#i also used this as an excuse to make my colour palette for him less washed out

[fourthactdrawsstuff]

i love this man so much

i did the linework traditionally and the colouring digitally, i’m so proud of this

[signedkoko]

hello! i would like a hazbin hotel matchup pls

ima straight woman, my mbti is estp and ima aquarius sun virgo moon and cancer rising if that means anythin to u lmao

im 5'0 (sadly 😭) and i have long wavy black hair w red streaks, i usually straighten it tho. idrk how to describe my style but if i had to id say like the stereotypical y2k grunge girl look (think tara yummy) im also rly into makeup n wear eyeshadow n big ass lashes like everyday 

im kinda all over the place personality wise, but most of the time im rly energetic and always making jokes n laughing, i also love partying n going out but i need to have sum time at home too or else i get burnt tf out, im always there for the ppl i care abt even if we aint that close if someone ever comes to me for advice or anythin i always help as much as i can, i also am very very anxious but i usually keep it underwraps unless somethin triggers it and i also have a lottt of trust issues n lowkey be thinkin everyone out to get me sumtimes

i honestly dont have a lot of interests, i rly love music fashion n makeup tho, i take any excuse i can to dress myself up even if i aint goin nowhere, i listen to almost any type of music but my favs are the weeknd, lana del rey, rob zombie, and stunna girl

in a relationship im also pretty all over the place, i love very intensely n i overthink a lot n need a lot of reassurance but i tend to focus on my partners needs a lot more than mine, but if my partner brings it up i wont lie to them n if the overthinking gets rly bad to the point i cant ignore it ill bring it up, im also very clingy n always wanna be w my partner or talkin to them in sum way, im very thoughtful n love spoiling my partner w affection n gifts (usually homemade cuz im broke 💀)

ik this is rly long i tried my best to make it as short as possible mb 😭 but i hope u have a great day n thank u for doing my request :)

You got…Lucifer!

No need to worry about height because you are both the same! If not an inch or two apart, His hat, fortunately, makes it seem like he's the taller of the two of you.

Lucifer is very...fashionable? Man himself, so he really likes seeing the time you put into your outfits. They are a lot less crisp and white than his, but what's more interesting than things he isn't? Your make-up is a lot more mature than his, though, so you have two completely different dressing and makeup areas so as not to mix up his bright colours with your shadowy palettes.

When it comes to people, he has plenty of trust issues. After his wife left him without much explanation, followed by his descent into depression, it takes a lot for him to really be open to people. This made a lot of your relationship-building quite awkward, which in turn made it funny.

He loves your laugh, and he's glad you enjoy jokes because he really has way too many to count! He's got a pun for every letter in the alphabet. Even if it isn't appropriate, if it means cheering you up, he will go to some crazy lengths. He loves it when you laugh at his jokes, and he will definitely get competitive with anyone who tries to compete.

Lucifer really could use your advice, and in turn, he has a lot of wisdom. Some of your longest conversations are those where you both sit in a quiet, dark place after a long day and share feelings, worries, and solutions. He's lived a long life and seen almost everything the world has to offer, and if you ask him for a taste of his knowledge, he is absolutely thrilled that he can be of use to you.

Dedication is what he feels. Lucifer has every love language and accepts any at all in return; he has everything in his grasp, so what you want is all yours. The fact that you are clingy is just a plus, because it assures him that you do actually love him and that he does actually get to enjoy his days with you.

Any homemade gifts you make are met with utter delight. All he does these days is craft rubber ducks, so you are free to venture into his workshop and use what you need to make your items. Lucifer believes what is made by an individual is the most vulnerable gift to give. 

Expect a lot of fast, loving emotions and busy days every day! Lucifer will make you feel loved and special, and he will make sure you smile at least once a day in his company.

Author’s Note - Your runner up was Valentino! But if you ask me, Lucifer is a much better bet.

[bardic-perdita]

4, 6, and 10 for durge creator asks?

I realised while typing this that I needed some visuals, so apologies in advance for the badly edited drawings XD

How did Durge come to be? Why them? Was it a vibe you tried to capture or a specific visual you wanted to represent? Did you borrow them from previous works or were they handcrafted for this story you have in mind?

For this question, I'll talk about both Zeke and Shrike (as you had asked about Zeke before)

Zeke was a demon hunter OC from a previous fandom with his own unique lore that I adapted for BG3. He went from being a demon hunter that used a weapon imbued with the soul of a demon (called Caedes) to being a Warlock/Ranger that signed away his soul to a devil (called Caedes) so he could help the devil that raised him. He was created as a durge for in-game shenanigans, but as he was born in the Moonshae Isles it had some interesting lore implications— namely a devil adopting the spawn of Bhaal as his own son to fight the gods. His whole backstory is completely non-canon and is a bit of fun between me and my buddy. He's affectionately referred to as 'silly durge' or 'our dumb son', which just makes him dating Gale much more entertaining.

Shrike is my serious attempt at playing a resist durge. I was curious about how a paladin trying to resist their urge would work, whether their oath or urge would prove strongest. It was also decided early on that they would romance Astarion. Most of their history remained pretty vague until I played more of the game, so their pre-tadpole story only really developed fairly recently. Not that Shrike remembers any of it.

Personality or looks, what came to you easier?

Always looks first. I knew I wanted an androgynous tiefling with an autumnal colour palette, mainly to contrast Breoch's cool-toned/wintery palette. Shrike's personality is much less developed than Breoch's, namely because I haven't had them occupying my brain for as long, so I'm only now reaching a point where I feel I could write fic for them. I find Shrike far easier to draw how I want them than write for them in character.

Is their personal story represented in their overall design? Do they carry any mental scars or physical alterations from the shit that happened to them?

Shrike has a few subtle hints about their story in their design (which I will need to make clearer when I finally draw their ref sheet).

The most obvious feature is their eyes: they originally had two flaming red (dragonborn) eyes, but lost one to Volo. It's surprising how much the blue eye softens their face— much like how their personality softened when they were no longer Bhaal's chosen.

They also have red spikes along their tail, similar to the spines on the Slayer form. Plus it's a subtle indicator that they're not a 'true tiefling'

Their horns are tipped with red, blood-stained some might say, and the markings on their face appear more like veins or flowing blood that moves and changes similar to Orin's skin. At least, that's my excuse for drawing them differently every time

Finally, I deliberately didn't give them any scars apart from the one from Volo. They usually fight in plate armour meaning that injuries are rare and, as they have Lay on Hands, they would usually heal a wound before it scars.

Now at risk of making a long post even longer, here's a bonus Bhaal's Chosen Shrike in their Bhaalist plate armour:

[lover-of-mine]

you did the really great detailed post about green/blue colour theory right? do you have thoughts on buck and eddie’s blue/green phone cases in s6 and how eddie’s switches to black when he calls M?

Yeah, that's me! I made a few actually, here is the first one using just clothes, here's a more in dept one using more elements of the scene, here is another one that complements that because I didn't think to use Eddie and Shannon before.

Also, don't get me started on the phone cases oaksoaksoaks, my first meta was on the phone cases when mixed feelings aired.

But, yeah I have thoughts and they have evolved since that first post, so thank you for the excuse to talk about it. Realistically, Eddie's phone case being black when he calls Marisol could just be due to the fact that that scene is probably a reshoot and they didn't have the original green phone chase at hand when they had Ryan in for that.

But I'm not known for being realistic with my metas, so let's talk about it. Eddie had a generic plastic black phone case for s2 and s3, and no phone case for s4 and s5. And Buck has a darker color, black or charcoal up until 5a, they switched his case after brawl on cell 911 to a navy one, considering the plot of the episode it makes sense.

Then in season 6, we get the matching blue and green cases. And Buck's is significantly lighter than usual. There's no mistaking that is blue. There are also a lot more scenes of Eddie on his phone than usual, he is on his phone a lot, and a lot of the time the phone is angled in a way we will see the phone case.

The phone cases are there the whole season, including the beginning of pay it forward.

So the cases are a prop we are supposed to see, because they are turned to us, even when Eddie is texting here, his phone is slightly tilted, so we are seeing the case.

So we get to the Marisol scene. Not only the case is black, but Eddie himself is blue.

His shirt is blue, his flannel is blue, his jeans are blue, his damn couch is blue. And Eddie is NOT the blue character when it comes to the blue and green thing. If we believe my madness with Shannon and the detailing on her character, or Ana, or even Buck. He's green.

He is blue with Shannon on merry xmas, but he is blue because of the uniform, so there's wiggle room there considering the way they can't change the color of his uniform.

He's also blue for Chris' birth, and there's less wiggle room here, but medical stuff is usually blue, no matter the circumstances, so it could be just because it was more convenient to make Shannon a green gown, like they did for Chim so that he and Maddie could be blue and green after Doug, because everything else in the room is blue, gloves, blankets, like, he could blue for convenience.

But, still, he's mostly green, there is a lot of blue in his color palette, I'm not saying he doesn't do blue, because he does, he's just usually green while love interests. So, him being blue from head to toe is also a choice, because he's legit monochromatic, and that's odd.

Because they could've put him in green, yk, Eddie making this call in a green henley would make perfect sense for his character without the "army green armor" implications of a green jacket. He could've also been wearing brown or grey, other colors he wears a lot that don't have the romantic love implications but are the wrong color for him, and again have the same effect.

I have conflicting feelings about this and just believing it's a coincidence, because the show is very careful and they left openings even if they believed the show was gonna get cancelled. But Eddie being in the "wrong" color could be an indication that the relationship is wrong or bound to go wrong or whatever because switching colors mid-crisis is a thing the show does with couples. Maddie and Chim on Boston for instance, Maddie starts as blue and Chim starts as green, but they switch by the end of the episode.

There's also the way Buck and Taylor switch when Buck kisses Lucy.

So it could be an indicator that Eddie and Marisol are going nowhere.

But at this point, I think we need more information about Marisol as a whole, I don't think the relationship is gonna last anyway, but she doesn't really exist for us yet, so it's hard to make assumptions involving her.

[treymeow]

It's honestly depressing, they have no distinct difference between them other than colour.

(more ranting under cut (edit - I added more)

They're all wearing a bracelet, the SAME bracelet (If it's like plot based then fair enough, like if they're a squad of friends and have friendship bracelets then go for it ig) Hell they're even in the exact same pose, even spike(???? Looks like him) Same hair, same horns, same ears. No character between them, the silhouettes are the same. I get it if they're side characters and all that, but I see it more and more often with main characters. Cookie cutter (as OP said) carbon copies of each other with recolours. They couldn't even change the hair??? And to be completely honest, in my humble opinion, the colours choices for the two at the back are awful.

The mainly yellow one has red feet, but it's so random??? There's no other hints of red other than maybe the horns and wings?? But other than that, there's no markings, patterns, not even a streak in their hair, it looks like she's wearing boots?? The two colours are great together, but there's no other hint of red on her main body, there could have been something on her snout, she could have really benefited from that imo (can't see it very well when I'm replying but I think her spikes are red? Which is better but still)

The neon pink one is awful tbh, especially with the bright cyan hair, and mixed with the orange underbelly it looks like they went on coolors.com, randomised a colour palette and called it a day without re-rolling any colours for a better combo. (Coolors is great btw, if you use it well) Like with the yellow one, no other hints of cyan on her main body other than her claws. (Which looks like shit they stand out too much and personally makes me kinda uncomfortable 💀)

The blue one is the only one who looks nice and that's because he's ENTIRELY BLUE. They could have done a similar technique with the other two?? They did it in gen5 with twilight, pinkie pie, applejack (I'm counting orange and yellow together cuz similar colours), I'd say rainbow dash but I think that's pushing it, hell I think they did it with the purple bitch riding him?? But the thing that made them better than this shameful excuse of a dragon is that they had a pop of colour, twilight had pink, pinkie pie had blue, applejack had green and red. This guy is ENTIRELY blue, and no I'm not counting the purple, because it's too similar, if they made it different enough then yeah ok but it's very similar hues.

And oh my poor baby spike what did they do to you 😔😔 Also don't they like have hands/Claws???

Anyway, I've never watched that movie lmao I have no clue what's happening

EDIT - I'm adding more

The reason the older versions look so much better is because you can SEE what they are like you can EXPECT it. Different hair, different wings, different faces, different posture and body shape. They have CHARACTER.

The colours are harmonious, they look good together. They used the underbelly of the white one for the wings and then used a similar shade for the hair and spikes!! The black one has the same colour of his underbelly as his hair!!! The middle one has RED AND YELLOW (eyes gen6 dragon). Truth be told I don't like the middle one much, why use two different shades of yellow for wings and underbelly? don't mind it as much as the newer ones tho it's less annoying. It's fine to use a third colour obviously applejack did it, but like, it's ok to reuse colours guys!!

But I mean hey, what do I know, I'm not a character designer, maybe I'm biased to the older show cuz that's what I've grown up with. Either way, they look like shit 💀

The downgrade of dragons in FIM to mym is. Sad to say the least

[moririki]

⤷ AN EIGHT-LEGGED PROBLEM

OIKAWA TOORU & SAKUSA KIYOOMI & HAIBA LEV & MIYA ATSUMU X READER -> 1.8K
you save your boyfriend from a massive problem which is currently in the corner of your bathroom )

REQUEST -> n/a
CONTAINS -> spiders, bugs, you picking up said creepy crawlies, hq boys being no! help! at! all! (but that's ok bc we love them for it), fanon-ish sakusa cos i haven't read the manga and he had like 5 seconds of screen time so i'm just going off of what i've read + seen, clear favouritism despite the fact that i know basically nothing about sakusa, manga timeskip spoilers in sakusa's
MORI'S THOUGHTS -> haven't seen one where the reader is the one in the relationship who takes care of bugs so since i'm a #girlboss who throws spiders out of my room whenever i see them without breaking a sweat i'm writing that into a fun lil thing with the haikyuu boys that i strongly believe are scared of bugs. also besides the point but look at the pretty colour palette that their banners make fjfjfjdj will go back to writing the requests after this! inspiration just struck

❍ OIKAWA TOORU

-> omg this fucking guy

-> don't let his pride fool you this man HATES bugs with a burning passion

-> he'll never admit it though

-> between you and the aoba johsai team he would never hear the end of how the great king oikawa would cower at the sight of a moth doing laps around a lightbulb

-> so when you pretended not to hear the shriek that left your boyfriend when he saw something flying around the bathroom light and he declined your offer to get rid of the moth for him, this left oikawa in a pretty difficult situation

-> it was just him alone in the bathroom, trying to brush his teeth while eyeing the bug warily

-> you came in a few minutes later, getting ready to go to bed as well

-> "you know, babe, that moth's been there for quite a while," you teased him

-> oikawa hummed in response, his eyes never leaving it as it continued its circumnavigation of the light fixture

-> "oh, you know. who am i to kick someone out of their home? i'm no monster"

-> you almost snorted at how poor of an excuse that was, but ruffled your boyfriend's hair anyway

-> "i'll take care of it, ru, you just finish getting ready"

-> "but y/n-chan, that moth has feelings! don't be mean to it!"

-> you gave tooru a very blank stare at that

-> "so do you want me to leave you alone with your new friend?"

-> "......no"

-> "that's what i thought"

-> you went up to the moth, managing to trap it in your hands before releasing it from a window

-> oikawa shuddered as you came back to the sink, giving your hands a quick rinse before resuming with brushing your teeth like nothing had happened

-> "you're so brave, my love"

-> "anything for you, babe"

❍ SAKUSA KIYOOMI

-> bless this poor boy

-> so it's no secret that sakusa isn't the fondest of germs

-> and that extends to bugs and spiders too

-> besides a normal amount of disgust that he held for them, the thought of where the insects had been or placed one of their many feet on never failed to make his skin crawl

-> that's where you, his wonderful significant other, comes in

-> as much as he loves you, he just can't understand how you always stared at bugs with wonder in your eyes

-> you'd even pick them up, cooing at the way they crawled up your arm while sakusa just stared at you in disbelief with a can of bug spray in hand

-> tonight was one of those swelteringly hot summer nights

-> you know, the ones where the air seems to be still no matter how many windows you open and every insect in a mile radius is actively trying to enter your home

-> you were spending the night at your boyfriend's apartment, ready to have a relaxing night in with him since your schedules had finally synced up and allowed you both to enjoy a day off at the same time

-> it took months of trust before sakusa finally admitted to you how much he enjoyed doing skincare

-> so whenever you two spent the night together, you decided to start the evening with some face masks and idle binging of a tv show

-> against his half-hearted protests, you had insisted that sakusa wore a headband while this happened (one that had a very cute duck face printed on it)

-> just to keep the curls out of his face, of course

-> whenever he caught you sneaking a candid of him with facemask and duck headband on, he just shot you a halfhearted glare and threatened you to never send that to atsumu or the rest of the msby team

-> (you set it as your home screen instead)

-> anyways, i digress

-> so tonight you decided to cool down from the heat with a few facemasks and cuddling in your boyfriend's heavily air conditioned living room

-> but he kept all his skincare stuff in the bathroom, so you went to go get them as he set up a show to watch along with some snacks

-> you flicked on the light, going to his cabinet when something in the corner of the room caught your eye

-> there was a fairly large spider, desperately trying to crawl up the smooth tile wall

-> you decided to take pity on it and release it

-> but when you had it cupped safely in your hands, you decided to terrorise your poor boyfriend just a little

-> "hey, omi, look what i found!"

-> your boyfriend perked up at your signature nickname for him, though his eyes narrowed as he saw your clasped hands held in front of you

-> "no"

-> "but baby, you haven't even seen-"

-> "no"

-> you giggled at how defensive he had become

-> "come on, don't you want to name it? it's very cute"

-> "i want you to throw it out, y/n"

-> "alright, alright"

-> you took the spider to a window, releasing it back outside before heading back to the bathroom and grabbing a few masks for real this time

-> sakusa gave you the cold shoulder as you sat down next to him, humming as you gave him a face mask and putting it on without a word

-> "aww, baby, i'm sorry"

-> "..."

-> "i'll give you a head massage if you stop ignoring me?"

-> sakusa turned to you, his eyes narrowed in thought as he stared you down

-> the act soon broke, though, and he smiled against the sheet mask that was on his face

-> "it better be a good one," he huffed as he tugged the duck headband off, already sighing at the sensation of your fingers against his scalp

-> "omi, come on, what do you take me for?"

❍ HAIBA LEV

-> ngl lev gives off equal amounts of being terrified of like the tiniest spider or just finding bugs insanely cool vibes

-> it's funnier to imagine this 6-foot-something guy scramble away from a fucking crane fly in terror though so this is how it's going to play out

-> when you invited your giant of a boyfriend to your flat, you didn't anticipate just how small he made everything appear

-> he even towered in your doorway, having to stoop to step through into your hall

-> "woahh, i love your place!"

-> it was his first time staying over for the night, and lev was making sure to drink in every aspect of your interior design

-> you found it sweet of him, and watched as he stared in wide-eyed wonder at the little trinkets you had collected over the years to make your small apartment seem more like a home

-> you didn't expect him to scream at the top of his lungs and practically run back to you, though

-> you jumped at the sound, watching as he scrambled away from your lamp and pointed back at it with a shaking finger

-> you squinted at it, making out the very menacing form of a crane fly as it bumped into the lampshade and continued on its path

-> "lev, you big baby," you giggled, heading to the kitchen to grab a glass and trap it

-> "y/n, don't leave me alone with it!" he yelped, and you rolled your eyes at his antics

-> you came back, smoothly capturing the insect and throwing it out of a nearby window

-> lev was sat on your couch the whole time, hands covering his eyes as he curled in a ball

-> "is it gone?" he asked, and you you giggled at how childlike he was acting at the moment

-> "it's all good, baby" you smoothed his hair and lev gratefully leaned into your touch, a sigh of relief leaving him

-> "thank you, y/n"

-> "i'll get rid of all the bugs in the world for you, lev"

❍ MIYA ATSUMU

-> gives off the vibes that he used to eat bugs as a child i'm sorry but

-> have mercy on his soul lmao

-> so twins are supposed to be identical right?

-> anyone who spends more than a few minutes around the miya twins know that that's a complete fucking lie

-> and you've had the misfortune of being friends with them for a very long time

-> like your mums were friends and you were all born around the same time

-> you've been pulled into their shit before you could walk or talk

-> so you're well aware of just how different these mfs are

-> even though they were both absolute bastards, osamu always had a slightly more mellowed out approach which would always end up with atsumu getting the blame for what they got up to

-> especially as a child, osamu loved to terrorise his twin with the unwilling help of you

-> one of the ways was through osamu exploiting one of his twins' fears

-> that being bugs and spiders

-> he always cackled at the sight of atsumu screaming and trying to run away from him due to the spider he was holding

-> as they both grew up, this became less of a frequent thing for osamu to do

-> you also somehow started dating atsumu, but nobody could exactly pinpoint a moment that signified a beginning to your relationship

-> but since you're dating the world's biggest manchild in disguise, and osamu gets annoyed with atsumu quite easily, you would have to swoop in to rescue him from time to time

-> recently the twins had been getting a little snappy with each other, and it had yet to sort itself out

-> from what you had heard your boyfriend was in the wrong this time, but you still listened to him whine and rant about it

-> you were going to the inarizaki school gym to say hi to your boyfriend and best friend before practice started, only to see absolute chaos unfolding

-> with kita yet to arrive, the twins were effectively unleashed and that much was clear with the way atsumu was practically screaming his head off as he ran around the gym

-> your eyes took in the rest of the players- aran had his head in his hands, suna was snickering with his phone out to record the newest miya twin fight, and osamu's deranged laugh could be heard above everything else as he chased his brother, hand held out in front of him

-> only one thing was capable of making atsumu scream like that, so you already knew what was happening

-> atsumu quickly spotted you hovering in the doorway, and made a beeline to where you were

-> his eyes were panicked, and you were quick to wrap him in a hug as you shot osamu a nasty glare over his shoulder

-> literally this lmfao

-> "that's enough, 'samu"

-> your best friend paused, before a smile spread across his face as he dangled the centipede in front of him

-> "you know it was rubber, right?"

-> you felt your boyfriend tense in your arms and you bit your lip to stifle a small giggle

-> but at least they would be back to normal by the end of today

back to the menu - ,, 🕷 ·˚ ༘ ꒱

[lesbian-in-leather]

So it's a little late but I finally made the extended version of this post

I'm just going to rewatch the trailer and write down all of my thoughts, but actually expand on everything this time (and it'll actually be mostly in order)

Maybe it's just the cut for the trailer, but the lawyer scene feels very rushed. BBC made it comedic in its own right, not just a setup, but here it feels very much like "have some exposition so we can get to the ghosts". The ghosts should not be the only point of comedy - they're important, sure, but "Samantha" and "Jay" should be able to carry a scene by themselves

"Samantha" doesn't think it through. At all. She cuts off the lawyer after his first buyer suggestion, and "Jay" doesn't seem to be on board with the idea. In the OG, they were both into this (admittedly bad) idea, so the responsibility was on both of them. Yes they rushed into it, but it was way more thought out than just hearing the words "bed and breakfast" and deciding that's your new plan

Why did they age down Pat for "Pete". I hate it. He's younger and skinnier and there's no reason. Like yeah, the OG doesn't have AMAZING diversity, but it's better than this - don't take out diversity in a remake. Didn't think I'd have to spell that one out

The sage joke is admittedly funny. However, it gives us some insight into the ghosts that I'm not the biggest fan of, and let's us see a lot of their new designs. Let's go across, shall we?

"Issac" is so much less dignified than Thomas. I understand that Thomas isn't always as poised as he'd like to think, but there's a level of class that's missing from "Issac", right down to the way he stands

"Flower" looks high. How can a ghost be high, you ask? No idea. But here we are.

"Sasappis" (I read in an article that this is a character name and I believe tis the Native American guy) has such a tiny reaction I almost missed it. He barely moves while everyone else freaks out. I'm hoping they didn't create this character out of the 'emotionless Native American' stereotype but... I guess we'll see

"Hetty" is the replacement for Lady B, and she's super expressive, protective of the others, and so much younger. She was supposed to be a grumpy mother/grandmother figure - why is she literally leaping in front of the others to protect them? That should be the Captain's job but they've axed him so I guess it falls to her now. Also, why did they make everyone so young?? Like, none of the ghosts look over 35. Why. This was unnecessary and, quite frankly, stupid. Why is everyone at this house dying so young? Just so they can market them as fuckable???? L o a t h i n g

Viking Man also barely moved. He seems interested in the sage and is basically a "cooler" version of Robin as far as I can tell. They seem to have taken away the joy of Robin's character, leaving only Some Guy which would be bad in any genre, but ESPECIALLY a comedy. He has potential in theory, but I feel they aren't going to utalise it

"Trevor". I have so much loathing for this man. Let's have some overall analysis, shall we? First of all, we'll start with, what I hope is a well known fact: Julian is not a good person. I love him as a character and he is starting to learn and grow, but at no point does the BBC or the other characters try to justify his behaviour. CBS saw this, and made Trevor. Trevor is younger than Julian (because for some reason they AGED EVERYONE DOWN), which also makes people far more likely to excuse his actions. They seem to be trying to make him a 'loveable fuckup' who makes bad choices because of privaledge, and I am. So worried. That they're going to try and excuse his actions. He already feels like a writer's self-insert and that never bodes well, especially in this type of character. Mark my words, they're going to market him as the 'relateable' one while having him spout misogynistic views (probably also homophobic and maybe even mildly racist/xenophobic ones too)

MOVING ON

Why is "Pete" sarcastic? I don't like it. Pat wouldn't be the one yelling aggressive comments while everyone's actually doing something together - he should be happy! Encouraging! He should be trying to catch up to the moving group instead of attempting to draw attention away from it!

Everyone looked so happy for the dead relative when she moved on. Hate that - it was so funny in BBC when they were like 'fuck off why does she get to leave' - having "Pete" be happy is fine, but the rest of them? WHY IS "HETTY" HAPPY.

Oh look, "Travor" actively flicks "Pete's" arrow to cause him pain. Why. That was so unecessary. None of the ghosts should try to hurt each other out of pure malice, and they certainly shouldn't get joy from it. It feels like CBS is trying to turn us against "Pete" and put us on "Trevor's" side, which I called, but am not a fan of.

And here she is. "Alberta". What the FUCK did they do to Kitty. She has Kitty's colour palette and fits the diversity demographic, but that is where the resemblance stops. Kitty is SUCH a wonderful character because she was an upper class black woman who was allowed to be soft and sweet and innocent and the others all protected her and I LOVED IT. Do you want to hear some fun descriptors they gave to "Alberta" in this article?

"In her time, she dated a bootlegger and has “seen it all,” and is a bit of a diva. Though tough and not one to take crap from anyone, she has a maternal streak and often acts as the protective den mother to the “family” of ghosts"

This is not only far closer to so many stereotypes, but it's the polar opposite of Kitty!! Having a flapper was a pretty cool idea but she could have had the same character traits as Kitty! Why change that! There was NO REASON TO RUIN HER. Also is it just me, or does it seem like they've made way too many of them sarcastic? Like, they've taken away Alison's snarky streak but given sarcastic lines to way too many of the characters

Also can I just take a moment to question the sheer amount of ghosts they've included. I understand that technically there's about the same amount. But with so much less of American history to draw on and the questionable character choices they've made, it feels like there are so many undefineable characters. Like, how do we differentiate them?? Even in the trailer there are so many scenes where most of them are just... standing around. In BBC, they're all so distinct and you get so much out of rewatches because they're all always doing something - look in the background of any shot and the ghosts who aren't talking have a reason to be there! But in this they're just... standing around. Do better.

I've just realised I'm only 0:59 seconds into a 2:16 trailer so I'm going to split this into two parts

Part two is here

[lordeasriel]

I really care about your opinion, how do you feel about the bbc show and the way it's going?

I feel like before I give my take, I need to say that I understand the show is its own thing, and while I do wish they did a better job adapting certain things, I understand that sometimes there is a need for radical change or cut, especially when your budget is not super high (which HDM does have a lot of money into it, still is not a super big budget production, so they have to worry about these things). And I do enjoy many things about the show, but my overall vibe is mixed, to be honest. I’m stating this now because people often question whether I like the show or not, becaus I do criticise it a lot, and I simply have a critic view of the things I like, which is why I discuss them a lot and it can be overwhelming.

My main issues with the show are these 3 things: (which I’ll put under the cut because this got a bit longer than I wanted to lmao sorry)

Lack of worldbuilding and loose lore: I’ve been talking about this since day one, and this mostly applies to season 1 because I can’t judge season 2 yet because it’s not fully aired yet, but the show suffers from lack of worldbuilding, especially in Lyra’s world, which is the world that sets everything in motion. I still dislike the fact they introduced Will mid-NL, I don’t think he needed all those episodes to establish something that easily could’ve been done in S2 and because they gave TSK a lot of time, other parts of Lyra’s world suffered considerably, mainly the witches and the Magisterium.

The show doesn’t really expand on those two groups, especially, and I think that’s not good, especially the Magisterium (which they have over simplified by making it one big baddie, or so it seems at least, not to mention that implying a single leader for them practically ruins Marcel Delamare’s arc in TBOD and I’m very mad about that lmao). A lot of the Magisterium plot has that infighting aspect, which creates tension on their side as well as against their enemies, but the show doesn’t really explore that or the nuances of the Church, and they also don’t explore how varied the witches are, and I feel like this is a serious mistake. (The portrayal of the witches is by far my least favourite thing in the show, if I’m being honest).

Dull parallel world (and lack of daemons): this ties a bit with the worldbuilding aspect, but this is mainly about design choices. I think the show doesn’t make Lyra’s world as unique as it should be. On its own the world looks pretty and the outfits of most of the cast are great, but when you realise that Will’s world is intertwined with that, you don’t really feel like these two worlds are vastly different.

There is an odd situation in which Marisa’s fashion feels 30s/40s, but most of the men from her social circle (not fair to compare with the gyptians) just wear plain suits and they look much more modern. And while I get that they went for a timeless vibes, with different eras and styles, Lyra’s world feels like a caricature and it doesn’t feel believable. The colour palette is mostly the same for both worlds (even in s2, it’s hard to tell much of the difference because either the scenes are indoors or at night.) This, paired with the lack of daemons (which has been discussed many times in the fandom) kinda bums me out.

Marisa’s oversimplification: I’m mentioning Marisa, specifically, because she is the one that suffers the most due to this writing issues, but other characters like Lord Asriel, MacPhail, the general collective of the Witches, they all suffer from the writing trying to take away the nuances of them and make them flatter than in the book. Marisa is the worst because without her complexity and her flaws, she simply gets dull and boring and flavourless, and it’s kinda what has been happening in the show in my opinion. All she does is weep and she has no strength that doesn’t rely on a random fit of rage that dies out and she gets upset. There’s some great moments, like when she mimics the Monkey, but most of the time she’s just a shadow of who she is supposed to be.

The show tries really hard to make her a Scorned Mother - right from the get go, they try to makes us see how she wants Lyra, how she struggles with her “bad nature” and how that affects their relationship. There is this lingering implication that Lyra was taken from her against her wishes; they make it seem like being a mother to Lyra is her driving force, the only reason why she seeks power and influence. And that is the opposite of Book! Marisa, who is a force of nature, ruthless and ambitious, with not an ounce of maternal instinct.

She does eventually decide to help Lyra, instead of harming her, but even that action comes from a narcisistic place: Lyra is to her a possession, something that belongs to her, and that she wants to preserve. The show just handles her badly, falling into overused, boring tropes that struck far from the book version.

These are usually my main complaints about the show, and they upset me every episode to the point I’m practically ignoring them now lmao The show does a lot of good things too, making Will less of a prick, restoring Lyra’s personality from the first book into S2 Lyra (so far, please keep it that way), Mary is looking great too. They have mostly a great cast, and they did improve the daemons this season (except uh, there are far less daemons to show because of the other worlds - and the Ruta Skadi daemon change pisses me off tbh).

They do have a lot of interest in the show, but the writing (the main issue to me) feels clunky and childish, with the show toning down most of the themes that make His Dark Materials so special, especially to me (which frankly I expected them to do, but it still stings a bit). They make the Magisterium a single bad entity that feels more Authoritarian-Fascist, than a theocracy (even if they sneak in the religious symbols and rituals and garments, it’s just not a good portrayal, it’s very tame and shy); and they try to justify Marisa’s actions (especially in current interviews, there’s lots of talk about how her background will play in the show to “explain why she is the way she is”). The fact the Magisterium is portrayed as pure evil makes it looks less familiar than it should be, and therefore they don’t look scary, they seem like a caricature, a joke.

A lot of the essence of the characters get lost, and the core message of the story too, like when Iorek and the Gyptians tell Lyra she can be one of them, to support her lack of “proper family”, when that is the opposite of the books message. It doesn’t make sense for them to change that, other than maybe Jack Thorne wanted to because it makes the story feels less hopeless, but it’s why he fails to adapt these character - he doesn’t capture the essence, he tries to write these character with gaps in them.

However, the thing that annoys me the most is how they portray Asriel. It’s just... it’s bad. Really bad, which is a shame cause James is talented as fuck, but he had little time to film for season 1, and then they portrayed him very poorly. That scene when he addresses Roger in episode 7 is ridiculous, Asriel would never behave that way; there was relief in him finding Roger was there too, yes, but not to that extent and not in such a cringe way. Asriel is not deranged or irrational, he is a man on a mission, and Roger was a tool (there is no pleasure in Asriel taking his life and no excuses - it needed to be done and he did it); they just needed him to sound creepy in the show for whatever reason.

I hated how they handled the bridge scene for Asriel, Lyra and Marisa, but that’s long and complicated for me to explain here. In S2, there has been some mentions of him so far, including the implication he might have ruined Cittàgazze himself and I frankly don’t understand where did they get that idea. But the cherry on the top was Thorold telling Marisa that Asriel was gonna kill Lyra and that’s just-- that’s so dumb. That’s genuinely dumb writing, because Thorold knows Lyra followed Asriel to the mountain, and while I do believe Asriel would have killed Lyra if Roger wasn’t there, there is no way Thorold should know or consider that Asriel was gonna hurt Lyra, because Roger was there. In fact, Thorold’s interactions with Asriel in episode 8 already disprove this, so either Thorold was lying in S2 for the sake of, I don’t know, chaos or whatever, or the person who wrote this was a five-star, solid gold, fucking moron.

I’m not gonna mention the lost episode because that was no one’s fault, but the fact that they discarded an episode that all information we have on imply that it was important to set up the backstory of the angels and the city, it’s... concerning. It means they wrote something parallel that should’ve been woven into the season.

The truth is, I still watch the show on Sundays, and I still like some stuff they do (especially Mary’s stuff, so far), and despite me slandering the show per your request anon lol (cause unfortunately my honest opinion is mixed, I just don’t try to overfocus on the negative on Tumblr, I mostly talk about it on discord or private), I do think anyone who has read the books should watch the show.

For me, personally, everything I love about HDM is barely on the show - complex characters, the philosophy, the oppression by religion, the interesting world - and the vibe I get is that they’re adapting a coming-of-age love story, which is the last and - being fully honest - the least important message these books give us, but unfortunately they were set to making a family show from the start, and my expectations were high and unmatched, and a family is what we’re getting: toned down, cute, pretty visuals and soulless (heh, pun intended), philosophically speaking. I expect a certain pattern going into S3, but I always like to hold out hope that they will hire better writers (apparently Jack Thorne already wrote 4 scripts, so there you go lmao), and try to give HDM the adaptation it deserves. The truth is, if you’re a picky, canon reliant person like I am, the show might be a struggle, but if you just like the story for the teen romance, or if you don’t care about overthinking a show/book, then most people can have a good time with it.

[howterrifying]

+molliarty: The Necessity of Colour: I & II

The title had begun from a single idea I had, an idea that involved how one character viewed the other. It was meant to be a simple, nuanced one-shot, but the pair kept growing as their conversations unfolded and so it evolved into this mini-series. I actually had a very hard time trying to complete this but when I finally saw where it was heading, I was so glad I'd persevered with it. I did not expect it to end the way it had, but once the final scene had made its home in my mind, I could not deviate from it. I hope this story isn't too chaotic and that you can feel the complex and yet surprisingly clear feelings between the two. x

::

The Necessity of Colour: Part I & II   [Also on FF.net and AO3]

I. It was a foolproof plan. Then again, when had Jim Moriarty ever had a plan that was notfoolproof? The world is a circus of fools, was how he often defined the environment he lived in. In this case, he had decided it was best he undertook this particular operation himself.   He had planned it down to the most random of details so as not to be caught off guard; from the title of Molly’s favourite musical to the brand of cat food she would buy for her cat, Toby. Jim learnt how the different ways she did her hair could offer him some insight into her mood. The shocking amount of colour she seemed to enjoy formed a stark contrast to his own very stark palette, but he had learnt to appreciate it. Jim had left no stone unturned.

Molly’s affection for Sherlock Holmes and their close working relationship had been the reason behind Jim choosing her for his plan. This affection she had for the detective, however, was both a blessing and a curse. It would offer Jim the insidious access to Sherlock he needed, but he knew it would take time. Jim was afraid that her infatuation itself would become an obstacle. To Jim’s surprise, Molly had taken to him far sooner than he had expected. Before he knew it, they were going on small dates; late night coffees after her shifts at the morgue, weekends at the secondhand bookshop and even a rare trip to the cinema. Jim had been pleasantly surprised to discover they shared the same popcorn preference – no popcorn at all. It had all been very warm and cordial, lots of laughter, shy smiles and free and easy conversation. Jim knew she was going to be easy to talk with but was genuinely surprised to find himself wanting to hear what she had to say. Needless to say, she was also remarkably clever and it earned Jim’s genuine admiration. They were at the tail end of another of these dates. It was a weekday night and it marked their first dinner date. It had only happened because Molly was famished after her shift and had not been in the mood for St. Bart’s refectory offerings. “That was a nice treat, thank you,” said Jim to Molly. The night was getting chilly and he used it as an excuse to stand a little closer to her as they took a slow stroll. “Well, it wasn’t the fanciest of restaurants but it was the best I could think of at this hour,” Molly replied with a laugh. “Besides, I should thank you for joining me. It’s not often I have company at dinner after a shift.” “I happen to like your company,” Jim said, throwing a most dashing smile in her direction. “Yes, I know,” Molly responded with a knowing half-smile. The pair stopped in their tracks, grinning at each other before bursting into chuckles. They had been dancing around the edges of their fascination with each other and it seemed they were about to enter slightly newer territory. “It goes without saying,” said Molly, looping her arm through his, “that I very much enjoy your company too.” Jim smiled at her words, except he was not sure where the smile stemmed from. As they walked on, he considered that perhaps her words indicated his plan was succeeding and thus brought him joy. No, that’s not it, he thought to himself. He knew it was going to succeed, so there was nothing exceptionally successful to smile about. Something was off about his own reaction and it puzzled him. He was interrupted by Molly literally snapping her fingers in front of his distracted face once they had reached the taxi stand where they would normally part after a late night out. “Fancy a midnight coffee?” asked Molly. She reached out to gently brush a small dried leaf that had fallen on his shoulder. “You know I’d never say no to coffee with you,” he said, reaching for the same hand that brushed the leaf off and kissed it. Molly’s eyes widened in surprise, but a smile grew on her lips. “That’s a first,” Molly said with a sly smile. “Well, we have to start somewhere,” replied Jim. “I suppose,” she said with a laugh, “Coffee at my place then?” It was Jim’s turn to be surprised, but he too, smiled in return. “Now that’s a first,” he said with a small chuckle. Molly chuckled along with him as the pair hopped into a taxi and made their way back to her flat. ++ “Nice place,” Jim said, carefully wiping his feet before stepping into her flat. “You’ve very well-mannered,” Molly said in turn, gesturing to her doormat, causing them both to chuckle. “Sherlock Holmes would just break in, much less wipe his feet.” “My, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard you mention his name,” Jim remarked, wondering why his heart gave a nervous thump in his chest. “It was to give you a point of reference, Jim,” Molly said with a wry smile, “A reference of the type of ‘manners’ I’ve had to tolerate.” “Well, you did like the man,” Jim said, wondering why he could not bring himself to smile at the irony. “He has his charms,” Molly remarked nonchalantly, “But they wear off very quickly.” Molly took Jim’s coat and hung it together with hers. She gestured to the sofa for him to take a seat while she went to make the coffee. “Make yourself at home,” she said, “Don’t do anything Sherlock Holmes would do.” “I wouldn’t dare. Wouldn’t want my charm to wear off,” Jim said with a cheeky glint in his eyes. “No, you’re too handsome for that,” said Molly, her eyes mirroring the light in his eyes. As Molly disappeared into her kitchen to make their coffee, Jim took a moment to take in his surroundings. It amused him to find a half-knitted scarf attached to a brightly-coloured ball of yarn, both items placed carefully atop the latest issue of an international neurology journal. Eventually, Jim found himself getting up from the sofa and wandering curiously around her living room, studying bits and bobs of what made her who she was. She was impossibly fascinating and it puzzled him as to why Sherlock Holmes had not fallen for her right away, especially once she had made known her affections. At that thought, Jim froze. Oh, Jim, you can’t have, he chided himself. No, this could not and, more crucially, should not be happening. Is that why her words from earlier had made him smile? I can beat this, he thought. It was just a feeling. Feelings were transient, disposable. He would get rid of it in no time, whatever it was that he was feeling for Molly Hooper. “Found anything interesting?” came Molly’s voice but in a tone he did not comprehend. He turned to face her, only to realise he was now staring down a barrel of a gun. A gun she was holding. “Molly?” he said, raising both hands instinctively. “Take a seat, please,” she replied, using the gun to gesture towards the sofa. With his hands still in the air, Jim made his way to the sofa and sat down carefully. He had not expected a night with Molly Hooper to take the turn it had and made a mental note to engage his snipers at all times in future.Molly sat on the small coffee table right in front of him, the gun still aimed towards his heart. “James Moriarty,” she said, slowly and evenly. Jim knew to be quiet in situations like these and tried desperately to read her face, except it was now absolutely unreadable. Whatever warmth or delight he always saw in her eyes seemed to have disappeared completely. Even the brown in them seemed to have faded into an icy, steely gaze he simply did not recognise. “It really is a pity,” said Molly with a blank smile, ‘I was getting rather fond of you.” “Then put the gun down,” Jim asked, “You know I’d never hurt you.” “Of course, you would,” Molly said with a laugh, “I know who you are, James Moriarty.” “I couldn’t hurt you, Molly. Look at me, I’m just—” “Jim from IT, I know…” Molly interjected. “The charade’s over, Jim.” Jim looked hard at Molly and saw that she was dead serious. The charade was over, both his and hers. The gun remained effortlessly in Molly’s hand, poised and ready to put a bullet through his chest at any second. “My boss has questions,” Molly began, “And you are to answer them.” “Your boss?” “She wants to know what you want with Sherlock Holmes.” “Why would she want to know that?” “She’s the one asking the questions, not you.” “All right, all right,” Jim knew not to push at times like these. “He’s been meddling, and I wanted to keep an eye on him.” Molly appeared to pause, as though listening to something, and it seemed she was awaiting her next instruction.. It was that split second that presented Jim the opportunity to push her hand away, producing a small knife which he pressed to the side of her neck. They were now interlocked, with Molly’s gun quickly repositioned, pressing against his stomach whilst he maintained the pressure of the blade against her skin. “It seems you’re two-timing me, Molly,” Jim remarked with a wry smile. “Well, we’d only just begun dating,” replied Molly, smirking in return. “God, I think I really do like you, Molly Hooper,” Jim continued, clicking his tongue. “I’m still undecided,” Molly said, chuckling darkly. “Still pining for Sherlock Holmes as well?” Jim retorted, wondering why he still could not properly joke about this. “My boss needed eyes on him too,” she said casually, “It was the best ruse.” A ruse. Unknowingly, Jim found himself lightening his pressure of the knife against Molly’s neck. He fought the odd rush of relief that entered his mind. This was no time for a feeling, much less newer, complicated ones. As though to remind him to focus, Molly pushed the end of her gun further into him, reminding him she was still in control. The blade on her neck hardly fazed her. Bullets were faster, after all. “You’re very good at your job then,” Jim continued, equally unfazed at the gun against him. “So are you,” said Molly, “But I am a little better at it.” The pair of them broke into a quick chuckle, just as they had at the taxi stand about an hour ago, but their gazes never left one another. “At least I can claim credit for being my own boss,” Jim said with teasing in his eyes. “Now who would give a fuck about that?” Molly answered with a cool, almost gentle smile. “Tsk. Language, Molly…” Jim tutted, amused. “Has my charm worn off then?” Molly asked, raising an eyebrow. “Not in the least,” he replied coolly. “Good.” With her gun still held firmly in place, Molly leaned forward and kissed Jim softly on the lips. There was a light clang as the blade he held fell from his fingers onto the coffee table and then bounced onto the floor. When she pulled away from him, Jim stared back at her, wide-eyed and for the first time in his entire criminal career, appeared to be at a loss. “Told you I was better,” she whispered, before kissing him once more. ++ II. When Jim finally stirred, the last memory he had was of Molly’s lips on his and it confounded him slightly. Surely he had not blacked out from a kiss? He blinked his eyes rapidly as his vision cleared and the room swam into view. Except he was not in a room. He had been lying across a bench at their usual taxi stand. Jim cricked his neck as he slowly rose from the bench. As he did so, he found himself wincing and the entire right side of his face was beginning to throb from excruciating pain. “Oh, that’s right,” he murmured to himself, hissing as he rubbed his bruised temple. He had been wrong about his last memory. The correct last memory would have been Molly raising the gun in her hand and bringing it down to strike him across the face. “I really should hire her…” he continued, now rubbing his cheekbone. Suddenly, his mobile phone buzzed with an incoming message. Jim reached into his pocket for it and swiped to open the message. I’ve decided you’re no longer a problem. At least not a big one. So you can go. But be careful what you do with Sherlock Holmes. I will be watching. E. “Who on earth calls themselves by a single letter anymore?” he scoffed, closing the message. Jim managed to stand up and dialed for one of his cars to come get him. In a matter of minutes, he was being sped off to one of his offices where he would get cleaned up and put on a fresh suit. Jim needed to work out who else wanted a piece of Sherlock Holmes but more importantly, who it was that had the good fortune of hiring Molly Hooper. ++ “Coffee’s here,” Molly chirped, “Black and two sugars.” “Just leave it there,” came Sherlock’s sharp reply. “Okay,” she said, smiling sweetly as she placed it at the edge of the lab bench the detective was working at. “So, any luck on those chemical traces then?” she asked, walking towards his hunched figure as he peered deep into a microscope. “I’ve narrowed it down to five possible sources.” “That’s good then, isn’t it? Let me know if there’s anything I—” There was a knock on the door followed by the soft creak of it being opened gingerly. “Sorry, am I disturbing?” came the shy voice of Jim, holding a box of hard-drives in his hands. Sherlock looked up and vaguely recalled seeing this face, a face connected with something to do with computers. The memory had neither been significant nor threatening, so Sherlock merely looked back down and resumed his work at the microscope. “I’m just here to collect the faulty drives,” he said, pointing sheepishly to the box in his hands. There was still no response from Sherlock. Jim took a gamble and stole a glance at Molly. When she returned his gaze, all the sweetness from before melted away. Those same blank, icy eyes were back and it brought back the memory of their faces being inches apart from each other, her gun against his body and his knife against her neck. Jim’s heart lurched from the memory and it made him flinch ever so slightly. Molly noticed and when she deduced what had caused it, the tiniest light returned to dance in her pupils. “The drives are there,” Molly said, pointing to a shelf across the room. The sweetness reserved for her ruse with the detective returned. “Do you need a hand? There are quite a few…” “No, no, I’m all right, thanks,” Jim said, trying not to smile in amusement from the honey in her voice. “Okay,” Molly said with a nod. Molly turned on her heels to exit the laboratory but could not resist one more look back at Jim. It had been some time since she had seen him. His bruises had healed nicely, leaving his handsomeness perfectly intact. In spite of her boss’ warning, it seemed his plan to hunt Sherlock also remained intact. Molly had to admit that this tenacity of his really was admirable. If her boss knew how much it thrilled Molly to see Jim again, she would probably have had her pay – or her head – cut. Nevertheless, she allowed that rush into her veins one more time before quickly vanishing from the lab. “She’s sweet, isn’t she?” Jim remarked to Sherlock. He headed to the shelf and began rummaging for the drives. “Who is?” Sherlock muttered, adjusting his microscope. “She was just in here a minute ago?” Jim pressed, hiding his amusement. “She’s not a sugar cube, so I wouldn’t know,” came Sherlock’s blunt response. “Ha, that’s funny. You’ve got a good sense of humour…” Jim said. That did the trick and the detective stopped to look up at Jim. He made the effort to look at Jim properly this time. “I’m sorry, who are you again?” asked Sherlock. “Ah, sorry. Jim…from IT?” “It’s obvious you’ve taken an interest in the pathologist. If so, why are you talking to me?” “Well, she seems to work with you. A lot.” “And what of it?” “I just thought maybe the two of you were, you know, a thing…” Jim said with a shrug. “I don’t have time for…a thing.” “She seems to like you though.” “Maybe someone’s paying her to,” Sherlock retorted, deciding to return to his chemical analysis. “You know, I take it back,” Jim said, popping the last drive into his box. “Take what back?” asked Sherlock. “She isn’t sweet,” said Jim, as he made his way out, “With a person like you? Someone’s definitely paying her.” With those words, Jim gave a quick nod and a wave to the detective, who had looked up sharply again, before walking out of the lab. As he strolled down the corridor back to his office, Jim chuckled softly to himself. He had meant to insult Sherlock with his parting words but it had ended up serving to comfort the criminal mastermind himself. Whoever this E was, Jim was almost grateful to her. Whatever her reason was for spying on Sherlock Holmes, it had led Molly to the detective, which inadvertently led Jim to her. “I really should thank her someday,” Jim murmured to himself, drumming his fingers against the box of faulty drives. ++ Molly was sat in a cab with a few packed bags as she made her way to a hotel. Being the dutiful employee that she was, Molly had reported her sighting of Jim back at St. Bart’s. For Molly’s safety and for minimal disruption to their operations, her boss had insisted Molly be away from her flat for at least a month. Now that Jim knew where she lived, her flat was now basically one giant booby trap. The hotel was expensive and exclusive. Its low footfall of human traffic meant easier surveillance at the hotel, ensuring Molly’s safety. Her boss, though terrifying, knew to value an asset and would never put Molly in harm’s way. A bellboy took her bags and Molly was ushered to her suite by another member of hotel staff. “Well, this is nice,” Molly said to herself as she explored the space. Her phone buzzed and she knew it was her boss checking in with more instructions. A different car will come every day to pick you up. They will drop you at various locations around St. Bart’s. I will handle Jim if he disrupts in any way. You are to remain focused on my brother. More information will be sent shortly. E. Molly smirked at the message and swiped it shut. She walked over to one of several ornate armchairs and sank into it. It was nice to know she could focus on the original operation again, but she did miss the temporary portfolio that had been keeping close tabs on Jim Moriarty. “He had such manners,” Molly sighed, leaning her head back, “And by god was he handsome.” Her moment of indulgence was interrupted by the sound of her hotel phone ringing. Reaching for it, she picked up the receiver and answered. “Hello?” “Ms Hooper, this is the Concierge. A package has arrived for you. Would you like us to send it up?” Her boss worked fast. Tonight was going to be a night of going through dossiers again, it seemed. “Yes, please,” Molly replied, a little crestfallen. She was hoping to at least have a night without work in this beautiful suite, but her boss did say she was going to send information. Moments later, the doorbell to her suite rang and Molly reluctantly got up to get the door. When she pulled open one side of the heavy, double-door entrance to her suite, what greeted her was not a brown envelope or a briefcase or anything she was expecting. Instead, she was presented with a bottle of red wine and those very hands that held them were the hands of one Jim Moriarty. “Did you miss me?” he whispered, smiling wryly at her. For a moment, Molly was stunned, but she soon regained her composure and could not help but smile back. It was then that Molly decided that if he had made it this far, her boss did not know he was here. At least that was what she was hoping. “You know what, Jim?” said Molly, retrieving the wine from him, “Yes.” [To be continued...]

[seaquestions]

fulcrum makes candy

i havent be able to work on any of my fics bcos i’ve been busy (and terribly unmotivated lately) but! i thought i’d post a wip since it reads as mostly finished so far.

(artistic licence for science stuff btw. i’m basically writing what should be chemistry as confectionery lmao.)

It all started when Crankcase told him about meeting up with CONS4EVA again.

Or Symbols, rather. The dimension-hopping Dire Wraith figured that a Cybertronian translation of his name would be a smidge less awkward than using his TBC handle or a mispronounced, synthesized version of his actual name. It sounded about the same to him with the universal translator, so no big deal. Crankcase still tried to say his real name right anyway.

Regardless. The point was--Fulcrum needed to make more energon goodies. The last batch had unfortunately been thrown in Symbols' face when the Dire Wraith was disguised as Thunderwing, so it was imperative to try again. He also ate all the good ones last time, which, note to self: don't do that, Fulcrum.

He almost forgot to ask, actually, if Symbols was even capable of eating the sweets. The answer had been yes, maybe. The Dire Wraith could \consume/ energon, but whether or not it'd taste any good or if it would all end up regurgitated on the floor was a mystery. Still! Fulcrum needed any excuse he could get to make goodies.

The pressure of being around so many Autobots was starting to get to him, a little. His proximity alerts kept popping up, all the time, because none of these people had any sense of personal space. Plus, do you have any idea how many times he had to frantically re-label someone from [enemy] to [ally]? It was a lot! His drop on Clemency might not have killed him, but it certainly didn't do him any good. He had to do all that manually, now. It was stressful, okay?

And Fulcrum liked to stress-bake. When he \could/, anyway. It was certainly better than some of his \other/ coping methods. But there usually wasn't enough energon on the WAP to go around making candy, so it had been saved for the particularly bad nervous breakdowns or for special occasions, like successfully escaping mortal danger or Crankcase going on a date.

Thankfully, the Lost Light seemed to have plenty of fuel for both itself and its passengers, which was beyond nice. Fulcrum had reluctantly gotten used to the whole siphoning and cannibalising thing while living as a Scavenger, but boy was it good to be back to consuming real energon. He might actually be able to make more than just plain gelled energon cubes! But since he didn't \actually/ know if Symbols could enjoy the treats, he'd keep it simple... This time.

The hard part was getting the equipment to make candy in the first place. He didn't know if there was a kitchen area on the Lost Light, but even if there was, he didn't really want to make candy around other people. He knew, from experience, that it was a bad idea. But the anxiety of asking someone for materials left him paralysed, and he almost gave up on the goodies entirely if it wasn't for Krok.

The mech, Primus bless his spark, had gone to ask the command staff in his stead, and surely enough, Krok arrived in Fulcrum's room arms full of everything the K-Con needed and more, in both equipment and ingredients.

"The captain got real excited when he heard that someone was thinking of making sweets," he said, with smiling optics, "A lot of these weren't even on your list."

And so, Fulcrum got started.

Cooking might seem a little daunting for the average Cybertronian. Energon had a reputation of being volatile, to an almost comical level. Heat it up a bit too much, and it just might explode. Every element had their own distinct flavour that changed wildly based on their interactions with other substances, and it was impossible to memorise them all! Or so it seemed. But in reality, it wasn't so difficult. At least to him it wasn't.

For a mech with absolutely no background in chemistry or metallurgy, Fulcrum took to the culinary arts very well. While he might not fully understand the hows and the whys of chemical reactions, he definitely knew what was delicious and what wasn't.

The first step was making the flavouring. Energon itself, in its processed liquid form, was virtually tasteless, so this was important. Adding simple ingredients like copper shavings, which had a tangy, sour taste to it and chromium flakes, which was just plain sweet, was the most basic form of food preparation.

Just dumping metal into energon felt a bit amateurish to Fulcrum, though. He wanted the goodies to have a consistent look and taste to them, like they were professionally made.

So, the little metal flakes--he went with copper, cobalt (tart, with a subtle sweetness), iron (bittersweet and kinda savoury) and cadmium (mildly sweet and rich, his personal favourite)--were finely ground into a powder alongside pigments to add variety to the colour palette. He didn't want everything to be bright neon pink. One had to differentiate between the flavours somehow. Plus, the pigments themselves could also add to the taste, depending on what you chose. Unless you bought those tasteless food dyes, but those are for cowards, and in the kitchen, Fulcrum was not one.

Cadmium sulfide, for example, worked as a yellow dye, but gave the energon a certain acidic sharpness that wasn't there before, thanks to the sulfur. Cadmium \selenide/, on the other hand, was a deep red pigment that went beyond sharp and turned it into full-blown spicy. But Fulcrum was supposed to be making sweet treats here. So instead, he paired the cadmium shavings with chrome yellow, or lead chromate, to enhance the sweetness of the pure cadmium.

The cobalt and iron powders were simple, matched with cobalt aluminate (blue) and iron oxide (red). Classic choices, though he had to be careful with the latter, because it could very easily start tasting like actual rust, which was simply disgusting. He \could/ use the mercury-based vermillion instead, which was also savoury, but again, Fulcrum was not a coward. In candy-making, anyway.

The last one, however, he always had to have a whole internal debate over. Copper-based pigments tended towards greens and blues, but that wasn't really what people thought of, now was it? He could use gold ochre, but the iron-based pigment didn't really mesh well with copper, in \his/ opinion. He could mix a cadmium orange, but, again, he didn't want his candy to be spicy.

In the end, he just went with the basic green copper carbonate.

Alright! With that done, it was time to work on the energon itself.

In a large pot, Fulcrum gently heated the liquid fuel up, slowly pouring in a gelling agent that he had warmed up earlier. Under normal circumstances, regular processed energon did not solidify. To do so, you'd have to freeze it or leave it out for \way/ too long, letting it congeal, which was gross. (Looking at you, Misfire.) The gelling agent would let the fuel cool into a nice firm slab of jelly.

He then added one and a half cups of crushed lead acetate, stirring constantly to dissolve the sweetener in the energon until no particles were left in the semi-opaque pink liquid. It had also gotten lighter, light enough that the dyes wouldn't end up mixing into really ugly colours.

When the mixture started to bubble the tiniest little bit, Fulcrum took the pot off the heat, pouring the fuel into four bowls, one for each flavour, that he then mixed with the corresponding pigment. Red iron, blue cobalt, green copper and yellow cadmium.

The jelly would need a flat plane to cool on, of course. When Fulcrum went to grab a tray though, he noticed that he'd also been provided with plastic molds. Someone else must've been into cooking, then. He wondered who it could be, maybe they could share tips or something.

The molds were pretty basic shapes, like stars and circles, but it was nice of them to have given him this, whoever it was. He should use them then. If he poured the blue cobalt into the circle ones, it could look like little sparks... which was a really cute idea.

...He did it. Of course he did.

Blue sparks, yellow stars, red cyberkittens and green raindrops. It was almost unbearably adorable.

The leftover fuel was poured onto the same tray, creating some neat rainbow gradients. They were pretty to look at but to be honest, he had no idea how those parts would taste. Welp! Who cares!

Fulcrum stretched.

That was the hard part done. He put all of the filled up casts inside his room's mini-fridge. A few hours and they'll be solid. At that point, he'd have to take them out of the molds and cut the leftover ones into little cubes. Then after \that/, he'd have to leave them out to dry overnight so the goodies could form their crisp exterior, while also exercising enough self-restraint to not surreptitiously pop one into his mouth.

Oof. Forget what he said, the hard part hasn't been done yet, actually.

Still. This meant that he had time to take a break.

[prettywordsyouleft]

Through His Eyes - Part 10

Summary: Losing your sight after your accident was traumatic, and Jaebum’s guilt of knowing it should have been him instead creates an intricate bond between you both, as you overcome adversity and try to find your way in life again.

Genre: angst / romance

Characters: Im Jaebum x female reader

A/N: This story is emotional and raw compared to some of the content on my blog. It is in no way an attempt to glamourise or undervalue the lives of those who suffer from something similar. This story is purely fictional.

Through His Eyes will be posted every Tuesday at 10am NZST.

Index: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 [M] | 13 - FINAL

“Yes, Y/N, that’s beautiful!”

You grinned in the direction of the praise, placing down your paintbrush on the easel. “Do you think it’s done?”

“Why are you asking me?” Madam Cho wondered, placing a gentle hand over your shoulder. You could feel her necklace dangle down over you as she leant closer. “It’s your painting, not mine.”

You processed her words, a smile spreading slowly over your lips before you nodded. Picking up the brush again, you felt towards the palette again, deciphering where the yellow was and decided to brighten your canvas up with more of this colour. Your mentor chuckled and left you to it until this time you felt done.

“Can I hang it on the entry wall?” Madam Cho asked and you nodded happily, stopping her from taking the artwork from you.

You sensed her confusion and grinned. “I haven’t signed it yet.”

“Of course, all artwork deserves a signature,” she agreed, handing you the stamp you had recently created. Pressing it firmly to the bottom right-hand corner, you held the canvas out in front of you.

Your heart hadn’t felt this full in months.

At first, when Jaebum had dragged you here, it was as if he was rubbing salt into the wound. Sure, you both knew you still wanted to be an artist. Back then you hadn’t fathomed being able to do anything you were accomplishing now. You had feared the unknown. If you couldn’t see your artwork anymore, how could you create it?

“The colours will muddle together!” you cried outlandishly after humouring both Jaebum and Madam Cho that night. You threw down the paintbrush you had been hesitantly brushing and swirling onto the canvas in frustration.

In trepidation.

“Colours are meant to mix together, Y/N, don’t you think? I want to see your colour. What is the shade in your soul?”

You wanted to despise the woman, just as much as you were angry with Jaebum in that moment. But her words had a way of seeping below your barriers, questioning your very beliefs. You stilled, wondering what colour represented you. Was it grey? That certainly was the only definite shade you could decipher with these eyes now. Everything was grey, and everything was indistinguishable.

You felt Jaebum place the paintbrush back in your hand, and you stopped him from telling you what colour you were using from that moment on. It didn’t matter what colour it was, it would still create something. It would still be something.

Your subsequent visit to the studio was brighter. Over the next following sessions, you found your world wasn’t grey anymore. It was colourful, warm, full of brightness. You still needed some assistance getting there, but once you were in front of your easel, nothing came between you and your painting. Sometimes you would only use one colour. Others, you chose to have your specially made palette filled with various shades that you could decipher with the raised Braille indents telling you which colour it was.

And soon you started to have a louder voice in the studio.

“What are you doing?” a fellow art student asked as he watched you etch into the canvas. “You’re making random blobs in the corner here. What does it say?”

You smiled proudly, blinking back the emotions that rose with his question. “My name.”

From there, you designed a stamp so that you could always sign your work off. Also, you had taken to writing the composition of each piece you created in Braille along the canvas edge manually. You knew now with this system in place, you would never have to guess what piece of your art you held in your hands.

“Will you tell me your thoughts on the canvas once it’s fully dry, Madam Cho?”

“I will give you a great review once the colours settle, how does that sound? Though looking at it now, I know I want it as the focal point of the entryway.”

“I wouldn’t settle for anything less,” you told her with a laugh, sliding off your chair and counting the steps around the studio to the wash sink in the corner. You liked that you now knew your way around two places in this world intimately.

“Y/N, shall I give you a ride home?”

You glanced over your shoulder, nodding politely. And then you had a better idea. “Actually, could you drop me off elsewhere?”

You couldn’t help feeling eager as you sat in Madam Cho’s car on the way to JYP Entertainment. She discussed many topics with ease with you and whilst you responded to them all, your mind was elsewhere. Your hands gripped the edges of the packaged artwork over your lap in anticipation.

“He’s going to love it,” Madam Cho said softly and you turned towards her, your face breaking out into a blush. She giggled and reached to touch your hand affectionately. “He’s lucky to have you in his world, you know that right?”

“No,” you said with a shake of your head. “It’s me who is lucky. Even with the situation for how it is, I’d still be living in a dark room without Jaebum opening the door for me again. He saved me.”

“Well, I think you saved each other. Your connection is one of a kind,” the older woman stated, making your stomach flip with her words.

You didn’t know when it had begun, but the more people who directly associated with you now mentioned Jaebum, you always felt giddy and breathless. They spoke of you and him in one sentence and you liked that more than you wanted to admit. It made you want to see him more often and tell him all about how people think of him at your side. Of how you liked being at his side.

You wanted him to know the feelings you now harboured.

Still, you were aware that Jaebum was too busy for such a confession. With promotions in full force, he was unavailable more often. You tried to understand, after all, your own world had taken a new route with painting in the studio most days. University had been a pipe dream for someone who wanted to get her hands dirty. On campus, you needed structure and were given a distinct placement with a disability. In Madam Cho’s studio, you were free to do and be who you wanted to.

The car came to a halt and you smiled graciously at the woman. “Thank you for dropping me off here.”

“Are you sure it’ll be fine? Have you heard from him on the way here? Do you want me to wait in case Jaebum is too busy?”

“No, he told me he was going to be in the studio tonight earlier in the day. He basically lives there once he enters it,” you explained with a laugh and opened the door to the car, extending out your guide stick. “I’ll make sure to text you to know that I’m with him to ease your mind.”

“Please do,” she agreed, reaching out for a final hold of your hand. “Y/N, think about that offer for the internship too. I really think we’ll be able to get funding towards your work if we come up with a solid business plan. I’m happy to keep you all to myself and have your help with the classes, but you’re something special.”

“I will,” you assured, waving in farewell.

Once you had the canvas securely under your arm, and you were up on the footpath, you slowly made your way to the entrance of the building, reaching into your pocket for the pass you had been granted by the CEO himself. You hadn’t used it before, but when it worked to get you escorted to GOT7’s part of the building, you felt successful. In this crazy world, you were discovering you weren’t so limited anymore.

“Y/N?” a voice greeted cautiously and you beamed in recognition. Jinyoung was soon at your side. “What are you doing here? How did you get in? Are you by yourself?!”

“Don’t sound so shocked, I’m fine. I’m sorry if I came at a bad time, could you take me to Jaebum? I have something to give him.”

“I’m right here,” he mentioned, though you frowned at the tone he used. Embarrassment licked at your cheeks, colouring them pink as you struggled to understand why you hadn’t used your senses to find him within the room. The feeling was fleeting; you were still triumphant from getting here all by yourself.

Until you felt his hand wrap around your wrist.

Until you shivered with the cold that seemed to emanate from Jaebum as he dragged you into his personal studio.

Until he let you go.

You blinked rapidly, unsure of everything. “Did I interrupt something important?”

“How did you get here? Why are you here? It’s late at night, don’t you know how dangerous this is?!”

You flinched with the volume his voice had increased with, the growl in his tone scolding you, cornering you, weakening your resolve. Your head fell. “I didn’t realise you’d nag so much.”

“That’s exactly it, you didn’t realise anything!”

“Clearly I made a poor choice coming here tonight, I’ll excuse myself.”

“I’m not done with you yet,” he remarked, taking a step in front of you. You heard him rub at his face, and for a moment, you worried just how exhausted he was. Jaebum was always a hard worker and the energy radiating off him made you consider the stress he was under. You should have booked in an appointment with him instead of just turning up unannounced.

The mere thought of needing to do such a thing made you scoff and you finally lifted your head back up. “I was proud of myself, you know. I asked Madam Cho to bring me here so I could give you something and I made it in here all by myself. Isn’t it something to be happy about?”

“I’m glad you’re making steps for yourself but you can’t just expect all your steps to be big accomplishments either. What if something had gone wrong?! You can’t see anyone around you and they could’ve hurt you or you-”

“But I didn’t get hurt,” you reminded firmly, Jaebum cursing under his breath at your statement. “I’m not a baby; I can do things for myself!”

“I know you can, I’m not trying to coddle you, I’m just saying-”

“It doesn’t matter; you’ve made your point. I’ll never come here again without permission first.”

“Y/N, this is my place of work,” he attempted and you blinked slowly, thoughts consuming you. You chewed on the bottom of your lip, hoping the action would hold back your tongue and your tears. “You can’t just show up whenever. I’m busy and I helped you get into your artwork again so you wouldn’t need me so much. You’re doing well again.”

“Right, it’s time for me to stop being a problem in your world.”

“You know I don’t mean it like that!”

“It’s fine Jaebum, I heard you loud and clear. I’ll get on with my life, you get on with yours. After all, now that I have my art back, I’ll be back to normal, right?” You tried to hold back your tears, but they began to fall and he reached out for you. However, you shrugged him off, this time you wouldn’t cry in his arms. Right now, you felt selfish, as if you had only been thinking of how you were doing. You had forgotten Jaebum’s place in your life came from a situation where you once weren’t important to him. It hit you full force and you stumbled around in the dark, his light no longer shining directly on you, instead it flickered in and out inconsistently.

You had become too reliant and thus blinded in more ways than just losing your sight. You wanted to laugh bitterly at those juvenile feelings you had started to put weight into. Everyone was wrong; you and Jaebum didn’t go together like they had eluded to.

Someday soon, perhaps, you would become mere strangers again. This thought overwhelmed you, much like your emotions did.

Feeling around for something that felt safe, you then placed down the canvas that was still under your arm. A parting gift. You hadn’t thought that would be the case when you made it.

Especially when you had foolishly named the piece, Confession.

You almost thought about taking it back, to take the canvas away with you and hide it in the cupboard like your mother had done with all your previous artwork. Never to be displayed, to be announced for what it was. Yet, you couldn’t ignore all the months Jaebum had been the one person you had believed in the most. It was this reason alone that you lifted your hand away and attempted a watery smile in his direction. “I made this for you. That’s why I came. And now that I’ve delivered it, I’ll go.”

You ignored as he called after you, even shoving him off when he reached for you to pull you back. You prayed you were walking in the right direction, and when you heard the voices of the other members, you were relieved. It was such an odd experience, subsequently you felt like your heart was breaking and you breathed in a sigh of relief that you weren’t as incapable as you felt.

“Y/N?”

“I just need a hand to the elevator so I can leave, can someone help me with that?”

“Y/N, wait!” Jaebum called out, running into you with a shaky breath. You couldn’t focus on his emotions right now, you needed to escape them.

“I’ll do it,” Mark offered quietly and you nodded once, waiting for him to join your side. You could tell it pained him not to ask if you were okay, and to leave you with the staff member at the front desk.

But not as much as it did for you to walk out of that building, knowing you wouldn’t come back.

_________________

[Part 11]

All rights reserved © prettywordsyouleft

[GOT7 Masterlist] | [Main Masterlist] | [Request Guidelines]

[apprentice-melphina]

Would you write about MC giving Muriel a proper shirt?

does a sweater count as a shirt? find out below!!

Business had been slow. The intense snowstorm was building up to be the biggest Vesuvia had ever experienced. And it had kept away even some of the most devoted customers. The floors had been swept, the herbs restocked, and if MC drank another cup of tea, they were sure their stomach would burst.

Normally, MC and Asra would close up shop and have a snowball fight or make snowmen together, but Asra was gone, again, and had taken Faust with him, leaving MC to tend the shop by themselves.

They was shuffling their deck of tarot cards when they heard a sound at the door. It wasn’t exactly a knock, too muted, but it was definitely a call for attention. MC leapt up from the chair behind the counter and ran toward the door, catching themselves against the frame in their excitement for something to do. Taking a deep breath to calm themselves, else they scare off the potential customer with their bravado, they opened the door.

“Oh, Muriel. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

The man standing in the doorway took a step back. He had the shadow of a pout on his face.

“Asra sent me.”

It was MC’s turn to pout now as they stepped aside. “Please, come in.”

Muriel shuffled inside, keeping his arms tight to his body, walking stiffly so as not knock anything over. They gestured Muriel to the stairs in the corner and then to a stool near the kitchenette. They made a quick pot of tea and poured a cup for their guest before joining him, curled up on a cushion.

“Let me guess. He asked you to make sure I’m OK on my own.”

Muriel nodded and MC hid an annoyed grimace behind their tea cup. They looked up at their guest in surprise when he gave one short chuckle.

“I know you can take care of yourself…”

A blush blazed across Muriel’s cheeks and MC waited patiently for him to continue, slightly confused about what was causing this reaction.

“…but it makes for a good excuse to come and see you.”

They coughed into their tea cup. They looked up through thick lashes at Muriel, a blush forming to match his own.

“You don’t need an excuse to come and see me, Muriel. I like just hanging out with you.”

They hid a smile behind their hand as Muriel spluttered, at a loss for words. They watched as his blush deepened and spread down to his chest. Suddenly, they noticed something else.

“Muriel, you’re not wearing a shirt.”

He shrugged, sending a dusting of snow to the ground from his shoulders. MC jumped up from their chair, rushed to the bed in the corner to grab the blanket and then rushed back to Muriel’s side. They hovered a hand over his shoulder.

“Can I?”

He nodded. MC closed their eyes and thought of air, dryness, gusts of wind that traveled over Muriel’s body to wick away the wet and cold of the snow. Then they draped the blanket over his shoulders, pulling it tight around his neck before they sat down again. They shook their head at him.

“You’ve got to take better care of yourself, Muriel. Aren’t you cold?”

He shrugged again. “I’m used to it.”

They weren’t surprised. That was Muriel’s usual answer to their concerns about his comfort. They knew there was no point in pressing the matter. But it did give them an idea.

.

There was no point in opening the shop. While the snow was not unpleasant to be in, it hadn’t let up in the last week. Not even one customer had visited the shop in that time. Thankfully, it had given MC the time they needed to work on a side project, one inspired by Muriel’s visit.

They had some yarn left over from making sweaters for Faust last winter. Some of the colours were just too bright, something that Muriel definitely would not wear. But they managed to scrounge up enough yarn that they hoped wouldn’t offend his limited colour palette.

MC also wasn’t quite sure of his measurements, knowing only that Muriel was big. Reasoning that making the sweater bigger was better than making it smaller, since they could just magic it smaller but magicking it bigger would be impossible, they over-estimated the measurements.

MC folded up the finished sweater and tucked it beneath the counter. They glanced at the window, noting the light streaming through the blinds. Muriel came to check on them around the same time every day. Any moment now—

There was a knock at the door.

Hiding a smirk, MC went to the door and opened it. “I told you, you don’t have to knock.”

Only the slightest blush crossed Muriel’s face. He had dropped the pout yesterday. He stepped inside when MC gestured him in. Compared to his first visit, he was  relaxed, shoulders slack, the corners of his eyes less tense. He had learned the layout of the shop and was noticeably less worried about running into anything. As usual, they led him upstairs and poured a cup of tea from the ready pot of hot water.

“Wait here a moment,” they said, avoiding his questioning gaze.

They ran back downstairs to grab the sweater at the counter. They paused, looking down at the fabric between their hands. Suddenly, all the imperfections jumped out at them. The end result of their work was a sweater in different shades of tan, green, black, dark reds. One sleeve was longer than the other, hanging limply off to the side. The left side was drawn up tighter than the right which had noticeable gaps between the stitching. There was a loose thread there, too much space between threads here. Overall, it wasn’t horrible, but it wouldn’t win any fashion awards.

They turned the sweater over in their hands, biting the inside of their cheek as they contemplated whether it was even worth it to take it back upstairs.

Muriel appeared at the bottom of the stairs. He looked over at MC engrossed in something they held in their grip. He called out their name.

Their head snapped up in surprise. They spluttered, attempting to shove the sweater under the counter again, but failing as they couldn’t turn their gaze away from Muriel’s curious eyes. Eventually, they stopped their nervous mutters and twitching, steadily holding the present in their hands. They held it out to Muriel.

“This is… for you.”

His eyes widened. He looked down at the gift, and for a minute MC was afraid that he wasn’t going to take it, but he tentatively took the sweater from their grip. He unfurled it in all of its multi-toned, lopsided glory. He let out an amused huff and then removed his simple cloak to pull it over his head.

It fit just as well as MC expected it to, which was not well at all.

“Is it too tight anywhere?” they asked nervously.

“No... but it’s pretty loose.”

MC perked up immediately, flashing him a smile. “I can fix that.”

They reached out, willing magical energy to in their hands. They ran hands over the places that were obviously too loose, dangling from his wrists or around his neck, willing the fabric to shrink, pull in closer, fit tighter. He motioned to an area under his armpit and MC immediately corrected it. After a few moments, the sweater fit much better, hugging him securely across the chest and arms. They pulled their hands away, admiring their handiwork.

“You didn’t have to do this,” Muriel said. He was looking down at his new clothes with a silent reverence.

“No, but I wanted to.”

Muriel looked up at them, green eyes meeting theirs. They smiled up at him, face bright. He huffed in a soft laugh, softly smiling back.

[snkpolls]

SnK S3E20 Poll Results (Manga Reader Version)

The poll closed with 287 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results of the manga reader poll. Anime only watchers are suggested not to read if you do not wish to be spoiled about certain events! Anime only viewers, click here to view your poll results!

RATE THE EPISODE 279 Responses

This episode was another hit with most viewers, with 74.6% of participants ranking it 5 out of 5.

Just brilliant. Best series.

This was the first episode I’d been excited for in weeks. With the serum bowl I was dreading the last three episodes but the Marley Arc is my fave and I’m super super excited for what comes next in the anime.

The music was incredible and Grisha's VA stole the show.

The best of this season yet!

This season has now given us 2 (two) episodes WITHOUT openings and both times the episodes blew me away. I’m so stoked for the fourth season

I'd say it was a pretty solid episode. I can't believe we've finally made it to Marley, I am so not ready for the nonstop angst that is to come…

Anime quality was ass again, but the plot and voice acting make this a fantastic episode overall

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SCENES WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE? 282 Responses

There were several informative and memorable scenes. 45.7% of participants thought Kruger’s big reveal was the highlight, while 12.1% can’t decide what stuck out the most. 9.9% of participants felt Dina becoming the Smiling Titan made the biggest impression.

DO YOU THINK GRISHA’S FATHER WAS RIGHT IN EASILY DEMEANING HIMSELF AND GRISHA TO GROSS? 270 Responses

Though Grisha’s father yielded to the Marleyan police regarding Faye’s death, 77.4% of participants believed he was right to prevent the rest of his family meeting a similar fate. 15.6% thought he should have shown a bit of resistance towards Gross’s accusations. Many in the comments agree the situation is simply not that black and white.

It's not whether it's 'right' or 'wrong' in these situations - if your options are the death of your family or satisfying your own feelings of dignity, then I think it's up to the individual what their priority is. But I think it is not a sign of weakness to put your family first.

He probably hated himself for doing it (at least I'd do), but losing another loved one would be horrible for anyone in his situation, so I can understand why he did that.

I can't really answer with clear 'yes' or 'no'. On one side, He was right to protect the rest of his family, on the other... He could try to comfort Grisha in a better way (you know, not yelling at him to be silent)

No, but I think he could’ve dealt with Grisha more privately. He didn’t have to continue with his indoctrination of Grisha.

I think it's complicated

no one is right or wrong here.

SERGEANT MAJOR GROSS STATED THAT “PEOPLE LOSE TOUCH WITH LIFE AND DEATH AND START TAKING THEIR LIVES FOR GRANTED." DO YOU THINK THERE IS TRUTH TO WHAT HE SAYS? 283 Responses

Gross told Grisha that people took their lives for granted when losing touch with life and death. 60.4% of participants think there is truth to his words even if his actions are morbid. 27.2% believe he just said this to excuse his cruelty.

Idk but him staring into my soul made me unconfortable

That is true, but it doesn't actually justify or support his position. We're SUPPOSED to all have the luxury and privilege of 'taking life for granted', as he puts it - that's why humanity has worked so fucking long to improve society to this point! We shouldn't have to think in life-or-death terms to consider ourselves worthy of living.

There is truth, but it's obvious that it's more words for him justifying his horrible actions more than a maxime which guides his life. If it were so, he wouldn't have been scared and screaming when the titan eat him.

Yes, but he's just making excuses for his sadistic mind.

DO YOU THINK HUMANS IN GENERAL BECOME INTERESTED IN VIOLENCE? 284 Responses

The episode observes humans and their reaction to violence, Gross saying he finds it interesting. 49.6% of participants believe that most people are interested in violence, while 40.1% specify that it depends on how violent the event is.

The most interesting part of the episode is Gross addressing the viewer over making his victim dance. Part of SnK is watching some victim being devored by the lions. Be it Faye to the dogs, Mike to the titans, Eren's squad to the titans in Trost, Carla to Dina, Marco to Araki Titan, Bert to Armin... the reactions however differ. Some of us came to see characters fighting and get eaten by giant monsters, but as the story progressed, our point of view differed and it became disgust for the most part.

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT GROSS'S DEATH? 281 Responses

Gross’s death was a gruesome one, but 53.4% participants were satisfied he got what they feel he deserved. 17.1% were less comfortable by the irony of the situation, and 13.2% found his struggle enjoyable.

Watching reaction videos where people cheer on Gross getting his face chopped on kinda unsettled me, I'm not gonna lie.

IS FAYE’S DEATH THE CRUELEST MOMENT IN THE SERIES? 282 Responses

Being torn apart by dogs is a disturbing way to go and 46.8% of participants felt it was the cruelest moment of the series thus far. 45.4%, however, believed there were crueler moments worthy of mention.

I didn't think Faye's death was the cruelest because let's face it, Mike's was the absolute worst. :(

GIVEN HOW HE TREATED ZEKE, DO YOU THINK GRISHA IMPROVED AS A FATHER WHEN IT CAME TO EREN? 280 Responses

Though Grisha didn’t show a lot of compassion for Zeke as a son, 55.4% of participants believed he learned to be a better father for Eren as a result. 24.3% would rather have more information before saying for sure, and 20.4% of participants felt Grisha didn’t quite change his ways. 

GRISHA STATED THAT YMIR “BROUGHT BOUNDLESS PROSPERITY” TO THE WORLD. WHEN GRICE QUESTIONED THAT, GRISHA RETORTED WITH THE FACT THAT HE “BELIEVED IN YMIR”. WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED? 282 Responses

There was a mix of histories regarding Ymir Fritz. 50% of participants believed Ymir may have brought prosperity but that Grisha was also jumping to conclusions without context. 40.4% of participants thought Grisha was just seeing what he wanted to see.

Grisha’s va knocked it out of the park this week. The episode made me re-think whether grisha actually could read any of the sacred texts. Was he just BSing the whole way through? Will we ever know what they say in that case?

BEST ROGUE TITAN DESIGN? 282 Responses

Out of the three Rogue titan designs, a majority 62.8% of participants thought Eren’s was the most physically appealing.

Best Rogue Titan design? That's not even a question. ITS ALWAYS ERENS. LOL

HOW FAITHFUL WAS THE ADAPTATION TO THE ORIGINAL MANGA? 276 Responses

A majority of manga readers believed the episode was mostly faithful to the original chapters, with 54.3% believing it was nearly perfect. Others felt the episode could have been more accurate.

Great, pacing was a little quick but I think the anime adaptation explained everything a bit better than the anime. I had to go back and read those chapters like 3 times to fully understand everything lol. I do wish they didn't cut lines from the warrior selection announcement though. Overall great though!

Great adaptation. They should've cut the ending too, so they wouldn't need to cut some parts, but it was as close to perfection either way.

I'm sad that they omitted so much when Marley announces the Marley warrior program. Besides that I think it was an amazing episode.

Was thoroughly impressed with how they managed to adapt two of the most dense chapters into a single ep without any significant cuts. The artwork for the Eldia/Marley lore was gorgeous, and the performances were as expected, phenomenal. Kruger's transformation was breathtaking, as was the OST. Definitely one of the best episodes of the season. Also, Marina Inoue saying "Shingeki no Kyojin" in the preview gave me chills.

KRUGER'S HAIR: BLOND OR BLACK? 282 Responses

Kruger’s hair was colored dirty blond in the anime compared to the darker shade in the manga. 47.5% of participants felt that either color choice worked well for him, while 39.4% preferred his black hair.

kruger is a dirty blonde colour imo ;p

I’m just over the moon to finally see The Owl aka Kruger animated with a voice.

The color scheme in this series has always been weird. Not that Isayama himself is limited palette-wise, but the colors have been much sober than WIT's multicolor fest. Kruger's hair are meant to be black or dark brown. Isayama draws blonde/hazelnut hair with full lines. Same goes with the uniform: Isayama uses frames for dark colors (the SC's green coat ie), ink for black and dark blue. Anime already made odd choices with Mikasa's scarf (black in the manga) or Armin's eyes (brown).

Always thought Kruger was brunette

After last week's preview I thought Kruger with blond hair was weird but having watched this week's episode I think it fits better with the blue uniform and the show's colour palette. Besides, he still looks hot so all is fine lol

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THE APPEARANCE OF MARLEY? 282 Responses

A majority 60.3% of participants believe Marley’s appearance was just as modern as they expected it. 29.4% of participants thought it appeared more lavished.

WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE CENSORSHIP FOR SOME OF THE GRAPHIC SCENES? 283 Responses

Some of the more graphic scenes were censored in the anime, but 53% of participants aren’t bothered by it. 35.7% of participants were disappointed that some parts weren’t shown as a result and 11.3% felt it was appropriate to censor the more graphic scenes.

I don't mind Grisha's penis as well as the gory parts being censored (it's NHK after all), but the censorship comes across as convenient for the series. They omitted some marleyans officers saying Gross was going too far, or masked the details of the warrior program: no full confirmation of RBA being trained into infancy to be promoted at the status of Honorary Marleyans. Conbine that with the RBZ+Pieck scenes from this season being watered down and you have the anime making it even more black and white than the manga.

ISAYAMA ASKED THE ANIME TO HIGHLIGHT GROSS’ SPEECH TO BREAK THE 4TH WALL AS A “CALL OUT” TO THE VIEWER.  WAS THIS DIRECTION SUCCESSFUL? 277 Responses

Gross’s 4th wall break was a request made by Isayama to address the viewer as he spoke. 65.3% of participants felt the direction made them feel more called out than when they originally read it. 24.9% can’t relate to what Gross is saying in the first place.

His eyes that never left the spectator's gaze froze my blood, it was really very successfully made.

I get what Isayama was trying to do but there's a huge difference between being sadistic knowing that it's fictional and being sadistic in real life

Honestly I didn't even know that he broke the 4th wall until I took this poll.

I didn't feel like what he was saying pertained to me because I've always been repulsed by his mentality and justifications.I think it says more about Isayama that he felt this was something that needed to be broadcast to society.

The speech wasn't as well done in the anime. I think he broke the 4th wall in the manga pretty well.

The Gross 4th wall break didn't really deliver in the end. Wish it was more obvious (eye contact, zoom in, voice acting)

It would have been a lot more successful if he'd written the call out to come from someone less sadistic and despicable. It's hard to reflect like that on words that came from a character that had a nine year old child eaten alive by dogs.

considering i had no idea it was meant to be a callout, i'd say it failed

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN WITH YMIR’S BACKSTORY FLASHBACK NEXT EPISODE? 280 Responses

Since Ymir’s backstory was moved to Season 2, 39.3% believe that Historia reading the letter will show Ymir’s death instead of the entire flashback. 35.7% of participants think the scene will just show a cut down version of the backstory with Ymir’s narration in the background. 21.1% believe that the backstory will be shown again with some tweak to the narration.

Fuck man I dunno, maybe they'll play some interval music and Ymir will tapdance

I feel like the one disappointing thing about this part in the manga is that Ymir died offscreen. This would be a good change and I wouldn’t mind a teaser of Galliard also.

The backstory shown in season 2 wasnt the letter 1/1 right? Then just have the letter read out and have slightly altered images of her story

I got no idea which way they'll go, but WIT will do her story justice, no doubt about that

They will recycle s2's animation and that's it. If they show Ymir's fate, kudos to them, considering they've been pretty lazy with additional content so far.

THE ANIME ADAPTED EREN'S LINE AFTER WAKING UP AS "WHO AM I?" WAS THIS A MORE APPROPRIATE PHRASE THAN THE TRANSLATIONS ABOUT EREN USING DIFFERENT JAPANESE PRONOUNS OR HAVING A DIFFERENT VOICE? 280 Responses

In the manga, Armin comments on Eren’s change of pronouns when he first wakes up, but the anime changed this line to “Who am I?” 38.6% of participants thought this change made more sense in context. 30.7% of participants didn’t realize there was a change, and 21.4% thought the manga made enough sense for it not to warrant a change.

I feel like this episode is where we lost Eren as he once was. The change wasn't immediate, but this is the impetus. All that information, all those memories. The boy has started to become a man.

WHICH SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 284 Responses

Of the scenes that were shown, a majority of 52.1% of participants are most looking forward to more conversation between Kruger and Grisha.

Historia is lookin fine in the preview

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

Just a nitpick but I wish Kruger’s attack titan was animated more in destroying the boat since it felt more like a colored panel; I’m still happy how it turned it though! Maybe there might be additional animation next episode but I can only hope :’D

This episode was beautifully done. The voice acting really knocked it out of the park, especially Grisha's. His screams, holy shit. I got chills. Kruger's voice was also brilliant, just that perfect blend of nonchalant and forbidding. What I found interesting was the VA for young Grisha sounded so much like Kaji Yuuki! I saw in the credits that it wasn't actually him, but what an excellent casting choice!

Needs more Floch

KRUGER!!!!

This S3P2 has to have the weirdest pacing I've ever seen: the 2ch1ep formula doesn't work at all for backstories like Grisha's, considering the whole worldbuilding is unleashed. That being said, the preview from last episode's accustomed the anime-onlys to the outside world, but combining chapter 86 and 87 leaves no time to breathe properly.

Thinking back on it, wasn’t this Grisha’s first time seeing Titans in the flesh, and eating a person right in front of him?

I had hoped Kruger's hat toss would be more dramatic, but alas, t'wasn't. Other than that, went pretty good

They pronounce 'Zeke' completely different from how I imagined it would sound.

Perfect, especially the final scene. I knew what was coming, but seeing the restorationists become the Trost Titans, the Dina reveal, and Owl transformation was something else. That sequence is on par with Reiner/Bertholdt reveal and Erwin’s charge as best scenes in the series. At least for the anime so far.

I thought this episode was kind of disappointing. Maybe it's just because I really dislike the tone shift that came with the Marley stuff, but I thought the manga handled all this exposition kind of awkwardly and was hoping for better from the anime. Nope, the only thing improving it is that it won't be drawn out for months between chapters this time.

Bby Zook my boi, must protecc at all costs, so innocent, so pure

In one episode all this information WAS WAY TOO MUCH! poor anime-only fans lmao

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 265 Responses

Thanks again to everyone who participated! We’ll see you again in a few days!

[reylo-solo]

Reylo neighbors

I had way too much fun writing this and I DEFINITELY got carried away, lol. Thanks for the prompt!

Read it on AO3.

➳ Say It With Roses

               The house at 515 ParkwoodCrescent was built in the early 1950’s. It had a beautiful widow’s walk and anenclosed porch, picture windows, a cobblestone walkway, and a lovely fenced-inbackyard, perfect for parties. It had also been vacant for two and a half years.

               Every morning when Ben Solo wokeup, he would take his cup of coffee and drag his feet over to his living room,where he would gaze sternly out the bay window and his eyes would always roamover the weathered ‘For Sale’ sign next door to his house. He would think tohimself, For Christ’s sake, is the placehaunted or something? He had seen any number of people get a tour inside bythe realtor over the last two and a half years, and not a single one had madean offer on it. They always left smiling, but it never amounted to a damnedthing.

Thecompany that oversaw the management of the lot consistently forgot to mow thelawn, and Ben consistently had to phone and complain to remind them. It drovehim insane. The picketed half-fence his property shared with that house waspristine on his end, but was peeling and hideous on the other side.

BenSolo was a perfectionist. He liked things to be just as he wanted them to be,no more, no less. He liked things to be kept tidy. 515 Parkwood Crescent hadnot been tidy in almost three years. So obviously, this was a big point ofcontention for him.

Untilone fateful morning when Ben’s alarm roused him from his deep slumber at 7:30.He all but fell out of bed, stretched, and put his comfortable sheepskin suede slipperson to walk downstairs to the kitchen. This time when he looked out his window,something was different. The ‘For Sale’ sign had changed. Now, it boldlyproclaimed ‘SOLD’.

“Holyshit,” Ben cursed under his breath, “it’s finally happening.”

Nowcame the anxious wait. Who had bought it? Was it a family? A single person,like himself? Would they be lazy, or proactive? Would they keep their lawn niceand orderly? Would they have children? God forbid they had a dog, whoever it was. Dogs always chewedup gardens, and Ben had a lovely row of prize roses along his side of the fencethat he would sure like to keep planted in the soil.

Therest of May went by quickly, with no signs of life next door. But Ben knew howthis worked. They would get possession on the 1st of June, and afterthat he would know who his new neighbour(s) would be.

Hehad grown oddly used to having no one living on that side of his house. Forinstance, he had enjoyed walking about naked with the blinds on that side open,because no one could see him, especially when he was upstairs in his room withits window that faced the vacant house. It would suck not to be able to do thatanymore, but if it meant the fence would get painted he supposed he should begrateful.

June1st came and went. There were no moving trucks that day, but Ben didspot an old Volkswagen car parked out front and some lights on inside thehouse. He wondered if he shouldn’t go over and say hello, but then heremembered that Mrs. Graham, who lived on the other side of his house, had donethat when he had first moved in, and he still kind-of resented her for it. No, he thought. I’d better give them a few days to get situated first.

By June 2nd, the moving trucks werethere. He saw them in the morning when he was going to work, and spotted some movingcompany workers laboriously hauling a heavy-looking leather loveseat into thehouse. But still no sign of the occupant(s).

Hedidn’t have to wait much longer, however. When he came home from work at 6:00on the dot, grabbed his briefcase from the backseat, and began heading up hiswalkway, he was surprised to hear excitable yipping getting closer and closerto him. When he looked down he saw a small blur of white and brown.

“You’vegot to be kidding me,” he grumbled under his breath. “A fucking dog.”

Indeed,the rambunctious little pup, with the brown spot on its rump and the streaks ofrust colour in its ears, was jumping up at Ben’s legs, stubby little tailwagging in pure euphoria. Ben looked down at the dog with unbridled distaste.

“Bo! Oh my god, I’m so sorry!”

Ben’shead snapped up at the sound of a human – female – voice. A petite brunette waslaunching herself off the porch of 515 Parkwood Crescent, rushing down thecobblestone walkway, crossing over into Ben’s yard, and scooping the pup upinto her arms. Ben was stunned into paralyzed silence.

Shewas young, not far into her 20’s, with lively eyes and a sun-kissed, bronzecomplexion. Wherever she had come from, it had been warm there. Freckles weresplashed across the bridge of her nose, a few dabbled along her cheekbones. Hersmile was 10,000-watt; so bright and intoxicating in nature. She had her hairpulled up in a bun and she wore a ragged old tank-top and camo cut-offs. Shehad a touch of periwinkle paint smeared across her left shoulder and dirt underher fingernails. She extended a hand to Ben.

“Hi,I’m your new neighbour, Rey.”

Benswallowed, surprised at just how dry his throat felt. He shook her hand firmly.

“Myname’s Ben. Nice to meet you, and your, uh, dog.” He said the last word with justthe right amount of sour inflection.

Reyblushed lightly. Ben could feel his own face warming significantly.

“Yeah,again, I’m sorry. He slipped out right when I opened the door. He really likesmeeting new people.”

“Howcute.” Ben muttered.

Thetwo spoke for a short while. Rey told Ben all the minor details he couldpossibly want to know. She had grown up in London as an orphan, and had justfinished travelling the world with a photography scholarship. Apparently shewas world-renowned, but Ben had never heard of her. She was doing a lot ofrenovation work to the house and couldn’t wait to “put down roots here”. Benhad been as cordial as he possibly could be. In truth he didn’t mind listeningto her speak. Her accented voice was intoxicating. But eventually her spellbroke when little Bo took to barking at a biker riding down the street,squirming in his owner’s toned arms.

“Ah,you’ll have to excuse me. I need to get him back inside before his little heartjust can’t take the excitement anymore. It was really lovely to meet you,though. I hope we can talk again soon over the fence someday!”

Bensmiled stiffly, eyeing Bo with a healthy amount of wariness. “I’m sure wewill.”

Thetwo parted ways. After that their contact was minimal for a couple of weeks.Ben was busy with work and was out of the house six days out of the week (onthe seventh he stayed in his man cave watching terrible movies on Netflix inhis pyjamas, smoking one premium joint at around 5 p.m. – his special secrettradition to thank himself for getting through the week without killinganyone). Rey, on the other hand, clearly remained busy on her renovations. Benwould see lights on in the house into the wee hours of the morning, and if hewent outside on his deck and listened closely, he could hear muted hammeringnoises and soft, echoing music playing from somewhere inside the house. Hecan’t say he wasn’t curious about what she was doing in there. The interior ofthe house was beautiful wood and tile, with a stone fireplace, and crown moulding. It was a mid-centuryantique-lover’s dream. Surely shewasn’t making the mistake of trying to modernizeit?

Theymet once more in the evening on a Tuesday, when Ben was on his knees along thefence line, pruning his roses. Rey walked by with a heavy-looking camera bagslung over her shoulder and a binder full of papers in her arm. She gave himthat dazzling smile of hers, which made his heart actually skip a beat, on herway by.

“Evening!”she chirped. “Your roses are absolutely lovely. I’d love to have a garden likeyours someday!”

Hesmiled back, somewhat awkwardly. Ben’s smile was usually quite crooked innature; kind-of goofy-looking but in a charming way, like when a dog ‘smiles’.

“Thanks…”he replied belatedly.

Shewas clearly in a hurry. She unloaded her burdens into the backseat of her carand drove off somewhere. Ben went back to work, the look of her smiling faceburned in his brain for the rest of the night.

Reyhad barely been living next-door for a month when The Incident happened. Oh, it was a doozy, in more ways than one.

Benwoke up that morning and sauntered to the kitchen in his slippers and plaidflannel pyjama pants. His hair was a chaotic mess – he had tossed and turned alot in the night; June was turning out to be a hot month, and the fan in hisbedroom couldn’t keep up with the heat. He was just barely awake. He nearly forgotto put a fresh K-cup of breakfast blend into his Keurig. That would have beendisgusting.

Crisisavoided and with a fresh, aromatic mug of hot coffee in his hand, he wanderedover to his window. The sun had just come up, and the morning sky was streakedwith pink and yellow. A rose gold palette of natural beauty. Speaking ofroses…what was wrong with his roses?!

Heblinked and rubbed his eyes, forcing himself to wake up completely. Rich, darkdirt was scattered across his freshly-trimmed lawn, interlaced with shreddedrose petals, leaves, and a couple whole stems, dug out from their home in thesoil. And there, in the midst of it all, was a little white dog butt with abrown spot along the back.

“Areyou fucking shitting me right now?!”Ben bellowed. His coffee was instantly set down and forgotten about.

Bo,having heard Ben’s outburst from the garden, lifted his dirt-stained face up,floppy puppy ears perked towards the noise. When Ben emerged shortly after,still bare-chested in his slippers and PJ pants, with a look of dark fury onhis face, Bo froze in terror, completely unsure of what to do or where to go.

WhenBen got close, Bo suddenly rolled onto his belly, short little tail tucked inshame as much as it could be. Ben bent down and picked the dog up by the scruffof its neck. Bo couldn’t even meet Ben’s eyes.

“Whatthe hell, dog?” Ben snarled. “I can’tfucking believe this shit. It is 7:30 in the goddamn morning, and you’re goingto hurl this crap in my face? I don’t fucking think so…”

Heswiftly moved down his walkway and over into Rey’s yard, carrying the dog allthe way, tucked at his side. His slippers didn’t really make a veryintimidating sound effect as he stomped up the stairs and across the porch toher front door – which she had painted bright red for some fucking reason. Bright red. Fuck. How original. Ben’sknuckles rapped hard on the painted door.

Noanswer. The lights were off inside, but her car was most certainly parked outfront. Nope. No. He was going to get mad at somebody, goddamn it. The dogdidn’t count.

Hepressed the doorbell repeatedly and kicked at the door until finally, finally, she emerged, one eye shut tothe brightness of the morning, hair falling out of its messy bun, wrapped in anold threadbare robe that was much too big on her.

“Whatis going on…?” she mumbled, slowly registering the very angry half-naked manwith a very nice chest she was now facing. “Bo?”

“Yourfucking dog tore up my roses,” Ben growled, holding the dog up so she could seehis face, smeared with the evidence of his crime. “And I have to beg thequestion: what the hell was he doing in my yard at 7:30 in the morning?”

Reyblinked, colour quickly fading from her face. There it is, Ben thought poisonously. There’s that ‘oh, shit’ look I wanted to see.

“I-Iswear I don’t know…there’s a doggy-door out to the backyard. He must havegotten through the fence somehow, I—”

“Well.That fucking sucks, doesn’t it?” Ben spat. “Meanwhile my garden is destroyedbecause you think it’s fine to let him go out without a leash any damn time hewants!”

Rey’sexpression instantly soured. Her eyes narrowed and her chin stuck out.

“Ican assure you he won’t do it again,” she chewed out bitterly.

“Oh,you’re damned right he won’t,” Ben argued. “Because he’s not going to be letout without a leash until he gets his little digging habit under control,right?”

“Howdare you tell me how to take care of my dog?” Rey snarled, taking Bo roughlyfrom Ben’s arms and setting him down at her feet. Bo whined, blatantlyuncomfortable with the situation he had created.

“Wellclearly someone has to!”

“Whydon’t you piss off? Why do you even grow roses? What kind of soft-side bullshitis that?!”

“Whatare you fucking talking about? I’m not allowed to grow fucking roses in my own damn yard?”

“I’mnot allowed to let my dog go outsidein my own damn yard?!”

“Listen,I’ve been here a lot longer than you—”

“Oh,yeah? It shows!” Rey gestured to her facial area, even tugging down on onecheek, clearly suggesting dark circles and eye wrinkles.

“Ohdoes it?!” Ben yelled.

“Yeah,it does!”

Theirbanter was ended by the sound of Mr. Johnson shouting from a couple housesdown, reminding them both of the lovely, peaceful neighbourhood they calledhome:

“Shut the fuck up!”

Theyboth stopped, chests heaving, angry eyes never leaving the other’s face. It wasat this point Ben realized that, oh – Rey sleeps naked.

Thethreadbare robe she had so thoughtfully put on before answering the door washardly cinched at her waist, creating a very deep-V neckline that showed Ben alot more than he had been expecting to see. It only made it more eye-catchingwhen she crossed her arms like that.

Hecouldn’t help the sudden flush in his face. He was the first to break theirstaring contest, and he wasn’t proud of it. Rey had only a second to appreciateher victory before she too realized why she’d won. With a soft gasp she hastilytugged the collar of her robe closed. Now she was vibrantly blushing too, andshe also looked like she wanted to slap him, which in all actuality she hadevery right to do. But she didn’t, and in the moment she couldn’t quiteunderstand why.

“Keepyour dog on your side of the fence,” Ben grumbled. Most of his fire had diedout by now. He jabbed an accusatory hand at her side of the fence in questionas he descended the porch steps. “And for fuck’s sake, would it kill you topaint it?”

Thetwo carefully avoided one another for the next week, always checking out thewindow before daring to go outside. Ben watered his garden in the morning, Reymowed her lawn in the evening. Bo didn’t escape again. He didn’t even bark. Bensaw Rey out painting her side of the fence one day, but he didn’t dare go outand say anything about it. And it went on like this for a whole, painfully longweek. Until the first fault in the ice cracked to life.

Itwas a Saturday morning. Rey was always gone on a run on Saturday mornings, andBen left for work at 9:00. This morning though, when he opened his door at8:57, he had to pause in the threshold. For there, right outside his door andawfully close to the toe of his shoe, was a small potted rose bush,freshly-grown and healthy, with one small, deep-red bloom on top.

Mystified,Ben picked it up. Amidst the leaves and (this was no doubt done on purpose)thorns, there was a small piece of folded-up paper. Fine stationary, made ofsoft natural paper, and written on the outside of the fold in fine, flowyscript, was his name.

Muchto the (likely) chagrin of the sender, he only received one particularly nastyprick on his ring finger when he reached in to grab it. He sucked on this as hebrought the plant inside and set it down, before opening the letter addressedto him.

I’m sorry my dog toreup your roses, and I’m sorry I didn’t apologize in the moment. I should have.You were right to be angry. Bo feels really, really bad, and so do I. Just soyou know. I bought this at the Farmer’s Market and I thought you could maybeplant it and start fresh. If you don’t want to that’s fine. I understand yourroses were “one of a kind”. I hope you’ll keep this little guy alive, anyway,even if you don’t forgive us. – Rey & Bo (your apologetic neighbours)

Benwould be lying if he said the note didn’t make him smile a little bit. He setit fold-down atop his piano, and admired the little rose bush. Its leaves werea vibrant, lush green, and it was covered in buds. He flicked a leaf andwatched it tremble. He grinned. It would do just fine in his garden.

Hekept coming back to that little rose bush all day long. At work he’d catchhimself doodling, something he rarely did anymore, little sketches of roses inthe margins and bright, dimpled smiles. The plant was a sign of surrender;asking for a truce. Would he give in? Well, yes, he would. It hadn’t taken himlong to come to that conclusion. In all honesty, over the duration of the weekhis anger had faded. Once he had cleaned up his garden he noticed that thedamage wasn’t as extensive as he thought. He could forgive it, he supposed.

Buthow could he let her know it? It just didn’t feel right to him to go over toher house and offer her a plate of store-bought cookies, because lord knows hecouldn’t bake them himself. It felt fake, derivative, and cheesy. “Hey, it’sall water off a duck’s back! Here’s some Pillsbury crap on a plate!”

Itwas 3:36 in the afternoon when the idea struck him. The Grand Gesture. The wayhe was going to let Rey know all was forgiven. He had been inspired bysomething she had said the other day; her words floated back to him as though comingout of the ether of a dream. And suddenly he couldn’t wait to get home. Ofcourse, he’d have to make a couple stops along the way, pick up some suppliesand the like. He planned it out to the last detail, effectively wasting thelast hour and a half of work. And when it was finally time to leave, his deskchair had barely stopped spinning before he had left the building.

Heknew that starting at 5:00, he had only two hours before Rey would be home forthe night after she stopped at the gym (in the short time she had been livingnext door, he had quickly taken note of her daily activities). He could pullthis off in an hour and a half, if he was quick and had no interruptions. Hehauled everything over to Rey’s front lawn and set to work.

Thankfully,the universe was smiling upon him for once and everything went smoothly. He hadsuccessfully started a garden for Rey, in front of her large picture window inthe front yard. He had carefully transplanted a shoot of his own prize roses,right in the centre, with a colourful array of flora and grasses all around. Tohim it looked magnificent, but a nagging voice in the back of his head keptasking ‘Would she even notice it?’

               When all was said and done, hiswatch told him it was 6:51. She would be home soon. He took this opportunity toplant his new rose bush in the spot where Bo had dug up the last one. He wasjust packing the dirt around the base of the plant when he heard her car pullup. He held his breath.

               Her car door shut. He heard herunlatch the front gate and re-latch it behind her. Then came the soft shufflingsound of her shoes walking up the cobblestone pathway…and then all soundsstopped with a sudden, loud gasp.

               Ben peeked precariously over thetop of the fence. She was standing halfway up the walk with her jaw slack, staringwide-eyed at the beautiful arrangement that had seemingly appeared in front of her house. She slowly walked up to it and bentdown to examine the flowers closer. Ben couldn’t see, but when she saw theroses, she grinned because she recognized them instantly.

               At this point, Ben realized heprobably looked like a total jackass, crouched and watching her from across thefence. So he stood up, brushed the dirt from the worn-out knees of his jeans,and cleared his throat.

               “You’re forgiven, in case itwasn’t clear,” he said. “Bo, too.”

               She stood up straight and turnedto look at him, that one-of-a-kind smile glowing like the moon in the sky.

               “You did this?” she askedquietly, her voice laden with emotion.

               Ben nodded. “I didn’t know howelse to say it…and I remembered you telling me you wanted a garden like mine,so I figured I’d help get you started.”

               “I love it,” she confessed. “It’sbeautiful, and it smells amazing.”

               “Well, good. I’m glad.”

               Rey sighed, shifting her weightto her left foot. She gave him an apologetic look.

               “I guess we’ve been lousyneighbours, huh?” she asked.

               “Uh, when the guy down thestreet has to tell us to shut the fuck up, I’m going to say yes, we have been,”Ben answered.

               Rey chuckled. “Woops.”

               “Woops.” Ben agreed with acrooked smile.

               Rey smiled back at him somewhatbashfully, fiddling with the wire of her headphones.

               “Would you like to come inside?”she asked quietly. “I think we could both use a drink, maybe. And…I’d like toget to know you better, if that’s okay.”

               Ben’s eyes widened. He had beenexpecting a hearty thank-you, maybe some joyful tears, but not an invitationinside – into her life. Before hisbrain could even formulate an answer, he was nodding his head yes and hoppingover the fence.

               “Careful,” Rey cautionedplayfully, “I just painted that.”

               Ben smirked. “I know, it looksgood.”

               “Thanks.”

               As he climbed the steps of herporch for the second time in his life, he found himself in a very apologeticmood. Heat burned high in his face, turning the tips of his ears a deep pink.

               “Oh, um…I also want to apologizefor, uh…well, the night of The Incident,I…I promise I wasn’t staring,” he mumbled, “at you.”

               Rey smiled warmly, and Ben didn’tmiss the way her eyes jumped down his body and back up again in one quick,scanning motion.

               “That’s okay,” she confessed asa sly grin spread across her face. “I just hope you don’t mind that I was.”

               Ben didn’t know what to say tothat, so he just grinned like an idiot and followed her inside without a secondthought. She had freshly-baked cookies on her countertop and no Pillsburycontainer in sight.

[nicolewrites]

The Ecruteak Incident

You guys can thank @thecoordinatorsquad for this one.  Sequel/Prequel to ‘enter stage left’

Words: 3,658 FFN | AO3

When May arrives in Ecruteak City, the sun is still high in the sky. It’s a nice change from many of the later arrivals she’s been having since travelling on her own. Without Ash’s drive to reach the next city and the next gym as fast as possible, May has found herself distracted by training, relaxing and wildlife between towns and she often arrives just as night is falling.

It’s just after noon as she sets foot on the cobblestone streets that are a tribute to the older days. She notes, with interest, that many of the buildings are constructed in older, more traditional styles and with more muted colour palettes. The guidebook that she carries on hand tells her that it is out of respect for the Bell Tower that stands just to the north of the city.

Her first impression of the city is quaint: it’s smaller and less bustling than many of the other cities she’s visited in Johto so far, but it is definitely more pedestrian friendly. There are definitely still a fair share of coordinators and contest fans mulling about with the contest being two days away. The cobblestone streets are obviously not meant for cars, and the small market kiosks lining the streets further encourage walking over driving.

To the north, May observes the old Bell Tower rising on the horizon and she makes a mental note to visit it. Following her map towards the Pokémon Centre, she walks past the city’s gym. The building is like the rest of the city, painted in muted colours, but there are cheers from within and May smiles. Sometimes she misses watching Gym Battles. Ash certainly had a flair for making them interesting. Max was leaving in September, so maybe she should make some time to watch a few of his battles.

There are large maple trees on several street corners with their big green leaves open to the sky. It reminds her of Petalburg and the tree that’s on the corner near the gym. This part of the city, May knows, will be exceptionally beautiful in the fall when the leaves change colour and start to fall. She hopes she’ll have the opportunity to return for it, but her carefully planned schedule–Drew’s idea, not hers–says that this contest in Ecruteak is the only one for the season. The city wasn’t much for pageantry–much more about tradition.

She spots the crowd about a block from the PokéCentre and her heart sinks in her chest. It’s a group of, mostly, young teenage girls, some older and some younger than herself. None of the girls in particular are familiar, but the hunches of their backs and the high pitched giggles are all too familiar.

Fangirls.

Of course there are fangirls here. There is a contest in two days and there are some higher-profile coordinators entering. Plus, this is one of the larger cities in the region so the increased population of fans also makes sense. May walks hesitantly towards the Centre, just hoping not to get mauled by excited girls.

To her surprise, they don’t seem to pay her any attention as she approaches. They are much more interested in whoever is inside the Pokémon Centre as displayed by the way they keep glancing in the windows and giggling. Unfortunately, their crowd extends to block the front entrance which means May will have to wade right through them.

She takes a deep breath to steel her nerves and pushes through the first few, excusing herself politely. ���Excuse me, just need to pass by,” she murmurs, trying to move unseen.

She gets almost to the door when one fan turns and stares her directly in the face. “Hey!” the girl exclaims, “What right do you have moving us from our view?”

May sighs. “Sorry, I was just trying to get into the Pokémon Centre. I need to register for the contest.”

“Register?” another girl pipes up, sounding scandalized. “You can’t compete! You can’t be given the opportunity to win.”

May frowns. “Well, that’s not how coordinating works. The best coordinator in the contest will win the ribbon.”

The first girl put her hands on her hips and gives May a condescending once-over. “Well that’s obviously not going to be you, so maybe you should just run along.”

May’s anger bubbles up. No one gets to talk to her like that, except maybe Drew, but he’s always teasing when he does. Before she can burst with frustration, one of the other girls stumbles away from the window, squealing dramatically.

The doors to the Pokémon Centre slide open and all the girls fall completely silent, staring in awe at the person who emerges from inside. May just exhales in relief. Out of all the people, he’s probably not a bad one to save her from this situation, even if he’ll never let her live it down again.

Drew looks puzzled by the situation, but he walks out towards May anyways. The girls part like the sea for him and he stands next to his rival, glancing at the girl who had been giving May spite.

“Maple, you made it before dark for once. I guess I can call off that search party,” he jokes. His tone is easygoing and relaxed. He seems to be completely ignoring the fans and is instead focused on May.

Smugness curls in her belly as May smiles at him. “Haha, Drew. I know you didn’t beat me here by much. You were coming from Blackthorn, weren’t you? I was only in Violet City, my journey was much shorter.”

He shrugs. “I still beat you here, and I’m all registered for the contest. You should do the same. We don’t want a repeat of the Len Town Contest do we?”

May frowned. She didn’t need reminding of her first blunder of the season. She had forgotten how busy the first contest of the season was and had arrived too late to register, leaving Drew with only Solidad as an obstacle for the ribbon. He had won and he still wouldn’t let her live it down, even as they planned an appropriate route through the region, determining at which contests they would butt heads.

“I’m getting there,” she says after a brief pause.

He laughs and just gestures back to the door. “Come on then.”

May steps towards Drew, and freedom from the swarm of fangirls, when one pipes up. “But, Mr. Drew! How can you encourage competition?”

Drew frowns at the girls. “I’ve asked you all already to leave me alone, I don’t want to get Officer Jenny involved. May is my rival, and my friend and none of you bear that distinction, so you should all scram before I report you for harassment.”

It takes a minute, but the gravity of his words sinks in and the girls start to leave, but not without glancing back at him as they go. Drew sighs and rubs his temples.

“Let’s get out of here, please,” he says, annoyance still heavy in his voice.

May laughs. “Oh but Drew, you have to tell me more,” she teases. He levels a hard look at her and May laughs again. “I’m only kidding. I find them incredibly annoying as well, don’t worry.”

They walk into the Pokémon Centre as Drew complains about how they’ve been following him around since he arrived in town. May giggles. She has her own set of fans, but none of them are ever as bad as the cult of fangirls that follow her rival around.

May does end up registering for the contest in time, and the morning of, she heads down to the lobby to get breakfast before heading over to the hall. Drew is sitting at one of the tables in the cafeteria with an empty plate and a steaming, half-full cup of coffee in front of him. He’s flipping through a newspaper and only looks half-awake.

May’s heart tightens as she watches him. It’s strangely domestic and almost cute. She blushes and shakes off the feeling, heading to gather her own plate of breakfast. After taking a generous helping–she’s hungry, there’s no excuse–she heads back towards where he was sitting. May places her plate down and slides in across from him.

He glances up only briefly to acknowledge her presence. “May,” he greets casually, before returning his attention to the article he’s reading.

She takes a couple bites of her food before curiosity wins out. “What are you reading about?”

He puts the paper down and slides it towards her. She notes the headline: ‘Excitement Continues Around Conclusion of Wallace Cup in Sinnoh’. May smiles. She skims the article briefly. It talks about the contest, the venue, and her and Dawn’s battle in the final. Curiously, she notes the fact that Johto and Hoenn were both bidding for the next Wallace Cup.

“It seems the coordinating world was pretty impressed by your new style out there. Even if you did manage to lose to a rookie,” Drew comments, stealing his newspaper back.

May rolls her eyes. “Dawn was good. And besides, her mom was a Top Coordinator before either of our times so she’s grown up around it. I almost won the Violet City Contest after I got back anyway. My slump is over, we both know that.”

Drew shrugs. “We’ll see today, I guess.”

May sticks her tongue out at her rival, who shares a rare smile at her childish action, and tucks back into her food. The whole situation is friendly and calm even though in a couple of hours they could be going head to head for what would be both of their fourth ribbons. Despite May’s apparent slump, Drew was equal to her in ribbons, though May conceded that he had entered far fewer contests and was spending more time on individual training.

Still, getting a foot up on him would be a welcome change since he always seemed to be one step ahead of her.

As the appeal scores are revealed, May takes one of Drew’s telling characteristics and spins it back on him. She smirks at him. She’s in first, and he’s close behind her, only 0.3 points back, in second place. They’re both comfortably through to the battle round, but May’s ahead this time.

It feels good, especially since May knows that Drew’s appeals and combinations are generally his strongest points, whereas hers lay more in powerful battling, something she had picked up from Ash. Still, Drew was notoriously good at spinning people’s power back on themselves to earn massive points, and he was also incredibly strong.

The bracket is revealed and to May’s surprise, she and Drew are not opposite each other. In fact, if they both win their first battles, they’ll be facing off in the semi-finals. She casts him a surprised glance and he shrugs in return. May laughs. She’s still going to beat him–that’s her plan.

As they take the stage for the battles, cheers spring up around them, but Drew’s cheering section is loud and very female. Drew smirks and flicks his hair. The crowd screams in appreciation and May smothers a snort. At least his fangirls will get to enjoy his showboating for a little while.

The announcers call for them to choose their Pokémon, and May watches as Drew calls out Flygon. The Dragon Type is one of his strongest, and May knows there is no going easy here with him. Still, she has an advantage in this case.

“Glaceon! Take the stage!” She spins elegantly and tosses the capsule containing the Fresh Snow Pokémon outwards.

Drew visibly blanches at the sight of her new team member. Though he’d been encouraging of May when she had gone to Sinnoh, she knows that now he’s realizing that Glaceon places her at a significant type advantage over many of his Pokémon, especially Flygon. May lifts her chin confidently.

The timer starts, and Drew wins first move.

As far as contest battles go, besides her stint in the Wallace Cup, her battle against Drew has been the fiercest she’s fought in Johto. He always has tricky combinations ready to counter, even if she pushes forwards with strength. Still, this time, she had been better. Glaceon has squeaked her through to the finals and May is elated.

There are despondent cries from the crowd: Drew’s devastated fangirls and May glances at her rival again. He returns Flygon and nods to her, conceding defeat respectfully. She was better today, and they both know it.

In the end, May makes a blunder, choosing Beautifly in the finals to match up against a Quilava. With both a speed and type disadvantage, she puts up a fight, but in the end, a Johtoan coordinator named Crystal eventually wins the Ecruteak Ribbon. She’s not overly disappointed.

She can use the battle with Crystal to create new defensive combinations, especially against moves like Aerial Ace and Swift that never miss. Plus, she reminds herself, she beat Drew. That’s always a plus.

May calls back Beautifly and heads backstage. The locker room has cleared out, as expected and May gathers her stuff. It will be a few more minutes before people start leaving as Crystal will still need to be presented with her ribbon. May doesn’t see a reason to stick around. She’s kind of hungry again and is interested in trying out some of the street food she’d seen over the last couple days. A treat sounds nice, for both her and her Pokémon.

She slings her bag up onto her shoulder and exits the room, heading for the main entrance. She only gets a little ways before she notices that Drew is striding towards her with purpose. She blinks at him, but he looks frustrated.

“Drew?” she questions, but he ignores her, basically grabbing her around the waist and spinning her around.

They walk at a brisk speed past the locker room, back towards the stage. Drew doesn’t say anything, but relief breaks into his face as he spots a janitor’s closet off to the side. He yanks open the door and herds May inside without breaking stride. The door shuts behind him and May gives her rival an incredulous look.

“What are you doing?” she demands.

“Shh,” he hushes her urgently.

The closet is dark, but not overly small so they each have personal space. May still has no idea what has gotten into Drew, but she tries to study him in the dim light. He looks frustrated, but she doesn’t think it’s from the contest. This annoyance stems from other causes.

Many of her silent questions are quickly answered as she hears footsteps pound through the hallway. She raises an eyebrow at Drew and he just lets out a long sigh.

“I know he went this way. And if we can’t find him, then we can surely give a piece of our mind to that girl who beat him,” a snarky voice exclaims.

May blinks. It’s the voice of the girl from outside the PokéCentre a couple days ago. Drew had been escaping from his fangirls and he’d managed to save her some hassle too by hiding her as well since it seems they blamed him for his loss in the contest.

“What’s the point?” another girl complains. “He lost. He’s probably not sticking around. There’s no point in us being here if he isn’t.”

A few other girls agree, and to May’s delight and Drew’s relief, the girls relent in their search. To be safe, they give it almost a minute of silence outside the closet before they emerge and scan the hallways, ensuring their safety.

When they know they’re not going to be hassled, May bursts out laughing. “Wow, they’re even worse about your losses than you are.”

Drew runs a hand through his hair. “It’s annoying. Don’t laugh at me, if this was you, you’d be the same.”

May shrugs. “It’s not me though, so I get to laugh. I did beat you today,” she reminds.

Drew rolls his eyes. “You still lost.”

May sticks out her tongue. “I beat you though, so it’s fine.”

Drew starts to walk towards the entrance to the contest hall, pausing briefly to let May catch up to him. They walk side-by-side towards the entrance. They’re almost to open air when Drew hesitates.

“There’s a festival tonight, for several reasons, mostly Johto culture stuff, but I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?” he asks carefully. “There will be lots of food, if you were wondering.”

May smiles brightly. “Sounds like fun! I’ll meet you in the lobby at seven?” she asks.

Drew nods. “Seven.”

“Did we lose them?” May asks, gasping for breath. She tugs at the hemline of her dress and scans the crowd around them.

Drew scowls bitterly. “For now, anyway,” he mutters.

May sighs. Everything had been going great. The festival was brightly lit compared the usual muted nature of Ecruteak City. There were sparklers and fireworks and dancers in the streets. Lanterns were hung from storefronts and homes and music twinkled through the whole town. The usual market stalls were bustling with life and energy and true to recommendation, the food had been incredibly excellent.

They had been in the middle of enjoying a demonstration by the Kimono Girls, something that was surely inspiring combinations for both of them, when the disruption had started. A couple people had begun whispering around them, assessing them as competitors from the contest that had happened earlier.

Both Hoenn Coordinators had tried to ignore it, but it quickly escalated as Drew’s fangirls began to appear. Drew had grabbed May by the hand and pulled her away, down an alley as they ran to try to escape the crowd. They had used the bustle of the festival to hide their escape, but still, it wouldn’t be long until they were found again.

“We really can’t catch a break with these girls, can we?” May grumbles.

Drew laughs and she glances at him. Under the moonlight and the light of the lanterns, his hair and eyes are almost glowing. Plus, she catches the shadows of dimples in his cheeks from his natural smile and May’s stomach twists. He looks gorgeous and she’s paralyzed by her realization.

He’s wearing dressy clothes–just as she is wearing a nice dress–for the occasion and he looks very sharp. She inhales quickly and tears her eyes from her rival. She can’t find him attractive. They are rivals. Sure, they’re mostly friends too, but he’s her rival first. Competition over attraction, she tries to will herself to believe.

“I am both really sorry, and really not, because that was honestly kind of fun,” Drew admits. He smooths out his already perfect hair. “Well, I’d imagine that we have a couple minutes before they figure out where we’ve gone, so let’s keep exploring, shall we?”

He offers her his arm and before she can talk herself out of it, she’s smiling and sliding her elbow into his.

They stroll out onto a main street again and May is quickly distracted by a cute vendor’s stall with several adorable accessories for sale. She drags Drew over and spends a little while chatting with the owner and browsing the wares. She steals a glance back at Drew, and he’s already watching her and she blushes.

“I saw green hair go this way!” someone yells.

Both coordinators flinch. May glances around, but she can’t pinpoint where the fan was, so she looks at Drew desperately. He looks a little pained and May lets out a short huff of air. She grabs a hat from the table of wares in front of them, apologises to the store owner and drags Drew towards another nearby gap between buildings.

She shoves the hat on his head to hide his hair and spins his back to the street so they are facing each other, and are much to close for May’s sanity. She feels heat rush to her cheeks as she makes eye contact with a startled Drew. There are more cries from the street of people that have seen Drew, and May is desperate.

She places a hand on either side of Drew’s face and pulls it down towards her. He’s startled, but he doesn’t resist as she brings him into a chaste kiss. For a brief moment, there is nothing, just their lips awkwardly pressed together as they pray no one recognizes them. But then there is a gentle pressure against her mouth and May almost jumps.

She kissed Drew, but now he’s actually kissing her.

She manages to kick her brain awake enough to kiss him back for a few seconds before he breaks away, breathing deeply. His green eyes are illuminated by the lantern over her head and the hat looks stupid on him, but he’s incredibly beautiful and he’s looking at her with a mix of surprise and pleasure on his face.

May blinks, breaking their staring contest and they both note that the fangirls have moved on and they’re alone. She slowly peels her hands from Drew, feeling heat swarm into her face. He’s a little flushed himself, but May drops her eyes to the ground quickly.

He coughs awkwardly and she lets her eyes drift up warily. He’s smiling, despite his best efforts, and he steps back from her a little. “Let’s just agree to,” he trails off carefully.

May laughs and it comes out rattled and nervous. “Never talk about this again?”

He laughs too. “Sounds good.”

May catches Drew’s eyes drifting to her lips one last time before he steps further away from her. A vibrant firework explodes over Drew’s head and May giggles one last time.

It’s a fitting night, she thinks to herself. But, they’re never going to talk about this ever–EVER–again.

[casualarsonist]

Monster Hunter World review (PS4)

My first interaction with the Monster Hunter series was way back in 2000-and-something as I watched a mate of mine play Monster Hunter Tri briefly on his Nintendo Wii. I’m not going to lie - I wasn’t that impressed. Not that I watched for long enough to get more than the most brief impression about the game, as his girlfriend turned it off on him before he managed to save because there were ‘guests’, and the entire room uttered a collective gasp of disgust. In any case, while I didn’t feel motivated to buy, I was intrigued by the series’ rather unique premise, and was always tangentially aware of its existence and the zeitgeist surrounding it. So along came Monster Hunter World this year, and along with it came lashings of praise from every angle. Having no experience with the series, I had no context for the compliments it was getting, but I knew more or less immediately that at some point I was going to play this entry, and given the post-release hype, I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to enjoy it. And then I bought it on PS4...

The first thing that struck me as odd when I started the game was the ad for PSN membership that popped up when it tried to log me in online. After having subscribed for a month in order to play Titanfall 2, and then being robbed by sneaky recurring payments that I wasn’t being notified about for another 6 months after that, I refused to buy a PSN subscription ever again. So loading up a brand new game, and having it immediately stop itself to advertise Playstation subscriptions to me felt grotesque. Next came the first cutscene, which I enjoyed right up until the characters started talking and I realised that the lipsyncing hadn’t been localised, meaning that the game looked like a poorly-dubbed Japanese film. Then came the loading screens, and as I sat in front of my console for two minutes and thirty seconds waiting for the first level to load, the incredulity in me rose. And then I entered the opening hub level. And the game ran somewhere around 25 frames per second. And at that point I tried to get a refund, but it turns out that you can’t refund PS4 games after you’ve downloaded them, meaning they could be broken as shit and you’re stuck with the product anyway because fuck you. And I genuinely thought Monster Hunter World on the PS4 was broken, because it ran almost as bad as Mass Effect Andromeda - one of the worst game I’ve ever played. So, barely 10 minutes into my first time playing, I turned off the console in disgust and walked away. So after I researched Sony’s refund policy and discovered that it was utter dogshit, I realised that I was stuck with the game and I sat back down and gave it another go. And...well, it’s okay. Just okay. 

I fully accept that this is my first foray into an established series with established mechanics. I hate it when games I enjoy dumb themselves down for a mainstream audience (*cough* Fallout *cough*), so I don’t criticise the game for taking some time to get used to. However, there are some real quality of life issues here that simply shouldn’t exist in this day and age.

First of all - it looks like shit. Not it terms of its design, but in terms of the quality of the visuals. Poor frame-rate aside, the graphics are heavily washed-out, which is a big disappointment given the lush forests and crystal clear waters of the first area. I don’t know whether the colour palette could be balanced better on PC, but there’s a flatness to everything on the PS4 that leaves the beautiful, evocative locales feeling drab and lifeless. This is purely a stylistic choice, and I cannot understand why they would go the trouble of crafting such a vivid landscape, only to broadcast it through what feels like a white filter. Turning the brightness all the way down helps, but there’s no reason why this should be a problem in the first place.

Secondly, Dark Souls and Bloodborn exist, and a number of copycat games like Nioh have proven that there’s no excuse for a game to be clunky in order to be difficult. Difficulty should exist in the gameplay balance, not in dated control systems, and this is a big stumbling block for Monster Hunter World. The larger monsters all have certain weak points that can be broken or severed in order to weaken them. The problem is that attacking these weakpoints is easier said than done when the lock-on system barely works, and the directional controls feel like the nine-point directional system of a PS1 game. Attacks cannot be stopped once they’ve started, meaning that you need to master your timing in order to be an effective combatant, but they also cannot be rotated once you’ve initiated them in a particular direction, so if pointing your character in the right direction is a chore, your attacks will often fall slightly to the left or right of where you intend for them to go. Coupled with the fact that the creatures move at speed, this means that finesse goes out the window and much of your initial combat experiences will involve getting as close to the target as possible simply so you can’t miss. Now don’t get me wrong - there is a sense of skill-building and personal improvement once you start to get used to this system, but it does feel extremely dated in a way that doesn’t inspire nostalgia. If a retro first-person-shooter had no mouse look, you’d be up in arms. So too does this feel like less of a design choice and more of a glaring failure to adapt to modern conveniences.

The last big issue is that the game isn’t marketed as a multiplayer game, instead being sold as a single player drop-in-drop-out experience. Which is true, to a point, yet every time you load it up it freezes to connect to the Playstation Network, and then advertises a PSN membership to you if you don’t already have one. Once you’re playing, the game will constantly remind you that other people are playing online, even going so far as to tell you who is joining your ‘session’ - a session that you aren’t in if you don’t have a PSN subscription. And to top it all off, you can’t simply select a mission and then expect it to start straight away: instead you have to wait while the game ‘prepares’ the mission as if you were in multiplayer lobby, even if you’re playing offline. This can take up to a minute or more, and makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. So even if the game detects that you have no PSN account it will still connect to the internet, then force you into either hosting or loading an online game, then tell you all of the people who are joining a session that you’re not playing in, and then put you in a mission lobby when you’re not waiting for anyone to join. It’s the cherry atop a cake baked ten years ago and marketed as a 2018 release. It's absurd. It’s as if the game was created by people who couldn’t fathom a world in which players wouldn’t play alone, and yet the game is, largely, played and sold as a single-player experience - just like all its predecessors. The greatest effect of having other people join in is that your experience bonus is split between you all instead of going solely to you, and that’s not a bonus, but a deficit. 

These issues make me wonder how the game has come to be critically acclaimed at all, at least in terms of this particular version. I hear the PS4 Pro version can run at 1080p60, and I assume the PC version can as well, although I’ve heard there are some connectivity issues with the PC servers, but my immediate impressions of the standard PS4 version are near appalling. Spiderman runs flawlessly as you swing across the entire city of New York - I didn’t see a single frame drop in my entire playthrough, and yet the detailed but limited-scope environs of Monster Hunter World bring the console to its knees. This, more than anything, speaks to the decline of the console’s relevance as modern graphics capabilities increase. One of the important selling points of the consoles was the fact that you could count on them to run stably, even if their games were technologically inferior to their PC counterparts. If they look worse AND play worse, then what’s the point of owning a console at all? If you have to upgrade to a mid-generation PS Pro now every few years just to be able to ensure your games are going to work, then why not just buy a new graphics card for your PC for the same price, not have to subscribe to the fucking scam that is the Playstation Network, AND have a better quality experience while you do it? Aside from the exclusives, the Playstation 4 is redundant, in my opinion. I can’t think of a single reason to invest in the next console generation, because you know that whatever machine you buy is just going to be obsolete in a few years’ time anyway. 

I’m sure that, all the gameplay quibbles aside, Monster Hunter World is perfectly fine to play on a more powerful machine, but I still cannot see why it has garnered such praise. It’s still a niche game, and it’s okay for what it is, but it’s not at all the force to be reckoned with the reviews make it sound like. It’s stuck in the past mechanically, and has the bare minimum of localisation, and while it is fun after you pass a certain teething point, I find that the ultimate experience is defined not what it is, but what it is not. My rating here is for the PS4 version, so take that as you will, but as it is, the PS Store really needs a proper refund policy.

6/10