#my finale predictions

[cloudcastor]

some dungeon meshis 💥

from patreon

[ithinkdogshouldvote]

POV: you are Willy Stampler

[cosmichorrorlesbians]

'Look how it splits the light… like a prism. It’s so… beautiful.'

'Dangerous.'

[palewwave]

You know that scene from The Little mermaid with the statue?

[featherfangart]

| Don't leave me All by myself in this world |

[veerbles]

Pynch Fic Rec Wrap-Up

35 fics you would be doing yourself a favor by reading. divided into 5 (+1) neat categories for your convenience.

GOATs

the best to ever (ever ever) do it.

Free as a Bird by pinkhorizon rating: M | wc: 31k (10 chapters) | musician au this fic is at the very top of this top tier list not because my heart was pounding and I was giggling and teary-eyed and overwhelmed and emotional throughout it - although it's all true; but because I obsessed over it non-stop for a week after reading it, and still think about it with alarming frequency. this is, truly and embarrassingly, my roman empire. if you ever read an au from this fandom, please dear lord: let it be this one.

Ronan is the lead guitarist of the Ravens, and Adam is a roadie. Romance ensues.

Friends We Keep by pinkhorizon rating: M | wc: 56k (10 chapters) | non-magical future this section of the list only has three recs, and this is the second one by pinkhorizon. this is not by mistake. in this case, ronan and adam are occasionally friends with benefits but continuously deeply in love; this fic gives you the kind of good pain that puts a lump in your throat but keeps you so, so hopeful for that happy ending because it earns it. for bonus points, it deals with mental health issues and trauma and just all the heavy stuff from canon in a truly superb way.

Adam doesn’t know what he wants, and Ronan wants whatever he can have.

Fall Back by flightspath rating: E | wc: 14k (6 chapters) | college au unlike free as a bird, I didn't fall into obsession with this fic immediately. I read it once and enjoyed it, found myself craving a reread shockingly soon thereafter, and loved it more and more each time. I only noticed how special it was when I easily passed the 10+ rereads. much like adam and ronan in this fic, friends with benefits whose feelings creep up upon, my deep pure love for this fic creeped up on me.

Adam, at the library, scanning books with a pen behind his ear. Adam, trudging across the quad in the snow. A recurring dream, all throughout fall semester, a bright spot in Ronan’s days.

Canon Compliant

* compliant with the original series; I tend to ignore td3's existence.

Of Being the Tenders of Gardens by shaenie rating: E | wc: 85k it's honestly beyond my comprehension how this fic isn't its own classic in this fandom, if only for its arguably unparalleled focus on the magic system and adam's powers and the connection to cabeswater. in short, it's a post-canon take on adam and ronan trying to bring cabeswater back, but not by dreaming a new one.

It's Adam Ronan takes to what he thinks might be a remnant of Cabeswater first.

Rock Me Like by zephfair / @zephfair rating: E | wc: 6k I read many fics about different aspects of adam and ronan cohabiting during the summer after high school, but I specifically liked how this fic alludes to their different upbringing in the more practical ways.

When bad weather threatens the Barns, Adam does his best to take care of his loved ones.

negative capability by smileymikey / @smileymikey rating: G | wc: 3k the general consensus is that these two find it easier to communicate through touch than through words, so I really liked how this tackles the way touch may present its own issues as well.

If Adam were poetic, he and Ronan would be spinning planets, constantly drawn together by gravity and the sheer power of the universe, sometimes aligning so they would be both at the furthest points of their orbits at the same time with millions of miles of emptiness and dust between them, but sometimes aligning so they would be at the other edge of their orbits, hovering inches away from one another, the dust between ionised and pulsing with tension. But he’s not. So they’re just assholes.

lavender and burning skin by deathlessaphrodite rating: E | wc: 8k very early in their relationship, spending time in the barns with the lynch brothers and fumbling around sex and communication the way god intended.

To: Adam Parrish From: Ronan Lynch Subject: (no subject) come round tonight? not if you’re working obv r. Adam stared at the email for several seconds before he could even begin to comprehend it. Ronan Lynch and email did not belong in the same sentence.

Between Eternities by BeautifulSoup / @thebeautifulsoup rating: T | wc: 12k (10 chapters) actually fucking brilliant vignettes of moments from the year after trk ended.

The world is waiting for them. Not the world they saved last night, but the other one. The solid, undreamt and undreamlike world of Aglionby and Ganseys.

Wringing Out the Hours by quietcoast / @sentimentalspiders rating: T | wc: 8k one of the very few future fics which gave me that exactly-right feeling.

It felt irresponsible to leave. He had willed the thought away, and breathed in the sleep-sweat of Ronan’s neck instead. He thought about the scratch of Ronan’s jaw, and the soft fury of his mouth. He thought about how far into the drive his first exit would be. He thought about Opal, who had hidden herself in the enthusiastic buttonbush that grew alongside the house; she had taken to crouching there whenever it looked like Adam and Ronan were doing things related to Leaving, and had gnawed an entire branch clean. She watched them as they swayed and whispered, and Adam had thought she would stay in the bush and not come see him at all, but he was wrong: at the last minute she had been unable to stand it, and had burst out to wrap herself around his legs. It was impossible to leave them. He had gotten in the car.

The hang of being alive again by Goshen (applecrumbledore) / @goshen-applecrumbledore rating: E | wc: 13k I can say with a good amount of authority that I've read every single iteration of immediately-post-canon pynch, and every single take on their first time, and this is just the most heart-stopping and disarming and gorgeously written one of them all.

Falling for Ronan had felt like going to speak at the same time as someone else after a long silence, two people bumbling over their words to say, no, sorry, go ahead before one of them says what they were going to say.

Roses in Between My Thighs by orphan_account (*) rating: E | wc: 6k I marked this with an asterisk because technically speaking, it's not canon compliant - it was written before the series was completed. but its grasp on the characters is so good that it's honestly impossible to tell it wasn't written post-trk, so I'm counting it.

Four things that could have ruined them but didn't.

Canon Divergence/Non-Magical

where the setting is close enough to the original universe, with minor changes.

Never Knock by burn_it_slow / @burn-it-slow rating: E | wc: 28k | non-magical adam goes off to college and unintentionally loses touch with his best friend ronan, all the while realizing he's in love with him. a summer later they meet again. also: all the emails adam never sent, but probably should have.

“We good here?” Ronan sweeps a knuckle across his lower lip and glares at Adam as if daring him to say something about… any of this whole situation. Whether it’s the destroyed car, the forgotten phone number, or the gratuitous kiss from a super hot dude with an expensive motorcycle, Adam can’t exactly determine.

A Strange and Complicated Thing by ungoodpirate / @ungoodgatsby rating: T | wc: 39k (12 chapters) | non-magical a retelling of select parts of a non-magical canon if adam and ronan started sneaking around to hook up first and became friends and boyfriends later - with a slow and excellent build of emotional intimacy.

Didn’t Adam Parrish deserve nice things? Didn’t Adam Parrish deserve to be pushed against the back wall of Boyd’s and be kissed like he was addictive by a boy who had the cheekbones of a model? Didn’t he deserve hands grasping at his waist with an eagerness to be held close that Adam had never known? Adam Parrish didn’t have many nice things in his life, and he wasn’t going to question this one that had happened unanticipated this one random, Saturday afternoon.

every dream i've ever had has been of myself by cloverspies / @parrishh rating: T | wc: 8k a different version of how their first kiss could've gone that literally had me breathless and kicking my feet.

Chasing down a mysterious address left behind by a dead psychic was much more attainable than getting ice cream, which was all sorts of messed up but also the truest thought Ronan had had all day, so he shifted into reverse and peeled out of the two spots the BMW had been taking up without even bothering to glance at his mirrors. He was already burning rubber, practically drifting around the corner of the parking lot exit, when he asked, "Where to?"

Every Stupid Little Thing by Diana_Dreams / @diana-dreams rating: M | wc: 10k a canon-divergence vaguely placed in the timeline in which floundering teenagers struggle through expressing their emotions. more importantly, this has a first kiss car scene that still lives rent free in my brain.

Courting. Jesus. It sounds like an awful joke. Parrishs don't court. They get girls knocked up and beat the shit out of the people they're supposed to love.

Alternate Universe

A Moment in Time by pinkhorizon rating: M | wc: 132k (20 chapters) falling in love, getting together, breaking up, pining, getting back together, all crafted by pinkhorizon's masterful hand. if you're still not convinced to read all of their works: why, and also, do.

Ronan likes being alone. Adam's looking for summer work.

(i’ll clean up) the mess that you are by ecoterrorism / @bartskull rating: M | wc: 5k there's just something about baseball au's and soulmatism.

It will work because Adam willed it so. Even when Ronan doubts God, he still knows better than to doubt this.

go running by thesehands / @ahotknife rating: E | wc: 72k (5 chapters) emotionally unavailable rich professional adam starts having kinky sex with his co-worker's brother ronan and somehow convinces himself there are no feelings involved. then it blows up in his face.

most of the time, ronan takes his crucifix off when they have sex. sometimes, he doesn't. sometimes, adam thinks he might be ready for a relationship. most of the time, he doesn’t.

light by paintedpolarbear rating: T | wc: 3k a paramedic au with the tangible sort of attraction that makes you want to read meet-cutes in the first place.

When the tones drop at four in the morning, Adam briefly entertains the fantasy of rolling over and getting more sleep. Then he puts his boots on.

seek ye the living by charactershoes / @charactershoesfic rating: T | wc: 40k (9 chapters) a fleabag au that I enjoyed with all my whole ass self despite committing the cardinal sin of not really enjoying fleabag. this deals with grief and religion and god-slash-magic and purpose versus autonomy in a way that changed my interpretation of trc forevermore.

Ronan says, “What’s the church’s stance on fratricide?” “Frowned upon,” says the almost-priest. He’s got a remote, orphan-eyed face like something off a prayer card, but his voice is as Henrietta as cicada song. “Although there’s precedent.”

gets late early by charactershoes / @charactershoesfic rating: G | wc: 18k I've already made my point about baseball au's and soulmatism, so let me add this: there is just something about authentic depictions of teenage boys and their repressed emotions. also, like, essentially everything by this author is gold.

That year, Ronan was Declan Lynch’s Little Brother, The Kid With The Dead Dad. That year Adam Parrish was The Public School Kid. That year Adam Parrish was God’s Gift To Southpaws. That year they went to the league championship and blew it badly. Next year, Ronan was Academically Ineligible. Next year, Adam Parrish was gone. Now, Ronan is a senior and starting catcher on the Aglionby Ravens. Now, Adam is back on the clubhouse bench, tightening the ragged laces on his cleats.

A stillness at once awful and sublime by Wisteria_Leigh / @purrincesscatitude rating: T | wc: 18k adam experiences a crisis and applies to be a fire lookout on an isolated mountaintop in montana. this is a truly remarkable lesson in interweaving canon into a completely alternate setting, which manages to be both beautiful and poignant.

It’s a momentary lapse of emotional regulation, if one is generous. An absolute fucking meltdown, if one is honest. When Adam comes back into his body, he’s lying on his bed, empty styrofoam staining his duvet with red chili oil, blank-eyed scrolling through his LinkedIn feed of job openings at Harley-Davidson for motorcycle engineers. He doesn’t want to work for Harley; he’s got brand loyalty to Honda. Also, being a mechanic again would be backsliding, and he is absolutely, most certainly, not backsliding. No, he just needs a sabbatical. A break from reality. Something temporary. Remote. Far from Virginia. Then he sees it: "Fire lookout."

The Course of Certain Stars by quietcoast / @sentimentalspiders rating: T | wc: 9k truly an exemplary take on adam's characterization and the existence of demons and the catholic church.

Once upon a time, Adam Parrish had not - if you’ll pardon him - given a good God damn about God or the devil. At eleven, Adam took for granted that praying did not mean an answered prayer. At twelve, he understood that devil was just another word for the man who lived in his house and shared his eye color. At thirteen, Adam realized that, actually, he was fucking wrong, that the devil was literal and maybe so was God. He knew this because one day, a demon crept into his parents’ trailer. As an adult, unmaking the rules of good and evil consumed Adam Parrish. Proving his experience was the undercurrent to everything he did. That was why it was so absolutely fucked up that when he did finally encounter a demon for the second time, he wasn’t even trying to do it.

Careful the Tale You Tell by shinealightonme rating: T | wc: 26k (4 chapters) if there's one thing I like, it's trope subversion. this had that misty, fairytale-like grimms vibe and incredible relationship development, but more notably, it managed to not be at all what I was expecting.

Ronan makes a deal with a witch. It's okay, though. He'll never have to go through with his end of the bargain.

This Is Canon To Me

a collection of short fics-turned-headcanons that you could not pry from my cold dead hands.

How To Train Your Fire-Breathing Reptile by pinkhorizon rating: T | wc: 1k if you weren't hoping for this during the end of tdt, idk what is up with you.

If you asked Adam, Ronan's latest dreamthing is absolutely not a dragon. (If you asked Ronan, it totally is.)

worship by ssstrychnine / @oneangryshot rating: T | wc: 1k do you ever remember that ronan canonically worships adam like his god. because I sure do.

ronan dreams stained glass.

oreos and peanut butter by lizpaige / @lizpaige rating: G | wc: 1k this is actually bronan in a pynch disguise, and I fully mean that in a complimentary way.

Adam shows up at Monmouth after work and Gansey is breathing into a paper bag while Blue pierces Ronan's ear with a sewing needle and an apple Parent Trap style.

Dog Days by cheeryos / @cheeeryos rating: T | wc: 1.5k I legitimately wondered about this while reading trb and was sad it never came up again.

Ronan picks up a surprise for Adam.

Unfold Me by cherishadamparrish / @cherishadamparrish rating: N/A | wc: 1k the idea of ronan pulling embarrassingly mushy things out of his dreams, especially after they have sex, is so important to me (you can also find this scenario referenced in another fic on this list, and it's great both times).

The entire bedspread was covered in a canvas of rose petals.

like a dog with a bird by charactershoes rating: G | wc: 3k so many attempts have been made at what this conversation would be like, but none have stuck with me quite as much as this one, so this is the Canon one to me.

The bruises at Ronan’s neck are fading, the pools of dark green and purple dispersing. Adam knows intimately the phases of a bruise, how the brutal press of fingers washes out dingy and yellow. Still, if he looks, he can discern where his nails bit in, where his thumbs pressed hard against Ronan’s windpipe.  “I’m sorry,” he says. His hands shiver.  “Don’t start,” Ronan says.

out of the dark day, into the brighter night by York / @ellipsesetcetera rating: G | wc: 4k I always wished we'd seen more of their st. agnes sleepovers and their burgeoning friendship moments.

"Blink and you'll miss it. I'm not doing this shit all night, so when it does happen, don't be fucking daydreaming and gripe about it later like some —" "I won't miss it," Adam promised. "It's not a circus act." "Ronan. I won't miss it."

Honorary Mentions

made me laugh / surprised me somehow.

i told the moon about you by broyals rating: T | wc: N/A (10 chapters) mixed media fic, told through fake social media images

ronan lynch and adam parrish grew up together on the set of the strange case of jane armstrong, and as their careers took very different paths the media couldn’t help but compare them every step of the way, creating a rivalry that wasn’t quite there. as they accidentally feed into the rumors, they must now get along publicly to dispel them, and get to know each other once again.

vanitas vanitatum, omnia (pro Adam) by JayJEx rating: T | wc: 11k in a truly unhinged post-canon universe that somehow almost feels plausible, ronan becomes instagram famous.

“You can’t really blame him,” Ronan hears Adam shifting on the other end of the call, like he’s moving into a more comfortable position. “You’re using your phone. Willingly. That’s gotta be, like, a sign of the apocalypse, or something.”

should've left my phone at home ('cause this is a disaster) by shinealightonme rating: T | wc: 4.5k the only thing you need to know is that I laughed out loud through the vast majority of this fic.

Most of the interesting customers that Adam meets are terrible interesting rather than fun interesting. The hot guy who can't keep a cell phone alive might be both.

[thenewsnow]

Yeah ik it's shitty (hate the format but didn't know how else to do it) but I'm contributing to this 🙏 I've been hyperfixating on hannibal for a few months now and after watching season 2 of squid game and shipping these two I only have thoughts about the parallels of those two relationship in head (and I think I just love old men toxic yaoi doomed by the narrative)

Wasn't the 2024 hannigram comeback I expected but I'm glad nonetheless

[antigonesghosts]

What I loved about Cinderella's Castle is it is so entirely about Ella. We know starkid can handle a show with tons and tons of characters but I found it quite refreshing for it to be so wholly her story? I think it was a lovely choice for this show and man Bryce did such a perfect job of it, she is truly such a star

[spiritoast]

pov you are watching hyness flip his shit and throw himself into the heart of a dead eldritch god after throwing dead lesbians at you at the sublime hour of 12:30 AM on a sunday but the star allies sparkler is there so dw about it

[zara-renata]

something something compare and contrast: sylus, caleb, two sides of the same coin, big caretaker vibes, both ruthless in protecting and keeping what has offered to be theirs (that's you, mc):

sylus: has waited lifetimes to find you again. you taught him to love, what it is to be human, what a heart and his human body are for. but he's not human, he's not dragon, he's both, he's neither. his compass is you. he's hungry and he's bored and he's been hurt over and over and over again, by humanity, by solitude, death and being forced back to life again, and not finding you, his curse, his other half. when he finally does, you don't even remember him. he has missed so much of your life already. he will either make you remember through cruelty (fails) or set such an elaborate trap so that you fall for him all over again, even without remembering him (succeeds). Poet, romantic, deeply loyal -> you're the one, the only. he has memories of a different time, a different way of wooing you -> gifts, patience, an animal attentiveness to every expression across your face, a shift in pheromones, your mood. You can't lie to him, or a fool him, even when you want to. he loves you, he worships you, he would never hurt you, not after he realized that his initial cruelty in an effort to make you remember was a failure and almost drove you away for good. he wants to play with you, he wants to have fun with you, he's a lover who follows your lead, give and take, negotiate and renegotiate, with your wishes and desires front and center. Turnabout is fair play -> you want to lead, then so does he. you are the other part of his soul, after all. he always asks, checks in, double checks, to make sure. he isn't always as sure as he seems, because he's been wrong before, he has hurt you before, after all. he can hardly believe you're saying yes again, and again, and again. everything leads back to you. he loves seeing your independence, your strength, your flippant entitlement. you're independent, but you have chosen him, you want him, what could be a higher compliment, a bigger testament to the fact that you're true kindred spirits? you're a true match for a dragon like him.

caleb: he has been there with you, for as long as you can remember. he is one of your first memories. he either knew you from before, in the lab, and you just don't remember the before, or he knew you from the moment gran introduced you, brought you under the same roof. it doesn't matter. what matters is that the moment he held out his hand and you took it, he was yours, and you were his. you were the gravity holding him together, twin stars orbiting each other, anchoring each other. he protected you, covered for you, laughed with you, pestered you. he was your childhood best friend, the closest to you that anyone has ever gotten, from the very beginning of you. somewhere along the way, as you grew together, around each other, into each other, twin trees planted close and eventually intertwined, nurtured from the same soil-> he notices you're not just cute, not just cherished, familiar, as much a part of himself as his own heartbeat, his own breath, but you're beautiful. you're so beautiful, it hurts. maybe he already knew, from the beginning, that he is supposed to be a tool, a weapon, that he's supposed to contain you, restrict you, hurt you. but none of that matters, from the first time you took his offered hand. he'll do anything, by any means necessary, to ensure that you'll be okay. orders from above, societal expectations, he will cross every boundary to protect you and keep you by his side. he is attentive, yes, but he already knows, because he saw you the first time you tried your favorite flavor, the first time you got seriously hurt, as you learned what you liked and didn't like; as you learned who you are, so did he. he was watching, etching you in his memories. he doesn't even have to ask, because he already knows. he gives you what you want, what you need, and he takes what he wants, and what he needs, in return. he spent too long hating himself, feeling guilty for everything he wanted, only to almost lose you for good when he 'died' and he had to let you think he was dead for such a long time. he's crawled back from the dead for you. he's not going to deny himself, or you, ever again. he needs you to need him, he loves seeing you accept what he provides, even though he knows you could do it for yourself. he prefers to be in control, because there's so much he can't control, fate and his intended purpose, your destiny, what he knows is waiting for you if he fucks up. but he knows that you have been striving to be independent, to be his equal, once he left for the DAA, and he respects you for it, even as he will never get over the urge to do everything, anything for you, every chance you'll let him. he is shocked, whenever he is wrong about what you want, what you need, whenever you have acquired a new taste since he was gone. his existence is defined by your need for each other, in a world with just the two of you.

neither of these idiots are going to intentionally hurt you or ignore you when you're crying or put their own needs above yours. both of them admire, respect, are nuts about you. both of them want to provide for you, care for you, give you what you need, be the one to do it. sylus has the self assurance of the other half of your soul, but worries you'll forget him again if he's gone for too long. caleb has the self assurance of knowing you best, from the very beginning, but worries you'll outgrow him, leave him alone in the solitude he forced himself to be in for years when he refused to admit to himself and to you how much he wanted you beyond being his closest friend, the other person in his family. both are incredibly powerful, willing to do anything to ensure your safety and presence in their lives, including hurting and/or killing other people. both of them are going to center your wants and desires over their own because that's the fantasy infold is offering with how they write them.

ok thanks for coming to my ted talk. i figure if i'm going to complain about stuff i see in fandom discourse/fic then i should provide a counter-argument to how these fictional loverboys are characterized.

[feathercreates]

"Even the mightiest SOLDIERs take naps!" - Angeal Hewley

In which Angeal captures a moment too rare to miss between his friends on their way to a mission somewhere.

could this also be useful as blackmail? probably XD

[chirpsythismorning]

Yeah a teaser dropping on ST day would be cool. But can we agree that a DNA board reveal would be infinitely better?

[sleepiestwizard]

Gem spits the blood out of her mouth, wiping the rest of it off her face. She raises up and pulls her sword out of the fallen body, his horns broken and clothes tattered.

She finally looks up, scared to face the result of the concurrent battle taking place near her. The cruel hand of fate twists both ways, with her ally fighting her… something. She’s simply glad she didn’t have to be the one to face her again, memories of a time past clearer in her mind than the peaceful waves of home, blood and loss and swords and an arrow in her back.

Joel stands up too, brandishing his axe, gleaming with the witch’s blood. He’s grinning big and feral, teeth shining in the moonlight, wolfish smirk dangerously loud in the sudden silence that’s befallen their temporary residence.

Two wild animals in a standoff that can only end in more blood.

Gem still has her sword raised, keeping her eyes on the moving target, never straying to the corpses littering the ground. They start circling each other, two celestial bodies, never close enough to touch.

“So what now, Gem?” he asks, red eyes scanning her, red patch in his hair, red blood staining his face, red, red, red. His sharp grin is still in place, too wide for what the situation calls for, but Joel’s always been a fool.

“I don’t know, Joel,” she replies, voice even, face stoic. “You’re the one that started circling me like I’m some prey animal. I’m not afraid to fight you, you know.”

“Oh I know you’re not, Gem. But you should be.” He jumps at her, axe raised high in the air, clanging against her sword. She managed to block, but barely, his ferocity surprising her.

“Oh, should I now?” she asks, something teasing in her voice. The fighting feels natural, the way Joel matches her perfectly in this way making something warm and fiery burn brighter in her chest. It triggers a memory in the back of her head, one of simpler times, of wooden swords and trophy heads, of jokes and salty air.

His axe catches her as she’s distracted, too slow to sidestep the attack. Blood spills down her arm, and she curses, steeling herself. This is no time to be distracted, she admonishes herself as she gets into a lower stance, counter attacking with her sword.

Steel drags against steel harshly, sword and axe at odds. They’re grinning at each other, Gem realises as she tastes sweat and blood on her tongue. There’s something almost beautiful about the fighting, two dancers so in sync, it feels like a performance. Animals, performing an intricate mating dance, before they devour each other, angry teeth against flesh.

Her sword catches skin and guts and everything in between as she manages to hit Joel in the abdomen. He gasps, the first sign of weakness he’s shown since they’ve stopped being allies - forgotten are the nights spent in the barn together talking about anything and everything, their hopes and fears, huddling in a single bed when it was cold despite being too big.

Like a shark that’s smelled blood in the water Gem pounces, ferocious and fast, a flurry of steel and red hair, red rage, red, red, red.

But Joel knows her, knows inside and out, has spent days upon days sparring with her and fighting other people with her, and he side steps with ease.

Back to circling each other. Gravity against the vastness of space.

It’s Joel’s turn to spit blood, raising a hand to wipe at the corner of his mouth. The hand goes back down to his newly acquired wound and he grins again.

“That all you got, Gem?”

Gem screams, something feral and wild and lunges at him, his axe barely coming up to block her sword. His smirk falls off his face, a concentrated expression taking its place, sweat dripping down his brow. She privately takes pride in that, it’s not easy for Joel to stop pretending, to drop the mask.

The fight for a while, the sounds of steel and heavy breathing all blending into the melody that accompanies their dance. Their steps calculated, the choreography premeditated. They exchange the lead when they feel like it, both of them too untamed to allow themselves to be led for too long, their need for control equal as their skill.

The fight drags on so long, the first rays of sunlight rain down upon them, birds chirping happily in the distance, oblivious to the battle below them. Orange paints the sky and Gem pants.

She’s clutching her side now, the wounds she’s acquired over the course of the night catching up to her. Joel’s the same, their circling now taking on a rather staggering quality, exhaustion dragging their limbs down like lead.

“Don’t suppose you want to give up? Any minute now?”

Gem scoffs, a smile tugging at her cracked lips. Joel smiles back, softer than the situation calls for. But Gem’s always been a fool.

“Didn’t think so,” he admits, and charges at her.

Later, she stands over the bodies.

She is gonna bleed out any minute now, she knows.

She walks to the red barn, one last time. The sunrise paints the sky red. Geminitay bleeds out. Red, red, red.

[luck-of-the-drawings]

so REVENGE, HUH? or justice, if that makes you feel better. it tastes the same when cooked just right. 'I REALLY WANTED A BROTHER.' such a shame to burn a bridge you so desperately wanted to keep, especially when it wasnt even you who started the fire. especially when you hope that not a single fragment of that bridge ever washes ashore.[MAY IT ROT FAR FROM MY SIGHTS] an unfortunate loss! atleast he has his friends.

[tiedsh0es]

3Gs being the first char we see in the movie, the line about coming back for him, he's definetly going to be relevant in episode 18 but I've been struggling to figure out HOW he'll be part of the ep.

Cuz right now, his attitude about knowing he made a mistake, refusing to forgive himself for it WORRIESSS MEEE! Especially when the next part of the movie is likely about the shimmers. What's the possibility he has to face the shimmers again? The very echo of his mistakes all those years ago.

The likelihood of him sacrificing himself to make up for what he did: in parallel to all his siblings before him, seems pretty high to me. I think the char most likely to die is him.

[chronicsyd]

Caitlyn and Ambessa's Game of Cat and Mouse pt 5- "Don't Underestimate Ambessa"

Here is where Vi and Caitlyn put their plan to trick Ambessa into motion. Now the thing is, is that they've already underestimated Ambessa before the full plan is even put into fruition.

Right after Ambessa says, "Well done, Caitlyn" she looks over to Rictus who nods and leaves. To me, that's a silent request, "keep an eye on her." she's already suspected that with Vi back in the picture whatsoever that Caitlyn's become "distracted" as she puts it. despite the two doing some pretty top tier acting (btw Caitlyn was totally into Vi spitting on her don't lie); when Singed is ready to go, Ambessa silently tells Caitlyn to go with him, but having sent Rictus out first, means that he's been watching Caitlyn as the two carry their plan out.

She then goes on this whole speech to thank Vi for leaving in the first place, because with really the only voice of reason in Cait's life gone, Ambessa saw that she could easily manipulate her however she liked (or so she thought). So with Vi back in the picture, and her making "too many complications", Ambessa's plan here was just to kill Vi. Regardless if the two were carrying out a plan against her. After Vi says, "she's not distracted" you see a smirk on Ambessa's face, she does believe this, she thinks that Caitlyn has fully gotten over Vi and her loyalty to Ambessa hasn't wavered.

But then Vi keeps talking. and you can see that Ambessa's face grows with suspicion as Vi continues to do so.

After Vi says, "Just shut the fuck up." Ambessa looks over towards Caitlyn's gun, she realizes that the net compartment is empty, and that Caitlyn left it that way when she left. she realizes that she's been played, and tries to kill Vi, but its too little too late for that because Vi's able to take her out.

Now something I haven't seen people mentioning is that when Vi says "Vander's in trouble. I have a plan, you're not gonna like it." she's actually talking to Jinx here. Jinx doesn't shoot Caitlyn not Just because she sees Caitlyn take out Singed, because it's apart of their plan. What Jinx isn't gonna like is that she's not allowed to shoot Caitlyn, she's supposed to be Caitlyn's Backup if anything happens to her.

And something does. Because Ambessa sent Rictus out earlier he saw Caitlyn take out Singed, that she betrayed Ambessa. when he says "Ambessa believed in you." it seems to me that Ambessa thought that she had Caitlyn's loyalty the whole time, which was rather stupid of her. And he tries to kill her, which is why Jinx takes action.

After Jayce kills Victor and causes Warwick to lose control again, killing Rictus, Caitlyn realizes that she's made Ambessa lose both her coveted weapon, And Rictus. And realizes that she's been caught doing so, which is why she turns in shock to see Ambessa.

The look that Ambessa gives her is a look of disbelief before turning into one of pure unbridled rage.

Caitlyn's both won and lost their game of cat and mouse. because while she temporarily stopped Ambessa, but it seems that in the next Act she's working with Singed to resurrect Warwick, and that a lot of her soldiers look to be hyped on Shimmer when they attack Piltover.

So with ALL this outta the way, let's talk about Vi and Caitlyn's argument to come in the next Act:

The way they're framing it in the trailer, it makes it look like that Vi's accusing her of just sitting there and taking whatever Ambessa's said to her, considering what Vi's been told by Ambessa in ep 6, "She oinked poison in your ear and you just ate it." and Caitlyn scream of "I know!" makes it seem like Caitlyn's agreeing with Vi that Caitlyn just let Ambessa do all that, that she was just blindly following Ambessa and letting her do whatever she wanted.

But if everything I'M saying is correct, it seems like the "I know!" statement is going to more-so shed light on the fact that Caitlyn fully knew what Ambessa was about. and tried in her own way to take her down just wasn't able to fully do anything of merit until Vi came along. Which is a better defense for her, and Might calm Vi's anger down a little bit (still needs to apologize for hitting her though).

Ambessa's whole downfall was picking Caitlyn to begin with. Why? Few reasons. 1) She's a detective, she notices things that people miss on the regular, it's how she noticed the corruption happening under the Councils noses back in S1. 2) She's a politicians daughter, she's been around powerful and corrupt people her entire life, so she's learned a thing or two about manipulating people/situations to her will. 3) Most importantly, she's recently been exposed to people like Silco and Marcus, so that's made her weary of people more in general, and it's how she caught onto Ambessa's bullshit so quickly.

The thing is, I think if she picked Salo instead, Caitlyn would have probably still been suspicious of her anyways, just probably would have been able to be more under the radar trying to figure her out.