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bxckybarness · 4 years ago

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What I Missed - Loki Laufeyson

summary: while in custody at the TVA, loki realizes what he misses from the future, only to be surprised by what he gets in the present

word count: 2100+

warnings: a little angsty, a little emotional, mention of loki’s death, episode 1 spoilers

Today was certainly not Loki’s day.

Over the course of a few hours (or more, or less, this is the TVA, afterall) he had been in the custody of the Avengers, had happened upon the Tesseract and escaped from New York. It seemed too good to be true, and it was. Just when he thought he had truly outsmarted the Earthly heroes again, he was imprisoned and taken again.

Now here he was, under the supervision of the Time Variance Authority and one, Mobius, a bizarre administrator in charge of tracking down the most dangerous of variants. It all seemed like madness to Loki. He was used to silly games and grandiose tricks but this story of timelines and space lizards seemed beyond even his own trickery. It seemed downright absurd. And annoying.

He had been subject to what he would call an interrogation. Mobius, however, called it a simple conversation. A slideshow of his life, his “greatest hits” as Mobius had called it and a relentless fire of questions, the memory of which continued to burn in his memory:

Should you return, what are you going to do?

King of Midgard? Then what, happily ever after?

King of Space?

Why does someone with so much capability just want to rule?

Do you enjoy hurting people?

That one had burned most of all. Did he enjoy hurting people? Hardly. And it was upsetting to him that anyone would think that. But he also understood what he appeared to be to every other living creature. He had just relived the moment in which he killed that daft agent and his mother. His mother. He refused to believe he was at fault for that. Frigga was the only person who truly saw him and whom Loki cared for deeply. But it seemed so clear in the moving picture, he had led them right to her.

It was in that moment, with tears and rage in his eyes, he knew he needed to get out of the disastrous time circus. He no longer cared to be a monkey in this ring. If he could find the tesseract, he could escape and be free once again.

That plan had gone almost perfectly. The only thing that went wrong - there is no magic in the TVA. No matter how many times he held the tesseract in his hands, wishing it to take him back to Midgard or Asgard, he was met with nothing but the bland walls in this TVA Time Theater. There was no hope in escaping.

Feeling exhausted, Loki slowly moves toward the table in the center of the room. He sits down and admires the machine in front of him. As grim as the stories it held could be, it was still quite fascinating that it could replay the highlights from his life - in a weird way, at least. He reaches out and turns the knob, searching for the moment his mother dies. He finds it and watches in silence for a while, tears beginning to fall down his face.

He turns the knob again.

He sees a future version of himself sitting next to his father and Thor. He watches as his father declares his love for his sons. Sons, plural. Both Thor and him. A small smile graces Loki’s face before Odin disappears, leaving the two men behind. Loki holds back a sob as tears continue to flood from his eyes. His father did love him, did see purpose for him. He wasn’t just the mischievous son. He’s sad that it took this long to understand that, and sad that he never got to experience this himself, even if a future version of him did.

Another turn of the knob.

This scene immediately feels different. He sees a garden, full of life, beautiful flowers blooming in every direction. He sees himself, sitting under a tree smiling next to a young woman. As the scene progresses he realizes this version of him is smiling at you. He lets out a small gasp when he watches the pair share a kiss and wipes the quickly falling tears from his cheeks. He had always loved you, but had never gotten the chance to tell you. The two of you had met through Thor, when he brought both you and Jane to Asgard. He had taken to you quickly, enjoying your similar sarcasm and humor - something that was scarce within his home realm. You, like his mother, had always seen the good in him and had understood his struggle. It was something he would never understand, you being of Midgard. You knew what he had done and had been there to see the destruction, but still saw him not as the God of Mischief or Earth Enemy #1, only Loki. He aches for the fact that he never got to feel the happiness his future self did, especially when it was happiness with you.

Turn the knob.

Loki and Thor stand in a room together. Loki lets out a small laugh in the midst of his tears, wondering how his oaf of a brother managed to lose an eye. Maybe a dumb bet between the two of them, maybe there was a battle amongst the nine realms. He’s quickly pulled from his thoughts as he hears Thor speak.

“Maybe you’re not so bad after all, brother.”

“Maybe not,” the future Loki responds.

“Thank you,” Thor replies, “If you were here, I might even give you a hug.”

“I’m here.”

Loki smiles and nods to himself. From where he’s sitting now, it’s a wonder that he and his brother ever made up. He realizes now that the fighting and the sibling rivalry may have all been in his head. He, again, curses himself for leaving New York and allowing himself to miss these moments that he’s been waiting his whole life for.

Fast-forward.

He and you lay in a room, seemingly on the same ship as the previous scene. You lay snug against his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around you. You hum softly before speaking up.

“I love you, you know.”

By the look on both of your faces, it’s the first time this has been said out loud. There’s nervous tension in the room, Loki can feel it through this screen. He somehow knows the words his future self is going to say before he hears them.

“I love you too, darling. You bring out the best in me.”

You snuggle closer to him, if that’s even possible, and there’s a comfortable silence for a few seconds. Loki takes a moment to admire this picture. It was something he had wanted since he had first met you on Asgard. You had stuck out like a sore thumb, dressed in your casual Midgardian clothes. He couldn’t have missed you even if he tried, nobody could have. And boy was he glad about that now.

“Promise me something,” he watches himself say.

��Anything,” you whisper. “Anything for you, Loki.”

“Promise me, no matter what, you’ll always help me see the good in myself. I’ve too long suffered at the hands of those who desperately wish for me to see the bad.”

You let out a laugh and the Loki stuck in time laughs with you, “Oh, Loki. I wish you could see yourself as I see you. But I promise.”

“Thank you, my love.”

“You, Loki, may be a God, but you will always just be the man I fell in love with. The good, kind, and honorable man I call mine.”

Turn, again.

Loki sees himself kneeling and before he can question why, he watches as his future self moves to attack someone in front of him. When Loki realizes it's Thanos, he’s quickly on his feet, moving closer to the screen. The tears are gone now, and a silent rage burns behind his eyes. There was nothing from Loki but hate for the purple titan. He watches in horror as Thanos picks Loki up from the floor, a death grip on his neck. Loki wonders to himself how he would get himself out of this scenario had he been there. He assumes an illusion would do the trick. However, he notices your distraught figure behind the mad titan. He can hear your screams as you kneel next to Thor, who is imprisoned in cuffs. He hears you call out to him and he knows this will not end well. His suspicions are right when he watches his death. A shocked gasp comes from his throat as the tape in front of him runs out, nothing left to show.

Loki quickly sits back down and closes his eyes, trying his hardest to process the vision he saw. To one version of him, these would have been experiences and now memories. To him, though, these were all subtle tastes of a life he lost. He lost a touching moment with his father and a long awaited declaration of love from him. He lost the reconciliation with his brother and the confession that they had been more partners than rivals. Even though to him it had not yet happened, he missed it all, and it upset him deeply.

What hurt Loki the most was the idea that he lost his chance to feel his love reciprocated. Loki had never had much luck with romance. He was often seen as the sly younger brother and was usually too occupied to try and compete with Thor for the maidens at court. When he met you, he thought he had a chance. You were the first woman who saw him as his own person and not just as Thor’s brother. The relationship between the two of you had blossomed quickly and he found himself always sneaking away from his princely duties to see you. He had shown you his favorite places in Asgard and had opened up to you in ways he had never done before. He loved you and wanted you to be his. His one regret was not initiating a relationship before you had left for Midgard. And he thought his chances had been ruined by his actions in New York. Oh, how wrong he was.

Before Loki can dwell on his future more, Mobius comes bursting into the room.

“Ah Loki, glad you made your way back here. I have something for you,” he says.

“If this is another one of your tricks, I’m not currently in the mood,” Loki responds coolly.

“Just trust me on this one.”

Mobius shouts over his shoulder for someone to “bring her in.” Loki eyes the guards who walk in suspiciously until he notices who they bring with them. He can hardly believe his eyes. The gods in all the realms must be smiling down on him today, after all, because there you stand. He takes in your hideous red and white space suit, emblazoned with the Avengers logo, and he’s at least thankful he missed whatever battle this suit was required for.

He quickly stands and rushes over to you, a smile quickly gracing his face. You meet his gaze with a smile that is just as big and tears begin to flow from your eyes.

“Loki,’ you start. “Is that really you?”

He nods and speaks, although his words are barely audible, “It’s me, my love.”

“God, I thought I lost you forever. That’s why I went back in time to find you.”

Loki nods, now, unable to believe what he’s hearing, “You went back to find me?”

“Yes, but look what good that did me,” you say with a smirk. Loki’s heart pulls and he feels he could fall over right there. Norns, he missed you and your witty humor.

“Well,” he says, reciprocating your sly attitude, “You found me did you not? I might not be the same Loki as you knew, but I am still Loki.”

“The good, kind, and honorable Loki that I call mine.”

Loki smiles and you move forward to give him a hug. You’re cautious, though, because you aren’t exactly sure what part of the timeline this Loki came from. Maybe you had already been dating, maybe not. That was something to figure out another time though.

“Alright then,” Mobius says from behind you, “Let’s get you two caught up on what you missed with each other.”

Today was certainly not Loki’s day. And he had cursed all that was good that he had ended up at the TVA, taken from the life he knew. But now? He didn’t mind. He knew the relationships that were broken with his brother and father had been mended, he knew that one version of him had sacrificed himself for good and he had you, not only in memory but in the flesh. And sure, you had lots to rediscover within your relationship, but you would do that together.

#loki imagine #loki oneshot #loki x reader #loki laufeyson imagine #loki laufeyson oneshot #loki laufeyson x reader #loki series #marvel imagine #marvel oneshot #marvel x reader #loki x you #loki laufeyson x you #loki x y/n

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skellebonez · 4 years ago

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if you still wants prompts, how about 9 with red son after being taken in by tang and pigsy, seeing how they, mk, mei, and sandy all act around each other and being completely bewildered and out of his element around an actually affectionate family dynamic?

I had an idea a while ago about what might have happened if WBS had left one of those wisps that possessed the Bull Clones in DBK after episode 10, something she could use to try to manipulate him much more subtly and from a distance behind the scenes, so I'm gonna play around with a smidgen that here (so this ended up a little long... ok a lot long... SUPER LONG, 2K words). This is set between episode 10 and the Lunar New Year special, a little canon divergence.

How long have you been standing there?

The last few weeks hadn't been easy on anyone, but it hit Red Son harder than anyone else. Everyone had been hurt, physically at least, but Red’s hurt was on a deeper level... he'd thought everything was at least back to the status quo after Xiaotian had fought his possessed father.

He had no idea that the fight would be the catalyst for being forced into leaving his parents.

Oh, he had tried to stay. For a while everything had actually been pretty ok, his father was less cold and one minded on gaining power, but it quickly became apparent that something had gone wrong. He tried to talk reason into his father when he began to lash out at him, a little more every day, but after what had happened last time he couldn’t argue without his chest feeling tight and the words sputtering as they escaped his lips. His mother had tried as well, and she had managed to get through to him for a moment before that familiar blue light shone in his eyes and they realized exactly what had happened.

It was at her urging that he leave after that. For his own protection, she said, and Red didn’t know why that brought up so many conflicting emotions. DBK has fixated on him at the White Bone Spirit’s insistent manipulation, once again latching onto the notion of him being a traitor (and that hurt even more the second time around somehow) and she feared she would not be strong enough on her own to keep DBK from nearly succeeding in what he had failed to do last time. They had agreed on a plan, one that would have PIF playing along and pretending to banish her son so she could try to keep DBK under her watchful gaze while Red Son was at the very least out of harm’s reach.

It hadn’t taken him long to realize that he wasn’t safe anywhere alone. His mother had kept in contact with him at first, back when he tried to stay in his old apartment. DBK had made short work of that plan and Red realized quickly that if his father considered him a traitor and his mother wanted his safety before anything else he would need to swallow his pride and do the one thing he hadn’t planned on trying.

He went to Pigsy’s Noodles and asked for shelter... After he was body slammed by Noodle Boy and his two companions there, naturally. He supposed now that the reaction was relatively warranted.

The first thing they asked him was “How long have you been standing there?” since he was completely soaked in the rain that was pouring outside.

It was the scholar, Tang, who had listened to him most out of anyone. He seemed to be well versed in the stories of the White Bone Spirit and knowing the fight Xiaotian had put up against his father (and seeing the news stories of DBK smashing a random apartment) he was more than willing to give him a chance. Xiaotian had seemed willing to help after a time and once his stomach started growling and he admitted he had not eaten a full meal in over a day (and had been eating the worst meals he had in a while due to always being on edge) while hiding Pigsy had scowled and told him to sit down and wait. It was an awkward silence that fell over everyone.

The bowl of soup the pig demon placed in front of him was the best looking and smelling thing he had seen in days and he could barely hold himself back from scarfing it down. It was delicious, not that he was ready to admit so out loud. “Perfectly adequate” was what he had said when asked, around a full mouthful of noodles no less. He doubted it fooled anyone.

Though he hadn’t known what to expect when he asked for help, where they would send him or if they would even say yes. He thought maybe he would be sent to stay with Sun Wukong, though that would have been the worst possible outcome given their less than stellar history, or been told to stay with Xiaotian in his cramped tiny apartment. What he hadn’t expected was Pigsy to lead him out by the shoulder with a firm grip toward his and Tang’s apartment.

They’d given him their spare room and an old mattress and a set of rules. No going off on his own for his own safety (though he had a sneaking suspicion they also didn’t fully trust him which was honestly fair). He would work with Xiaotian on his deliveries or in the Noodle Shop (the idea of driving with Noodle Boy all day made him shudder and he hoped he would be set to work in the kitchen instead most days, but he bit his tongue). He could leave only if he stayed with Xiaojiao or Sandy. No catching things on fire (again, fair). Try not to fight with Xiaotian and Xiaojiao too much.

They tried to work out some kind of payment but he knew his father had no idea how bank accounts worked so he assured them he would at least be financially stable.

And things just... fell together somehow.

In time he started calling Xiaotian and Xiaojiao by their names rather than the nicknames he has given them. He found he actually quite liked Xiaotian’s music and driving delivery routes was not as bad as he feared. Xiaojiao had shown him the wonders of street racing (in disguise and the less Pigsy and Tang knew the better) and they bonded over mechanics. He had met Sandy and his many cats and learned that he was both a cat magnet and, according to Sandy, needed anger management (and also bonded with him over mechanics). He’d seen Sun Wukong only once, very briefly and neither saying a word in awkward silence. But somehow he could tell the monkey looked sad as he flew off back to Mount Huaguo.

Soon enough Pigsy had allowed him to help making soup and as it turned out while his own preferences for spicy food weren’t exactly popular with most normal clientele it drew an entire new group of food challengers. Pigsy seemed more than appreciative of this.

Tang, meanwhile, was overjoyed to have someone to talk to about all his stories and scholarly pursuits that wasn’t just Xiaotian and an annoyed (if, Red eventually realized, affectionately so) Pigsy. It was honestly quite fun to discuss topics he knew about and learn things even he had not known, learn how humans had passed down stories of demons he knew long ago, and just enjoy mildly antagonizing Pigsy in good fun.

This was all stuff he almost could have anticipated given what he knew about them all already. What he hadn’t anticipated was how... affectionate they all were.

Oh, some things he expected. Pigsy and Tang constantly being together? That wasn’t much unlike his parents. Xiaojiao grabbing him in hugs and pulling him around? He had seen how she was with others, that seemed in her character. Xiaotian bumping shoulders with him all the time? Much the same. Granted, he flinched every time this happened out of reflex.

But his confusion had started when Pigsy had ruffled Xiaotian’s hair on the first day Red Son worked in the noodle shop. The action baffled him, especially when the other young man swatted away the chef’s hands in annoyance, but there was a smile on his face and a laugh in his voice that belayed that he hadn’t hated the action.

He saw how much Xiaotian and Xiaojiao hugged, threw their arms over their shoulders, playfully punched each other. How Tang would also ruffle their hair and how Pigsy would move Xiaotian with a firm hand to where he needed him to be walking to. How Sandy would just gather everyone up in massive group hugs out of the blue.

He saw how Pigsy sometimes, when no one else watched, gave Tang the free helping of noodles he hassled him for with a smile. How he frowned after Xiaotian as he walked up to his apartment on shaky legs that were tired from a day of work and fighting demons. How Tang and Pigsy would sometimes reach over the counter and hold hands for a second before going back to what they were doing. How one time he had seen Xiaotian and Xiaojiao sitting back to back on his bed when he was sent up to get them and just... enjoy each other’s company.

He heard the nicknames and saw the casual brushes of hands and bumps of shoulders and smiles and gazes and it...

It made him realize how alone he had been with his mother, before his father had returned. How he almost always had Bull Clones for companions as he worked on his machines, how she rarely gave him casual touches of affection. Even after his father had returned she had been somewhat cold to him. His father was far more concerned with opening the box that started all of this, though he did not know how much blame to place on his father’s neglect itself or the influence he was under.

He loved his parents and he was certain they loved him. He had to be certain of that. But he could no longer deny they were not... affectionate.

So when one day Tang had reached out to grab his shoulder he had panicked.

Luckily he hadn’t burned the man, he had jumped back when he felt his hair flaming up, and he apologized profusely (when had he started being apologetic for his actions? maybe he was just afraid they would second guess giving him a chance and kick him out) for almost harming him.

It surprised him even more when Tang apologized and asked if he was the one ok, saying he didn’t mean to startle him and he should have asked before touching him. He honestly didn’t know what to say, staring at the man before Pigsy had managed to get his attention. Again, he apologized, saying he just didn’t expect it and that it was alright. He didn’t care as long as he wasn’t surprised again.

Something changed after that. Every morning when he woke up Tang and Pigsy made it a point to just nudge him in some way after getting his attention. A grip on his shoulder, warm and firm. A nudge on his arm. At first he tensed or flinched just like when Xiaotian or Xiaojiao touched him, but after a while he just... got used to it. Soon their gentle affection didn’t elicit any reaction and after that he realized he was starved for this kind of attention. He wanted more, not much, maybe he could stand his hair being ruffled a bit now.

And so he started to return it. He grabbed Xiaotian’s arm one day to get his attention and the look of surprise and joy on his face told Red that Pigsy and Tang must have told him something. He started sitting closer to him in the tuk-tuk, no longer pushing away when a bump made their shoulders brush together. He sat closer to Xiaojiao when they played video games or worked on blueprints for their rides. He allowed Sandy’s cats to have free reign of him (within reason) and accepted the hugs and nudges the large man had clearly been holding back from him (he was never able to initiate contact first, the other man was too touchy for him to beat him to it).

He started tapping Pigsy on the shoulder at work for his attention. He didn’t sit two seats away from Tang anymore, instead sitting right beside him.

And a few weeks later when Tang reached up to ruffle his hair the same way he did with Xiaotian he paused, looking at Red Son for permission. He nodded his head yes.

He knew why his old rival seemed to like them so much now.

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olivieblake · 4 years ago

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KSIGJICNRJCNEHCBD HELLO HELLO WELCOME TO THE HELL THAT IS KNOWING ZUTARA IS EVERYTHING AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN WRITTEN AS SUCH !!!! wow i love that you are as angry as i was (and am every rewatch? yikes) this is amazing i knew you're my favorite but yeah wow man this really. confirms it whew high five

yeah it’s pretty wild how I knew this was what happened and was already bracing for it and yet STILL got completely misled by the narrative??? MEN I tell you MEN. I’m also going to use this ask as a method to reply to some of the other commentary if you don’t mind since this seems like a good place for communal frustration (here is my original post for anyone scrolling around lost)

@meg-hemmings: I agree with all of ur thoughts and I would TOTALLY read anything you wrote for Zutara … your writing is among my absolute favorite ever and I think you would write the Zutara dynamic so beautifully!

@one-man-propaganda-machine: I am - begging - you to write it yourself.

I... am not going to make promises, but I may have to. I want something very specific and that never bodes well for me. I doubt it would be more than a one-shot, but there are multiple scenes that could have occurred between episodes that would flesh out what was there (and of course I’d cut the final 15 seconds of the show, much like another epilogue I loathe and ignore)

@deifiliaa: omg atla discourse in 2021; olivie, i’d love to see what your character tier list looks like now that you’ve finished the series 👀

I’m going to put azula at the top. not because she’s a good person obviously but she’s FULL. OF. HITS. every time she’s on the screen the narrative gets immediately more interesting. she’s savvy and self-assured and I love it. her ending depressed me although I like that it was kind of about the loss of her two best friends? if that had been more of a focus I think I would have enjoyed it more but yeah, losing mai and ty lee could have been rightfully devastating. who among us is not totally obliterated by friend breakups. I also really loved uncle iroh; if anything that’s why I wasn’t invested in zuko’s storyline until close to the end, because watching him disappoint his uncle was very difficult (I get it, he’s a teenager, he’s growing and evolving and whatnot, but also I am closer to being his uncle than to being him so like, yeah). I also hope the peter pan revenge guy (JET that’s his name, sorry pregnancy kills my brain cells) did hook up with both katara and zuko. I love that journey for all three of them. I wanted more time with mai than we got, so there wasn’t quite enough there to love... but I was very down with ty lee interfering on her behalf. what a pivotal moment

of the core characters I think I was quickest to love sokka; the episode where he apologizes to suki and asks her to train him cemented it for me. I think it’s a big deal to show boys apologizing on-screen and owning their misconceptions. I like katara a lot—she’s what a lot of people do with fanon hermione. toph is also great, and part of me feels there is a strong basis for a ship with aang that balances their opposing energy, though I also like the idea of them being platonic besties. aang is... twelve. pretty much every time he was on the screen mr blake (a teacher) was like “man, aang is such a seventh grader,” so it was nice how convincing that was for his emotional journey, but at the same time it was hard to forget he was in seventh grade. appa and momo are STARS. I am sure I have mentioned this before but mr blake really loves animals and he was devastated by appa’s kidnapping; he hugged our dog for about ten minutes after aang found appa. after he decided I was zuko, he speculated that he is closest to aang but he’s not happy about it lol. “ugh, aang and I are such boring pacifists” was I believe his take on the subject

@libbynico, who for some reason I can’t tag: so true! katara was literally something like a mother/older sister figure to aang the entire time, but whatever

yeah, I think it really sucks that katara, as the emotionally nurturing character, felt shoved into the role of love interest. it’s everything wrong with the distribution of emotional labor in male-female relationships but sure, WHATEVER, apparently nobody thought to ask me in 2008

@touslesnoms: I liked “such selfish prayers” by andromeda3116 if you ever decide to read zutara after the series; the worst prisoner by emletish is super funny too

thanks for the recs! I will take them. I do want something very specific so I will be accepting recs until I find it lol. or until I lose composure and write it (yeah this is me WITH my composure, no wonder mr blake thinks I’m zuko, “I’m never happy” indeed)

@gaeleria: THANK YOU!!! Ugh omg that “I’m confused” kiss scene made me actively hate the ending. I knew ahead of time they were endgame, so I tried to make myself accept it early on. Like, I really didn’t like the pairing, but I wasn’t going to be emotionally invested in the romance and it was just going to be like, whatevs. AND THEN THEY WROTE THAT SCENE??! 1000% no. What was even the point of that scene? If they had written it to make Aang have some introspection and realize it’s not all about him, Katara’s feelings matter too, or even apologize, or anything… but no, there was literally no point to that scene. No character growth, it was never mentioned again. Ugh.

this is in answer to both you and beloved @zabbini: yeah this was a fuck-up for sure lol. I think it may come down to editing for time; the series is very irregularly paced, what with the majority of the action taking place in the final three episodes of a 16 episode season. or maybe it’s just because MEN CAN’T BE TRUSTED TO WRITE ROMANCE but either way yeah this was a real misstep and just truly, truly reeked of a particular (white) male attitude about how women think and what they owe. had a bad day, dudes? buy a gun, kiss your forever girl, do whatever you want and it’s fine! (I’m exaggerating but barely)

in terms of what’s so angering for me: a character like katara who previously had tons of agency was robbed of it when it came to her romantic arc, which is just really upsetting. and to be fair, I was equally upset when zuko instantly agreed to the agni kai with azula because it was like okay well katara’s extremely valuable, as you know, but now you want her to just sit on the sidelines...? (more of a story flaw than a relationship flaw, but my chest sunk a little at the idea that katara was going to sit by and watch as an accessory to zuko’s story when she’s a crucial weapon in their collective fight. what a waste, right?)

it’s also especially hard to buy into the aang thing when zuko’s method of problem-solving on katara’s behalf is there for comparison. he asks her what she needs in order to find closure and then from there, does everything necessary to get it without having to be asked twice. versus aang, who is a twelve-year-old pair of rogue lips who never wins any of his fights without the aid of phenomenal cosmic powers...? ugh I’m getting off track but in the end there’s just a complete lack of understanding what female audiences want, though again, I don’t think they were really considering that at all. which I guess is... fair, it’s not the point of the show, but then why make the ending romantic at all? to show that their brand of hero gets everything he wants, I guess

in conclusion in 2008 I’m not sure the industry was capable of doing better, which sucks but isn’t surprising. still, it does fit the components of “stuff I write fics for,” which is I enjoyed most of it but find myself enraged by slivers I compulsively need to fix—WHICH IS STILL NOT A PROMISE but ugh I can already feel myself giving in

#avatar the last airbender #zabbini

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popculturebuffet · 4 years ago

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Final Space Season 3 Reviews: The Ventrexian

Hello all you happy people and welcome back to my reviews of Final Space! This week was a damn good one but before I get into that I have a bit to get off my chest first. I’ve been struggling a bit covering the show. I’m not going to stop, I decided against that, but I felt opening up about it might help a bit.

I chalk it up to a number of things. The first is that the show went back to Season 1′s style of storytelling. To compare season 1 was basically one long, four hour film. There were plots within the episodes but it was one complete story. Season 2 was also one complete story, but had a more relaxed pace to it, with the episodes feeling more like indvidual bits of media and less part of one big operatic season long story. Neither approach is bad but so far the shows i’ve covered, both on a week to week basis and indvidually for varoius reasons, have taken the approach season 2 did, more episodic adventures with the plot still moving right along. And with Season 2 being you know, the second season, I didn’t expect the show to return to Season 1′s storytelling, if with some embeleshments from season 2 like the cold opens that really help it flow better, so I was caught off guard.

The second is that I hadn’t reviewed a “new” show week to week in some time and thus forgot their was an adjustment period, and combinging that with the fact Sunday used to be a catchup day or a break with reviews before Final Space started, I was caught off guard and thus struggled a bit. I seriously considered ending these reviews.. but eventually realized why I did, that I had more to say and I don’t HAVE to be as in depth with the recap portion of the review every single time. A review should be as long or short as it needs to be. Not TOO short mind, but I don’t have to provide a detailed synopsis when you can usually , by the time I get this show’s ones out anyway, see the episode yourself or go to the wiki.

TLDR: Reviewing this show has been a bit of a learning experince, and a re-learning experince but I realized I shoudln’t give up because it’s hard, and if I did that EVERY TIME that became a problem, I wouldn’t of lasted a full year of reviews. So join me under the cut as we dive deep into Avacato’s past, Gary and Quinn’s intamcy issues and cosmic god swordfights.

As it’s been our heroes are mostly seperated into their own plots, same lineups as last time, though this time Bollo and Gary’s plots come together at the very end. And I will say before I get into each one while this isn’t a bad storytelling engine, and Final Space has used it well in the past... I REALLY miss the interaction between the characters. It’s something the show got REALLY good at in season 2. The friction caused by Gary and Clarence jockying for control, Ash’s weird sorta relatoinship with LIttle Cato that I miss as I still lowkey ship those two, Fox and LIttle Cato slowly growing from enimies due to their respective race’s centuries long war to friends, Nightfall having to deal with the fact our Gary isn’t hers, HUE’s relationship with AVA, EVERYONE hating KVN.. there was just a LOT of good stuff int here that I miss. I get why it’s gone, the stakes are really high right now and we still have gotten some of it like the whole Feel Me sequence.. I just hope we get some more back as we go , especially since Ash and Fox, whose unique deisgns got me to catch up with the series for season 2 in the first place and whose personalites made them instantly adopted children of mine, have been pushed to the side during these first three episodes and hopefully we’ll get a bit more soon. It’s just something I hope we get back as we go, especially with two new members joining the Team Squad this week for the old guard to bounce off of. And tha’ts not even getting into the fact there’s a lot to unpack for Gary with his mom trying to be a good mom after decades of bullshit. But we’ll see, I can’t predict the future. I can break down this episode soooo.

Team Avacato: Butcher

This part was easily the highlight of the episode. To start us off the episode begins by flashing us back to when Invictus grabbed a seemingly dead Lord Commander last season. Turns out he wasn’t QUITE as dead as Nightfall thought. We also find out that LC.. has no idea who Invictus is. This tracks when I think about it: He had, and still has, a worshipful reverence for the titans, wanting to become one and gain the power of a god and clearly thought they were at the top of the food chain. If he knew someone else was behind it.. he would’ve brought them up sooner, especially since he has a love of giving manical speeches where he hot dogs and grandstands for a bit before choking someone to death. He was also suprised the titans just ignored him.

But now he knows.. but even when confronted with a horrifying demonic entity who just swiped him from near death, he’s still as egosticial and cold as ever. But invictus has a tempting offer: They can give Lord Commander what he wanted: they can MAKE HIM A TITAN. We don’t know if htis is true or not of course, but given the sheer scale of invictus power and the fact they’ve had an army of titans under their thrall for centuries, if anyone can do it they can.

All invictus wants in return.. is Mooncake. I do love Lord Commander’s “Oh for fuck’s sake’ reaction to finding out he has to seek him out again. His tone just screams...

Invictus needs our little buddy though: Turns out, ironically enough given Bolo’s situation until the end of last season, Invictus is imprisoned and needs Mooncake’s power to break the seal. And given the sheer power this thing has displayed WITHOUT being at full....

Yeah it’s not great. Invictus restores Lord Commander to normal.. and as seen last episode and confirmed here, his powers are no longer destroying his body to use, so the one thing keeping him from killing them all and ending the show in 5 minutes is now off the table.

So with our heroes all nights of wundagory, Lord Commander zeroes in on the Catos. Which makes a ton of sense: He dosen’t KNOW Ash, Fox or Sheryl. At all. Lord Commander isn’t just a bastard he’s a SADISTIC bastard. While he could work on the rest of them it’s just no fun for him as he can’t add a personal touch. You can see how much he enjoys this, he never avoids this, because buddy he’s a diffrent breed, this is his calling, and though i’ts applaing, he loves making people bleed... emotionally and physically.

So our own personal antichrist spends the episode forcing Avacato’s backstory out of him. Sure he could just tell it himself but as I said via refrence .. he ENJOYS this.

While we got part of Avacato’s backstory in season 1, he worked for lord comander, did the worst shit imaginable, knows he’ll never be able to ballance those books, and the one line he ended up drawing was his son, who LC decided to use as a barganing chip. that was towards the END of his life as Lord Commander’s right hand monster. This is his origin. After loosing his first son, Avacato, a loyal solider of the ventrixian army, kept fighting despite having nothing left to fight for. What happened to his first son and all that we don’t know yet.. but he was just left a souless killing machine fighting a war that had been going on so long his people forgot it, the same one brought up last season. Yeah Fox and LIttle Cato’s fued comes off a bit more horrifying in hindsight.

So one day he was outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered and outplanned... when Lord Commander showed up, murdered EVERYONE in the opossing armor and asked them all to kneel, with Avacato taking his time. Later that day Avacato apporached the Lord Commander... who saw right through him. He was a warrior, but the war he was fighting was hollow.. he was a butcher, a murderer with no real purpose or direction... and Lord Commander was all too happy to offer him one, bettering the universe and all that crap.. though how much he belivies it remains to be scene. I must say David Tennat is at his peak this episode, giving his best performance as the green asshole yet, full of gravitas and cruelty as you’d expect and showing WHY people followed him: He gave the purposeless purpose and easily could talk people into following him. Looking back Superior Stone probably GENUINELY belivied that he was doing something good. Lord Commander’s just that good at his job.

So he just had one favor to ask, kill the king and queen who Avacato had served loyally and he’ll give him something real to fight for. And he did so. Naturally LIttle Cato is horrified and Ash TRIES to help sooothe his concisne pointing out his mind was twisted up and all that.. but Avacato solemly notes “I’m the one who pulled the trigger”. Ash means well.. but Avacato knows the truth: what he did there was horrid: a horrible betryal of two people just to feel something. No matter how much good he’s done since or how much he’s changed... Avacato knows what he did was horrible and no matter how hard he tries that ledger can’t be ballanced. He does good.. but it’s because it’s the right thing, not because he ever belivies he can be forgiven or work past what he’s done. And the show dosen’t make the case that he should or answer the hard questions.. it just leaves it there and given Olan’s outright said this arc is going to span seasons, if hopefully we get more mind you, I feel it’s going to be a long road to exploring that.

And.. one other thing about the incident. As it turns out, and as Avacato left out of the story, and Lord Commander likely let him both because he’s out of intergation time and because he can use that later: Avacato was the son of the king and queen. Avacato murdered his parents, and then adopted him, even if Lord COmmander wasn’t happy about it. And now he’s stuck holding onto something THIS bad knowing it’ll destroy his son and their relationship when it comes out.. and that’s the problem. It’s not an if.. it’s a WHEN. Also everyone’s being dragged towards invictus. Uh-oh.

Team Gary and Bollo: YAY BISKITS BACK... I think Yay still deciding Meanwhile on the DragonHawk 5, i’m going with Gary’s Name because as much as Quinn’s growing on me the galaxy 2 is an objectiely lazy name, but Gary picks out a room for them.. only for Quinn to suggest seperate rooms and Gary to clearly and understandably be bothered by it. This is a mixed bag. On the one hand I feel for him as he spent months trying to save quinn, she’s only doing this because she’s hiding something horrible from him, as we find out the infection we saw in the first episode has spread through her body, and he just wants to be with her. But on the other hand.. they’ve dated what.. a month and a day? It’s a bit much. The only reason this works is that that part isn’t really dwelt o and the actings good.. it just takes me out of it at times when my brain reminds me of this, and it’s something the show REALLY needs to explore at some point instead of just treating Gary and Quinn as JUST some shakesperian romance across all time.. I mean it is, but it’s also an awkard but loveable dork and a stralighaced woman whose been through hell who both really need to know one another bette.r

So naturally this conflict dangles over them, but they have bigger issues: i.e. a new crew member! As mentioned Biskit is back, having snuck aboard and being entirely deranged. I don’t know what to make of him yet as while he was adorable last time this time his entire attuide is essentally

No really he asks why they aren’t banging and interupts gary ALMOST getting Quinn to open up. But unlike say Tribore, it’s clear BIskt isn’t all there, and clearly has no frame of refrence for how creepy he’s being, so i’m willing to see how it plays out.

So our heroes arrive at Bollo. Bollo spent the episode hunting down Orekis.. he’s sitll bitter about the whole stealing his girlfriend and giving her an std thing. Just a tad. So we get a truly EPIC battle including the two throwing each other THROUGH planets and one really cool bit where Bolo slides on the ring of a planet. So fucking awesome. Eventually he wins, though he now has an infection of some sort, that can’t be good, and Mooncake headblasts him.

Things aren’t great though as Gary isn’t happy when he finds out Bolo lied about his and quinn’s deaths to use Mooncake, with Bolo admitting he got clouded by revenge. But it’s clear theirs a divide in goals: Gary just wants to get the hell out and Bolo wants to stop invictus. And.. neither are wrong. Gary is understandable: He didn’t want any part of this shit to begin with, only going with the key quest to save Quinn. All going to final space has done and dealing with it in general has done has cost him people: Avacato (He got better but stillc ounts), Nightfall.. and his dad. It’s understandable that after ALL of this he just wants to find his surrogate family and LEAVE.

But Bolo.. is right. his methods aren’t great and he needs to be more honest with Gary... but Invictus isn’t going to go away magically if Gary ignores him. He’s not Tucker Carlson. He’s right to go after him and ther’es no easy answer here. As we’ve seen iwth Quinn staying in final space fucks you up.. but if Gary dosen’t all of space my die.. or worse. It’s a decision he’s going to have to face soon: his family.. or everything.

Final Thoughts: This episode is truly excellent. After a rough start to the season and a decent episode last time this episode is just out and out brilliant, filling in some more blanks with Avacato and progressing things at a nice clip. Really great stuff. Hopefully this pace continues. Until next week join my patreon, follow this space for more and see you at the next rainbow.

PS: I forgot to mention Cookie Robot.. as ther’es now a cookie robot.

#final space #the ventrexian #avacato #little cato #lord commander #ash grayven #gary goodspeed #quinn argon #biskt

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thedaveandkimmershow · 4 years ago

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We woke up this morning, for the second time this trip, in the back of a rented Nissan Armada SUV. It was a pretty good night’s sleep, too, because of the cushions and mattress topper Kimmer found a coupla nights ago at Home Depot and Walmart. :-)

For posterity, the winning prescription goes like this: on the bottom, yoga mats we picked up at the Medford GoodWill; on top of those, the two sets of seat cushion pairs from Home Depot; on top of those, the thick foam mattress topper from Walmart and then one of our sleeping bags inside up, then us, then a wool blanket, then our other sleeping bag inside down, and finally... our duvet cover from home. Icing on a pretty layered cake, as it were.

It was all super comfy.

And warm.

A good night sleep was definitely had by us both.

By morning, the clouds and wind that rolled in last night were finally gone... well, at least the clouds cleared away.

Eventually.

Which made for a sun that was definitely cookiin’... at the same time the continued breezes cooled it all down.

It was a heckuva balancing act of temperature control. :-)

So sun, wind, waves. Yeah.

We’re off to a lazy morning start.

By the way, I legitimately forgot what day it is today. Both the day and the date. That’s how far off our normal life schedule we’ve wandered.

Now earlier we talked a little about the solar panel set-up Kimmer’s cousin employs. He actually uses two: a larger one powering his teardrop trailer and a smaller one that’s mobile.

So far, though, Kimmer’s used the power, WiFi, and plentiful outdoor tables ‘n benches under quite lovely palm trees at the local shopping center for her Zoom meetings. Today, though, she’s thinking about using the domed tent her cousin set up along the west end of camp.

So I set up table, chair, and equipment in there... she takes a seat to make sure she’ll be comfortable in there (which she is)... and thus the plan’s set.

Except.

A coupla minutes before her first meeting she discovers to her horror that her laptop’s nearly out of juice. Jumping to her rescue, her cousin does this:

He grabs his smaller, mobile solar panel set up, moves it to the west side of the tent, snakes a cord into the tent and into a power bank he places at the foot of her desk into which I plug her laptop.

This was Kimmer’s aha! moment, by the way. Proof of concept. The one in which she realizes how working on the road could work. Could actually work.

She’s also sold on the idea of buying a WiFi hot spot while we’re down here because she’s well aware of how completely dependent we are on everyone else’s WiFi: Fred Meyer, Lowe’s, Moro Campground. In fact, our first attempt to do what we usually do on these trips, Starbucks, was a complete failure this time because what we usually do is snag a table for an hour or two for WiFi and recharging. So taking care of some of the business that followed us on this road trip has been, to say the least, a brain teasing, logistical challenge.

So it’s settled. Tomorrow, we’ll be passing by the Spectrum Center in Irvine where there’s a T-Mobile store. T-Mobile’s our cellular service provider... so we figure that’s where we’ll start.

By the way, I called Oregon Light Truck & RV to see if it’d be okay for us to leave the Rialta with them one more day than planned... and here’s what the rep said:

“No problem. It’s only costing you $284 per day.”

That was a little joke, by the way. We’re totally good for another day. Plus, we ended the call wishing each other a Happy Easter.

Wow.

Tomorrow’s actually Easter.

Okay so the story so far’s that Kimmer’s completely set with her Zoom meetings in her cousin’s tent with her laptop powered by the California sun.

In the morning, I while away the hours writing about our adventures thus far. Man, those first few days were brutal.

After lunch, I head out into the Laguna/Newport wilds gathering the different supplies and groceries here ‘n there of which we’re in need. Trader Joe’s, less than a mile from camp, was first on my route, of course. Picked up some lunch here and I swear if boy scout camping was more convenient like this I woulda totally been more into it.

Later I was at a nearby Starbucks sitting outside in the shade, partaking of both an iced chai tea latte and a little bit of peace.

Remember that?

Peace?

Seriously. It’s the best.

I highly recommend it.

In my case, the critical ingredients were a disconnect from my usual daily routine... and the time to experience what’s actually there when I’m not being a perpetual motion machine.

After Kimmer’s last meeting of the day, we’re out for a walk again on the beach. These walks, by the way, are substituting for the ones we take along South Lake Union only way, way better.

I guess you’ll just have to trust me on that one.

Today’s walk was our longest walk while we were here, with the sun dropping ever lower and the tide creeping higher this time around.

We walked all the way to the other end below the Shake Shack high on the cliffs above. Also to the very end of those beach cottages that’re either being torn down or remodeled.

This end of the beach, especially, was hoppin’ with teens and families and couples and boogie boarders enjoying every last moment of the day.

On our return walk, I became fascinating by these four little birds with long necks and super narrow beaks. They seemed to be playing in the surf as well. Because as the surf receded, they chased after it. As it came back in again, they ran away from it. As in

Run away! Run away!

I’m guessing they were feeding on something right there at the leading edge of the moving surf. Tiny things that their beaks could snatch even with the surf racing away. But not when that surf was coming after them. In fact, whenever the surf raced too quickly for these birds, they’d take to the air... then set down immediately nearby.

Rinse.

Repeat.

Most of the time the four birds acted in sync. One time, though, three took to the air going left while the other broke right. Immediately realizing its predicament, the last one did a mid-air pivot... and throttled up until rejoining the rest.

And I suppose the reason I’m telling you about this tiny scene is that it really did feel like young friends hanging out. Doing stuff together. Joining and rejoining. All while being very young.

Back at camp, it was full blown night as we joined the camp fire with family, enjoying each other’s company in conversation, joking around, and laughing.

It was a reminder how there are different ways for Peace to manifest in our lives. And for Joy to enter in.

Sitting alone at Starbucks. Walking a sunset beach together. Experiencing it even around a campfire.

We ended our day, once again, in the back of our SUV rental, this time partaking of a streaming episode of “Hot In Cleveland” on ParamountPlus.

Because, you know...

Camping.

#California road trip #Rialta #SUV bedroom #Nissan Armada #solar panels #WiFi #power bank #Crystal Cove Shopping Center #Moro Campground #Pacific Coast Highway #beachwalking #sunset #Peace #Joy #laughter #friendship #family #camping

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natsubeatsrock · 5 years ago

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So, I watched The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and...

The Endless Eight arc is one of my favorite arcs in anime.

No, I'm serious.

It's legitimately one of my favorite arcs.

It's not a particularly fun arc to go through on the first watch. I wouldn't be shocked if you went through this arc and felt like something wasn't wrong. Many people have decided not to watch this season or even the series because of this arc.

But I think that this arc very accurately shows how frustrating being stuck in a time loop would be. It also shows a taste of how Yuki Nagato must have felt simply observing the whole thing going down. Not to mention, it's one of the reasons the Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is one of my favorite anime movies, ranking as the best among movies related to a television series.

Now that I've checked off MAL and r/anime's Endless Eight praise checklist in one paragraph, onto what I want to talk about.

I find the big criticism for this story arc to be hilarious and worth talking about more than any of the other things I've talked about. The big criticism with this arc is that it's basically the same episode done over eight times. Certain things are different, but it's essentially the same thing over again.

And you know, they're right.

But that's not as bad as they'd have you believe. After all, as King Solomon once said, there is nothing new under the sun. Essentially everything that has ever been done is a version of some other thing.

For example, Kyon from Haruhi has basically the same personality as Tomoya Okazaki at the start of Clannad, Hotaru Oreki for most of Hyouka and Hachiman Hikkigaya for a large portion of My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU. All four of these characters learn to see the world differently after joining a club which includes a female character they have to learn to like throughout their respective series.

Now, I know what some of you might be thinking: those guys aren't all the same. Sure they may seem similar, but they're not the same character.

And, you're right.

I would be seeling those characters and their series short by saying that because they share similarities. And I would be lying if I said that I like these characters exactly the same for the same reasons. I understand that might seem like a weird example, so let me give another.

As far as the European system goes, music is written using any combination of the same twelve notes spelled in any number of strange ways, and entire genres of music are built on repeating and reusing the same patterns over and over. If this sounds familiar, you may have heard of the infamous I-V-vi-IV (1-5-6-4) chord progression. To be fair, the reason this pattern exists is that each chord naturally leads to the next one. (A gross oversimplification, I know) However, you'll still find iterations of this in every key in music from Bach to Bieber and everywhere in between. And that's just one chord progression. There are plenty of other popular chord progressions, song structures, musical forms, lyrical topics, and instrumentation combinations that have been done time and time again. This has gotten to the point that one could almost be forgiven for thinking all music is the same.

Except it's not all just the same thing. Many are similar within a specific genre and many genres often feel like they're similar to each other. However, they're each doing something different enough to be called a new thing. As the famous musical theorist, Heinrich Schenker put it "Always the same, never the same way." A quote that means a lot more the more you know about his thoughts on music.

And the Endless Eight arc understands this amazingly well. Each episode shares a similar line of events. However, each episode handles these events differently. It would be one thing if each episode were only animated differently. The things that get fixated on are different each time. The musical score implies different tones in each episode. Some events get less time in some episodes than others. Certain small events don't even happen in some of the episodes like the trip to the movies, the trip to the store to get yukatas, the batting cage, the test of courage, or Kyon talking to Yuki after the SOS Brigade shares lunch the first day.

On my second time going through it, I decided to make note of my favorite versions of each moment in each episode. The idea that you only need to watch the first two episodes and the last to get the idea of the arc is fine if you want the gist of it. But doing that means you would miss the cold open in episode four where Kyon finished Haruhi's request and only realized afterward. You'd miss Kyon saying what Haruhi's introduction to the kids in episodes four and seven. You'd miss Kyon answering his phone as if he were an answering machine in episode five. You'd miss Kyon doing the math for how much time the loop lasted on a calculator in episode six.

Now, let me be fair. Does the fact that these episodes aren't exactly the same, but only slightly different mean that there is no reason to be frustrated by the fact that you've basically seen the same things happening already? No.

And that's totally fine.

While some people find the repetition of aspects a reason to be a fan of those aspects, the same repetition can cause others to be turned off to it. If you didn't like something once or twice, you're probably not going to enjoy seeing it again and again. There might be a version you'll like, but that will probably be an exception to the rule. Of course, this is part of the reason this arc is so hated. After one or two times through the time loop. Many feel like the point was gotten and this arc had overstayed its welcome.

But, in the defense of Endless Eight, the characters are also sick of this arc. Why else would you get cold opens where Kyon says something feels wrong, even before learning what was the issue? Why else would there be scenes where Kyon thinks it's strange that he remembers things that haven't happened yet for him? Why else would Kyon try to understand what Yuki's reasoning for letting the loop happen after learning about it? Why else would every episode after the first have an ending where Kyon clearly recognizes that he has to stop the loop predicated on a strong feeling similar to the ones before? What's more, whenever he fails, why would it matter to him to do his homework?

I think it's fair to say that one of the best moments in the arc for most people is in its final episode. You've seen this scene already seven times. Haruhi is heading out the door. After the first episode, Kyon is hit with a wave of anguish, similar to what he's felt throughout the past two weeks. And every time, he wants to stop her but can't think of the right thing to say or do to stop her. This last time, Kyon figures he ought to do something different than normal if he's going to stop the loop.

Now, I can imagine that the fact that the thing that was missing was a last-minute cram session could be annoying. I got to that moment the first time and felt as much. "Really? This is how the loop stops?"

However, this didn't come out of nowhere. The idea that homework was a looming certainly was brought up during every episode, unlike many smaller events. This was something you were supposed to have in the back of your head as the episode would play out. At the end of the first episode, it's a matter of how all the homework Kyon put off will get done. Starting from the second episode on, it becomes a matter of why Kyon doing homework matter at all. Either way, Kyon decides that he isn't able to completely address the issue in one night by himself.

The last episode deals with both issues with a single scene. He gets all the homework done by working with the rest of the SOS Brigade. And by hosting them, he stops them from looping any more times. He was right to assume that he couldn't handle all of the homework by himself. He was wrong to assume that he was the only one who would end up fixing the issue.

Of course, a great thing about this moment is that it also marks a great difference in the episodes in the arc. As previously mentioned, there were smaller changes to and differences in episodes which are all good and interesting. However, since the second episode revealed the time loop, there wasn't a major change to the formula of the episodes. By actually trying something different, Kyon effectively changes the pattern of the episodes in the arc.

This moment changed the way the rest of the arc is to be interpreted. A lot of people complaining about Endless Eight seem to talk about this arc as if it's just another supernatural set of events. A weird shift from what we'd expect to happen and not much else. While that isn't untrue, I don't think that's all that's happening or the correct way to view the arc.

With this change, the arc continues in the vein of mystery. If you've gotten to Endless Eight, you've definitely seen the Remote Island Syndrome episodes and Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya VI. Mystery isn't something that this show hasn't dealt with before. In fact, depending on how you see it, Disappearance was also one big mystery regarding the nature of the drastic world change.

In a mystery, there's one important rule regarding the solution to the problem. It should be something that makes sense within the world but wouldn't be easily guessed on by the audience. The breaking of the cycle fits that bill amazingly well. We know that Kyon has homework to finish, especially considering every episode ends with him unable or resigned not to complete it. Haruhi says each episode that she was quick to get through the work to enjoy the rest of break.

It took Kyon 15,532 times, but he sure cracked the mystery and gave us an amazing arc to boot.

To wrap this up, I took note of my favorite versions of scenes the last time I watched this show. Fun fact: another big thing that helped me get through this is my love for Season 2′s OP, sung by Aya Hirano, Haruhi’s Japanese voice actor who’d later go on to voice Lucy Heartfilia.

Intro: 4, 6 & 7 (especially 7)

"You're Late!": 2, 5 & 7

By The Pool: 2, 3, 7 & 8

Introduction: 4 & 7

List: 2,4 & 5

Yukatas: 1, 2, 6 & 7 (no yukata picking scene in 5)

Festival: 3 & 8

Fireworks: 1, 5 & 7

Homework?: 3

S.O.S.C.C.C. : 1 & 5

Part-Time Job: 3, 5 & 8

"Ah! Kyon!": 3, 4 & 5 (especially 5)

Explanation: 2, 3, 6 & 8

Stargazing: 2, 5 & 6

Batting Cage: 2 (no batting cage scene in 3 or 5)

Test of Courage

Other Stuff: 1 & 4-8 (obviously especially 8)

Homework...: 3, 5 & 8

#not fairy tail month: crisis on infinite fandoms #the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya #endless eight arc #kyon-kun denwa #you're phone is ringing kyon #this one's an easy one to start with #some will be similarly popular #others are not #one is definitely a wild card pick #you probably couldn't guess it #as for this post #i had it almost ready two years ago #now that it's done #i have a few more from that time #this show was awesome

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calliecat93 · 5 years ago

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Top 5 Things That I Liked About RvB: Singularity

(Top 5 Dislikes Post Link)

Being negative sucks. A lot. I always hate typing the Dislikes post. It helps me vent, but I just hate talking about the bad stuff. But there were things that I felt were worth talking about, so I did it. Good news though? It’s now out of the way! So now we can talk about the Top 5 Things I Liked About RvB Singularity! Hooray!

As I said, I don’t think that RvB17 is as good as 16 or even 15. But it’s still a good season. It had a lot of things that I enjoyed and still enjoyed during the rewatch. While it is important to note how a season failed, it’s just as important to note how it succeeded. You want to remember what went right so that you don’t lose sight of what made it enjoyable and continue to make it better. As such, this is what I liked about the season! And again, just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt.

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#5. Pacing Improvements

My biggest problem with both S15 and 16 where their pacing. S15 was a one-shot season, and as such was very rushed even with a 21 episode count. S16 started very quickly and kicked the plot off within two episodes… but doesn't really delve back into it until Episode 13, eleven episodes later. I still love both seasons for what they had and I do think that S16 had a good reason for being slower, but to say that it turned fans off is an understatement. It was a huge issue and clearly one that needed to be fixed.

S17 did much better in this regard. Despite me listing the episode count as the thing I disliked most, it DOES have the advantage of not having to add as much filler/padding and being able to focus on what needs it. The first half of the season was by far the best. It got into the plot quickly. But it never felt rushed or like it was over-compensating. The build-up from S16 did enough that there was no need to drag out anything. We could leap right in and get to the parts that we wanted to see. As such, I felt engaged with each episode and each episode always provided something new and exciting. Even with my feelings about the second half, I never got bored and the episodes still continued to provide something new and unexpected. It’s a sign of good writing which I thought that Jason did well with, especially considering he had to take over in the middle of a story when Joe walked. Miles was there too and we know that he’s good, but it was Jason mainly, and he did fantastic.

Ultimately, due to the pacing, the season accomplished what it set out to do. It was a fun, if mind-breaking, time travel story. It had Donut become a more three-dimensional character. It had Wash and Carolina reconcile and accept what had to be done. And all without feeling like it was taking too long or like it was cramming in too much… aside from Episodes 7 and 8. Which is why it’s at Number 5, the pacing DID go back to feeling rushed and crammed in the second half ala S15. Only this time, they crammed it into six episodes instead of 21. As such, while I was still entertained and the writing and emotions were still solid, the second half is weaker and much more frustrating as a result. Still, it was a marked improvement and I can’t say that I was ever bored or disengaged. So credit where credit is due!

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#4. The Labyrinth/character insights

I LOVE The Labyrinth! Ever since it was mentioned in S16, I was excited for it, and it did not disappoint! It is, essentially, an angst machine. When you are stuck in it, it tortures you with all of your fears, doubts, guilt. Worst, it adapts and learns, so even if you get past one scenario, it’ll just find something else. The way that it attacks can also differ. Sometimes it makes you face your past self. Sometime sit plays on your insecurities. Sometimes it gives you what you wish for, but with a dark twist. Whatever it can do to make you suffer to the point that you fall into the Black Hole, whether by choice or forced into it, it’ll do.

This concept is frekain’ fantastic. I love it! So why is it at Number 4? Well, first of all, we only get two episodes of it. Which don’t get me wrong, I loved what we got. Some were pretty straightforward and obvious, like Tucker and Wash’s scenarios. I didn’t agree with all of them, which is another reason why it’s Number 4. Grif’s, while I got over it, I think could have been much stronger, Tucker’s while not bad I think needed something more fitting, and Simmons… well, we all know how I feel about that one. Also not sure why Doc and Donut weren’t affected at all aside from timing dictating that they couldn’t go into it. Honestly, I think that The Labyrinth should have been the main setting and had everyone trapped in their worst scenario or memory instead of The Everwhen. But that’s just me. But yeah, I feel that it wasn't used to its full potential and not all of the scenarios were ideal, so it’s at Number Four.

That being said, I did enjoy what we got. My two favorites were Sarge’s and Carolina's. Sarge’s was still humorous, but also insightful. He hated the desk job one and wanted something more bloody and war-like. He got his wish, and immediately regretted it. He can't handle civilian life, but he can’t handle true brutal war either. I don’t get how they managed to do the ‘funny but insightful’ thing correctly with Sarge but dropped the ball so badly with Simmons, but whatever. It was really great. And Carolina’s… do I need to elaborate on it? We see her confronting the manifestation of her hate and guilt. It tries to break her down, but Carolina fights back. She has her friends. She found a new family, and she won’t let the ghosts of the past haunt her anymore. It was fantastic and shows just how far Carolina has come… and hopefully, it ended her constant guilt trips for sure. Seriously, please give Carolina something happy next season. She’s earned it. And The AVatar himself was enjoyable despite his brief screentime. I liked him!

There is one more scenario that I want to get into, but… how about we go to the next number for that one?

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#3. Kaikaina’s Labyrinth/Grif Sibs Moment

If you read my Dislikes post, you know that I was NOT happy about how Grif was handled. Heck, ‘not happy’ is probably an understatement. But I also said that the finale DID make me happy. Now I’ve already talked about how I feel about Grif regarding this scene and the retcon about him enlisting over being drafted. Long story short, I like this better and it makes sense for his character, especially when you look back at S15. It still doesn't excuse how the rest of the season handled him, but they got it right here and I like to give credit when it’s due. You can read this post to see more of my thoughts, but yeah I loved it then and I still love it now.

So instead, let's talk about Kaikaina. Boy, have I had a rollercoaster journey with her. I went from finding her utterly pointless in Blood Gulch, to loving her with all my heart in S16 and this season. She existed essentially to have more sex jokes, but Joe and Jason managed to take her and make her so much more. She’s still sex-crazed and foul-mouthed, but she’s also a successful businesswoman who is confident, happy with who she is, and has a good level of emotional maturity. It’s why I loved her and Tucker last season and why I LOVED it when she told off Tucker (no matter what you think of Tucker in that season, he had it coming). S17 even had her actually referred to by her actual name and not just ‘Sister’, which I greatly appreciate.

Point is, these past two seasons did an amazing job at making Kai a character in her own right and like a true member of the BGC. And when it comes to her Labyrinth, it adds so much more. We often focus on Grif’s side of things… but think about poor Kai. Her dad is out of the picture, her mom was too busy despite favoriting her over Grif, she had to be raised by an older brother who probably wasn't fit to care for a young girl despite trying his damnest, and honestly she probably was left to fend for herself a great deal. Then when Grif went to college and them ‘was drafted’, she was even more alone with an irresponsible mother who decided that trusting a teenage girl with changing a smoke alarm was a great idea. How the fire started, whether Kai did it on accident or it was just bad luck, is up in the air but it happened and poor Kai blamed herself for it. She lost her home. Her mother had to live in a trailer park, which she clearly feels terrible about. Her brother wasn't there to comfort or help her. She was utterly alone. I mean remember, she enlisted just because she wanted to be with her brother again. The one good person in her life… and even then not only did he tell her to leave, but she got shafted off to the opposite team by him. Even if it was for her own safety, that had to hurt.

The Labyrinth really helped to show that side of Kai. The more vulnerable side that we hadn’t seen yet. She sounds much more like a child when she sadly recalls what happened to Grif. Which we then realize her actual fear, her brother hating her. The brother that she went into space to find and be with and who she loved unconditionally, even when she was left alone on Blood Gulch, blamed and hated her. It’s why Grif knocking the Avatar out was so satisfying, as well as him confessing. Kai had every right to be angry at him, and going off her ’Hey, you left!” comment, there is clearly some bitterness there. But even then, she loves her brother. She forgives him. I can imagine her yelling at him later when they do eventually talk, and she has every right to. Still, it’s a super sweet moment that does a lot for both characters. I mean Grif’s first instinct when Donut explained the situation was to go and find Kai out of fear for her safety. I’m a sucker for sibling stories, and they nailed it here.

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#2. Wash and Carolina Plotline

Now, as I’ve said in other posts, I’m not a huge Freelancer fan. And tbh, I was pretty happy that Wash and Carolina were more lowkey in the past two seasons because every since their respective intros, everything more or less revolved around them. That being said, the development of Wash having cerebral hypoxia due to the bullet wound and Carolina’s actions after really did appeal to me both for personal reasons and because it was a new angle within the story. The ending with them in S16, where Wash was angry at Carolina for lying to him and her being so desperate to make it right that she and the others broke time, was dramatic and made it clear that there was a lot between them that S17 was going to have to work through.

And they did it perfectly.

Wash’s anger at Carolina is 100% understandable. He had /brain damage/ and was lied to about it by his closest friend. But it’s not like Carolina did it out of maliciousness. She did it out of fear of Wash thinking that he was broken and didn’t want him to be hurt. It was still wrong, but it’s easy to see why she went down that route and sympathize with her. With both of them. And neither one are portrayed as right or wrong in their actions. Yes, Carolina made a HUGE mistake and deciding to save him did much more harm than good. But she did it because she loved Wash (imo platonically) and she wanted to spare him of any more pain and misery, no matter the consequence. Wash had every right to be angry at Carolina for lying, but it wasn’t good to hold onto that anger nor be unwilling to ever forgive Carolina without taking her side of it into account.

This is what made the first half so strong. Despite what happened, Wash is still willing to save Carolina and the others. Despite obviously not wanting to be brain-damaged, he knows that time being fixed was more important and he’s willing to make that sacrifice. And as much as I’m tired of the ‘Carolina did something horrible and feels guilty about it’ plot that the writers just LOVE to use (I get that the pst has consequences, but it’s gotten old), it worked for this story and you do truly feel that Carolina had nothing but good intentions and cares deeply about Wash. I mean chances are, she’s still learning how to properly handle personal situations like this, something that facing her past self in the Labyrinth I think helped highlight. Even now, her past still haunted her, and now she’s finally realized that she isn’t that person anymore, has a new family to fight for, and pushing the past away for good.

And going back to Wash, I’ve seen some people unhappy with the show deciding to keep his brain damage. I have to disagree. For one, if you’re going to do a story like this, don’t chicken out. Second… why is this a bad thing? I think that S17 perfectly demonstrated that Wash is NOT a broken man. Sure, at that time his brain damage was temporarily averted, but he showed that he’s still a strong character. He’s a good leader, a smart fighter, cares for his team and will do whatever it takes to protect them, and he perfectly held his own throughout the entire fiasco. Yes, he’s going to struggle. A lot. He knows it. But he’s still Wash. He’s still capable of being the person that he’s grown to be, just with a little more help. That is not at all a bad thing. He can get through this. Will it be easy? Hell no. But after all the other bullshit that he’s been through, I think that he proved that he can pull through it. Honestly, I respect him much more as a character now than I ever did before, and as long as they treat his condition respectfully, he will be fine going forward.

This story really showed how much that Wash and Carolina have grown since everything with Freelancer wrapped up, as well as how much their relationship as grown. I don’t ship them, but it’s clear that there is a strong trust and love between them after all that they went through and this story tested that. Even when amnesic, Carolina trusted Wash and didn’t question it despite she herself pointing out that she shouldn’t be feeling that way. Wash ultimately decides to forgive Carolina and put his trust in her again, even pulling her aside to talk to her about what has to happen and how he’s accepted it. There are certainly still going to be struggles as Wash still has to deal with his cerebral hypoxia and all the consequences that come with it. S18 is probably NOT going to be fun for him. But this time, he has proper support and this time, Carolina will be honest and help him through it. And while I hope that other characters are given some spotlight, I’m excited to see what’s in store for these two in the future.

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Honorable Mentions

These are things that I enjoyed, but I either don’t have a lot to say or weren’t as important as other things.

Machinima: Very well directed, especially considering how many different Halo’s that they had to use. Josh and Austin nailed it.

Animation: Good as always, even if more sparse

Voice Acting: Amazing as always with special mention to Dan Godwin, Shannon McCormick, Jen Brown, Ricco Fajardo, and Lee Eddy.

Huggins Lives: While I hate how they treated her character, I’m still happy that this ball of sunshine is alive and well.

Caboose Beating Up Genkins: So, SOOOO satisfying!

Carolina vs Carolina: Such a badass fight! Didn’t find it as good as the Donut vs O’Malley fight last year, but it was still freakin’ awesome and I loved it!

Tucker in Episode 9: While I strongly disagree that Tucker was poorly done in S16 and I personally don’t think that this was necessary, it’s still a nice scene that brings it all back around and has Tucker remember what being a leader truly means.

Memory Lane: It was nice to see some of the old moments again. I may hate nostalgia banking, but they did it better than most and it had a purpose, so I’m good with it!

The Villains: Genkins was such a delightfully vile but fun villain and I hate yet love him so much! Same with Chrovos, who was such a boastful and over-dramatic but charismatic villain. Plus Lee Eddy. Loved them and while it still hurts my brain, the finale twist was superb.

Funeral Cannon: Enough said.

Okay, I think that’s it. Now we can move onto Number One. And from the moment that I began planning these lists out, I knew that this was going to be at the top. So without further ado!

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#1. Donut FINALLY Became A Character

If you read my Top 5 Things I Liked About RvB: The Shisno Paradox, you recall that I said that Donut used to be my least favorite among the Reds and Blues because, imo, he served no purpose up to that point. Then S16 happened, and i FINALLY began to see value in his character again and he shot up multiple spots. I knew that S17 was probably going to address more with him since S16 was more of a build up… and holy shit, they exceeded my expectations.

Donut finally got to show how good of a character that he can be. He realized his flaws, like his innuendo spewing and how he can’t get anyone to listen to him. He showed some of the early competency he demonstrated in Blood Gulch and how when actually given the chance, he can be smart and useful. He also displays a huge amount of emotional maturity with how he pointed out to Wash that Carolina literally broke time for him and how despite being angry at the Reds and Blues for treating him like garbage over the years, he still puts the mission first and doesn't allow the anger to control him. The only time that he lets it overcome him in Episode 7… and he had VERY good reason to since Sarge was threatening to execute him (aka being a HUGE hypocrite /points to S15/) and was overall still being disrespected despite going through time to save them all. His rant at them was very much warranted and years in the making and as someone who has felt disrespected and ignored by my friends and family, it felt SO cathartic.

Joe clearly wanted to give Donut more attention in S16, especially since him being majorly underutilized was a big complaint about S15. He perfectly wrote up the blueprints, and Jason perfectly built the structure. I do have some concerns. Like the season had EVERYTHING revolve around Donut. Like the Reds and Blues were Damsels in Distresses for like… 90% of it and Donut had to keep saving them, and I don’t want that to keep being a thing. It’s pushing God Mode too much and Donut is still a flawed person who can still slip up, be TMI, and be a naive idiot. But we’ll have to see how S18 plays out… except… maybe not…

What do I mean? If you recall, at the end of S17 Donut decided to leave. Which you know what? Good. Not because I want him to go, but after all of this, he earned it. I’m still not convinced that the Reds and blues apology in Episode 8 was genuine because of how fast it was, plus Donut went through enough shit just for them. I think that him getting away for a while and worrying about himself for once is the perfect next step for his character and unlike the other times where Donut was gone, maybe we’ll actually get to see how the characters deal with it, especially after how this season went. Only time will tell, but I think that this was a good way to end Donut’s arc. IDK what they’ll do with him next or if we’ll be seeing him anytime soon, but for now? Good job writers!

Also, Donut embraced being Pink. Hell yes!

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S17 was one Hell of a season. A lot of its flaws frustrate me. Like… really frustrate me. But it still had a lot of good. It had good character development. It had good ideas. It was really funny and knew when to be emotional. It’d pacing… well, it wasn't perfect, but I’ve seen worse. And the characters, despite me having issues, still felt like the characters and I was still happy to see them all again. I’m still going through RvB withdrawal. 2020, hurry up!

So yeah, those are my Top 5 Things That I Liked About RvB: Singularity. A season that, despite the flaws, I still love. It was nice to revisit this one, even if it wasn’t that long ago. As I said, I have plans for what to do when S18 approaches since I did these posts earlier than normal. But we’ll worry about that then. For now, thank you all for reading! Catch you all later!

#rvb #rvb reviews

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randomfandomnessss · 7 years ago

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Laundry Virgin (John Watson x Reader)

A/N: Hey everyone! This is Emma, the writer. I just wanted to make you all aware of a slightly different formatting that I’m going to start implementing in these fics. Especially in light of Pride Month, a month that is near and dear to my heart, I realized that a lot of the fics that I’ve written have been specifically geared towards women. Now that’s all well and good, but I realized that I was excluding any LGBTQ+ readers from gaining full enjoyment of this blog. If this has included you, I would like to apologize because everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy this account to its fullest. Because of this, I am going to start writing more gender neutral fics. The fic below is my first gender neutral story. As usual, if any of you have any suggestions for improvements that I can make or any requests for future stories, we are MORE than happy to create something that you would like to see. Make sure to comment below with what you’d like to see!

Much love,

Emma

PROMPT: Based off of an Episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S where Ross and Rachel go to the laundromat together and have their first kiss.

I walk into the laundromat with my bright red basket tucked beneath my arm. I don’t have much laundry to do myself, but because Sherlock almost never decides to exercise personal cleanliness, I periodically have to run by the flat and pick up all of the clothes that he has decided to fling into a pile where he knows I will inevitably visit to collect.

My basket is heavy with Sherlock’s sheets, bath and kitchen towels and his usual load of dirty clothes today. After a few months of living with him I realized that if I was not the one washing the sheets and Sherlock was not the one washing the sheets, his sheets had in fact not been washed in at least six months, and this posed a serious hazard that might soon need to be addressed by the Health Department.

I scoured the entire flat for all linens and arranged a trip to the laundromat posthaste.

I am surprised to see the hoards of people crowding the laundromat on this rainy Wednesday afternoon, but try to blend into the crowd and find a washing machine to use.

Luckily, I spy one tucked away in a corner that’s been overlooked by most other people.

I carry my basket over and begin to load my clothes into the machine.

Next to me, someone carries their basket and sets it down carefully on top of a machine. They pat their pockets and a confused look crosses their face. They turn to retrace their steps, presumably to look for something, and a woman darts forward with a sharp and cunning look in her eye, sweeping aside the basket resting atop the washing machine and beginning to load in her own clothes.

The person turns again, and smiles politely.

It’s a beautiful smile, and one that I’ve been looking at for a little too long to be socially acceptable. I blush and turn away.

“Excuse me, I was kind of using that machine.” The person with the beautiful smile says to the woman.

“Yeah, well now you’re kinda not.” The woman speaks with a heavy Cockney accent, and flashes a nasty, yellowed grin.

The smile melts away, and their brow is now furrowed. “I beg your pardon, but I put my basket on top of the machine. In most circles, you know... That’s kind of an unofficial reservation?”

The woman widens her eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry, was that your basket?”

“Yes,” the person smiles again, and relaxes slightly.

“It’s a beautiful basket you got there. It’s unfortunate that I don’t see any suds.” The scheming edge returns to the woman’s voice as she casts a sidelong look at the person clutching their basket.

“Pardon?”

“No suds, no save, okay?”

I can see the person visually deflating. After scraping up my confidence, I turn to the arguing pair.

“Excuse me, what’s going on here?”

“Oh, er, nothing, this horrible woman took my machine.” The person looks vaguely shocked at their words, but I pay no mind to them.

“Well, was your basket on top of the machine?”

“Yes, but apparently the issue is that I didn’t have any suds.”

“Why is that an issue?”

“Well, you know... ‘No suds, no save’.” The person shrugs and shakes their head, sighing.

I bite my lip and turn to the woman eagerly stuffing her clothes into the pilfered machine.

“Excuse me miss, this is my friend’s machine.”

“It ain’t my fault they didn’t put their clothes in first, innit?”

“Now, now, that isn’t the rule and you know it. Kindly remove your things so that this kind person can wash their clothes.”

The woman cast me a foul look, and turned to see several pairs of eyes now fixed on the unfolding scene.

She snatched up her clothes from out of the washing machine, shoved them back inside of her basket and stormed away.

I turned to the crowd of milling people who were staring at the scene with vague interest and hold up my hands to signal an end to the scene. “All right everyone, show’s over. Please return to your laundry.”

I turn back to the person whose face is now completely red with embarrassment, but there’s also gratitude in their eyes.

“Thank you... That was amazing. I usually can’t even send back soup without feeling like I’m somehow in the wrong.” They smile again at me, that beautiful, dazzling smile.

“Oh, sorry, would you like to use some of my detergent? I don’t see any with you...”

They look around and sigh. “Thank you, that would be lovely. You’re like my personal laundry hero.” They blush.

I grin back foolishly and grab my detergent, whirling around to give it to them as soon as I can.

Something inside me feels like they shouldn’t have to wait for anything. I don’t know why I feel this way, I barely know them, but the feeling is strong and insistent.

I drop the laundry detergent and can’t do anything for a few seconds except stare in dismay at the bottle on the ground and mutter a weak, “Oh...”

They laugh, but try to play it off as a cough.

I bend down, grab the bottle again and hold it out to them.

“So, here it is... It’s Uberweiss, an extra-tough German detergent. It’s new. I don’t know why I’m telling you this... Aren’t you going to separate those?” I ask suddenly, glad that I noticed that they were loading all of the clothes into the same washing machine to distract from my endless train of babbling.

They stare down at the washing machine, a confused, lost expression on their face.

“Am I not supposed to? Sorry, am I supposed to use one for shirts and one for trousers, or...?” They trail off and then a thought occurs to me that would explain why they’ve looked so lost throughout this entire encounter.

“Have you ever done laundry before?”

“I-I-I-I, well, I know other people that have, and my mum has a machine in her house, and I...” They sigh and smile, throwing out their arms in defeat. “Okay, you discovered me.” They lean forward and wink at me. “I’m a laundry virgin.”

I chuckle nervously and tug at the top button of my collar. “Well, that’s okay, I’ll use the gentle cycle.”

Stupid, stupid, stupid! I berate myself for sounding like a total creep.

“Okay, um, basically you want to use one machine for whites and another machine for your colors, and a third machine for all of your... delicates...” I try to say it politely, but they give me a confused look. “Your, you know, undergarments?” I try again, and the confusion clears, replaced with a blush and a nervous chuckle.

“Ah, sorry, right then!”

They begin to sort their clothes, and soon stop.

“What about these? This pair of underwear is white cotton, so would that be under whites or delicates?” They hold the pair of underwear out to me and I feel the blush color me from the tips of my ears across my entire face.

“I, um, I think that would have to be a judgement call that you have to make.” I clear my throat.

“Right, of course. D’you have laundry of yourself that you have to do then?” They prompt gently.

“Ah, yes I do. I’ll be right next to you, you know, in case you have to deal with any more horrible women.”

We both laugh, and I shift slightly to the side to my own washing machine.

I know that between my clothes and all of the sheets in 221B that this is going to take multiple loads, so hopefully, I’ll have more time to spend with this person.

After a while, I hear the doors of three washing machines slam shut, and I hear the gentle whir of the machines as they start up.

The person leans up against a laundry machine and turns back to me, sighing happily.

“Thank you again for helping me out. I just moved to London, and I know this must sound really stupid, but I feel that if I can actually manage to do my own laundry and make it through the everyday things of being on your own, there really isn’t anything I can’t do, you know?”

I smile and subtly lean closer to them. “I do understand, and I don’t think that sounds stupid at all. Oh no,” I suddenly catch a glance of the machine which contains their whites.

“What, what’s wrong?” They ask anxiously and try to follow the line of my gaze. I leap in front of the machine window.

“Ah, the laundry’s done! Oh no is just a song that we sing when doing laundry, erm, ‘Oh no, the laundry’s done, the laundry’s done, the laundry’s done’!”

They put their hands on their hips and arch their eyebrows at me.

I raise my hands in defeat.

“Well, I’m really sorry to tell you this, especially after you telling me what doing your own laundry means to you, but there’s one tiny problem with your whites... You left a red sock in the wash with all of your white clothing and now everything is just the slightest bit...”

“Pink!” They gasp in dismay, and drop to their knees in front of the machine window. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!”

I put a hand on their shoulder and try to look on the bright side. “At least you got the clothes clean! In the end, that’s really the important part!”

“I suppose... But I don’t exactly fancy the fact that every piece of white clothing I own now looks like pajamas. Excuse me, he had that trolley first!” They suddenly leap forward to block the way of a woman trying to take my trolley.

I turn and see that it’s the exact same woman that made such a fuss over the washing machine earlier on.

“There weren’t any clothes in the cart.”

“You need to stop making up your own rules! This is our trolley, and if you want it...” They swallow, and step inside of the trolley defiantly. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to take me with it. Oh, but don’t worry, I’m good fun. I’m an absolute whiz at Monopoly.”

The woman looks between us, and back down at the trolley, rolls her eyes and turns to the door for the final time.

I turn to them in amazement.

“That was incredible!” I lean against the washing machine and smile. “We’ve gone through all this and I just realized we don’t know each other’s names. I’m John, John Watson.”

They lean forward inside of the cart and extend their hand. “Y/N, Y/L/N.”

I grasp their hand and look inside of their eyes. They have beautiful eyes. I bite my lip and before I can second guess myself, I blurt out, “Would you want to go out sometime with me? Maybe get some coffee?”

They blush and smile that paralyzing smile.

“I think that’d be a splendid second date.”

I furrow my brow, but still grin. “Second date?’

“I mean, you don’t do laundry with just ANYONE now, do you? That’s personal. Intimate. Sounds like a first date to me, don’t you think?”

I chuckle, and my nervousness begins to melt away.

“I suppose you’re right.”

Suddenly, the smile vanishes and they look nervous. “You know, I don’t often do things like this, but...”

Without a second thought, they tug my hand forward and press their lips firmly to mine.

It feels like fireworks inside of my skull, and everything feels warm and bright inside.

When they let me go again, I stand up stammering slightly, turn to grab my laundry and smack into an open cupboard door.

I drop to the ground like a stone and lie there dazed from the kiss and the sharp, throbbing pain radiating from my skull.

Y/N leaps out of the cart and drops to my side, eyes filled with concern.

I wave a hand lazily. “I’ll be fine. I’m a doctor, really.”

They roll their eyes. “First date, laundromat, second date, ER... What do you suppose we’ll do next?”

#john watson #dr. john watson #martin freeman #john watson x reader #bbc sherlock #sherlock holmes #sherlock #benedict cumberbatch #friends #ross geller #rachel greene #rachel #ross #ross and rachel #GenderNeutral #Gender Neutral!Reader #lgbtq+

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callie-the-snarky-geek-blog · 6 years ago

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RvB16 Episode 15 (Season Finale) Review: Paradox

(Old Blog Repost)

Fifteen weeks ago, RvB16 began and all that we know going in was that it involved pizza quests, Donut the God, and time travel. Over these many weeks we’ve had sex adventures throughout time, the return of O’Malley, an in-universe Red vs Blue movie, the adventured of Grif and a sentient lens flare, Gus the Cyclops, Alien Gods who are actually AI, and buckets full of feels. Well, after all of that and so much more, it has all come down to this. Hoping to save Wash from his brain damage, the remaining Reds and Blues venture back to save him, but we discover that doing this will spark the end of time itself. So the question that remains is: what the FUCK are we in for?!

I got to see this yesterday as Rooster Teeth livestreamed it early. It… it… well I’ll be discussing it down below. Before I get to it though, I want to say thank you to Joe, Miles, Kyle, Josh, the animator team, David Levy and Trocadero, the voice cast, and everyone involved in this season if Red vs Blue. It has been an incredibly fun ride form start to finish and I’ve enjoyed it immensely. A lot of work went into this and I can’t even imagine how exhausting it all had to have been. But I.think that I speak for many of us when I say that we greatly appreciate every second that was put into everything, and again thank you for one Hell of a season.

Alright, well… lets do this everyone. Be afraid. Very afraid.

Overview

We begin with the Reds and Blues already back in the past inside the underwater base, going over the plan. They have 18 minutes before Wash gets shot and they are going to do their damnest to be careful and NOT cause anymore serious damage to the timeline. As they go over their plan, they get caught by a random Blue, provoking both Carolina and Tucker to beat him up. While Carolina does get seen on the security camera, the gang continues to stick to the plan. But their plan may have another potential snag as DOnut returns to Chrovos, The Hammer in hand.

As the guys move forward, they end up at a locked door and are forced to go around. Before they can however they’re forced to hide due to Locus, Carolina, and a delirious Wash about to pass by. Before he hides though, Grif smells something that alarms him. Once Carolina gets a delirious Wash to continue on his way, the guys get ready to resume before Grif calls their attention to the scent. He recognizes it as a Sammie Raphaello’s pizza. Why is this important? Well remember that by this point the restaurant had been destroyed, pizza got wiped out existence, and the Blues and Reds only ever had fish. All of these factors cause Grif to realize that another time traveler is there and he decides to go after whoever it is while the others focus on the mission. Simmons is reluctant, but Grif says that they don’t have time to debate and runs off. Simmons can only watch him go (anyone else have Season 15 flashbacks?) as he and the others press on.

The Reds and Blues make it to what they assumed was an empty hangar, but lo and behold it’s covered in guards. They have only two choices, go ahead and fight them off or chance waiting for them to leave and end up running into their past selves. Fortunately they get a little help when Simmons form a few minutes into the future contacts them. In the meantime, Chrovos tries to have Donut give him The Hammer, and as he talks about the guys being mean to him again, it looks like that Donut is indeed about to do as told. Back at the base, Grif follows the pizza scent and finds the mystery time traveler: Genkins. Grif aims his gun at him, even fighting off being tempted by the pizza, but Genkins says that he’s not here to fight and simply brought the pizza over as an apology. it better be for killing Huggins (even if I still refuse to believe it) you sick fuck!

Back with the others, future Simmons gives the guys advice: to use what they learned and that they’re going to do great. Carolina is confused, but Simmons tells her to let them handle things from here. Back with Grif, he pieces together that Genkins was responsible for Kalirama attacking them at Sammie Raphaello’s and was the one who wiped pizza out of existence. Genkins confirms this, trying to again tempt Grif with the pizza but he simply says that he doesn’t care and presses him to explain why he set them up. Genkins answer? Simple, he’s bored. That’s right guys, Genkins is Chaotic Evil. The Reds and Blues meanwhile fight off the guards. Highlights include Sarge luring two into a portal and onto Iris where they’re faced with the Female Gus Cyclops, Tucker dropping horses on them via the portal gun, and Simmons telling Caboose that the guards stole his penny to anger him enough to clobber them with the golf club. I’m so proud of my boys! So proud! They press on, but not before Simmons contacts his past self to set everything into motion.

Back with Donut, he hesitates and asks about Chrovos why he saved him. He says that he simply took pity on someone in trouble, again asking for The Hammer. He also explains that once freed, he’ll gain power that’ll allow him to kill the Cosmic Powers but promises to still spare the Reds and Blues. Donut points out how his friends are jerks to him more often than not… but that they are still his friends and that Chrovos was both responsible for what happened to him and has only been using him He decides to instead use The Hammer to reinforce the prison, but he’s stopped by O’Malley. They struggle and with Donut continuing to refuse to listen to him anymore, Chrovos orders O’Malley to kill him. It leads to one HELL of a fight scene across time. Due to it being a fight, I won’t go into details but guys it is AMAZING. The animation and choreography are perfect. It goes from on top of airliners, to Blood Gulch, to the moon, to a wrestling rink, and finally to a city. O’Malley tries to act as Doc to make Donut back down, but Donut doesn’t buy it. So how does Donut defeat O’Malley? Well during the Blood Gulch portion, he threw a grenade at him and seemed to miss. In the city however, he opens a portal and the grenade flies out, landing before O’Malley and blasting him away. Donut takes The Hammer and teleports away to take care of Chrovos.

All throughout this, Genkins reveals to Grif his motives. He’s grown tired of their current universe, finding that it has gotten boring as of late. So wanting to spice things up, he agreed to help Chrovos when offered power and wishes to become an actual God to change up the universe as he sees fit. Oh God, is Genkins one of those RvB fans who keeps sayin that the show has gone stale and wants to change everything?! Grif says that by now, the others are already in position to save Wash… to which Genkins responses positively. It causes Grif to realize that Genkins isn’t there to stop them, but to ensure that they succeed. If Wash doesn’t get shot, neither he nor Locus will leave and they’ll be able to take down Temple before he turns the time machine on. If it isn’t turned on, then Donut never gets zapped by Chrovos and therefore none of the events that caused the time travel to begin with will commence. Therefore creating a paradox, one that will have enough power to shatter the already weakened timeline.

Grif runs to reach the others and at the same time, Donut makes it to Chrovos and lifts The Hammer to trap him once more. But unfortunately… it’s too little too late. Grif arrives just as Carolina shoots down the soldier that hit Wash, causing time to freeze. Everything soon fades to white, the Reds and Blues realizing far too late what they have done. They all too begin to fade away, Tucker trying to talk to Sister one final time as Sarge tells them all, especially Grif and Simmons, that it has been an honor. Soon, everyone is gone and the screen cuts to black.

As a new Trocadero track begins to play (I believe that David Levy said that the title was Rush in the livesteam chat, love it by the way!) we soon get a panning shot of some grassy-like area before we see our new location: Blood Gulch. From what I’ve seen more Halo-savvy people say, they are now using the Halo 2 Anniversary engine. So why are we in Blood Gulch? Hell if I know, but we see Sarge calling Grif and Simmons, Grif asking if it’s because they wont he war. Sound familiar? Like that being the same dialogue from Episode 2 of the very first season familiar?! Yeah… from how it looks, time has reset and has sent the Reds and Blues back to the very beginning of their journey, their memories wiped.

It’s not long before we see that things aren’t quite the same however. When we cut to the Blues, we see Tucker with a cobalt-clad soldier… but the second he talks, it is very clearly not Church. For one he’s in a good mood and sees rather optimistic, so definitely not Church. He even offers to let Tucker hold the sniper rifle, to which Tucker days that he doesn’t like them. Yeah, things are NOT right Anyways, Not-Church (there’s speculation if this is Jimmy, Temple, or even Genkins currently) mentions that they’re getting ‘new recruits’ (unassumingly Caboose and maybe Sister) and maybe even a tank. Back with the Reds, we see Grif and Simmons on top of the base as we did back in the beginning so long ago. Grif starts to ask the “do you ever wonder why we’re here?” line… but stops due to the sense of deja vu, asking Simmons about it. When Simmons starts to comment about it being one of life’s great mysteries, he too pauses at the feeling. But they simply go back to standing and doing nothing, the camera panning down and giving us one more glimpse of the Red Base before cutting to the credits.

My friends, Season 16 has oficially ended. Ad ther eis only one proper way to express how I feel about it...

Review

HOLY

SHIT

I was in shock when I watched this the first time. This was my fifth time watching it and I am STILL in shock. This finale was incredibly well done. I think that we all knew, or at least thought about, that Wash was probably going to be saved and that in doing so, a paradox would happen. But even knowing it, I wasn’t ready for it. There’s a lot of questions. What happened to the timeline? What happened to Donut? Why is everyone back at Blood Gulch? Does Freelancer still exist since Church isn’t there? Who is Not-Church? Will the guys regain their memories? Joe left SO MANY things open, and we’re going to have to wait a year to find out the answers. Boy is hiatus time going to be fun…

I’m going to have a section devoted to speculation for the next season, but before we do lets discuss the finale. We’re going to do the Reds and Blues first, then Donut’s scenes, then Grif confronting Genkins, and finally a bit about the ending. SO beginning with the Reds and Blues, it was SO GOOD to see them working as one unit. It really shows us how far they have come since the Blood Gulch days. Everyone has their focus on the task ahead, Carolina remains calm and properly leads the team, Simmons essentially assumes second-in-command (a HUGE step for him) and handles it like a champ, being the one to put the plan to fight the guards into motion and unassumingly coordinates everyone’s efforts. While succeeding ended up a bad thin,t he fact that they DID succeed so flawlessly really shows how effective they all have become and how in-sync they truly are. I wasn’t kidding when I said that I was proud of them despite what ended up happening. It still shows how much they’ve progressed, and for that I am very happy.

Donut though is very much the MVP of this episode. Despite having every reason to not give a shit about the others, and even he point sit out, ultimately he realizes on his own that he’s being used and that his friends are still his friends. Before this season, Donut was easily my least favorite Blood Gulch Crew member and my least favorite Red. The past few episodes made me feel bad for him for the first time, and this one turned EVERYTHING around. Joe did such a good job at giving Donut a personality beyond just being a walking fountain of innuendos. He is smart. He is more than capable of holding his own. He can be hurt and does recognize how the guys treat him, simply wanting them to be nice to him. These are all things that a LOT of people have wanted to see out of the character for years, and Joe seemed to have listened and decided to do so. I’m really glad that he did. Donut feels like a much more layered character, keeping the comedic elements but having those traits that the audience can relate to and ultimately made him sympathetic and his actions understandable without overdoing it or making him look bad.

And int he end, Donut decided to be the better person and to stand up to Chrovos. Which led to the oh so AMAZING fight scene. It was done SO WELL. Like the animators experience with doing the fights over in RWBY really shines here. The usage of the portals was very clever and all the settings were used to both Donut and O’Malley’s advantage. They all felt unique and both parties were evenly matched. But Donut won by using his experience with the gun and cleverness with the portals, resulting in by far his best grenade throw since originally grenaded Tex. O’Malley was certainly no slouch though, even trying to revert back to Doc to try and throw Donut off. It failed, but that was still a clever move. It is one of the best fights in the series in my opinion and was well done by everyone involved. You can tell that Matt and Dan gave it their all with the performances (Matt sounded like he was having a LOT of fun doing O’Malley for that long again), and they did an excellent job.

Onto Grif now. I have made it no secret that Grif is my favorite character and imo the best done character in this season. That continued to shine through here. First, him being obsessed with food and his desire for pizza actually proved useful when eh deducted just through he scent that something wasn’t right. Like he pieced everything together all by himself, and even moreso when he discovered Genkins. And while going alone wasn’t the best option,t he fact that he was willing to do so to give the others time to carry out the mission shows just how far he’s come. Especially when he only gets tempted by the pizza for like three seconds before forcing himself to focus and outright telling Genkins that he doesn’t care. Yes, the one thing that Grif wanted all season? He doesn't are about it anymore. He cares about helping his friends and getting the job done. Despite their falling out, Huggins influence on him really shined through and shows us just how capable that Grif is when he actually does try. He’s smart, brave, and unwilling to back down no matter tempts him or what gets in his way. I could not be more proud of him.

Genkins plan was definitely brilliant. He set forth the events like destroying Sammie’s by telling Kalirama where the guys were and wiping pizza out of history to provoke Grif and Doc to try and remake it, provoking the events that resurfaced O’Malley and everything following. As he said, time traveling and changing history will weaken time, leaving it more than vulnerable to being shattered by a paradox. It was all clearly planned to happen, just as Jax said back in Episode 9. And because of how eccentric he is, the Cosmic Powers didn’t suspect anything even when Genkins outright said that he was the traitor back in Episode 5. He is absolutely Chaotic Evil, and for all intents and purposes he won. He distracted Grif long enough for the others to carry out the plan (which makes it interesting that he called away Grif specifically to ensure that happened since if he didn’t show up at all, chances are it still would have happened) and now time is screwed. If Chrovos keeps his word, Genkins can shape the universe into who knows what.

So yeah… that ending. I just remember everything fading to white and being in total shock. Chat was losing their collective minds throughout all of it, that I DO remember, I didn’t know how to process it, and I still don’t. As nice as it is to see Blood Gulch again, there’s that feeling that it’s just… wrong. Especially when we see the Blues and realize that Church isn’t there and that Tucker isn’t acting right. And when we got to :Do you ever wonder hwy we’re here”… I was gone. Every time that I’ve watched that part, I have cried. It is the one time that I didn’t want to hear it and just further emphasized how wrong things feel. It was an evil move by Joe, and he NAILED IT. I’ve never felt so weirdly satisfied but broken inside. Not even RWBY Volume 3 did that, and that broke me for days. SO yeah… the emotional blows all very much connected and waiting for April is going to be HARD. IDK if even RWBY V6 is going to help make the wait anymore bearable. But I’m positive that the wait will be worth it.

RvB17 Speculations

With this being the finale, and one Hell of a finale, I have a LOT of thoughts about what might happen next. So as we saw, things have been reset back to Blood Gulch. Going off the ‘deja vu’ bit, the guys memories are likely being suppressed and I assume that they’ll be triggered more and more next season. I guess in a weird way, it’s like in Season 9 with the Epsilon Unit int hat the’re going to relive Blood Gulch, but the events won’t be quite the same. This time it’s not because of Epsilon going through memories to meet Tex again though, plus this time no one remembers anything. It also raises the question about how the characters will behave. Likely the Reds are back to their old personalities (Sarge is murderous over the Blues and Simmons is an insecure kissass) but what about Caboose? With Church gone, the events that made him how we know him now won’t happen. Will he be like he was in Season 1 again? What about characters like Sister, Carolina, and Wash? And Donut? He was still in Chrovos’ domain, so will his memory be intact? Or since the Reds don’t mention a rookie, will he be there at all?

There’s a lot of questions, and we have a lot of time to think them over. So here is where I stand so far. There’s been a LOT of talk about who Non-Church is… but currently I’m going to say it’s Genkins. If only because the inflections int he voice sound very much like Genkins voice actor, plus it would mean that for now Genkins needs to keep the Reds and Blues in check while Chrovos does whatever he’s going to do. As for how the guys will remember… it’s hard to say. Enough similar-looking events may happen that it triggers their memories, or maybe Genkins will restore them to spice things up. It’s also possible that if Donut is at Blood Gulch, having been at Chrovos domain he may still have his memory and has to try and get everyone else to remember. If not, if I had to guess who’s gong to remember first… it’s probably gonna be Grif. I think that Joe built it up enough that we can assume that Grif is our main protagonist, plus he’s the only one who knows the true details over what happened. There’s also still that time loop theory due to Grif’s deja vu in Episode 14.

Which brings me to my next theory. I don’t think that the timeline necessarily reset. I think that Chrovos got free and placed the Reds and Blues in an alternate timeline, suppressing their memories since they would be the only ones who could interfere with him. This also means that Wash isn’t there since we last saw him in Chorus, so he’s back in the regular timeline. I think that the timeline is currently frozen outside maybe the Cosmic Powers, who Chrovos is going to try to kill as the timeline slowly shatters apart. Of we go with my theory of Grif eventually regaining his memory, he’ll figure out that Not-Church is Genkins (or even have a confrontation happen when memory-less that make sit impossible for him to ignore the deja vu so Genkins, wanting to see his reaction, grants him back his memory), confront him, and Genkins will shoot him into a Black Hole the same way that he did Huggins, which will lead to them reuniting and reconciling to fix everything. I don’t knwo how they’d escape, but it would lead them back to the broken timeline and Grif has to go through it to prevent the paradox from happening. Which will lead Chrovos to sending his forces, which if the Shisno thing still stand may include the Reds and Blues, to stop him. Bonus if Donut escapes and goes to help, and if the Cosmic Powers are alive they’ll likely also get involved if they see that Huggins survived.

But this is very much a long-shot and going off what we’ve seen so far and how the paradoxes work. I had a theory that all the scenarios may happen, which it looks possible. Chrovos creating an alternate timeline confirms that theory and if time hasn’t been fully destroyed yet, it creates a buffer period with the explanation that the process is still on-going. If all of them go back, it doesn’t change too much of the theory, it just means more people. Likely the mroe I watch the finale and speculate, the more that this will change. But for now, that’s all I’ve got. Will I be proven right? Probably not, but we won’t know until at least April so.. we’ve got time! Unlike the Reds and Blues, haha… and I made myself sad.

Final Thoughts

The finale was insane in all of the good ways. It had a great fight sequence, great character moments, and one mindscrew of an ending that I don’t think that anyone will ever forget. If I had to guess, we’ll probably start next season kind of like in Season 9, with some similar event splaying out and as they do, the guys memories will potentially be triggered. All we can do is wait for April to come and find out. But all in all, it was a great finale and I loved every second of it.

With that, I want to take this time to say thank you to everyone who has read these reviews. This is only the second season of RvB that I watched regularly and the first one that I reviewed as it was coming out. I had a lot of fun doing it and I’m glad that people really liked my silly ramblings! There will be one final review for the season coming up, an overall review of everything I liked and disliked about it, that should hopefully be out this time next week. After that, that’ll be a wrap for RvB16. If any of you guys are RWBY fans, I’ll be reviewing Volume 6 in the same format when it starts this Fall and I may also be doing Gen;Lock if I like it. I’m also going to be doing reviews of the other RvB seasons during the hiatus, so I’ll have plenty of RvB-related material until next season rolls around. Again, thank you all for reading and I will be back again to do RvB17 next year. So I hope to see all of you then!

#rvb #rvb16 #rvb reviews #old blog repost

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animebw · 6 years ago

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Binge-Watching: Blue Exorcist, Episodes 12-15

Alright, I’m refreshed from a weekend of bingeing Brotherhood and ready to dive back into things! In which the story reaches its first big peak, Rin shows us what he’s capable of, and I both praise and criticize the existence of Shura.

The Explosion Cometh

There’s a term I use when talking about anime called “the explosion”. As the tame suggests, it’s the point in the story where things explode. It’s the big fight scene that leaves your favorite character dead, the emotional war of words that leaves a relationship irrevocably changed, the moment where the groundwork the show’s been laying pays off in a memorable, status-quo-obliterating setpiece. A story will often have multiple explosions along the way, especially if it’s a long-running action series like, say, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. And they’re (almost) always the most entertaining, memorable, and meaningful parts of a series; because they’re the moment everything has been building towards and explodes out from, their execution and aftermath are often the most critical elements to get right if you want your audience to keep faith in your story. Because if you screw up the most important part, you’re pretty much done for.

Blue Exorcist’s first explosion has been a long time coming, set up by Mephisto’s mysterious machinations in the background of every episode and the slow build of Rin’s episodic adventures with his classmates, hinting at more and more dangers to come. And in these episodes, the bombs finally go off, slowly at first, but building in size and force until the entire stockpile explodes in a massive blue fireball. Amaimon’s first attempt on Rin’s life sets everything in motion, revealing the series of dominoes just before they’re knocked over. It’s actually a really great set-up for the explosion in a lot of ways. First, it gives Rin the first true, dangerous challenge he’s faced yet, forcing him to realize he’s in over his head. Second, it sets up that his power is growing to strong for the sword to contain it, foreshadowing what he’ll have to unleash during Amaimon’s return in a few episodes. Third, and arguably most importantly, it facilitates the reveal of Shura, the high-ranking exorcist who’s been hiding out as one of the background classmates to keep an eye on Rin, which officially integrates the larger exorcist power structure as a central player in the plot from now on. The school antics are no longer an isolated world unto themselves; the larger world of the story has officially stepped into the spotlight, breaking open a treasure trove of new possibilities. It’s a signal, along with the boppin’ new OP, that things are about to get moving.

The Demon Awakens

And get moving they do, as Amaimon’s second attack on the students, on their camping trip, is basically a series of escalating explosions leading to Rin finally revealing his true powers in a blaze of glory. Even before his arrival, the show is working to set up the impact he’s gonna have. We get reinforcement after reinforcement of how much Rin has come to accept the other students as his friends after a life of isolation, from Shiemi coming to his aid after his first freakout at the amusement park, to everyone enjoying the curry he makes on the camping trip, to the entirety of the delightful bridge-crossing scene where everyone gets a great moment of camaderie (Suguro communicating the plan while still chanting. “Please try to contain your earthly desires”. Shiemi calling out to the lantern. Rin throwing her at the last second. All just great, goofy stuff.), to Suguro- the most stiff-lipped of the bunch, I remind you- finally admitting that he considers Rin a friend. And combined with the flashback to Rin’s violent childhood during his fight with Shura, it’s all one massive reminder of how far he’s come since those troubled days. Which only makes for a bigger splash once Amaimon arrives and starts pressing Rin for a proper challenge. He lives up to his status as King of the Earth; his power is scary, able to shatter bones and blow people across the forest with just a flick of his finger. Rin is outgunned, overpowered, and has no other option but to fight, in full view of his friends, with the full power of the demonic heritage he’s been trying to hide from them. The skates have reached the breaking point, the power ceiling is cracking, and there’s no better time to let the explosion loose.

And god damn, what an explosion it is. Rin’s clash with Amaimon is the show’s best fight yet, full of dynamic camera movement and slick, fast-paced sakuga. It’s an awesome, brutal display of power that both cements Rin’s status as a genuine badass and confirms just why everyone is so scared about what happens if he loses control. From here on out, there’s no going back. Rin’s secret is out, Mephisto’s plan has come out of the shadows, and whatever happens next, the simple school days everyone’s been sharing are decidedly over. Blue Exorcist, Chapter 1: Complete. It’s time to see what Chapter 2 has in store for us.

Yoko Littner, Dat U?

I struggle sometimes while watching anime to square the difference between whether or not a thing I like is actually a net positive for a show. As I’ve talked about in other binges, anime has a tendency to indulge more than is healthy, which is where you get things like fanservice and character traits that seem only designed to satisfy a specific fetish rather than be a character in their own right. The problem is, sometimes these indulgent elements come into being as things I really like, and at times like that, I have to take a step back and consider whether me liking said thing actually works in the context of the show, or is just really good at appealing to my tastes specifically.

The latest thing to raise this conundrum to me is the character of Shura, the badass lady exorcist sent to watch over Rin and finally revealing herself now to act as a comic foil for Yukio. Because on the one hand, Shura is exactly my type of character. An ass-kicking, take-no-prisoners lady brawler with a sick ponytail and a gruff-but-endearing level of punk attitude? It’s like the show took a look inside my head and constructed her out of all my weak points. On the other hand, though, I can’t really escape the feeling that she was written and designed that way solely to pander to those weak points. She’s got the same problem I had with Yoko Littner from Gurren Lagann, where the fetishistic quality of her outfit (as in, they have the exact same outfit) combined with a prevalent boob jiggle makes it hard for me to picture her as being conceived as anything other than meat beat material (although my problems with Yoko were far worse, because at least Shura isn’t showing any signs of inexplicably falling in love with a guy who constantly sexually harasses her).

Which sucks, because I genuinely think she’s got a lot going for her as a character. She’s always in control and enjoys lording her power over the kids, but she’s not afraid to talk at their level and take them seriously. And her occasional lapses of control, which she easily overs up by affecting the same in-control attitude she always does, are endearingly cool. In all honestly, I’ve only known her four episodes, so I think I might have to wait and see which side of the fence I eventually fall with Shura. If nothing else, it should make for an interesting discussion.

Also, something about her really makes me want her to be voiced by Michaela Dietz. I dunno, doesn’t that just sort of fit?

Odds and Ends

-I would visit a place called MepphyLand every day.

-kashdkajdshakd Shiemi’s robot walk gives me life

-My god, Shiemi’s so pure. Rin, next time you two get together, you take her on an actual date to the amusement park, because she fucking deserves it.

-HOLY SHIT I WASN’T EXPECTING HIM TO ACTUALLY SAY THAT RIGHT AFTERWARDS RIN I LOVE YOU

-”Ah! My older brother’s head!” Something about that line really cracks me up.

-”How can you laugh about that? We were almost killed!” “Yeah, but I’m already dead.” lol

-”I broke them on purpose because I was too pumped up!” SHIRO BEST DAD

-”He’s... on maternity leave!” “But he’s a man.” akasjdhak you’re so bad at this Shura

-The fact that Rin still uses the hairpin Suguro gave him is a delightful little touch.

-”Whoops, my hand slipped.” Okay, I like Shura.

-OH FUCK THEY KILLED NEE THOSE BASTARDS

-Look at Mephisto just casually hanging off a bat like a motherfucker.

Ah, it’s good to be back. See you later today with more Blue Exorcist!

#anime #the anime binge-watcher #tabw #blue exorcist #rin okumura #yukio okumura #shiemi moriyama #rin x shiemi

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qqueenofhades · 7 years ago

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the tangled web of fate we weave: x

because no episode today and I obviously have many feelings. I am sorry that the quotes above the readmore still look messed up, because tumblr is a stupid website with stupid problems. it should be fine once you click through to the blog, or on mobile, or as a reblog. or just read it on AO3. idek.

part ix/AO3.

In any other circumstances, the fact that Garcia Flynn is presently crushed in the backseat of a vehicle that can only generously be described as “economy size” would be the worst thing about this situation. His knees are practically rammed through his chin, he may develop a permanent crick in his back from hunching, and he suspects, from catching her smirks at him in the rearview mirror, that Emma goddamn Whitmore is thoroughly enjoying watching him suffer. Except, of course, that this isn’t the worst thing about the situation. Emma is in the driver’s seat, left hand on the wheel and right hand cuffed to Lucy’s – she doesn’t have the box cutter blade at her wrist any more, but Flynn can’t try to dive forward and grab the wheel (assuming he could even get up enough leverage to move) without hitting Lucy, and then obviously endangering her in any resulting crash. If it was just him, he might take his chances, but her –

He blinks hard until the memory that has just flashed through his brain goes away, and tries to focus on the task at hand. He doesn’t know where Emma is taking them, or who they might be meeting. He’s still trying to figure out how this just went so terribly, horribly, no-good-very-badly wrong. Should have guessed that Wyatt Logan sending them a too-good-to-be-true willing Rittenhouse defector was some kind of trick – and frankly, Flynn wondered, but ignored it. Getting the files was more important. And now the files turned out to be a fat lot of nothing, and he has no idea what the situation is, much less how to get them out of it. All his training is screaming at him that this is what you avoid, you have no control, and you especially don’t want to get mixed up in it with a non-combatant. Wonderful.

Lucy sits stiffly in the passenger seat, staring straight ahead, as Emma pulls out. They seem to be heading for the interstate – 95, if Flynn had to guess. They drive in silence for several minutes. Too much to ask that she at least put the fucking radio on. Then Lucy says, with admirable composure considering that this is the second time in less than six weeks that she’s been snatched by Rittenhouse, “So where are we going?”

“Just to sort some things out.” Emma accelerates up the merge ramp – yes, 95 northbound, they’re headed somewhere in New England. Flynn’s mind reels feverishly through potential Rittenhouse possibilities or important sites in the area. He isn’t entirely sure that Emma is working for them, as her statement in the library left just enough ambiguity that she could be in this for herself, or Mason Industries, or even as a double or triple agent, but it has to be deemed the most likely. “You’re in no danger, princess, as long as you cooperate.”

“Stop calling me that,” Lucy says through her teeth. Flynn could have warned her that this was a mistake; never show your enemy that they’re getting to you. “And yeah, the threatening me with a box cutter part made me feel really safe.”

“That was just to get his attention.” Emma throws an amused look over her shoulder at the fuming Flynn. “He doesn’t really do subtle. I had to prevent him from doing something stupid. Stupider, that is. It was the most direct.”

“So what was that beforehand?” Flynn barks, not that he has any expectation of a proper answer. “Show up playing the wounded fawn, run away from your evil overlords, want to go to London – that was all a lie?”

“Oh no. I want to go to London. It’s important to get our overseas operation established, just like I said. That was entirely true.”

“Overseas operation meaning Mason Industries or Rittenhouse?”

Emma gives him a demure, nasty little smirk, enjoying even more the fact that she isn’t going to tell him. Flynn curses viciously under his breath. He’s gotten himself into a lot of dicey situations, admittedly, but this ranks up there. He makes a mental note to throttle Wyatt when he sees him again – it won’t fix anything, but it will make him feel better. Assuming he does see him again. It has not escaped Flynn’s attention that Emma has promised Lucy’s safety in exchange for her cooperation, but said nothing about him. Well, he’s been a major pain in Rittenhouse’s ass for several months now, and if he had gotten a proper chance, would in fact have rushed back to the Bay Area with the intention of destroying this purported time machine, no matter what. Great way to make friends with a multi-billionaire tech mogul and all his likewise important buddies, but Flynn has never cared about making friends.

There is silence for another few minutes as they drive. Emma cuts someone off, they honk, and she raises her middle finger without looking back, in a gesture of such utterly unconcerned fuck-you that Flynn almost (almost) can’t help but admire it, considering that is how he operates most of the time. Then Lucy says, “So the turning up and promising to help us research Rittenhouse – that was strategic, wasn’t it? Get a few boxes of unimportant papers, make it look like you were really helping, find out how much we knew, and not actually give anything away. But why bring in the Nicholas Keynes stuff?”

“You might have really learned something, if you looked at those,” Emma remarks lightly. “They were mostly for your benefit, Lucy. But your boyfriend blew it.”

“He’s – not my boyfriend.”

“Oh? So when I walked in and you were about to run into each other with your faces, you just tripped and ended up that way, did you?”

Flynn can make out the flush in Lucy’s cheeks, even without her turning around. He looks down, just because whatever is on his own face, he thinks it’s better if neither of them see it. He clenches his fists, trying to forget the sensation of touching her, after diligently avoiding it for several days, since – well. And then since all his self-control went out the damn window when he did, perhaps it’s for the best, in a sick way, that Emma interrupted them. Definitely not the opportune moment, but when it comes to this, when could it possibly be?

Some interminable time passes in silence. There is obviously not a lot to gab about on a road trip with your mortal enemy, after all. They seem to be heading for New York – there have to be half a dozen Rittenhouse installations there, don’t tell Flynn that Donald Trump isn’t up to his ears in it – but Emma bypasses the city, continuing up 287. Apparently they are headed upstate, though how far isn’t clear. They can’t really do anything (or rather, Flynn can’t do anything) until they arrive, though he refuses to give Emma the satisfaction of asking if they are there yet. (It might annoy her, at least, but still.) Finally they take the freeway exit for West Point, and Flynn’s hackles go up. Are they visiting the academy? What the hell is going on there – target practice, using him? Emma’s got his damn gun. Shit.

Flynn is almost inclined to be relieved when they do not drive through the gates of a heavily secured military facility, but rather down a bumpy dirt road to a stately old house at the end. It looks like a colonial museum, handsomely restored, but the two black cars parked out front makes it clear that they’re not expecting hordes of Nikon-wearing tourists and their sticky-fingered offspring to descend. This is… not necessarily an improvement. If they disappear out here, nobody is likely to be any the wiser.

Emma parks the car and opens the driver door, swinging out. Since her right wrist is still cuffed to Lucy’s left, Lucy obviously cannot get out the passenger door, but is dragged awkwardly after her, banging her shoulder into the gearshift and getting her shoulder wrenched over her head in a way that looks painful. Flynn reminds himself that he needs to be careful, but his blood is boiling and he is sick of being careful. He’s already broken the cardinal rule, has let his enemy transport them from the scene of the crime – even basic police advice tells you that if your assailant takes you somewhere else after they nab you, they’re planning to rape and/or kill you. This is deep on their ground, and Emma has his gun. He is going to have to get that back posthaste.

Flynn yanks the door open and bursts out of the car, wrathful as only a six-foot-four man who has been packed in an orange crate to be kidnapped possibly can be. Emma jerks Lucy pointedly in front of her. “Watch it with the sudden moves.”

The whites of Lucy’s eyes are showing, but she’s calm. Coldly she says, “What was that about how I was in no danger as long as I cooperated?”

“Are you cooperating?” Emma asks – fairly enough, Flynn supposes, but he still hates this woman with every inch of him. “I’m not sure.”

“Yes, well, you people don’t really make it easy to like you, do you?” Lucy explodes. “At least Cahill tried the sweet-talking approach, get me a dream job, see the world, all the stuff that an ordinary human might like! This, now – ” she rattles the handcuff – “just went straight for the ropes and chains, didn’t you?”

“Look.” Emma seems impatient. “Just tell him not to make any trouble, and this can be a lot easier for everyone. Like I said, it’s really him we want. You just happened to get in the way. I can’t release you just yet, because you would run off and call someone and make it messy, but stop fighting me. You might not believe it, but this is the gloves on. I have orders to treat you gently. But out here – ” she waves at the house – “who knows if I do?”

A chill goes down Flynn’s spine. He’s met a lot of people in a lot of wars, some of whom like killing and some who do it because it’s their job, and he is belatedly realizing that yes, that wounded-fawn act, even if it didn’t entirely take him in, has blinded him to Emma Whitmore’s full danger. Not because she’s a woman; it has nothing to do with that. Just that she straight-up wants power (he thinks that’s Rittenhouse’s lure on her, at any rate), wants control, wants pain, and she has been given plenty of enjoyable opportunities to explore her talents. He doesn’t know what she has in there. He has to get Lucy out of this.

“Fine,” Flynn says in a growl. “I’ll play nice, for the time being.” The tone of his voice leaves it clear that if Emma takes her eyes off him for an instant, she’s dead, but she probably expected that. “Now let’s get this over with, huh?”

Emma smirks primly, then turns and starts toward the door, Lucy perforce accompanying her. She enters a code in a secret keypad, too many digits for Flynn to follow, and the door swings open, leading them into a dim, dusty front hall. An elegant chandelier tumbles crystal droplets from the ceiling, a grand staircase leads off into the gloom, and by the reverent look on Emma’s face, they might be walking into some old cathedral, some hallowed hall of power. Flynn doesn’t know what this is, but when Emma opens a glassed French door and they step into a study crammed to the brim with clocks, his stomach begins to turn. Clocks of every description, large and small, ancient mahogany grandfather clocks, cuckoo clocks, handsome brass navigation instruments, ornate gilded ones that look as if they’ve been ripped from a fin-de-siècle train station, fancy golden pocket watches in various stages of assembly and repair… a mad clockmaker’s lair. And the thing David Rittenhouse was known for, aside from astronomy, was –

“Yes.” Emma seems to have been following the process of realization on his face. “This is Rittenhouse’s house. You don’t realize how lucky you are, you both are, getting to see a special place like this. Ah, Millerson, Vincent. About time, boys.”

Flynn glances up to see two men, clearly the owners of the cars outside, entering the study from the other side. They both are wearing suits and have sidearms strapped to their torsos, as well as any other possible number of hidden weaponry, and they are not here to appreciate the historical value of the place. (Well, maybe, but still.) These are clearly Emma’s Rittenhouse cohorts, the muscle of the goon squad, and they come to a halt, looking at her for orders. It’s clear that she isn’t just some random piece in the system, but one of its essential and high-ranking cogs. Of course, they’d want their agent in Mason Industries, right next to the time machine, to be one of their best and brightest. Flynn feels sick.

“Got him,” Emma says briefly, jerking her head at Flynn. “It wasn’t even that hard. Like I said, don’t send a man to do a woman’s job. Boys, you take him upstairs to debrief him. We need a full and complete account of everything he knows, everyone he might have passed intel to, all his sources of information, how long he’s been on the case – everywhere. We need to make sure we have it airtight, any more leaks cut off. I know about Logan, we’ll be dealing with him, but anything else – remember you need him to talk.”

“Good luck with that,” Flynn snarls. “I’m not going to.”

Emma eyes him again, then rattles her handcuffed wrist, making Lucy’s arm shake. “Are you?”

That takes him like a punch in the gut. They can beat up on him all they want, but if they go after Lucy – and these people are exactly the kind who would do that – he doesn’t know if Emma is bluffing, if Lucy’s pureblood status (and where has he heard that before?) is enough to protect her. Lucy has rejected Rittenhouse, after all, and made things plenty difficult on her own. But if – but if –

For the moment while Flynn’s defenses are down, Millerson and Vincent swoop in on either side, grabbing hold of his arms and twisting them behind his back. They march him away – they’re good-sized gents, but it’s still taking considerable effort from them both – and up toward the stairs. He doesn’t know whether to fight. He thinks he hears Lucy yell, but then the door slams behind him, and he is in darkness.

Once the women are alone in the creepy clockmaker parlor from nightmare land, Emma undoes the cuff from her own wrist, fastens it to the old sofa instead, and obliges Lucy to sit down with a short push. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“Be real,” Lucy snaps. “Like I’m drinking anything you’d give me.”

“What, princess? Think I’d give you a poisoned apple?”

“I don’t know, wicked stepsister. You might.”

“Wicked stepsister?” Emma laughs. “That’s the best you can come up with? It’s almost kind of adorable. As I said, you’re still safe, for now. But it might be a long wait.”

Lucy doesn’t answer, because she is straining with every inch of her to hear any sound from beyond the door, or from upstairs. Flynn was shot barely a month ago, she saw the wounds herself, they’re not totally healed. If they start hitting him in his bad shoulder, or pulling out the waterboard or the pliers or whatever other terrible idea they have – Rittenhouse’s idea of debriefing him is clearly not going to be a pleasant and gentle experience. This must be a major Rittenhouse black site. If she ever did get back to a godforsaken normal life, could she call someone and tell them to check David Rittenhouse’s mansion in West Point – Lucy never knew he lived in New York, what was he doing here? Or would they get here and find nothing but a handsome old historical house, all illicit tracks expertly covered, or a Rittenhouse agent waiting to shoot them and hide the corpse in the root cellar? It might be a regular Cask of Amontillado situation down there. Her heart is hammering in her ears. Oh God, oh God, this is bad. She has not the first idea of how to fight her way out of this.

“So,” Emma says at last. “You and Flynn, huh? Garcia Flynn. I suppose he’s cute in a tall-dark-and-psycho Eastern European way, but really, what else does he have going for him?”

Lucy cannot believe that Emma really thinks they will sit here and girlfriend-gossip about boys (she probably doesn’t, she’s just trying to get under Lucy’s skin) and thus maintains a dignified silence. It’s broken by a distinct thump from overhead, and Emma’s eyes swing up toward the ceiling. In that, despite the fact that she very much is still handcuffed to an antique piece of furniture, has only that Krav Maga class going for her, and is terrified out of her wits, Lucy Preston lurches (it is not nearly anything as graceful as leaps) into action.

She jumps up, wrenching her wrist in the cuff, but manages to headbutt Emma solidly under the chin, hard enough to make her teeth click. Lucy shoves a hand into Emma’s jacket and her groping fingers find the butt of Flynn’s gun, which she hauls out, trying to find the safety and switch it off. She somehow manages it, clicks the trigger to cock it, points it at the chain, and shoots.

The sound of the gunshot at close range is deafening, making her madly flash back to seeing Flynn shot in front of her in the car, and it’s like using a flamethrower to kill an ant, but it does the job. Lucy pulls her freed wrist out of the blown-apart couch, feathers floating everywhere, just in time to hear another heavy clunk, and freeze. Emma has recovered herself enough to grab a spare gun from a nearby drawer, which she is pointing dead at Lucy’s head with hands far steadier and more accurate than Lucy’s own. “I wouldn’t do that. Princess.”

The tension crackles almost unbearably as they stare at each other, as Lucy struggles with the idea of pointing it at Emma, at some vital part of her, and actually doing it. Not that there is any guarantee she’d make it, since it would be the grand total of a second time she has fired a gun and beginner’s luck is nothing to count on in this situation, but still. She feels nauseous even trying to train it on Emma’s arm or shoulder, much less her head or heart. She is not Annie Oakley, cannot shoot the gun deftly out of Emma’s grip without hurting her. And frankly – Emma has hurt them, has her thugs upstairs probably beating holy hell out of Flynn, works for an incredibly evil organization and enjoys it remorselessly – does she deserve to be treated nicely? Does she deserve to die?

Lucy can’t breathe, can’t focus, feels like she’s having a panic attack, which is obviously not conducive to firing a gun in any circumstance, much less this one. Her hands rattle hard enough to make the muzzle wobble crazily in all directions. Emma clearly doesn’t think she can or will do it, but she’s not an amateur; she’s not going to laugh off someone with motive to want her dead pointing a heavy Glock at her. Her eyes don’t leave Lucy, waiting to see what she’s going to do, what she’ll possibly –

And just then, there’s a sound at the door, it opens. One of the goons has clearly heard the gunshot and rushed down here. “Emma?” It’s Millerson. “Emma, are you – ”

“Ryan, you idiot, don’t – ”

Lucy swings around, brings the gun up, and fires in the direction of the door. There is a yell and a heavy stumbling sound, and she ducks low and sprints across the parlor. There’s another door on the far side, she doesn’t know if it leads upstairs as well – Emma is shouting, swearing – Lucy hit Millerson somewhere, he doesn’t sound like he’s dead, but she shot him, put the gun against his head pulled the trigger now he’s – no, she didn’t, he’s not, not Bohemian Rhapsody, not now, this is stupid, this is demented, this is –

There’s a staircase on the far side, which Lucy hurtles up, not sure what she’s going to find at the top and not sure she wants to, but driven on with blind panic. Halfway up, she runs very hard into someone coming down, screams (or tries – it gets choked in her throat as a gurgling squeal) and raises the gun again, just as they grab it. “Lucy! Jesus!”

She almost faints again, for a different reason. It’s Flynn, blood running down his face and shirt torn, as he wrenches what is, after all, his own gun out of her hand. This is probably a wise idea, as he can be much more effective with it, and by the looks of things, he caught Vincent in a moment of distraction after Millerson had hurried downstairs to check the gunshot. Vincent is probably soundly unconscious on the floor, if Flynn didn’t have time to do anything else, Lucy hopes he’s dead, with a savage, burning need that scares her. She hopes he's fucking dead.

There is a lot of banging and crashing behind them, and Flynn grabs Lucy’s hand, half-throws her over his shoulder (they seem to spend a lot of time escaping from Rittenhouse-owned properties in this fashion) and runs down the back corridor. They reach a door, which he wrenches open, and they spill out abruptly into the muggy spring afternoon beyond, into the thick tangles of untrimmed greenery that abut the back of the house. They bash and barge through it, branches lashing at Lucy’s face as Flynn does his best to break a path, feet slipping out from beneath them in six inches of mud. Nonetheless, they keep running, sliding down gravel and splashing through a murky green rivulet, through more trees on the far side, and finally out into an abandoned play park, which is exactly as creepy as it sounds, but looks like a warm and sunny daycare after the Rittenhouse of Rittenhorrors. Graffiti defaces the slide, the swings hang off their chains, and by the looks of things, local teenagers or junkies come here at night to get high. Lucy sways, grips hold of the monkey bar post, and goes to her knees, hoping not to stab herself on a stray heroin needle. Then she is very sick.

Flynn is likewise breathing as if they have been chased by a train, but he crouches next to her, almost but not quite putting a hand on her back, as if she is still a piece of dangerous ordnance that will explode if approached unwisely. “Lucy,” he says hoarsely. “Lucy?”

Lucy can’t answer, because she’s still throwing up, but finally spits and shudders, remaining on her knees, hair hanging loose in her face. She can feel herself shaking, a fine and constant tremor, and doesn’t know how to make herself stop. Her wrist is still in the cuff, the broken chain dangling. She feels half as if she is watching this remotely from above. Shock, she thinks. This is called shock. It’s entirely understandable, but you should have a blanket and somewhere to put your feet up. Probably also liquids and deep breathing.

All of those things seem as far away as Mars at the moment, and she retches once more, but doesn’t bring up anything except a dribble of sour bile. She wipes her mouth on the back of her hand. Her voice is hoarse and deep when she speaks. “What’re… we going to do?”

“We need to get out of here.” Flynn glances edgily back in search of pursuit. If Vincent is unconscious or dead, and Millerson is shot, hopefully Emma has been delayed, but they would clearly be foolish to think it was forever, and they’re still far too close. “Can you walk?”

Lucy obediently tries to struggle to her feet, but her knees immediately give out, and Flynn catches her, swinging her across his chest as he did on their escape from the first Rittenhouse shindig back in Marin County. (That one looks much more civilized and preferable, really – maybe Cahill is not so bad after all.) She can feel him shaking too, ever so slightly, as she tucks her head under his chin and buries her face in his shoulder. There is a wet spot of fresh blood on his shirt where the thugs must have broken his scab, and she shifts restlessly, pressing her hand to it. “Garcia, you’re…”

“Shh.” Flynn doesn’t break stride. “It’s fine, it’s nothing.”

“What did they – did they – ?” To judge from that and the blood on his head, he must have taken at least a few good licks, but thank God they didn’t get enough time to really dig in and go to town. “Are they – did you – ”

“I didn’t tell them.” Flynn hesitates. “Much.”

In that, Lucy can sense that whatever he did tell them, however deliberately misleading and unhelpful, was to make it sound as if he was cooperating, so they would not have any occasion to try to hurt her. Her abused heart clenches almost unbearably. They have crossed some kind of Rubicon here, some point of no return. Rittenhouse is not going to stop. They are going to keep looking for Flynn – and for Lucy, and probably for Wyatt, by the sounds of things. They’re not going to stop. They’re not going to stop.

Lucy falls into a fevered half-doze despite herself, worn out with exhaustion and terror, as Flynn keeps going. Finally, she stirs as he is stepping into the parking lot of some backwoods motel, two-story whitewashed cinderblock with garish pink doors. Flynn goes in and tells the receptionist there’s been a hiking accident, his wife is hurt, they really could use a room, at least for a few hours. He will take care of phoning the emergency services, and he has a little money, but still – if she could find it in her heart –

The receptionist, clearly alarmed by their appearance and hoping this is not the start of a TV horror series, quickly agrees. Five minutes later, Flynn is awkwardly unlocking the door of the end second-story room, carrying Lucy through, and setting her down on the bed with its polyester floral bedspread. The portable air conditioner wheezes in the grey, stuffy air. He shuts the door and swears, for which Lucy can’t really blame him in the least.

“Is this going to be our life now?” she asks weakly, eyes closed. “Hiding out in shitty hotel rooms from Rittenhouse? Running from one to the next? Having to hope we don’t get caught and do it all over again?”

Flynn doesn’t answer. It’s plain that he can’t, that he has no idea, that he has not had anything to recommend him at keeping her safe – that every time he reappears in her life, trouble and danger inevitably follows. Lucy cracks an eye to see him still standing there, staring down at her. Then he sits down on the bed and carefully picks the handcuff off her wrist, smoothing his callused fingers lightly along the abrasion. “Did Emma hurt you?”

“No, she…” Lucy feels her stomach revolting again, even though there’s nothing left to bring up, and pushes herself clumsily upright. Flynn is looking down at her hand, very small between both of his, still not quite meeting her eyes. “She just. . . she said I was safe for the time being, and gloated. I… startled her, I stole your gun and got the chain off, and…” Her words stutter to a stop. “I shot Millerson.”

At that, Flynn does lift his gaze, startled and pained. He looks at her for a very long moment, the way she can’t stop her lip from trembling, the way her eyes are wet, how she feels as fragile as porcelain. It’s clear he can’t quite decide how he wants to respond to that. He lifts one of his hands as if to tuck her hair behind her ear, still not entirely touching her. At last he says, “Did you kill him?”

“I don’t think so.” Lucy’s stomach turns over once more – and then, weirdly, it stops. She should be feeling worse about this. She, like any godless liberal academic, has plenty of opinions about American gun culture, about gun control (or lack thereof), about all the ways it’s ridiculously easy to kill someone in this country even if you aren’t part of an evil secret society. And while she does feel bad, obviously, it’s a worryingly less degree than she should. She might be able to do it again. She might be able to shoot somewhere less easily mended. This is not, is not, how Lucy wants to feel about it. And yet.

Flynn glances at her under his eyelashes again, her hand still in his, which Lucy feels as if she shouldn’t remind him of in case he pulls back. Finally he says, gruff and awkward, “Well. Good – good job. Getting away from them. Someone should teach you how to properly shoot, though. In case it happens again.”

Lucy does not want to know how to properly shoot. She wants to go home to her books and her papers and the safe, ordered, settled nature of her old life, which might have had its problems but at least was not an active turd volcano. She doesn’t know why Flynn still won’t entirely touch her or why she even wants him to, doesn’t know, doesn’t know. She is the one to pull her hand loose this time, and stands up. Has an overwhelming urge to wash until her skin comes off. “I think I’m going to take a shower.”

Flynn glances at her with a pained and haunted expression. All he can fucking bring himself to say, however, until she almost wants to slap him, is, “Should I go look for some food?”

“If you want. I’m not really hungry.” Lucy sits up, and her head reels. He automatically reaches out to steady her, and their fingers lock. His tension is clearly evident, and after a dumbstruck instant – as if they haven’t been holding hands this entire time, because he has to make everything as difficult as possible, always – he tries to pull back.

Lucy, just then, has had enough. He clearly cares about her, gave up his gun when Emma had a box cutter at her throat, and even before that, in the reading room, he wasn’t exactly cringing in horror from her ugliness. But with this and everything, she isn’t in the mood to just patiently and graciously overlook his inexplicable, yo-yoing behavior one more time. This is not really a smart or healthy thing to do, but neither has been the rest of it. Lucy leans forward, catches his chin clumsily in her hand, and kisses him.

After all this time, and their multiple near misses, it’s – well, it’s as exactly as awkward as kissing someone you can’t decide if you love or hate for the first time, angry and messed up and just off a near-death experience, can possibly be. Lucy almost misses his mouth, and their teeth scrape, their noses knock, his head is not at quite the right angle and he momentarily seems to have had a heart attack anyway. His hand floats up, ghosting over her hair. The angle gets adjusted, and she cups her free hand at the back of his neck. His lips open. It turns into a proper kiss for five or ten glorious seconds, Lucy sliding forward on her knees and leaning down into him, eyes half-closed. It feels so much better than shouting at him. Then, since he must have gone too long without making a clanking emotional gaffe, he pulls back, turning his head just enough to separate their mouths. “Lucy. . .”

“Can’t we just. . .” Lucy slides up on him again, knees on either side of his hips. She has solid evidence, if you will, that he does not mind this at all. “For once, can’t we just. . .”

Flynn glances up at her with that same expression from earlier, that almost-anguished, disbelieving, tender, adoring look, that contains all the emotion he is such utter crap at articulating aloud. “You’re not in the right – ” he starts, then stops. “You’re angry, and you’re feeling like you want to lash out, and – you need a shower, Lucy. A shower, and maybe some food, and to sleep. You do.”

This may be, and indeed probably is, entirely true. Lucy, however, is aggravated beyond belief that the one time he’s able to come up with a mature, rational emotional response is the one time she doesn’t want him to. She also can’t tell if this is the “this isn’t the right moment, but we’ll get to it later” kind of gentle shutdown, or the “you’ve definitely read it wrong and I’m trying to let you down nicely” kind. You wouldn’t think so, given everything else, but she has given up on his guessing games. Fine. This has already been the worst day of her life, what else can really go wrong at this point?

Face burning, Lucy collects herself, slides off him, and retreats to the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror until her eyes cross and the image blurs. Then she undresses and turns on the tap, trying to get it past a tepid trickle. The ancient boiler seems incapable of running properly hot, and the water pressure isn’t great either. It feels like standing under a dribble of warm spit, which is far from the soothing deluge that Lucy envisioned, and isn’t helping her tension or her frustration. She runs her hands over her face, through her wet hair, still possessed of the phantom urge to scrub. There’s a hard bar of blue soap that feels like gravel when she scrapes it over her skin. She sits down and watches the water circle the drain. She would like to think she’s handling this relatively well, but she has no idea.

Lucy remains where she is until the water has run completely cold, then gets out of the shower and dries herself with another sandpapery towel. She looks at her clothes and can’t really stomach the idea of putting them back on, doesn’t feel released or relaxed. Finally, she just struggles them back on, fingers fumbling. She doesn’t look at herself in the mirror this time. She’d rather not see.

Flynn is gone when she emerges back into the room, and she goes tense, staring out the window at the mostly-empty motel parking lot. There aren’t either of the black cars that must have belonged to Millerson and Vincent, but that doesn’t mean anything. They could have stolen the decrepit seventies RV parked at the end and turned it into a mobile surveillance unit. Did Flynn leave his gun here? No, that would be stupid. After what just happened, he will probably only be parted from it on pain of literal death. The world is turning out from under her, it feels like the walls are closing in. This isn’t nearly a small enough room to trigger her claustrophobia in the ordinary course of things, but –

Breathe, Lucy instructs herself firmly, locking her knees. You’re fine. You’re fine.

And in fact, since she is, in some terrible way, fine, things level out the next moment. There’s a rattling at the door, and Flynn enters with a brown grocery bag, probably from the general store down the road – this seems like the kind of place that has a general store down the road. He sets it down, regarding her cautiously. “Dinner.”

“I’m – not very hungry.” Lucy turns away, crossing her arms over herself. “If you were thinking of a shower, it’s terrible.”

Flynn raises one eyebrow, but doesn’t immediately respond. The tension in the room is thick as maple syrup, but much less enjoyably so. They have reached the limit of their polarities, cannot continue to be forced apart without some sort of major explosion, but it’s less certain if it would not then be a bigger one if they came closer. The way Flynn is standing just inside the door, watching her warily, is proof of that. They don’t know if they are arguing or on the verge of making out or slapping each other or sobbing (or perhaps that’s only Lucy). She feels like a rack of dishes tilted over and slammed on the floor. Whatever is in the bag smells good, but she can’t get herself worked up to actually eating.

At last, after another painfully awkward silence, Flynn penguin-shuffles closer, digs the food out – looks like a deli chicken special, some rolls, a couple prepackaged Caesar salads and two bottles of fruit juice – and sets it on the table. “Hey,” he says, in that gruff but gentle voice. “Come here, Lucy.”

She pauses, then walks closer, feeling rather light on her feet and glad to sit down. Flynn opens the chicken box and pulls out a leg, then hands it to her. Despite herself, Lucy almost laughs, as he reminds her of a concerned mother bird anxiously testing out the juiciest worm for an ailing nestling and trying to force it down her beak. She nibbles a little, just to placate him, as he stubbornly keeps up the process with torn bits of the bread roll and salad, handing her the juice every so often as if to get her sugars up. As food tends to do, it helps. Lucy’s head settles a little, she feels less fragile and off the handle, able to breathe more deeply and clear out the knot in her chest. “Thanks,” she manages at last. “Thank you.”

He inclines his head, watching her carefully. “Better?”

“Yes.” Lucy lets out a long sigh, then nods timidly at his cooling portion; he’s barely paid any attention to it, too involved with feeding her. “You should eat yours too.”

Flynn shrugs, then economically dispatches it, clearly as an afterthought. The silence has tipped toward the easier, and there is less chance of a stray spark blowing the whole room sky-high, but the conversation is still not bountiful. At last he says, “I still think this is too close, but without a car, we can’t move anywhere tonight. That piece of shit is not worth it.” He aims a disparaging look at the RV. “Tomorrow, when there’s daylight, I’ll find something else.”

By the sound of things, Lucy thinks, Flynn is going to steal a car. This is possibly something she should talk him out of, but she can’t be arsed. She eats a final bite of salad and then pushes it away. “So. . . I’m guessing interviewing at Kenyon would be out?”

“I think you should.” Flynn swigs the last of his juice and tosses it across the room into the garbage, with a casual skill that Lucy can’t help but admire. “Get out of California. Away from all this. It might be safer.”

“And you?” Lucy tries to speak as offhandedly as she can, but her voice trembles. “What are you going to do?”

Flynn’s eyes are shadows beneath his drawn brows. “I’m going to fight them.”

Lucy was afraid of that. She doesn’t know that she expected anything different, or that Flynn would be content to go back to whatever life he used to have before this, but it still turns something over cold in her stomach to hear it confirmed. “Garcia. . . this thing with the time machine, whatever’s going on at Mason Industries, I don’t pretend to understand it, but if that’s the scale of what you’re up against, how can you. . .” How can you do it alone?

Flynn looks back at her steadily, gently, very sadly. “Do I have a choice?”

Lucy doesn’t know. She doesn’t know, doesn’t know if they are both fooling themselves with the comfortable, comforting delusion that she can take the job at Kenyon and recuse herself from all of this. As if moving to Ohio would be any kind of deterrent to Rittenhouse, if they were determined to catch up to her. She could change her name (ha, like that’s a foolproof method). She could move to Australia. She could run. It’s all possible.

And yet. Lucy has tried to run away from Flynn enough times by now, for whatever reasons, that she’s not altogether sure there’s going to be any different result this time. And she doesn’t want to, she still doesn’t want. Yet going with him down this path is unimaginably dark and dangerous, so far out of her comfort zone that it can’t even be spotted with the Hubble Telescope. She doesn’t owe this to him. She doesn’t have to risk it.

And yet.

Lucy leans forward slowly and takes Flynn’s hand where it lies on the table, clenched and tense. She doesn’t know what she’s saying, doesn’t know what the answer is, other than that she wants their stars to align for a little while. She doesn’t want to try another move on him and get shut down again, doesn’t know what his problem (rather, problems) are. Just links their fingers and lets them rest together on the table. It is getting dark in the room. Headlights waver past on the country highway outside, a brief flash of illumination, and fade.

At last, Flynn stirs from his reverie, gently lets go of Lucy’s hand, and stands up. He strips off his shoes and belt, then shucks his shirt, revealing his undershirt beneath. There is more bruising around his wounded shoulder, deep in the muscle and continuing down the arm where Millerson and Vincent must have hit him, and Lucy sucks in a breath. It’s not like there’s much she can actually do for it, but she makes half a move to get up. “Garcia. . .?”

“It’s all right, Lucy.” He prods at it, and grimaces. “You should get some sleep.”

As there is again only one bed in the room, Lucy does not feel up to facing another bizarre repeat of the Sheraton incident, where he insisted on sleeping on the floor and then wouldn’t look at her. Her pulse is fluttering in her throat as she pulls off her own shoes and socks. Taking off her own shirt would leave her in just her bra, and that definitely seems a little too forward. Is he going to flip out again? He’s managing to act remotely normal right now, but who knows. It’s as if he can be a disaster all he pleases, but the instant she’s in worse distress, he somehow acquires the magical ability to pull himself together and try to support her. It’s almost cute, in a tragic way.

Tentative and careful, they get into bed, still in their clothes. Flynn is not insisting on the floor, so there is that, at least. The sheets smell slightly musty, and the pillows are not the most robust item of bedding ever produced. They lie there side by side, staring up at the ceiling, neither of them clearly getting much sleep given the way they jump at small noises. Then very slowly, Lucy lifts her head and moves it to his good shoulder, settling into the broadness of his chest. It’s more comfortable than the scanty pillow, and it makes her feel safer to be close to him (his gun has been left in easy reach on the bedside table). She listens to the beat of his heart, deep and strong and slow, and rests her hand lightly on his arm.

Slowly, tentatively, Flynn wraps his own arm around her, gathering her closer. Lucy edges close against him, curled into his side, still afraid of him going haywire again and doing something else regrettable. But for now, the fragile, unspoken truce is holding, and she could swear he presses the ghost of a kiss to her hair. If she’s not dreaming already. It’s the same way they spent last night (God, was it just last night?) in the same hotel bed, and yet something, yet again, has changed. Later. She’ll work it out later.

Lucy closes her eyes, and although she hears screaming in her head, she sleeps.

#lucy x flynn #garcy #garcy ff #timeless ff #the tangled web of fate we weave

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bizarre-dollhouse · 7 years ago

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My Top 10 Favourite Anime (And Why You Should Watch Them)

This is normally something I would put on my main blog, but I wanted to celebrate a follower milestone and also I know this will reach a significantly wider audience on this blog.

Consider this both a list of recommendations and a *get to know me* thing, I guess.

Honourable Mentions:

Bakemonogatari: A really stylized show about a semi vampire helping people with their supernatural afflictions born from emotional issues. The subsequent seasons get a little questionable, but this is definitely a standalone story with great dialogue and visuals. (15 eps)

Shiki: Creepy story about a small town infested with vampires. Really brutal and sick, but it has fascinating themes. The pacing is a bit slow and it has a kind of bad scene towards the end, but the show is 100% worth it. (24 eps)

Cardcaptor Sakura: Because this is mostly aimed at younger viewers, I would only really recommend this show for either magical girl fans, or people who watched the extremely altered dub as a kid. That being said, its a cute, fun show about magic with a likeable cast and surprisingly creative and original ideas, especially towards the latter half. (70 eps)

Jojos Bizarre Adventure 4: Diamond is Unbreakable: Full disclosure, I have not seen the first 3 jojo series, but its not necessary to enjoy this show. This is a super creative and really fun series about superpowered badasses in a strange city fighting each other and trying to solve a murder mystery in the background. Weird, but in the best way. (39 eps)

Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus: This should be higher on the list, but in truth I would recommend the manga way over the show. But, if you want to watch a supernatural horror/comedy without reading a 138+ chapter manga, OR you were a fan of the original Black Butler seasons and want to see something way better, give this a watch. (10 eps)

*drumroll*

10. Trigun

So Trigun takes place is this old west, yet mysterious science fiction-y world where, through a bunch of complicated scenarios, a pacifist is the most wanted criminal known to man. Due to his status as a “natural disaster,” two insurance workers are tasked with reining him in to save their business. It’s an incredibly charming series, and the protagonist is really likeable. It’s extremely creative, funny, and emotional near the end. I do have some problems with the ending because it almost seems like the final conflict just...solves itself, but that’s a nitpick. The first episode is basically a short film, so give that a watch and see how you feel. (26 eps)

9. Paranoia Agent

This was directed by the late and great Satoshi Kon and has his usual themes about the blurring between fiction, dreams, and reality. It’s about a string of mysterious assaults committed by a kid with a baseball bat, and how these assaults seem to solve the problems of the victims. It’s very arthouse and has a twist that makes me ball my eyes out even though it’s not sad it’s just...odd and overwhelming. It drags a bit near the middle, but if you like kind of surreal stuff that’s also just really good, you have to watch this show. (13 eps)

8. Baby Steps

The amazing thing about this show is that its premise is specifically designed to make me hate it. It’s about a nerdy teenager who starts to play a sport for the sole sake of getting fit and having a more well rounded life style, and also he has a crush on this really popular girl. That sounds fucking awful, but the main character is actually really likeable (he reminds me a lot of Deku from BNHA) and I swear to fucking god every time I thought this show was going to do something awful and cliched with its romantic comedy plot, it doesn’t. The beauty and the geek trope is still there, but all of the bullshit that comes with it is omitted in a way I feel was kind of self-aware. The sports aspect is really good too: it’s well paced and there’s lots of tension even though the show as a whole is really upbeat and pleasant. I had a blast watching it, and if you can make it past the fact that is has god awful animation, give it a watch.

7. Higurashi: When They Cry

Yet another great show with absolute garbage animation. Anyways, this show is about a group of teenagers in a small town who are unknowingly trapped in a time loop. In each loop there’s a bunch of new mysteries, as well as some extremely brutal murders and tortures experienced my the main cast. I’ve seen a number of Western shows (Orphan Black, BBC Sherlock, Lost, Supernatural, etc.) fall apart because the writers want a really clever and intricate mystery to play out, but they don’t want to actually put the time into crafting one, so it’s just a bunch of cliffhangers with no answers or pay off. THIS SHOW SUCCEEDS AT WHAT ALL OF THOSE OTHER SHOWS FAIL AT. While not all of the answers are great (the second season isn’t as good) the original author somehow made the world’s most ludicrously complicated mystery story work, with a lot of it relying on the audience to put all of the pieces together even when the characters can’t. Its very clever in doing that: it makes its audience feel smart. It also has themes that don’t really show up in other horror stories, even though they’re incredibly relevant to fear and violence. Great show, go watch it. (50 eps)

6. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Everyone knows about this show, everyone says it’s great, and everyone’s right. If you’ve been living under a rock for ten years: the show is about two brothers who break an alchemy taboo, which destroys their bodies, They’re on the hunt for something to restore them to normal and along the way they meet like 8990354578579 characters with interesting stories. It’s tightly written and really gripping. It’s fun, but also really dramatic and emotional when it needs to be. My only problems with it are that the ending is reaaaallllly convoluted, and there’s a minor plot point earlier on that gets weirdly dropped, but everyone kinda forgets about those things because the show’s so good. Also the brotherly bond makes me cry. (64 eps)

5. FLCL

I honestly don’t even know where to start with this show because it has the unique property of being the only show I have ever seen that I have literally no problems with. Not even nitpicks. There is nothing wrong with this show; it’s perfect. The only reason it’s not number 1 is because some other shows have more ideas or more fleshed out characters. So this arthouse spastic comedy is about a boy who is disappointed with all of the adults in his life, then some chick hits him in the face with a guitar and giant robots from a secret facility start coming out of his head. It’s fucking wild and has like 30 different aesthetics and I love all of them. It’s the best looking show I’ve ever seen and one of the best directed. It feels like someone read a really weird poem and turned it into a 6 episode show. It’s funny, it’s emotional, it’s cartoony, it’s beautiful, it’s raunchy, it’s poetic, it’s silly, it’s creative, and it’s got strong themes. The wtf visuals, the nonsensical plot, and the amazing soundtrack make an aesthetic experience more than anything. (6 eps)

4. Princess Tutu

I already made a post about this show and why it’s good, which you can check out here, but the gist is it’s a meta fairytale about a duck that turns into a girl to help a storybook prince find his emotions. I used to love stories that were “twists on fairytales” or whatever, but after watching this show I realized that the genre is pretty derivative. This show is so amazing it honestly made me reevaluate an entire genre and come to the conclusion that this is the only member of that genre worth watching. It’s truly creative and well crafted with fantastic characters. (26 eps)

3. Hunter x Hunter (2011)

This show is basically a bunch of creative ideas, unique set pieces, and interesting characters stacked on top of each other in a trench coat disguised as a narrative. It’s about a perky shonen protagonist and a child assassin becoming friends while also trying to become hunters (a position involving vast wealth and adventure). It’s in a modern fantasy setting so literally anything can happen. In one arc they have to play life-or-death dodgeball against robots, and another is an insanely epic tale about the intense evil that people are capable of (feat. a 25 episode climax). I can’t even talk about all of the themes or ideas because there are just too many. Because of it’s wild, sprawling story, it has a lot of ass pulls and retcons, but in the grand scheme of things they don’t really matter. It’s long, but super easy to watch in huge chunks. (148 eps)

2. Neon Genesis Evangelion and The End of Evangelion

The most efficient way to describe this show is to say that it’s the most interesting show ever made. It’s about an apocalyptic future in which emotionally disturbed teenagers must pilot giant bio-machines to fight monsters which are referred to as angels. It’s got deep characters, a creative story, and is probably the most well directed show I’ve ever seen. The ending infamously fell apart due to production problems, so there’s a movie called The End of Evangelion to conclude the story. It’s a very disturbing arthouse movie, so watch out for that, but the show as a whole is moooosssstly more straightforward and fascinating, This is an absolute must watch. (26 eps and 1 movie)

1. Baccano!

Baccano! takes place in 1930s New York, and is about thieves, gangsters, criminals, terrorists, alchemists, and immortals interacting in this nonlinear comedy/action thrill ride. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster while watching this show. It’s the perfect blend of action, comedy, romance, drama, horror, and creative storytelling. It’s fantastic to rewatch since the first episodes barely make any sense without context (but are still an absolute joy to watch). It’s got great characters and it’s a great story. Go watch it. And then watch it again. (13 eps and 3 OVAs)

That’s it for this list! Check out my MAL page for more recommendations if you’re interested and have a great night!

#neon genesis evangelion #hunter x hunter #fmab #higurashi no naku koro ni #trigun #flcl #princess tutu #baby steps #paranoia agent #baccano!#not kuro

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tonystarkbingo · 4 years ago

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TSB MIV Week 16 Roundup!

Title: Is This Love? Collaborator: ceealaina Card Number: 4008 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - Pining Ship: IronHusbands, pre-SamSteve Rating: Teen Major Tags: Mutual Pining, Fluff and Humor Summary: 'Tony wasn’t looking at him though, or at the speaker. His gaze was fixed through the glass windows and into the hallway beyond where the military delegation had just arrived, among them Colonel Rhodes. “Oh my god,” Tony breathed, staring at him. “He’s so hot.”

'Steve's stuck in the world's longest debrief and, to make matters worse, he's stuck beside Tony who won't stop waxing poetic about his husband. Word Count: 1531

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Title: Love Inside This Madness Collaborator: ralsbecket Card Number: 4056 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: T4 - Kink: Bondage Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: Art, Naked cuddling, light rope bondage Summary: Tony asking if he trusts him is like asking Bucky if he needs air. The answer is always going to be a resounding, “Yes.” Word Count: N/A

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Title: No Rescue Needed Collaborator: Dracusfyre Card Number: 4032 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S2 - Merpeople Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Meet Cute, Polyamory, Established Relationship, Pre-relationship, Alternate Universe-Fantasy Summary: Steve makes an awkward first impression when he tries to rescue Tony but ends up cock-blocking him instead. To be fair, it wasn’t all Steve’s fault - he couldn’t have known that when Tony disappeared under the surface of the ocean and didn’t come back up for air, it was because he didn’t need air in the first place. Word Count: 1768

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Title: wake up call Collaborator: peachy Card Number: 4017 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - Interrogation Ship: Stony Rating: G Major Tags: fluff, feelings realizations, oblivious steve Summary: All Steve wanted was a cup of coffee, but a conversation with Natasha leaves him with a lot more than he bargained for. Word Count: 594

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Title: Medical Suite Collaborator: MagicaDraconia16 Card Number: 4019 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - Cheesy Ship: James “Rhodey” Rhodes & Tony Stark Rating: Teen Major Tags: Fluff, crack (treated seriously), magic-induced hallucinations, TV dramas, medical AU, medical inaccuracies Summary: In today's episode: Tony Stark wakes up from his coma; Doctor Rhodes and Nurse Romanoff share a stolen moment of passion; and Wanda makes a mysterious phone call.

Er, wait, that's not right... Word Count: 2173

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Title: Baby Let Me Swallow You~ Collaborator: J_gun_i Card Number: 4004 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S4 - Kink: Deep Throating Ship: IronHusbands Rating: E Major Tags: Deep throating, porn with feelings, Rhodey wearing his uniform, office sex Summary: Rhodey finally is seeing his boyfriend again. He had made plenty of plans, which got derailed the moment they eagerly pressed against each other.

Or-

Tony enjoys himself, especially with Rhodey kneeling in front of him. Word Count: 966

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Title: Send Me a Kiss by Wire Collaborator: BennyBatch Card Number: 4005 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R5 - Kink: Phone Sex Ship: FrostIron Rating: E Major Tags: praise kink, orgasm denial, dom/sub undertones Summary: Tony needed help testing his newly developed interstellar phone and Loki was more than happy to offer his assistance (and maybe a little more). Word Count: Tony needed help testing his newly developed interstellar phone and Loki was more than happy to offer his assistance (and maybe a little more).

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Title: I Don’t Need Saving Collaborator: Nicnac Card Number: 4048 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: T1 - Abducted Ship: IronWidow Rating: Mature Major Tags: kidnapping, mild injury, mentions of torture, blood, mild threat Summary: Natasha is abducted on her anniversary night with Tony. Her kidnappers try to get information out of her about SHIELD secrets but she turns the tables on them long before Tony comes to rescue her. Word Count: 2277

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Title: Crisis (Momentarily) Averted Collaborator: PoliZ Card Number: 4007 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K5 - Hindsight Ship: Natasha & Tony Rating: General Major Tags: Iron Man 2 compliant; deleted scene, Natasha POV Summary: Natasha realizes that Natalie’s glib suggestion to Tony to ‘do whatever he wanted’ for his birthday was ill-advised and potentially dangerous. Word Count: 797

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Title: The Day Rhodey Met the Captain Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity Card Number: 4004 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T3 - First Time Ship: IronHusbands, Janto Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: When Rhodey came home, he was perplexed to say the least.

Tony explained his sudden brust of cleaning away with a simple phone call and some guests coming over.

No wonder that Rhodey was cautious when two men knocked on their door.

After all, someone that managed to get his boyfriend in a frenzy was in a position to hurt him. Word Count: 1849

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Title: I’m Here for You Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity Card Number: 4004 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A1 - James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Mature Major Tags: Child Abuse, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, child neglect, verbal abuse Summary: Rhodey knew that not all was good and dandy in the Stark household. Hell Rhodey saw the evident in the fall of Tony’s face after a call one too many times, in the way Tony sometimes wouldn’t sleep until something for SI was finished. But what happened on Tony’s sixteenth birthday took the icing of the cake. Word Count: 1963

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Title: Together Under This Roomful Sky Collaborator: deehellcat Card Number: 4028 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - Confessions Under the Influence Ship: Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Accidental Illness, Medicinal Drug Use, with adverse reactions, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Socks, Confessions Under the Influence, Consent Issues, Love, Flashbacks, Mention of Panic Attacks Summary: Bruce smothered an obvious snicker. “So, kick-ass doses of antihistamines act as truth serum on him. Good to know.”“Out!” Tony sputtered and flung a hand toward the elevator. “False friend, laughin’ at th’ invalid. Dishonor on you, dishonor on y’r cow—”Bruce was openly laughing as he left, but Tony slumped back into a heap, his momentary burst of energy gone. “I didn’t mean that,” he said mournfully. “You don’t think he’ll think I meant it, do you?”“No, he won’t,” Pepper comforted him. “Let’s get you to bed, hm? Let you sleep that bender off.” Word Count: 3028

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Title: To Break and To Mend Collaborator: deehellcat Card Number: 4028 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S5 - Major Injuries Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Teen Major Tags: Break Up, Break Up and Make Up, (not the same pair), Secret Relationship, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Major Character Injury, Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Ironhusbands Summary: hey say, whenever one door closes, another opens. Sometimes, though, one door may close so that another can be reopened. Word Count: 520

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Title: Spinnerets Collaborator: deehellcat Card Number: 4028 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Horror Movie AU Ship: None Rating: Teen Major Tags: Supernatural Creatures, Kidfic, Kid Tony Stark, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, seriously he deserves everything he gets, Spider Mama Natasha Romanoff, literal spider mama, Arachnes, Canonical Character Death, Child Abuse, Transformation, Adoption Summary: A drunken Howard’s abuse of his son is interrupted by a strange intruder. Word Count: 6363

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Title: a moment in between Collaborator: ohjustpeachy Card Number: 4017 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S5 - Fears appear in reality Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Gen Major Tags: hurt/comfort, angst Summary: Those few blissful seconds right before he regains complete consciousness sometimes feel like all he has left. Then, of course, the realization hits, and Rhodey feels the loss all over again, hears the words anew every time. Complete paralysis. Tonight is one of those nights. Or, Rhodey wakes from a nightmare and Tony does what he can. Word Count: 1203

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Title: Missing you Collaborator: gottalovev Card Number: 4077 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T1 - abandonment issues Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: no archive warning applies. Long distance relationship, insecurity Summary: Five ways a long distance relationship with Steve is hard on Tony, and the moment it gets better. (Non-powered college AU) Word Count: 614

#tonystarkbingomarkiv #tsbmiv #tsb miv weekly roundup #tsb miv week 16

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rosiep66 · 7 years ago

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"WAR AND PEACE" (2016) Review

"WAR AND PEACE" (2016) Review I have a confession to make. I have never seen a movie or television adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel, "War and Peace". Never. Well . . . I once made an attempt to watch the 1956 movie adaptation directed by King Vidor. Unfortunately, I could never go the distance. In fact, I have never read the novel. However, many years passed. When I heard about the BBC's latest adaptation of Tolstoy's novel, my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to give "WAR AND PEACE" a chance. The six-part miniseries is simply about the experiences of five Russian families during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. Those families include the Bezukhovs, the Bolkonskys, the Rostovs, the Kuragins, and theDrubetskoys. The miniseries seemed to be divided into three segments during a period between 1805 and 1812-13. The first segment featured the introduction of the main characters and Russia's preparation of a war against Napoleon's France. This culminates into the Battle of Austerlitz in which two major characters - Prince Andrei Nikolayevich Bolkonsky and Count Nikolai Ilyich Rostov - participate. The second segment featured the characters' personal experiences at home. During this period, the miniseries explored Count Pyotr "Pierre" Kirillovich Bezukhov's failed marriage with the beautiful, but vapid and unfaithful Princess Yelena "Hélène" Vasilyevna Kuragina; the Rostov family's financial woes and how it affected Nikolai Rostov; the emotional strains within the Bolkonsky family; Prince Boris Drubetskoy's efforts to advance his military career; and especially Countess Natalya "Natasha" Ilyinichna Rostova's love life, which included both Andrei Bolkonsky and Prince Anatole Vasilyevich Kuragin. This segment also included news of Treaties of Tilsit of 1807, which ended hostilities between Imperial France and Imperial Russia and Prussia. The miniseries' final segment focused on France's invasion of Russia in 1812 and the characters' efforts to survive it. I could compare director Tom Harper and screenwriter Andrew Davies' adaptation with Tolstoy's novel, but it would be a useless effort. As I had earlier pointed out, I have never read the novel. But I do have at least two complaints about the productions. One of them revolved around the relationship between Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky. I realize that the publicity machine on both sides of the Atlantic had undergone a great effort to build up the relationship between the pair. Frankly, I found the publicity campaign rather wasted. The Natasha/Andrei romance struck me as a disappointing and wasted effort. The majority of their story arc - which began with their meeting at a ball near the end of Episode Three, continued with Natasha's brief romance with the slimy Anatole Kuragin, and ended with Natasha's romances with both men crashing around her by the end of Episode Four; had moved . . . so damn fast that it left my head spinning. I cannot help but wonder if the entire arc could have been portrayed with more detail if the series had stretched a bit longer. I also had a problem with Edward K. Gibbon's costume designs. I found most of them very colorful, especially for the aristocratic characters. But I also found most of them rather troublesome. Well . . . to be honest, I found them either mediocre or historically questionable. One of them left me gritting my teeth:

But my jaw had literally dropped at the sight of a few costumes worn by actresses Tuppence Middleton and Gillian Anderson - including those shown in the images below:

WHAT IN THE HELL??? Their costumes looked more appropriate for present-day evening wear than the early 19th century. What was Mr. Gibbons thinking? Despite the rushed Natasha Rostova/Andrei Bolkonsky romance and despite the rather questionable costumes, I managed to enjoy "WAR AND PEACE" very much. I am a sucker for family sagas, especially when they are seeped in a historical background. And "WAR AND PEACE" nearly pushed every one of my buttons when it comes to a well made saga. It had everything - romance, family struggles, historical events and personages. When I realized that Tolstoy had originally focused his tale on five families, I did not think Andrew Davies would be able to translate the author's novel in a tight story without losing its epic quality. There were certain sequences that really blew my mind, thanks to Davies' writing and especially, Tom Harper's direction. I thought Harper did an outstanding job of re-creating battles like Austerlitz and Borodino, along with the French Army's retreat from Moscow. Harper also did a great job in directing large parties and ball scenes. My two favorites are the party held at St. Petersburg socialite Anna Pavlovna Scherer's salon in Episode 1 and the ball where Natasha and Andrei met in Episode 3. But it was not just the battle and crowd scenes that impressed me. "WAR AND PEACE" is - after all - a melodrama, even if many literary critics are inclined not to admit it. I never thought I would find myself getting caught up in the lives of the saga's main characters. But I did. I must admit that I admire how Tolstoy . . . and Davies managed to allow the three main characters - Pierre, Natasha and Andrei - to interact with the five families, regardless of blood connection or marriage. I especially enjoyed the explorations into the lives of Pierre, the Rostovs and the Bolkonskys. At first glance, some might regard the miniseries' ending that featured a picnic with the families of the three leads as a bit on the saccharine. It did have a "happily ever after" tinge about it. But I read in a newspaper article that complained about Tolstoy's "realistic" ending - one that featured a less-than-happy view of the protagonists' lives and a critique from Tolstoy on all forms of mainstream history. Thanks to Davies' screenplay, audiences were spared of this. "WAR AND PEACE" featured a good number of first-rate performances from a supporting cast that included Stephen Rea, Gillian Anderson, Tuppence Middleton, Callum Turner, Mathieu Kassovitz, Jessie Buckley, Adrian Edmondson, Aisling Loftus, Rebecca Front and Aneurin Barnard. However, I was especially impressed by certain supporting performances. One came from Greta Scacchi, who portrayed the Rostov family's practical and sometimes ruthless matriarch Countess Natalya Rostova. I also enjoyed Brian Cox's portrayal of the world weary General Mikhail Kutuzov, who has to contend with not only Napolean's army, but also the amateurish interference of the Czar. Tom Burke did a great job in portraying the wolfish and ambitious army officer, Fedor Dolokhov, who eventually becomes a better man following Napoleon's invasion. Jack Lowden's portrayal of the young Count Nikolai Rostov really impressed me, especially when his character found himself torn between following his heart and marrying a wealthy woman to restore his family's fortunes. And Jim Broadbent gave a very colorful performance as Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky, the mercurial and controlling patriarch of the Bolkonsky family. And what about the production's three leads? Lily James gave a very charming performance as Countess Natasha Rostova. Well . . . I take that back. Describing James' performance as simply "charming" seemed to hint that I found it rather shallow. Yes, James handled Natasha's "light" moments with her usual competence. More importantly, she did an excellent job in conveying Natasha's personal struggles - especially during the series' second half. There were times when I did not know what to make of the Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. He struck me as a very unusual protagonist. Although I found him rather honorable and filled with valor, Andrei did not always struck me as likable - especially in his relationship with adoring, yet ignored wife Lise. And Norton superbly captured the many nuances of Andrei's character. If Andrei Bolkonsky struck me as an unusual protagonist, Count Pierre Bezukhov struck me as one of a kind. Well . . . one of a kind for a literary piece written in the 19th century. Sometimes, I get the feeling that someone like Pierre could easily translate into a late 20th century or early 21st century geek. Or perhaps not. I think Pierre is too kind and open-minded to be considered a geek. But he is very unusual for a leading man. And thanks to Paul Dano's superb portrayal, Pierre has become one of my favorite fictional characters. He did a stupendous job in conveying Pierre's character from this insecure and rather naive man to a man who learned to find wisdom and inner peace through his struggles. Dano was so good that I had assumed that his performance would garner him a major acting nomination. It did not and I am still flabbergasted by this travesty. My taste in period dramas usually focused on stories set in the United States or Great Britain . . . with the occasional foray into France. I was very reluctant to tackle this latest adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's most famous novel. But I was in the mood for something new and decided to watch the six-part miniseries. I am happy to say that despite some flaws, I ended up enjoying "WAR AND PEACE" very much, thanks to Andrew Davies' screenplay, Tom Harper's direction and an excellent cast led by Paul Dano, James Norton and Lily James.

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