#jon lasted longer than i did before dropping out tho

[mihotose]

While I'm away I've asked Jon to have a bit of a clear-out. He doesn't half hoard some stuff.

[icecreamkink]

so i watched cobra kai all in two days and i have so many -

this show has so many cool and smart angles to it, but the same time.... its so stupid oh my god everyone is so dumb literally mr miyagi held all of the braincells in this whole universe 

like i am but at the same time i am not surprised it was made like this, bc in hindsight of course there were hordes of ppl simping over johnny lawrence ....  but it still amuses me that this is like... an Actual Official Thing

ok this will get long so cut it is

how much fun this cast has is super visible and i love it

i rly enjoy how the world was expanded ! i did grow up watching the karate kid movies, so watching how they progressed the world of the movies so organically was pretty cool. it rly feels like its the same universe

i fucking LOVE stories that are largely about a Thing. dancing ,skating, sports its just so thrilling to experience this all consuming relationship people can have with this type of activity? and martial arts are just that much more intense, so yeah, grown ass men kicking each other around at the lightest provocation and a war veteran caring so much abt teen karate is Ridiculous.... but i love it all because thats the intensity i find so thrilling

was kinda surprised with how much im missing mr. miyagi. first because, like everyone is so unhinged jesus christo, it just really throws into relief how much his character grounded the narrative of the movies. but also hes just a really great character

and on that note it rly Gets Me that the show itself aknowledges that and plays that into daniels angst and all the little ways they sorta weave myiagisms into the whole show........ im not getting emotional over this dumb karate dads show OK

related - i really miss hearing ‘daniel-san’ 🥺🥺

ACE DEGENERATE oh god oh no

they really went down the down and out johnny lawrence route huh. like i was always kinda bummed we see kreese choking him and then we never see him again in the movies, and while i love dumpster fire problematic trash himbo ck johnny, its like......................... actually really sad that his life turned out like this fjngn

everytime i hear ‘babes’ and ‘pussy’ i die a little inside. i know thats the point but i am a v cringe easy person, have mercy (ehe)

loved the way they are constantly drawing parallels between johnny and mr. myiagi of all people. hes the handy man of his building that has a bullied kid asking for help and eventually steps up to teach them karate, beats up a bunch of bullies for him, creates a friendship with said kid, estranged from family, drinks his sorrows away, surprisingly one of the least quick to anger characters (which says more about everyone else really but.... Well.), no schemes or ulterior motives hes just tryna vibe here.... oh and ofc magically heals miguel of is asthma apparently. the true disciple.. meanwhile daniel is his usual messy petty self even tho he wants to be mr myiagi so bad 

also interesting about that is how miguels character is a parallel of both johnny and daniel at the same time

overall the parallels in ck are done really well, drawing comparisons and also subverting them constantly. theyre well thought out

THE PARALELOGRAMS

fr tho, the angle being explicitly the cycle of trauma and its effects and how trumatized adults in turn traumatize kids, maliciously or not, is so interesting

but! on the flip side of that, it feels like the writers are getting in their own way @ letting the characters grow. especially this last season. theres only so many times you can do "johnny and daniel are getting along but 5mins later they are (literally) fighting over some dumbass random issue" or "johnny puts in 20% of effort with robby and then gives up" before it gets on your nerves yknow?

i see daniel no longer talks like macchio ingested 15 shots of espresso before every take and idk how to feel about that tbh

interesting tension in daniel, as in, in tkk mr miyagi was there and daniel was frankly, kind of a lil shit, this messy petty spitfire hot tempered sassy kid,(johnny lawrence voice: just... stop being so annoying) but now hes the adult, and he wants to be mr. miyagi... but hes just not, and never will be to his very core and it shakes him and in a way hes trying to find who he is now that he sees himself in a position to be a not! cobra kai figure. i kinda really like that 

plus how that relates to his cobra kai trauma. idk if the writers thought abt it Like That, i think so, but in any case, its interesting bc it seems like daniel has told everyone whod listen about johnny lawrence his Pretty Boy Karate Rival and high school and 84 cobra kai... But. no one seems to know what went on in 85 (or 86? idk) which was just so much worse

like ye og cobras were shitheads, but tkk iii is just two hours of daniel being emotionally and physically tortured. 

like, the third movie is.............chaotic, to put it nicely, and many people ignore it, but the writers clearly didnt. daniels actions are, in a way, responding so much more to the events of tkk iii than to the first movie ie. johnny himself, AND. daniel doesnt rly seem to have dealt with that trauma? he never told sam? doesnt feel like hes ever told amanda? he doesnt even say terrys name out loud? freaks Out over kreese ? the way he reacts to robbys deceit? his FACE when he walks past the new "fear does not exist in this dojo" paint or kreeses photo? hmMm i sense Pain

his fashion tho........... disappointing. where are the flower shirts daniel huh we had one (1) shirt what a tragedy STOP WEARING SUITS ALL THE TIME . also the band ts/grunge bi are a look for johnny but part of me longs for the preppy lovable 80s bully chic johnny lawrence getups

weird that they never used that last moment of karate kid where johnny kinda... snaps out of his anger and hands daniel the trophy almost in tears. like “youre alright larusso, good match” “thanks a lot”  that being their last direct interection seems like itd be perfect fruit for cobra kai but... they just dont. weird. 

especially when, the FIRST SCENE they see each other, suposedly in 30+ years, the first thing to come out of daniels mouth is QUOTE "u still got those golden locks huh?" WHO SAYS SHIT LIKE THAT DANIEL FUCKING SAN 

also amandas immediate reaction "your pretty boy rival?" like. can we talk about the fact that daniel had to have imparted to his wife the very important information that his high school bully/karate rival was like Really Cute and Fucking Hot Actually

 the writers Knew exactly what they were doing and honestly.............. power to them

tkk director voice: and billy was just so cute  

also I was thinking that daniel sounded strangely fond in that first scene, and i wonder if he developed a weird affection for johnny on the grounds that of all of his Karate Rivals johnny was actually the only one who didn’t actively tried to literally kill him

i was actually delightedly surprised with how great the chemistry between them is, like from the get go i am Invested. their rl friendship totally bleeds through and its fantastic

. granted, idiots enemies to lovers friends is my Thing so i am biased  

johnny lawrence: i am down in the dumps, i fucked up my whole life and my sons probably, largely in light of the trauma that the father figure sensei and the philosophy of my karate inflicted on me and all my friends. u know what i should do, as a traumatized, unreliable mess of an adult? teach that same philosophy to some other kids! what could go wrong! 

but really i enjoy the setup of it. i kinda like that i watched it late because, season 1 was johnny setting himself up for failure in a way and it was exciting to watch it all go to shit sjfn

Like. his heart might be in the right place, but theres just.... not a way to teach something like ‘strike hard, no mercy’ and not have it fuck up a kid 

case and point: aisha, miguel and hawk become annoying as all hell over that bullshit in the end of s1, even before shit gets truly fucked up

billys subtle panicked eyes when he sees hawk and miguel fighting dirty in the all valley was SO GOOD especially in parallel with the panic that is so visible in his face in the movie when kreese tells bobby to injure daniel and in the sweep the leg scene 

seen people question wether kreese should have returned and i absolutely think he needed to. johnny needed to realize that cobra kais fundamentals are flawed, at the root, beyond kreese himself being a toxic piece of shit 

also who are we kidding? we are here to see the tkk characters play on new playgrounds!

i get what they're doing abt kreeses backstory, ( also. cobra kai. pq eles caem nas cobras djjs sorry) but did it need to take up that much time? feels like they couldve  done it in half the run time and developed some other stories better 

martin kove has such an evil eye. i love it

love that we get a good follow up to kreese breaks johnnys trophy and tries to CHOKE HIM in the parking lot, which happened in the movie and then....................... was never mentioned again

“the gang is all back together again” aaaa u piece of SHIT 

also. terry silver is definetely appearing ha ha ha PAIN i cant wait

seen ppl say kreese was too much of a cartoon villain like..........................oh......... sweetie........... u dont even Know

interested how johnny will fit into that bc kreese was simping rly hard for johnny here. like i did not expect him to be so adamant to have him with cobra kai ... under his control, sure, but he really wants johnny by his side despite already having control of the dojo and how will terry silver self appointed jon kreeses forever simp going to feel abt that? 

like bitchs dropping by every episode like ‘joooooohnny ..... come bacc to me joooonny......... this ur last warning! for real this time johnny! i wont say it again! watch me ! im leaving johnny! im rly leaving ! im dragging a chair” and johnny is just like. dont let the door hit ya bitch it was so funny pls

and on that subject oof, johnny! doesnt! Know! he doesnt get that side of daniels cobra kai trauma. and i kind of.............. cannot wait for ck 2021 johnny lawrence to meet terry silver like. what a shit show i need a front row seat and popcorn (imagine terry tries some greasy charm and johnny just roundhouse kicks him in the teeth bc he just doest Not Have the Patience for This. glorious)

feels like we, as a society, should acknowledge that cobra kai will never die................ bc their sense of design is just chefs kiss. their name is COBRA KAI. they have sexie sleeveless black gis. theyve sneks. colorful leather jackets with embroided naja insignia, the get ppl thru the aesthetics. evil geniuses

the flashback cuts : masterpiece behavior

the other takes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! of the movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the differente angles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! of the FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE CLOSE UP ON JOHNNYS FACE AT THE KICK 

that scene of daniel and johnny vibing to 80s music in the car. just. oh my god. the fan wish fullfilment. no thoughts head empty.

the new characters! theyre .... good. but. idk. i really like miguel (save for the annoying phase mid s1 - end s2) and amanda, who is a damn riot and has some functioning braincells, but everyone else is       

like dont get me wrong, i dont hate anyone,its not a jane and rafael from jtv situation,  and i am interested and invested in their arcs, but i wouldnt say i like   Like them, as in, personality wise 

like, sams grappling with ptsd was rly gutting and i enjoyed that plus her slight rage issues, 

which nicely parallel torys rage issues. torys background is all over the place tho so im pretty on the fence abt her so far

robby deserves better in every way, and i like how smart and cunning and surprisingly sweet he is

hawk............... is there i guess,

 demetri is annoying in the best way possible,

 carmen is sweet but. i just feel like her character is blunted to make the johnny relationship easier. like when shes furious with him after miguels injury but then forgives him like an episode later? and then convinces him to fight for the tournament bc she had a karate epiphany off screen even tho she was always against it? meh. feels like with the plot thiccening she was swallowed and now shes like a crutch for johnny mora than anything, which is disappointing.

aisha was cool and im kinda mad she wasnt in s3, especially bc a storyline with her tory and sam was like RIGHT THERE , but also... cant say i was super super fond of her... doesnt feel like we ever spent enough time on her

moon the bi icon, 

overall its a good cast but the main draw for me remains the og cast 

the tory/sam miguel/robby Thing. enjoy how theyre Narrative Foils and i like how their stories were so dramatically entangled but oh god give me a break with the teenage love square for the love of god. if u gonna put us through that at least have the decency to not make it so straight

and honestly some sam/tory        miguel/robby romantic tension would even make more sense. just saying! 

also im not sure how i feel abt the cobra kai: red miyagi do: blue theyre going with since some of daniels most iconic looks in tkk are also red. like it was a color they (johnny and him) sorta shared. i get it, opposite but complementary but idk... a little too fire nation and water tribe for me .

 and like the cobra kai kids are so funny abt it bc their outifts grow progressively more ridiculously coordinated. its like do they group chat every morning before leaving their houses? 

robby still sticks out like that tho. he went thru an athleisure/daniel san tsleeves phase and now hes back in the bandts grunge, but his color scheme doesnt fully blend with the other cobra kais. hmmmm.

LOVED LOVED LOVED both the okinawa episode and the cobra kais easy rider episode just such good good heart aching fun

bobby is an icon. he was in tkk and he is now ck hope appears more and more

 tommy is like the most iconic background character. all his lines, freaking gold then and now. sigh :( 

the framing in the okinawa trip was so good everything was so good

i stand by the fact that kumiko was the love interest daniel had the most chemistry with and shes is overall such a joy to watch, loved to see her again, idola, fashion icon

also tkk ii is good u guys are just mean

also really enjoyed chozens role in the episode, his evolution; i love that they introduced the pressure points (ty lee the blueprint) and! the honk + karate! cousins! absolutely iconic

when kumiko reads mr miyagis letters........ oh my god, my eyes FILLED with tears, it was so heart wrenching :(( tamlyns delivery was so emotional and lovely and its so obvious everyone involved in ck has so much love and respect for pat morita and mr miyagi as character, and i adore that it exists like this electric current through the show

when we were watching i told my sister i thought that ali would be miguels big shot surgeon and ngl i am so disappointed that didnt happen. hire me cobra kai writers

also the johnny ali daniel amanda chemistry? off the charts

AND the sassy retconning of daniel and alis breakup! LMAO ‘I HOPE U DIDNT TELL MR MIYAGI IT WAS MY FAULT’ HFDJJGNKFKSD

i am preeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetty sure back injuries dont work like that    but oke

daniel and johnny are so good together whenever, like they never actually help the kids or get shit done and end up fighting anyway but its just so much fun when theyre hanging

JOHNNY LAWRENCE AND DANIEL LARUSSO FIGHTING TOGETHER

daniels “plan” on how to get robby to juvie was so stupid. literally were u TRYING to make him hate you. dumbass

parents at those hearing rly brave for ppl that did not do ANYTHING as their kids got involved in a karate gang war until now

“bullshit i heard u were the real bully!” i mightve screeched

this s3 ending was SO DRAMATIC omg

everyone is such a MESS go to THERAPY u unhinged motherfckers

also im sorry but uh. a richass neighborhood in california doesnt have some type of neighborhood watch? the larussos rly dont have any security at all? neighbors wont hear the sound of a damn karate brawl happening next door??? also wasnt tory all like ooo i cant go to juvie, my mom yada yada yet shes always running around town getting into fights even at the rich girls house she was kicked out of school for fighting??   ?  ??    ??        ?                ?    ?          ??                  ?    ? girl??

stop destroying the larussos house, its so pretty :((((

sam finding her center looking at mr miyagis picture...  uwu maybe

robby yelling ‘U ARE WEAAK’@  johnny \as he is easily blocking him is like.... so funny and so sad to me. sweetheart. 

also i know it was meant as ‘oh johnny pushes him and HURTS HIM’ but it just looks like robby runs himself into the lockers and IM SO SORRY I FEEL SO BAD BUT IT WAS SO FUNNY 

i like that he and tory are the cobra kai kids now. we need ppl we care abt there to not revert to a good vs evil schtick, and this is the most engaging it could be... tho it hurts that these kids cant catch a break

ah yes "lets bet some real shit on the result of this teen karate tournament bc that is always a great idea" is BACK

so daniel saves johnny from kreese..... maybe johnny will save him from terry 🧐

and dojos unite ohohoho. lets SEE how that’ll work out 

miguels face of Despair when the ck defectors and the md kids are bickering like 'this is never gonna work' : gold

also. Johnny Lawrence is gonna learn some myiagi-do karate AHAAHSJAKDFH

 ive been waiting for this moment all my lifeeee oh lawrd 

final thoughts! there are def things i hope the writers will improve on the next season, but i am very excited for it either way AND i feel like it has made me enjoy the movies even more and that is a win for a reboot/sequel to me!!

[squeeneyart]

Breathe in the Salt - Chapter 7

AO3

Beta read by @thesnadger who does a great job

Tim and Martin sit out the nausea.

Martin talks to himself.

“You sure you don’t want to head home for the day?” Tim asked, picking at the grass beside him. He and Martin sat with their backs pressed against the cliff railing, facing away from the steep drop. The lighthouse loomed in front of them, barely casting a shadow as morning ticked closer to noon.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Martin replied. He rested his arms on his knees, his chin buried into the fabric of his coat sleeves. “I don’t really feel like walking down the hill yet? I’ll at least wait for the others to get back.”

“Well, they should be here soon, unless the place Simon pointed us toward is yet another weird building that makes you feel like you’re falling into a big hole.” Tim squinted up at the sky and immediately seemed to regret it, leaning forward to drop his face between his knees. “Ugh, the Fairchild place was almost as bad as here. I’m surprised we survived the walk back down. If we didn’t have someone leading us out, we’d probably be swallowed up by the carpet! Sorry to say, but I think your whole town is fucked. Or any place owned by the weird old guy club, I guess.”

Martin grimaced. “I don’t get how Jon and Sasha seem so unbothered by it. If it were just me, I’d chalk it up to stress or something, but, well.”

Tim nodded in solemn understanding. “‘But, well’.’” He lifted his head and squinted in the sunlight. “It could be they’re faking it and I’m the only one willing to ‘fess up. If that’s the case, they’ve been really good at pretending their stomachs haven’t been dropping straight into the sea all weekend. But, between you and me, Jon can’t act for shit.”

Martin’s shoulders bobbed with silent laughter. “He seems very easy to read, yeah.”

“Oh yeah, I don’t think he’s ever successfully lied in his life, unless you count avoiding a subject altogether.” Tim smiled and leaned back against the railing, brushing a hand over his hair. “Glad you two are getting on, by the way. I’m sure Sasha already talked to you about it, but the turnaround really was impressive. I was concerned he’d just be pissy this whole week over some spilt tea.”

Martin buried the bottom of his face a degree further into his coat. “Please don’t remind me. Anyway, I’m sure having something weird to chase after helped. Means this place wasn’t a total waste of time for you.”

“Hey, it wasn’t gonna be a total waste. I can’t speak for him, but I for one love to make new connections.” He waggled his eyebrow, making Martin snort and turn a brighter shade of red. “Really, though, you’ve been a lot of help. If the walk home is that bad, you should just stay up where the sun actually hits for a while. None of us will mind if you hang around, and I need someone here to prove that my dizzy spells aren’t just me being ridiculous.”

Martin’s mouth sunk into a frown. “No, once they get back I’ll head home. Lunch won’t make itself.”

“What, don’t want to grab something with us nerds?” Tim asked, smiling broadly.

“N-No, I just, y’know, I bought groceries yesterday, and if I eat out too much, I’ll end up wasting some of it, and-” Martin searched for more excuses that wouldn’t bring his mother into the picture and failed.

Tim scrunched his eyebrows together in thought, then took out his phone and asked, “What’s your number?”

“What?”

“Your mobile? In case we need to reach you. And so I can send you dumb shit in my down time that I’ve already sent to Sasha.”

For a moment, Martin sat in stunned silence. “Um. Okay?” He said, his voice cracking in the most embarrassing way possible. Then, slowly, he took an old phone out of his coat pocket, technically a smart phone but just barely. They exchanged numbers, and Martin stared at the new contact before slipping the phone back into place.

“There, now you’re stuck with me. I’ll keep you updated if Sasha and Jon do in fact decide to do something stupid that gets us all disappeared. Speaking of,” Tim said, shading his eyes with a hand. “Here they come now, and Jon looks especially irritated.” They both stood up, grasping at the railing and sharing a weary look.

“Come on, guys,” Sasha yelled from the bottom of the steps. “Break time’s over.”

Back inside, the four of them sat around the table. From the looks on their faces, Jon and Sasha had been disappointed by their short venture. “So, how are you two doing?” Sasha asked. “How’s the nausea?

“Oh, just fine. We can almost get up without losing breakfast.” Tim said. “How was the place?”

Jon crossed his arms. “Unsurprisingly, Simon Fairchild sent us to an inaccessible piece of private property owned by the Lukas family. We couldn’t even get anyone to come to the door. For now, it may be a dead end.”

“I could try to get Peter to let us in?” Martin suggested with little enthusiasm.

Sasha looked at his obviously pained expression and shook her head. “No, bad idea. Simon was pretty clear on Peter not knowing we went to his home. I’d guess that extends to any of us going into this other place. If what you said happened back at the house is true, I don’t want that kind of risk. We’ll have to try it later and hope for an answer.”

Martin let out a relieved sigh and stood. “Good, good idea. I’ll be going then. I guess if you need me for… questions? Updates? Tim has my number.”

Sasha raised her eyebrows at Tim in amusement, while Jon rolled his eyes and scowled. With a lopsided smile, Tim shrugged and said, “What? The guy lives at the bottom of the world. We can’t drag him up and down that hill all day.”

Perhaps quicker than necessary, Martin excused himself and walked out of the building. The last bit of conversation he heard was Jon complaining about a lack of workplace professionalism, followed by Tim making a mocking comment that Martin couldn’t quite hear.

Once he had walked a little ways away, he relaxed. They really did balance each other out, the three of them. He could imagine Sasha breaking them apart in a little while, then getting them on task like before.

His hand brushed against the phone in his pocket, and he felt a little pang in his throat. He pushed the sensation down. Chances were, they wouldn’t need to call him, and it would be best to pay as little attention to his phone as he always had.

--

After the usual walk home, Martin approached his mother in front of the television. There was one of her Christian programs playing, the kind with the television preacher. “Hi, Mum.”

“You took much longer than usual,” she said stiffly. He could see her attempting to swallow and went toward the kitchen.

“Sorry, work ran long today. I’ll get lunch going.” He began to look through the fridge, considering his options.

“I’m not hungry. Just want a glass of water,” she said, her voice hoarse. Martin winced.

“One second.” He quickly filled a glass from the tap and brought it to her. “You will need to eat something to get your medication down. I’ll make something for both of us and we’ll see how you’re feeling then.”

She huffed in response, taking a sip of water and clearing her throat. Once food was ready, she did eat enough for her medication and then some, setting Martin at ease.

“It’s sunny today, if you’d like to sit out front,” he suggested after cleaning up the tray in front of her. She sniffed and otherwise stayed silent. “Okay… let me know if you change your mind. The fog even cleared out a bit-”

“I am not going outside today.”

“Okay.”

Martin left her alone and went back to the kitchen and set some chicken in the fridge to defrost. His future self would thank him later, he thought, and he went upstairs to figure out the rest of his Sunday.

The first order of business was to lay down and sleep for a while. Two busy mornings in a row and he was exhausted, the muscles in his legs finally catching up to all of the extra walking. As he lay down, he thanked his walls, bed, and windows for staying in place and gently drifted off to sleep.

Several hours later, Martin woke to find the sun had retreated back behind clouds and a familiar layer of fog. He reached for his phone on the bedside table to check the time. 4:30 pm. It was almost time to get dinner started, but before he could move to set the phone down, he saw there was text notification. Without his glasses, he had to squint and hold the phone close to his face. The brightness stung his eyes. The messages were from about fifteen minutes ago.

Tim: hey Tim: what do these weird knobs and buttons do anyway

Attached was a distorted photo, apparently of the upstairs console in the lighthouse.

“Shit,” Martin mumbled, tapping out an answer.

Martin: dont know, peter never told me. work the lighthouse i guess, make sure the big light is running. Martin: also what does all the static mean

Almost immediately, he got a response.

Tim: is that how lighthouses work? Tim: means its weird shit. weird shit hates digital

Martin: its the only lighthouse ive ever worked in, your guess is as good as mine Martin: oh good

No response came for a bit, and Martin took the pause to get out of bed. Halfway down the stairs, his phone buzzed.

Tim: update, stairs still bad Tim: arseholes who don’t get spooky vertigo club

Attached was another photo, still fuzzy, this time of Jon and Sasha walking ahead with Tim’s hand just barely in frame, clutching the rail. Jon was looking at the camera with a stern expression, his mouth open in the middle of saying something. Martin laughed quietly and continued walking.

In the time it took to prepare the chicken for baking, his phone vibrated in his pocket a few times. With his hands coated, there was no way to check until he slid the chicken into the oven twenty minutes later.

Tim: dont think anything stupid will happen tonight Tim: no one’s gotten too desperate yet but tomorrow is a new day Tim: will let you know if we end up getting arrested in the middle of the night for trespassing tho

Martin: haha, very funny

Tim: give it until tuesday

Martin’s eyebrow twitched, unsure of how seriously to respond.

Martin: please dont get me fired?

Tim: no promises! ;)

It felt like a lighthearted enough response to put Martin at ease. Tim liked joking. Martin knew that by now. If Tim was saying it, then it was a joke. Plus, it was clear Sasha and Jon were very by-the-books. If Jon would lecture Tim about texting, he certainly wasn’t the type to do anything illegal.

Still, the number of times Tim had joked about it made Martin irrationally nervous. That and Simon being cryptic and threatening. And the buildings trying to make him sick. And Jon-

Sliding his phone into his back pocket, Martin distracted himself with preparing the rest of their dinner. It wasn’t the time to spiral. He had chicken in the oven and vegetables to steam.

Dinner was made and eaten within the hour, and Martin’s phone stayed silent for the duration. When his mother asked to go outside after dinner, he did his best not to be outwardly irritated at her change of mind and did as she requested, covering his face to protect himself against the night wind.

It wasn’t until later when he had just about settled down for bed that Martin checked his phone, under the pretense that he was setting his alarm for the morning. There were no unread messages, so he set his phone down onto the side table to charge.

The fog rolled outside his window, illuminated by the weak light of the front porch. When sleep eventually took him, he dreamed of nothing.

--

When 6 am came, Martin found himself in an empty lighthouse. Under his arm was the expected box of documents he was to work with for the week, which he set on his desk. He then dragged his chair back over from the folding table, which was still littered with loose papers and three used mugs.

“Right, right. Library day. They could’ve at least remembered to clean up a bit.” Martin brought the dirty dishware to the kitchen and placed them in the sink to soak, then looked around for something clean to use for himself. He managed to find a kitschy one he’d always liked, with a tiny, smiling whale on the side.

“Looks like it’s just you and me.”

His voice echoed through the building, the final ‘me’ stretching on much too long.

Martin glared out into the main room. “Yeah, yeah, I’m alone, laugh it up.”

Again, the last ‘up’ lingered and drifted up the stairs, and he wanted to slap himself for walking right into that one. There was no point in talking back to a possibly haunted building.

He settled on silently making himself some tea, then dove into the week’s work. It was mind-numbing, as expected, but after a while it grew to be calming and familiar. The weird ache in his chest gave way to distraction, and hours ticked by without interruption. Martin began to feel normal, or his version of normal before things started to be poked and prodded. Before he knew it, he had eaten lunch and was on his way to the second half of his shift.

“...up.”

Martin jumped, almost knocking over his tea. That had been his voice. Just a single noise that hung in the air with no echo to be heard. No, he thought, no, no, no, he was not going to take any bait in this place. He righted himself in his chair and reached for the pen he had dropped.

“Me. Up.” Even with his original tone resting in those syllables, the new sense of urgency was unmistakable.

Against every part of his brain screaming at him, he took a step toward the stairs. Before he could go any further the front door swung open.

“Hey, Martin, we’re back,” Sasha said, carrying a file folder. “We- woah, are you okay?”

Martin stopped and stared at her, his jaw clenched to the point of pain. “Um. Define okay.”

The three researchers stopped and shared a concerned look. Sasha walked over to set her things on the table. “Okay, okay, clearly something happened.”

“What’s going on?” Jon asked, looking around warily.

Before Martin could open his mouth, his voice came from above. “Up.”

Everyone froze, holding their breath for a moment. Jon was first to break the silence, his voice filled with disdain. “Good. It can record us now.”

“Up. Now.”

“Oh, shut up.”

Tim gripped Jon’s shoulder and gestured insistently to the front door. They all vacated the building and stopped on the front steps, finally letting out a collective breath.

“Have you all, um, dealt with ghosts? Directly?” Martin sat on the bottom step, rubbing his hands over each other. “Ones that take the last word you said?”

“We don’t know if it’s a ghost, but no, not personally,” Jon replied, sitting a few steps up and typing on his laptop. “Can’t say I really believe in them, either.”

Tim snorted. “Yeah, sure, definitely not a ghost in there.”

“I’m inclined to suspect something more concrete. Somehow, the lighthouse was trapping the sound of our voices. According to Martin it only used the last words he uttered, and the same happened with me. With only a few things to work with, it wouldn’t be hard to-”

“To accidentally order us up the creepy staircase of the creepy lighthouse.” Tim stood, hands in his pockets.

“If it’s using ‘me’, ‘up’, and ‘now’, what else could it say? Otherwise, there was just ‘back’ and okay’ as far as I can tell.”

They continued to go back and forth, Jon being much more stubborn about the whole thing than Martin would’ve expected from a paranormal researcher. Maybe ghosts were an especially contended subject? It didn’t seem like it from Tim and Sasha’s reactions, but Martin was out of his depth. People turning into seals was a far cry from specters and mind-bending architecture.

Still, it being a ghost sounded right. There were meaning and intent behind the words repeated back to him, he was certain of it. If that was the case, maybe there was someone or something in this place trying to talk to him. That’s what ghosts did, right? Reach out to the living?

“Then we’ll just have Martin stay outside for a bit,” Jon said, closing his laptop decisively.

Martin found himself back in the conversation. “What?”

“We’re going to try the place Simon pointed us toward again. Hopefully, we’ll be let in this time and get some answers. The library didn’t have much in terms of useful information, I’m afraid.”

Sputtering, Martin replied, “So, what, I’m just going to wait out here? I still have work to do!”

Jon stared at him and sighed. “Bring it outside then. It shouldn’t rain today, and we don’t want to risk anything now that we know something is… active. You’re sure nothing like this has ever happened?”

“No, this is... new.”

“Then the safest thing is to avoid whatever is going on. It’s for your own well-being, and since we’re probably the cause of it, I don’t want to be in the business of putting people in danger.” Jon said. Martin was at a loss for arguments and nodded. “Good. If our luck hasn’t changed, we’ll be back soon. Otherwise, I suppose Tim will text you the good news.” There was a slight, acidic turn to Jon’s voice near the end that Martin couldn’t place.

Martin pushed himself onto his feet. “Okay… good luck? I guess? I’ll go get my work, then.”

Apparently satisfied, Jon placed his laptop into its case and motioned for the other two to follow him. As they left, Tim shot Martin a worried thumbs up.

When Martin walked back inside, he stopped halfway to the desk, eyes glued to the staircase. He had told Jon he would get his things and go outside.

“Hello?” Martin waited and got no response. “If you’re a ghost, now’s the time to say so.” Still nothing. He let out a noise of frustration. “Say something? Please?”

“Hello? Up. Please?”

Taking a glance back at his desk, Martin bit his tongue and internally berated himself. No use giving the place a name to call him. He really was an idiot, he thought, creeping up the staircase as if the ghost might hear his footfalls. Why had he taught it to be polite?

[ranger-jedi-knight]

A New Hero Chap 16

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20887313/chapters/61274620 Taglist: @bluesimani TAGLIST IS OPEN STILL

So here’s the next chap!! Man this was quicker than my newest usual update speed lol. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this newest chap. Also, so some of you might be annoyed the Steph, Cass, and Duke havent shown up. I get that, but its only cause i dont really know em. So theyre more background characters. I’ll try having them appear, but dont get mad if theyre ooc cause like i said, i dont know em the best. And as I said in the last chap, here’s the post showing what the Grayson siblings look like!

https://ranger-gothamite.tumblr.com/post/622996250510409728/the-grayson-siblings

Alya was buckled over laughing. One arm was wrapped around her as the other whacked away Xavier’s hands as he continued to try tickling her. She moved about trying to get away from his tickling fingers while he followed with a grin and laugh himself. “I give! Stop! Uncle!” she yelled from her rocky spot on the edge of the break rooms couch.

A small smile decorated Dick’s lips as he watched Xavier pulled away laughing. Alya leaned against the armrest, getting her laughs and breathing under control. “How do you feel now?” Xavier asked and Alya grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.

“Better. Tho, I think tickling is cheating,” she said, a teasing smirk on her lips as Xavier shrugged.

“Well, you never said how to make you feel better. Besides, I know you already talked to Dick about it, so I figured, a distraction would work,” he explained and Alya had to nod.

“Ok, that’s correct......how did you know I talked to Dick?” Alya asked giving him a look and Xavier smiled cheekily at that.

“Lana. she heard you and decided to tell me. She knew we were close,” he said and a resigned type of look crossed Alya’s face.

“Of course she heard,” Alya said shaking her head fondly.

“Well, looks like you two had fun,” Dick said walking into the break room, a smile on his lips as he looked at the two.

“Beware Xavier. He’s a tickle fiend,” Alya said pushing herself upright to glare at Xavier who just smiled unabashedly. Dick smiled as he made his way over as the coffee machine started another batch.

His smile turned to a smirk and Alya gave Dick a look. “He’s not the only one!” Dick called going to and tickling Alya as well. Alya shrieked out a laugh as she started going into Xavier’s personal space to escape only for Xavier to join in. she twisted to and fro trying to escape their tickling but they surrounded her with smirks.

“I-I take-back you’re-both-fiends!” Alya shouted between laughs. The two continued tickling her for a bit longer before relenting. When they finally stopped she leaned against Xavier, panting for breath as Dick stood in front of her smiling softly. “You two.......are the worst,” she panted out, tho she had a smile on her face even tho her cheeks and sides hurt from laughing so hard.

“Nah, we’re the best,” Dick said and Alya nodded slowly at that. But then she looked closer at him, its been a few days since that frantic call and the disagreement.

“How are you and Babs? I haven’t heard you talk about her in a little while,” she asked and Dick gave a rueful smile at that. Never get anything past her, he thought with a small shake of his head.

“We’re talking some things thru,” he admitted with a shrug. Seeing Alya pat beside her, having moved a bit so there’s space between her and Xavier, he sat down and the two leaned against him. Xavier rested an arm on Dick’s shoulder while Alya had a hand on his leg, while her other let him squeeze her arm.

“I have a feeling that’s not all of it,” she whispered and Dick nodded.

“That would be correct,” Dick replied with a sigh, his smile from tickling Alya savagely with Xavier gone. “We got into a disagreement. We....maybe.....breaking up,” he said and a sorrowful look crossed Alya’s face.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, squeezing his leg reassuringly as Dick squeezed her hand. Xavier gave his shoulder a squeeze.

“It’s ok. We’ve been drifting apart for a bit now. We were just denying it,” Dick replied with a shrug.

“That may be, mate. But it still gotta hurt. You were with her for, what? A decade or more?” Xavier asked and Dick nodded.

“On and off,” he offered.

“Well, even so, it’s got to hurt still. And no one is going to judge you for hurting,” Xavier continued and Dick nodded, a small smile painting his lips as he looked between the two.

“Ya, maybe.......maybe that’s why I never felt the want to propose to her. It’s probably because I knew it wasn’t the right thing for me,” he whispered feeling their hands giving him reassuring squeezes.

“I guess there is that bright side. If you ever need someone to talk to, you have us,” Alya whispered as Xavier nodded agreement.

“I know, thank you,” Dick said looking between the two. Alya gave his hand one last squeeze before getting up. She went over to the machine and made Dick his coffee, exactly how he liked it. She sat back down next to him and hand him the mug. He hummed softly with a smile as he sipped the drink. “How did you know my drink?”

Alya scoffed with her head tilted as if she was insulted. “I’ve worked with you for how long, Dick? It’d be a surprise if I didn’t know how you take your coffee,” she said and Dick laughed softly as he nodded.

“Of course. I should have known that after all this time you’d know my at-home comfort coffee,” Dick said and Alya nodded firmly with a smirk.

“Obviously,” she agreed, leaning against him as he sipped his coffee.

“Mind telling me it?” Xavier asked and Alya laughed.

“Sure, I’ll show ya next time,” Alya said and Xavier smiled and nodded. Dick just shook his head between the two of them.

“Ganging up on me now, huh?” he asked.

“But is it ganging up if it’s giving you coffee? Cause, I feel like this is just being nice. Now, what you did just minutes ago with the tickling, now THAT was ganging up,” Alya said and Dick smiled unabashedly at that.

“You enjoyed that tickle session and you know it,” Dick said and Alya rolled her eyes since, yes she did enjoy it since it helped distract her and she had fun with it. But she didn’t have to tell him that.

“I don’t have to answer that,” Alya retorted and Dick smirked as he leaned in to mock whisper to Xavier.

“That means she did,” he said and Xavier laughed with a nod at the look that crossed Alya’s face then.

“It does,” Xavier agreed moving out of the way when Alya tried slapping his arm. But she did manage to slap Dick’s arm hard enough for him to laugh as he leaned against Xavier, trying to escape her wrath, more without dropping or spilling his coffee.

“You’re ridiculous,” Alya said standing up then and heading out. “Feel free to tell Jason that I’m telling Lana who actually got her that necklace!” she yelled out as she left the break room and went to her desk. That had Dick laughing harder just imagining how Jason would react.

“Necklace?” Xavier asked as Dick straightened finally. Dick turned to him and nodded, an easy smile on his lips.

“Ya, a while back Alya’s sister Lana got out of a.....abusive relationship,” he said after a pause, the smile dipping off his face a bit. “She had a rough go and Jason had this necklace he bought for a family friend, Marinette you were there when they visited with Xan, but instead gave it to Lana with Alya promising not to tell who gave it to her. See, Marinette believes in crystals having mystical powers and it seems Lana does too. The reason Alya didn’t say that Jason gave it was because her ex did something when she first met Jason making her be afraid. She’s now way better and knows that she’s safe from him,” Dick explained and Xavier nodded slowly as he processed all that.

“Ah, ok. I got it. I’m glad she’s doing better now,” Xavier said smiling softly to him before humming softly. “Say, does Lana go to GU?” he asked and Dick nodded.

“Yeah, why?” he asked with a tilt of his head as he finished his coffee.

“I’m pretty sure that’s the same Lana my sister is friends with,” Xavier said and Dick started laughing.

“What a small world,” Dick commented and Xavier nodded.

“Small world indeed,” he agreed as the two went out to work on their shared case.

~~~~~~~~~~~~(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧~~~~~~~~~~~~

“We’re really going to tour Gotham University?” Lila asked excitedly and Mari nodded with a smile.

“Ya! We get to see Lana again and meet a few of her friends there!” Mari said excitedly.

“But why? I didn’t think GU was part of Wayne Enterprises?” Adrien asked confused as Nino laughed wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

“It isn’t. But Bruce does donate money to it since his sons have gone there. Dick went there for a bit to get his Criminal Science Degree, Tim did his Business Degree here, when Jason got back, he got his English Degree. As for Damian, I don’t know what he’s planning, I think I heard talk about business or law. Duke is almost done there for his Literature and Film degrees. And then Cass is going somewhere else for her medical while Steph is doing community college as she figures out what she wants. But she will transfer to GU if they have the degree she wants. But I am thinking of going here for a double major of Business and Fashion,” Mari replied and had her friends nodding understanding.

“Jon said he was going to go here to get a Journalism Degree like his parents!” Chloe said excitedly and Mari beamed at that. “Hey, maybe you guys should apply here too! We could all be here in Gotham!” Mari suggested and they nodded agreement.

“Do they got a great sports program?” Kim asked and Mari nodded.

“A really good one. A few Olympians and champions are Alumni from GU,” she explained, and that had Kim shaking with barely contained excitement.

“Do they-?”

“Yes, they visit and help the couches,” Mari said and Kim did a victory dance in his seat on the bus.

“I was thinking of checking the place out,” Lila commented and Mari smiled at that.

“Hey, even if you don’t go to GU, maybe you guys will find a college that’s close enough that we can still hang out! And Chloe, Adrien, you could ask Lana about the Journalism Program they have since she’s apart of it!” Mari said and the couple sitting to the side nodded agreement while Lila giggled from her place next to her.

“Ya! We will. I’m sure Jon will like knowing more about the program!” Adrien said and Nino grunted. Adrien moved his arm out and almost knocked Nino off the seat.

“If you wanted the seat to yourself, you could have just said, bro,” Nino joked as he slid into the seat across from Kim and Max next to Sabrina.

“I didn’t-!” Adrien started as everyone laughed and a blush dusted his cheeks as Nino reached over and patted his shoulder.

“Totally, bro,” Nino said smirking and enjoying seeing Adrien flush and cover his face.

“Didn’t Xan say he was going to GU to talk with the Dean?” Lila asked and Mari nodded.

“Yeah! Since he couldn’t apply with the others, he’s applying to come in during next year’s Spring Semester,” Mari explained happily and Lila nodded with a smile.

“If we’re lucky we’ll see him and get to wish him luck!” Lila said excitedly and the group nodded agreement.

“Oh! Did you guys hear the news? Luna uploaded a new music video!” Kim said excitedly and the group nodded.

“Ya! I listened to their new song five times!” Mari said happily.

“I can’t wait! Apparently the group is coming here to perform!” Adrien said and that had them getting more excited.

“Really?” Mari asked.

“Ya!” Adrien shouted back and Mari and Lila squealed excitedly.

“I wish I can go! I love their music!” Mari whined out and Adrien shared a smirked with Chloe.

Queenie: you got the Luna tickets right????

Demon: Of course. I bought them months ago. Including Backstage passes to personally meet the members.

Little Wing: i’m insulted you’d think that.

NERD: don’t worry. even if we hadnt, the group would still love to meet Mari cause of her business mdc

Queenie: just had to make sure ttyl

Demon: You are at GU right?

NERD: of course they are. thats part of the program for their we internship. but why? id imagine youd rather surprise them somewhere else

Demon: I don’t need to explain myself to you

Chloe just shook her head while Adrien snickered softly while the others were too busy discussing Luna. Well, Max wasn’t. Max was typing away on his phone. While he enjoyed their music, he wasn’t crazy about it like his boyfriend or the others.

“Did you see Eunjoo’s outfit? It was soo cute!” Mari said and Lila nodded agreement.

“It was! Honestly, all of the Lolita outfits she wears are adorbs!” Lila added.

“They’re cute, but look at that rockin’ outfit she wears in the newest music video!” Kim said showing a blown-up pic of Eunjoo wearing black cargo pants with a deep red-purple sports bra-like top with a black button-up tied under it, heeled combat boots were on her feet that matched her crop top. She still had her hair-wig really- up in pigtails with the princess cut bangs. It was interesting to see pastel purple hair with a dark hat on top with dark clothes.

“You may make Max jealous with how you’re talking about Eunjoo,” Mari said with a teasing smirk.

“Oh, he agrees with me,” Kim said and Mari snorted at that.

“Kim is correct. I agree with his analysis. Her outfit in the newest music video is cool. It has a Lara Croft vibe,” Max replied and everyone shook their heads as they laughed. “But also, did you hear the news? Luna is going on tour with Clara and Jagged,” he said and that had Mari and Lila looking in awe.

“Really?” Mari whispered out and Max nodded as he pushed his glasses up.

“Really. After their concert here, they’ll be heading out on tour with them, meeting up at Washington D.C.,” he explained.

“Wow,” Mari breathed. “Oh! Maybe I can get Uncle Jagged to introduce us!” Mari squealed as she pulled her phone out to rapidly text Jagged as Lila and the others maneuvered her out of the bus and onto campus.

“Marinette?” a familiar voice called out. The group turned to see Lana looking at them confused with a few people with her.

“Lana!” Mari beamed over at the redhead and went over to her giving her a tight hug. Lana tensed in Mari’s grip, squeezing her friend’s hand as she forced herself to relax. “Sorry,” she mumbled seeing Lana tense.

“It’s fine. Just....gotta push thru,” Lana replied.

“Still. I swear, if I see his stupid face again,” Mari began and Lana patted her shoulder.

“Thank you, but I doubt I’ll ever be seeing him again,” Lana assured and Mari nodded slowly.

“See who’s stupid face?” Adrien asked curiously and watched as Lana gripped her dagger necklace.

“No one,” Lana replied and Mari gestured she’d explain later which he nodded at. “What are you guys doing here by the way? And who are some of these people?” Lana asked and Mari beamed as she pointed to each person.

“That’s Kim, Adrien, Lila, Sabrina, and Max. Remember Chloe and Nino?” she asked remembering that only those two joined her when she dropped off cookies all that time ago.

“Hi,” Lana greeted giving a wave to the group.

“We match! Nice!” Kim said laughing and that had Lana cracking a small smile when she noticed they indeed matched. Just not in the normal way. Her hair was practically the same shade as Kim’s sweatshirt, just faded a bit.

“Mind introducing us to your friends?” Mari asked and Lana jerked and nodded.

“Sorry, ya, I can do that,” Lana said giving a small smile as the group laughed softly. “That’s Belle, Bee for short,” she pointed to the short young woman she squeezed her hand with who had black hair and brown eyes. She then pointed to a woman on Bee’s other side with brown hair and black glasses over her blue eyes, “This is Cahaya, but Bee and I call her Haya,” she then pointed to the Italian in the wheelchair. She had purple-dyed hair and blue glasses over her teal-green eyes. A scar ran along her cheek. “And that’s Lila,” Lila waved with a laugh.

“Oh my god! I watch your channel!” Lila said from beside Mari, causing the girl next to Lana to laugh.

“Is it because we share a name?” she asked with a giggle that Lila returned. “So there’s no confusion, you guys can just call me L or even MC for my channel name,” she offered, smiling happily at that.

“MC?” Kim asked confused and looked over Max’s shoulder as he typed rapidly on his phone before showing Kim.

“Mythical Crafter. You know, that resin and clay crafter. The girls talk about her a lot,” Max explained and Kim nodded with an ‘oh’ look.

“Oh, yea! I just never heard the name,” he said sheepishly scratching the back of his neck as the group laughed.

“Anyways, why are you guys here?” Lana asked, tilting her head curiously.

“As much as I’d like to know, I need to get to class,” Bee said softly and Lana nodded understandingly as Bee then started off toward a different building with Haya close behind. “It was nice meeting you,” she called out over her shoulder.

“We’re here for a tour of GU!” Mari said beaming and Lana smiled softly.

“That’s cool. I hope you enjoy your tour,” Lana said and Mari nodded agreement. “Speaking of wish, it looks like your teacher wants to get a move on,” she continued looking behind Mari. Mari glanced back and pouted.

“Ya, will you still be on campus at lunch?”

“Ya, I’ll be in the cafeteria,” she answered and Mari beamed.

“We can talk more then!” Mari said as she and the others rushed over to their class.

“Later!” Lana called before walking with L rolling right beside her to their next class. Ms. Bustier looked at Mari and her friends a bit annoyed.

“Marinette, you shouldn’t run off like that,” she scolded and Mari scowled at that shocking the teacher.

“I didn’t run off. I walked a few steps away from the group with my friends to talk with an old friend of mine that goes here,” she said bitterly.

“Why don’t you introduce us to her then. Maybe she’d be able to give us some pointers,” Bustier said smiling sweetly.

“No.”

“What?” Bustier had the gall to look confused.

“She said no, Madame Bustier. She doesn’t have to do anything for you,” Adrien said with a scowl as well.

“Why! That is no way to speak to me, Adrien!” Bustier said looking at the two annoyed.

“Actually, they can. Because you’re being unfair. You’re trying to get Mari to do something she doesn’t want to do, nor do we know if the person you want us to meet wants to meet more people. You actually need to get the person’s consent first if you want them to talk with our class about school-related things,” Chloe said as she inspected her nails. “Even if you didn’t, you can’t force Mari to do anything.”

Bustier fumed at that and instead started leading them to the meeting point.

Ok, so here it is!! This was actually pretty long lol! I hope you enjoyed this newest chap! Yes, I’m still a bit bitter at how stupid Bustier is. She’d be better as a kindergarten teacher really. So ya, we get some Bustier salt. Espeically next chap! Just wait! So, until next time!! -Love Willa<3<3<3

[danwhobrowses]

10 Things that would’ve Improved the Game of Thrones Final Season (For Me)

So it came to my attention that recently it was the First Anniversary of the Final Episode of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’. I was taken back to my memory of the BinGOT thing we had at work where we all made predictions of who lived, died and ‘won’ from the last ep (I was in 2nd or 3rd place). And since my mother has started binging it during quarantine I thought in the spirit of that environment I’d discuss a little what I would’ve changed in the final season.

Spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8 Below, if you haven’t watched it then you’re better off not reading this frankly, if you haven’t been spoiled already at least.

So for starters, the final episode is not the worst tv I’ve ever seen, it just was a sloppy final season in general that really didn’t satisfy the 2 years of hype waiting for it, it’s like with the How I Met Your Mother finale, but that annoyance being more than one episode. But without further ado here are 10 things I would’ve changed about the final season Note: Most will involve the finale. The first 2 episodes were great.

10 - Ten Episodes The Long Night was 1 episode, the LONG NIGHT. A Culmination of the army of living and dead confined into one episode. One of the main problems with the final season was that the pacing was a bit rushed, it made character progression seem unnatural and dropped long-built plot points like water through a sieve. With 10 episodes, which was not a big ask given that this was the usual number and the gravitas of it being the final season would easily allow it to be green lit. D&D immediately backed themselves into a corner by giving a limit they weren’t used to and too much content to put in.

9 - Bite of the Spider Varys’ death was an upsetting start of the penultimate episode, while I would’ve loved him to have survived start to end and potentially ended on top (because he’s never shown to be as cunning or dangerous as he is in the books) there was some sense in him dying. However, Varys was shown sending a letter before his arrest and that never came back up, the finale could’ve used this by revealing to the public Jon’s true heritage, which would’ve immediately undermined Dany’s claim and set up a better conflict. Also we never knew what the voice in the flames said to him...

8 - A More Fitting Long Night While everyone probably popped hard for Arya killing the Night King, myself included, the nature of it was rather abrupt. I don’t think anyone can buy that she sneaked past that entire army. I do feel like the Night King was just a MacGuffin for the Long Night, given that he did so little in the actual fight. This is where a multi-part Long Night would’ve been key as well, going from the Night King being immune to Dragonfire to dying a bit later was not a good pace, and we lacked any conflict with Jon like we teased twice, Arya probably wasn’t the most poetic person to kill him either but GoT seldom did poetic deaths (Joffrey, Cersei, Euron). While the Long Night had exemplary deaths like Theon, Lyanna, Jorah and Beric, the Night King fell among the ranks of Melisandre and Edd in terms of meh deaths. The Long Night should’ve been a bigger bloodbath than it was, half the Dothraki somehow survived remember, we didn’t get to see Ghost fight at all either, no giant spiders, a lot of the tension was lost with the way some fight scenes were filmed; it was too easy to read between the lines and not enough characters had any true ‘oh god this person could die’ scenes.

7 - Resolution for the Characters we didn’t See and Plots unresolved With so much funding and finality in the show, there felt like there could’ve been more stuff that could’ve been resolved; what was the Quaith’s prophecy about? What really happened with the Doom of Valyria? Why does Dragonglass and Valyrian steel kill White Walkers? What is Daario doing after Dany died? Were the Faceless Men really that okay with letting Arya wander around knowing their skillset? Nobody hired them to help in the war either. What happened to the remnants of that warlock dude who stole the baby dragons, they sent one scorpion and that’s it, what happens with the Little Birds now that they’re leaderless? Who was Azor Ahai? What were the spirals about? There are a lot of questions the show kinda just, ignored. 

6 - The Mad Queen So, Dany going from ‘I’ll stop if they surrender’ to ‘Burn them fucking all’ was abrupt for many, the majority of fans were not ready or willing to accept turning on their Kaleesi in just one episode. While I could see the conclusion coming from being jumped, losing another ‘child’ and her closest friend as well as her new boyfriend being her nephew and a legitimate threat to her legitimacy despite already pledging fealty, Dany’s descent could’ve used more time, and less naivety.  While the death of the dragon was a huge shock, the idiocy fell on Dany in thinking that Cersei would play fair and wouldn’t try to occupy Dragonstone while she abandoned it. There also fell inconsistency when the same fleet and rows of Scorpion crossbows suddenly got Stormtrooper aim during ‘The Bells’. Euron is a renowned sailor, he ruined a Dornish fleet in a previous season, he may be an annoying bastard but you have to treat his naval tactics with a bit more respect - and make Dany less stupid with Cersei doing Cersei things. A lot of people definitely needed more time in buying the idea that Dany had lost her cool and that she blamed all of Westeros to justify burning everyone unashamedly.

5 - Proper Redemption We all know who we’re talking about. Jaime, Jaime, Jaime. In the end he just proved Olenna’s point didn’t he? And his turn away from redemption was only to serve as an example point for Tyrion to use to convince Jon to kill Dany. Jaime didn’t have to live, but he didn’t have to die rushing to Cersei’s rescue, or even due to Euron stabbing him. If anything Jaime should’ve died with some Honour, to be the inverse of Ned as he was presented in Season 1.

4 - My Lady does not have to mean M’Lady This is probably the most selfish ones of my 10 but as a shipper at my very heart and soul I wanted one, at least one, ship to survive this entire turmoil and Gendry and Arya were that couple. We almost had it as well, but then for some mad reason D&D decided that Gendry, despite literally saying that “none of it will be worthwhile if you’re not with me”, stayed in Storm’s End. Arya’s character endgame was right in her venturing off not being bound by the fact that she’s a noble, but Gendry spent a lot of time not caring that he was of Kingsblood to basically being his Father’s son. He’ll rule Storm’s End, marry some woman to have kids, but he’ll still have fallen into the same pit as King Robert did. It would’ve been much more satisfying and hopeful if Gendry abandoned the titles and land he never wanted or needed to accompany someone he loves and who loves him back on an adventure into the unknown. She’s not a ‘lady’ if she’s only marrying a blacksmith and love is the death of duty.

3 - Sansa is NOT Smart (and gets what she actually deserves) Right. So I really, really didn’t like Sansa. Like, I get it, she got held hostage by the Lannisters, watched her father get beheaded, got accused of murder, learned that her brother and mother died, watched the guy who fancied her mother and kissed her kill her aunt and then got effectively sold to an abuser in an arranged marriage. But Sansa is not the smartest player in the game, it was annoying that they tried to portray her as one, she had one idea that anyone could’ve told you ‘don’t be stupid against Ramsay Bolton’. She spent all of Season 8 mainly giving side eye like a petty bitch, completely trying to undermine Dany despite the two being very very similar (remember Dany was raped, sold off in an arranged marriage and watched family members get killed too) to the point where she was conspiring for Jon to usurp her. And in reality she took her ball and left, she was so pissy that the leaders didn’t pick her to be Queen of Westeros that she literally pointed out her own brother’s infertility, claimed that the North wouldn’t bow to a monarch, then declared herself Queen.  Hide the ‘Yas Queen’ goggles for a sec, this wasn’t empowering she was throwing her own brother under the bus because she wanted to be queen, and she learned far too much from Littlefinger and Cersei’s playbook to actually be a just one. The North is allowed to be an independent nation, but Sansa’s ‘victory’ was more earned by virtue of a lot of shit happened to her than her actually demonstrating qualities to be queen.

2 - Bran Stark can’t come to the Phone right now... While we’re on the subject of Stark children not being fit rulers, Bran. What a cockamamie decision that was. I was 100% behind the destruction of the Iron Throne, but the chorus of laughter with a democratic rule was a bit of a slap in the face. Of all the choices though, Bran had to be near the bottom, it felt completely unearned that he spent literal seasons disconnecting from the world even to the point where he told Meera and Sam that Bran Stark is no longer here anymore only for Bran Stark to magically resurface when a crown is in waiting. I think it defeats the whole Three Eyed Raven thing too, the guy isn’t really one for the people, which is the problem every other ruler before him failed at. If you can’t pick a just person to lead, then why not a council instead? Just using Bran was a poor and messy decision.

1 - THE MOTHERFUCKING VALONQUAR One of the few expectations across all of Game of Thrones was the wondering over whether Cersei was gonna get what’s coming to her, the Maggy the Frog prophecy was going along quite well up until the Valonquar bit, where the younger sibling that was going to choke the life out of her was: bricks. BRICKS! Of all the long-winded prophecy foreshadowings to drop this one was the worst, Cersei (and Jaime) died in underwhelming, thoughtless fashion, the lack of fanfare on killing off one of the best and most ‘love to hate’ villains in the show only cemented the fact that the finale was not able to live up to the hype. True, most of these are small changes, but it’s worth remembering that there was some good coming out of the final season and it was the lack of those little things and attention to detail that led to the season ending on an underwhelming note.

We did however get a good ton of memes out of it, and at work a long-winded discussion on who should get the ‘winner’ 5-points (compared to the 1 correct points) since we had technically agreed that the 5 points goes to “whoever correctly guesses who sits on the Iron Throne” XD I still can’t believe I was right in Drogon melting the throne though that was one in a million

[ascreamingstrawberry]

Strip Me of My Walls, Please.

Previous : Part 9,  Present : Part 10 + 11,  Next : Part 12 + 13

Summary: Logan hires a prostitute to pretend to be his boyfriend. Patton is a prostitute just trying to support his son when he falls with a very rich man needing him to pretend to be his boyfriend.

Chapter Summaries : Roman thinks about college while pushing through the streets. Patton and Thomas make up a little, with Logan’s help.

Pairings: romantic Logicality, future romantic Prinxiety, Elle x Damien (my original characters), 

Word Count: 3,094

Warnings : andrew being a lil bitch? mentions of domestic abuse? the musical spring awakening? yelling? more tears but like also less? remy and emile are in this fic bc even tho they ain’t sides they’re my kiddos

Notes : There’s a flashback at the beginning of this fic. Also, there’s like a million characters in this fic but do you guys want a full list once you’ve been introduced to them all? It might help you keep track. Also, Ao3 has the most up-to-date chapters and you can check that out here.

Roman was talking about Spring Awakening for the third time that day, and yet he still felt like he had just too many words to say on the production. Rehearsals had been going phenomenally, Roman felt like he and the Wendla and the Moritz that the university had casted just clicked. But if his two young friends were sick of hearing about the subject, they made no point of telling Roman, so he figured it was okay.  

He had went to his Introductory to Psychology course that he took alongside the freshmen couple Emile and Remy, two of the only friends Roman had been able to find on campus since people tended to avoid him due to his extra nature. Remy rarely ever showed up to class and when he did Roman found his boyfriend tapping on his shoulder to get him awake and paying attention. Remy had almost fought Roman on who was gayer, and often disappeared for days without notice to him or Emile, but Roman enjoyed the man’s company nonetheless.  

So on the walk from Psychology, he wasn’t particularly offended when he noticed Remy dozing off during his ramblings, Emile having to practically hold the other man up with their linked arms. He was about to say something about the two maybe heading back to their dorm when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him from behind, a breath tickling his neck as a familiar voice whispered to him. “Are you talking about that play of yours again, darling?”

“Musical.” Roman playfully corrected as he turned his head to press a kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek. Andrew was a very attractive man, Roman talked about it often, he was quite lucky to have someone so kind to put up with him.  

“I was quite enjoying listening to you talk about it, Roman. You’re very passionate, it seems.” Emile smiled, pushing his glasses up his nose with his free hand, while pushing Remy upwards with the other. “Plus you don’t seem to spend your time with anyone else, so you’re probably not talking about it with anyone else.”  

Roman’s smile dropped in the middle of his friend’s statement, but he still thanked him for listening. The small group of four had stopped just in front of the science center, Emile and Remy were standing a little more than an arms length from them now, more or so because they weren’t as familiar with Andrew as Roman was.  

Andrew could scare people, Roman knew that, he was taller than most with broad football shoulders. But once you looked past the military blonde haircut, and reached the soft blue eyes, he really was a softie. Roman had spent most of college alone, he’d taken up his special line of work and performing as ways to distract himself from lonely night hours, and now he had friends and Andrew to keep his day hours just as busy. He just wished the three got along.

“How’s the apartment hunting going?” Roman being a senior and his boyfriend being two years out of college, meant the two had to start thinking on life in the real world. Roman had his heart set on a big city, but not go to New York City until they had both worked enough for the money for rent and such.  

Clearly not well, Roman figured as he watched his boyfriend’s good mood soil in front of his eyes, his shoulders slumping and his eyes suddenly looked way more sad than he thought they should ever look. Roman, wanting to help, figured he could use some help. “Well you know there’s that one site-”

“Let’s not talk about it.” Andrew quickly replied, removing his arms from Roman’s waist and pressing a kiss to Roman’s lips, trying distract him.

And Roman let him, just for a moment, because he wanted to let it go. He wanted to get lost in the feeling of his boyfriend’s lips on his, he wanted to reach up and run his hands through his hair, and yet he found himself pushing him away. “Andrew, the semester-”  

“Ro, I said drop it.” Andrew tried to kiss him again but this time Roman had his hands up in front of him. He almost forgot about the two freshmen that were now behind Roman as he lifted his chin and stood on his tiptoes to meet his boyfriend eye to eye.

Roman needed to talk about it, he needed a concrete plan for the future or to talk about Spring Awakening again to feel like he was doing something. He needed this, why couldn’t Andrew just see that? “Drew please, I know what I’m talking about, all you have to do is-”

“I SAID SHUT UP.” Andrew screamed, his face red, students turning their heads to see where the outburst had come from. Remy was awake now, his arms wrapped around Emile protectively, staring into the back of Roman’s head as he waited for his older friend’s reaction.

And yet, there wasn’t one. Roman didn’t go running away in tears, even though they were there on the edges of his eyes. He didn’t spit back a yell at his boyfriend, even though there was one on the tip of his tongue. He let Andrew break into a heartless apology and explanation, tuning him out completely, falling into step with Emile and Remy as they walked towards the dining hall.

When the road forked toward a residence hall that was not his own, Roman still took it, leaving the group unnoticed in silence. It was not until Remy took a look around after they were almost there to see that Roman was no longer at his side. He tapped on Emile’s forearm, alerting him, but not making a sound to alert the other occupant. They made it to the dining hall, and when Andrew finally noticed Roman’s disappearance, they said something about him heading home. They all knew that home to Roman meant Andrew’s apartment, and not his own dorm, so when Emile and Remy retreated back towards the middle of campus, Andrew thought nothing of it.  

Roman had watched the two freshmen pass by him, heading to his dorm, and he almost felt guilty for being tucked behind the sophomore girls dormitory and not in his room. He sent them a text telling them he went on a walk, and turned to press his head against the red brick. Roman’s hands felt shaky, his breath felt uneven, and as tears slipped down his face, he felt cold. He didn’t know how long he stood there, but when he pulled away the tears were dried and there was a painful indent of the brick in his forehead that hurt a lot less than the rest of him.  

Roman could still remember the feeling of the brick’s indent over his forehead, as he pushed through the city, he felt his hands run over the familiar material. There was a small bag in his back, some of his most valuable possessions he’d been able to grab when he slipped out after  Andrew had left for work. A couple acting awards, a picture of his parents even though they didn’t speak to him anymore, and his costume from his freshman year of college’s production of Into the Woods that he had been able to keep, surprisingly. The director said his casting had been a joke on his last name and a lack of older males, but then he had blown it away first day he was welcomed back every musical afterwards.

Roman was still in his night shorts underneath the jeans he had haphazardly thrown on in his haste, and a black t-shirt under his signature red and white jacket. He was moving through the city through back alleyways in an attempt to avoid main traffic and being seen. When he had finally made it to the neighborhood, he had missed the sunrise and exhaustion was fighting against the new bruises at his sides. If he stopped to count the bruises on his thighs that scattered all the way up to his ribs and along his wrists, he’d surely fall over with a lack of momentum. Roman tried to focus on getting to the name on the mailbox, the number on the door, the people behind the windows. The ones he knew well, the ones that cared for him, that would help.

They surely couldn’t protect him for long, eventually he’d have to go back, and though the thought made his stomach churn, he pushed on. Finally, just as the paper boy passed him on his bicycle, he reached the front of the lawn. The lights were off but the warmth associated with the home was still dragging Roman to the front door. His body ached as he climbed the steps and he but a split second to think about turning towards the bushes just under the living room before he collapsed, fainting. 

Logan excused himself to call Virgil, inform him he was staying the night at Patton’s and to bring him clothes in the morning. He felt a little guilty that in the chaos, he had forgotten his twin would be in charge of their nephew over the next couple days, but then he’d had an idea. Jon was quiet, sure, and sometimes the boy’s attitude could get the better of him but he was in desperate need of a friend. So it seemed, was Thomas. Logan didn’t enjoy meddling, never saw the appeal of it, but if it could help anyone, he would partake.

“Dinner’s ready.” Patton’s voice was quiet even though it still broke the silence of the house loud enough for Logan to hear him from the bedroom, a different kind of quiet though, a broken quiet. Logan had tried to hold him for a little longer in the living room, but Patton had excused himself first, wrapping himself in his cooking. While it smelled delicious and the sight of Patton over the stove made Logan feel something, he pushed both of those thoughts away as he surveyed both Sanders boys sat with him at the small table near towards the kitchen.

They looked small and very far away from each other even though they were just on other side of the table. Thomas’ head was tucked into his chest as he ate and Patton was almost similar except once in a while he would look up at Logan, smiling but it never reached his eyes. Patton surely must have wanted to speak on the manner, and yet as time ticked on, both Sanders boys looked as though they’d rather be any place but here. Logan was the first to finish, and in means of starting conversation, complimented the food. Patton barely had time to hide his head from the blush that had reached his cheeks before a quiet voice interrupted the moment. “It was good as always, Dad.”

Patton looked at his son’s eyes for the first time since he’d seen him on the floor of their living room covered in bruises and his own blood. He ignored his own nervousness at the subject and just looked at the absolute fear spread out across the tiniest specs of hazel mixed in with the light brown staring back him. Patton smiled slowly, trying to force it to come out as soft and comforting, and when Thomas sheepishly returned one, suddenly he didn’t have to force it anymore. “Why don’t you get ready for bed, kiddo?”

Normally, Thomas and Patton would watch a movie or Patton would indulge in his son in watching him partake in one of his many hobbies. Sometimes musical instruments, sometimes reading something Thomas wrote, a lot of times it would be singing together as they picked up the house from all the other activities. Tonight they were both exhausted though.

“I’ll take the couch.” Logan said to Patton as Thomas retreated to his bedroom. Patton couldn’t help but marvel at the man before him, and what he’d done for Patton today. He wondered if he knew just how much his very presence now kept Patton from breaking. So much had happened, his own problems seemed so far away as the image of his son bruised and bloody came back to him. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, shaking his head at nothing like it would whisk the image away in a breeze. He felt his body give way again but then there he was, again. Logan.

“Patton.” Logan said his name like it was the only thing that mattered in the world. Patton lifted his head as far as he could, which was only even with just under Logan’s nose. Logan pulled Patton closed again, pressing his hand against his back while Patton’s own arms stayed glued to his sides. The position was awkward, Patton’s nose was pressed against Logan’s cheek as the younger man had his head turned towards the window. He was trying all he could not lean on this man for any more support, Logan didn’t deserve to be burdened with it, and here the man was with his own shaking breath against Patton’s neck.

“I’m sorry.” Patton said, and Logan’s breath stopped all together. Patton pulled away to lifted his head all the way up and when he met those striking grey eyes they were staring at Patton with a feeling he couldn’t discern.

“Don’t be sorry.” Logan’s voice sounded vengeful, angry like it had been in that  whore  room earlier but seeped with a hiss underneath it. “Patton, I am not good at comforting, but I would literally give anything to see you smile like you did in my closet, which seems so long ago. I don’t want you to blame yourself at all, because call it selfish, but I am so blessed to be the one here for you in this moment.”

Logan pulled away, not before turning his head and pressing a kiss to the end of Patton’s nose, and Patton nodded stepping into the bedroom and pulled out a blanket and a pillow for him. He took a moment to breath again, before returning to the living room where Thomas was standing at the door, his hands tucked behind his back. Patton handed Logan the blanket and pillow, keeping a raised eyebrow in his son’s direction. Thomas licked his lips, stuck his tongue out, and then closed his eyes leaning forward as if forcing the word out. “Dad.”

“Yes, kiddo?” Patton took a step closer, Thomas still didn’t open his eyes, and now he bent his head towards his chest to further keep his sights away. Patton ignored the small thud he heard, as Thomas took in a shaky breath.

“Can I sleep in your room with you?” Patton wondered if Thomas had even breathed in between the words, but he still nodded. He then realized Thomas wasn’t going to open his eyes to see his answer, and his heart practically broke at the sight, that Thomas was so nervous around him.

“Of course, Thomas.” Patton said, and the boy only lifted his head for a moment to smile slowly at him. Patton lifted his arm out to point towards the bedroom and Thomas ran, rushing past Patton, stopping only to kick off his socks and hop onto the large bed.

Patton turned his attention to the man who in midst of his and his son’s moment, had been on the floor, hidden by the couch. He was laid out over the floor, his pants at his ankles and his shirt discarded, and when he looked up at Patton he had a blush over his face, that ended just before the bottom of his glasses. Logan shoved his pants off the rest of the way, smiling awkwardly as he flopped his head back onto the ground.

“I hope I did not disrupt your moment with Thomas. The emotional capacity in the room sort of jump scared me.” Logan said.

“You’re adorable.” Patton blurted out, watching the man before him stumble into even more of a blushing, stuttering, mess at the moment as he

“I-I-am-not.” Logan stood up, keeping his hands behind his back nervously. Patton scanned over him though, as Logan turned his head to look behind Patton at the door of his bedroom. “I think you-should-uh”

“Goodnight Logan.” Patton nodded, turning away and heading to his bedroom with the tiniest of smiles at the fact that Logan was still mumbling to himself when he closed the door.

He took a moment to take a deep breath and flail his hands out giddily, before stepping towards the bed where Thomas was cuddled underneath the most popular blanket in the whole house. The large dark blue fluffy blanket with white ship anchors all over it, the very one Patton often found himself draping over his two boys during Roman’s sleepovers, was covering Thomas’s head dramatically as he laid in the fetal position. Patton took off his pants, laid them out over the chair and also stripped his shirt for good measure. Thomas had a dark blue shirt with black and white soccer balls all over it on, as well his black night shorts that stuck out against the blankets.

“Goodnight Thomas.” Patton said, laying on top of the bed, reaching over to turn off the light and as he leaned back against his pillow he was greeted with his son throwing himself on top of his chest.

“Dad?” Thomas whispered again.

“Yeah, kiddo?” Patton said, wrapping his arms around Thomas and pulling him tight up towards his neck. The room was quiet and Patton could feel the boy’s breath on his collarbone but he didn’t mind, the chills actually helped him remember that Thomas was here, Thomas was safe.

“I want to switch schools.” Thomas was speaking through tears, Patton could feel them on his bare chest, and he took to comforting Thomas before answering.

“It’s okay, buddy.” Patton squeezed him a little tighter, unsure of who he was trying to convince, Thomas or himself. “I’m not going to let you get hurt again.”

“I love you, Dad.” Thomas mumbled already half asleep, his small body extremely fatigued from the emotional stress it went under today. Patton ran a hand through his hair, letting the strands fall from the space between his fingers slowly as he watched his hand move through the dark room.

“I love you too.” Patton pressed a kiss to Thomas’s head and listened as his son’s breathing slowed, signally he was asleep.

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