her tongue. This she can stomach. This she can handle as she turns on her side, hides the glaze in her eyes between herself and the leather of the couch.

There’s a throb behind her eyes. A subtle shakiness in her body that has nothing to do with the rattling walls of the jet. Warmth over her bones, twinges along her stomach. Love, she thinks as her heart beats too quickly at the revelation. She’s loved and in love and hadn’t noticed until it was shoved into her face with a glaring obviousness that makes it impossible to deny.

Emily swallows down the lump in her throat. She brings JJ’s blanket over her shoulders, slides Reid’s mask over her eyes, and goes to sleep.

taglist: @kllingdaddy @luhwithah @cheetobreath07 @dontemilyyyyme

#emily prentiss #aaron hotchner #penelope garcia #derek morgan #jennifer jareau #spencer reid #emily prentiss fanfiction #criminal minds fanfic #criminal minds fic #criminal minds fanfiction #emily prentiss fic

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waterbenderkat · 9 months ago

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“I can wipe out an entire race of benders. Can you imagine?”

“Yes, I can”

Holy shit, yes Gordon had some iffy acting moments but his delivery of that line was stellar.

#avatar: the last airbender #a:tla #avatar #netflix #gordon cormier #aang #avatar aang #general zhao #a:tla live action #a:tla netflix #a:tla spoilers #avatar spoilers #waterbenderkat

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goldenmusicmoments · 1 month ago

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Kacey Musgraves Takes A Deeper Dive Into The Well:

Kacey Musrgaves surprised us all with the announcement of a deluxe edition of her new album Deeper Well that she dropped earlier on in the year. The album as it was, was a beautiful body of work. So it was going to be intriguing to see how the bonus tracks would fit. After hearing the deluxe, she keeps things in line with the standard edition. It feels like an extension and on top of that she was generous enough to give us seven completely new tracks. Let’s do as Kacey says and take a deeper dive into this well.

Ruthless - The first track on the deluxe revolves around her devotion to the person of interest, she says that she’ll be ruthless if anyone were to try and cause them harm. What sounds like an electric guitar gives the track an intense edge, however it fades as the song progresses into this more mellow production. She’s overprotective over those she loves and that highlights the extent of her love as well. The production then builds to bring the track to a close on a more grander note. A stellar start to the deluxe tracks, that gets you excited for the journey she’s about to take you on.

Little Sister - Now this heartwarming track that takes a journey through the bond she shares with her little sister follows. It has a sense of longing as she takes a look through her relationship with her sister. She acknowledges all the bumps in the road and how she may have not been the ideal sister at times. However regardless of those moments where they butted heads, she loves her little sister. The piano accompanies her vocal and it stays in the back, allowing for her to stay at the forefront. A sombre track in which her vocal delivery really lets you know her yarning for the connection she has with her sister.

Flower Child - This one is a light hearted track with a groovy edge to it due to the production choices made here. A track that promotes living life in the way you truly want to. She seems to be singing to someone else, however it could also be her speaking to herself. She’s letting them know that things will workout regardless of how difficulty life maybe right now. That they should keep focus on what they are doing. She also gives them assurance that they are fine the way that they are.

Superbloom (Ft. Leon Bridges) - The first of the two collaborations and Leon Bridges was a choice that stood out when the tracks were revealed. This one is a cosy guitar led moment that plays to the sentiment of having the comfort of knowing that regardless of the hardships either one is facing they will be there for each other. Their voices work well together, Leon really mellows his tone to match Kacey’s signature tender tone. It is a lively moment that you find yourself moving to.

Perfection (Ft. Tiny Habits) - This is the second collaboration on the deluxe, Kacey had posted herself at one of their shows where they performed a cover of one of the tracks from Deeper Well. They also posted a clip of them singing with Kacey backstage. It seems that, that was where this collaboration came into fruition. Here they don’t have a verse to themselves, however they instead provide harmonies. This gentle track speaks on the pressure to be perfect, however she has no desire to be perfect. She’s self-aware and knows that she’s got shortcomings. She’s content as long as she knows that this person will be there to offer her love and protection. The production remains tame throughout, again she really wants focus to remain on the vocal and lyrical journey.

Arm’s Length - Here on this tender guitar led track Kacey sings about a relationship that seems very one side. She loves him with all her heart, yet he seems to not give her anything in return. She’s trying to hold on, whilst he’s trying to let go. She’s hurt over the lack of reciprocation and it shows through her vocal delivery. In the bridge she acknowledges that she should have known that he didn’t have it in him to stay for the long run. This is a highlight not only because it is a heartfelt track, however her vocal performance also helps it stand out.

Irish Goodbye - A sombre end to the deluxe which feels extremely fitting particular through the journey the lyrics take you on. The guitar carries through into this track and the delicate strokes give you this feeling of flowing water. On this track the relationship is no more as the person of interest has left without any sort of warning or goodbye, which plays to the meaning of the songs title. She’s left feeling betrayed, as she says that she could have forgiven him for his faults, however she’ll never be able to forgive him for leaving in this manner. She hopes that one day he’ll realise what he lost when he left.

The seven tracks are a great continuity to this era and though it leaves things on a rather sad note, it does give closure. The album still stands at the top as one of 2024’s best releases so far as Kacey Musgraves has such a talent for putting forth her emotions and the journey she’s on. The tender nature to her vocal paired with the acoustic production choices allow you to feel fully immersed in its magic.

#Kacey Musgraves #Deeper Into The Well #Music #Album #Leon Bridges #Tiny Habits #Billboard #Artist #Folk #Country #Alternative

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film-bro-hotch · 2 years ago

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Back to December - Hotch x Fem!Reader (One Shot)

I feel like I should apologize in advance for this one. No happy ending, so be warned. For what it’s worth, happy holidays and a wonderful new year!

Loosely based on Back to December by Taylor Swift.

Summary: A year ago, Aaron proposed, but you couldn't say yes. Living without him made you realize just how much you really did love him, so you ask him for a second chance.

Warnings: Light discussion of failed relationships, anxiety, no happy ending

WC: 1.4k

I go back to December all the time

If you were being honest with yourself, you were shocked that he even agreed to meet up. You expected him to just not reply, tell you to fuck off, to keep going your separate ways. And he had every right to.

You sat across from him in the coffee shop the two of you would frequent on the weekends. Ever the gentleman, he paid for your drink. You exchanged pleasantries, but the air between the two of you was becoming sickeningly thick. Neither of you wanted to bring up the real reason you were there.

“What are we even doing?” Aaron eventually asked you. You would have given anything for his tone to be angry, or to be indifferent, or the dry delivery you grew to love. Perhaps it hurt more than he just seemed tired, an exhaustion that matched his eyes and the crease in his lips. A kind of exhaustion that you caused.

You weren’t sure how long Aaron had been planning this dinner. Neither of you were close with any of your family, so the closest thing you had to family was the unit. It was why he spent so much time getting these reservations set so all of you could come to this makeshift Christmas dinner. He seemed more nervous about it than usual, though. You wanted to ask him what seemed to be causing him stress. You talked yourself out of it, though. He was always stressed. And you always worried in the back of your mind you were nagging instead of concerned. You should have known he would never think that.

That night you had put on a nice dress. Aaron had paid to get your nails done the day before. You went with a deep red to help put yourself in the Christmas spirit.

By this point, your relationship with Aaron was known by the BAU, and like true friends they kept quiet about it. Besides, with Aaron’s stellar performance, he was already in talks to get transferred to a bigger, better position. Once that happened, you could actually go public about it.

You hadn’t told Hotch, or anyone for that matter, but the idea of going fully public with the relationship sent chills down your spine. Part of you liked the secrecy, the kisses stolen in empty hallways, the late night rendezvous that somehow managed to make your blood pump faster than some cases had. Going public meant losing that. It meant mundane. It meant complete domesticity, and you weren’t ready for that just yet.

He held your hand as the two of you walked inside, your fingers caressing his callouses in some mute attempt to ground yourself. This was supposed to be a happy occasion. You were supposed to be happy, so why were you scared out of your mind?

He knew he wanted to marry you a few months into the relationship. Your reservations were as clear to Aaron as a muddied puddle. His obliviousness was clear by the small box in his right pocket. Each time he rested his hand there, his fingers wrapped around it, their rough edges catching on the velvet lining. At first he wanted to ask you in front of everyone. You both saw them as family, so what would be more perfect than including them in the occasion? His own fears stomped that idea, though. If you said no, what would that mean for the dynamic of the team? Would you feel pressured to say yes in front of all of your friends? He didn’t want to put that on you, so he decided he would ask when it was just the two of you.

He spent most of that night laughing, part of it with his arm around you and a glass of Dom Pérignon in his other, constantly hoping you would not bump into his side and feel the ring box in his pocket. When the diner was over and everyone was leaving, he made his grave. Like a fool, he led you to a more quiet spot, the restaurant’s back patio with string lights and ornate cast iron furniture. You love those kinds of lights, he thought to himself, and you love the way I look under them even more. You had told him as much. You had those lights all over your apartment. You told him how handsome the soft golden glow made him. He would learn, quite quickly, that these moments couldn’t last forever.

Because the last time you saw me

Is still burned in the back of your mind

You gave me roses, and I left them there to die

Seeing Aaron on one knee, the sparkle of a far too expensive diamond, you knew you couldn’t do it. You had thought about being family with him, but the word alone made a weight catch in your throat, made you feel as though your stomach was about to drop. Family was never something you could rely on, and you didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.

Maybe Aaron wasn’t close with his family, but he had started one in Haley and Jack. He had settled down and he was ready to do it again. You weren’t ready to be bound to someone, to put so much work and faith into something with the possibility of none of it working out.

“I can’t,” you managed to say, your words no more than a breath, not for the heartbreak you knew you were causing him, but the anxiety of the idea of settling down, of committing yourself to one person when you have seen marriage crumble and fall apart. You could see the realization start to form in his eyes, the way his smile dropped, confusion and pain mixing on his face.

“What?” he asked, probably hoping he heard you wrong, hoping that somehow those tears forming in your eyes were happy ones instead of what he knew.

“I can’t, Aaron. I can’t do it,” you said a little louder, but your voice was still strained, still breathy as you tried to maintain some type of composure.

“I though-”

“I said I can’t marry you, Aaron! What is there to not understand?” you snapped, but you wished you hadn’t. Looking back on it, you wished that you could explain to him that your outburst was from fearful apprehension, not malice. That you were foolish and wrong. But wasn’t that why you were here with him now, getting coffee and sitting across from each other in an awkward silence after Aaron had spoken?

You reached for his hand, and he allowed you to take it, though he didn’t wrap his fingers around yours, not like he would have before.

“Can we try to fix this?”

If we loved again, I swear I’d love you right

I’d go back in time and change it, but I can’t

So if the chain is on your door, I understand

“Fix this?” Aaron was in a sort of disbelief he couldn’t put words to. You wanted to apologize? Now, after nearly a year? For jading him, for breaking his heart in a way that completely blindsided him? “There isn’t anything to fix.”

He kept his voice down, but you could sense there was still a resentment for what you had done, the way you had hurt him. And you told yourself that you would be okay if he shut you out, but you should have known better.

That idea that terrified you so, of settling down, of being trapped, you would take it over the gutting feeling of sitting across from him in the quaint coffee shop you always used to. You had said it wouldn’t be the same as keeping your relationship a secret, and you were right to some extent, but you would take waking up text to him every day rather than not knowing him at all.

“Aaron,” you had started to say, but he pulled his hand away, stopping you.

“No matter what your thought process or your intentions were, you hurt me. I gave you everything, and six months ago I probably still would’ve given you everything. But I can’t go through that again, not now.”

You could still feel the ghost of his touch lingering on your hand, and you wish that you could clutch that too. Hold on to it and never let it go. Because you were sure you would never feel it again.

So this is me swallowing my pride

Standing in front of you saying I’m sorry for that night

I go back to December all the time

You watched him start to stand, pulling his chair away, his coffee only half finished as it still sat on the table, steam floating above it.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” you said, this time not reaching for his hand.

“Yeah, me too.”

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ithappensoffstage · 9 months ago

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r&g report

I had the privilege of seeing rosencrantz & guildenstern are dead with billy boyd and dominic monaghan on march 5! a few people asked for my thoughts after, so here's a sort of stream of consciousness report that may or may not be comprehensive depending on what you're looking for out of said theatre report

anyway I do genuinely believe boydmonaghan are literally the only people who can and should ever play r&g

to start off I will say that this was my first time seeing r&g staged -- I've previously just read it A LOT -- so I can't make comparisons to other productions. I am also a lifetime fan of theatre and have been somewhat involved, but do lack some technical knowledge, so apologies if I can't cover some aspects accurately!

most important of course, boydmonaghan were stellar. their comfort and familiarity with one another is amazing to witness. of course it's staged, but none of their movements come across as anything other than two old friends. they move together like dance partners; there's really no other way to put it. when you put on a show with someone you're so intimate with, it just comes through in the physicality in ways that aren't replicable with people meeting just for one production. watching them as r&g just feels like you're watching them hanging out. they anticipate each other's movements beautifully, lean into each other naturally, play off each other with such comfortable rapport that you feel like you're watching childhood friends goofing off from your corner of the party.

and the RAPPORT I mean wow. damn. if you're familiar with r&g -- the question game scene? holy shit. breathtaking quickness. they are rapid-fire, on each other's heels in the vein of the best comedies. for everyone who knows my tastes of course, they have * the * hawkbeej dynamic. (I almost cried watching because I kept thinking of my beloved url namesake fic.)

great pacing, great chemistry. even when they're sitting still you can still feel the intimacy between them in just how they arrange themselves. lots of staging to reflect mirroring, lots of staging to reflect the thematic element of identity (sorry, I'm rosencrantz; he's guildenstern), etc. great costuming choice -- billy wears green except his blue waistcoat; dom wear blue but for his green waistcoat.

their deliveries were nothing short of spectacular. that of course wraps into pacing and chemistry as mentioned above. but I do feel it's worth mentioning again that they're both so good at speaking their lines. they have such rhythm with each other. and of course that's going to happen--they have a podcast, theyre incredibly close friends, but it's so great to see in a setting with predetermined script, predetermined runtime. again, youre watching two friends who are off their minds at a party really Go Through It.

boydmonaghan aside, I had some general issues with the production. they had quite regular sound errors, and made some sound design choices with music and vocal warping/autotune that were not to my taste. there was a cool echo element utilized that I liked a lot. as I mentioned I don't know other productions so I don't know if this is standard practice, but for this one it was quite fun. coin echoing, echoing around the stage when they shouted into the wings to give you that sense of being trapped. when they spoke to the audience space, it felt enormous, and as if they were speaking to you specifically. I just got so distracted by the mic problems and weird autotune.

the autotune moments were exclusive to the hamlet scenes. that brings me to the other actors. the player himself was magnetic. phenomenal. so much presence. emcee cabaret presence. great stuff. hamlet? so lacking imo. he played hamlet very angry and masculine, which is a choice I guess, but not how I like to see hamlet done. it did make some of the intersectional scenes a little jarring; which, I know is not entirely without reason, but it just wasn't my ideal way to play it.

other than the question scene, one of my favorite scenes in the original text of r&g is when they're talking about leaving the stage, and they continue to make excuses not to. "i think he went this way / maybe that way / why don't you come with me it'll be safer / we should try this direction / oh we should actually wait in case he comes back here." the director did skip this dialogue, which I think gives the indication of less agency for r&g. a little less participation, a little more of things happening to them. which is fine. I have no feelings either way of a better way to do it, but that is just the sense I got of it.

the stage is very small, the set is very cramped. lots of overt use of trapped imagery. theyre often crowded into specific space, sitting very close. when they make space, they make SPACE, indicating periods of disagreement. pretty basic staging for this, I'd assume.

outside staging, very cool lighting, although I am generally against scenes with "party lighting." again, not sure what typical lighting is the scenes with the players that got that, but I could have left it out. similarly, we got a scene with "rock" lighting, and I just thought it was too on the nose / in bad taste. arguable how meta you need meta/absurdist work to be ofc but that decision wasn't for me.

the other lighting choices were great. it starts SO dark. I had lower balcony seating and have great vision, but the start spotlight was so soft the two of them were damn fuzzy for me at the beginning. they gradually get more light in the spotlight, and then it expands. there was a great sunrise moment where they turned the Big Warm Light on the audience and it truly felt like a sunrise over me. the final "rosenc--? guilden--? now you see me / now you don't" from billy was beautifully performed. the lights split the stage into two distinct chambers, truly separating r&g for the first time despite any previous physical distance. I did get a little choked up.

(the final hamlet scene that follows jarred me from the emotion a bit because the horatio actor didn't even try at an accent ToT and it was just weirdly red-lit and they came in with the autotune for the Big End of Speech). and I wish they hadn't made it so Intense and Dramatic because they of course we get our time loop / back to the start / they start on "heads!" and it's such a hold-your-breath type moment. boydmonaghan are good enough that it brought me back but damn. (horatio actor please don't skip vocal lessons again.)

and yeah then I skipped stage door because it made me a little uncomfortable and I went home!

I was very lucky to go and I took my lovely wife (who liked it very much despite only having seen hamlet the day before lol). anyway if you can go I highly recommend! I am even considering pulling a @thealogie and going to see if I can scoop some last-minute box office tickets one of my remaining days here.

ask box is of course open for any questions <3

quick edit: I will say, sincerely, the r&g audience was one of the worst audiences I’ve been in. none of these people knew what the fuck was going on. I wanted to eject them all from their seats into the city skyline and have the theatre to myself (+ wife). literally constantly “what” “what is going on” “huh” from around us. go away. mutuals please come see this show so I can sit with you and not next to someone trying to have a y/n when they look at the audience.

edit 2: I think I mentioned but I did have lower balcony seating. I could see well! I think I might have preferred to be a bit closer just for the microexpressions I probably missed, but I would echo others in saying there really were no *bad * seats at all.

edit 3: stage door is out front to the left of the main doors if you're interested. I personally was not (I already have something signed by billy/have met him multiple times, and would prefer to meet dom at a comic con setting because that makes me more comfortable than stage door).

#might come back and edit or add more later but here's some hasty thoughts #rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead #theatre #r&g toronto #text

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speedierthanasubmarine · 8 months ago

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Season 2

God, I’m vacillating between feeling ambivalent and downright antagonistic about this show rn

Before I begin, lemme explain two things about me and watching shows:

A) I don’t really care about the genre or type of a show; I enjoy any kind of show as long as it can commit to being itself. my issue is when there’s some sort of dissonance (or worse, gaslighting) between what the show thinks it is and what I’m being shown on screen: if something is a comedy then let it be a comedy. Have some serious scenes but keep the overall tone comedic or it’s not a comedy anymore. If you want me to take it seriously I will, but if you then don’t take it seriously and then try and twist it around that’s when I begin to get pissed off. (My biggest gripe with episode 3 of this season) Also please just be what you are. If you decide you want to be something else that’s fine, but then commit to it. If you say you are something and act like something else but then continue to reinforce that you are the initial thing you claimed to be it makes me want to clean out my ears with a chainsaw.

2) I can vibe and enjoy anything I watch as long as you don’t break my immersion. Ik this is a pretentious statement for commentators on YouTube to shout but hear me out; I will consume media as though it’s almost a documentary or an in person experience. I will pretty much accept anything the characters or setting gives me as long as the show can make me believe it is the characters and setting giving them to me. The issue begins when I stop wondering what’s going on with characters and their inner worlds and start wondering what’s going on with the production staff; IE instead of my brain going “Oh my God what is blitzo thinking, that was ridiculous” it goes “Oh my God what was Viv thinking that was ridiculous” this will occur when the plot stops feeling like an actual sequence of events and starts feeling like something my students tell me to justify why they didn’t do their homework

I understand these are more of me issues than Viv ones but this post will partially be explaining why this season didn’t work for me on a personal level and will be why I don’t think certain aspects worked on a critical, technical, and objective level. Sorry if I ramble

To start off with positives the voice work in this show is freakin stellar. I don’t know how or why but Stolas’s voice actor has stolen the season, the random cracks and squawks making him sound even more bird like than ever. Stella actually also has that quality and it’s really neat they also found a bird woman. Two of my favorite lines are when he screams for the divorce in E1 (that squawk sounded like an actual bird, are we sure this guy is not a bird?!) and when he exclaims “FUCK” when blitz bites him, my words cannot articulate all the emotions I can hear conveyed in that single word. Alex Brightman (shocker) also absolutely slays Fizz and his delivery kept a smile on my face throughout some of the most difficult times in the show. Additionally Stolas’s dad (AKA FRIGGING JAFAR) saying “stop your bitch crying” is my new favorite thing ever

The animation was just as vibrant and awesome as ever and I want to highlight episode 3’s fight sequence with Millie because it was crisp as a crisp and the 3D shot of Moxxie threatening his dad, I remember seeing that and whistling aloud, that was a fantastic sequence and the animation was by far the best part of the episode for me.

The songs this time just didn’t hit as hard as the first for me, but this is completely subjective. my favorite one this time around was Look at this; Alex Brightman made that song genuinely delightful and I lost it when he started just saying shit in Italian, that song is so funny

Ozzie and Fizz are very cute, I enjoyed bits of them. I also love how this is so not how I’m used to hearing either of their voices, it’s rather like watching the Rock and RDJ being in a loving relationship, it’s just so random and jarring I think it loops back around to working and I enjoy that.

Viv is a fantastic technical director with amazing ideas and concepts, my issues lie with her writing, execution, and lack of professionalism.

Ive seen a lot of people say that the relationships in this season frustrated them because there doesn’t seem to be any continuity from episode to episode and each one seems to return to the status quo by the end with no impact on the overall story, except I didn’t really have an issue with this. In season 1 there was no continuity! Moxxie went through the same character arc in 3 different episodes! There was a new antagonist introduced in almost each episode; Fizz, Verosica, CHERUB, Stryker, DHORKS, and Ozzie, and barring fizz none of them connected to each other, so I kinda assumed that there was just no continuity in this show and that it’s all just kinda go with the flow good old fashioned fun; in the same way Ever After High was a show where they just kept repeating the same stuff over and over but like who cares, it’s a fun show. This didn’t bother me at all. But then the show started contradicting itself… all of a sudden there was continuity. What? stuff was brought back from previous episodes, Moxxies dad, Stryker, Ozzie, events that transpired were referenced, but only certain ones, wtf?! Wait a minute… If there is continuity in the show, then my whole explanation is worthless! NEVER MIND (?!)

Whatever, that’s plot contrivances, and honestly more of a me issue, I’m not watching this show for the plot (even though yes I am but whatever) who the hell watches shows for plot, I can get past that, the vibes are still there, right? I can still enjoy the zany chill vibes? The comedic tone?! WRONG! I mean, some of them are still there, which imo made it worse,but then the show started to bring in very somber and serious moments, character building, then subsequent character assassination (honestly what tf was episode 5) and then out of nowhere some sort of backstory and themes while still maintaining that it’s an episodic comedy and ow, my neck hurts from all this whiplash. Dear Helluva Boss: Are you a comedy or not, are you episodic or not, are your characters real people or not? Pick a tone Show, make up your mind. To illustrate this I’m going to point to the (sigh) Dildos/“Im bisexual” scene in episode 3 and contrast it with the Angel’s dressing room scene in hazbin episode 4. Both scenes are in shows that are meant to be more lighthearted and comedic yet within them there is heavy subject matter being portrayed. but in the case of hazbin E4 it took its subject matter seriously, so in the scene with Val and Angel they played it completely straight and so subsequently it hit hard. To illustrate further, in S1 E6 moxxies tripping balls song (god I miss season 1) despite it being a more emotional scene than usual the entire show was committed to being played for laughs, no one is playing the scene seriously, including moxxie. Blitzes portion of the song is played completely straight by everyone involved, it being cartoonish isn’t comedic, it’s messy and hellish, the result makes it hit harder because both scenes are consistent with themselves which is the the key here. (I bring up this scene because some can point out that the Hazbin one had Amazon to help regulate whereas this is an indie project and therefore has more room for error, but in this hypothetical argument I follow up with this point I should have used initially. Will I go back and delete the Hazbin part of my argument? No.) The scene in E3S2 opts not to do that, with moxxie playing the scene completely seriously and everyone else around him acting like parodies. It was like he was in the wrong show. (I thought it felt weird and disjointed and I just hated that whole episode.) If it’s a joke, play it as a joke, and it could have been a funny joke! If it’s not a joke treat it with the same severity as Val and Angel in E4 of hazbin, because the subject you’re portraying is heavy. If she had picked a lane you could have had either a really strong scene as you had with Angel Dust or a very dark comedic scene as you had with the Imps trying to convince an old man to kill himself in season 1. The end product is the best of no worlds

womp womp

The whole season kinda suffers from this issue, which is what really brought it down for me. I guess this is subjective, but it feels like I have an objective point in here I’m not verbalizing well. If you want to help out, go for it in the comments.

Another thing that this season fell short on: PACING. The scene where Fizz signs to the little deaf kid (wait a minute why is this kid in hell WHAT DID YOU DO-) was adorable. I paused the show and texted my friend about how cute the scene was and the second I pressed play I am just SMASHED with the annoying troll guy and I got whiplash. My neck really hurts guys please stop doing that. This was the most egregious example of bad pacing, but the whole show suffers from it. Let your moments breathe, please, allow the audience to enjoy them, I promise we’re not going anywhere. And if someone wants to argue “they had no time, they had to get as much crammed in as possible” I’m going to point to the scene where Ozzie is in his dildo factory making dildos for 40 seconds. The scene did nothing and told us nothing, if you can have shit like that you can add 3 seconds for us to breathe after emotional scenes. The pacing is just generally shite throughout the season. A friend of mine pointed out that because this is a crowd funded indie project there’s no guarantee how many episodes Viv will have so in order to make the story work she has to cram as much as possible into each episode so she can have proper setup for her story. This argument doesn’t work on either side. If she doesn’t know how many episodes she��s going to have so she’s trying to cram as much as she can in as little time as possible than why don’t any of the episodes seem to be building any sort of connectivity or narrative? Why do new things keep being introduced on top of each other with no explanation or lasting effects? Why all the time meandering with stuff that means nothing if you’re pressed for time, every episode should be connected and concise. If this really were the case, every episode would be like E7S1, with not a moment spent on anything else. Maybe she thinks that’s what she’s doing, and she’s just doing it badly. If that’s the case then again, this is worthless and never mind. However If it is an episodic show with no plot… then why such a rush? Why the heavy content? Why the lack of comedy? Why the mini plots? why isn’t every episode just a chill time with filler arcs? Why all the world building and setups? Why the random stakes? On top of that, if it does have a plot, just not the one I was expecting or promised in season one, IE: the business and any of the related villains, then you’ve wasted my time and taken a shart on my shoes because that’s what you advertised! This show is about a boss! It’s in the title! You telling a story then switching to telling a worse story and then saying it doesn’t matter because you’re not telling any story regardless but then saying “stay tuned because the good story I was telling might matter soon in this new not story I’m currently bullshitting my way through” is JJ Abram’s storytelling IE fuckery. I don’t fuck around with fuckery. This is an objective criticism, this show fails as both a story and non story kind of show.

Additionally we have lost the plot in terms of a story engine here which tbh kinda frustrates me. I remember really liking the premise of the show; I cared about them building up a business, that was why i continued to watch it! But womp womp once again, there is no more of that in this show, barring one episode. Let that sink in. there was 1 episode in this whole ass season that actually was related to the effing premise and it wasn’t even very funny! Yes, the idea of them trying to find the murderer has potential but they didn’t execute it well. This is both subjective and objective, because objectively not giving the product you advertised is kinda shitty, and subjectively I don’t like what I received as a substitute.

My criticism is not boiling down to “She should have done it like this idea I had!” Because that’s not valid criticism, that’s just being butthurt that a creator didn’t read your mind when making her show. There are lots of people that are doing that, and that’s not how you critique media. “imagine how much stronger this could have been if my headcannon was cannon” is not a criticism, that’s a weak wishful statement, so please don’t take what I say as that. I’m giving actual constructive criticism, not “put me on your writing staff because I’m better at it than you” criticism. I think this was the point she was trying to make with the troll character in Episode 7. Shoddy execution, but a good point nonetheless.

In conclusion, I wrote this whole ass novel on this show because I loved it. I’m sad that season 2 turned out to be what it was. A friend of mine said I shouldn’t approach criticizing this show like an actual show because it’s not one, it’s an indie project, and I don’t think that’s fair. Every piece of art should be held to the same standard because everything had capacity to be great, whether made by a massive studio or an indie group. Every piece of art is a form of communication, and I think Viv has something to say, which is why I refuse to give her exemption. Her work deserves to be paid attention, and subsequently, her work deserves to be approached with the same amount of critical thinking and nuance that I apply to everything. She deserves to be taken seriously, which I did. I hope I got my point across well.

#ash #thoughts #helluva boss #review #essay #analysis #vivziepop critical #helluva boss critical #vivziepop #testing a theory

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wekiaam · 27 days ago

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DUTCH MOULIN ROUGE: Thoughts and fun details!!

I just saw Moulin Rouge at the Beatrixtheater in Utrecht you guys!!!! I want to share my memories of it while it's still fresh in my mind, some cast information and general details I was able to notice from all the way in the back rows of the theatre!

I have to be honest, I was a little disappointed when I found out that the Dutch production of Moulin Rouge was going to keep the songs in English, although I kind of got it bc people still have to recognize the pop songs. I am now sorry for ever having doubted that choice. It somehow worked really well, even at the part where Christian goes from Dutchly speaking to Englishly singing the lyrics of Your Song (Het is een beetje raar, this feeling inside (I'm dead)).

Zidler is usually played by Carlo Boszhard (BIG name in Dutch theatre, known mainly as a tv host but played Thenardier, Lumière, and voiced The Grinch, Mushu, and Donkey from Shrek) but tonight he was played by his understudy Wim van den Driessche (Javert, Valjean, Captain von Trapp, Judge Turpin, the Phantom) who was AMAZING at hyping up the audience and he played the character as so stressed out all the time it was great

Satine was also played by understudy Tessa Sunniva (Ariel, Anya), and Christian was played by Martijn Noort (Fiyero) and they had such good chemistry on stage they just melted into each other each time they embraced

I also looked up each of the ensemble members and at more than half of the ensemble had been in either Tina: the Tina Turner Musical, The Bodyguard, or both. The Netherlands truly has five musical productions

And now for some fun bits I noticed (spoilers ofc) (all the dialogue was Dutch but I will be citing in English for convenience)

-Christian was so adorably awkward in his line delivery and body language throughout the whole show (Satine: You're different from what I expected Christian: Surpriiise *jazz hands*)

-At the moment when Christian usually rickrolls the audience, he sang samples from famous Dutch pop songs instead ( "What brings you to Paris?" "🎶Ik ben mezelf niet of al die jaren nooit geweest🎶" en "Sing one of your love songs!" "🎶Je komt in ademnood🎶") Audience lost it

-The audience went WILD when Satine came down on the trapeze

-Zidler breaks his over-the-top-extravagant-night-club-owner persona at the line "The Duke is expecting the Sparkling Diamond!🥰 MAKE SURE THAT SHE IS THERE." cue audible gasps

-After Christian says "I have been practicing all day" Satine downs her whole drink

-Pitch song was entirely in Dutch!!! :D

-Nature boy. Oh my goooodd

-Speaking of, Toulouse-Lautrec, played by Giovanni van Gom (Tarzan, Aida, Hairspray, ALSO TINA) is my absolute favourite character in the whole show what a beautiful man with a beautiful voice (his speaking voice was high and enthusiastic but his singing voice was a lot lower in contrast)

-When Christian starts singing "Everlasting love" Satine tries to run away from him but he sort of chases after her it was so funny

-Backstage Romance was so electric!!

-The Duke played by Nino Ruiter (Soldaat van Oranje, ZODIAC) was SO CREEPY he would constantly lean in so close to Satine when speaking to her and just being such a sleaze the whole time it was great

- Zidler was so excited about his shaving blade prop it was hilarious

-After "BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T LOVE YOU!" there were like three hours of dead silence

- EL TANGO DE ROXANNE WAS STELLAR I LOVED IT SO MUCH

-During Satine's first verse in "Crazy Rolling", Baby Doll takes her hands in hers, then turns away so Satine won't see her crying, then when she rolls the vanity off the stage she turns around to look at Satine one last time and excuse me while I go sit in a corner and cry

-All of Satine's last interactions with the Moulin Rouge people made me so so sad by the way

- At the end, Satine and Christian sing Come What May one last time, and the ensemble lined up on both sides of the stage and singing along and I'm surprised I didn't bawl my eyes out actually

Here are the bows and me screaming!!

Also caught these two in 4k

#moulin rouge #moulin rouge musical #musical theatre #dutch theatre

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jasbaklonbri · 9 months ago

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My issues with the Avatar Live action show. (Spoilers)

before I get on with this… rant I guess, I want to stress that I do not “Hate” this adaptation, I actually think it’s pretty…. decent. Mixed in terms of being an adaptation but as its own thing i do think it actually is good. If a newcomer gets introduced to the franchise through this show, I’d mostly be okay with that (though would still stress to watch the original, especially hinting about the rest of the story if they’re really invested) before I go into my biggest problems I should quickly list its positives.

The characters, for the most part, are done well, they meet the core criteria of what made the original characters so beloved. The acting, for the most part, is good, overall the cast does a really good job at their respective roles. Costumes are amazing, sets, while not exactly 1:1, are still overall awesome. soundtrack is really REALLY good, stellar work all round. The action is not only great, it’s BRUTAL AS FUCK, it does not shy away from the themes of war and death and I love that 😈 some of the expanded editions to the lore are really interesting, big shoutout especially to the inclusion that zuko’s crew is also the battalion he defends in the war room, that was actually brilliant 👌 on top of that, references and inclusions of stuff from expanded material I mostly really liked, from the comics, to legend of Korra to even the kyoshi novels. As for the writing and story…. I can accept no adaptation is perfect and there will be changes, I think it follows the moments of the show decently and that the writing is… adequate. overall rating for me is a decent… 6/10… almost was a 7 but… no.

okay now for the stuff that sucked!

The Characters that weren’t good:

Aang is not bad in this, character wise and acting is overall good, Gordon Cormier does a good job, he looks and sounds the part. My issues are how the character is written. Ill get into more about his biggest issues later on as it mostly has to do with writing and a few particular scenes, but for now I’ll harp on how repetitive and annoying his dialogue can be sometimes, way too many times has the character had the same “guilt scene” which hits the exact same beats: he sees devastation, he says “this is my fault”, he’s reassured it’s not. Again and again.

sokka is awful in this. And to be honest it’s not really the writings fault, Ian Ousleys portrayal does not do it for me, his line delivery is too monotone-ish, his emotional delivery is lacking, he has the same blank facial expression throughout the show. He has a decent one liner here and there, but the comedy and character is MILES away from the over expressive, hilarious and badass original.

zukos actor is decent just enough, and honestly it’s a little unfair to compare Dallas Liu to Dante Bascos performance, but admittedly I felt he was comparatively more underwhelming at times. Though if anything I was more annoyed at the look of his Scar. Don’t get me wrong, its leagues more noticeable than it was in the god awful movie adaptation… but it’s still not great. Remember how grotesque his scar is in the animated show, even at a distance, his skin is shrivelled, he can hardly open his eye, even his ear is half burnt off, they could of gone all out in showcasing his disfigurement, the greatest source of his self shame and most brutal showcase of his fathers cruelty and abuse… but no it’s just a dark red patch around his eye, it’s not even ugly to look at. Disappointing.

Bumi, while acted and portrayed really well by Utkarsh Ambudkar, is written very badly. His motivations have completely changed from the original, and no it is no where near as good, unlike in the show were he “toys” with Aang to teach him lessons about the journey ahead of him, offering wisdom and compassion to his old friend, keeping his identity a secret allowing Aang to realise who he is, making an emotional reunion when he realises another piece of his lost past is still alive: here Aang finds out immediately it’s him, and Bumi instead is pissed and petty that Aang left to the point HE TRIES TO KILL HIM, completely disregarding the point of the message and character from the original show. Oh and not to mention the ending scene with him, but again I’ll get to that scene later.

finally, biggest problem I’ll harp on the characters themselves is the diminishing, lack of focus and editing of the three protagonists flaws. Aangs childish immaturity, kataras inexperience, Sokkas rudeness and distrust. There are reasons why the show took these out or didn’t focus on them, but in my opinion this was a huge mistake to do. Character flaws are integral to character growth, throughout the original show we see the characters learn and grow with and out of said flaws to become more rounded and stronger characters, Aangs journey to embrace his destiny and responsibilities, Kataras growing wisdom and strength, Sokka accepting his wrongdoings becoming more open minded and accepting. Diminishing these ultimately take away a lot from these characters and it does them and the fans a huge disservice to outright ignore them at times.

Aang and Kataras bond is there… but it’s Seriously lacking!

I’m a Kataang shipper. Before I go into detail with this I think it’s important to point out a certain bias I might have with this, but regardless of any opinions about the original shows romantic themes, I’d still argue that Aang and Kataras relationship is one of the core and integral bonds of the original show (the others being Katara and Sokka, Zuko and Iroh, Aang and Zuko and Zuko and Azula (book 2 onwards) so getting this right is in my opinion important to any adaptation. Overall their relationship is fine in this iteration, but MAN it’s just not as good.

Imagine my utmost disappointment When in this version: Katara is not the first person Aang sees when he wakes up! Now I know that seems like a petty thing to harp on but really think back to the original show, how beautifully written their friendship was, how they constantly support and empathise with each other, how Aang is a source of Kataras hope, how Katara is an emotional rock for Aang when coming to terms with his loss and grief. All of it starts with the foundation of their first meeting in that first episode. After a hundred years of sleep, Katara accidentally discovers Aang (with Sokka) and rushes to save him, the first person Aang sees as he opens his eyes is her, he immediately, and essentially asks her out. Katara introduces him to her village, she’s enamoured by his playful attitude and abilities, there are hints of a blooming crush between them (mostly from Aang) they promise to explore the world together, they go penguin sledding, until finally, when Katara realises and breaks the truth about Aangs 100 year absence and slow realisation that everything and everyone he knew is likely gone, Katara tries to reassure him mentioning there may be a bright side: Aang responds with “I did get to meet you”. all of that build up and setup of the friendship (and budding romance) of our two leads is masterfully established in one, 23 minute long episode. Really think about that. It takes the original show 1 episode to set the core points of the two lead’s relationship in what takes this show AN ENTIRE SERIES TO PROPERLY ESTABLISH! Not only is all of that practically absent in this iteration, but plenty of scenes and moments are either missing or lessened, Such as when Katara calms Aang out of the Avatar state, or how they begin to train and learn their waterbending together (more on THAT later), cave of two lovers is now given to Katara and Sokka?? (really missed the point of that episode) or how about the mutual understanding of each others grief through their own grief, oh yeah that’s another thing, in this version Katara, nor Sokka for that matter, ever mention to Aang that their mother is dead?! Not once. I don’t even think he ever knows, or maybe he finds out off screen? Big thing to not mention guys??

Now there are plenty of scenes in the show that do help build up their friendship here, but by missing core scenes, especially those from the first episodes, it just makes it harder for the show to establish that bond towards an audience, and again just pales in comparison.

No statue room???

I’ll be a little more brief here, but the fact that this moment is completely missing infuriates me. You have the quintessential moment where Aang is in full view of the scope of his legacy, a monument to hundreds of all the past avatars, a moment for our characters and the audience to visually realise the weight and burden that Aang Carries upon his shoulders… and you completely take it out??? What the actual FUCK???

Kyoshis premonition almost ruins the show! as awesome and badass as Avatar Kyoshi was in this version, this one tidbit is by far not just a weird addition, it’s arguably one of the biggest fundamental flaws of the show, not as an adaptation, but the show in of it self. The idea apparently (according to behind the scenes comments) is that kyoshis premonition to Aang of the northern watertribes destruction is to give him more of an assentive to head “straight to the point”, removing the unnecessary detours and filler of the original. The problem with that is even for that reason, this addition is completely pointless, because Aang already has enough assentive to head to the north: LEARN WATERBENDING!!!

In the original show after Katara and Sokka save Aang from zukos ship in the 2nd episode, they establish that they must find Aang a water bending master so he can begin his first step in becoming the avatar, in fact rewatching the first few episodes, AANG MAKES THE SUGGESTION FIRST TO KATARA SO SHE CAN MASTER HER WATERBENDING! Even the god awful movie understood that that was enough reason to head north! And if you really want more reason and imperative for them to get there as soon as, why not just reiterate that there is a WAR GOING ON! The attack on the south, the genocide of the air nomads, accidentally bringing an invasion to Kyoshi island, these are all good enough reminders for the Gaang to showcase the need for Aang to head to the known one place in the world where Aang can possibly master an art integral to achieving his destiny. But even worse than that, this addition seriously hurts the show going foward, because now, after Aang has been shown the impending doom destined for the north, he STILL detours from it, not once but twice! (And according to one gossiping bartender, possibly a few more times!!) in an attempt to try to showcase his nobility and compassion to always help those in need, every time he decides to stop to help a new problem, HE IS LITERALLY RISKING THE DESTRUCTION OF AN ENTIRE CIVILISATION!!! Priorities dude!!! It’s not like he’s given a time frame, for all he knows this premonition could happen at anytime, it could be already happening??? It is by far one of the biggest, if not THE BIGGEST flaw of the show.

Muddying the rules of the spirits and spirit realm

Aside from kyoshis future sight, too many instances does this show, in an attempt to expand ideas of worlds spirituality, often just make things more confusing. Another example is when Aang accidentally drags Katara and Sokka into the spirit world, which even with the reasoning they give it makes no sense whatsoever and it only serves an excuse to combine moments from other episodes into one. Or how about when wan shi tong… for some reason… explains that spirits can only talk to the avatar and only they can communicate with and talk to spirits… except that rule is completely ignored when Katara and Sokka can clearly hear what koh is saying? ooops???

Hai Bai has no agency or resolution in his inclusion here, he’s not even the central threat despite HIS forest being burnt. Instead of going on a full rampage against humanity for their destruction, he’s now just really angry about being wounded? Instead of hai bai kidnapping people, it’s now Koh, who while still really creepy in this version, his abilities are now greatly diminished. Instead of his lightning quick speed to remove the faces of anyone who show any ounce of emotion in his presence, here he can only prey on negative emotions, and is never shown to be especially fast (except the two jump scares). again it just pales in comparison to the intensity of the original scene.

Kuruk should know why his advice is horseshit!

while I like the inclusion of some details of the lore outside the original show, using it during Aangs scene with Kuruk significantly hurts his first scene, because now we have the writers completely miss the point and lessons of Kuruks life. Kuruks advice to “walk the path alone” to “distance himself from his friends” is not just obviously poor advice on its own, but considering that the past avatars are aware of events after their death, it especially doesn’t make sense coming from Kuruk! Avatar Kuruk HAD friends! the kyoshi novels go into detail about his closest companions as well as his secret deeds of hunting dark spirits. Yes Kuruk did it in secret and inadvertently and purposely distanced himself from the people he loved so that he could in his mind protect them, and that’s excusable because Avatars never have hindsight about some of the consequences of their actions, in fact past avatars often use their mistakes and their consequences as advice and warnings to the current avatar. KURUK SHOULD BE ADVISING THE EXACT OPPOSITE!!!

One of the major consequences of pushing his friends and keeping secrets was that when he eventually died mysteriously at a young age, his companions felt they had failed in their mission to serve and protect their friend, pushing one of them, Jianzhu, to fall into a path of political meddling and corruption, and being consumed with keeping his power and influence through back handed tactics like kidnapping, torture, intimidation and murder, eventually becoming Kyoshi’s earliest nemesis and one of her greatest enemies (highly recommend reading the Kyoshi novels 😍) Not to mention that Kuruks “advice” leads to an incredibly forced scene and trope where our hero attempts to push Katara away and “nobly distances himself to protect his friend”, only for the advice to be immediately ignored a few minutes later, making it entirely pointless.

AANG NEVER LEARNS WATERBENDING???

yes, through the entirety of BOOK 1 WATER, Aang never learns waterbending! Katara offers to show him some techniques she knows in one scene, but for some reason he’s hesitant to take her offer, which would have been interesting to explore, except they never really address it?? Worse even when they finally reach Pakku in the north, all that happens is that he’s kind of scolded for not starting his training, but not once is it seen or mentioned by pakku that he’ll teach him ANYTHING. If there’s enough time to have Katara shown water healing lessons as well as arguing and fighting Pakku to teach her combative techniques, WHY THEN DOES EVERYONE IGNORE TRAINING THE GOD DAMN AVATAR!!! The fate of the world rests on Aang learning the 4 elements, but for some reason they completely leave it out?

Now Katara is mentioned to teach him in the future like in the original, but the problem now in this version is that while Katara is gifted and talented, unlike the original show she’s never formally trained (outside of healing lessons) by Pakku or a master to warrant her to become Aangs official waterbending teacher. They are literally leaving the training of the most important person of their time to an AMATEUR!!!

a baffling diversion?!?!

Finally my last big problem with the show is the handling of the ending scene. Take in mind that the fire nation sends an entire fleet, no, hundreds upon hundreds of ships to invade, subjugate and snuff out an entire civilisation, and to take out the avatar, once and for all. Also consider the sheer loss of life and devastation that was unleashed by the ocean spirit upon them when zhao murdered the moon spirit, they got hit back hard and then some, honestly it was spectacular to watch! The problem, according to Ozai: “it was all according to plan”…..

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCKING FUCK?!?!?!

apparently it’s revealed that the North Pole wasn’t the “real target”, but instead a “clever ploy” to instead… invade Omashu?? First of all, who are you creating a diversion for??? We don’t see earth kingdom soldiers coming to assist the fight in Agna Q’ela? It’s not like we ever see waterbenders helping to defend Omashu when we were there earlier, it’s not like anyone outside the protagonists was aware of Aangs premonition (oh by the way why didn’t Kyoshi warn Aang it was a “diversion”??) WHO ARE FUCKING TALKING ABOUT???

and again, just to reiterate, you are saying you sacrificed an ENTIRE INVASION FORCE, big enough to destroy a whole society, which led to a huge loss of life and ships which YOU CLAIM was “to be expected”…. In order for you to take one city???? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING JOKING??? That’s not just bad writing, that is beyond STUPID!!! Oh and just to add, unlike in the show where Bumi willingly surrenders to avoid the destruction of Omashu, instead opting to wait for the right opportunity to free it later, saving his people doing so, here we see him bruised and bloodied after a siege! Yeah, one of the most powerful earth-benders in the world is taken out offscreen!!! CHRIST ALL BLOODY MIGHTY!!!

okay… rant over… 😮‍💨😮‍💨

#avatar the last airbender #aang #atla remake #kataang #avatar

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