#i hope he genuinely gets good character even though we barely know him...

[flashdoesahundredyarddash]

sorry guys... it's Carol and her fiancé Nathan and their bf Hal...

[genshin-obsessed]

Breaking Up hcs | Genshin & HSR

Have I done this before? I know I made that "what if we broke up?" post but I don't think I've done break up hcs before? I hope not anyway cuz i'm doing them now! Also, maybe I went overboard a little cuz even I felt bad lol and I usually don't feel sad when I write angst.

Characters: Aether, Diluc, Wanderer, Caelus, Jing Yuan, and Aventurine (lol I'ma try)

☽ Aether

That break up took a toll on him, more so than even he thought at first. Sleeping became his least favorite activity because he was constantly seeing your faces in his dreams. Constantly.

The entirety of Teyvat fell apart for the short time their favorite errand boy refused to do anything for them. Honestly, Aether didn't do anything for the first week or so. He was barely eating, barely sleeping, barely alive.

It was hard adventuring too, Paimon no longer wanted him to go because sometimes he'd just get distracted and take unnecessary hits. It was kinda bad. Eventually, she got Katheryne to no longer give him any combat requests because he just wasn't doing good enough.

All he wanted to do was talk to you, but you didn't want to talk to him, so that led him to just remaining in his teapot alone. He didn't even allow visitors for a short while. Paimon did her best to try and comfort him, but there were so few words that could actually get through that sorrow he was dealing with.

It took maybe a month before he allowed people to come visit him and under no circumstances were they allowed to bring you up. Mainly because he'd cry. Everyone did try in their own way to help him, even people like Wanderer or Arlecchino tried to give him some "words of wisdom". It... didn't work mainly because Aether wasn't receptive to it anymore.

☽ Diluc

He really did busy himself with work like he said he would. It's almost all hours of the day. He's rarely even seen at home anymore.

Ironically, Diluc is still very careful about getting hurt because if he did, then he'd need to remain at home and be on bed rest and he genuinely couldn't handle that.

He no longer sleeps in his bed either. Usually, he comes home later, collapses on the couch for a few hours until some dream about you wakes him up and he's back to work. He can't stand sleeping in that bed because you used to lay right beside him.

No one, I mean no one, is allowed to even say your name. Truth be told, Diluc is barely hanging on by a thread, someone saying your name and bringing your image to his mind's eye would ruin him.

Even Kaeya doesn't tease him. Actually, Kaeya keeps away because Diluc is quite irritable and not many people wanted to deal with that. While they understood the break up upset him... it was just too much.

☽ Wanderer

Oh boy. Breaking up with him was hard because he was angry and yelling (at the situation apparently), and just saying no. Eventually though, he relented and agreed. You didn't want to be with him and... well, it wasn't right to force you.

The aftermath was pretty bad. He was angry, didn't want to talk to anyone, and just up and vanished for a while. It wasn't until Aether and Paimon accidentally stumbled upon him while adventuring that they learned a little about what happened.

(W/n) explained that he never thought he'd lose you. Out of all the people he was "friendly" with, he never thought you would up and leave the way you did. It broke his heart- a heart he didn't even know started beating again.

Aether offered for (w/n) to join him on some adventures to just take his mind off of things and he, surprisingly, agreed. But it wasn't the same. Both Paimon and Aether noticed the lack of energy.

He was also constantly in his own mind. Most conversations happened between Aether and Paimon because (w/n) would just mentally check out and not even be paying attention. He didn't break down and cry physically but emotionally, he was a wreck. But it was so bad, he didn't know what to do. Cry, scream, try and take over the world, he didn't know.

What he did know was that the world didn't feel right without you.

☆ Caelus

You lived on the Astral Express with him and the others. Everyone thought you were the cutest couple and everywhere you went, you two received the same compliments. So, he definitely fell apart a little when you just up and ended the relationship.

The worst part was that he couldn't have time away from you. Not in the mean sense, but if you two were breaking up, he needed (for his own mental health) not to see you every single day. But... that wasn't possible.

It was extremely awkward for everyone on board. Welt and Himeko tried their best to keep things normal, the conductor did their best to keep conversations going, and Dan Heng just didn't bother coming out of his room. Caelus took a page from Dan Heng's books and just locked himself away for like two weeks.

When it was finally time for him to come out, he took time off of the express, choosing to go visit some old friends to regain some of that normalcy. Jarilo VI was where he spent most of his time as he hadn't been there in a while. He stayed there without the others for maybe two or so weeks, finding ample time to spend with Natasha, Seele, Bronya, Serval, and Gepard.

While he didn't openly state you two broke up, everyone knew. He did go and visit the Xianzhou which Dan Heng did join him in doing which was a good bonding experience for the two. It was when he finally opened up about losing you. According to Caelus, everything felt so wrong. Like a part of him was missing and that part was so close to his reach. But every single day, he had to pretend like it wasn't.

☆ Jing Yuan

He really didn't know what to do at the moment. He kinda stopped paying attention after you said you wanted to end the relationship. He tried to convince you otherwise, saying that breaking up wouldn't give him the chance to fix it but you were pretty adamant. He couldn't just say no... so he said ok and you were gone.

He tried to act normal. He did his job normally for the first day and that's when it all started to fall apart. The second he had time alone, it just hit him so painfully. You thought him losing his old friends was painful? This was a whole new level.

The second day, he couldn't really perform his duties as well and just handed them off to the first person he saw. Yanqing was most worried and desperately tried to get anyone's help because he didn't know what to do. It led him straight to the Astral Express and unsurprisingly, no one knew what to do.

Jing Yuan didn't even want help, honestly. He'd been hurting for years carrying the memories he did, so what was one more painful one? Maybe it was some sort of divine justice? Jing Yuan wasn't the most upstanding man, right? So he probably deserved this. What right did he have to just go and fix it?

Caelus did end up finding him out and about once, having the chance to share tea with Jing Yuan. The general explained he didn't know how to fix anything anymore. While it wasn't healthy to live life this way, it was his punishment probably. Caelus' concern led him to ask that burning question: why?

"I should've done better. Treated them better... maybe then... I'd still have them."

☆ Aventurine

He almost didn't register the words that came out of your mouth. You... break up with him? You were talking, explaining why, but he couldn't really follow. It's like his brain just stopped working and all he could think was 'this wasn't supposed to happen'.

At the end of it, you were gone and he was alone. Aventurine expected betrayal in his line of work, but he never expected it from you. Your "deal" with him was special. It wasn't like his normal deals. It was one that you two emerged equally victorious and no one lost anything. Right?

Even Ratio had pity for him. Aventurine waltzed around as if nothing happened but there was such a dramatic shift in his personality. He said the same things he always did, he acted as if he always did, but there was a distinct bitterness when he spoke of being let down.

When he told people to make use of him, there was a hint of resentment laced in his words. While he claimed he expected to be exploited at some point, there was still a twinge of fear. It never hurt before but for some reason, it scared him now.

He did briefly open up to Ratio, who was just berating him as usual, and it even took him by surprise. Aventurine didn't say much, but he did say how he figured everyone in the world to want to set him on fire for one reason or another. He just didn't expect it would be you to light the flame. Veritas called him an idiot and said you had every right to leave, which Aventurine wholeheartedly agreed with.

You did have every right to leave. You just didn't have the right to take whatever made him feel normal.

[thranduel]

some facts about astarion that i find very cute/meaningful :)

i wanted to share this so more people can learn about him and appreciate who he is deep down, behind the mask he wears. before cazador turned him, he was just like any other person; he had hobbies, passions and emotions. those things are still there, but they’re just hidden amidst all the darkness. he was so young when he first turned that he barely had a chance to enjoy life or figure himself out. so many people miss out on the complexity of his character due to only focusing on his physical appearance or labelling him as a cruel villain, but in order to see that he’s so much more than that and he’s capable of growing as a person, all you need to do is show him a bit of love!

- he loves embroidery and poetry

- he approves when you pet the owlbear cub because most people view it as a monster (the same way people have always viewed him). it’s like he finds comfort in the fact that you can love and care for something that most people are afraid of, and it gives him hope that you may feel the same way about him too

- if you put a flower on his grave, he smiles and says "cute"

- he comes up to you in camp just to thank you and tell you how grateful he is that you allowed him to make his own decision (after you defend him and don't force him to drink the drow's blood) because he is so used to being told what to do and he was forced to use his body for so many years

- in that same scene, he will hold your hand whether you choose to stay in a romance with him or be friends instead, because he loves and appreciates you no matter what, and any sort of relationship with you is so important and meaningful to him

- if you try to romance karlach and astarion at the same time, he tells you to choose karlach over him, even if he loves you and it hurts him to do so, because he can see that karlach loves you too. he says that normally an arrangement would work for him, but after everything karlach has been through and how fragile her heart is already, he doesn’t want to get in the way or see her hurt

- if you try to romance halsin and astarion at the same time, he just wants you to do what makes you happy, even though you can tell it hurts him if you choose halsin. he’s also worried that you’re unhappy because he hasn’t slept with you (he should never have to worry about that ☹️), so he doesn’t want to stop you from enjoying yourself. in this situation and the one with karlach, you can see that there are moments where he puts others before himself and thinks about their feelings more than his own

- if you’re playing as the dark urge and you’re trying to resist it, he is so incredibly comforting and tries to give you strength and encouragement. one of my favourite astarion lines is this: “you’re not alone in this, none of us are.”

some more lines that i love:

“i don’t hate you. because this is not you. but whatever it is, you’ll get through it. and i’ll be here to make sure you do.”

“whatever it is that’s controlling you, we can fight it. i know that better than anyone.”

“this thing won’t have you. it won’t win.”

“easy now, darling. you’ve got this. and i’ve got you.”

- when you try to break up with him because you’re transforming into a mindflayer and you tell him you’re becoming something horrible, he gets so upset that you would even think that way and tells you that you’re wonderful and he doesn’t care about what you look like. then he says he would get more stares walking down a street than you to try and make you feel better

- if you love and care for him and remind him that there is still good out there, he genuinely wants to grow, be a better person and break the cycle of power and terror that started centuries ago

- he approves when you help people that are considered outcasts or "freaks" because he has felt that way too

- he risked his life and got punished for letting a man go instead of luring him back to cazador because it’s implied he cared about him in some way and he couldn't hurt him (not entirely sure about this one, this is just how i interpreted it based on his voice and mannerisms when he was talking about him)

- he approves when you give an orphaned child food (act 3)

- he becomes vulnerable, honest and more gentle with you once you start treating him like a person, because for the first time in his life, he actually feels safe with someone

- he's extremely insecure despite the mask he wears at the beginning of the game and he doesn't believe he is capable of being genuinely loved for who he is as a person. when you get close to him and tell him you care for him and give him a hug, he is taken aback at first, but then he believes you and hugs you back. also, when you're playing as the dark urge, you get this line: "you like him for more than his looks, but he will never believe that." this is proof that astarion is so used to being reduced to his physical appearance after what he was forced to do for so many years, and he thinks that's the only reason why people like him. he struggles with intimacy and forming strong emotional bonds, so that's why it makes your relationship with him even more meaningful when he realises that you truly do love him for who he is, not just for his looks and body

- when the drow you met at moonrise shows up in act 3 and tries to make you drink something, astarion tells you to say no, because the only thing she's offering is pain and he doesn't want to see you hurt

- if you romance him, stop him from doing the ritual and help him defeat cazador, he tells you that you are the only person he's ever truly cared for

- if you defeat cazador without him and tell him you just wanted to protect him, he gets upset at first because you left him behind without telling him and he wanted to take revenge himself, but then he becomes understanding and says “maybe this is what’s best? the kind of power that ritual offered could ruin a person. even me.” this shows how much he’s grown and matured as a person and he’s aware of the consequences of too much power. the scene also ends with him telling you that he’s grateful for something that you did to help him (again).

- he becomes more self-aware, straightforward and honest over time and he doesn’t pretend like he’s perfect. he tells you that you were by his side through all the bloodlust and pain and misery, despite all of his flaws and mistakes. you remained patient with him and trusted him even though it was an objectively stupid thing to do, but he is so grateful for it because you believed he could become a better person (and he did)

- this is sad but he remembers some of the names of the people he had to lure back to cazador and even the memories he shared with them. you can see this during the scene with sebastian, and it’s clear that he actually cared about him (not sure how many situations were like this, but there was definitely more than one)

- if you say “i’m sorry we couldn’t save the other vampire spawn”, he says:

“we could have tried. we could have given them the same chance i had. i was able to go out into the world and make better choices. to go against my nature and become more than a blood-sucking monster. maybe they would have done the same. or maybe not - but did we have the right to take that choice away from them?”

this scene shows how much astarion has grown and how compassionate and empathetic he can be towards others. he understood what it felt like to have his own freedom taken away while cazador made all his decisions for him, so he didn’t want to put the other vampire spawn through that too (especially because he still feels so guilty for luring them there in the first place)

- if you romance him and he stays as a vampire spawn and you choose to help him look for a cure so he can stand in the sun again, this is revealed during the epilogue scene:

“one night, he tells you that these last six months of happy memories are the counterweight to two hundred years of misery.”

he’s finally truly happy and free, and the short time he’s spent with you is already so incredibly powerful and important to him. being with you has positively impacted his life in such a massive way that it makes all those centuries of pain and misery feel so much smaller

- another sweet line from astarion during the epilogue scene after he tells you to go catch up with your other friends and see how they’re doing:

“i’ll be here when you’re ready. i’ll always be here, my love.”

THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH 😭🫶🏼 he’s become so kind, loving, respectful, genuine and sincere. i’m so proud of him 🥹

[ollycohens]

oh no you guys. i’m going to spew things i’ve realized while rewatching umbrella academy. I’m realizing were all being too sucked into fanon things after being stuck without canon content for so long. We have convinced ourselves Five acts like a mean mean dude to everyone but rewatching, i’ve realized he’s only stressed and is saying things out of panicked anger, especially in s1 with the apocalypse dooming over them. he acts soft to his siblings multiple times, he’s really not as mean as we write him in fanfiction. he is a little crap though, that’s for sure, and i love him for that <3

also realizing that the siblings don’t hate five. they just literally don’t know him at all. he came back a completely different person after 17 years for the siblings, they don’t know five, he’s a stranger so of course they’re gonna be cold to him. it’s like, “i don’t know you well, but you’re always going to be my brother in the end��.

ALSO. for those who ship some of the siblings, uhm… i’ve seen a lot of you guys try to prove that they don’t see eachother as siblings and more like academy students, but they very much say in just about every episode that they see eachother as siblings. they don’t actually SAY that word by word but they say things like “she’s our sister”, or “our dad”. if they say OUR dad… bro. i’m not even going to continue, you can put it together yourself. But, i do realize why people ship the siblings. I am not defending incest shippers but with umbrella academy i can see why people have resorted to it. only 3 of the characters in the main sibling cast has romantic partners. people like shipping people, people love writing romantic relationships, but with only diego/lila, dave/klaus, and sissy/viktor, (i’m not going to count five/dolores for now) people are desperate with the need to ship the rest of the siblings with someone, and since there are only a few actual canon characters in the show that interact with our main 7, people start shipping them together… yikes. anywho, that’s all for that peice. i blame the show writers as well for shipping luther/allison, they did not have to do that, but i’m hoping it was only to convey the severity of what childhood trauma does to people.

ALSO THIS HERE SHOOK ME. I actually think Reginald cares for the siblings. i hate to say it, but it’s true. caring for them does not mean being good, though. he was a horrible father, and person, but he genuinely did care for the siblings, in a like, “being the best is the best thing for you, i will make you better, for your sake, even if you don’t know it now, you will see that i am right” kind of way.

also why has NOBODY MENTIONED THIS. in season 2 when diego first reunites with five in the asylum, while he’s walking into the visitors room, he’s staring at five with this heartfelt, soft look, and then says “five…” in the most soft spoken voice ever 😭 your honor i love them

ALSO UGHHH THIS. IM GOING TO FREAK OUT ABOUT CAMERAWORK AND METAPHORS HERE SO BARE WITH ME. we as a fandom complain about the lack of flashbacks five has due to his ptsd. we’ve seen his first flashback since getting back to his family in s1 during the van scene when he gets triggered by those kids playing and starts thinking about his own childhood, i’m guessing. i ate that scene up, and was sad to see that be one of the only deeply vulnerable scenes he has in the season, and during my first watch i thought they’d never bring it back up. but they do!! i may be stupid for not realizing but whatever. in season 2, when five is trying to explain at elliot’s with all his siblings around that another apocalypse is coming, everyone starts talking about each other. as someone who studies film and camerawork, i love this scene. we see the camera focus on five as it slowly zooms in. it doesn’t switch scenes at all as the siblings voices overlap and echo over eachother. this whole scene conveys him getting overwhelmed and he starts to zone out, starting to think of the nuclear war he saw his siblings in. the scenes of the war start quickly switching through, showing many different scenes of it before it switches back to five, who says “guys, you all die. i want to forget it but i can’t” which just UGH its so well done there. if you think about it, he was starting to slip into another flashback. he was triggered by talking about their deaths in the war but was handling it well until the siblings started fighting, where we see the overlapping voices happen. it portrays him losing control and being unable to pull it back together with too much going on for him to focus on grounding himself. we DO however, see that five was able to pull himself out before he fell too deep into the flashback. i love how they show this through them still having the scene showing the war, but then fives voice starts talking over the scene which is still focusing on the war as if he was pushing it back and forcing himself to come back to the present.

thank you for reading if you’ve made it this far, i will continue to freak out another time <3

[firestorm09890]

stray canto vii part 1 thoughts (warning: long)

so many cool new designs!! it made me realize how few of interest we got in Canto VI. Then almost everything was pretty standard (classic maid and butler outfits, lots of suits, Cathy had a fancy dress at least? and everything was brown. yes I know, T Corp color drain, but still. and Öufi came before season 3 ended so that didn’t count), but this time we have Camille, the P Corp guys, Fanghunt Office, Hugo I guess, Hong Lu’s sister, the firefist guy? if he counts? he barely appeared, Sansón, and all the fancy dressed up bloodfiends. woo babey!!

speaking of Jia Xichun, I like her! She’s cute! I didn’t expect to see anyone related to Hong Lu, but in retrospect I probably should’ve, since his turn is next and his family is massive. I hope nothing bad happens to her. I've never read Dream of the Red Chamber

also speaking of Hugo, lol. lmao. when he was talking about pressing the button to get the reward I was like “oh hopkins 2, got it” and then Ryōshū sliced off his hands so I guess… not hopkins 2

ALSO the blonde Fanghunt guy is named Romero, which is apparently the name of a character in Vampire: The Masquerade. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was an intentional reference

Sinclair cursing that one guy out was so awesome. I remember when Canto V part 2 came out and he censored himself saying “Bitch Brother” people were worried that the new translators were making him softer than he actually was, but, nah, he tries his best to be a polite boy but when he’s actually genuinely pissed off he does not hold back. Ryōshū correcting him BUT THEN SAYING HIS INTERPRETATION WAS GOOD absolutely killed me. my son demands respect

it’s a good day to be a Leviathan fan

The scripted loss encounter was so cool. They set you to level 45 no matter what level your LCB Don is, and take away all your EGO except the base (which you can’t even use), and I don’t know how far you can actually get in this fight because I flipped tails every single time and lost every clash

let’s talk about the Barber! leave it to Project Moon to look at the character who didn’t have very much of a personality who stuck around with the priest and attempted multiple plans to bring Don Quixote back home so he could become sane again (and burned a bunch of Quixote’s chivalry books, also with the priest), and turned him into an insane vampire woman with big scissors and a shrill cackle who stitches masks onto people’s faces.

interesting choice to have Sancho and Dulcinea both named in a single line and then not acknowledged or mentioned again

Sansón! so based on his story log portrait background being bisexual, the blue name, and him resembling someone in Demian’s group in the Limbus Company PV, I feel confident saying he’s part of Demian’s Group. The spot where his Sign would be is covered by his mask, though, so no one in-universe knows

I think this is why Sinclair was cast in the role of the Knight of the White Moon: he also has the sign, which Sansón (who is the Knight of the White Moon) would be able to see, and even if other sinners have it too, they’re not Demian’s special guy. everyone else, though, seemed to be cast in the most humiliating role possible: horse to be ridden for Gregor, wild animal for Heathcliff, random peasant for Rodya, presumably homeless old person for Outis

ok Sansón. in the book, he’s a young college student who read the first part of Don Quixote and, in part 2, approaches Quixote saying he’s a big fan and encouraging him to go back out and do more knight stuff. However, he actually just thinks Don Quixote’s antics are very amusing and isn’t actually an earnest supporter, and is conspiring with the barber and priest to get Quixote back home to stay. the way they (priest and barber try to bring him home in part 1 is by tricking him with an adventure that’s conveniently in the same direction as their home village, but then they get sidetracked in an inn for a long time so they just put him in a cage and drive him home. in part 2, they want to play on Quixote’s terms for a more effective result. near the beginning of the second part, they have Sansón dress as a knight (called the Knight of Mirrors/Knight of the Forest. these titles have no significance in the book but apparently the mirror thing forces Quixote to see himself as the frail old man he is in Man of La Mancha), say his lady is fairer than Dulcinea to get Don Quixote to duel him, and then make Quixote promise to stay home for a year when he loses. however, Sansón is the one who loses, because he wasn’t expecting Quixote to actually be good at jousting. Later, near the very end, which iirc is 3 months after the first encounter, another knight called the Knight of the White Moon issues the exact same challenge to Don Quixote (it’s just Sansón again, and "White Moon" has no significance in the original book either), but this time Sansón wins, so Don Quixote goes home, dejected, and then becomes “sane” again and dies.

Since this Sansón is part of Demian’s group, I don’t think his intentions will be the same- the Barber was a bloodfiend, and he sees beyond the ambitions of the bloodfiends now- but it’s fun to know how he is in the source nonetheless

I really like how he didn’t show up after the Barber’s defeat to say something cryptic and then leave, he told us quite a bit, and though his methods were… questionable, he DID force the sinners to actually finally pay attention to Don Quixote

speaking of the stage play, I like the juxtaposition between Sansón’s play and the Barber’s. in a different context, what Sansón did might’ve been framed as horrifying, and we’d be talking about how uncanny and unreal this is, but I don’t think that’s the intention here. the sinners might be playing roles, and all the enemies are cardboard cutouts, but it’s better than putting targets on real people (though I guess they’re not “people”, they’re bad, bad, bloodfiends). the cheerful music in La Manchaland is distorted and out of place, while the stage play is nice in comparison. the music for the talking sections is a bit too upbeat for the situation, but the music during the battles really immerses you. guitar! trumpet! maraca! this music is clearly composed to emulate spanish music, and it’s very earnest, which I think is important, with how easily music sets tone in media.

in both cases, Don Quixote is in a delusion. nothing in the stage play of her adventures is real, but she’s also completely wrapped up in the narrative of evil bloodfiends without the knowledge that she is one. a violent nightmare and a peaceful dream, both of which she needs to wake up from.

they both do this thing with black-and-white thinking, too. there’s a difference between the “good” bloodfiends, which you should get along with, and the “bad” ones, which you need to kill (though Don sees them both as bad), and then the bandits in the stage play are cartoonishly evil and love to bully the weak. except it seems the first is the narrative the Barber wanted to sell, while the second is Don Quixote’s reality… I mean, the play is definitely inaccurate, but we’ve seen how Don behaves

if you follow me for kingdom hearts and are for some reason reading this you know how much I love Nobodies in kh. people who used to be human, but aren’t anymore, who look close enough but are different on an intrinsic and physiological level, that everyone automatically treats as unreasonable monsters that need to die when they’re more complicated than that… I love it so much, I’m cheering and clapping whenever bloodfiend morality is brought up. Moses said that Larierre was cordial and offered her a place to sit and talk, but then also said bloodfiends are insatiably hungry and you shouldn’t underestimate them. agh I love it

also THE MUSIIIIIC every fight theme so far has been a banger. songs that were already good but with typical carnival instruments, big brass swing, the aforementioned nice spanish music, and the fucked up and evil sequel to dubstep electroswing featuring evil laughter

and finally, the helm of mambrino. in early part 1 of Don Quixote, he sees a barber (COMPLETELY unrelated barber to the other barber btw) carrying a basin on his head, and thinks it’s the amazing mystical Helm of Mambrino, so he attacks the barber and steals the basin. Don Quixote wears it as a helmet a few times and everyone thinks it looks really stupid. they did not fight a bear for it, nor did they go into a cave. idk what this might actually be in the City. either we’ll see or we won’t

[metalomagnetic]

if you don’t mind my asking, i was wondering whether the dynamic between voldemort and harry in either must die is what you generally envision for the two of them as characters regardless of the circumstances — like v treating and considering harry just a prisoner, never getting truly attached, taking advantage of him with every opportunity, etc, while harry seems to genuinely care — or if this is just one facet of the possible relationships they could develop over time?

just curious, since your voldemort in iritb is so much different from harry’s voldemort, and i couldn’t quite make out whether it was a conscious choice for the different characters you decided to pair him with, or if you’re just exploring different facets of the same person (v).

I think I write the same Voldemort most everywhere, with only slight variations in his environment. For example, in Ouroboros he is raised by Voldemort, in other fic by Merope, in others he stays in Wool's; in some of my stories he is bisexual, in others gay; in some he's young, in others middle aged, in others very old. However, even if I alter his circumstances, I do try to keep some core traits of him that are the same across all my stories.

Now, Either must Die Voldemort is older than It runs in the blood one; he has lost 2 wars, and is defeated and a captive; he has a daughter. In It runs, he begins the story at the height of his power, where he feels invincible. He is 50 something as opposed to 80.

Because of this alone, he would be at different stages of his life, and in different mental places.

Yet I don't see them that different from each other- it's only his circumstances that change drastically.

That aside, we are looking at him through different POV characters. We have a terribly depressed, very lonely Harry who barely survived a war but lost almost everyone he cared for in the process only to find out their sacrifices were for nothing, because Voldemort still lives. We have a man isolated by his own hero status, and he further isolates himself, trapping himself in a house he hates. A good man, one that is willing to sacrifice himself for the world, to help any stranger, to do the right thing.

On the other, we have Sirius, a tormented young man, trying to find himself, struggling between two identities; a man that holds great privilege, involved in an active war, with friends or family on both sides. A man that is also willing to sacrifice himself, but only for those who he loves- the rest of the world can go to hell, though. Sirius' moral code is nowhere near as rigid as Harry's. All the mentors in his life had been horrible people (Orion, Arcturs) while Harry's mentor was Dumbledore. Fairly soon in the story, Sirius also gains the protection of the Blacks back- a shield Voldemort cannot easily break.

And I think that makes the very big difference in how the reader perceives Voldemort; he truly isn't *that* different, only Harry and Sirius perceive him completely differently.

EMD V is also in survival mood- his goal is to get out of captivity, he doesn't have the luxury to care about anything else.

It runs V has the war under control- he can take the time to indulge in other comforts- as EMD V did, during the first war, when he started his affair with Bellatrix.

Harry wants Voldemort to be better; he wants to 'fix' him. He always hopes there's more to V, deep down, and he cannot love V as he is.

Sirius falls in love with V precisely because he's a deranged, power hungry maniac.

Voldemort still manipulates them both, only he uses different methods, knowing what works best with each. Yet he responds differently to Harry and Sirius, because of how they treat him in kind.

It runs V also has Horcruxes, and his brains are a tad scrambled, while EMD V, has his shit together, mentally.

I think Voldemort will always respond better to a partner that doesn't try to make him a more decent person. I think Bella (or Sirius) are much better fits for him, because they aren't troubled by his non existent moral code.

Harry in EMD feels nauseous when he sees V slaughter the men who kidnapped Harry and Andromeda. Harry fees nauseous when he thinks V killed Slughorn.

Sirius is *awed* when he sees V commit mass murder against the aurors. He eats dinner with V even after he knows he just killed the Prewet brothers, men Sirius used to hang out with. He has sex with V after V killed a bunch of dark wizards in Norway.

Harry is giving in his relationships with everyone. He gives, and makes compromises.

Sirius is aggressive in his relationship with V.

That being said, I don't think any story with V and Harry would be like EMD. It truly depends on the circumstances. Harry starts the story in a position of power over Voldemort- he keeps Voldemort captive, keeps him from his magic and freedom. Harry is also the boy that destroyed him, so many times, since he was 1 year old. Simply because of that, V could never truly love Harry. And when he does gain power, he gains absolute power over Harry; that, too, prevents V from ever looking at Harry as a partner. Their dynamics have always been extreme.

You can see (if you read my other Voldemort/Harry fic) that in Prison Blues, Voldemort is much more receptive and appreciative of Harry, simply because of different circumstance.

With Sirius, he starts by being in a position of superiority, yet Sirius is never truly defenceless. But we can see V still has the instinct to make Sirius his prisoner. If V would have survived Halloween night, he would have taken Sirius captive, and that would have ruined all that was between them, on both ends.

Sorry if I rambled too much! I hope it answered your questions! I truly like to keep my characters more or less the same in all my story, but just explore how they'd behave in different circumstances.

[gffa]

Hi Lumi. This year I’ve watched The Clone Wars, Rebels, Mandalorian, Book of Boba Fett, and Tales of the Jedi and I’m watching Ahsoka as episodes are released. But I feel like I’m missing some context as to why people are wary of Filoni. What things should I know so I’m caught up, so to speak, in the fandom discussions?

Hi! That's a lot of Star Wars to watch in a year, I hope you're having fun with it all! And I will gently remind everyone that Filoni is not the be-all-end-all of Star Wars creators--Henry Gilroy was there for TCW and Rebels, too. George Lucas was holding writers' meetings years after the show started (at least into 2010!). The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett are far more Jon Favreau's shows. The Bad Batch is Brad Rau and Jennifer Corbett. Resistance was developed by him, but was run by other producers. It's just that Filoni tends to get the most camera time and has become the face of Star Wars creators. That said, the issue with Filoni is kind of two-pronged, though, they overlap. 1. He's done a lot of interviews where he's said a lot of anti-Jedi things that have drifted from reasonable critiques in the beginning to eventually "Qui-Gon Jinn was the only true Jedi. [blatantly wrong citations]" This has put a lot of people off him as a creator, because we love the Jedi Order that Lucas talks about and established, which Filoni has actively contradicted over the years, despite being promoted as someone who follows Lucas' themes. And it's hard not to be aware of his interviews when watching his shows and it's hard to enjoy shows that do your faves dirty, you know? 2. His writing has become weaker over the years for a lot of us--Rebels is a show most of us love and found to be incredible. Many of us really love The Clone Wars, which he was heavily involved in/was probably the central voice after Lucas started phasing out. But his biggest story told over the course of those series--basically, the story of Mandalore's history and fall to the Empire--has been extremely thin for a lot of us. And a lot of us get frustrated at his inability to be objective when it comes to Ahsoka's character, that we love her as a character very much, but it hasn't felt like Filoni really knows what to do with her character arc and yet almost everything he writes is centered around her. His final season of The Clone Wars? Gave her the walkabout arc and the Siege of Mandalore arc, both of which often did not hold up well under scrutiny. His episode of The Book of Boba Fett? I actually really loved it, but it absolutely just stopped the pacing of that show to focus a lot on her. More on Luke, but he couldn't resist putting her in there, either. Tales of the Jedi was half devoted to Ahsoka and so much of it wasn't even about her time as a Jedi! We're frustrated because he doesn't set things up well anymore--Morgan Elsbeth is a Nightsister?? Why wasn't that established in The Mandalorian instead of pulling out randomly in Ahsoka? Why does Sabine Wren suddenly so badly want Jedi training, when they barely even had a conversation in Rebels?? There's a lot of good that Filoni has given to Star Wars, I think he genuinely cares about the Force and what it means--he's very consistent on how it's not easy and how it takes discipline and control, that he has been consistent on how anger and fear are paths to the dark side, even his episode of TBOBF had Ahsoka saying, yeah, attachment is a path to the dark side, because the Jedi mean "attachment" in a more Buddhist-aligned way. A lot of his writing for the character of Ahsoka is actually pretty good, like I've been enjoying her being a prickly, traumatized hot mess in the show! It's just that I kind of hate all the interviews he gives and I think he's a lot less objective than a lot of fans and media coverage that would hold him up as a perfect writer/interviewee about all things Star Wars, and it all comes together to make him kind of a hot-button topic.

So, a lot of people LOVE Filoni's work, a lot of people are frustrated by it, a lot of people are casually fine about it, a lot of people HATE Filoni's work and it can be a fun mix of any of the above or even other issues that come up. (And that's all fine! I have my views on Filoni's work, but it's fine if others hate it more than I do or love it more than I do, there's room for us all, all of it is valid.)

But I think if you want to understand some of the roots of this corner of fandom's frustration, two (admittedly long as heck) homework assignment reads would be:

- My own rebuttal to Dave's behind the scenes Mandalorian Gallery talk (this is jokingly referred to as "Davegate" because I refused to take it too seriously) - @david-talks-sw's collection of comparisons between Lucas' commentary on the Jedi and Filoni's commentary on the Jedi

This response itself is more focused on laying out the problems a lot of people have with Filoni's writing, but also honestly I still have my giant collection of Jedi source material citations that quotes his commentary, I still bring up Filoni's quotes in current meta a lot, I still talk positively about the things I enjoy from his shows, so overall there's equal amounts of both praise and criticism here. So, as short as I can make it (which isn't very, shut up, I know! XD), that's basically what people mean when they say they're wary of Filoni.

[fireflyinks]

Could you write a smut fic about Noah Calhoun from the notebook? I love your work and writing style, and would love to see how you interpret the character.

first time

noah calhoun x reader smut

contains : smut, loss of virginity, p in v, praise, fluff, very vanilla

a/n : yes ofc! thanks for leaving a request :) i love noah (and pretty much any ryan gosling character) with my whole heart.

18+ MINORS DNI

Noah’s truck dragged down the gravel road which led to my house. I’d been waiting on the porch for him for an embarrassingly long time, even though he was perfectly on time. I just liked being outside to see him drive up to my house, and I refused to risk him being early and missing it.

“Hi Noah,” I called out as he got out of his truck and ran up the wooden stairs to meet me.

“Hey beautiful.” He pulled me into a firm hug. It felt nice, I hadn’t seen him in about four days since he’d been so busy with work, but it felt like an eternity.

The hug lasted about ten seconds before he pulled away and kissed my cheek, looking down at me and smiling.

He reached for the door and opened it for me, and I quickly made my way in. My parents were out of town, and I had the house all to myself. Of course, my parents would’ve never let him and I hang out alone, especially not in my room, even though Noah and I were eighteen and legally adults. I was still under my parent’s roof and those were the rules.

They had been hesitant about Noah and I seeing eachother at first. I was a good girl, good grades, never got into any trouble, and Noah was Noah. But he grew on them, so were allowed to date.

With certain restrictions.

I walked to the kitchen, giving the freshly baked plate of cookies to Noah. “I made your favorites.”

If I had to give a girl life advice, I’d say ‘get yourself a man that looks at you the way Noah Calhoun looks at a plate of cookies.’

“You’re too good to me.” He smirked, taking the plate from me.

We sat in silence in the living room as we ate, just enjoying each other’s presence. Noah knew it was going to happen tonight. I knew it was going to happen. Neither of us were brave enough to admit it.

But god, I wanted it. I’d been hoping Noah did too, but we were never alone enough to experiment anything. Even at Noah’s house, where his dad basically didn’t care what we did, we didn’t want to risk him walking in or over hearing anything.

As if reading my thoughts, Noah cleared his throat.

“Look, I know you’re probably assuming that I expect for something to happen just because we’re home alone, but I just want you to know you don’t gotta do anything if you don’t want to. I’m just here to be with you, and I won’t be upset if you don’t feel comfortable enough to…”

“I want to.” I interrupted him quietly.

He raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure? I mean really, it’s up to you.”

“Do you want to?”

He nodded immediately, “Of course I do, but I want you to feel comfortable too.”

His genuine concern for how I felt made my heart flutter.

I grabbed his hand, interlinking our fingers. “I want it more than anything. I promise if I get uncomfortable, I’ll tell you immediately.”

Noah smiled, standing up and picking me up from the couch. I giggled as he carried me up the long set of stairs to my bedroom.

The difference between him and my room’s decor was almost comical. He stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the baby pinks and the overall aesthetic.

Noah laid me down on the bed, crawling on top of me and placing small kisses all over my face and neck. He was gentle and slow, which I appreciated since I’d never done anything like this before.

He pulled away for a moment, slipping his shirt off. I took the opportunity to lean forward and take mine off as well.

Noah kissed down my ribcage, fumbling with my bra’s clasp in pursuit to take it off. I laughed to myself and helped him.

“You’re so beautiful.” He looked at my bare chest in awe. I couldn’t help but blush shyly, since he’d never seen me this uncovered before.

“Th- thank you.” I breathed out slowly, maintaining eye contact with him.

He continued kissing down my abdomen, until reaching my skirt. Noah looked up at me, as if asking for consent once again.

“Please, Noah.”

He slipped my skirt off slowly, leaving me in just my underwear. Examining the pink fabric for a second, he smiled and looked at me.

“These are pretty.”

I blushed as he took them off of me. Noah breathed out almost harshly, looking me up and down. He stood in silence for a couple of seconds.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, slightly panicked.

“I don’t understand why any guy would wanna be with a girl other than you.”

I giggled, “What do you mean?”

He spoke as he began taking his jeans off.

“You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen and I ever will see. Nobody else could ever amount to you, you know that?”

For a blue collar country boy, Noah had a way with his words I’d never understand.

I felt myself getting wetter than I had already been from him undressing me.

“You’re so sweet, Noah.”

He stepped out of his boxers and climbed on me once again.

“Are you ready?” He asked, positioning his member against my core.

I nodded slowly, preparing myself for the pain I’d heard first-time sex would bring me over and over and over again.

He pushed into me, sighing in pleasure.

“How do you feel?” He whispered after a moment, after entering me fully.

It didn’t feel as bad as I had expected, just a bit uncomfortable, but exciting at the same time. This is what I had been waiting for, Noah was finally giving it to me.

“Good- not too bad. You can move.”

Noah slowly began to piston in and out of me, careful not to go too fast. He placed his hands on my hips. The pain slowly crept away, replaced with genuine pleasure. I let out small moans with every thrust, and Noah grunted ever so often.

“You feel so good, baby. You’re so so so good for me.” He said in my ear, trailing down to my neck and sucking on it lightly as he continued to thrust.

He continued at this pace for a while, until I was ready for more.

“More” I sighed out.

“More what, sweetheart?”

“Faster, deeper, I just want more of you.”

He nodded, quickening his pace. I threw my head back in pleasure, softly moaning.

“I- I don’t think I can last much longer.” Noah mumbled against my neck.

I shook my head, “Me neither.”

“Come for me, baby. Show me how good I’m making you feel.”

I nodded, feeling the tight coil in my stomach snap ever so suddenly, and I released onto his member. He moaned, pulling out and finishing on me.

“Thank you, Noah.” I sighed, looking down at his load on me.

He interlocked out lips, kissing me passionately.

Pulling away, he spoke against my cheek. “I’ll be back, gotta clean you up.”

He went to my bathroom for a moment, coming back with wet rag.

“How do you feel?” Noah asked, hesitantly.

I smiled, “That was perfect. So much better than I thought it would be.”

Noah pretended to be offended, “Ouch, were your expectations really that low?”

I rolled my eyes, laughing, as he continued to clean my stomach with the rag. “No, but I just expected it to be awkward and painful because that’s how everyone describes it to me, but it wasn’t either of those things. You made it perfect.”

Noah smiled, kissing me again.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it pretty girl. It was great for me too. You have no idea how nervous I was.”

He left again, coming back without the rag.

I looked up at him, feeling more emotions than I’d ever felt in my eighteen years on earth.

“I love you so much.”

Noah climbed into the bed with me, pulling us under the covers.

“I love you more, sweetheart.”

[nobodyknowsanythingaboutmef]

*SPOILERS*

I don’t really know how I feel about these final two episodes. There were some really great elements and I was genuinely shocked by the ending don’t get me wrong.

But still I have this weird feeling that it was incomplete for me. I was happy they gave us Agatha’s backstory with Nicholas but I think we needed more about her and Rio’s story. Like how they met and fell in love, also their relationship and adventures, it was just a hole in the plot for me. Like I get that not everything is about their relationship but it is a crucial part of the series which should be highlighted. It is honestly frustrating that we get so much screen-time with Billy but barely any with Rio, who is mind you death herself and also the main characters ex. It wasn’t like episode 7 where even though the focus was on another character it felt natural and necessary for the plot.

And I’m not saying I hated Billy as a character he was kinda interesting at the beginning but I think the focus shifted a bit too much to him. Considering his character will probably get a bigger role in the upcoming marvel projects I just think it was kind of a waste of time to give him this much space in AGATHA all along.

And oh one more thing, I despise that they made Agatha a side kick ghost for Billy, like wtf was that??? Whyyy???

I kinda feel like it’s the typical wlw experience on tv where you get a little bit of a win (the kiss) but eventually a big fucking loss.

But hey at least the kiss was in good lighting and with great actors who definitely know how to kiss a woman. And we can always hope for a second season…

[helluva-shit-show]

So I was re-watching "Oops" grabbing some screenshots for a different rant when it occurred to me, damn, Striker really should not have been in this episode. I know it's not a hot-take, lots of ppl have said this already, but I mean even for the way the writers want the show to go, right down to tone, they really botched an opportunity. I'll let someone else talk about how Striker working with Crimson makes both antagonists so much less intimidating, right now I'm just gonna focus on the narrative so far, and unfortunately for a lot of critics of the main ship it's pushing, this will have a lot to do with Stolitz.

So when we first meet Striker, it's in "The Harvest Moon Festival". The episode starts with Stolas inviting Blitz and the gang to be his royal guests at said festival. Blitz makes him promise it's neither murder work nor a sex thing and Stolas agrees. This is (to the audience's knowledge) the first time Stolas has invited Blitz out to be seen together publicly without any strings attached. He's not being bought, he's not acting as a bodyguard, and he's not expected to bang anyone at the end of the day.

Blitz meets Striker, Striker boosts up Blitz's ego immediately, they enter the pain games together, split the win, have a general good time, and at some point off screen, Blitz offers Striker a job at I.M.P.

And then Blitz catches Striker trying to kill Stolas. He's pissed, but not as pissed as he gets when Striker almost causes him to shoot Moxxie.

Blitz bites the man and puts a hole through the wall during the fight. They really go at it, it's a pretty intense fight, and you can really feel the rage in Blitz during it.

Putting a pin in Stiker for a minute, let's skip to the next episode, "Truth Seekers" we get a peek into Blitz's headspace surrounding Stolas. He feels chained to Stolas, but through his expressions during the staircase climb, it feels like he wants it to be more than just transactional. Well, at the least, hopes it can be more. Stolas swoops in at the end of the episode and (not without belittling Blitz verbally) saves Blitz and the people he most cares about. And then Stolas asks for a "reward". This 100% highlights Blitz's torn feelings. Does he let himself believe the care is real, or is it just for sex at the end? Well...

He got his answer didn't he? Stolas doesn't stand up to Ozzie for him. He doesn't make a clear statement that Blitz is more than just a cheap lay. And that hurts.

At the end of the night Blitz can barely get the words out to set a boundary for himself.

The next time we see these two interact is in "Seeing Stars". Do we get to see the resolve of the night at Ozzie's? Nope. But something has clearly changed since then, bc not only does Blitz show genuine concern for Stolas and try to reassure him, at one point, briefly, he's even receptive to Stolas's flirting again.

Two episodes later, Striker is back. Blitz very much so has complicated feelings surrounding Stolas at this point, but he shows not just concern, but both fear and rage again at the thought of Striker harming Stolas.

One could definitely argue at this point that this is about his means to continue his business and source of income and that of his employees, but there is something to be said about him almost cancelling Loona's doctor appointment to go save the rotten owl. Loona is always Blitz's first priority, and though a single vaccine might seem small in comparison to a life, if it really took five years for an appointment, that could be his daughter's life as well, assuming "hellbies" is just rabies but it's in hell. He thought about it. He was ready to turn the car around when Millie and Moxxie stepped in.

And even though Striker got majorly character assassinated in the episode, he tore up Stolas really bad. Him and his angelic weapons do carry real stakes with them, however much they want to make him a joke character. (Again, such a waste of potential)

With the narrative we know the writers are going with, Blitz does care about Stolas. The realization he can get hurt is probably shocking and terrifying to Blitz. He'd probably both be angry with himself for not going, but getting to the original point, he'd probably be furious at Striker.

Now I know Helluva has a huge tone issue. Is it a comedy? A lot of the time, yeah. Is it a drama? There's definitely drama in it. Romance? Highly debatable. Horror? I mean, it does take place in literal hell, so. Action? It's mixed in there too.

Personally though, I would like to think that the next time Blitz saw Striker, he'd tear him to shreds. I'd think the tone would be on the more serious side. He's hurt Millie and Moxxie very badly in Harvest Moon, he's hurt Stolas to the point he was hospitalized, that's three of the four people Blitz is currently close with. Narratively speaking, Striker could easily be Blitz's main external antagonist. It works both from a more action based tone, but also if you want to push Stolitz, which we know they do. And yet...

He's just an irritation for Blitz.

He didn't need to be there, it could have just been Crimson and his sharks. Would it have felt weird having him be a stand alone villain again just 3 episodes after he was first introduced, sure. But not any weirder than Stella's personal hitman looking for work in Greed and just happening to find it with said Mafia boss.

I know this was a Blitz/Fizz episode, I get that, I'm not complaining about that, hell, it literally could have been just them figuring their shit out together. But that just makes it even more glaring that Striker shouldn't have been there. This wasn't about him, this wasn't for him.

He's cowboy themed, right? And he's given Blitz plenty of reason to beat the absolute shit out of him? After hurting Stolas like that, (narratively speaking) his next showdown with Blitz should have been some high noon duel shit. Blitz rocked the vest in Harvest Moon, just give him the duel revolvers and start counting steps.

[electrikworm]

Human Shield: Part 2

Hunter wasn't ready to lose a brother, not like this. But they're soldiers, so they have to finish the mission, with or without Wrecker.

Part 2 of my "how Wrecker got his scar" fic :)

--

Content warning: Temporary Character Death, Blood and Injury, a lot of talk about death

This took me so long! I kept getting distracted. Oops… Hope the angst makes up for the wait!

Inspired by this post by @squad-724

Part 1

Enjoy :)

Read on Ao3

Hunter's heart drops at Wrecker's answer.

He's always hated plan 99. Hunter's not a tubie, he knows that sacrifices are a big part of their lives as soldiers. Even they've heard plenty of stories of clones laying down their lives for the greater good. Clones are expendable, that's just how it is.

Hunter still didn't like giving the act of dying for the mission a name, doesn't like the way doing so has put the thought of self-sacrifice into his brothers heads so prominently.

“What?” Crosshair says. Hunter can hear the way his heart rate skyrockets.

“What do you mean 'plan 99'?” This can't be happening. It can't. Clones die every day, but Hunter's brother's don't. Wrecker can't seriously mean that.

“Self-sacrifice, remember?” Wrecker responds. Hunter knows he means it. Wrecker wouldn't call a plan unless he intended to execute it, wouldn't call plan 99 if he didn't deem it absolutely necessary.

“We know that Wrecker.” Tech says. Hunter glances at him. His eyes are wide behind his goggles.

“You're not dying today, vod.” Hunter says. Wrecker can't die today. “Get your shebs over here, and that's an order.”

Internally, Hunter begs his little brother to listen, to call off what he's planed, to suddenly see a better solution to the problem he's faced with. Instead, Wrecker laughs. The same genuine heartfelt laugh he's always had.

“Can't do that, sarge. Door won't close, and if it doesn't, the fire'll just funnel though the corridor and kill us all.” Wrecker's voice is strained but calm.

Hunter wants to tell Wrecker that he doesn't have to do this, that none of them have to die, that they'll find another way. But Hunter doesn't know that, does he?

“Wrecker.” Hunter says warningly, not sure exactly why. Hunter trusts his vode, trusts Wrecker, but this can't possibly be the only way.

“I can hold them closed.” Wrecker says with a sigh. Hunter shakes his head despite being aware that Wrecker can't see him. “It's what I'm made for.”

“Wrecker, don't!” Hunter shouts, finally regaining enough control of his body to try and run in Wrecker's direction.

Hunter doesn't get far before the whole building shakes. Even with the helmet, the noise is unbearably loud, almost bringing Hunter to his knees. Further down the corridor, the ceiling collapses.

Hunter feels sick, and not because of the way his head hurts. Wrecker's gone. His kih'vod is buried under that rubble, and Hunter could do nothing to stop it from happening. Hunter's vision blurs.

“Hunter we've got company.” Tech's voice wavers ever so slightly as he speaks. Now that Hunter's paying attention, he can hear the steady approach of droids. He can't think about Wrecker now, if he does, he risks wasting Wrecker's sacrifice.

Hunter readjusts the grip he has on his blaster, trying to push down the suffocating emptiness threatening to rise in his chest. Crosshair's still staring at the rubble down the hall. Hunter can see the way his shoulders shake.

“We have to keep moving Cross.” Hunter says, putting a hand on his youngest brother's arm. There's no denying how close the sniper is, was, with Wrecker, even if Crosshair likes to act like they aren't.

“We can't just leave.” He sounds despaired. Hunter wished he knew how to comfort his brother, but that's always been Wrecker's thing. They barely have the time to stand here now, Hunter hasn't got the time to figure out the right thing to say or do.

“We're behind enemy lines. We'll be overrun by droids if we don't.”

Crosshair's head snaps round to look at Hunter. He can feel how intense his gaze is, even through the visor. “We don't leave vode behind.”

“He's gone, Crosshair!” Hunter snaps. He shouldn't let his emotions run free on the battlefield, but he can't stop it this time. “And for nothing if we die here too.”

He grabs Crosshair's arm and starts dragging him. After a few steps, the youngest member of Clone Force 99 start walking on his own again.

As they engage in combat against the approaching droids, it's painfully apparent that they're missing a member. They hardly always fought in a group, but Hunter had planned for Wrecker to be here. His brain seems not to have caught up to the fact that he isn't, and won't ever be again. Hunter keeps trying to spot him, keeps listening out for his heartbeat and heavy breathing as he ploughs through their enemies.

The absence of those rests heavily on Hunter, like it intends to crush his chest. Every time he picks up on it, he's reminded of where his little brother really is.

But they can't stop, don't stop until they're out of enemy territory and back on the Marauder. Hunter has to fight to not let the gravity of the situation consume him as soon as there's a quiet moment.

He and Tech contact the general that gave them the mission, some Chagrian jedi Hunter had never seen before. Hunter can't help but feel some resentment towards the general, despite her not being involved in their brother's death.

As Tech informs the jedi of the data he retrieved, Hunter's barely able to focus. Crosshair didn't even get on the Marauder, still lingering outside.

“The agreed meeting point still stands.” The jedi says. “Can I expect you to arrive on time?”

“Affirmative.” Tech answers, not sounding entirely certain. Hunter wanders off to find Crosshair before Tech's hung up on the jedi.

“What are you doing?” Hunter asks as he comes to a standstill next to his kih'vod.

“We can't leave him Hunter.” Now that Crosshair's helmet is off, Hunter can see he's close to tears. The only thing keeping them from falling is likely the years of harsh training and preparation for a moment like this he's endured. The statement feels a lot like denial.

“Cross, you know he's-”

“I know he's dead, Hunter! You can stop repeating yourself.” Crosshair snaps, face pinched in anger before he turns to look away. “That doesn't mean we have to leave him there, where the seppies can get their filthy hands all over his body. Doesn't mean we need to leave him to rot under rubble in an enemy base.” Crosshair's voice falters more and more as he speaks.

“We'd have to fight our way back in.” Hunter doesn't want to leave Wrecker's body where it is any more than Crosshair, but it's a risk to go back for him.

“I don't give a motla'shebs! We took most of them out, there's just stragglers left.” Crosshair's visibly shaking again. “If you won't come with me, I'll do it alone.”

“If we go back to him, we will be late to the meeting.” Tech says as he descends from the Marauder.

Crosshair's eyes snap to stare at Tech. “Why the kriff would that matter now?”

“Oh no, I agree with you Crosshair. I was merely stating fact.”

With both his brothers advocating to go back, Hunter couldn't bring himself to do the reasonable thing. Not when he so badly wanted to see his little brother at least once more, and to lay him to rest with the respect he deserves. Though Hunter had to admit that he knew little in the ways of burial rites. Tech surely has some information tucked away somewhere, otherwise they'd improvise.

Hunter tries not to think about it too hard as they make their way back to where they firs entered the base. Hopefully there'd be less rubble on that side of the explosion.

There really isn't many droids left. Hunter feels awful for almost deciding against going back for Wrecker's body, just because it's what the rules dictate. They're experimental clone force 99, rules have always been little more than suggestions to them. Hunter doesn't know why he thought now would be the time to starts following them.

The devastation leading up to what used to be the generator room is substantial. The smell of fire and fuel is almost overwhelming. Hunter hopes death came quick and painlessly for their vod.

Hunter can smell the blood long before they get to where Wrecker's body must lie. The silence around the three brothers becomes heavy. Hunter knows they all dread what they'll find. There's no saying how much of their brother will still be recognizable.

Among the bits of twisted metal, Hunter is able to distinguish the remains of the door, dented and warped by the explosion. His eyes watch the glint of something reflective. Nausea twists Hunter's stomach as he recognizes it as a pool of blood, Wrecker's blood. But, that's when he hears it.

A heartbeat so weak, Hunter barely recognized it as such, and wheezed breathing. Hunter's own heart almost stops the second time that day.

“He's alive!” Hunter yells as he tries to find a way to get closer to their brother. First, he just sees an arm poking out from under the door, then Wrecker's head. What's left of the door is laying on top of the rest of their brother. Hunter starts trying to get the weight off of Wrecker.

Blood soaks into his gloves as Hunter drops to the floor next to his little brother. Wrecker may be alive, but barely. If they don't get him out now, it won't stay that way long.

Tech and Crosshair don't need to be told what to do, finding their place next to Hunter with practised efficiency. It isn't lost on Hunter that Wrecker could lift the debris with ease. Wrecker groans when the door is shifted off his chest, but remains unconscious.

“What do we do?” Crosshair's voice cracks. He sounds so lost.

“Stop the bleeding, no matter what.” Tech says, dropping to his knees next to their fallen brother. “We can worry about infection once he's no longer going into hypovolemic shock.”

Now that he's uncovered, Hunter can see the extent of the damage to Wrecker's body. Most of his left side is a torn and bloody mess. Hunter tries not to think about it too hard as helps his brothers pack Wrecker's injuries with bandages. His armor, even his helmet, is badly damaged. Wrecker's face is a particularly dire sight.

They do the best they can under the less than ideal circumstances. Hunter worries it might not be enough. Wrecker's dangerously pale and shivering as they drag him out of the base. With their effort combined, they can move him at a decent speed.

If they'd went after him faster, Wrecker wouldn't be this close to death. Hunter thought Wrecker was dead, so he made a decision based on that fact. But he'd made a mistake, left his kih'vod to bleed out under rubble.

Had Wrecker been conscious as first? Was he lying there in a pool of his own blood, in pain, just waiting for death, waiting for it to be over?

If they lose Wrecker now, it'll be Hunter's fault. He'll never be able to forgive himself.

Wrecker's still out when they put him down on the Marauder's floor, though he's writhing and struggling against them holding him still. Crosshair kneels on the floor, supporting Wrecker's upper body in his lap. Hunter helps his youngest body fix any slipped bandages and add more from the ships medkit as Tech gets the Marauder on the fastest route back to Kamino. Hunter can't help but notice that Tech's flying more careful than he usually does.

Seeing Crosshair hold Wrecker close, the large clone's head limply resting against the sniper's chest, Hunter's reminded of how the two of them had bickered that morning. Hunter hadn't caught all of the disagreement, but it boiled down to Crosshair saying he finds Wrecker's habit of hugging them childish and refusing to do so before the mission. Not a new argument by any means. Crosshair loves to act like he hates any affection coming from his vode.

Hunter wonder's if Crosshair's thinking about the disagreement now too. If Wrecker doesn't make it, that would been the last chance Crosshair had to hug him. Crosshair looks miserable as he keeps readjusting his arms around their dying brother.

“He'll be fine Cross.” Hunter says, barely believing the words himself. Knowing what to say has never been Hunter strong suite.

“You can't know that!” Crosshair hisses. “Look at him Hunter!”

Hunter doesn't say anything again. He takes Wrecker's hand in his. Even through his blacks, Wrecker feels ice cold, especially compared to how he usually runs hot.

“He needs blood.” Hunter can hear how slow Wrecker's heart is beating. The sound isn't comforting in the slightest.

“We've done direct blood transfusion before, what are we waiting for?” Crosshair says, stripping the armor off his arm. Hunter calls for Tech, not trusting himself with this. He knows the theory, but this isn't the moment to test if he's up to the task.

Crosshair makes sure to remind them all of Wrecker's dislike of needles, snapping at Tech to be careful more than once. Hunter can thankfully keep the two of them from starting an argument, reminding them in turn that there's little to no chance of Wrecker waking at the moment. Tech still takes care to firmly tape the the needle to Wrecker's arm once it's in.

None of them speak as they watch Crosshair's blood trickle through the tube connecting him to Wrecker. They almost have to fight Crosshair when Tech tells him he's given enough blood, the di'kut being willing to put his own health at risk to give Wrecker a better chance at survival.

It's not much blood, especially considering the difference in mass between the youngest of the squad, but Wrecker's heart sounds a little better, and his breathing is less erratic. Still, Wrecker's hardly out of the meteor field yet, blood loss being far from his only problem.

“What state is he in, Tech?” Hunter asks.

“Oh he's clearly doing great, can't you tell?” Crosshair snarks before Tech can even open his mouth. Hunter glares at Crosshair, but doesn't react verbally.

“It's hard to say.” Tech adjusts his goggles. There's so much blood smeared on his chest plate, though Hunter can smell that it's on all of them. Tech's white armor just allows it to be more visible. “He has numerous broken bones and his left eye and ear are beyond saving. The med scanner doesn't indicate bleeding in the brain or signs of organ failure, however, it is well documented that portable med scanners aren't always as precise as they should be.”

Frustration crosses Crosshair's face. “So what, that's it? He could be dying and we won't know until it happens?”

“Well, Hunter will be able to tell if Wrecker's heart stills, or he stops breathing. Other than that, yes.” Tech's answer doesn't make the situation feel any less tense. “Preventing further loss of body heat would be ideal. As would keeping him comfortable in general. Though that is less in favour of increasing his chance of survival, and rather to make the situation as peaceful as possible, if he does pass before we make it to Typoca City.” Tech's voice almost gives out towards the end of his statement.

Hunter's chest aches as he squeezes his little brother's hand. Wrecker has to make it. They can't lose him, not like this, not because Hunter made a stupid decision.

They hardly talk the rest of the time, focusing on keeping Wrecker warm and calm. Hunter barely dares to breath too loud, scared he'll miss a change in Wrecker's condition.

It's chaos when they land on Kamino. Crosshair and Tech yell for a medic as Hunter still doesn't dare to do anything more than listen to Wrecker's heart and wheezed breath.

As they watch Wrecker's limp form being transported off on a stretcher, none of the three brother's dare to say a thing. Hunter wouldn't be surprised if his kih'vode are wondering if this is the last they'll see of Wrecker too. They likely won't get an answer to that for hours.

Feeling sick to his stomach, Hunter trudges his way to their barrack. There, all three of them collapse next to each other, incapable of doing anything but cling to one another as the await news of their brother's fate.

[bug-bites]

one of my fav things to read/write is a f!reader x Simon "Ghost" Riley, where the reader is almost exactly like ghost. I'm talking full black mask, (maybe legally dead) few words, silent, callsign generally spooky like Reaper or Phantom, and I was wondering if you would wanna do that?

Usually I have reader as a childhood friend or adopted sibling of Roach, which is why roach is so comfortable around ghost. He's just used to it. If it's pure fluff or platonic that's completely fine, and if you don't wanna do that it's also fine!! I just thought I might as well shoot my shot :)

Your an amazing writer, have an awesome day <3

seeing double

cw: canon-typical violence, breif (pun intended) mention of ghost having skeleton boxers (nothing like explicit though i dont even know if this needs to be mentioned tbh but better safe than sorry), ghost gets shot womp womp, angst w/ a happy ending, so many military inaccuracies, barely proofread :P

pairing: platonic!simon 'ghost' riley x f!reader, gary 'roach' sanderson & reader

characters: simon 'ghost' riley, gary 'roach' sanderson (price, gaz and soap mentioned v briefly!)

authors note: omg you are so sweet thank you so much!! sorry this took so long i've been so busy with things, i hope you don't mind that i got a bit silly with this one and basically wrote a fic in jot notes 😭 (ALSO ROACH MENTION!! I LOVE MY BBYG THANK YOU ANON <3)

when you first met ghost he genuinely thought this was a joke. the balaclava, the whole death motif, your callsign being phantom which is literally synonymous with ghost, even your attitude was so eerily similar to him. it was like looking in a mirror

it didn't help when he tilted his head you mirrored your actions

i think he wouldn't gravitate immediately to you, it's not that he didn't like you he just felt a bit odd with how similar you two were, in all honesty he was probably slightly unnerved by you

soap and gaz definitely crack jokes about you being the second coming of ghost or something dumb like that

whenever anyone is referring to you and ghost and phantom it was always "the ghosts" or "ghost and girl ghost" which pissed you OFF

roach cant count all the times you have ranted to him about how everyone treats ghost like he came up with your whole aesthetic and you copied him when you have been doing this for YEARS before you even met ghost!

"and everyone acts like he invented skeletons and being legally dead! how self centered do you have to be to act like you invented skeleton iconography?! THEYRE SKELETONS. THATS LIKE BASIC HUMAN ANATOMY. and its always men taking the credit- god its so stupid! i did shit this first and how do i know that he isn't copying me huh?? did we ever think of that?? and ghost is such a basic ass fucking name like really. ghost? bet the only reason he wears that mask is to cover up his casper sized forehead."

roach knows that you're annoyed and you probably aren't trying to be super mean- maybe you don't even think ghosts forehead is casper sized! but hey, he isn't trying to argue while you look like you're about to rip someone's head off

instead he opts for calmly signing words of comfort lest you tear ghosts head off (with a few minor corrections)

"yes roach i know phantoms are pretty much the same as ghosts but that's not the point. you're basically my brother. you have to be on my side. that's how it works."

its good you and roach get along with each other. however, since you are just so similar with someone whos name starts with s and ends with imon "ghost" riley he becomes friends with roach quite easily and rants to him too

"she thinks shes so fookin crea'ive but you know wha? she isnt. bet ive been in SAS longer than her. wheres 'er skull tattoo at?? cause i got a whole sleeve done almost a decade ago! she isnt the first to come up wi' this. see, i get youre friends wi' 'er but truth is she di'nt come up wi' all o' this 'erself and she isn't half as dedicated as me. i even got skeleton boxers! she got those??- wait no dont answer tha' i dont wan' tha' image in my head."

for the first month or two whenever you see each other its clear you two do not get along.

roach tried to crack a joke but if anything it just made you hate ghost more

"hey, phantom. what's got two legs and bleeds?" "half a dog." you and ghost respond in unison

the rest of the day you dont even acknowledge each other. price makes a joke about how "you both are acting like you killed someone" which you mutter a small "oh im going to that's for sure" under your breath

safe to say you had a long rant to roach about how now not only is he stealing your whole persona, he's taking your jokes now too

you think roach would be torn between choosing sides but no this man loves every second of it. its so petty- so stupid he just needs to see how long you two idiots will keep butting heads

you mention how you were planning on getting a red mask? he's going up to ghost being like "hey, ghost did i ever tell you red is totally your colour? you know what actually? you should get a red mask!"

you both walk into the next briefing with your new masks and you couldn't be more pissed

to make matters worse you both are teamed up for the next mission. something about stopping a major arms dealer but ghost is the one getting his hands dirty. all you need to do is get into security, guide him through the complex enough for him to grab intel and leave

its simple. you've done it a billion times before, same with ghost. the first half goes fine. you both get in, he grabs the intel and is ready to head out, both of you speaking only when necessary.

minor issue- actually major issue, getting out wasn't as smooth. somehow ghost ended up shot right as he's notifying you that he's almost out. you hear the gunshot ring out, a grunt and scuffling.

"phantom to ghost. how copy."

your voice rings out, an eerie silence following after

"ghost. how copy."

you repeat again, this time earning a response

"m' alive. shot in the leg. bullet went clean through, makin a torniquet as we speak" he grunts back. you have never been happier to hear his stupid manchester accent "keep it that way."

if past you knew those four words directed at ghost would come out of your mouth, you're pretty sure you would've stolen a tank and driven it off a cliff immediately with ghost in it too probably

but now is not the time hotwiring a tank and locating a cliff would take too long anyways, you guide him out, occasionally telling him some stupid fun fact to make sure he's still there or just to keep him alert

"did you know that jellyfish have one hole for their mouth and asshole?" "these get more concerning the more you tell me." "most koalas have chlamydia." "alrigh', 'nuff of that. fun facts are s'pposed to be fun, you know that right?" "learning is fun."

this earns a chuckle from him which he quickly covers up with a cough

he makes it out alive, busted up that's for sure but alive nonetheless

you hook his arm over your shoulder, talking about everything and anything to keep him conscious. he's going to listen anyways so might as well make the most of it

"you're not as bad as i thought you'd be, 'specially for a copy cat." he says after you tell him yet another bizarre animal fact "i got a red mask first by the way" "piss off. this is why i don't compliment you" he rolls his eyes, for once not out of annoyance "i wear it better anyways." "sure, sure. believe what you want, but just know that i'm the cooler one." "you also are shit at making tourniquets" "so you finally admit that i'm cooler." no amount of eyerolling or snappy comebacks can hide your grin at this point. you silently thank your past self for choosing to wear a mask all the time "you're quite bold for someone who got shot in the leg"

once you two get back, practically everyone is surprised how all the deadly glares and colorful insults muttered under heavy sighs between you two have now been replaced with playful banter and empty threats with no murderous intent behind them

price heard you laughing with ghost followed up with you telling ghost "they will never find your body" which did scare the shit out of him but it made ghost laugh so hard he nearly pissed himself

price made sure to check that ghost was in fact alive for the next few days, just to make sure you were joking

when asked about it both of you just shrug and reply "trauma bonding."

roach, although disappointed with the absence of drama is glad to see two of the most special people in his life getting along bros just sad he cant be an instigator anymore

and as soon as ghost comes back from leave, he's got double the scary dog privileges he originally had

[londondziban]

I'll forever be confused over the writing of Steve's character in season 4. Like, what was the thought process behind the choices that were made for him?

In season 1, he was shown to have a change of behavior, felt remorse for his actions, attempted to apologize to not just Nancy but also Jonathan, and bought a camera for Jonathan to replace the one he had broken. Not only this, but he had turned back around to help Nancy and Jonathan–after having a gun pointed at him and nearly getting eaten by a creature he probably couldn't fully comprehend at the time–despite the fact he was scared shitless cuz, hey, that's his girl in there and a guy he may not know very well but he's not going to let them fight the monster alone.

In season 2, we watched him grieve his relationship with Nancy and form a bond with Dustin and the other kids. Though he was clearly upset about the breakup, he never once truly blamed Nancy for it. We saw him respect not only Nancy's feelings but her choice as well. He knew he wasn't the one she chose, he knew she was struggling and turned to Jonathan. He was heartbroken but he did his best to move forward and keep his mind on the mission at hand.

In season 3, we watch his bond with Dustin develop further and we see him make his first friend that's (close) to his age since he dropped his previous friends in season 1. He was actively looking for a new girl to date and developed feelings for Robin; We were led to believe he'd moved on from Nancy. In this season, though he was fairly removed from the other kids for most of it, we were once again shown he has a selfless nature when it comes to them, even Erica whom he barely knew. We saw that at the end of the day, he's simply a good friend through his instant support of Robin rather than lashing out over the rejection or being flat-out homophobic. He's selfless and loyal to those he cares about. His character in this season was wonderful (not talking about how his injuries were constantly played for laughs though, that's for a future post).

So in season 4...what happened? Yeah, I still loved him because he's Steve and I've become attached to his character over the years. But he just felt so off? I'm glad his friendship with Robin was still there and I loved them together throughout the season. But he's 1. suddenly in love with Nancy again, 2. doesn't seem to respect her actual feelings nor her relationship with Jonathan (because if he did he wouldn't be actively flirting with her and telling her he wants to have kids with her, hello?), 3. he complained about being with the kids despite being shown to deeply care for them over and over again (it could've been a joke of course but it just felt mean spirited when compared to his behaviors in prior seasons. Like he sighed when being paired with Dustin?), and 4. he just felt kind of weird and a little creepy at times.

It felt like they didn't know what to do with him this last season. It felt like all the development he'd gone through suddenly took a left turn and then backtracked out of nowhere. Instead of finding ways to discuss the way season 3 events affected him (and Robin) or maybe showing him form a genuine bond with Eddie (someone else his age that he never would've previously been friends with), they made him a little mean spirited, they made the other characters be meaner to him and treat him as if he's stupid (more than usual), and they made him be in love with Nancy again. They could've done so much with his character that wouldn't have contradicted all of his growth, and yet.

I say this all with good intentions, of course. I love Steve. He was one of my favorites when I first started watching the show. Which is why I was so upset about the way they wrote his character in season 4. He just didn't feel like the Steve I'd loved anymore. Was it a conscious decision? Is there a specific reason behind it we just haven't been shown yet? Or was it just poor writing? I hope whatever is going on with his character is either fixed or simply explained in season 5 (and I'm so excited to see he'll have at least one interaction with Jonathan!). I'm just a little worried they've run out of ideas for his character and are just going to kill him off next season without any explanation as to why his character took the turn it did.

TLDR: I love Steve but the way his character was written in season 4 confused me.

[hahaifolded]

YOU GET IT!! God I’m so glad that I found your blog

Rant ensuing lmao (feel free to ignore!!)

I just hate hate hate when there’s some real good angst but the all the potential is just dashed because smut!

Maybe it’s because I’m on the ace spectrum, but I dunno. I hate when conflict is resolved just like that or when reader is written without a personality and just constantly horny, makes me really uncomfortable when all a character wants to do is sleep with another character.

Or when reader is written in a way that they’re clearly pushing boundaries of others and that’s seen as totally normal, for example: the trope of pushing Simon to reveal his face and writing him as an asshole because he doesn’t want to. Makes me feel icky.

Or let’s say character A gets with character B, even though A knows that B doesn’t want a family but keeps pushing for it regardless and then B is seen as an asshole because they don’t want that.

I just HATE characters disrespecting boundaries and the other person being seen as an asshole for it

Also, König. I have such a deep hatred for that man it’s UNREAL. Most of the reason is because he replaces Gaz often and it rubs me the wrong way completely. I have a tendency of hating a really popular character when they’re mostly loved because they have an attractive trait but not much else (he’s barely that fleshed out in CoD. Let’s be honest, I feel like he’s mostly liked for his height lmao)

And like just in general, König makes me really uncomfortable and I can’t find it in me to like him in the slightest for whatever reason

Of course, these are all my personal opinions, they’re definitely biased and subjective. I hold no judgment to anyone with different opinions and what they like. I actually think it’s fascinating how different people could consume the exact same media but have vastly different takes, it’s human and beautiful. I never want anyone to feel like I’m judging them for having different opinions or liking things that I don’t

Anyway! I think I rambled enough lmao, I’m sorry for going on that tangent, I’m sorry for any possible mistakes I’ve made in wringing (grammar/spelling). I just got really excited to share my thoughts and I genuinely love seeing you interacting with your followers. You’re such a cool person and I have so much respect for you and your work

Hope you have an amazing day/evening and I’m wishing you the best <33

(Also, no pressure at all to interact with this ask, please don’t feel obligated to respond. Your well being comes first always!!)

I have many thoughts, none of them coherent, but here we go:

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind some smut here and there, but I agree there are some good plots that are lost because they immediately jump to smut. To each their own but yeah it sucks when I read something that I'm like oooooh, what's ne-- and they're fucking, cool cool.

Yeah again Konig did it for me physically in the beginning. BUT then the shitshow that is people BEING RACIST started happening and I was like yeah no. Also his VA is SUPER SUPER weird so that also completely turned me off from that man. Also in general I think people characterize him in some kinda weird incel type of guy that completely grosses me out. So I can respect you being completely uncomfortable with him

also I do hold judgement with people who do have different opinions because im right. I will not elaborate

also you apologizing for your grammar mistakes sends me as if I am not an ESL kid.

thank you for your ramblings! gives me a chance to also yap!

and like always thank you for reading my stuff and interacting in this little site called Tumblr

[gildedlavender]

Ok, so here are my very long winded thoughts about OBX part 2. This might be a lot, but I’m not only heartbroken but extremely angry. First, fuck the Pates/Shannon. Finding out that the creators of your favorite show not only hate JJ and Kiara, but also their fans is awful. Having the nerve to sit there and say all that bullshit to try and justify killing JJ? If Rudy wanted to leave, which it’s sounding like that, they gave JJ the worst end possible and tried to ruin his character just to spite him, which is pretty evil. They could’ve written him off any other way with an easier possibility to come back next season. Not to mention them talking about possibly making Riara a thing?! Excuse me?! Kiara would never be with anyone else in the last season, let alone him. I swear to god if they try to pull that shit, Madison better raise hell on that set, because no one hates Riara more than her.

The disrespect to not only JJ but Kiara as well just baffles me. They made Kiara lose her soulmate and now she’ll be the only one who’s alone and miserable. JJ going through hell the whole second half of the season only to have no character development, his friends not be there for him or seem to care about what he’s going through, then die and barely have anyone except Kiara react?! He was abused his whole life, only for his real father to kill him. What kind of an ending for a beloved character is that? JJ literally died for no reason. He’d given Chandler what he wanted already. Having him still die afterwards was just cruel and unnecessary. Not to mention, his death felt weird and rushed. First, instead of running away after giving Chandler the crown, they just stand hugging in his vicinity, then when JJ gets stabbed, Kiara just stands there and doesn’t intervene until he’s done getting stabbed? Then, you expect me to believe he died that quickly afterwards, when Sarah got shot and they had time to drive her all that way before she “died” and came back to life? Rudy gave a good performance, and Madison gave a pretty good one, but I needed more from her in that scene. Everyone else’s reactions were off as well. Why was nobody trying to get him to a hospital, put pressure on his wound, or do CPR? Why wasn’t everyone sobbing and doing everything they could to keep him alive? Then they just buried him in the sand in Morocco?! That made me sick. They can’t even visit his grave. It’s so disrespectful.

Not to mention, Jiara just got together at the end of last season, then the first season we see them as an actual couple, he fucking dies and they’re over, and to make it worse, we barely got any Jiara scenes in Part 2. It literally feels like we never even got to see them as an actual couple. One bad angled kiss scene in 10 episodes is preposterous. If Rudy actually asked for less Jiara intimate scenes, the Pates should’ve shut that shit down immediately and made him do his job. I don’t know why he’d suddenly have an issue though since he didn’t seem to have one in season 3, or Part 1. And Madison’s acting in part 2 during most Jiara scenes, except the last episode, were really emotionless. Even if she was mad at Rudy, she shouldn’t have let that affect her performance. How can both of them be so unprofessional?

The Pates basically said all the couples were endgame. Now you’re telling me, that after everything, everyone gets a happy ending but Kiara and JJ? How would anyone want that for a fan favorite couple? Genuinely why did they even bother making Jiara a thing if this is how they were going to end. What was the point?

Next, a big fuck you to Rudy and Madison for going through that whole press tour giving us hope like that about Jiara. Talking about them being endgame, JJ having great character development, and Rudy acting excited about another season. Literally none of what they said was true. I genuinely don’t know how anyone allowed this to happen. If Rudy wanted to leave so bad, why did he always say he loved playing JJ? He couldn’t suck it up for one more season, seriously? I don’t know what happened between part 1 and 2, but they felt like two completely different seasons. How was he ok with that being JJ’s ending? And the Pates have to be the dumbest people on earth to throw away almost their entire fan base like that. This isn’t some high brow drama where killing main characters is expected. This is a fun teen summer show about treasure hunting. The only way they can make this right is to use the crown to bring JJ back. I would have to think by now, they’re realizing what a horrible mistake they’ve made and that they’re going to be in a lot of trouble for season 5. I’m praying that they can convince Rudy to come back for at least one episode to give him and Jiara a happy ending. I don’t care what they have to do. This was one of the best teen dramas out there and it brought me so much joy. Now I can’t even stomach rewatching it. I’ve never seen a show destroy itself so completely so quickly. Regardless, JJ will always be one of my favorite characters and Jiara one of my favorite ships. They deserved so much better.

[heyidkyay]

Who can say no to bridezilla? |

Part Five

This one’s a little shorter than the last but what can you do? I can’t believe that this was meant to be a oneshot, a two parter MAX, and has somehow spiralled😭 Anyway, thank you so much for all the love on this series, really glad you’re enjoying it💗

Summary: With no date to your sister's wedding, what are you to do? No worries though, she's already got it covered, well, sort of...

Masterlist

--

Matty. 

I felt my eyes slip closed at the sound of him calling my name. Silently allowing myself a brief second to regain some sense of decorum before I had to face him yet again.

I couldn’t believe how this night had turned into such a disaster. It was the very last thing I’d wanted, alongside the notion that I’d be leaving here tonight having probably lost Matty before I’d ever even really found him. And wasn’t that a thought. 

I inhaled, one.. two.. then turned to him, wearing what I hoped resembled something short of a smile. I didn’t have the energy to argue with him any longer.

He was staring right at me when I mustered up the courage to meet his eye. George was stood just to his left, and he glanced between us both in obvious confusion but there was also a little sheen of weariness to his stare. I silently wondered what he made of all this.

“You two gonna be alright here?” The drummer asked in a low voice, eyebrow quirked upwards in question.

“Yeah, mate.” Matty breathed out an assurance, dipping his chin just the once. “Thanks for, you know.”

George clapped him heartily on the shoulder which shook Matty slightly, the taller man just smirked, “Don’t mention it.”

Then he looked to me, probing for an answer of my own.

I was quick to nod, and gifted him a small but genuine smile in retort. He returned the gesture and I watched him squeeze the juncture of Matty’s shoulder, giving him an odd look I couldn’t quite decipher, before walking away.

Time seemed to sort of still then- not in the crappy romantic kind of way, where the two main characters from some shitty hallmark film suddenly realise all of their mistakes, converse in a parade of silent longing looks, only to then kiss and make up. 

No, it was a lot more awkward than that, unfortunately. 

But not ‘unfortunately’ as in I was actually beyond desperate to kiss him! No. No, I just meant it in the sense that… well, let’s just say that if it was a life or death situation- or something a little less severe than that, Christ- I wouldn’t be so quick to wave away the idea. I just… 

Oh, for fucks sake. 

Now wasn’t the time for it, is basically what I meant!

I sighed inwardly. 

Though, I guess I’d sooner kiss the idiot than have to spend the next however long stood here in this uncomfortable standstill. 

I chewed at my bottom lip, unsure on what to say now that George had removed himself as a buffer. 

I almost wanted to look around for something to distract myself with, but I couldn’t, not when Matty was looking at me with that glum expression of his. The sort a little kid would tend to make when gazing longingly out the car window at the McDonalds you were driving by.

And even though Matty had been the one to call out for me, I still felt as though I’d ultimately been left with the honour of continuing this painful encounter of ours.

Sighing again, I decided to bite the bullet. “Look it’s getting late, Matty... And I’d really like to try and miss all the traffic that’ll hit once this whole thing finally ends. So, can we just leave it here? I’ve had a good night, all things considered, and don’t really mind ending it off on a less than sour note.”

The crease between Matty’s eyebrows seemed to deepen at my words, and he blinked at me stupidly before he made a face. 

“I’m sorry, what? It’s been-“ He glanced down at the sleek wristwatch he wore, “It’s barely even gone nine, and there is no fucking way we’re just leaving shit like it is! Not after all the blatant texting and shitting anxiety I’ve put myself through to be here tonight.” He shook his head, “Nah, we’re gonna have to sort it out now, ‘cause I already know if we leave things be, you’re just gonna end up pieing me off later.”

Now it was my turn to frown.

“Pie you off?”

Matty was nodding away again, seemingly on a bit off a roll now.

“I was dead nervous, yeah? Like proper fucking nervous for today- to see if it all felt the same in person. Because, from the moment we started talking it felt as though I’d already known you for ages. Like, we just instantly clicked. And that made me so much more wary of whether or not that would suddenly change things between us once we met. But it didn’t. No, 'cause you were just like I’d imagined! All funny and snide, but in the best fuckin’ way. And that gorgeous face of yours was only the cherry on the cake, really. But I reckon I’d've stuck around even if you were a bit of a minger.”

His eyes flickered away for a mere moment, as though he was spatially aware of the utter tit he was making of himself, rambling away but unable to stop. But then they found mine again and it was like he just had to get the rest of it out before he lost the nerve. I didn’t know what to make of any of it.

“I thought this would be a right laugh.” He shrugged forcefully and I could already tell that he was dying for another smoke just from the way his hand seemed to twitch. “I didn’t want to show up to Hann’s wedding all alone, looking like a complete twat. And then your sister offered up this whole idea, and I’d already heard a bit about you- snippets, little things, you know? Just here and there. And I couldn’t refuse. I mean, how could I? Why would I?”

Matty ran a fretful hand through his unruly hair, then scratched at the side of his neck apprehensively. 

I couldn’t seem to find the words to stop him, completely baffled by him, actually.

“The shit I’ve heard… about how you support your mum and your siblings. How you go out of your way for everyone and everything. The utter crap you’ve had to put up with. I mean…” Matty dragged his hand over his face at that, rubbing his eyes before deciding to shake his arms out towards me. “God. We started messaging and you were like- you were just this girl on a screen that I couldn’t stop talking to, or about! And I swear, Ross has gotten so sick of me these last few weeks, mentioning you nonstop, worrying about us finally meeting and all the pulavar of it. I’m actually fucking surprised he hasn’t ended up following through on a few of his threats. ‘Cause believe me, there were a couple dozen.”

My mouth had sort of gone dry by this point. 

I stared back at the man I’d originally thought had given zero shits about me, let alone this night, and openly fish-mouthed.

I’d truly believed it must’ve all been sort of jovial to him. The texts, the date…

But now it was all coming out. And I couldn’t quite manage to wrap my head around it.

“Fucking hell!” Matty laughed brazenly, mouth quirked to one side as he shook his head at himself incredulously. “If he only knew how bad I’d end up fucking this all up.”

“You haven’t.” I immediately replied, my mouth moving before my brain could even comprehend it. And Matty’s gaze snapped back towards mine, his brown eyes wide. 

I cleared my throat slightly, unable to dither my attention from him, unsure if I even wanted to. “I- You haven’t fucked it all up, Matty.”

“I haven’t?”

“No,” I allowed a small smile to creep across my face as I breathed out a faint chuckle. “Not after… whatever that was. Your big speech.” 

Matty groaned, suddenly abashed, and his chin fell to meet his collarbones as his shoulders shook slightly with unrepressed laughter. “I’m a fucking mess.”

I grinned, feeling a little lighter now. “You are, but so am I.”

“How very playground of us, huh?” Matty commented, peering back at me through dark lashes.

“Beyond trivial. A proper cliche.” I agreed wryly, smiling all the while. “Reckon we have some making up to do.”

I watched the way Matty’s face brightened significantly and couldn’t help the sudden rush of warmth that pooled in my chest.

“Oh, yeah? Think we could get it over with quick then? Kiss and makeup- or you could just let me grab you another drink and offer a decent shag ‘round the side of the chapel.”

I snorted, unable to help myself, before rolling my eyes at him. 

Look at that, I thought, we were already back to basics.

“You can offer, but I seriously doubt I’d accept, not after all that manly assertiveness George just displayed.” I fanned myself, feigning a flush at the reminder.

“Oh, leave off.” Matty laughed in reply, swatting my hand away. Though, he slipped his fingers into mine as he did, holding my hand so that he could keep me close. Neither of us decided to comment on it and I smiled quietly to myself as I looked down at where our bodies were now intertwined.

Still, if we weren’t going to acknowledge the whole hand holding ordeal, then I was definitely going to bring up a topic of Matty’s previous ramble.

“So… a rockstar like you still gets nervous then? Feeling a little bit honoured here, Healy.”

Matty casted his eyes towards me, slitted as he exaggerated his irritation. “You’re really gonna lord that over me? Bet you were shitting bricks just as much as I was.”

I shot him a cheeky smile as I chuckled, “‘Course, but I never bigged myself up to be this massive egotistical prat.”

He rolled his eyes at me, the beginnings of a smile tugging at either sides of his lips, then hummed as he shrugged. “Not gonna deny it. The thought was daunting as fuck.”

I grinned, only noticing then that I’d begun to move my thumb against his own. “Oh yeah?”

He grinned right back at me. “Yeah.”

“You know you’re a bit of an idiot for not saying anything sooner, right?” I couldn’t help but mention, and the expression Matty made had me struggling to withhold my rising amusement.

“Uh, when the fuck should I’ve mentioned it? Somewhere between the vows, or would you have preferred me to casually drop it outside whilst we were mid-row?”

The small mention of our earlier argument had my mind wandering again, and so I just shrugged a shoulder at him in reply, casting a glance out at the rest of the room.

I heard him exhale before he reached out to knock the underside of my jaw, regaining my attention. He was closer now, much closer, his nose just a breath away from mine.

“I am sorry, about the shit that happened with Alexa.” Matty told me quietly, and the look he gave me was earnest. “I like the attention sometimes, get lost in it. Didn’t realise what had been going on until you said it.”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, staring up into those eyes of his again. They were warm. Like chocolate. 

“Well, as we said, there’s a lot of making up to do.”

He smirked down at me then and I had to hide my face in the crook of his neck when I chuckled.

Once I’d composed myself somewhat and pulled away, my gaze met his again. I found myself enjoying our newfound position, my body flush against his, our hands still linked whilst my fingertips grazed loosely at his undone tie.

“I’m sorry too, I suppose.” I murmured to him, liking the peaceful atmosphere we’d created for ourselves. Like we were in our own little bubble.

But the noise Matty made then surely burst it, it was nothing short of incredible and I could only really describe it as something akin to a squawk.

“You suppose?” He demanded dramatically. My eyes widened in joy.

“Yes, I suppose!” I replied instantly, laughing away, “What the hell was that sound you just made?!”

By some miracle, a slight flush blessed Matty’s cheeks and he had to look away in a casual sort of nonchalance (that was far from) to shrug at me. 

“No idea what you’re talking about, sweetheart.”

I was still giggling.

“No, no, no! You definitely do. It sounded like someone had set a chicken loose!”

“Oh, piss off.”

I was all but cackling now, leaning against Matty to steady myself, but even though I was ripping into him he still held me up, smiling whilst he shook his head at me, marginally exhausted.

“Yeah, yeah. So fucking hilarious.” Matty rolled his eyes before they turned to me with a teasing glint. “That laugh of yours though, definitely outranks whatever noise I just made. Mental.”

I gaped at him, “You really wanna go there? Because if we do, I can promise you now that you’ll be walking away with your tail between your legs, mate.”

Matty grimaced, pulling away from me to lean back, and groaned. “Don’t call me your fucking mate. Feels weird.”

I grinned brightly, chuckling as I tugged him back. “What ever do you mean? Thought we were the best of mates now.”

Matty wrinkled his nose in distaste, and I was just about to continue on with my teasing when he inclined his head downwards so that his mouth brushed against the shell of my ear. I stilled.

“I don’t typically tend to want to fuck any of my mates, darling. Always makes for an awkward situation.”

My breath hitched and our eyes immediately locked as he casually pulled back.

And of course that would be the very moment my sister would choose to make her grand reappearance.

For fucks sake.

—

Part six>

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