#so the whole point is that there's other ways and we will always try for something better

[facultativeactivity]

I think the main thing here is perspective. The reason that in Undertale the Player might be inclined for Reseting a perfect ending is that we're cut off from the game-world at that point, meaning that our only way to interact with it again is through repeated play-throus, or by exploring other, less pleasent outcomes. But that's not how it is in-universe for the characters, they have a whole life to live on the Surface. And with the exception of facing certain death, something ending is usually not a real ending in reality either.

The main reason Susie was able to give Tenna hope in a way Ralsei couldn't was that Tenna viewed his life in a limited way. He was the Dreemurr family's television. If they don't watch him anymore it's over, he'll be abandoned and eventually thrown away. Ralsei never challanged this perspective, just asked Tenna to simply accept it as inevitably reality, and be happy with the past. It was Susie that pointed out that just because this family might not watch him again, others probably would.

I think it's all about how concepts like 'beginning' and 'ending' are really abstractions by the human brain to help comprehend the ever-changing reality of existence. And while abstractions like these are useful, they can also become limiting when we forget that they are just made up concepts to help comprehend reality. Since there's no way for us to know the future, the only reality that we can really process is the past and the present. When we face big changes, when we feel our 'present' becoming the 'past' and not sure what's next, it can feel like we're slipping into nothing, and frightened, we try to cling to the present, or return to the past. But the 'nothing' is just an illusion created by our brain not being able comprehend the future. There's always something ahead of us, we just sometimes can't see it before getting there.

Heck, I'm pretty sure that the reason Gerson is so at peace with his own passing is that he realizes that it's not an ending. The story will go on, it just moves on to a part where he isn't there personally. But he already did a lot, it's just someone else who has to write the future chapters.

I think Susie's character-arc will revolve around this too. It's pretty clear that the main reason she's so fond of the Dark Worlds is that she made her first friends her, and she's afraid what will happen if this adventoruous chapter of their life ends. But I'm sure once she realizes that that won't undo the relationships she has built there she will be fine to live a mundane life with her friends, if that's how it ends.

(It might not tho. They might go on being superheroes wll into their adulthoods, the point is that things will change, but changing almost never means ending in reality.)

Man, this is such an interesting exchange, cause, like… in most stories, when a character says they'd like things to go on forever, that they want something eternal, they're pretty much setting themselves up for a very rude awakening. You know, nothing lasts forever, sometimes you have to learn how to let go, sometimes you need to move on. I mean, that's one of the core themes of Undertale.

Flowey/Asriel's whole motivation in the Pacifist Route is to make the Game go on forever, to put the ending eternally out of reach, to trap Frisk in an infinite time loop because he just can't move on from Chara's death.

Part of the narrative is that if the Player RESETs a Pacifist Route then they are no better than he was, since now they are also yanking everyone away from their Happy Ending so that we can play with them again, because we can't accept the game has Ended. The Murder Route is less focused on that whole theme but you replay it over and over again Chara will basically call you a weirdo for your obsessive clinginess to this world.

Part of Undertale's themes is the importance of an Ending to a story. A True Pacifist Player's true and final act of selflessness is to let go of their desire have things keep going for forever, to give up on Eternity… for the sake of the happiness of every other character in this world, for the sake of their Happy Ending.

On the other hand, as a Wise Dog once said…

Both Undertale and Deltarune love exploring the ways in which the world of a game is different or similar to the real world, how the perspective of a Player is so different from the perspective of an actual character living in this world and... Real Life doesn't have a clear set ending.

The Player is the only one from whom the story just ended. Everyone else just kept living their stories of friendship together, although they probably never experienced something as high-stakes as the events of 'Undertale' ever again. And... when endings do seem to come, they're not going to be as clear-cut and satisfying and clearly communicated as the Game Ending is to the Player.

…But on the other other hand, it is still true that some things in life do end and we do have to accept that. Like… you know, the most famous Ending in life… is Death.

Gerson hears Susie talk about how she wants things to go on forever, but he already decided he has no interest in Eternity himself. He knows that the Three Heroes are here to seal the Fountains that revived him, he knows that when they succeed he'd go back to being a dust-covered hammer, probably never to be revived again and… he's perfectly at peace with that. He's an old man who died from natural causes, he had a long, full and satisfying life, he already had his ending. What's happening now is some weird glorified epilogue, but he knows it will end soon. And that's fine by him, because the time for his story has ended.

He does have one major regret in life, his failure to properly support his son's writing, and he spends all of the time the Dark has given him to try and make up for it. But it's really just a matter of asking Susie to deliver his message. He doesn't try to maintain or expand the Dark World so he could make up for his mistakes or try to pull Alvin in so he could meet him again or find a way to come back to life in the Light World somehow… I wonder if Someone was expecting him to do something like that and that's why they tried to give him that Shadow Crystal, but we all know that didn't work

In a way… we've already seen Susie's rude awakening for her desire for a 'forever'. She formed such a powerful bond with "the Old Man", she definitely would've wanted their time together to last longer, to last as long as it could, to last forever. But that's not possible.

And even his appearance in the Third Sanctuary was kind of a surprise stroke of luck that shouldn't be taken for granted.

The whole point of the Second Sanctuary is that Susie realized that Gerson was dead in the Light World, and trying to cope with this idea, went straight to a kind of denial.

Well, she can just pop over to the Dark World and, like, ask him what the Door Code is, right? No big deal! I mean, it's not exactly like Susie and Kris were really at a dead-end, there were plenty of areas in the Church they haven't checked thoroughly at all (not just the Fire Extinguisher)…

It wasn't because she HAD to do it for the Door Code, it's because she had to do it to reassure herself that her new friend isn't really gone, that maybe he'll be there waiting for her in his study if she just High-Key Stab Reality and Unleash the Flow of Pure Darkness Energy…

But it wasn't that simple. At best you can say his appearance in the Third Sanctuary means that he can manifest in any Church Dark World created by the Knight… but seeing how Susie's whole goal at the moment is to stop the Knight from making more Dark Fountains, that's not exactly increasing her chances to see the Old Man again.

When they go to seal the Fountain, Susie muses about her 'stupid dream' that things will just… stay the same. That she'll keep having fun Dark World adventures with her friends through eternity. But she knows that although Kris fully understands her, that's not what's going to happen. It's both about how the stakes and seriousness of the story have been so overtly raised for her, the Knight and the Titans aren't just an ominous background detail. She has fought them both. But it's also because she is already experiencing an Ending right now. She knows that when Kris seals this Fountain, she will probably never see Gerson again.

…But despite all of that, I don't think the narrative completely rebuke Susie's desire for Eternity. After all, Gerson heard her say that, fully knowing his own fate, and he mostly seemed intrigued? It doesn't seem to waver his belief that she's the one who should be writing the story, that he could count on her to defy fate in the name of Justice. Y'know, Susie wasn't really thinking of the Inevitability of Death at that moment, she was just thinking that… she would like to keep having fun adventures with her friends in perpetuity. And is that such a bad thing to wish for?

I mean, just because something was a theme in Undertale doesn't mean that Deltarune can't use Susie to drive home the point of 'well, yeah, you're not wrong, but it's a bit more nuanced than that", there's precedence, in fact.

I'm thinking about, like, the Tenna storyline in Chapter 3. That was also about someone who needs to move on, Tenna is clinging to his happier past in unhealthy way and wants the fun of his game show to last forever. He also wanted his own version of Eternity. But the game still draws a contrast between Ralsei, who just tells him to remember the happy times and accept that everything ends, including his use

And Susie, who is the one who rejects this mindset. Her solution still has some level of moving on and accepting that the Dreemurr-Holiday Family Unit has ended, but that doesn't mean he's just got to lay down and accept that his whole life is over. She comes up with a plan that ensures the continuation of his life and his dreams. It's an Ending of sorts, but an Ending that has a continuation attached to it. And it came specifically from Susie's distaste for endings, from her aggressive rejection of going gently into that good night.

There are certain things, certain endings, we all have to accept, but there is also so much that is worth rebelling against, that is worth fighting for. Susie's desire for an 'Eternity' might be a bit oversimplistic, but it is also the source of her rebellious spirit, out-of-the-box-thinking and the shining hope that Gerson sees in her. So I don't think the story will dismiss it outright, we really just have to wait and see just how much of that 'Eternity' Susie will manage to keep...

[theskywithin]

The Truth About The 7th House

We call this the house of relationships. But it’s not about romance, not really. It’s about reflection. Projection. Agreements made without words. The 7th house is the mirror: what you attract, what you chase, what you think you need in order to be whole and what breaks when someone gets too close. Sometimes it’s chemistry. Sometimes it’s conflict. Sometimes it’s a karmic echo so familiar you call it fate. it asks: "What parts of you come alive, or disappear , when someone gets close enough to see them? And what will you do with that reflection?

✦ when a planet lives in your 7th house: Any planet here becomes a main character in your love stories. It shows what part of you gets activated when you’re close to someone and what you unconsciously assign to the other person. It can be beautiful. It can be brutal. But it’s always a teacher.

Sun in the 7th: you see your identity through their eyes. it’s easy to lose your light trying to keep theirs warm.

Moon in the 7th: you fall in love with people who feel like home. sometimes you stay even when it stops feeling safe.

Mercury in the 7th: you need someone who listens the way you think. communication becomes foreplay or a weapon.

Venus in the 7th: love becomes the mirror and the mask. it’s hard to know where they end and you begin.

Mars in the 7th: relationships feel like combat and craving. desire brings both connection and chaos.

Jupiter in the 7th: every lover is a teacher. sometimes a blessing. sometimes just a really expensive lesson.

Saturn in the 7th: love feels earned. heavy. real. sometimes too real.

Uranus in the 7th: they shake you awake. then leave. love becomes the lightning and the absence.

Neptune in the 7th: the dream always feels real, until the fog lifts.

Pluto in the 7th: love is transformation. intimacy is power. relationships never stay small.

Chiron in the 7th: connection is both wound and medicine. love exposes the places that never fully healed.

North Node in the 7th: you're learning how to need. how to soften. how to be with, instead of ahead.

South Node in the 7th: you’ve lost yourself in others before. now you remember where you ended.

Vertex in the 7th: they arrive like fate. leave like a choice. haunt like a turning point.

Part of Fortune in the 7th: joy lives in mutual presence but you have to let yourself receive it.

✦ when a sign lives on your 7th house cusp: The sign on your Descendant is often everything you're not comfortable being but still crave. It’s what you seek in others, admire, reject, envy, fall for, fight with. It’s the part of you that feels safest in someone else’s hands… until it doesn’t.

Aries Descendant You’re drawn to people who are bold, direct, emotionally awake, people who do what you’re afraid to do first. You crave their courage, but it can overwhelm you. You seek someone who makes decisions quickly so you don’t have to second-guess yours. Conflict scares you less than disconnection. Deep down, you want to be chosen with urgency.

Taurus Descendant You’re drawn to people who feel stable, solid, and unshakable. You crave their groundedness because part of you feels internally restless. Their calm regulates you, but their resistance to change can frustrate you. You seek someone whose presence feels like a place to rest. Deep down, you want to be held, not questioned.

Gemini Descendant You’re drawn to quick minds and sharp tongues, people who can dance through uncertainty. You crave their mental flexibility because part of you longs to loosen your grip on truth. You want someone who keeps things light, but ends up feeling unseen. Deep down, you want conversation that feels like connection not avoidance.

Cancer Descendant You’re drawn to nurturers, empaths, the ones who remember how you take your tea. You crave their softness because your own vulnerability feels unsafe. You want someone to hold your heart without asking you to hand it over. Deep down, you want to feel emotionally chosen but without being the one to ask for it.

Leo Descendant You’re drawn to confidence, charisma, warmth that doesn’t wait to be invited in. You crave their expressive nature because part of you doubts your own shine. You admire their certainty but resent the way it takes up space. Deep down, you want to be seen, not as a reflection, but as something real.

Virgo Descendant You’re drawn to the ones who see everything and still stay. You crave their discernment because you secretly hope someone will notice what needs fixing and still call it beautiful. You want someone who shows love through effort, but their criticism can trigger your shame. Deep down, you want devotion that doesn’t feel conditional.

Libra Descendant You’re drawn to harmony, beauty, and connection that looks perfect on the surface. You crave their ability to soothe and smooth, because inside you fear your own messiness. You want someone who chooses love on purpose, not by accident. Deep down, you want partnership that feels mutual, not performative.

Scorpio Descendant You’re drawn to intensity, to the ones who pull you in without a word. You crave their depth because you secretly fear your own emptiness. You want someone who sees beneath the surface, but their emotional extremes can unearth your own. Deep down, you want to be transformed by love but not destroyed.

Sagittarius Descendant You’re drawn to adventurers, truth-tellers, the ones who don’t promise to stay but make every moment feel like forever. You crave their freedom because your own feels fragile. You want someone who expands your world but fear being left behind. Deep down, you want love that feels limitless and loyal.

Capricorn Descendant You’re drawn to the strong ones. The ones who don’t flinch. You crave their structure because your inner world can feel chaotic. You want someone who takes you seriously, but their emotional restraint can leave you cold. Deep down, you want love you can build with but not feel buried under.

Aquarius Descendant You’re drawn to difference. To people who live on the edge of things, emotionally, intellectually, socially. You crave their detachment because it gives you space to breathe. But too much space and you’re left wondering if they were ever really there. Deep down, you want someone who lets you be strange, but stays anyway.

Pisces Descendant You’re drawn to dreamers, healers, romantics who speak in feelings instead of facts. You crave their surrender because your own control exhausts you. You want someone who dissolves your edges, but you lose yourself in the blur. Deep down, you want love that feels like music but doesn’t disappear when the song ends.

If this summer you finally have time to sit with your birth chart, to decode what it’s been trying to tell you about your patterns, your power, your path my book is on sale all summer long. It breaks down every single piece of the chart in a way that’s soulful, emotional, and easy to understand, without clichés, without shortcuts, and without losing the essence. Start wherever you are. Begin with what calls you.

[inhunenthusiast]

I think Inho keeping Gihun’s bloody tracksuit jacket unwashed for six months and then giving it to Gayeong is perfectly in character for him.

His obsession with Gihun was always unhealthy and filled with such intensity, Gihun became the center of everything that he did, all of his choices, thoughts and feelings revolved around Gihun for this time span, their ideological battle but also Gihun as a person consuming him whole. (Assuming that it started even before Gihun rejoined the games, because he already showed curiosity about him when he saw him winning, so after their phone call in the end of s1 when he saw that Gihun wouldn’t let go so easily, he most likely tracked every of his steps until they met again.)

When he lost Gihun all of this was suddenly gone in a matter of no time, leaving him with an even bigger emptiness than he ever felt before.

So him clinging to that jacket and trying to mantain as much of what’s left of Gihun’s presence makes perfect sense, it was his way of grieving and showed how attached he really felt towards him. Underneath his deep layered attachment there was also a tenderness, something that expressed his devotion to Gihun and his admiration for everything that he did.

Inho thought giving this piece of clothing to Gayeong was the right to do and that showed how much he’s still disconnected from reality. What would seem cruel and sick to others, would feel like a good gesture to him.

Gihun’s pain and suffering, but also all of his effort and the strength in his belief still being wrapped up in this jacket is what Inho had in mind, what made him feel close to Gihun’s spirit. He wanted Gayeong to feel as close to her dad as possible too, so he let go of this last piece he had left of Gihun to give it to her, as a final act of love that he could do for Gihun.

I know the opinions about this scene are controversial, but to me personally this is one of the most beautiful inhun moments because it perfectly captures both the twisted and yet still so deeply human feelings that Inho has for Gihun.

He was the one who put him through all this pain with the intention to break him, but in the end it was Gihun who broke him. Inho has to face his own guilt and what it means to feel human again, to have had someone that he now feels pain and grief for, after believing that he would never be able to feel these kind of emotions ever again.

I also love how warm and soft Inho looks in the scene where he gives the jacket to Gayeong. He’s being embraced by the light, it’s like he’s holding onto the same light that he saw in Gihun, the light that Gihun left behind for him.

Just how Gihun is embraced by the light that looks like a halo during their confrontation scene, which perfectly captures how Inho views him at that point. He sees all of his flaws and moments where he morally breaks, but instead of looking down at him he actually admires and envies him deeply. In my opinion we could even see a sort of relief on his face, when he saw that Gihun was incapable of fulfilling the offer that he gave him. (LBH also said this about the scene)

[thewayilikemycookie]

🎮┆nerdy talk .ᐟ

Spencer Agnew x f!reader

Summary: “you’re such a nerd bro, like just kiss me already” girlfriend and tomato level flustered boyfriend

Word count: 891

Okay, fine, you admit it: You have a huge thing for nerds (It’s not even a secret now given how much you talk about it). So, bagging Spencer Agnew out of all of them felt like you won the lottery everyday.

You truly love your boyfriend. You love whenever he talks about his interests, when you two play games together, when you get to watch him in his element, at the games stage, and literally everything else about him.

Currently, Spencer was sitting on the big gray couch waiting for the rest of the cast members. You sat next to him and made small talk with the crew until the start of the video.

The game you were playing today was more of a team game, so it was pretty fun for you to play into the dynamics with your fellow cast members while still trying to not do too bad at the game itself. About halfway through the shoot Angela asked a question about a specific part of the gameplay.

“oh it’s like a secret door thing” Spencer answered “you have to find a code hidden in the other levels, but we can just use this other door for now”

“How do you just know that?” Angela asked while following his instructions

“Gosh, you’re such a nerd, Spencer” you smiled at him “like just kiss me already, bro”

You whispered the last part, knowing the editors would most likely cut it out of the video. But nonetheless, Spencer’s whole face turned red from your comment. He hid his face with his hands immediately after seeing your amazed expression.

“Oh?” Angela gasped, already starting her signature laugh

“I’ve never seen your face do that” You smiled between your laughs, with no malicious intent in your voice

“Don’t do this” you could hear his muffled giggles, you could tell he was partly joking and partly a little embarrassed

“Okay, let’s move on!” Trevor announced, mostly for the camera, leaving Spencer with a few seconds to regain his composure. You noticed his cheeks were still a little pink and he seemingly couldn’t look at you without a smile growing on his lips.

After the shoot day, you and Spencer went back to his place for dinner and video games. On the way there, you picked up some take out from a drive through while talking about the new game releases coming this year. You loved listening to Spencer’s non-stop yapping about the graphics and the design and the mechanics and whatever he wanted to talk about, really.

The image of him being so flustered never once left you mind, though, and at some point he must’ve caught you staring, considering the weird look he was now giving you “What?” He asked

“Nothing,” You smiled at him “so, tell me more about that game trilogy” you changed the subject

He dragged out the suspicious look on his face, but ultimately decided he wasn’t going to push you “The horror one?”

You continued listening to him until you got home and the conversation dissipated. You ate your meal under the colorful television lights as you and Spencer watched a movie, legs all tangled together under the blankets. You would sometimes joke about certain parts of the movie, ending up doubled down laughing and having to re-watch multiple scenes.

You put your plates aside on the coffee table “Can we play that horror game?”

“Sure,” He beamed at you “do you want the controller?”

“Hell no” You cuddled up next to him

The game itself wasn’t too scary, but the jumpscares would always jolt you awake screaming, making Spencer hold in his laughter, not wanting to be rude. At a specific part of the game, where the character was walking down a hall and tensions were high, you could feel yourself getting increasingly scared.

“It’s crazy how they can build so much tension” You said, hugging his arm tightly

“I know” his whole face lit up with excitement “and it’s all in the atmosphere, like literally the little details, its insane. It’s like the song and the purposeful glitches and the lights and the scary pictures. It’s those small things that we wouldn’t notice otherwise”

“Gosh, Spencer, you’re such a nerd” You were fully staring by this point “like, literally just kiss me, dude”

In a matter of milliseconds, he threw the controller across the couch and cradled your face with an intensity you’ve never seen him adopt before. His lips met yours and you instantly melted from his touch, moving your hands to the back of his neck. You were almost sinking into the couch cushions, but you didn’t mind at all, never wanting to leave this moment.

He pulled away and placed little kisses on your cheek, nose and forehead “Got what you wanted?” He asked

“Yup,” You beamed “I can die happy now”

He laughed but didn’t quite pull away and you admired his smile.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Your hands moved to cup his cheeks

“Anything”

“I have, like, a huge crush on you, dude” You whispered, being met with his laugh

“can I tell you a secret too?” You nodded “I have a crush on you too”

You widened your eyes and opened your mouth in fake shock and he leaned in to kiss you once again.

A.n: guyssss I have like no time to write, idek how I managed this many words 😭😭 Also!! My requests are literally full, so I’ve been trying to select a few to work on (so I’m sorry if yours takes to long/doesn’t get picked). But pleaseee keep them coming!! They inspire me so so much <33 Anyway if you got to this point of my yapping I love you, thanks for reading, have a great day/night!!!!

[ruby-red-inky-blue]

okay I made this point rather pissily in the replies to some post or other, so I will try to make it again a little calmer in its own post but

my least favourite thing about the backlash to Andor overall and especially Season 2 and the resurgence of the discussion about the versions Rogue One went through as it became the movie we got (which is great and very interesting and Jesus Christ, some justice for Gareth Edwards and his team!!)... is this weird vibe I'm starting to get from a lot of people where "we really, really like this imperfect but very good movie" is shifting into "there was a version of this movie that I would have loved, but instead we got the worst version".

Like, I'm not trying to tell you what to think! And I too would be interested to see the original plans for the story! But... sort of in the same way I would love to see more concept art for my favourite animated films: because I'm interested in the craft and the process, not because I think the unfinished version was better and Tony Gllroy "ruined" it.

Because friends, let's face it: He didn't. We would all not be here if he had. We loved the movie that we saw in theatres, and we got attached to the Jyn we saw in theatres - and I use "we" deliberately, because I've seen all the gorgeous fanwork you all have made about the story we got over the years. And - again! - I'm not saying I wouldn't be interested in seeing a second version, one where Jyn was allowed to be more consistent with her backstory, and be a badass criminal, and one where we get an explicit romance. But honestly? I don't think I would have fallen in love with that story nearly as much as I did with the one we got.

I liked that Jyn wasn't mostly badass competent girlboss at the start. I'm not saying that she necessarily would have turned out to be some sad sexist caricature like... other... Star Wars ladies - but honestly, I have characters like that. And we got characters like that, by the way, because we got Saw! But mostly, honestly, I always thought "we're all Rebels, aren't we" and "I rebel" were kind of cringe, and I was delighted that they weren't in the final product. Because I think it's weird how they imply that being a rebel is sort of a purpose in itself for her - like it's not about who or what she's opposing so much as that she's being rebellious and contrarian and not like other girls people. That's something you see in fiction a lot, and it's always something that has never felt very real to me. That's not a sustainable motivation! You don't loose everything you have and keep going just because "fighting back" is who you are. And also, as someone extremely steeped in people privileged enough to exist and persist through two dictatorships in three generations by keeping their heads down, "it's not a problem if you don't look up" hit me like a ton of bricks. It's so good. It's so real. And Felicity Jones is a good enough actress to deliver that line in the one way that makes it work, where you can tell she doesn't mean it, and doesn't believe in it, but believes that it's the only way to live - and hates herself for believing that, and adheres to it anyway. I think allowing her to initially give in to survival instinct instead of being the brave strong self-sacrificing hero the story wants her to be is fascinating, and honestly narratively way cooler than having her also be a committed rebel who will stop at nothing to attain her goals. We already have that character. It's Cassian.

The way some people in my niche, who I know love this character and this movie at least as much as I do, are taking to talking about Jyn and the movie as a whole feels kind of disingenuous to me. And again, I'm not saying they're lying about their stances to make a point or anything. I'm just saying I think some of us are starting to loose the forest for the trees at this point. Like did you really always think that Jyn was actually a bad part of this movie and that she was a squandered opportunity and that she conformed too much to what the sad old brothers Gllroy want women to be? Because I think in many ways Jyn became a little better of a female character via the changes - the only thing that's changed post Andor is realising that this was probably fully an accident. Because yes, they were trying to diminish her and tone her down, but I actually think that turned out very much for the best. It gave her more of an arc, and also it allowed her to be flawed in an uncool way, which female protagonists are so rarely afforded. It wouldn't have struck me as much if her flaw had been that she was ruthless and efficient (which, again, she still is in the movie we got, we just don't see as much of it). She got to be imperfect in a way that isn't admirable, but human, and I really think that's better, and I'm willing to bet a lot of you also thought that. Don't let it get lost in the very valid criticism of Gllroy's unending sexism towards his leading ladies, but especially towards Jyn.

Also, is his obsession with who Cassian is and isn't fucking and is and isn't in love with at any point in his life deeply strange and offputting? Sure is! Doesn't change the fact that I think the change from a semi-established relationship that ends in survival and marriage to an unspoken blossoming something that got cut short by a heroic act of sacrifice is a better story. Again, I am discovering that Gllroy apparently didn't understand what he did right at all, but it is a better story. Also, sorry to say, I will sooner take all the meekness and reduction in the female lead and all the Bor Gullet nonsense over not having this story end in a total party kill. Everything this movie is to me came from the fact that they went there knowing it was suicide and then it was. Because that is so rare, and such an infinitely good, correct move for all those characters and the story they're in. Again, just my two cents, but this strange new drift that actually, we always thought all of the changes were kind of bad and oh if we could only live in the world where we got the og story... I get that you're curious, but I'm also very, very certain that I would still prefer the version we got. Even if Gllroy clearly had all the wrong reasons for changing it and it's great someone is calling that out, I still think ultimately we all got so upset with it because we did love the story that we got, and I'm getting a little tired of people increasingly acting like that wasn't any good, actually.

You're giving this clown too much credit.

[einawnimie]

too close, a very dangerous distance.

They speculated, they shipped, they even stalked. But years after both your debuts, Lee Heeseung made it clearer than ever—he was never subtle about you.

Stealing glances during award shows—ones that lingered a few seconds too long. Dropping your name every time he talked about his favorite juniors. Your groups were always close, appearing in each other’s YouTube videos, teasing each other on variety shows. But eyes were always watching. One wrong move and you’d be trending before you even made it offstage.

What no one knew, though—what no one even suspected—was that you and Lee Heeseung had already dated once, back in your trainee days.

You tried to ignore it, the closeness. He isn’t like this with any other female idols. It is very obvious, yet you try to bury it in your trail of thoughts. Trying to ignore it, forget it.

He’s still into you.

He still want you.

The studio lights were dim, the only glow coming from the computer screen and the soft blue hue of the recording booth. You weren’t supposed to be there—wrong floor, wrong room. But someone from staff had waved you in, assuming you knew your way around.

You hesitated at the doorframe, eyes adjusting just in time to see him.

Headphones on, brows furrowed in quiet focus, his lips moving just behind the mic as the soft instrumental of “Too Close” bled faintly through the glass. You froze. It had been years, but something about the sight of him where it is just the two of you still made the air feel thinner.

“Too close, distance that melts all my nerves your breath touching my skin ”

His voice was lower, rawer, less polished than what fans would eventually hear. There was something so painfully real about the way he sang that line.

He looked up.

Caught mid-verse, his eyes landed on you—and for a moment, the lyrics died in his throat. His mouth parted, brows lifting just slightly in surprise before a smile ghosted at the corner of his lips. Not playful. Not smug. Just… soft.

You reached for the door handle, guilt creeping in. “Sorry,” you mouthed, already retreating.

But he shook his head slowly, eyes never leaving yours. He raised a single finger—wait.

Then, he turned back to the mic, pressing one hand to the headphone.

And he sang the next line just for you.

“I’m dizzy, I’m so into you.”

You were about to—walk away, that is—when the booth door opened with a soft hiss and Heeseung stepped out.

He looked the same, and he didn’t. Taller somehow, or maybe just steadier. But his voice, when he spoke, was the same gentle tone that used to sneak through late-night practice rooms.

“I didn’t think you’d come here,” he said quietly.

“I wasn’t trying to,” you replied, your voice barely above a whisper. “Wrong studio.”

A ghost of a laugh escaped him. “Feels right, though. You. Here.”

You didn’t answer. You couldn’t. There was too much in the room now—memories, tension, regret. That song, those lyrics. The fact that he sang them like a confession with a mic between you instead of time.

He stepped closer.

Too close.

Your breath hitched, the irony not lost on either of you.

“Hee, we can’t— we broke up, remember?” You look away as he winces at the familiar nickname.

“We both didn’t want that, I had to go for the survival show, and you had to continue training.” He reaches for your hand, and holds it, tight.

“The company…our fans…” I look at him. “We can’t.” You quickly snatch back your hand as you backed off.

“But we can.”

“Why?” You asked.

“We still love each other.”

“Bold assumption.”

“It’s a fact, and you know it’s true.”

He held your hands again. “Baby, at this point the whole world knows I’m in love with you and the way you’re acting is like you’re rejecting me.”

“That isn’t completely wrong—”

He pouts. With that perfect lips of his.

“Don’t reject me, I love you.” He softly says.

“Heeseung—”

He pulls you into the recording booth. And then hugs you. You heard a beep. He’s recording.

“I love you, (Name)”

You gasped. He lets go, and bring you with him, he sat on the chair as he pulls you into his lap to edit the track. You are facing him while he faces the desktop. No headphones, making you listen to the progress of his production.

As the song ends, the words he recorded are added, which made you squirm in his lap. “Hey, if you releas—”

Click.

You immediately turn around. He posted it on his account. And views rapidly increasing. You were speechless, at his actions and his smug face staring at you right now.

“Are you aware of what did you just do?” You look at him.

“Perfectly aware.” He smiles. He pecks your lips.

“Since the world knows now, despite my attempts of being way too obvious,”

“You should know too, that I am not, letting you go.” He smiled.

[angstywaifu]

Black Dahlia - 66. A Choice To Be Made

Summary: Dahlia and the others arrive at Athebyne and discover something is off. And now a choice must be made as to what they must do.

Black Dahlia Masterlist | Masterlist | Links

As soon as we land I can tell something is off. This should be a manned outpost, regardless of War Games. But the looming structure is quiet, and even without going inside, I know it’s empty. I fall into step behind Xaden and Garrick, Bodhi at my side as we walk up the steps into the outpost. And as we walk inside, my suspicions are confirmed. The most strategic outpost we have is fucking empty.

”What the hell?” Garrick mutters as he strides across the courtyard in the centre of the structure, looking along the gathering spaces that should line the interior like all of our outposts.

”Stop.” Xaden orders, surverying the walls that rise on every side above us. “There’s no one here. Divide and search.” He turns and looks at Violet. “You don’t leave my side. I don’t think this is a War Game.”

”Well the fuck aware.” I mutter, causing everyone to stop in their tracks and turn and look at me.

”What?” I ask, my gaze flicking between Bodhi and Imogen, who despite the seriousness of the situation look like they want to burst out laughing.

”You just did a Xaden.” Bodhi points out.

”I did a what?”

”A Xaden. He always says ‘well the fuck aware’. It’s like his catchphrase.” She says with a smirk. “So Garrick, how does it feel to be dating a female version of Xaden?”

Garrick just glares at her before walking off, Imogen hot on his tail as he walks across the courtyard, her smirk still plastered on her face. The others slowly branch off, leaving Bodhi and I to partner up.

”I don’t think I’ve ever heard Xaden say that.” I say to Bodhi as we walk into the structure.

”He says it a lot. I honestly thought that is where you got it from.” He says as we walk along the empty corridors of what seems to be the sleeping quarters. “How do you think Violet is handling it all?”

”Honestly, couldn’t really care. But if she’s anything like she was when we were kids, she’s going to need proof. She’s all about facts and knowledge. The girls been reading books that deny all of this being a thing. Till she sees it in person, she’s going to be hesitant. But if the Venin are as bad as you say, then I hope we don’t see them. But…”

”But what?” He asks as we open yet again a door to more sleeping quarters.

”Proth said this feels like the day my grandfather died.” I tell him as I come to a stop in the middle of the corridor. “Said it was the same feeling before they attacked.”

”You think thats why we were sent here?” He asks.

I nod. “It wouldn’t be the first time my father has sent riders to an outpost to be killed by Venin. And if a whole squad of senior riders can be taken out, what the hell are we going to be able to do?”

There was no denying I was nervous. Who wouldn’t be with the possibility of what they are out there. We were trained to take out Gryphon fliers, not Venin. And something told me it would be a very big difference.

”No point worrying about it till we know what we’re up against.” He tells me, clearly trying to be the positive one out of the two of us.

As we walk into the courtyard, we hear Garrick’s booming voice carrying out above us. We quickly turn and run for the stairs, quickly finding Xaden, Violet and Liam as Garrick and Imogen cross the rampart from the other side of the outpost.

“Violence, did Aetos touch you after I told you about Athebyne?” Xaden asks as he looks down at Violet.

Oh shit. If Xaden told Violet about Athebyne and Dain touched her. She wouldn’t have even thought about it. Dain and her were so close. Him touching her was normal. And now the scene in the courtyard makes sense. The way the Colonel had looked at Dain, that damned smirk, the orders for Xaden and I. If Violet knew….

”What?” Violet asks, her brow furrowing as she looks at him.

”Like this.” He reaches up his hand to her cheek. “His power requires touching someone's face. Did he touch you like this?”

Next to me I feel Bodhi and Garrick stiffen as they flank my sides, clearly cluing in on where this is going.

”Yes, but that’s how he always touches me. He would never… I would know if he read my memories.”

Xaden’s face falls immediately, not even trying to hide his emotions like he normally would. “No, Violence. Trust me, you wouldn’t.”

”He wouldn’t.” She says as she shakes her head, the devastation and realisation clear on her face.

I don’t know why I do it, but I step forward, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder, her head snapping towards mine as her body tenses at my touch. “Trust me when I say this, there’s a lot Dain and the Colonel would do to get what they want.” As if responding to my words, my hand and arm twitch at the memory of what I endured.

”It’s addressed to you.” Garrick says as he steps forward, handing the envelope to Xaden.

I look over as Xaden takes the envelop from Garrick and opens it, and there’s no denying the handwriting on the front. Hand writing I’ve seen all my life.

”That’s from Colonel Aetos.” Violet and I say at the same time.

”What does it say? What’s our assignment?” Garrick asks as he watches his best friend.

”Guys, I see something just past the trading post.” Liam says from where he looks down below. “Oh shit.

Xaden’s face drains of all colour, his hands crumpling the missive in his hand. “It says our mission is to survive if we can.”

”They’re here.”

With those two words from Proth. I don’t even need to ask what Liam can see. I already know. Have known since Proth said it felt the same as that day.

”That’s not….” Garrick whispers, shaking his head.

”Guys, this is bad.” Liam shouts as Imogen and Bodhi race to his side.

”This isn’t your fault.” Xaden says to Violet before turning and addressing everyone as the others join us. “We’ve been sent here to die.”

As the others rush off to the battlements to see whats below, I stay with Garrick and Xaden, not needing the confirmation the others seek.

”I can’t see shit down there.” Bodhi says as he leans over the edge to try and get a better look.

”Well I can,” Liam says, “And if those are what I think they are, we’re fucked.”

”Don’t tell me what you think they are, tell me what you’re sure of.” Xaden orders.

I look at Garrick who reads the missive Xaden handed him, his face also drained of colour just as Xaden’s had been when he read it. “The letter says this is a test of your command. You have the choice of abandoning the village of our enemy or abandoning command of your wing.”

Of course he’d stoop this low. Yes the people down there might be deemed the enemy by our leadership. But they were still people. Innocent people who had done nothing to harm us. They’d just been labelled the enemy for picking a different side and being on the wrong side of the wards. And they just wanted us to abandon them to prove some damn loyalty.

”What the hell does that mean?” Bodhi asks as he walks over and takes the letter.

”They’re testing our loyalty without actually saying it.” Xaden says with a shake of his head, folding his arms over his chest. “According to the missive, if we leave now, we’ll make it to the new location of the head quarters of Fourth Wing at Eltuval in time to carry out our orders for War Games, but if we leave, the trading post of Resson and its occupants will be destroyed.”

Eltuval. The fucking outpost Dain had gone to. I had thought he’d gone there because we knew it. Was familiar and a good strategic post to take. But now doubt the Colonel had told him to go there. And if we didn’t show up, I can guarantee Dain would step up to take the lead for War Games.

”By what?” Imogen asks.

”Venin.” I say, everyone looking at me. I hadn’t gone to look over the edge. Didn’t have a signet to see down there. But I knew.

”You’re positive?” Xaden asks.

I nod. “Proth has been against them before. He knows what it feels like. Knows what they feel like. It’s Venin.”

Liam nods. “I can confirm. And I’m sure as I can be without having actually seen them before. Four of them. Purple robes. Distended red veins spidering all around bright red eyes. Creepy as shit.”

And if the book Violet’s father had read to us was anything to go by, the description Liam just gave matches it almost perfectly from what I can remember.

”Sounds about right.”

”I liked it better when we just delivered the weapons.” Bodhi mutters before I elbow him in the side.

”Oh, and one guy with a giant-ass staff. And I swear to Dunne, one second the plain was clear and the next they were just… there, walking towards the gates.” Liam adds as he watches the trading post below.

”Red veins?” Imogen asks as she furrows her brow.

”Because magic corrupts their blood as they lose their souls.” Violet murmurs from next to me as she looks at Xaden. “Nature likes everything in balance. If the fables are true, at least.”

”We have company. Gryphons.”

We all stiffen, all on high alert, no doubt all getting the same message.

”The guy with the staff just-” Liam starts but an explosion from down below cuts him off, echoing up to us from the valley below, a plume of blue smoke in the distance. ”Those were the gates.”

”How many people live in Resson?” Bodhi asks.

”More than three hundred.” Imogen answers as another boom echoes up to us from the valley. “Thats the post they do yearly trades at.”

”Then lets get down there.” Bodhi says as he turns to leave, but Xaden steps and blocks him with an outstretched hand. Bodhi reacts instantly, anger evident in his face and posture. “You’re kidding me right, right?”

”We have no idea what we’re walking into.” Xaden says, slipping back into his commanding tone now the shock of what we’re up against as eased.

”So we should just stand here while civilians die?” He snaps back, all of us tensing as the cousins stand off. It’s the rare moments like this that remind me they’re related. Yes they looked similar, but usually Bodhi’s personality was a far cry from Xaden’s. But now… now it was like I was seeing double.

”That’s not what I’m saying at all.” Xaden says with a shake of his head. “This isn’t a fucking training exercise, Bodhi. Some, if not all of us are going to die if we go down there. If we’d been assigned to an active wing, there would be far older, more experienced leadership making this decision, but there aren’t. If we weren’t marked with rebellion relics, if we hadn’t been aiding the enemy, we wouldn’t be here with this choice. So, all command structure aside, what are your thoughts?”

It’s a tough decision to make. We stay and we confirm everything the Colonel suspects, and no doubt some other leadership. But if we leave, hundreds of people die, and bring the Venin closer to our borders.

”We have the numbers.” A girl I’m pretty sure is called Soleil says, as she scans the field below. “And air superiority.”

”Numbers don’t give us an advantage.” I point out, earning me a glare from Soleil. “I would know. My dragon was a sole survivor of a Venin attack much like this.”

Soleil’s glare shifts to dread at my words. Only solidified by the words that leave Violets mouth.

”At least there arent any wyvern.” She says as she scans the skies.

”Uh. What?” Bodhi asks with raised eyebrows.

”Wyvern. Fables say venin created them to compete with dragons.” I say, memories of the story coming back to me.

Violet nods. “And instead of channelling from them, channel power into them.”

”Yeah, lets not borrow trouble.” Xaden says as he glances between Violet and I.

”There are four venin and eleven of us.” Garrick says as he turns away from the edge of the battlement and scans us.

”We have the weapons to kill them. And Deigh told me seven gryphon fliers-”

”We’re here.” The women from earlier announces as she strides down the battlement towards us. “I left the rest of the drift outside once we noticed that your outpost seems to be…. abandoned. I’m not going to ask you to fight with us.”

”You’re not?” Garrick asks, clearly shocked by her words.

”No. Four of them is tantamount to a death sentence. The rest of my drift are making peace with our gods.” She says before turning to Xaden. “I came to tell you to leave. You have no clue what they’re capable of wielding. It only took two of them to bring down an entire city last month. Two. Of. Them. We lost two drifts trying to stop them. If there’re four down there….” She shakes her head. “They’re after something, and they’re going to kill every single person in Resson to get it. Take your riot and go home while you can.”

”How many were there the day you got away?” I ask Proth.

”One.”

One. Just one Venin had taken out an entire squad of experienced riders. Two had taken down an entire city. Four… I hated to think what four would do. But the flier was right. This was a death sentence. The colonel had sent us here to die if we chose to stay.

”We have dragons.” Imogen says, her pitch rising. “Surely that counts for something. We’re not afraid to fight.”

”Are you afraid to die? Have any of you seen combat?” The women asks as she scans us. And the silence she gets is all the confirmation she needs. “Thought not. Your dragons do count for something. They can fly you far and fast. Dragon fire won’t kill them. Only the daggers you’ve been bringing, and we have those.” She looks at Xaden. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. You’ve kept us alive these last couple of years and given us a fighting chance.”

”You’re going down there do die.” He states as he looks nat her.

”Yes.” Another explosion sounding in the distance as she speaks. “Get your riot out of here. Fast”

And with that she turns and leaves us. Leaving us to stand in silence as we all take in the information she’s given us. Xaden shifts, shoulders straightening as he looks at us all.

”Sgaeyl says she has never run from a fight, and today will not be the first. And I’m not going to stand by while innocent people are dying, either. But I am not going to order any of you to join me. I’m responsible for all of you. None of you crossed the parapet because you wanted to. None of you. You crossed it because I made a deal. I’m the one who forced you into the quadrant, so I won’t think less of anyone who wants to fly for Eltuval instead. Make your choice.”

Violet and I are the only ones that don’t fall into crossing the parapet for the deal he made. But Violet and I never really crossed the parapet because we wanted to. She crossed it because her mother forced her to. And I crossed it to prove the Colonel wrong more than anything. Yes I’d wanted to be a dragon rider since I was a kid. But that day essentially forced my hand.

”We’re riders.” Imogen says as another explosion goes off down below. “We defend the defenceless. That’s what we do.”

”You saved every single one of us here, cousin.” Bodhi adds. “And we’re thankful. Now. I’d like to do what we’ve trained for, and if it means I don’t go home, then I guess my soul will be commended to Malek. I wouldn’t mind seeing my mother anyway.”

”I’ll tell you the same thing I did after Threshing our first year when we decided to start smuggling weaponry out. You kept us alive all these years; we get to decide how we die. I’m with you.” Garrick says as he folds his arms and looks at his friend.

Normal people would be sad the two most important people in their lives were ready to sacrifice their lives. But Bodhi was right. This is what we trained for

”Exactly! I’m in.” Soleil says confidently.

Liam steps forward and joins the rest of us. “We watched as our parents were executed because they had the courage to do the right thing. I’d like to think my death would be just as honourable.”

”Agreed.” Imogen says with a nods as the other follows.

Then the attention shifts to Violet and I. We don’t owe our lives to Xaden. But I’d be damned if more innocent people died because of Venin and the Colonel. Die because of the lies they will do whatever it takes to protect. What’s another Aetos on the death count to protect them.

”We will fight little flower.”

”You know I made my choice. I made it a long time ago, before I even knew what was actually happening. I’m in.” I tell him, earning me a nod.

Garrick stiffens next to me before reaching out and taking my hand in his. He knows he can’t stop me from staying, but it won’t stop him from being worried about me and what could happen. We all look to Violet now, but I can already tell she has made her choice.

”I’ve been defenceless. And now I’m a rider. Riders fight.” She says as she lifts her chin.

We all shout in agreement at her words. I look at Xaden who I swear looks so proud but also scared at Violets words. With a nod he walks over to the battlement and starts to form a plan of attack. Garrick and Soleil to complete a perimeter sweep, the rest of us to target the Venin on various sides of Resson, while also keeping an eye on the advance on the clock tower where they seem to be drawn.

As we emerge from the outpost, our dragons wait, all perched on the edge of the ridgeline as they survey the trading post below. Garrick and I make our way over to Chradh and Proth who have clearly been smart enough to put themselves next to each other.

”Promise me if it starts going south that you will get out of here and head for Eltuval.” Garrick says as he pulls me into him, resting his forehead against mine as he looks down at me.

”I can’t make a promise I can’t keep.” I tell him. “I stay till every last person makes it out of Resson. I will stay and defend these innocent people till my dying breath if I have to. I am not leaving them behind. And there’s no way I am leaving you behind to die.”

Instead of scolding me he just chuckles and smirks. “I wouldn’t expect any less from you. But-”

A loud screech rends the air as what looks like an enormous grey dragon emerges from a valley to the south, flying past us as it heads straight for Resson. The dragon shrieks again, spewing a streak of bright blue fire down the mountainside, setting some of the trees on fire before it reaches Rresson.

”Wyvern” I mutter as I take in the grey creatures and the bright blue fire. As well as the two legs it has instead of the four a dragon should.

”A what?” Garrick mutters as he looks between me and the creature.

”Wyvern. It has two legs not four.”

”Shit.”

”Anyone else want to change their minds?” Xaden calls out as he scans the line, to be met by silence. “No? Then mount up.”

I go to run for Proth but Garrick reaches out, grasping my hand as he spins me around and brings his lips to mine in a desperate kiss. It immediately sets my body alight, but for different reasons than usual. There’s no telling if either of us will make it out of this. No way of knowing if we will see each other again. And both of us pour whatever we can into this kiss, incase it is our last. Garrick breaks away, pressing his lips against mine again in a quick peck.

”I love you.” He whispers against my lips.

And before I get a chance to respond, he turns and mounts Chradh.

@imtoanonymousforyou @simplyme-fornow @omalmal @lalaluch @wolfbc97 @leptitlu @fullmoon-94 @the-fandom-ness @fan-of-many-bands @awkardnerd @heeseungthel0ml @acourtofsmutandstarlight @fairchild06 @freyagallileaevans @pit-and-the-pen @hannraumari @elliot-rain @thestarseternaal @stupid-and-contagious01 @hyperfixation-train-station @lxnvmvrzx @thebreadisthetruevillian @red0202 @fangirling-galore @craftytrashprincess @taliyahvermillion @xadenswhore @fenixyrie @lagrandeourse @hellodarling1357 @iambored24601  @thegiftofacreativemind @fanfictionjunkie1112 @mysticalfuncollectorus @ohlookitsasinglepoeceofpopcorn @emoravenwolf @imheretobeinvisible @pvrkacciosan @fuckingsimp4azriel @clarewinchester @i-am-infinite @prettylittlewrites @electronictimetravelninja @ash88-yep @smashee0789

[e8luhs]

my favorite customer service story to share with people. context: one time my department had a woman who came to pick her order up and stayed in her car waiting during an ACTIVE TORNADO WATCH. then she had the audacity to bitch out my coworkers saying that she was scared and in danger and waiting for her groceries outside. our store was on lockdown which meant even the customers in the store had all been siphoned into the back room to wait it out. this is insane in itself

this same woman came back eventually on one of Those Days. we were running a crumbling department with 4 entire people total. EVERYTHING was overdue. NO managers present. such is the nature of walmart OPD. i was coming back from speedrunning a pick walk. for those of you that are blessed enough to not work at walmart and therefore dont know what that means: i was one of if not the ONLY person running around on the salesfloor gathering up peoples groceries for their orders that night. my girlfriend (who worked at the same store in the same department as me at the time) comes running up to me bug-eyed saying "hey theres a lady in the back room yelling at us i dont know what to do." id had it up to about mount everest due to the circumstances and due to being the guy whos always put in charge whenever those circumstances arise despite the fact that i am not being paid shit to do it. so i was like "ℑ 𝔚𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔗𝔞𝔨𝔢 ℭ𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔒𝔣 ℑ𝔱" smiling like a chimpanzee on the verge of murderous frenzy

lo and behold: i walk into my back room and there she is. the customer is searching through other peoples orders throwing groceries and totes onto the floor and throwing an absolute tantrum. im like "what are you back here for" and shes like "IM HERE FOR MY FUCKING ORDER IVE BEEN WAITING OUTSIDE FOR XYZ MINUTES." so im like "LOOK at the state of this back room. LOOK at how few employees are here. we dont have your order ready because there are literally FOUR OF US here right now. if you want to fix your wait time then you can apply and you can do the job then" which utterly baffled her because as i approached she was like "what the fuck are you talking about? are you trying to FIGHT me?" and i was like ".... No" as it was taking me all of my strength to not completely lose it

at this point my girlfriend ran off to grab one of our stores security guards (which is another can of worms entirely) because if a customer hits you and you hit back in self defense that does mean you lose your job unfortunately. one of my coworkers steps in and also starts telling the customer that she cant be in our back room. she starts ranting and raving and saying "DONT TELL ME MY ORDER IS READY WHEN IT ISNT" so i was like "(gritting my teeth) we have no control over that. thats the SYSTEM telling you that were done PICKING the order. that doesnt mean its ready to be picked up. we are JUST employees making minimum wage" in my desperate attempt at trying to make a customer realize that there are humans who have to do this stupid job to get her her stupid groceries. took a lot of work but eventually me and my coworker ended up corralling her out of the back room and she yelled at us the whole way out name-calling us threatening to call management on us saying she would never come back yknow the works

finally the security guard shows up to make sure were all okay and to figure out what just happened. the night ended and it was horrible and i had walked almost 26,000 steps that day. of course i havent seen her since then thank christ. i do tell this story to every new employee who asks about our worst customers and it scares the shit out of them every time. if you use walmarts grocery pickup and delivery service i am asking you so politely to be kind to the people delivering your groceries or to the employees dispensing them to your car. that is all. THE END

[transandersrights]

happy friday! how about an inquisitor bethany au?

This was super fun!! ~850 words of Inquisitor Bethany AU for @dadrunkwriting

“You,” she said, and she got right up in Varric’s face when she said it, “are not going to say a single word. Especially not to my sibling. Alright?”

Varric held his hands up. “You’re the boss.” He was probably lying, because Varric loved lying about what he was telling Hawke, but Bethany had made her feelings known. That was probably all she was going to get.

Damned Conclave, damned rebellion with those foolishly hopeful Circle mages and all those Templars claiming they were looking for mercy. Damned… whatever was going on right now. Bethany didn’t know, actually, but she was going to have to find out.

The last year had been a lesson in trying to make her own path. Now she was back in some backwater, stuck with her sibling’s friends and a childhood bully and — somehow — the Chantry sister with the beautiful singing voice, and everything and nothing had changed.

Bethany sighed, stared up at the hole in the sky, and tried not to feel like she was eighteen years old again. Only the aching in her bones really told her anything different.

Hawke didn’t show up within two weeks, which was a mercy and a surprise bundled into one. She watched Varric cautiously across Haven, and maybe he’d written the letter or he hadn’t, but she got to make a couple of her own choices.

“No, Commander, I’m not going to reach out to the Templars.” She kept her tone sharp and her discomfort shoved as deep down as she could get it.

Cullen hadn’t been one of the good ones, exactly. He was a neutral presence at best, because Bethany had never caught him bullying anyone, never heard any whispers, but he had tended to stare and she never trusted a Templar who stared. No matter what some people said, there were usually thoughts behind those lyrium-bright eyes and she’d never liked the ones men like him tended to act on.

“It’s your call, Herald,” he answered, perfectly polite. His men, the ones under his command, murdered the woman who slept in the bunk below Bethany’s four years ago. The six years they’d known each other felt short compared to everything that happened since, but Bethany still remembered her smile. She was polite enough in return to not ask Cullen if he so much as remembered Felicity’s name.

-

“How did you like the meeting with Enchanter Vivienne?” Leliana knew what she was doing. She always knew. She was too charming for her own good, and at this point Bethany was positive she recognised her.

“We don’t see exactly eye to eye.” Vivienne was absolutely terrifying, in the way Leliana was and Josephine tried so hard not to be. “I think she’s on board? I’m not much of a player of the Game, I’m afraid.”

“We haven’t asked you to be.” She phrased it so kindly, but Bethany knew how to hear just that hint of condescension. She’d heard it at twenty, in a Circle full of people who knew their education was more formal than hers. She’d heard it a lot in the Inquisition.

Bethany tried to stand a little straighter. “And if I wanted to learn?”

Mother would have wanted her to learn. She’d always wanted Bethany to be someone who could move in the circles she once had, because Carver would never get the chance to and Hawke certainly wasn’t going to do it. Noble social circles weren’t the kind she ended up with, though.

A little glimmer lit up in Leliana’s eyes. “Then you lean into the Fereldan thing, and let everyone believe you don’t see as much as they’re letting on. And then you strike when they least expect it.”

Bethany snorted. “Sometimes I get the impression that they never expect anything of me.”

“Then constantly surprise them,” Leliana said. “You’re plenty capable. And Maker knows they need someone to truly keep them on their toes.”

-

“He used to sink his teeth in, when he was angry, and Mother would always tell him off, tell you off for letting him. You were meant to get on, two…”

“Two little halves of a whole.” She’d touched the locket at her neck. That was probably what made him say it.

“It’s easier to breathe now.” He met her eyes from under the brim of his hat, perfectly and piercingly blue. “You thought you’d carry his full weight forever. And you do. But you’re stronger, now.”

She smiled. He wanted to help; the memory was a fond reminder. Better than thinking about the similarities between him and the Darkspawn on the Storm Coast, or Mother and the undead in the endless fucking tombs. “It was never going to be easy to carry my lump of a brother.”

“Walking ever forwards,” he said. “You’re Hawke, so they live on. People will know their names because they’ll know yours.”

Bethany’s smile turned a little wry. “I’m usually not Hawke.”

Cole scrunched his eyebrows together a little. “You can both be Hawke. There’s room enough in the name.”

It was a big name, with big boots to fill. But Bethany hadn’t stopped yet, and she wasn’t going to any time soon.

[freedelusionshere]

The fight Syd and Carmy have is very much like the kind of fight married people have where they are trying to “poke the bear” to get at things they want said and confessed by the other but avoid having to be the one to tell the truth about themselves.

All I know for sure is that they’re intentionally trying to hurt each other because I’ve seen this before IRL with my own parents.

Syd and Carmy are both unreliable narrators in that scene, so the only thing the audience can go by is what we’ve seen for the last four seasons as a barometer of where the truth lies.

We know Shapiro is not good enough for Syd and she knows that, too. Because they’ve shown us repeatedly. Just like Carmy with Claire, she was thinking of settling rather than going after what she really wanted, which was Carmy all along, just like he always wanted a relationship with her, but was too afraid to go for it.

When he tells her Shapiro is fine or whatever, she knows what he’s doing because she tells him to fuck off about it. He’s being passive-aggressive, and they both know the truth, and then she gets him to say it out loud which just confirms to her he’s also lying about other stuff.

Like his throwing themselves in front of the train for her comments. He’s talking about himself. The rest of them do love her, but we literally just saw that Carmy wanted to go to the hospital with her and was anxious for her and calling to check in on her repeatedly and didn’t want her to be alone and no one else was that emotionally in tune, sorry. They were doing co-worker shit like dropping off gift baskets and leaving team voice mails. Carmy has always been the one who checks in and asks how she’s feeling consistently, which is why she likes him, even though it scares her and she doesn’t want him to know she’s messy, too.

And her and Richie at that wedding, is she doing the kind of mental babysitting she told Carmy she wasn’t going to do for him? Richie even calls himself a baby and she does doula breathing; he only asks her about what she’s feeling at the very end when they’re dancing and by that point she’s seen enough and wisely doesn’t want to go there in that moment. Carmy, on the other hand, introduced her to his mom, and Stevie, and was trying to open up to her about his past more, and was emotionally honest to her again under the table.

But also Syd goes off about his family during the fight and the trauma they experienced because of Mikey and told Carmy that it shouldn’t be taken out on her and the restaurant as the main complaint. Basically that his whole family is a mess which is 100% true.

They showed us that scene when Syd was absent where they are full Berzattoing and Luca is holding that baby protectively and getting triggered (probably because of his own childhood and maybe that this was unexpected for him).

Carmy agrees with Syd and says it should not be her problem and that is why he’s leaving to figure it out. But he’s already done that and we all know as an audience why he left and went to NYC and it was because of his family. And they show that new under the table scene and the family doing to Eva what they probably did to him growing up. They also show him able to manage it if he knows Syd is there and Syd probably kind of knows that, too.

Carmy maybe isn’t ready to fully accept that the restaurant family is his family, rather than he can no longer “perform” there in a way that is good enough for Syd. He may be thinking he could end up like Mikey and feels lost. But I still think he’s trying to do stuff and put things in motion to fix what he messed up and try to figure it out, but they’re not going to share that it’s a cliffhanger. That’s why they never let him and Syd talk through it all season, they’re saving it for S5. Carmy did a lot of work on himself this season.

But once Syd’s resigned to the fact Carmy is going to do this, after hearing him and Richie go at it (Berzattoing again), she tells him Carmy has to cut himself out and put Richie in as a partner. When she knows that Carmy and Richie have been intensely fighting all along and that it’s about Mikey and that Mikey pushed Carmy away and Richie was closer to him. She had just heard that. She was trying to call his bluff.

“If that’s what you’ve got for me, then that’s what I’ve got for you.”

If he’s going to leave then she’s going to cut him out. And he asks if that’s what she wants and she says that’s what she needs and Carmy’s face in that moment…he doesn’t like it, but he concedes. Richie knows what’s going on too because he immediately doesn’t think it’s real and compares it to St. Patrick’s day which is about people being shit-faced out in the streets and he asked Carmy if he was on drugs earlier, too (comparing him to Mikey, not nice).

It a kind of reset of the setup up S1, a remix, but I doubt it will all shake out and feel as intense as it first did or even does now.

Syd has still never opened or countersigned a DocuSign. Syd doesn’t maybe even want to really do that restaurant without Carmy, or be “The Bear” (based on her dream) but we’ll see. Yes she is capable of doing it, but not sure she wants to at the moment, because she’s just as messed up as Carmy and has been sublimating her feelings this whole time and feels like he basically told her he doesn’t see her as his muse anymore and I get the feeling that she is very aware that’s the role she was performing now.

With the idea of it eventually going further, that he’d fall in love with her just like she’d fall in love with him if he pretended he was still Empire Carmy. They were both hiding behind that and now Carmy has been the one to call it out and they will have to see who they both are and what they are to each other without that.

[lilianne-tarot]

STORYTIME PART 2!!!

Okay sooo surprisingly so many of yall actually loved my storytime😭 and so popped into my inbox asking for Part 2 and here it is!! This is a LONG LONG post. A lot of oversharing too lol

So first of all, let’s call him Jake., So I’ll start from the beginning. We were in the same class for two subjects, but I never talked to Jake until he joined the same club as me. That’s when we got introduced through our mutual friends, and we became this group of four people that always hung out together. The way he used to look at me, It felt like he was piercing into my soul but like… in a soft way??? Like if puppy eyes had the intensity of sharp eyes 💀 plsss tell me you get it???? It was like “I’ll destroy you but...with love... with a loving smile” 😭 and I’d just sit there nervously giggling, looking around like “ahh… is he looking at me??” 😀 Which normally wouldn’t even affect me but his eyes were so round and magnetic and SOFTTT I literally couldn’t stop noticing him once I did 😭😭

Our first ever convo?? ICONIC. He went, “uhmm… the book you were reading last Thursday, was that Divergent? You like it?” And I was honestly shocked this was the first thing he ever said to me. I went, “ohh yeah, it was! I’m halfway through it and yeah I’m loving it I guess.” And then he smiled and replied, “great, me too.” And I was like… DAMNDNIGINDIFGHBV REALLY?! 😭😭

He was an A+ student, so I shouldn’t have been shocked he’s a book nerd too??? 🫠 SO YOU'RE TELLING ME You love books, you’re taller than me, you look amazing, THOSE EYES, THAT SMILE, you’re polite, calm, respectful, you get my humor, you like Taylor Swift, you’re emotionally expressive, A perfect ambivert, AND YOU HAVEN’T DATED ANYONE YET?? AND YOU LIKE ME??? OKAY. K. 💀

And okay like, not to say I have self-esteem issues BUT I do have trust issues 🙂 So I assumed there were only two options, 1) This guy is trying to scam me. 2) His rizz game is weak. And guess what… it was option 2 😭 THANKFULLY I wasn’t getting scammed but omg he def lacked rizz, The textbook “rizz” was missing. You’re BLESSED in every category and still choose to not explore your options??? Be for real. But I was lowkey like “where has this guy BEEN all my life??” 😭

Initially, I didn’t have a crush on him. And I don’t think he did either. But after like 10 days of knowing each other, things started to shift. Like he would walk all the way to my last class (which btw was suuuper far from his) just so we could walk together to the bus stand. EVERY. DAY. And my friend (who originally used to walk with me) was like, “WHY is this guy showing up every day??” 😭LMAO she was pressed

He’d ask me soooo many questions. Like, all kinds. And ngl at one point I went, “do you always ask this many questions??” and he said, “well… I’m normally much quieter, yk.” And something in my stomach flipped 🫠

Now me, I love teasing the people I’m close with. So once we were talking with two of our friends, and Jake mentioned a guy who was in our common class. That guy and I had an academic rivalry going on (totally playful nothing too serious) and Jake was like, “you hate him, right?” And I replied, super casually, “well def not more than you.” 😭😭

I HAD NO IDEA how harsh that sounded to him. Like it was meant to be friendly teasing??? But he looked SO sad. Like the type of sad that makes you go, “uh oh, what did I do.” I thought he was just acting at first but... no. He was genuinely upset the whole time, Dude looked like I just ran over his cat. 😭

Later that evening he texted me like, “do you actually hate me?” I WAS LIKE “NOOOOOOO 😭😭 BUDDYYYYYY WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT???” And he said, “you said you hated me more than him and I thought you meant it.” I was like “ARE YOU STUPIDDDD 😭😭😭 that was just a joke!! Why would I hate you???” We sorted it out eventually but yeah... this is exactly what I meant when I said he lacked rizz. Like he didn’t know how to tease back, yk? But honestly… I kinda found it adorable. Like "you take my words that seriously??" 👉🏻👈🏻 LMAOOO 🥹

There was this one time we were prepping for a school event, and something happened that made me start crying, like for the WHOLE day 😭 idk what came over me because it wasn’t even that deep but I was crying nonstop. AND DUDE. He was beside me the entire day. Like following me around, carrying my water bottle, staying behind me during every event segment I was hosting 😭😭 cuz I had to speak a lot so he though that I would eventually feel thirsty so he should do that. DAMN. GOD SAVE ME.

Sometimes I wonder if I cried so much because emotionally I couldn’t handle being around the literal dream boy being so soft and helpful like an emotional support put😭💀 LIKE WAS MY BRAIN JUST OVERWHELMED BY EMOTIONS??? I STILL THINK ABOUT THIS AND LAUGH.

I loved being so delicately cared for the entire day. That’s the only memory I held onto from that event, cuz yk what? Let’s remember the good part 💅🏻

He was honestly just a little naïve when it came to dating stuff. Like his friends were total opposites. He wasn’t naïve about feelings, or basic respect, or how to treat someone, just dating. We talked about everything. And he actually took genuine interest in my love for tarot and spirituality 🥹 AND encouraged me so much!! Our two other friends noticed it too. He’d talk about his lil sister and how much he loved her. AND HE WAS A GREATTTT GUITARIST TOO?? Like pls. What more could I even ask for?? 😭✨

And now we reach what I talked about in Part 1...

So during this school event, both of us were in the same group. And my bestie (a year junior to us three) casually asked him, “you like her, don’t you?” AND HE GOT SOOO FLUSTERED 😭😭😭 I wasn’t even there for this but she told me his face turned red and he took a deep breath and said, “yeah I do... but she doesn’t seem interested so I don’t wanna cross her boundaries. I’m happy admiring her from afar.” AASHJDFHJVKJDF HELLOOOOO??? 🫠

AND THEN she goes, “okayyy so what exactly do you like about her?” AND THIS BOYYYYY. He says: “ahh well... I love how she’s so bubbly yet so mature at the same time. I love how she expresses herself and doesn’t shy away from her emotions. I love the way she thinks about things.” SHDFSVIFHBINGIBDIF 😭😭😭 SCREAMING. CRYING.

When my bestie told me ALL of this word-for-word, I was floored 😭 I sat there like, “YOU THINK???? You like the WAY I THINK??” Like in TODAY’S ECONOMY?? 😭😭😭 HOWWW??

ANDDD later I came to know that he actually liked me for quite some time. Longer than I know him. He knoew me before even we were both introduced to each other or had our first conversation. He already knew me cuz my guy friend already told him about me, the one who eventually introduced us to each other later on.

And he knew I wasn’t someone who’d jump into a relationship right away. I’ve got attachment issues and letting go is hard for me, so I just can’t even emotionally afford a situationship. 🙂

The only big issue with actually dating him was the HUGE cultural difference between us. And I knew that could create problems later on. But I was ready to risk it. Because he was honestly a one in a million kind of person and I couldn’t just let him go. But... the universe had other plans 🥲

So yeah, after that event, he confessed to me. I was SO HAPPY 😭 I was smiling sooo wide but still didn’t wanna make it obvious that I wanted to date him too. I took time, thought long and hard, and yes… I made a WHOLE SWOT ANALYSIS. (Yes. I did that. Am I crazy? Maybe. Am I just extra? YES.)

Eventually, I was ready. And we dated for 4 months, right at the end of our third year of high school. But then... he had to transfer. Not just schools. Not just cities. But COUNTRIES. Yes. The full exit. He had no choice, his entire family was moving. And ngl... it was a breaking point. Long distance is Not for me. Not when it’s THAT long. Like, actual oceans-away kinda long.

So yeah… that’s kinda how it ended. We promised to stay in touch, to keep talking, and if the universe ever brings us back together, we’d try to build something again. But ofc things can't be the same again. We don't even talk that much anymore but that's okay I guess.

It’s been a while since all that happened. But writing this and opening up to y’all felt SO nice. I honestly went with the flow and just poured whatever came to mind. There’s sooo much more I could’ve written but I kept it to the main stuff so it wouldn’t be too long (even though it still LMAO).

If you actually read this whole thing, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. It means the world that you took the time to read my little life story. I hope it brought you even a little joy and laugh 🫶💌

[pathetic-gay]

Azzi Fudd x Clark!Reader || Junior Year

Being Caitlin Clark's twin sister isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I decided to try my hand at something new...Let me know what you think...This could be a few parts, some of which may or may not be already done...This is not based on a real game...

It's late February of the 2022-2023 college basketball season. My twin Caitlin and I are juniors playing for our college the Iowa Hawkeyes. It's one of our last regular season games before March Madness begins next week. We are playing the UConn Huskies at home and it's been a close game to say the least. I've been on the bench the whole game so far and while watching I haven't been able to keep my eyes off number 35. Her play style is mesmerizing.

"Clark!" Caitlin and I both turn to look at Coach Bluder from our spot on the bench. "You're in." is all she says without looking in our direction. Caitlin and I share a glance as we both move to stand, me getting ready to take off my warm up jacket, but Coach finally looks over shaking her head. "Not you," she says pointing at me. I let out a sigh and sit back down zipping my jacket back up. Caitlin gives me a sad smile before rushing to the desk to check back into the game.

I should be used to this by now but that doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt. Coach Bluder has always favored Caitlin over me, playing her in every game. She's just like everyone else in our lives. Hell our parents call every week to talk to Caitlin seemingly forgetting they have another daughter.

It wasn't always this way.

Growing up our family was fine. Caitlin, Blake, Colin and I were all treated equal. Our parents scrambled to bring us all to practices and games for our sports. Blake with football. Cait and I with basketball and Colin with whichever of his sports were in season. Our parents gave each of us equal attention. Then as Cait started to 'excel' more in basketball their attention shifted more to her. Our brothers weren't left behind though…only I was. Even Colin and Blake's attention went to Caitlin!

Believe me it's not like I suck at basketball. I'm just as good if not better than Caitlin but for some reason no one seems to notice that. Not even Coach Bluder. I've sat the bench for the last 3 games this season. It would have been more but Coach's usual reserves picked up injuries allowing me a few minutes here and there. It's been the same since freshman year. I've been itching to get on the court to prove myself but I never get the chance.

I let out another sigh before leaning back in my seat, stuffing my hands in the pockets of my warm up jacket, watching as Caitlin sinks another basket, our teammates clapping her on the back as she transitions to defense.

"She's sorry you know." A voice says. I glance to the left and see Kate Martin, Caitlin's best friend, giving me a soft smile now in the seat Caitlin was just in. I roll my eyes putting my attention back on the game watching as 35 sinks a 3-pointer from the other end of the court before being subbed off. "She is." Kate pushes. "She has noticed the shift. She has tried talking to Coach but they are adamant they won't play you. Coach wouldn't tell her why." Kate explains, keeping her voice low.

I continue to ignore her, hating the way those words made me feel.

"She even said she has tried talking to your parents but they blow her off asking about her last games instead." Kate continues. I scoff turning to look her in the eye.

"Her 'trying' doesn't mean shit to me." I say glaring at Kate who shrinks back a bit. "This has been going on for years and she decides now to 'try'?" I spit, ignoring the looks I'm getting from those around me. Kate sighs turning to glance at the game.

"I can't speak for why she hasn't done anything sooner but she is sorry. She is trying to make things right." Kate reiterates. I shake my head and stand turning to walk towards the locker room. If Coach noticed she doesn't say a word, which pisses me off more.

"Bull shit." I mumble to myself as I take off my uniform leaving it on the bench as I change into my jeans and Iowa t-shirt. I'm so in my head that I miss the person who followed behind me, only realizing when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I quickly turn rolling my eyes at the sight of Caitlin standing there out of breath and sweaty.

"Y/n listen- " I cut her off before she can start some lame explanation.

"No. For once I will not sit back and let you control everything. This is my college career that is suffering while you get to enjoy yours. I am sick and tired of having to live in your shadow. Mom and Dad haven't called me in 2 years and yet they call you every week. Hell even Blake and Colin talk to you more in a month than they have with me in the last 2 years. Did you know that?" I ask sarcastically, knowing the answer already.

As expected she stays silent, shifting her gaze to the ground. "I won't be around to cloud your fame any longer." I say as I pick up by bag and phone, pushing past Caitlin and making my way out of the locker room towards door leading to the parking lot. Thankful I had saved to buy my own car so I don't have to share anything else with Caitlin. I keep walking trying to will away the tears that are building.

I turn the corner to the exit of the stadium only to run into a body. I drop my bag and reach out to stop us both from falling looking up to see the beautiful girl.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention where I was going." I rush out. She giggles and I freeze at the sound. She looks me up and down before holding out her hand.

"I'm Azzi." she says, a large smile on her face. I return her smile taking her hand in mine. I open my mouth to introduce myself but she speaks again before I can. "You're Y/n Clark," my eyes widen in surprise, she giggles at my response. "don't look so shocked. I've heard a lot about you." she says.

"You have?" I question still in shock, she nods glancing down. It's then I realize I'm still holding onto her hand. "S-Sorry." I say releasing my grip. She giggles again waving me off.

"Don't worry about it. Why do you seem so surprised?" She questions leaning against the wall. I follow her actions, forgetting I was meant to be leaving the stadium. All the anger I had felt before disappearing the longer I'm in Azzi's presence.

"Well most people either think I'm Caitlin, or they know I'm not and ask where she is. No one usually asks about or knows Y/n." I say. She looks at me confused for a second before her eyes widen.

"Caitlin isn't as good as you are." Is all Azzi says. I go quiet before whispering softly.

"No one's ever said that before." She gives me a soft smile, one that doesn't seem out of pity like Kate's was earlier, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"They should have. You are ten times better than her. No one lets you show that." She says, I nod agreeing with her but stop at a thought, looking at her in confusion.

"How do you know that I'm better? I've barely played this season. Hell I've barely played at all." I question. She retracts her hand, a blush growing on her cheeks as she turns her head away avoiding eye contact.

"Oh…Uh…" She stutters, I chuckle. Feeling bold I use my finger to turn her head to face me again. We both are silent as we look at each other. The sound of the buzzer from behind breaks us apart. "Sorry." She says pulling back.

"Sorry." I repeat. She chuckles but steps back fully pointing to the court.

"I should get back. My team will be looking for me." It's then I notice she is wearing a UConn uniform.

Number 35.

"Oh uh yeah! It was nice talking to you Azzi." I say giving her a smile. She returns one placing her hand on my shoulder.

"You too. I can’t wait to see you play." She says before moving past me and back to the court. I pull out my phone glancing at it in my hand before making a split second decision. I turn after her leaving my bag on the ground.

"Azzi!" I call, she stops turning to look at me confused. I hold out my phone. " Could I get your number? I'd love to get to know you more." I say with more confidence than I feel. She smiles and nods taking my phone into her hand. She quickly enters her information before handing it back to me.

"Be sure to call me Clark." She says leaning up to press a kiss to my cheek before turning and running to the court. I bring my hand up to my cheek a dopey smile on my face. I look down at my phone smiling wider if possible at the contact name Azzi put for herself.

Future Girlfriend ❤️

I turn to leave the stadium grabbing my bag on the way. A smile on my face as I feel even more confident in my decision. A decision I should have made 2 years ago.

[fuckyeahisawthat]

I've been trying to write something about the action in TOG2 and it's honestly hard because the more I look at it, the more things I notice that are just stupid, lazy or nonsensical. And it just makes me annoyed on behalf of everyone who worked really hard on making the action in the first movie so damn good.

Because the action in TOG1 was really, really good. It felt grounded and like there were real stakes and consequences. It was emotionally impactful, rich in character details, and it also looked fucking badass. It stood out from the general slop of weightless, bloodless PG-13 blockbuster action. And it seems clear to me from behind the scenes videos that Gina Prince-Bythewood approached the violence in the film with a lot of care and intention, and that the filmmaking team had really thought through every detail of fight choreography, weapons, set design, practical and VFX, cinematography, lighting, and score.

Obviously what makes an action sequence "good" is somewhat subjective, but I think a useful rule of thumb is: good action should tell a story. We should learn something about the characters and their relationships through the way they fight, and be able to track changes in those things over the course of the film.

TOG1 was chock full of beautiful action storytelling. The action sequences were for the most part not long, but they were full of character and relationship information, and they were a delight to watch over and over again.

Nile and Andy's fight on the plane tells us (and Andy) a huge amount about who Nile is as a person--that she's determined, resourceful, brave and stubborn; sneaky and gutsy enough to restrain Andy while she's sleeping; skilled enough to land a hit on her in a brawl; and tough enough to keep fighting even after Andy breaks her arm. Andy's solo fight in the church tells us that she's the best of the best, but it's come at a cost, and that she will do things alone even when help is available right in the next room. Joe and Nicky have the van speech moment, but the practiced way they fight side by side, the way they always look for each other first in a fight and are still genuinely scared and enraged watching the other one get hurt or killed--these things tell us just as much about their relationship.

And one of the unique things about TOG is that the characters really fought as a team. I have written before about the phenomenon of characters fighting next to each other but not with each other; once you start noticing this in movies you will not be able to unsee it. I think there are a number of reasons for this trend in fight choreography, from individualist writing choices (wanting to showcase each character as their own Special Unique Hero in preparation for their spinoff film even when they're part of a team), to the practical reality that if you're filming a bunch of actors in front of a green screen, they may literally not have been in the room at the same time as each other.

TOG1 didn't do that. It opened and closed with two great ensemble fights, where we saw the characters being aware of each other in space, helping each other, covering each others' backs, and checking on each other, as if they were actually all people in the same room who cared about one another. It meant we had great character moments like Joe running to Nicky's side after the kill floor regeneration and the whole team following Nile's lead to cover Andy with their own bodies in the final fight when she's mortal but still not acting like it.

In a sequel, we should have seen how these relationships have changed, now that Andy is mortal, Nile is part of the team, and Booker is not.

The first action sequence should have allowed us to see the new status quo. How does the team work together now? Are there friction points, like Nile still being less experienced and Andy forgetting she's not invulnerable? How do they integrate someone like Copley, who has some of the same tech skills that Booker did, but really shouldn't be in the middle of the action when there are other options?

Instead we got...idek what was going on at that Temu ass Bond villain mansion. What even was that mission? It was obviously planned, but they walked in in broad daylight, with no weapons, no body armor for either of the mortals, and half a plan they were seemingly making up on the fly. (We see them on a mission right at the beginning of TOG1 and they are stealthy, silent, and armed to the teeth. This was. Not that.) In the first film, they are trying hard enough to keep a low profile that Andy deletes a photo of herself in a tourist's selfie. And then we see their worst fears about what happens when people discover their secret realized! They add Copley to the team explicitly to help them cover their tracks. You would think if anything they'd be more cautious now. But they're firing guns into the air and going on very noticeable car chases because...it looks cool I guess?

Pairing the two mortals together in the fight makes NO sense. And then it makes even less sense that they split up once they're inside the house and don't cover each other's backs! There is a moment when Copley and Andy are taking cover and Copley seems to need to draw Andy's attention to the fact that she's standing next to a wall of swords. Motherfuckin Andy??? The woman who keeps a sword bucket by the safehouse door??? Gtfo.

Nile's and Copley's positions should have been switched from the beginning. It almost seems like the fight was choreographed to be that way and then got changed at some point. Copley could've even gotten to drive the boat into the garden when things went off the rails! Then the "remember you're mortal" line would have meant something and revealed information about how he's changed in the six months he's spent with them, other than just being lazy exposition.

What was the objective? Kill the bad guy? That's not even really their deal. Yes obviously they kill people...but go back and listen to Copley's speech from TOG1 when he's describing their impact on history. Almost everything he mentions involves rescuing civilians. Which is exactly what they thought they were going to do on the South Sudan job. We don't know anything about this guy and we don't care, so we don't have any sense of stakes.

I could go on with nitpicking but the overall point is that it feels like none of these things were thought through from a character and worldbuilding point of view. Building an action sequence around what looks cool with no sense of overall coherence instead of starting with "what story are we telling?" is a recipe for a bad action sequence.

The Andy and Quỳnh fight in Rome is the one action sequence that works, because someone somewhere did put thought into it. It has a story and an emotional throughline. The choreography is actually telling a story (even after 500 years apart, they know each other well enough to block every strike; Andy doesn't actually want to fight Quỳnh and keeps trying to get her to stop) and they're both acting their faces off. It's like a vestige of a better movie that's still in there somewhere.

Unfortunately, all the problems with the opening sequence recur in the (too long) climax at the World's Least Secure Nuclear Facility. If there was any time we would expect to see all six of them fighting back to back and acting like a team, it would be in the finale. But no!!!

They enter the facility as a group. Nile is even in front!

But then they immediately split up into trios, pairs and solo fights, and stay that way for the rest of the sequence. And then complain about Discord trying to separate them! Guys y'all did this to yourselves with a stupidass battle plan.

This means the emotional impact of the climax of the film is completely fractured. Andy is the only one to see Booker die. Copley is maybe (?) killed off-screen and we get no confirmation about whether he's dead or alive. Nile gets the information about her immortality-ending powers alone, and then gets stabbed by Discord and captured alone. Andy fights Discord alone, on the world's most boring concrete slab.

It's the complete opposite of everything that made the first film powerful and unique.

Good action is not just about the coolest moves or the most outlandish stunts; it is about using physicality to say something. TOG1 did that really, really well, and TOG2 just does not measure up.

[woofyway]

⭐️ Marine Blood ⭐️

- A fight between pirates and marines leave the pirate world looking at Vam like a traitor after the public discovery of his family. Oit wants to talk about it, but the words don’t come out quite just right to be a consoling message. -

Warnings: Descriptions of Abuse, and Self Hate

Words: 2,151

Enjoy!

Vam looked out to the sea, pondering as he drummed his fingers against the wooden railing of Oit’s ship. He stood in the same spot near the steering wheel that he and Oit would always stand to talk, silently hoping that maybe at some point they would. The Ranbo had been destroyed in the fight, taking several blows by marine cannons before they could even get to it, leaving Vam and his crew to take shelter on the sea with Oit’s crew. They were upset, of course, but they had to cut their losses and get a new ship at some point. That’s easier said than done when most of their belongings ended up on the ocean floor with it. Vam sighed, trying to think of how they could even achieve that. He can’t say he’s never been jealous of the big ships when he can only afford something so small.

The crews mingled amongst each other about the events of that evening. What was supposed to be an entertaining and relaxing night before they had sailed off in different directions resulted in the marines deciding they’d rather make sure they weren’t going anywhere. And, with Vam’s luck, encountered none other than the admiral himself. Of course, in any pirates case no one wants to run into him, but, for Vam, it was much more personal than anyone could have known. To know why now, Vam’s got people looking at him like a traitor, being convinced that he was really a marine this whole time.

Oit stared up at the second level where Vam was facing away from everyone with a blank stare, lost in thought. He looked back at the crews who seemed content, and then back at Vam before deciding he was going to try to talk about what happened. Quietly, he made his way up the short wooden staircase, being reminded how much they actually creaked under his footsteps. The sound alerted Vam, who slightly turned around, and smiled once he saw Oit.

“Hey, you - uh - want to talk about what happened back there?,” Oit walked up next to the other captain, also leaning himself against the railing while tilting his head slightly. “The fight between us and the marines.”

Vam giggled, and looked back out to the sea. “Those red-coats always have somethin’ to do, it looks like,” he paused before turning to Oit excitedly. “Could’ve been worse, though! Did you see how many of them we took out?”

Oit’s expression became a slight smile with a chuckle before sighing, and placing a gentle hand on Vam’s back, causing the man in question to look back at Oit with confusion. “I’m…talking more about you and the admiral and Haihe.”

“Oh yea, I almost got to throw ‘em straight off that cliff into the ocean! They sure put up a good fight, but alas, I came out on top as usual. They still got away though, but I roughed ‘em up pretty good! Although she did a few shots on me, that hurt like hell.”

“Vam - that’s not really what I mean. Not to mention they got you pretty good too, like you said, don’t forget you technically shouldn’t even be standing right now…”

“What do you mean then? We just managed to end nearly a quarter of a marine army with just us two crews! What else is there to talk about?,” Vam laughed, rolling his eyes. That didn’t last long though, Oit was getting frustrated at the attempts at side-stepping the question.

“Vam! I’m talking about the fact that they’re your father and sister,” Oit replied with an unusual stern tone, at least being toward Vam, it was. It scared him sometimes, he had to admit.

Vam squinted with a fake smile, and chuckled halfheartedly. “A-And?”

“Vam, that’s a pretty big deal, especially now that so many people know, and it put a target on your back. I’d hate for that to cause anything to happen to you,” Oit stated sincerely, gently grazing his fingers against the wood as he took a breath.

“Well that’s just people bein’ judgemental! And you know I don’t get bothered by that! And even then, so what if we’re related? I mean…sure we have our history, but…,” he trailed off, as though he remembered something he didn’t want to.

“But?,” Oit asked, removing his hand from Vam’s back.

Vam didn’t say anything, but anyone could see just how bothered he actually was talking about it. His hands now gripped the railing while he caught his breath that Oit hadn’t even realized was barely there. “Vam, I mean this as nicely as possible, but I’m sure you understand why people are skeptical or your intentions-“

“Intentions? What intentions? Sailin’ the world, performin’ wherever I go, and just bein’ free? Those intentions that are so insignificant to anyone around me? Oh please-!,” Vam caught himself for a second, and then turned completely to Oit with a hard stare of concern. “You…don’t actually think I’m sidin’ with the marines, do you? Do you actually think I’m like that?”

“No! No - listen, I just want to make sure you know-“

“That I know what?,” Vam backed up, becoming defensive at his words. “That I know that I’m blood related to quite literally some of the worst people on this planet, and that they’re responsible for some of the most cruel doin’s to pirates? Yea, I’m aware.”

“That’s - That’s not what I mean, Vam, you know that. I want you to be safe, and people will be after you because they know that they’re related to you. People make assumptions based on such small things like that! I’m sure you’d know!,” Oit almost yelled, but caught himself before he could let his worries get the better of him, or catch the attention of the others. Oit placed a hand softly over his own mouth, not daring to keep talking.

“What’s that supposed to mean? That I’d know,” Vam squinted. The other didn’t say anything, making the tension even worse. With every next word, he jabbed a finger into Oit’s chest. “Oit. What. Is. That. Supposed. To. Mean.”

“I don’t mean that as an insult-,” Oit tried to say.

“But that’s pretty insultin’,” Vam rolled his eyes.

“I mean you, of anyone I’ve ever met, or at least that I can remember, are the master of breaking social norms, and living your life without a care for how others perceive you. And I love you for that, but this is different from that. This is people seeing that you even have a connection in the first place, and, just based on that, think that you’re using your fame to get the marines into the pirate world,” Oit explained, taking Vam by the upper arms, and looking him dead in the eyes to make sure that the other man was listening. He was, but evidently he couldn’t see the sincerity behind it.

“…Is it them that think that? Or you?,” Vam forced Oit’s hands off of him. “Gods, I can’t believe - !”

“I just said I didn’t think that about you!,” Oit expressed, exasperated. He threw his hands in the air, ready to give up the conversation because it went in an entirely different direction than he had hoped. Perhaps it was his terrible wording, but Vam could have at least assumed that his lover, of all people, wasn’t trying to be mean about it. More than anything, Oit assumed Vam being so angry was coming from deeper than his words. Something that happened between him and the admiral.

“Well you’re makin’ it hard to believe,” Vam muttered, leaning forward onto the railing again with his chin resting in the palm of his hand, facing away from Oit. The other bit his lip, and thought for a second before speaking up again.

“He’s obviously angry at you for being a pirate. Did something else happen?,” Oit asked softly, trying to avoid escalating the conversation again as fast as it did. Unfortunately Vam didn’t answer him, so he continued. “He doesn’t seem like the fatherly type, but, of course, I have a bias in that because I, nor any pirate, trusts him.”

“He wasn’t,” Vam mumbled.

Oit nodded, and also leaned onto the railing the same way, mimicking Vam’s pose. Neither of them continued to speak for a few minutes, taking a moment to collect themselves before trying again. Surprisingly, Vam was the first to speak.

“He raised me and Haihe for most of our life. We had a mother, but…he killed her for bein’ a pirate. It’s ironic how that went; their love had been forbidden because he was a marine, and she was a pirate, and then betrayed and killed her for bein’ one when he had a moment of realization that the two don’t go together,” he explained, hanging his head down and speaking barely above a whisper to avoid anyone else hearing him. Details of his life he would never share to the world because it ruined his flashy, eccentric, and positive persona. “He almost didn’t spare me either, but he was more determined to raise her and I into bein’ marines instead. To use that moment as a learnin’ experience, but, if anythin’, it terrified me of the marines. Not so much my sister somehow.”

Oit silently listened to the story while it nearly brought him to tears knowing that his boyfriend had suffered so much at a young age. He wasn’t sure if he, himself, had, but he certainly had a small luxury of not remembering so. He didn’t reply, assuming there was more to tell, and he was right. Vam continued.

“He tortured me every day from the age of eight. Everythin’ I ever did or said was wrong, so I got beaten or starved for it repeatedly. Eventually I just…stopped talkin’, and didn’t do virtually anythin’ unless I had my father’s permission. To eat, to sleep, to go to the bathroom-,” Vam chuckled sadly at that last part. “Truthfully…up until I was sixteen, I made a pretty damn good marine, and it got him off my back for a bit, but…it didn’t last. I resented him, still. I thought about how my mother was a pirate, and that it felt wrong where I was. So, I left. I escaped within an inch of my life, but I made it away from the marines to start my life over while my sister resided at his side.”

Oit’s eyes welled with tears as his voice got caught in his throat. Vam didn’t even cry, but he had such an uncharacteristic look of despair all over his face with depressed, glazed over eyes looking at nothing in particular like he was looking internally at the memories he wished he didn’t have. Well…actually there should be something missing in there. As far as what Oit heard from Sigmund when he met him, everyone usually only loses something important in their memories unlike Oit who lost his whole self. It made him think. That’s a conversation for another time, though.

“I didn’t know. I’m sorry that you thought I was thinking you were going to betray us,” Oit apologized sincerely, taking a light hold of Vam’s sleeve, making the other look at him out of the corner of his eye. “I didn’t have any context to your relationship with your family, and even with the fight between you and then back there, I wouldn’t have guessed that it sank so much deeper.”

Vam rolled his eyes. “No one is goin’ to know, but let it be known I’m not the only marine-blood pirate to exist. I don’t take on like my father, I prioritize my mother and her beliefs. But, of course that doesn’t matter, does it?”

“To the rest of the pirate world, no,” Oit answered honestly, hanging his head in defeat. “You’re a marine to them, whether…whether you say you are or not. Even my crew is becoming skeptical of you being here, but I’m not going to let them change my mind.”

Vam turned to him. “And if they do?”

Oit stared in shock at the question, wanting to deny every bit of it. “They won’t, I promise. You have my word, Vam. You’re a pirate, no matter how everyone else sees you.”

Vam stood up straight with an unamused head tilt before shaking his head and starting to walk away to the front of the ship, putting on a fake smile and practically bounced down the stairs to greet the others. Oit attempted to follow him before deciding to let him be, seeing as talking didn’t seem to help. Why did he have to be so confrontational about it? Why did it have to sound like he thought Vam had bad intentions? Why did he even open his mouth in the first place?

[aka-indulgence]

prefacing this with an apology if this sounds weird; but how do you get into marine biology- for a living, i mean? its something ive wanted to do forever and every time i hype myself up enough to start doing something about it i find/watch a video that says that its next to impossible to become one because the field is so competitive, or a family member will mention how scientists are getting phased out by the government rn cuz. generally everythings going to shit rn btu thats beside the point- and how i'll need to do all this volunteer work to even get a chance at getting hired somewhere, IF i even go through with it. its something thats been drilled into my head for years as next to impossible to try and accomplish and if i even did, it somehow wouldn't even pay enough or just. idk its. something thats been really special to me forever and getting told 'yeah, you can't do this, that and you wont be able to live off it/have any social life bc of the hours you'll work/have to put towards it' over and over again every time i try to get a little bit closer to doing something with/about it just... really hurts. sorry for dumping this all on you, and thank you for listening

OK (rubs my hands together) this is gonna be long because this has been my life’s efforts to get where I am. I had to rewrite it twice to keep it brief djshfdl

Ah… to be honest, I’m still finding my footing in the area, so I’m not exactly an expert on it, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But everything you said sounds so familiar, I’ve heard it all before :/ I don’t know why people want to discourage people so much from getting into marine biology??? Maybe Big Fish wants to stop people form saving the sea sjhddfljg

I’ve heard very similar things throughout the years, whether its too competitive or too much work or ‘too boring’. I kept going because I felt we need more marine biologists regardless, and a lot of spite (lol)

There are truths to what they say, though I think they’re too ‘crush your dreams’ rather than looking at reality in a normal lens. I mean, in this economy, getting a job is hard in general you know??? 😅 It took me a while, internships and volunteers and multiple applications to get to where I am now, and I still have a lot of climbing to do. But it is achievable!!!

Volunteering is a really good way to get into it. Because marine biology is a relatively close-knit field, it’s easier to get into the field when you know a lot of people that can put a recommendation for you. When you do volunteer or internship, make sure you ask them how to get into their organization, or any other that they might be working with. This isn’t perfect of course, since you’re not being paid, so you would still need something else to provide you money, but this is the best way to get into the field. It’s also good to get the experience they’re looking for and to test the waters of how much you enjoy/are able to do the work.

It also helps if you have a background in either marine biology, marine science, oceanography, biology, or/and conservation, but you can still volunteer without these.

As for the money + social life + workload, it depends from place to place. I’ve experience living in isolation (surrounded by people) before so I would say I’ve adapted to restricted social circles, and most of my close friends are available through the internet (also why I try to be on tumblr more lol). I work a lot because I have a big team that I have to manage, so I actually would prefer a smaller scale project so I can focus on myself and my direct work more. But I put a rule on myself to not work once the sun goes down, because it’s very easy to work for a whole day. I know a lot of people who have more workload and work for long times, but they always tell me that it’s worth getting through for the ocean. And though it’s not a field you go to if you want a lot of money, I know you can climb up to better salaries, depending on the country. You might try to look internationally, because a lot of marine biologist positions look internationally, especially in ‘developing countries’. Though of course that has a whole different set of challenges. Just make sure to review said salary before you take it, if it’s livable for your way of life.

I’ll admit, it’s a lot of work to get in there. But it’s possible!!! TL;DR: volunteering is your best way of getting your foot in the field. Ask how to work there. It’s not a field with a lot of money but depending on the place it’s livable, social life depends on how you handle your social life, try to impose work life balance on yourself.

PS. There are marine bio positions with better work-life balance, but again it depends on the location! Being somewhere more populated with places to go/‘more developed’ usually has better balance because it gives you places to go to outside of working hours.

[teratomatica]

you always land on all fours